City Wall Pub Crawl

Some low-gear Sunday evening crawling

2009-07-11T18:41:00.010+01:00

Pub Number 68: Stonegate Yard
Whenever people talk about "The New Oscars" I'm always a bit unsure whether they're talking about the location that Oscars has now moved to, or if they're referring to the bar that now occupies the former premises of said Oscars. Usually they mean the former, but I tend to assume the latter, resulting in general confusion. Anyway, pub number sixty eight was the latter, Stonegate Yard.

Although the food menu is pretty much exactly the same as it used to be when it was Oscars (same huge portions and tasty burgers), the same can't be said for the choice of beer available. Nowadays your choice of draught beers is pretty much limited to Becks (although they do still have wine on tap), and the bottle choice doesn't fare much better - Corona or Newcastle Brown Ale is about your lot.

Still, a nice hidden spot that's great for sitting outside in the sun. Shame it was raining, although that did mean we got to see the extending Wimbledon-style roof in action.

Pub Number 69: Wildes
After the complete lack of service we experienced last time we came here to eat we had vowed never to return, but it serves beer and is within the city walls, so we didn't have much choice.

It was pretty quiet when we got here, with just a few other people finishing off meals, and by the time we were half way through our drinks we were the only table of people there.

It's a nice and cosy place, but not really a drinking hotspot, especially on a Sunday.

I've just remembered that they have Leffe on tap, I should have got one of those...

Pub Number 70: The Biltmore
Last time I was in the Biltmore it was a Saturday night and a bit more on the lively side (completely rammed instead of there only being about a dozen people there).

The rather grand surrounding seems to be somehow more suited to the quieter Sunday night atmosphere though, without the smartly-dressed-but-incredibly-drunk crowd that you'll find there on a Friday or Saturday.

Things we learned: the drinks aren't as expensive as we thought they would be, they seemed to be pretty much the same as any other bar in the city centre.

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

2009-06-26T19:00:00.009+01:00

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...

2009-06-19T10:49:00.004+01:00

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

2009-06-12T10:22:00.001+01:00

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...

Pub Bores

2009-04-06T14:01:00.003+01:00

Pub Number 55: Yates

Imagine a place where all the people in it are on hen nights, dressed in black T-Shirts with pink writing labelling them (ironically) as 'Classy Clare' or 'Awsome Audrey'. Add in some Topman be-shirted middle-aged blokes on the prowl for drunk hens. Imagine that this place plays the loudest of the loud tracks, spun by the very best amongst cheesy wedding DJs, complete with indecipherable mumbling between the tracks. Imagine the delighted squeals as Chesney Hawkes' voice rings out of the (probably) massive speakers. Imagine the even louder squeals when Brown Eyed Girl starts up and Tarty Tracey is given a shout out.

Add to this picture 4 quiet characters, sat shivering over a pint in their cold, dark, but slightly quieter corner, and you have a pretty accurate impression of 8:30 - 9:00pm on Saturday night.

Imagine having to fight your way through the wedding veil bedecked women in order to get out... urgh.

Pub Number 56: O'Neills

Following on from the Trauma of a Saturday Night in Yates', O'Neills brought to us a welcoming vibe. It was warm, bright, lively, not too loud, brilliant. But we're not sure whether those judgements are just in comparison to Yates' or in general. Looks like we'll need to go back to find out!

Lynne got through this much of her wine before we were forced to have a wine-drinking competition to finish it off.

Paul won.

Pub Number 57: Plonkers

This is a great bar for lunch and dinner. It usually has a warm twinkling atmosphere, overpriced beer and uncomfortable bench seating in addition to chairs and stools. Tonight it was let down a bit by being very quiet, a bit wet (the stone floor), a bit cold, and having a rubbish quiz machine. I would recommend it for daytime and early evening drinking and dining, but Saturday night just doesn't cut the mustard.

In spite of the fact that it was only 11:30pm when we finished our drinks, we're all bored of pubs by now and so went home to bed.

Might be 4-8 weeks before we get back to crawling since Paul and I are off on a USA Roadtrip for the rest of April, But stay tuned.

Herring and Pianos

2009-03-15T17:53:00.001Z

Pub Number 54: Pitcher and Piano

It had been a fair wee while since we'd been to the Comedy Club at the city screen, so we returned to pub number 3 (this time the basement) to enjoy a few hours in the company of Richard Herring as he recounted his school days and made some rude jokes. It finished at abut 10pm, and never ones to waste pub crawling opportunities (or energy) we made the 4 metre trek to the Pitcher and Piano for a quick drink.

This massive pub was quiet (as expected for a Sunday night) and pleasant in a trendy bar kind of way. It's only downfall is that, no matter how many times I go in there, I can never remember where the toilets are. I'm pretty sure they must have moved them at one point...

Miniature Crooked Crawl

2009-03-14T14:22:00.000Z

Pub Number 52: The Black Swan

The Black Swan is a great pub. It's old and crooked, like all good pubs should be and sells proper ale. There is only one bar but 3 ground floor rooms to choose from and 1 upstairs room which often has live music and comedy to fill it up. As James so aptly reviewed "I like this pub. It's full of wood". On this occasion we were joined by special guest crawler Ellie.

Pub Number 53: The Golden Fleece

The original premise behind this crawl was to make it an 'L' Shaped one, incorporating the Black Swan, The Golden Fleece and the Lamb and Lion (all pubs which contain Ls) However, because of our tardy ways and the tendency of such pubs to shut at 11pm this wasn't to be and the Golden Fleece was our final stop of the night where official pub crawl bisiness was concerned. The Golden Fleece is also 'Full of wood' and is a bit crooked. To Ellie's disdain, it is also (allegedly) haunted.

Pub Number 5: The Postern Gate

By virtue of the fact that this place is open late, opposite James' flat, in between Lynne and Neils and Mine and Paul's house and has a decent quiz machine, we ended up back there on our way home where we won £4 on the snooker game and Neil got into a (non-violent) fight.

The Kings Tuns

2009-03-09T14:30:00.005Z

Pub Number 49: The Kings Arms
On a sunny saturday afternoon, if you're up for a bit of Hen Night baiting, the Kings Arms would be a great place to go. It's riverside beer garden makes it a magnet for tourists in the summer, and unfortunately, much of York's Saturday afternoon beer tourism is made up of hen nights. The Kings Arms doesn't cater for the other half (football fans) since it is primarily an outdoor kind of place.

On this slightly chilly spring evening we met for a pint of Sam Smiths ale inside the pub where we found a sheltered corner to sit and wait for Liz and Dave to join us on their first crawl. They never made it, so we sulked a bit before moving on the the next pub in an attempt to salvage the night and making it into official pub crawl business.

