Binghamton: Part 1

Again thanks for all the comments on the previous two posts. I am going for a complete rewrite. :)

Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Friday I left work midday, hopped in the car and drove 7.5 hours up 81 to the city of Binghamton, NY. My good friends Amy and Brians’ little sister (Cara) graduated from High School on Saturday. I am also good friends with Brian’s wife (Annie) and Amy’s boyfriend (Eric), I like Cara and know the parents well. Plus Annie’s family came up and I know them also. So I decided it would be good for me to attend. After all what’s a 500 mile trip (each way) between friends.

I rolled in around 8:30pm. Brian, Annie and Co. were not coming until later so we went to dinner at a China Buffet type place. We had a nice relaxing meal and conversation then went home to await the rest of the group’s arrival. Cara wanted to go out so when they arrived Brian, Eric, Amy, Cara and I headed downtown. Cara is 18 so we had to find a place she could get into. We settled on some place called the Empire Club. (Or something like that, I don’t really care.) I am pretty sure that everyone in there was 18 or maybe just a few years older. Some other people could buy beer but I kind of doubt they were really legal. So needless to say I fit right in. I had a nice time chatting, listening to the music and sucking down a couple cold bottles of Labatts Blue. (It’s imported; it has to be good.) After standing around for a while watching girls (did I mention they were 18) swing on a pool we decided to head out. On the way home we stopped by a joint called The Pines where Brian has been drinking since he was...... well let’s just say he a little below the legal age limit when he started. I was really shocked by the appearance of the place. It actually looked almost nice. (Especially after a few more beers) From Brian’s descriptions I thought it would be a complete hole in the wall. We were dismayed to learn that they had replaced serving Genesee Cream Ale with Labatts Blue. (Thank god, after all Labatts is imported and therefor is good) If you have never had Genesee Cream Ale be grateful. Here is my one confession about hazing from my fraternity days. I actually asked (yes asked, not demanded) a pledge to drink a Genesee Cream Ale. I have been trying to scrape that coating of bad karma off ever since. Any other beer and I would not have thought twice about it. So if you have not gotten it yet, AVOID THE GENESEE CREAM ALE. Trust me on that one. (I think I’ll have a six pack at my next poker game.) On the up side the pitcher of Labatts was four dollars. We played the picture matching game on MegaTouch and since I had a glass in one hand and a pitcher in the other I helped by saying things like “her left bikini strap is missing in the left picture.” Or “her hair covers her right breast in the right picture but not he left.” We kicked butt. After I drank half the pitcher (Cara wanted to go and Brian and Eric were apparently waiting for their beers to warm up) we left.