The Booze Cruise!

                There were 3 people (including myself) that attended the Booze Cruise and it was AWESOME! The Booze Cruise was almost a bust because we only had one bike. However, the dive drive gods smiled down upon us and blessed us with a bike from a thrift store, and a bike from a crack head who was on his way to bury a dog (true story). At 9:00 p.m we poured our beer in to a Wendy's kids meal cup and hit the road. 3 minutes later Amber lost control of her bicycle on a busy road and spilled her beer everywhere. This should have been an sign to turn around and go home....but we kept peddling along. In a single file line Amber, Diego and I rode 2 miles to our first location; The Wick in Somerdale NJ.

               The Phillies game was on, and it was loud. I hate baseball, so right off the bat I was annoyed. The Wick looks and smells like a small old dingy basement, and there isn't anything that gives the bar character or individuality. The walls and the ceiling are white, and there are only exit signs and posters from beer companies hanging on the wall. Miller Light Drafts are $2.00 during Phillies games so I drank 3 in an effort to block out the deafening noise of all the people who were getting ready to jump off the Phillies band wagon. The bar had popcorn, it wasn't very good but I ate it anyway. After about 45 minutes we were more then ready to leave...so we did. We were able to walk to the next bar, so we left our bikes tucked away with the abandoned cars and at 10:45 p.m we arrived at Richeez in Hi-nella NJ.

                 The Phillies game was also on at Richeez, but because the bar is bigger it wasn't as loud. Richeez reminds me of an old skating rink or bowling alley. They have mirrors on the walls and they write drink specials and upcoming events on the mirrors in neon window paint. The bartender was nice, and she was just as excited as I was when the Phillies lost. I ordered cheese fries and they were DELICIOUS! It may have been because I was drunk, but I'm pretty sure they were good. Beers were $2.50 Miller drafts, and I drank a lot of them. After about 2 hours we were all drunk, and not in any shape to ride a bike. However, we left Richeez, grabbed our bikes, and headed 3 miles North to Jerzey's bar in Lindenwold, NJ.

         At 1:15 am we parked our bikes in the woods by the bar and walked in to the train wreck. Jerzey's bar can be summed up in 2 words. Shit hole. I'm only going to write about it because it's so bad it's hilarious. As soon as we walked in we were judged by the entire bar, so we decided it would be best if we sat in seats that were far from everyone. Unfortunately the seats were next to a speaker the size of a Mini Van so I was deaf the entire time we were there. I'm pretty sure that beers were $3.00 but I'm not positive, I'm also not sure if they were cold. The bar looks like it's under construction, unfinished beams, and plywood are everywhere you look. A random pool table surrounded by convicts is right in front of the door, and one side of the bars no lights, so men sit there and try to be mysterious. 20 minutes after first walking in we chugged our beer and headed for the door in a single file line.

              I was in the front and I thought it would be a great idea to steal a blinking Halloween mask off the door, so I did. Diego was behind me and he said that the bouncers saw me so I stuck it on the window of the bar. As we walked to the bikes in the woods, I saw a blinking light coming from Amber's jacket and a bunch of black hair.Turns out Amber (who was behind Diego) ripped the mask off the window and shoved it in her jacket. As we were riding our bikes out of the woods, DIEGO was confronted by 4 bouncers who told him that he had to give the mask back. Diego laughed and said they were crazy and he didn't take anything. Next thing you know all 10 people that were in the bar came outside screaming "Where did they go!" We put our bikes in the 2nd gear and hauled ass down the street, Amber tossed the mask as we rode in to the night.

                       If you ask me...the last paragraph alone was enough to make the first annual Booze Cruise a success! Hope to See ya next year!



Diego tuning up Amber's bike

Michelle face planting.




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On the way to Jerzey's

 


P.S we went back the next day and got the mask!



First Annual Dive Drive Booze Cruise

          Come join us, Saturday October, 23 2010 for the first annual Dive Drive Booze Cruise. We will be riding our bicycles to local dive bars throughout the night. I suggest you wear a jacket, a helmet, and as much padding as possible; this could get ugly! I hope a lot of people come out, if not...there will be pictures, but as you all know pictures will never replace having been there.
          The Booze Cruise will begin at 6. The bars listed below are bars we plan on visiting.
The Pike bar and grill
Somerdale Bar
Shady Katie's (If there is no cover)
Richeez
Jerzey's
Valarie's
Richie's Tavern
Harper's
         

Russells Pic II

              