Pub Number 50: The Three Tuns

This oft overlooked watering hole is actually pretty decent. Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, there was still a place for us to sit in spite of the crowds. For the first half pint it appeared that Lynne and I were the only female customers in the place, but that was soon rectified by the mega huge hen night which snaked it's way right to the back of the long thin room, lowering the tone of the place as it went.

Pub Number 51: The Terrace

We failed to make it to the Golden Fleece before closing time, so the nearest pub to it was the Terrace. In spite of our negative perceptions of the place being a football hooligan hangout, we were pleasantly surprised to sit at the solid wooden tables in the quiet bar. As long as you're not planning to dance on any tables, you might like this pub:

It was near to closing time for this pub too when we entered, so after just one drink, we made our way home.

Neil sampled a kebab burger the way.

Good (pub) Knowledge

2009-02-24T13:52:00.001Z

Though our lives have once again got in the way of crawling activity, we have been putting the knowledge gained from previous crawls to good use by going out and sampling or re-sampling a few different places:

A revisit to pub number 38 (Pivo) confirmed that it is indeed a great place for a quiet Valentines night drink with James, as long as you don't mind putting in the extra time needed to peruse the beer menu in order to be able to competently order a round of banana flavour beers at the bar.

Paul and I also managed to find our way to the Guy Fawkes, which is an oft talked about but yet to be visited venue for the crawl. Fair enough, that visit didn't count as there are only two of us but the fine wine and cosy atmosphere which it boasts is certainly something that we'll look forward to going back to. Also a good bar for eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

One Cold Wintry Night

2009-02-09T09:59:00.012Z

This Saturday, we finally got on the road again with a proper effort at crawling between pubs:

Pub Number 48: Harkers
Last time we tried Harkers, we failed. This time however, 4 of us managed to meet up in the same place at the same time and bask in the warmth of the giant living room feel this particular bar specialises in. For us, very warm meant very good because it was very cold outside.

Pub Number 49: Judges Lodgings
This is yet another pub we tried to complete on a previous occasion, and failed. Last time it was a beautiful summer's day and we chose the pub for the vast and welcoming sun drenched beer garden, rather than the scabby interior, slow service and pricey pints. This time we chose it because a)we have to go in at some time; b)It is very close to Harkers and it was freezing outside. This visit revealed that the interior isn't that scabby after all, though the bright lighting ruined the atmosphere, the service is slow and the pints are pricey. It was also cold. Or that could have just been in comparison to Harkers...

Pub Number 50: Thomas's
Just round the corner, past the off license, there is a pub that noone (I know) would ever think to go in unless they were doing a pub crawl of all the pubs within the city walls. It was a big, empty pub, with a video juke box (so that pleased Neil). It sold us beer, so we were happy.

It is also a friendly pub where people ask 4 complete strangers to keep an eye on all of their, and their friend's belongings while they go make a phone call and all of their friends have gone to the toilet / bar. Fortunately we are friendly and trustworthy souls who didn't steal any of said belongings while we were 'looking after' them.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we finally got round to emailing the landlord of the Masons Arms to let him know that there's a song about his pub on YouTube.

Pub number 51: Orgasmic
Paul found his way there via a secret passage, just like in Cluedo. Lynne turned my beer into wine (not quite as impressive as the old 'water into wine' trick, but quite good all the same.) We discussed the fact that Orgasmic isn't a 'pub' and it isn't a 'bar' and it isn't a 'nightclub' and that it is a bit 'weird'*. We noticed that the young man on the table next to us was wearing red pants. Paul was wearing blue pants.

*Conclusion: "we're too old to be in this strange place, with its loud music and flourescent coloured drinks, full of young people drinking too much and having a dance"

Four People Walk into a Bar....

2009-01-22T12:37:00.004Z

...and then walk out again because it's too busy, making the quiz hard to do (without the aid of a table to lean on) and more importantly, meaning less sandwich potential.

Lynne and Neil had travelled all the way from South America for the occasion, so it seemed a shame to waste the evening in the flourescent blue, slow moving dinginess of Wetherspoons across the road. We decided to make a token effort at a bit more pub crawling.

Outside, on the streets of York, the wind was howling as rain lashed down in a whole heap of wintery miserableness. This was a night which required a visit to a proper pub with a proper fire, complete with merry dancing flames to warm us from the outside in. This was the night we were going to the Red Lion, which does have a fire. But we didn't sit near it.

Pub Number 45: The Red Lion
When this pub is full of people, it is cosy in an old fashioned proper pub kind of way, filled with a warm atmosphere. Unfortunately, it wasn't filled with people, which made it a rather quiet, less than cosy pub to warm our cockles on this cold winter's night. Still, it was Wednesday, so you wouldn't expect it to be heaving and it is a nice traditional old fashioned pub. Used to be quite expensive, but I suspect it was just ahead of it's time in terms of prices, meaning that it charges similar prices to anywhere else nowadays. Oh, and the toilets used to smell of Irn Bru.

Pub Number 46: Five Lions

Neil: Five Lions?
Paul: Can't we just go to the Blue Bell?
Lynne: What about the Terrace and Golden Fleece?
All: OK

We walk outside into the cold and rain

Leanne: Let's just go to the Five Lions. It's closer.
All: OK.

Paul's reluctance to visit the Five Lions stems from a night on the beer and karaoke there a few years ago. On this night, as we walked through the door, therefore doubling the number of people in the bar, it was an entirely different atmosphere. Football on the TV (but not intrusively so) and a quiz machine by the bar means that it has something for everyone. It was a bit cold.

We probably won't go back.

Pub Number 47: The Spread Eagle
This pub welcomed us with open arms, in spite of the fact that shortly after selling us lager (Fosters or Carling only on this occasion, much to Neil's disdain) they closed the doors and the curtains to give it that authentic 'lock-in' feel. They even offered us the chance to purchase extra beer following the apparent closure of the place (it's hard to tell nowadays, what with all the late licensing laws blurring the line between 'lock-in' and legal opening hours.) Neil was the only one brave enough to visit the toilet after briefly contemplating popping home (just across the road) to use the facilities. Apparently they were minging.

It was a bit cold, unless you were sitting in the 'hot seat' which Paul was. After leisurely finishing our pints, we approached the exit with trepidation.... and breathed a sigh of relief to find that we weren't locked in after all.

Yet More Credits Being Crunched?

2009-01-14T12:54:00.004Z

Word in the chip shop* is that the next pub to go will be the Cock and Bottle.

Maybe finishing this pub crawl will be no effort at all - we'll just wait until all the pubs we haven't visited yet close down (and hope that it happens before whenever it is that our year is up.)

*Note: I have no actual evidence to back this up, except to say that Paul heard it when he was eavesdropping in the chippie the other night

On Pub Crawling

2009-01-08T11:51:00.000Z

The last time we went out City Wall Pub Crawling was 75 days ago, and with me going tee total in January, and Lynne and Neil away at the end of the earth for most of the month, it looks like it's going to take a while to get back on track to complete the crawl.

