Ain't Talking 'Bout Love, the Target's notes.

"I been to the edge, an' there I stood an' looked down."    -Van Halen        
47th Street, 10/21/2014

   Ain't got no time to mess around. No time at all, as daylight goes quick by late Fall. The Watt and I arrive at approximately the same stretch Tuesday evening. (As he is heading to another Chicago soiree over the upcoming weekend, Watt talked me into an earlier than usual surf session.) Wattman got the shortie wetsuit down as we readied to address the cooler waters. Moved pretty fast. No exchange of small talk. All about the surf action waiting on the other side of the dune. As we stood on the edge looking down, our current break of 47th street highlighted knee, maybe some thigh-high wind swell. A bit chopped. Not much on power. Typical for this kind of evening. 10-15 kt southeast winds. Mid-tide. Air temps in the upper 60s, Warm for October. In the fast fading twilight DWatt manages to catch not one but two most excellent joyrides.  At knee high not a lot of love, but plenty of joy. Stoked night, gotta say. The warm air, water not too bad just dipping into the upper 60's, burnt orange and red sunset tinged sky. Nice. But in less than forty-five minutes night had descended.

  The 19th Hole in West OC. Tried the place in February '13 and determined then it was worth a return trip. Hey! The Journey is a long road; doubleback's take time. Upon arrival we are stricken by a sign announcing the Grand Re-Opening of the bar and corresponding specials.  Explains the somewhat heavier (though still spotty) than expected parking lot for a Tuesday night. Upon entrance the bar is loaded...an older local crowd... so we find a bench table.  We ordered up a couple of dollar brews (every beer for a dollar is damn good beer!) just as a three-piece jazz band was hitting it's stride, sat back and enjoyed the "noise."  (Jazz aficionados understand...Noise is good.) We decided on the Hot Buffalo Wings and Chicken Quesadillas from the specials menu and another round of beers. While the prices were great, the food was not. The descriptive that comes to mind...bland.  And since we were not messin' around, 45 minutes later we were done here as well. Nice sports bar.  Nice atmosphere.  May come back later... but no sooner.

THE RATINGS-

Buffalo Hot Wings: D+

Chicken Quesadillas: C-

Beer: B

Atmosphere: B

Overall Score = 2.25

   

Needy Bastard, the Watt's notes.

"You go back Jack do it again. Wheel turnin' round  and round."  -Steely Dan.  Return of the knee-hi's, 47th Street.  10/9/2014

   Life throws some curveballs at'cha.  No doubt. The Target's rental property got broken into. Dealin' with the cops is enough to cause a mild aneurysm. Sucks. Really! Myself? Surf was lacking this evening. Seriously. Winds finally shift to the west and the swell drops off to nuthin'. Damn, I sound like a needy bastard! I mean, the Target's fighting crime and what was I doin'? Besides whining I mean. Surfin'. Really? 47th Street provided an otherwise placid alternative.  Break isn't what it has been in the past, but potential was there.  The sunset was gorgeous. Smell of salt in the air. Water still warm(70f). Calm night. Caught me quite a few rides (more than last week).  No sharks. No injury. No harm. No foul. The Target was forced out, but here's a man that still found his way to the beach just as I had packed up. Humbled me. Truly. Well...sorta.

Parking Patrol

   This Thursday's Journey led us to yet another Ocean City icon, Fager's Island.This was the week of the 17th annual Endless Summer Cruisin' as well. So like navigating a subjugated back alley speedway, we made our way from 47th to 60th and bayside. Quite a few hot rods. In fact, so many that I feared the Target might flashback to crime fighter mode and go after a few of the Fast and the Furious.  However, we cruised into the waterside lot without event. We strode in as if we owned the place...or was it as if we were lookin' to arrest somebody? Who cares. The barkeep was quick to take our beer requests (though we weren't so quick to decide on 'em), and just as quick to deliver 'em. At this point (following my first sip) I have to say upon a glance I was disappointed at how out of date Fagers had become. First, only two medium TVs AND they were turned off!... which meant no football or baseball. Music low and mellow (must be waiting for the 10pm crowd). The original bar appears rundown, while the additions are an off-match modern beach deco. Gotta work on this. Needy bastard. Call in Tommy Bahama.

   Order up. Food. We put in for the Shore (Old Bay) Wings and the Cuban Fish Tacos. The wings were good. Meaty. Hot. More bland than Old Bay. No stand out here. The Tacos were very good.  Plenty of fresh whitefish. Good cilantro-avocado sauce, but not too much.  The out-of-bounds house pico de gallo made it though. The beer- nice selection and with a cold water spray... What? Not so cold dude.  The beer was a bit closer to room temp then chilled. I thought Target was getting ready to write them a citation. Overall? Exxxpennnnsivvvvve! Gave our wallets a squeeze for sure.  I believe one of our higher tabs of the season.  Course, if Tommy gets involved the dollars are sure to fly. Regardless, the Journey will schedule for off-season specials next time. Needy bastards!

THE RATINGS- 
Shore Wings: C
Cuban Fish Tacos: B
Beer: C+
Atmosphere: C
Overall Score = 2.31

                         

Sign 'O The Times, the Target's notes

"It's silly, no? When a rocket ship explodes and everybody still wants 2 fly. Some say a man ain't happy unless a man truly dies.  Oh why.  Time, time."   -Prince                Menacing skies over the lineup.  Rt 90 Bridge, OCMD.  10/2/2014

   It's been a long September. Family. Friends. Valuable time spent. Time needed to reflect. Calm ourselves and rejoice. The receding and return of the summer masses from whence they came. The sweetness of early Autumn's warmth diminished only by the speculation of how fast it can go glacial on us. The sudden appearance of a cloud front over the O.C., like an alien ship from the movie "Independence Day," did little to taper our seasonal concerns.

A warning? Things to come? Emerging from the dune crossing a light drizzle occurred and then stopped just as suddenly, and there it was. The Promise. One of the most perfect rainbows we'd ever seen. Spirits raised, we moved on with the evening's surf session.

Our entrance...the Promise of Stoke.  66th Street, Holidays.  10/2

Despite a strong sideshore current and continued northerly onshore winds that chopped the swell, Wattman still managed a couple of short rides to stoke the fire before the dissolving light quickly ended his water time.

No smooth rides today...no worries, gettin' wet is enough.  Holiday's 10/2

   The Journey is all about revitalization, and encouraged by our crescent band of color we returned to another dive rejuvenated, the Abbey Burger Bistro on 126th across from Northside Park. Last August, we had given it a look-see. Much construction needed. Food just okay  A work in progress. This night we pulled up to a barkeep willing to pass out samples and the Orioles beginning what would be their sweep of Detroit on the tube.  A great start to the night.  Boasting 24 taps on hand, our choices were many.  We settled into a couple of craft brews and placed our order for the Island Sauce Wings and the Pulled Pork n Slaw Sandwich.  The beer was served in jet water rinsed glasses... the brew was pure. But, we are our own beer snobs. Iced is always preference. The grub was excellent. Wings were well cooked and big with a very good flavor, and the pulled pork was truly mouth watering. Pick up the progress on the 80's decor update and this place will no doubt become a destination bar.  For now, worth a probable future return.  Onward!

THE RATINGS - 

Island Sauce Wings: B+

Pulled Pork Sandwich: A-

Beer: B+

Atmosphere: B

Overall Rating = 3.31