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If you live in the same place for an extended period of time, the monotony of the daily grind can wear you down. Sure, there’s “no place like home,” but after a while of spending week after week in the same place, life feels too regimented and stale. With that in mind, I decided to do what anyone else would do, so I took the show on the road and partied like it was 1999.
The trip had been in the works for a few months: me and a bunch of other guys went to play a beer league hockey tournament in a neighboring city. Nothing like beer, sports and a new place to freshen up your perspective. We played teams from Michigan and Canada so you can imagine how it went, but the experience was well worth the shellacking.
It also gave me and the Mrs. some time to explore and enjoy a new city. After doing some research, we settled on checking out some hole-in-the-wall bars to hang out with the locals as well as their college bars. One of my favorite hobbies is to drunkenly befriend people and learn about them. Part of the majesty of drinking is that it facilitates conversation and actions that might not take place otherwise. Some of the best ideas ever came from over-serving oneself with some of the devil’s drink. Just look how the Boston Tea Party turned out. Just some regular guys that got a notion after a few rounds at the ale house.
On this particular occasion, we befriended a middle-aged divorced dad clad in tattoos from top to bottom. A working class guy with a heavy Yinzer accent, he told us about his life, his family, places to check out – a real friendly guy. After trading rounds to get acquainted, it was nice to have a sympathetic local give us the rundown of the area. We apparently picked the right guy, too, because after that the whole bar wanted to engage in conversation.
Following a few hours of slugging down brews, we shared a friendly hug goodbye, and we were on our way to check out more of the local scenery. I was pretty drunk by this point so the unseasonably cold weather was merely an inconvenience. The next day we checked out downtown, went to a museum, had some brunch and headed out. Brunch isn’t a thing where I live, so it was nice to experience something the rest of the world takes for granted.
Even though my home gets boring sometimes, I have to remember that other people miss it after they move on. When you live in your college town, people get nostalgic for the good times: before loans and bills, you lived in a house with 20+ of your best friends and there was always something to do. My buddy Ben gave me a call one day, asking what I was doing that weekend. I had no plans so he told me, “Alright, I’ll be coming in tomorrow, I need to see a friendly face.”
I guess some girl gave him the runaround, which is a shame. He’s a smart, good looking guy, but she wasn’t ready to commit (not that he even asked, the dude is casual as fuck). We’ve all been there. At least she didn’t do the ghosting thing, whatever that is. Ben wasn’t feeling sorry for himself; he just needed to get out of town and visit a familiar place to get back in the game.
Over the course of the weekend, we went out to the bar with a bunch of people, came back to more beer, drank a case together and caught up. It’s nice when you have friends that even when separated by distance, you can pick up right where you left off like nothing happened. After we said our goodbyes, about six hours later, I received a text, “Thanks, man that was exactly what I needed.”.
Image via Shutterstock
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Madoff
I specialize in damage control, being the drunkest at any and all functions and social assassination. Always appreciate a strong gif game. Follow me on Twitter. Sometimes I put up cool stuff about golfing at the local dirt tracks.
@BLMInvestment
Casually dropping Yinzer, someone knows their Pittsburghese.
I’m road tripping to the mountains of NC (God’s country) with several fraternity brothers at the end of the month, and this only got me that much more excited. We have a damn beautiful country with a lot to see, in between George Strait CD’s and Whataburger, of course.
Please go to Bojangles for me. I love that place
It’s Bo’ Time.
Sometimes a quick trip to a friendly place is all it takes. I try to make it across the state to visit some old friends at least once every couple months, and they do the same. The people I know in my city are great, but the routine can drive you insane. This was a great piece, Madoff. Makes me happy I’m taking a trip in a couple weeks.
Be safe man and thanks for the kind words.
I make the 28 hour drive to Idaho at least once a year for this very reason. Sometimes you just gotta get a dose of your people to keep you grounded and sane.
Good read, man.
Idaho. And all I can think about is “Tina, eat your ham!”
Your references are amazing and I love you.
28 hours? As much as I enjoy a good road trip, that kind of time in the car has me leaning fly instead.
Yeah that’s what it will probably be now that vacation days are limited. Maybe I’m weird, but I find the driving almost as refreshing as the people themselves. The last time was driving a convertible across the country in June. When you’re up north, it’s pretty well gorgeous.
Oh I agree, but unless you have some solid driving companions, that’s almost lost time.
Nah man, depends how you approach it. Leave an extra day or two in there and camp off some backroads in the middle of nowhere. No cell reception so you’re just left with a cooler of beer, some cigars, and an unbeatable view.
I’ll also pack a fly rod and grab a fishing license at the border of some states. Nothing beats jumping out at several spots along the way for a beer/camping and drifting some line.
Do shrooms if you need to clear your head.
Road trips are the best, if you haven’t already, you gotta try the Pond Hockey Classic Tourneys, they’re incredibly fun.
Get a PGP squad together for the labatt blue pond hockey championships
ooh pick me pick me!
I’d play. Saratoga anyone?
So down
This is why I put 26k miles on my car in the first year I had it. Well, road trips and the public accounting firm I worked for sending me to bumfuck nowhere every month.