Already, since we started, Old Orleans has closed, making us question whether we had failed in not visiting the pub while it was still open. However, since the aim of the game is to find new watering holes to add a little (pleasant) variety into our pub-going lives, and a) we wouldn't have been able to go there again after the crawl was over since it shut down, and b)it was a rubbish pub anyway, we decided that the crawl is still on...

...When it will resume? Who knows but we really ought to start putting some effort in folks.

Come Drink With Me

2009-01-02T14:00:00.000Z

Since there has been zero pub crawl action over the past few months, you might expect that we would put our pub crawling skills to good use under the pretence of celebrating the new year. If, however you take into account our average age (28.8), you won't be surprised to hear that we avoided pubs altogether this year, whilst still managing to employ our crawling skills on a house crawl...

Come Drink With Me was based on the 'hit' TV show Come Dine With Me, but instead of dining, we drank and instead of spreading four different house parties over four different nights, we had four different 90 minute parties on one night: New Years Eve. After an hour at each, the guests disappeared one by one into the hosts' bedroom so that they could rifle through their drawers and give their comments and marks out of 10 in front of the camera. The results were revealed at the end of the night. All 5 city wall pub crawlers were in attendance and we were joined by Liz, Dave and Michèle.

House Number 1: Liz's House (with Dave as special guest Host)
This was one of the two most well prepared parties of the night, with nibbles on sticks (as opposed to plonked haphazardly into a bowl), and home made mulled wine.

A stunning display of hospitality since they didn't realise that they were going to be marked for their efforts. Their 90 minutes ended with some pumping music played by DJ Davey H as he rocked the dimmer switch for some club lighting effects.

Here's the guests' verdict:

Due to a technical fault, Neil's verdict wasn't recorded. In summary, he said that the hosting was good, the nibbles were good, but there was no beer on offer. And everyone knows he's a beer man, so he was going to have to give it a 3.

House Number 2: Neil and Lynne's Flat
It was apparent from the moment we arrived that this pair were out to win. We were greeted with warm hugs and air kisses, and served drinks, nibbles and dips, including hot, freshly prepared nibbles served at our seats. The Ferrero Rocher were arranged into a pyramid on a plate, and even the breadsticks looked like they had been arranged with the care of someone arranging a bouquet of flowers in a vase. Not once were our glasses allowed to go empty for more than a minute before our attentive hosts topped them up with the drink of our choice. This pair took a different approach to hosting, choosing to entertain us with a high tech movie quiz (and special chocolate prize for the winner), and a quick blast on Rock Band. This party ended, like all good parties with a quick rifle through their bedroom, a brief slagging off session, and Dave delighting us with his rather camp rendition of "Eye of the PussyCat [tiger]"

It was at this point that Guest City Wall Pub Crawl regulars, Steve and Maddy joined in the fun, though they admitted to feeling 'a little under-dressed'

See the results below:

House Number 3: James' Flat (with token co-host Michèle)
James had disappeared from Lynne and Neil's early to 'prepare' his party as he claimed to have been unaware of the judging component to the crawl. We arrived to the sounds of Minster FM, atmospheric blue (christmas) lighting and a wonderful party atmosphere. Our number, having increased to 10 with the arrival of Steve and Maddy, was just right to make the flat feel busy and party-like. The choice of nibbles was chocolate, or chocolate.

The amount of rifling conducted was directly proportionate to the amount of alcohol so far consumed. And as soon as we slated James for just putting the radio on, he emerged with his new Now 25 Years CD, which redeemed him, if only because it has Ghostbusters on it.

Check out his scores:

Due to a technical fault (or Lynne getting dressed up in James' clothes and putting Steve the cameraman off), Lynne's score was not recorded. She awarded James a 7 for reasons unknown.

Commercial Break
Before moving on to the last party of the evening, we took a brief detour to York Minster where it is tradition to gather at midnight. The one time I went to the Minster on New Years Eve in the past, I found that there were a lot of people wondering whether it was actually midnight yet, and I believe one firework went off before the crowd diminished (not that I saw it). Michèle, not being a local, wondered why we were dragging her around in the cold to go stand outside a church, and we couldn't really give her an answer beyond 'it's what everybody does' and sure enough, it wasn't long before we joined a stream of people as they deserted the pubs and walked towards the Minster as if there was some kind of pied piper leading the way.

There was one false start where we thought it might be midnight, but it wasn't, then we heard some gongs and 2 or 3 fireworks being set off so we 'HNY'd' and hugged and kissed like any self-respecting new year celebrating folk, took some photos and swig from the champagne bottle which appeared from Steve's pocket.

At the sound of the fireworks, we looked to the sky expectantly, and saw nothing but clouds. For all we knew, it could have been someone being shot, but there was no time to ponder, as our group got swallowed by the crowds who were (presumably) heading back to whichever pub they came from.

House Number 4: Leanne and Paul's House
Having lost several of the group between the Minster and home, it was fortunate that I arrived back first since I had keys to let everyone in. As they all filtered in over the next 20 minutes, they passed through the living room and into the kitchen, they were greeted with a home made Happy New Year banner which wowed their alcohol fuzzled brains, and shown through to the table where champagne cocktails were presented in a pile of 'snow' on the table. Everyone loves a bit of snow.

Paul set about DJing and I served up some pizza which always scores points with drunk people, no matter how many nibbles they've eaten throughout the night, and then, one by one they disappeared upstairs to reveal their views on the final party of the night:

We finished the night by playing back the videos and totting up the scores:

The Result

Since James hosted alone, and the rest of us in pairs, we had to average out the scores to determine the winner. In the interest of fairness, we disregarded the 109 points awared to Paul and me since Michèle was biased, having helped to make the banner, and provided some ingredients for champagne cocktails. And this is what happened:

In fourth place with 6.5 points.... LYNNE AND NEEEIIIIL!

In third place with 6.66 points.... LIZ AND DAAAAAVE!

In second place with 8.80points.... LEANNE AND PAAAUUUUL!

And the winner, with 8.86 points (oooh, close!) is.... JAAAAMES!

Watch this space for the full episode of 'Come Drink With Me'... COMING SOON!

Braving Micklegate (sort of)

2008-10-25T22:03:00.000+01:00

Pub number 43: Montey's Rock Cafe

"It's a bit loud isn't it?"
"What?"
"I said IT'S A BIT LOUD ISN'T IT?"
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"IT'S A BIT LOUD ISN'T IT????!!!"
"I STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU. SHALL WE GO? IT'S A BIT LOUD."

Pub number 44: Priory

Although the rules of the pub crawl don't state that we're only allowed to have one drink in each pub, it is something that we've been making a habit of. So it made a nice change to stay in the same place for more than half an hour.

