I, Larry, vow to never continue drinking 7 hours after Happy Hour has ended. Geez, that was a long night.

We spent last Friday in Manadrunk…. I mean Manayunk. Pitcher’s was our first stop. I seem to be developing a small following. I suspect someone is leaking my top secret happy hour schedule. When we arrived, Jeff was already waiting for us. He said he just wanted his name mentioned in the story, so he stayed for only an hour. My daughter and someone I will call Patty with a “y” (this is not her real name, I think she uses an “i”) stuck with us for the entire evening. Pitcher’s had a small crowd, but we managed to get seats at the bar. The bride and I were drinking Bud, while Patty enjoyed an Amstel. My daughter was drinking Coors Light. We did not stay at Pitcher’s too long. Kerrianne, the bartender, kept calling me “sweetheart” and “sugar”. I would have stayed there all night if they let me.

Strolling up and down the hills of Manayunk gives proof to the nickname “Polish Poconos.“ I kept looking for a ski lift or shuttle of some sort. We wandered into a place called The Bayou. Now, I am not really an emotional guy, but when we found out that we missed the $1 bottles and well drinks from 5-7, I nearly cried. We got there at about 6:30. This means we only have 30 minutes left of happy hour. You have seen Michael Jordan play basketball right? Well, you are now about to witness the Michael Jordan of drinking. $1 drinks + ½ hour = 37 beers and 22 gin and tonics. Yeah, I can’t jump a high as Michael Jordan because of my osteoarthritis and all, but I bet he can’t pee as many times in an hour as I do.

The Bayou had great food. Kim, the waitress, brought us some cajun shrimp, a couple sandwiches, and some chicken fingers. But my favorite was the crab balls. You are probably saying, “But Larry, how did you get their little legs apart?” You know, the moth balls joke. Anyway, we ate, we drank, we laughed, we left. I definitely liked the Bayou, but it's not quite my crowd. When a bar offers $1 bottles and well drinks, all the retirees and college students come out of the woodwork. I am not saying that I'm not a fan of Limp Bizkit, but they ain’t no Temptations.

Closing the final leg of our tour was T. Hogan’s. This bar is located just a few block off of Main Street. Here is where it starts to get a little fuzzy. We did not intend to stay as long as we did, but more friends showed up. Mike and Brendan arrived about 11. I was waiting for Magnus ver Magnuson to follow them in and start up a World’s Strongest Man Competition. Holy crap, those guys a big. During our time at Hogan’s we celebrated Patty’s birthday. Nothing says Happy Birthday like a plate of pepperoni and cheese with a candle in it. The kitchen staff was great. Patty was touched, I’m sure. Hogan's is a pretty large place with a pool table and pretty good music. I can’t remember the cost of the beers or a guy named Dave who signed my guest book, but I had a great time anyway.

Next week I may need to hire an activities director.