We have a local DIVE bar (and I mean dive bar) in our neighborhood called Denny's. The name should tell you enough! We went there the first night that we got to town because we needed to treat our moving team to cold beverages and obviously we needed to check out our local hang. That being said, it's an awesome, small, stone, old fashioned bar filled with pretty much locals only.
That being said, we decided to head there when the Yankee's were taking on the Red Sox our first weekend here. Nat's a huge Red Sox fan, growing up on Cape Cod, and obviously wanted to watch this intense rivalry. We were also meeting up with our friend Chip that I hadn't seen since moving to NYC. After talking Nat out of ALL Red Sox gear, we headed out to the bar. We walk in and it's immediately very intimidating. It's pretty busy. There aren't any bar stools and everyone is starring at us. We stand around awkwardly for a moment, contemplate leaving then finally decide to order a beer and pull up some bar stools in the middle of the room (also awkwardly) because there is no where else to sit. We chat and continue being awkward for 5-10 minutes when I happen to notice that a couple bar stools have opened up. We make our way up to the bar and in true southern fashion, I immediately ask the bartender what his name is. Hey, we obviously gotta get in good at this place. Let's call him William because I think it started with a "W" and I can't remember his name right now (I know...so much for getting in good!).
Well after warming up to William, our old bartender, who just got off of his shift, bought us a round so we're one step closer to getting "in" with the cool kids. As we're sitting at the bar, wondering if and when they are going to turn the Red Sox vs. Yankees game on but too nervous to ask, I make eye contact with the two guys at the end of the bar: Cue Joe and Shamus. Now to paint a picture...Joe looks a little like a older, cuter version of Alf and Shamus is his obvious sidekick. They are drinking shots of whiskey alongside each beer that they order. Cue the introductions.
After announcing that "they have guests in the bar" they proceed to ask where we are from. We tell them that we just moved into the neighborhood, Nat's been here for a year and I just moved here. Where did you move from they ask. Nashville I say. They then proceed to give me the biggest Brooklyn welcome that they can conjure up in their whiskey and beer drunken state. Joe announces that he's going to play "Nashville" music on the juke box so that I feel more welcome. He proceeds to play Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. As the songs are playing, Joe and Shamus also decide to dance with one another while belting the songs at the top of their lungs. At one point, Shamus slings Joe on top of the pool table where he stays, spread eagle, for a solid 10 seconds. After getting off the table, they resume their position at the end of the bar.
From there, Shamus sends a round of beers our way. Three beers to be exact. One for me, one for Nat and one for Chip. The guys are soaking up every second of their free beers since it's obvious that I'm the reason they got them! Joe then makes his way down to where we are sitting. He puts his hand on Nat's shoulder and starts carrying on about how he must have been a football player, he's so big and strong, he would never mess with him, etc. Joe appears to have had a sober moment and became afraid that Nat was going to kick his ass!
Another 15 or 20 minutes go by and then Joe makes my favorite move of the entire night. He very loudly clears his throat and at the top of his lungs, yells (which he doesn't have to yell loudly because this bar is tiny) "JENNY IS THE ONLY PERSON THAT MATTERS IN THIS ENTIRE BAR!"
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