The pub itself was quite a pleasant surprise, an oasis of calm amongst the maelstrom of paralytic hen parties and staggering students that is Micklegate. Most of us had been here in the past, but none of us for a while. Decent beer, interesting cocktails and a good selection of tunes on the jukebox made for a good night.

Lynne was sick, but I'm not allowed to post that picture...!

Normal Services Will Be Resumed... Eventually

2008-10-09T12:58:00.000+01:00

Well it seems that the blog will be quiet for the next few weeks, not because we're arguing about whose turn it is to post (there's no need - it's Paul's turn), but because we're all so damn busy:

Paul and I are in the middle of a weekends-in-October tour of the UK (St Helens, Manchester, Birmingham, Lichfield, Reading...), Lynne is on the African Leg of her own small world tour, and Neil's having a nose job (or something to that effect) which will render him out of action for a few days. And lets face it -James' attendence is intermittent at best.

Maybe we'll take a moment to comment on the pubs in Birmingham, and we should probably definitely comment on the pubs in Reading since we will all be there, visiting guest pub crawler, Comedy Jo.

Whatever happens over the next few weeks, don't worry about us, we'll be back crawiling along within the city wall limits in no time.

A Jolly Romp

2008-09-24T21:39:00.000+01:00

Pub number 42: HA! HA!

After sitting through the jolly romp that is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (five word review: "Should have been in German"), we decided that a couple of pints were in order to lift our spirits. Didn't really do the trick, leaving us to nurse our drinks morosely (including Neil's stella-in-a-wine-glass).

Satur-Night (By Leanne)

2008-09-22T14:34:00.000+01:00

After 4 hours sleep, a bit of food and a couple of episodes of Property Ladder, we were ready to hit the town again for the evening session of Pub Crawl:

Pub Number 38: Pivo
That afternoon, when we parted, the conversation went something like this:
Neil: so where are we meeting then?
Leanne: That new place near the market
N: Which one is that?
L: You know, the little one that we were going to go in once, but then didn't because it looked too busy. I think its near a travel agent. Near the market
N: What's it called?
L: I dunno
Lynne: Does it begin with a P? Peepo, peebon...
L: It doesn't matter - we all know where it is - let's just go there...

...Later that day...

Leanne's phone: Ring Ring
L:Hello
N: What's this pub called again? We're at the market near where we thought it was... but it's not here
L: It's just down an alley near the market. Begin's with a P
N: Ah - is it Pivo?
L Sounds right to me
N Found it. See you in a bit
Leanne's Phone: Click

So was it worth the effort?

In a word, Yes. It's a pub that seems rife with clients of our peer group (after much discussion, we decided that we were 'young professionals') and its a pub that sells beer called Bernard.

It sells raspberry Bernard for the girls and lager flavoured Bernard for the boys.

It is set in a wonderfully rickety and sloping tudor building. Neil thought that it was a bit too warm.

Pub Number 39: The Snickelway
A snickelway is northern dialect term for an alleyway and this small, but cosy pub suits it's name perfectly. Its a place you can take your grandad to warm his feet on the fire over a nice pint of bitter. It's a place where you might not get a seat if you turn up at the wrong time, but if you turn up at the right time you might get far too many seats. Its a place where you can never tell which is the right time and which it the wrong time...

Pub Number 40: The Golden Slipper
On the wall of one of the rooms in the Golden slipper is a list of all the pubs in York in 1888 and 1988. It turns out that there were loads more in the 19th century than in the 20th century and that we'd be better off living then as it is from these earlier times that the stories of a different pub in York for every day of the year emerged.... but I digress...

For a Saturday night the Golden Slipper was very empty. Since I have only visited this ale house once before on a weekday afternoon when it was a lot busier, I can't say whether this was the norm or a freak occurence, but no matter, we enjoyed the space and Lynne and I made use of a whole room by ourselves while Neil went to investigate the jukebox and Paul played with my
camera.

The jukebox, as far as I recall was quite old skool, but fared well enough to impress Neil into buying some tunes which we duly listened to before departing for the walk home.

Pub Number 41: 1331
Well, we were on our way home (honest) when we happened to walk by 1331 and popped in for a quick drink in the company of people who were mostly in the age-group below 'young professionals'. Still, it provided a nice stop off to warm our hands on the 'fire' with some reasonably priced drinks.

"If only it was a bit quieter" one of our number shouted into another's ear, "it would probably be quite good in here."

We'll just have to visit on a weekday to see if we were right.

Paul's POV

2008-09-21T02:22:00.000+01:00

He doesn't have one (apparently)

Saturday by Lynne

2008-09-20T20:16:00.000+01:00

Saturday afternoon + sunshine + boredom = Beer / friends

Long day at work = really tired = short blog

Saturday from Neil's (accurate) perspective

2008-09-20T19:47:00.000+01:00

Whilst on a misson to find Lynne some shoes ("I'm not really in the mood for shoe shopping" exclaimed Lynne after wandering aimlessly around a couple of shops) we decided instead to check out the food festival.

After selecting some unusual cheeses we headed towards the pies. Having selected a nice pork, chicken and stuffing pork pie, I turned around to see Leanne homing in on yet another free sample. Before she could grab her next morsel I caught her attention and engaged her in some small talk. Since it was a fine sunny afternoon and I was quickly tiring of the small talk, I suggested going for a frosty cold beer. It took about half a second for Leanne and Lynne to agree, and a bit longer for Leanne to decide she'd better ring Paul so that we could cross a few more pubs off.

As we set off towards Judges Lodgings I decided I needed some food. Going for a quick fix I headed to the bakery for a steak slice and let the others go ahead to get the beers in. Upon tucking into the slice I managed to burn all the taste buds and skin from the inside of my mouth due to the steak being HOTTER THAN THE SUN!! By the time it had cooled down enough to finish, the others had made their way to Varsity due to overcrowding at Judges.

We made our way outside to the beer garden and because of the need to cool my mouth down I set about consuming my pint at a fairly speedy pace. When Paul showed up with his own pint, Leanne added some of the one she'd bought for him into each of our glasses (but due to Lynne being a slow drinker I had some of her share too). We then decided to head off to The Roman Bath since daytime means no live band, karaoke or scary drunk old people!

Since Leanne's blog entry describing the pubs is quite accurate I won't comment further on the establishments themselves, but I will say that the Roman Bath was quite pleasant on this saturday afternoon.

After drinking 2 and a half pints we decided to head home and line our stomach with some delicious cheese and pie before the evening's festivities.

Satur-Day ( Leanne's POV)

2008-09-20T10:06:00.000+01:00

It was Saturday. It was a sunny day. I needed to get something to wear underneath my skirt so that I didn't flash my pants when spinning around on the dancefloor at the salsa event of York's year the following day, so I wandered into to town and found myself meandering the food stalls at the food festival, sampling the odd olive or bit of fudge. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Lynne and Neil pounced upon me. Neil twisted my arm behind my back until I screamed in pain, and noone in the crowded market took a blind bit of notice as Lynne held a blade to my throat and forced me to phone Paul and make him come to the pub...