                Russells sits on a slight hill on the Black Horse Pike in Hammonton NJ. The bar looks like an old farm house; complete with a porch and red shutters. As soon as we pulled in the parking lot, the headlights were cast upon a sign that read "If god is with us we can not fail." After a quick photo with the unusual sign, we opened the screen door, prepared for the worst, and hoped that what the sign read was true.
                It was a tiny little bar that smelled like stale beer and popcorn. There were two men that sat across the bar (one of the men looked like Harry from the movie "Harry and the Hendersons"), a bartender that probably weighed 95 pounds soaking wet, and a shady guy in his mid- twenties that was reading a book by the popcorn machine. The bartender approached us with a smile, which was a nice change from the scowls we were getting from the men across the bar. We ordered $2.75 miller lite bottles, and just as I suspected they were ice cold. I sat and smiled as I looked around the bar and admired the history it discretely displayed. Old Budweiser signs with pictures of Clydesdale horses hung on the wall, autographed sports jerseys were on display, and old personal photos in frames adorned the walls. It was an interesting combination of things to be hanging on the wall, but that's what made me smile. It let me know that the owner of that bar took pride in a place that people rarely payed any mind to.
              The smell of butter that lingered in the air quickly convinced us that we wanted popcorn, and that's when we found out why the shady man with the book was sitting by the popcorn machine; he was the popcorn scooper. I wondered how someone could get a job as a popcorn scooper, but I decided that it wasn't a good idea to ask. As my friends and I sat and enjoyed the popcorn, the screen door creaked and a man in his 70's took his seat at the bar. Without saying a word the bartender reached in the cooler, pulled out a Pabst blue ribbon, cracked it open, and placed it on the bar for the man. This of course prompted me to ask the bartender "how did you know what he wanted?" I knew the answer was that the old dude was a raging alcoholic, and that he probably spent half of his life sleeping on the bar. However, I kept my mouth closed and smiled when she said that "you just get to know the locals".
         I took advantage of the mention of locals and  I asked the bartender if she knew of any other local bars that we could visit. Appartently this is the key to making friends in small local bars. Suddenly the Harry and the Henderson's guy, his friend and the popcorn scooper were telling my friends and I where to go and where to avoid. With our new found knowledge we thanked them, and decided it was time to visit the next bar. As we were getting in the car Harry and his friend were smoking a ciggarette on the porch. "Harry" suggested a few more bars we could visit, and also told us to be safe and watch our speed on the pike because the cops are "fucking vultures".

             I waved to Harry and his friend as we pulled out of the parking lot. I thought back to an hour before when I was standing outside of the bar looking for all of the exits. I thought back to when I walked in to the bar and immediatly judged "Harry" because he looked like someone that didnt want us there. It made me sad to know that I judged a person and a place based on looks. It made me realize that this bar probably doesnt generate a lot of buisness due to the judgements people make. It's sad that people are missing out on the simple pleasures of popcorn and pointless conversation, because of a judgement they've made based on an unpaved parking lot, and a crooked sign. I plan on returning to Russells Pic II, maybe the bartender will remember my drink, maybe she wont. One thing that I will always remember is that the cops on the pike are fucking vultures, and you should never judge a book by its cover.

              

Antigua

                        Not very much to say about this place except that we wont be going back. We were forced to freeze outside because apparently October is a great time to sit at a tiki bar. The outside heaters didnt work, the touch screen "jukebox" was difficult to work and only filled with musical greats like Brittney Spears, and Ke$ha. When we asked the bartender to help us with the "jukebox" she seemed annoyed as she slammed her midget fingers against the screen to get us back to the main menu.

                         In my opinion if you're looking for an uptight place to drink and freeze to death, you should check this place out. If you're looking for a fun down to earth dive bar....Keep driving. Only 2 good things came from this place; $1 dollar Miller High Life bottles, and this picture.

The Silver Fox Inn

                                 

                  At 9:05 p.m we pulled up out front of the Silver Fox Inn. We parked our car next to the only other car in the parking lot, an old blue Cadillac with 4 flat tires. We sat in the car and stared at the building that looks like something out of a horror film. Its gray stone exterior was hard to see given that the only lights that were on were neon Budweiser signs in the window. Hesitantly we got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Before entering the bar, a man and a woman smoking a cigarette got my attention and asked if we were locals. I told them that we were not, we were simply passing through. They proceeded to tell me that there was a Halloween party there on October 2nd and that we should try and make it back. They also told me that I should look them up on facebook. I thanked them for the information, and they wished me a good night. I didn't expect to find such hospitality outside of a place like this.

                    When we walked in to the bar it was silent. There were 5 people in the bar. The bartender, a middle aged couple sitting at the end of the bar, an old woman eating a plate of spaghetti, and a pretty young woman drinking a glass of wine with a straw. We were immediately greeted by the nicest bar tender I have ever met. She informed me that the cheapest beers were $2.75 domestic bottles; I ordered a Miller Lite. It was by far the coldest beer I've ever drank at a bar, my friends agreed. As the four of us sat at the quiet bar, we looked around and took in our surroundings. Out dated tables and chairs were set up on one side of the bar, old stained glass lanterns hung from the ceiling, and a fiber optic picture circa 1961 hung on the wall. A jukebox was nestled in the corner, A Barbie, Ken, and Kelly doll on swings hung from a beam, and a popcorn machine with fresh popcorn was hidden on the far end of the bar. The bar reminded me of my grandparent's basement. Scary at first, but once settled in, it's comfortable and familiar.

                 I walked over to the jukebox and selected random songs to kill the silence. Unlike the bars that my friends and I are used to, we did not receive dirty looks from the other customers for our song selections. The other customers actually smiled and laughed when my friends and I told stories that were somehow related to the song. When it was almost time to leave I had do something that I was dreading. I had to use the bathroom. I'm always nervous about using the bathroom in bars because I'm always unsure of what I'm going to find. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the bathroom was just like the rest of the bar..homey. Flowers were placed in the counter next to the sink, and a potpourri bowl sat beside it. I breathed a huge sigh of relief! As we prepared to leave the bar, the bartender thanked us for stopping in, and the older woman, and the pretty young woman wished us a good night.

              I don't think that there are many bars out there like The Silver Fox Inn, and I don't think that there are many people like the ones that we met at the Silver Fox Inn that night. It was so nice to meet people that didn't care what shoes we were wearing, what designer made our purses. They were people who wanted to make you feel at home, but didn't force it down your throat. I will return to the Silver Fox Inn, and I will continue to tell people only good things about it. Don't let the cold hard exterior scare you away from this place. The warmth you feel when you walk inside definitely makes the visit worthwhile.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hammonton-NJ/Silver-Fox-Inn-Hammonton-NJ/115091941873844