Rumor has it we went to Reflex last night....

Pub 64 The Parish
A converted church may not be everyones ideas of a suitable drinking venue but it seams to work quite well.
Lynne and Neil arrived ahead of the other two as usual and took a pew. Depending on wether you attend on a week night or a weekend may altar you view of this place as there is usually a congregation of stag and hen dos outside. However tonight there were nun, thank God!
In the words of Arnie - Aisle be back!


Pub 65 Reflex
After spending much time trying to find a loop hole in the pub crawl rules which would mean we didn't have to visit reflex, we reluctantly agreed it had to be done. Fantastic eighties decor and loud eighties music. Despite downing his beer in one (almost) to get out ASAP, even Neil was singing along to the music by the time we left. We did feel a bit left out being the only people not in eighties costume (although we were probably the only people old enough to remember the eighties) there was a selection of accessories available to purchase from behind the bar.


Pub 66 Nagshead
Not only did we have to queue (for a whole 2 seconds) to get in, but we also had to prove we were of legal drinking age! For those that don't know this is the only bar that we know of in York that has a trebles for singles offer. Despite the fact lots of students had already left to queue up for Ziggys (not a pub because you have to pay to get in, so not on our list- phew!) it was still a very busy bar. Leanne almost ended up with a cider and black current instead of soda and black current. They'd probably never served a non alcoholic beverage before. Given the choice of a busy student filled interior or a rowdy student filled beer garden we opted for the dank allyway. Job done!


Pub 67 Rumors
Yes we did all the jokes! Free from the students (who had now made there way over to Ziggys) Rumors was a good place to relax after all the excitement of the evening. We even got to watch Newsnight! If this evening taught us anything it's that we're getting old!


** bored now, someone else can finish the blog **

Hi, My Name's Jamie...

Hi! My name's Jamie. Honorary guest member to the pub crawl group. I shall be writing tonight's review.

Pub Number 60: Henry J Beans
The evening's first establishment was Henry J. Bean's - "B. J. Henry's" - just a stone's throw from Clifford's Tower. The music wasn't too bad, but unlike its Manchester counterpart, there was a disappointing lack of poles (for dancing, not eastern Europeans). But with a rather large and original "GENESEE BEER & ALE" sign by our table, complete with reflective cats eyes, I'd have been quite happy to stay there for a while. But with the 1 drink per pub rule, we had to leave before getting too comfortable. An after-thought: toilets weren't too bad.

Pub Number 61: The Little John

Too much neon, not enough Neil...

Pub Number 62: The Lamb and Lion
It's a bit dark in here, isn't it? What are you trying to do? Grow your own mushrooms? Welcome to the Lamb & Lion. It felt a little bit naughty drinking here, being so close to the city walls. A few metres further north and this inn would not be in the pub crawl. It reminded Neil of the time when they didn't have the minimum 4 people to try out a new pub and for it to count, so they left the confines of the city! The highlight for me though was definitely the toilets, which had gold-plated locks and everything. It was pretty dark at our table, with just a candle for illumination, but it certainly added to the atmosphere. I was a little disappointed to hear, despite signs on the wall claiming "est. 1756," it's only been open about 6 months.

Pub Number 63: The Habit

Our fourth stop tonight was The Habit cafe bar on Goodramgate, named for a monk's cloak. L'habit ne fait pas le moine. There was a definite divide in tonight's clientele: those who like music (they were listening to the live band on the rather small ground floor) and those who like smoking (on the outdoor upstairs terrace). We made our own third group on the table by the window upstairs... until clumsy me went and knocked my pint over, so we had to move suddenly! It was a close call whether the Habit was better than the Lamb & Lion, but I think the general consensus was that it was, despite me having a nice poo in the former! By this point, I was a little bit drunk.

Back on the Crawl

After a long hiatus, it was time to get this crawl back on the road...

We realised that, if we are to complete our task within the allocated year, we needed a plan, because we still had 20 pubs to get through and only 4 weeks.

I created a google document to help plan the last few weeks of the crawl, therefore ensuring its ultimate success...

Pub Number 9: The Hansom Cab
Perhaps not the best strategy - to visit a pub we've already been to many times with so little time to complete the crawl, but one which we chose for the cheap drinks and quiet Saturday night drinking.

Pub Number 58: Guy Fawkes
Sat on a throne in the corner of this old fashioned and dimly lit pub, we speculated on rumours that the pub was so old that it had no electricity, hence the romantic candlelight. Then they called last orders and put the lights on which put an end to that argument...

Pub Number 59: (The New) Oscars
Oscars used to be around the corner from where it is now. The new place is still pretty swish, with heavy wooden tables and a decadent feel about the place. The men complained that there was only one toliet for them, but Paul managed to find a secret passage through to Narnia the Biltmore where he could gain relief without a long queue to wait in.

Finally, pub crawl progress was being made...