Pub Number 36: Varsity
After I got over the shock of being kidnapped, and Neil had hypnotised me into believing that being in a sun-tickled beer garden on a Saturday afternoon, sipping lager was actually a good thing, I quite enjoyed Varsity.

From my past experiences of the place, I expect that on a Friday or Saturday night it is a place full of young people drinking caffeine loaded flourescent blue drinks and being obnoxious, but on a Saturday afternoon, it is quiet and pleasant. The sun streams through the windows and is absorbed into the newly carpeted floor, creating a warm glow in the room.

It was a bit cold sitting in the beer garden, but I suppose that's not the pub's fault.

The drinks are on the pricey side, unless you spend £2 on a V-card which gets you 25% off - and since I was buying 4 beers, I saved money by doing just that.

Paul turned up with another beer in his hand which meant that he got told off, and the 'spare' was shared between the remaining three drinkers.

Pub number 37: The Roman Bath
Since Lynne and Neil (or should that be Neil and Lynne?) had conspired to get me drunk, popping into a second pub on the way home didn't seem to be too much of a drain - especially since the pub of choice was the Roman Bath, which is more like an educational outing than a Saturday afternoon boozing because, true to it's name, the Roman Bath has a case full of Roman artefacts situated in the centre of the bar area. It also has a museum which can't be that good as it's only about £2.50 to get in - so we chose to sit in the bar drinking beer instead (well, it was either that or venture into the over-crowded beer garden.)

It was there that we reminisced about Lynne's Lager and Mint Sauce cocktail from a previous crawl whilst perusing the pub menu, and scared some tourists off by developing our very own pubcrawl 'handshake'...

Following the second lager of the day, I managed to escape my kidnappers and went home to bed for 4 hours.

Mardi Gras

2008-09-18T18:55:00.000+01:00

Pub Number 34 - Vodka Revolution
A rare Sunday outing saw us turn up to the Mardi Gras party night being hosted by Vodka Revolution. Since it is not the sort of place that would be appealing to us on a Saturday night, we decided tonight would be a good chance to pop in. Upon entry we were generously welcomed with Hawaiian Leis and a complementary glass of Cava. With lots of salsa people present we spread ourselves over two tables. James opted to sit with his salsa friends rather than his pub crawl friends. Being a Mardi Gras party the bar staff were all dressed up VERY camp. Despite the vast array of Vodka and cocktails available, you can thankfully still opt for a pint of Becks if you so wish. Atmosphere was predictably lively but not too busy.

Pub Number 35 - Bobo Lobos
Due to the number of salsa people present this evening we headed towards Bobo Lobos next for salsa. They have salsa nights on Sundays and Tuesdays, and on Tuesday night they have beginners and intermediates salsa lessons with York's very best and only profesionally trained and qualified salsa teachers Lossie and Gareth. Check out their website http://www.encuentrolatino.co.uk/.

Small dance floor but still good for a salsa fix. Being a Cuban bar there are plenty of cocktails on offer and a good selection of beer. It is probably the only bar in York where you risk the onset of altitude sickness if you visit the toilet since you have to climb about a hundred flights of stairs - so plan ahead!

Outside In

2008-09-06T22:33:00.000+01:00

The night started badly. James was absent, Paul had a headache and so only three of us arrived at the designated time in Harkers. This was against the rules.

The moment we did the math(s), we decided to go somewhere we like instead of continuing with a pub crawl of places we might not like, but as we wandered through the narrow cobbled streets in drizzle our minds began to rebel against city wall pub crawl and we sought a pub OUTSIDE the walls, which is why we found ourselves being stared at by the locals in the Gillygate. Which is actually a nice pub. Fast service and a bright and buzzing atmosphere on a Saturday night (but not in a Slug and Lettuce*/Pitcher and Piano way - more in a country pub way)

Following that we progressed to Keystones which is so nearly in the city walls it was accidentally added to our list at one point.

Thankfully, as we were nearing the end of our pint and our quiz machine tokens, Paul made it out to join us so we were permitted to venture back inside the walls:

Pub Number 32: The Royal Oak
This pub is on the CAMRA radar and, in my experience these pubs always make a good place for a nice sit down and a chat over a beer with friends. This was no exception.

The toilets were weird (but since I'm writing this several weeks (and pints) after the event, I can't recall why and I have a feeling it was more to do with the mens than the ladies), the atmosphere was warm and there were several condiment sachets on the table... so Lynne made a beer and Mint Sauce cocktail which 'made the beer taste nicer' and made Neil seriously reconsider their relationship.

Pub Number 33: The Lowther
The Lowther is full of young people who are trying to get wasted before heading to the Gallery night club (presumably to make it more bearable.) Despite this, the Lowther was also the only place that had a late licence in York back when I was a young person and so it does hold fond memories for me. The toilets were always horrible, and they seem to have gone some way to improving that. You used to be able to see up people's skirts when they walked up the stairs. They've put an end to that too. But enough of all this nostalgia - what's it like now?

Pretty much the same clientele - i.e. 5 - 10 years younger than us but in a very bearable way if you manage to get a seat. And we did.

There, Neil discovered his inner-old man:

Lynne discovered her inner child:

And we all discovered the joys of bluetooth:

Then we headed out over the makeshift bridge (I forgot to mention that the river views were 'closer than usual') for a romantic meal in Subway and a nice warm bed.

*Incidentally, Paul got searched on our vist to the Slug and Lettuce, Back Swinegate the other week - obviously when you're sporting a ginger beard, yellow t-shirt and Dr Who trainers, and you dare to enter the Slug and Lettuce, you look like a drug dealer

We Are Scientists...(Well, Lynne is)

2008-08-27T21:57:00.000+01:00

Pub Number 9: The Hansom Cab
We've been here before and it hasn't changed since that last visit - the drinks are still cheap and they still sell organic cherry beer. The toilets are pokey and not particularly pleasant, but they serve a purpose.

Lynne and I discovered that you can make your boyfriends go to the bar for you if you talk about periods.

I think that deep down, we probably always knew that.

Pub Number 31: The Duchess
Less of a pub this one, and more of a music venue - or that's what the rumous say and since We Are Scientists were playing that night, and Lynne IS a scientist, it seemed like the perfect night to check it out.

As soon as we got there, Lynne bumped into some of her scientist friends and we worried for a moment that it was a science convention of some sort rather than a cool and trendy music gig. It turned out that our worries were unfounded and the band did indeed make their way onto the stage to entertain us... it was a shame that we couldn't see them.

