CR Adventure [Day One] - Hot Springs and pool bars

This is my first experience with volcanic hot springs, aka nature's hot tubs. We can't figure out what percentage of the small pools are natural and what percentage has been built by the resort. I manage to knock my right shin into a rock which quickly forms into my first bruise of the trip.

We spend the rest of the evening bouncing back and forth between the springs and the heated pool which dons a pool bar. Pool bars are now officially my favorite kind of bars, in fact I think Yer and I are going to write a book on them. That will be some strenuous research.

At 10pm, the springs close so we retreat to the hotel and fall fast asleep. It's been a long day.

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CR Adventure [Day one] - Vayamos!

We're only an hour into the trip and Jesse Hectic has already managed to drop $129 on a pair of Ray Bans at the airport sunglass boutique. We joke that she now officially owns her 11211 area code, have a laugh at ridiculous wraparound sunglasses and head towards our gate.

Mexicana Airlines is now my favorite airline. They don't mess around with mini plastic bottles of liquor but rather wheel the cart by with legitimately sized glass bottles of Tequila, Rum and Vodka sitting on top along with four different cans of Mexican beer. All of it is free as is the meal they serve on every flight.

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You win some, you lose some

Last night we showed up at Santo's Party House to the sight of an ambulance outside (apparently someone was carried out on a stretcher moments earlier) and only to be told that the Trouble and Bass party, featuring UK dubstep don Joker, was sold out.

Though major disappointment ensued, instead of going home, we opted to meet up with some friends and squeeze in a nightcap at B Side Bar, an East Village dive whose special consists of a shot of whiskey and a PBR for a mere 5$.

We settled into the very back room to consume our beverages and were surprised to see the walls lined with original screen prints from an artist named Brian Ewing. Most, if not all, of the posters were done to promote gigs for bands such as NERD, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Death Cab for Cutie. A lot of them were really cool and for a moment, we nearly forgot that we weren't brocking out to the sounds of the one like Joker during his first NYC appearance.

So if you find yourself on Avenue B, in the vicinity of 12th or 13th street, check them out and momentarily forget your troubles too. And if the artwork doesn't do it, there's always the special!

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Coming Full Circle

Nestled betwixt the culinary delights that are Taco Chulo and The Lodge on Grand Street in Williamsburg now lies a new bar called Full Circle.

Like most people living through these tough economic times, I try and do my share to help new businesses thrive. And true to my French roots, I am drawn to any drinking establishment that opens its doors within a quarter mile radius of where I live. So it wasn't bound to be long before I set foot in there. The experience turned out to be quite educational.

Last week, I learned about Brostep, this week, I learned about Brewskee-ball, the first ever competitive Skee-Ball League which calls Full Circle Bar its home in New York City.

Seriously y'all, Kickball is so 2000 and late. It's all about Brewskee-ball these days!

Full Circle boasts twice as many Skee-Ball lanes as nearby Hugs and four times as many as Redd's - that's right people, four Skee-Ball lanes. At $1 a pop (anyone remember the days when it cost a quarter for a game of Skee-Ball?) and combined with alcohol, this formula ensures much wealth for the owners.

Here's to many rolls to come, Full Circle!

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Drinking discoveries: The porron

In a tragic turn of events, B and I were turned away from tonight's Poprally event because it was oversold. Apparently Spike Jonze put a hundred people on the guestlist. I am now thinking twice about going to see Where the Wild Things Are…

Still, the evening wasn't a total loss. We managed to squeeze in a fantastic dinner at LES restaurant Macondo. We arrived in time for happy hour, or as they call it "Porron Hour," and got to experience something new -- drinking out of a porron.

Porrones look a whole lot like bongs but they are actually wine pitchers that pour a very thin stream of liquid into your mouth. From 5-7pm, Monday through Friday, Macondo offers a menu of tapas for six dollars and each tapa ordered gets you a mini porron filled with beer with a hint of Fresca (it's tastier than it sounds.)

I learned from the coasters that "for centuries porrones have been used to easily share drinks around the table" in Spain. This means there's only one porron to wash when the meal is over as opposed to several glasses. Genius. Thank you Spain!

And thank you Macondo for introducing me to a new drinking vessel! I recommend heading down there and getting your porr-ON! The food rocks too. Macondo = win/win.

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