Bachelor Party Pre-Party
For the weekend, I traveled to Philadelphia. Because I am getting married in about a month, I was convinced to have a bachelor party. Mark had planned the entire event, and I was excited to be back in Philadelphia.
The Friday evening drive from Baltimore to Philadelphia wasn't complicated. However, parking in Queen Village was another story. There are only two streets that do not have parking restrictions. After a half an hour of circling the neighborhood, I found a place I could park for the night. Unfortunately, I would have to move my car on Saturday morning.
Mark, Rob and Terry have been living in Society Hill for sometime. I think their new location is amazing. I would have liked to spend more time at their apartment. You can easily walk to almost anywhere in Center City. Living in this atmosphere provides numerous opportunities for fun. Plus, you never have to drive! I really don't like driving at all.
I met Mark and Jeff at the apartment, and we watch some of the Phillies game. The Phillies were on a hot streak. They only needed a few wins to clinch a long awaited berth into the playoffs. We didn't wait for the final inning, but decided to walk to South Street. Any number of places would be televising game.
Our first stop was Manny Browns. It is a small and dingy bar around 6th and South. The game was on TV and PBR came in 16oz cans. We didn't really need more options. Due to the comfortable late summer night, the entire front of the bar was open onto the street. The open air atmosphere was the perfect place to start the night. Shortly after our arrival, the Phillies did secure the win. We didn't leave immediately, but we did sit at a table at the front of the bar. I was glad to have some time to catch up on life. It's not surprising but slightly amazing how busy your life can become.
We didn't plan to spend all night at one spot so, our next destination was Tattooed Mom. This place had more space, but we just crowded by the jukebox. The selection was somewhat off kilter. That didn't deter us from pumping money in for the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, AC/DC and others. We fantasied about future vacation destinations and generally gave each other a hard time. How can that not be a good time?
Eventually, Mark wanted to show me the Dark Horse. This Philadelphia soccer institution is located back on 2nd so, we had to switch directions on South. Along the way, we passed a pure party spot called Mackos. It doesn't have a lot to offer, but it wasn't crowded. From the jukebox, we tried to play some Dinosaur Jr. After about 15 minutes of hard rock and metal, we figured some one had pumped the whole thing. We didn't wait around for the early 90s gem.
I think it strange to not have seen the Dark Horse. This beautifully appointed bar specializes in soccer. They have decent beer on tap. The rooms are beautifully appointed with dark wood. It feels genuine. You can tell that many a person calls this their favorite. We sat upstairs, and just relaxed. The Dark Horse was the perfect end to the night.
I know that Saturday will be a marathon. On Friday, I don't think we could have prepared more appropriately. We remained reserved. I enjoyed playing a few good tunes. I liked walking around the neighborhood and checking out a few places. We mainly spent the evening just relaxing and catching up on life. Awesome. The bachelor party was off to a great start.