The Duchess used to be a low ceilinged snooker hall. It is now a low ceilinged music venue which means that you can't really see anything unless you're practically on stage with the band.

As we walked in Neil and I immediately identified it as a potentially good late licence pub or club (and it does turn into a club at the weekend after the gigs finish at about 10:30pm), but if you want to actually see any band there, you probably need to be on the front row, next to the speakers, as visibility from any further back is practically zero.

One word of warning though... your ears will hurt if you stand near the front - unless of course you pop into Ebor Hearing for a specially made set of ear plugs. And if you don't fancy shelling out for those, I'm sure you could get something from there to help fix your deafness in a few years time, but I digress...

Its a nice place - just not a particularly good music venue. It's new, so it doesn't smell funny and the toilets are respectable. Drinks are on the pricey side (and served in plastic cups) but not especially so, and even if it's not brilliant, a bigger capacity music venue does mean that York gets bands who you've actually heard of playing in it.

Double Drink Pub Crawl

2008-08-26T10:44:00.000+01:00

Pub 28: Hole in the Wall

On Saturday night we started the pub crawl with a visit to the hole in the wall to get some money out before venturing forth to the Hole in the Wall to get some imaginary drinks.

Then, since imaginary drinks didn't quench our thirst we got some real drinks. Lynne was wearing a grey top, which weirdly enough was the same colour as her 'purple' one.

In this traditional English pub, a pint costs £3.01, which everybody seems to think of as expensive, yet to me, it seems to be about average judging by many of the other pubs in York - unless you go to a Sam Smith's pub or a chain place like Wetherspoons or Yates'* I was more interested in the fact that it was £3 and one pence.

We were joined by special guest crawlers Jo and George who no doubt added some sort of something to the evening. Since Paul and I were half an hour late, everybody else had 2 pints on top of their imaginary ones in here.

The toilets had pretty curtains in them.

Pub 29: Three Legged Mare
The Three Legged Mare, or Wonkey Donkey as it is known (see what they did there) sells a variety of beers and ales likely to please the most hardened of real ale drinkers. One of them is called Dragon Slayer. Saying that, I think we all opted for lager or cider.

As well as being a decent pub for saturday night shennanigans (well we didn't get too many strange looks when we were all staring down at my camera which was on the floor), this is also a good pub to drink in the beer garden in the rain after a bit of horseriding.

Despite the lack of seating on our arrival, we actually stayed in this pub for a second pint which has been unheard of since the pub crawl began. By this time, we did acquire a table to sit around (or it could have been a barrel) and we also acquired two new guest pub crawlers - Steve and Maddy who were lucky enough to be there at the end of our very first crawl.

Pub 30: The Slug and Lettuce - Back Swinegate
Expensive and loud is what this place is - but at least by 11pm on a Saturday night all of the think-they-are-cool-and-trendy 20-30 somethings have pissed off to the gallery or Ziggys or some other such torture chamber, leaving us with a large table where we could just about have a conversation over the music. The toilets were clean enough and since we had a seat and we're all getting on a bit - we stayed for two drinks here too. The pink wine was nice, if a little expensive. If memory serves me right - this place is actually quite pleasant during the daytime for a spot of lunch.

The quiz machine boasted Raiders of the Lost Quiz which was kind enough to give us £7 in return for £1 and answering a few questions.

We made good use of George's hat:

After that, Lynne, Neil Jo, Steve and Maddy went back to Neil's Tavern for some rock band action and Leanne and Paul went home to bed, as Leanne was meant to be writing some sort of 3000 report the following day (she didn't), and Paul was meant to be walking from Leeds to York (He did).

*Oh my God - I've just realised that we have to go to Yates'

Why We Shouldn't Take the Pub Quiz on Tour

2008-08-21T20:30:00.000+01:00

Pub 24- The Last Drop Inn
We controversially decided to take the pub quiz on tour this evenng, so instead of going to the usual Mason Arms we found ourselves in the Last Drop Inn. Despite a busy pub we managed to secure the last barrel table and two chairs ahead of some keen looking swots.

Unlike in the Masons where the quiz is free and you get free sandwiches after, here we had to pay a whole 50p each!! Luckily I found a dusty pound on the floor behind the pringle machine to pay for Neil and myself. Leanne and Paul conveniently turned up after the guy had been round collecting money. Perhaps this explains what happened next....

Now, we've been to a few quizzes in our time but this was the first one with personal table service. The quiz master came round to each team individually to ask two questions at a time. (We can only assume his microphone was broken). However, when he failed to visit our barrel not once, not twice, but thrice, we got a bit pissed off at being left out of the quiz. We marched out of there vowing to take our revenge through this blog. The Last Drop Inn is a stupid, unwelcoming pub! DO NOT EVER go there! (Unless you're out on a first date on a quiet Sunday evening and want a place to sit and snog!)

Pub 25 - The Old White Swan
We were aware of another quiz taking place here this evening so we thought we'd try our luck with that. However, this pub has a complicated lay out to it and we only managed to find seats in the area that the quiz was not happening in.

You can go into different parts of the pub depending on what mood you're in. There is a posh dining area one side, and a rowdy bar full of locals in the other side (which meant that this evening the quiz machine was inaccessible). The mens toilet, whilst impressing with the fine decor, is let down by the type of urinal which was difficult to access without stepping in a flood of p**s. Usually its not a bad pub, but with the disappointment of the previous establishment still fresh in our minds, it wasn't much fun in here tonight. We quietly sulked while downing our pints and made a quick exit.

Pub 26 - Ko Ko
Ko Ko was ok ok! This rather cosy bar had an extensive selection of international beers that were very expensive but its worth treating yourself once in a while. Paul's beer for the lads and strawberry beer for the girls.

It was very friendly, the kind of place where they would lend you an umbrella if it was raining. It was raining. Lots. And unfortunately for Paul, the mens toilets were outside. The girls toilets on the other hand, were situated next to a condemned building site!

Definitely one to visit for a quiet drink with friends.

Pub 27 - The Cross Keys
Our arrival coincided with last orders and we found ourselves in a fairly empty pub. Luckily that meant the best quiz machine ever was free to eat our money.

Had Neil not been distracted by the best Juke Box ever, perhaps we would have won some money. We did get to pull the barmaid but for Neil the experience was a tad disappointing after all the build up. Despite being the last people left in the pub, we didn't get told to drink up. Another friendly pub and in Neil's opinion you should head here if only for the vast array of Charlatans tracks on the Juke Box.

After a pleasant end to a somewhat disappointing evening earlier on, we merrily paddled home in the rain.

