The night ended when we left IHOP at 5:30 in the morning. I quickly paid and left a bad tip (I think, I’ll check my wallet. I’m sorry patient IHOP waiter, I’ll get you back the next time.) Hopped in the front seat of the waiting taxi and came home with the boys.
One hour earlier, we were squeezed into a booth at Estelle’s. Estelle’s–somewhere I’ve only been to once before, halloween two years ago with Trish, Molly, and some other folks. A rule of thumb–if you go to Estelle’s, you’ll be hungover.
Before Estelle’s, it was a brief stop at Nicks BeerGarden–but we got in trouble for dancing so we left without finishing our beers.
Before Nicks, we occupied the corner window seat at J. Patricks. A new prefabbed Irish Bar with intern/waiters from Ireland. That makes it more Irish. Belfast Bombs (Irish Carbombs), Guiness, Baby Guiness… All a bad combination. But we got to see a loft party get busted and shut down AND FoxTV filming a new Wicker Park “reality” show.
Before J. Patricks, we tried to go to Life’s Too Short. But we weren’t let in, because Al’s pants were too baggy. Secret dress code to keep out black men, because it was more that he was black than his pants were too baggy. That we found the energy to have fun at all is shocking, we were all so angry about it. Never, ever, have I seen someone kicked out because of the bagginess of his pants. In the end, the manager let us in, but we refused to go in. Why would we spend our money there? Not when there are countless bars that will allow a group of white, black, and brown people in together.