If somebody was producing a graph of "Distance travelled" vs "Alcohol consumed", tonight would give us a very efficient looking graph

2008-08-17T16:21:00.000+01:00

Pub Number 19: The Yorkshire Terrier

A text message from Lynne, simply saying "Woof" was our only clue as to where the evening's frolics would begin. After delaying our departure slightly by spending ten minutes deciding exactly which of my identical looking brown shirts to wear, we arrived at The Yorkshire Terrier to find Lynne & Neil waiting for us. Leanne took a seat while I went to purchase a beer in a ridiculously shaped glass. On returning I decided to walk straight past our table and towards its reflection in the big mirror at the end of the room. Pubs shouldn't be allowed to have big mirrors, they're far too confusing to drunk people.

Being a York Brewery pub, there's an impressive array of ales on tap, but the fact that it's very brightly lit give it a slightly odd atmosphere. Probably better in the daylight.

Pub Number 20: The Punchbowl

All it took was a few short steps and we were in a very full Punchbowl. We obstructed a passageway for a while, all the time keeping our eagle-eyes peeled for a free seat. A quiz machine was spotted, but unfortunately it was at the far side of a very snug looking snug, so was rendered inaccessible. Luckily it wasn't long before a free table was spotted. Leanne's ability to fashion a makeshift tripod out of pint glass proved to impress the clientele, and the camera's self timer function even managed to get a small round of applause.

A very traditional pub, lots of dark wood panelling. A large board behind the bar boasts a huge selection of pies, which we'll have to come back and sample another time.

Pub Number 21: Ye Olde Starre Inne

Back across the road and into York's oldest pub, dating back to 1644. As usual it was busy, but we manage to grab a table right near the bar.

Doubts were raised over Lynne's abilities to tell different colours apart, when she began to refer to her obviously grey top as being purple. It took all three of us to convince her that it was grey (well I think we came to a compromise of "pale lilac").

Lynne's reaction to this revelation:

Nice pub, good atmosphere, good toilets.

Pub Number 22: Evil Eye

In sharp contrast to Ye Olde Starre Inne, the neighbouring Evil Eye is a very modern "cool" cocktail bar. It's usually packed to the rafters with Trendy Young People, but surprisingly for a Saturday night it was relatively quiet. On entering we were surprised to bump into James, who we thought was in Jersey.

Leanne, Lynne and James went for Singapore Slings. I opted for a Mojito (or Mr Freeze, as Neil put it), which the barman had decided to make mostly with lime. Neil wasn't swayed by the cocktails, nor was he impressed by the selection of beers available.

Pub Number 23: Kennedy's

Another short stroll and we were in Kennedy's.

It was straight down to the dance floor, where "all the salsa people in the world" were showing off their moves.

Neil appeared to emit laser beams from his eyes.

The highlight of any visit to Kennedy's is going to toilets to use the industrial stregth Dyson Airblade hand-driers.

After a bit of a dance we decided that it was time to find some provisions to give us enough energy for the long walk home, so we ended the night with a trip to the dubiously named "Yummy Chicken".

Say No to Quiz Night

2008-08-15T11:03:00.000+01:00

Traditionally, Wednesday night is Quiz night. Over the past few weeks, Wednesday night has been cinema night. This week, as a result of an overcrowded pub making for poor sandwich potential, Wednesday night is Pub Crawl night...

Pub Number 16: The Golden Lion

The last time I went to the Golden Lion, it was January, and I had given up drinking. As had Paul and James. So while James' friend drank his pints down, we sampled the extensive J2O collection and got surprisingly drunk on sugar. So as to continue with the tee-total connotations, I settled into a not particularly comfortable sofa with a pint of blackcurrant and soda, with a straw.

On Wednesday night, this pub lacks atmosphere - it felt empty and cold. On weekend nights, it's better but its the kind of place we never think of to go to. Maybe we should...

We lost £1.50 on the quiz machine

Pub Number 17: The Three Cranes
I have lived in York for almost 9 years and there aren't many pubs in the town centre that I've never been to. The Three Cranes is one of them. It is also one of the pubs that Neil refuses to go to on a Saturday night, so tonight, we swallowed our fear and walked through the doors, where we turned heads for a moment. They were probably all jealous of our relative youth.

The clientelle are generally men in their 50s who like their ale. There is a dartboard on the wall and a framed collage of what must be all the locals heads attached to other photos, making it look like they're standing next to various celebrities. There is a good selection of beers and ales and it's the kind of place that the barmaid will offer to top up your pint of bitter if the head spans more than 2mm from the top of the glass. The kind of place where you might find an abandoned housing benefit leaflet in the ladies toilets (which were a bit grimy and no hand dryers, but acceptable - unlike the mens which were apparently minging. A sure sign that not many women cross the threshold of this city centre old mens haven.)

This pub feels like someone's living room. Its cosy, and despite sticking out like sore thumbs, we weren' t made to feel uncomfortable there.

Will we return? Yes... when we're all 20 years older.

Pub Number 18: The Lendal Cellars
This pub is exactly what it says on the tin - an underground cellar (which used to operate as part of the Hogshead chain - not sure whether it still does but thought I'd throw in that historical fact anyway.)

This is another pub that its easy to forget about, but one which is actually not bad. If you want to hide away from the rest of the world, you can meander your way down to the back of the table lined tunnel, or if you fancy a bit of daylight (or moonlight), there's an ever expanding beer garden. If, like us you are looking for somewhere to empty your wallet on quiz machines, then there is a choice of two, and the one we chose gave us so much money that we didn't have the energy to put it all back in, and so everyone gained £1. (To compensate for the £2 each that we'd put in)

Have you got your IDs please?

2008-08-02T14:37:00.000+01:00

Pub Number 10: Brigantes
This evenings crawl began in Brigantes on Micklegate. James was slightly late, since he was looking for the pub on the wrong side of the walls. But made up for it by drinking duvel (8.5%) and telling us the story about wearing a skirt. Apparently it was a lovely evening for wearing a skirt (?).

(The big white hand belongs to James)

Anyway, the pub itself was ok. Good choice of German and Belgian beer if you're in to that sort of thing. We're not. Toilets we're nice. Toilet roll available, always a bonus.

Pub Number 11: The Artful Dodger
The next pub on the list was The Nags Head as Leanne wanted to get it out of the way. However, it looked a bit scary so we went to The Artful Dodger instead.

Despite our initial reservations (and the intimidating Vikings) this turned out to be a good drinking place. Leanne spent her birthday Nuts money on the quiz machine. We lost.

Leanne then slapped Paul. Paul sulked. James wasn't overly impressed by the barstaff (too hairy and too male). Toilets were not good. Unbranded condom and tampon machine and wonky toilet seats.

Pub Number 12: The Yorkshire Hussar
Next we frequented The Yorksire Hussler (known to everyone who isn't James as The Yorkshire Hussar). Good atmosphere, connect four on the quiz machine, James broke a table so we can never go back there.

Pub Number 13: The Maltings
Next on our crawl was the Maltings. Good selection of fruit wines. James was talked into trying another strong beer (8.4%) by the barman. It came in an unusual glass with a wooden handle/holder. It was 'surprisingly light!'

Excellent decor.

Pub Number 14: The Corner Pin
At this point most of us were up for going home despite the fact it was only 11.15pm. Someone (we'll never know who, as they won't want to admit to it) suggested Flares. As there was a queue to get in we found ourselves in the pub opposite - the Corner Pin. Neil checked it was still serving (it was open til 1am) so we headed for the door, only for the nice lady bouncer to ask us for IDs. We excitedly reached for our driving licences and laughed our way in to the bar.

Clientelle left something to be desired and the men's toilets were rather cramped as if someone was washing/drying their hands at the same time as relieving oneself. James managed to get in several shorts in the time it took for others to consume their pints.

Pub Number 15: Flares
A queueless Flares then drew us in and surprisingly a good time was had by all! The fact that most of us (apart from 1 group member) were Flares virgins probably helped.

Again, clientelle were questionable and the mountain of broken glass on the floor was displeasing, but that was all forgotten once all 5 of us made it onto the dance floor.

James was busting some jaw dropping moves on the dancefloor and catching the attention of some local wenches. Just as he was going to make a move, we decided it was time to leave (sorry James!). Post-crawl munchies split the group in two.

The chicken lovers went via Yummy Chicken and the non-chicken lovers went to Vikings Kitchen for kebabs and burgers. The final stop on this evening's crawl was Neil's tavern where one last beer was enjoyed along with plenty of Rock Band action.

An early contender for best bar in York due to the good atmosphere, high class clientelle, quality beer, first class toilet facilities, on site accommodation available upon request and an AMAZING selection of music always available.
Lynne & Neil

Celebrations

2008-07-29T16:59:00.000+01:00

Tuesday night is traditionally a night for staying in, but in this case, we made an exception to celebrate the fact that, after several years of being a lazy student, and before she even got as far as becoming 'The Doctor', Lynne has found herself a job.

Pub Number 9: The Con Man
If you looked on a map, or in the Yellow Pages for a pub called the Con Man in York, you wouldn't find one, because the Con Man in James' 'special' name for the pub that everybody else knows as the Hansom Cab. So it was in the Hansom cab that we met to drink organic cherry beer, and normal lager at less than £2 a pint in celebration of Lynne's achievement.

Pub number 9 accomplished.

Salsa or Beer...? You Decide!

2008-07-19T23:11:00.000+01:00

Lynne chose both at the same time.

I chose salsa (in the street in the rain), then beer later.

Paul and Neil chose beer.

James chose Bournemouth

Pub Number 6: VJs Art Bar
It does cost £3.20 a pint in there but it's got quite a nice atmosphere if you're young and trendy. As we aren't, we didn't stay long. Personally, I'd go back for lunch, but maybe not for Saturday night shenannigans.

Pub Number 7: The York Arms
Reputed to be a gay bar, the York Arms is a Sam Smiths pub which generally means less than £2 a pint. Nice

I liked it, but unfortunately, Lynne knocked Neil off a stool so I can probably never go back there, even if I wanted to. I'd be too ashamed!

Pub Number 8: The Stone Roses
A favourite of Neil's. He likes the music:

Though strangely, no matter how much Lynne and I request Country Girl, he won't dance to it anymore.

Still, if You like your indie and your ears to explode, this bar is one for you. Really loud music, no way of remembering how much the beer costs because you have to drink so much of it to stop your ears hurting, queue to get in when it's half empty.

We'll be back!

Let's play Nuts Nuts Nuts Nuts Nuts

2008-07-16T22:58:00.000+01:00

If you watched the pub quiz video, You'll probably have noticed that we tend to go to the pub quiz on a Wednesday night.

Unfortunately, the Masons Arms is not inside the city walls, but would qualify for the future perimeter of the walls pub crawl (just announced by me)

After a little bit of debate we determined that our regular post quiz wetherspoons quiz machine location does qualify and that we can tick pub number 5 off the list:

Pub Number 5: The Postern Gate

Wetherspoons, so cheap.
Good selection of beers, though they've probably run out of most of them
Staff move very slowly
Two quiz machines, which is an improvement on one which there used to be
Bit dark and dingy

Round One

2008-07-12T22:32:00.000+01:00

iIt was Saturday night, it was the York races, and yet we still saw fit to venture into the drunken race going masses to start on our epic adventure.

Pub Number 1: The Ackhorne
Lynne and Neil arrived early and proceded to fight off the race goers and preserve us some seats. We didn't take any photos.

When I suggested this pub crawl, it was intended as a way for us to venture out into new pubs and find somewhere different to drink on a Saturday night. In spite of the fact that there's little point in going back there until the pub crawl has finished, it is one to bear in mind as a future Saturday night watering hole.

Can't comment on the prices. I didn't buy a round.

Pub Number 2: The Golden Ball
Surprisingly deserted on this fine saturday evening which suited our purposes just fine.

Another pub which is worth another visit. Can't comment on prices, I didn't buy a round.

Pub Number 3: City Screen
As one comedian describes it - an overly pretentious cinema. Neil's friend Steve was there, so while James went home to bed, we went to the bar.

Pints probably cost close to £3 in here (still not my round though!). Would go again for a sun soaked daytime pint on the terrace, a trip to the cinema, or the Sunday Night Other Side Comedy Club.

Pub 4: Dusk
It was past closing time (yes, some pubs still close at 11pm in York, just like in the old days) and luckily, more than just the Lowther is open after hours these days, so we stumbled on into Dusk where I bought some drinks which cost approximately £3.10 - £3.20 a pint. I'll probably go back, but I'm still not sure I like it in there...

Paul and I flipped the bird at Lynne and Neil...

...and they... pointed some fingers together at us.

Then we went home.

The Rules

2008-07-11T22:26:00.000+01:00

As with all good projects, the city wall pub crawl needs rules and these are they:

At least 4 of the 5 of us must be present in the pub for it to count. (If there's less than 4 in the team and we visit a pub then we haven't visited that pub)
Each of the people present must have a drink in that pub
You are allowed soft drinks, but will probably be frowned upon by Neil
We have to go to all of the pubs and bars.... even the shit ones
We possibly have to go to all the 'nightclubs' too

So there you have it. 5 simple rules.

City Wall Pub Crawl

2008-07-10T07:00:00.000+01:00

Once upon a time there was a girl called Leanne:

She lived with a boy called Paul:

And they did the pub quiz with a boy called Neil:

One day Leanne decided to start salsa lessons where she met Lynne:

And James:

Together they had lots of fun:

One day, when they were trying to think of things to do at the weekend other than drink, they hit upon the idea of a pub crawl (you do the math...s?!) in which they visited every pub inside the city walls of York within a year:

So this is what this blog is about.