Biedrins!

Following a Warriors win on Friday night, and the finishing of the Bar exam for Gavroche, he and I head up to the city for some mayhem. Little do we know just how much mayhem is about to ensue. When we get up to the city it’s about drinking time and we head to Bus Stop to meet up with Topher and a few others. And there, in front of Bus Stop, is a “bouncer” with a rope across the doorway. Gavroche and I wait for a second, thinking he’ll let us in as the crowd inside the bar is sparse, but he just ignores us. After a few girls walk past us, he asks the guy, “Hey, is this a private party?” I start laughing, which the guy doesn't like. The doorman tells us that the place is being audited by ABC. He and I stand there for a minute trying to figure out what that stands for before deciding on Alcohol Beverage Committee or something like that (Alcohol Board of Control?) We step away from the door and start making calls, and he lets like four other people in. Gavroche is convinced that this is anti-semitism at work.

All of a sudden, Topher’s inside, we try our luck at the door again and get accepted. But I’ve already called Maurod, who’s on his way, so it’s a quick in and out. We step to the bar, it’s shots of vodka and Patron, and then Maurod’s there and we’re gone. Topher’s girlfriends give us quizzical looks as we say goodbye hastily to all the people we had just hastily said hello to. Maurod takes us to meet up with E at the I. E’s outside and in high spirits when we show up, and inside, I get to point out to Gavroche the “Eve”/whatever her name is girl who got in my face a weekend or two ago. Things are pretty standard for a Friday night until the music stops so everyone in the place can sing happy birthday to one of the girls. This prompts Gavroche to suggest that the name of this post be “A Stripper’s Birthday.” But the night is young yet.

Outside on the sidewalk, I’m looking over Gavroche’s shoulder at this girl who makes eye contact with me. She looks at me and says, “You’re _____.” My only response is, “you don’t know me” to which she replies, “You went to SM/HS.” Check and mate good chum, so she does know me. I stare blankly and she tells me she’s Alison Weil, a girl who ran cross country and was a year or two below me. She glares a bit before going to get in a cab, and before I can say, “hey! What’s going on? Long time no see!” Then Valla comes down the street, apparently out testing the Broadway waters on their own. Next thing I know, Topher has come over solo from the Marina to the I.

After two drinks there, it’s time to make a jump. But we run into a dilemma here…one of our options was PatS, who previously indicated an evening with girls out at Holy Cow. Another option was FSU, who indicated her opinion that the Holy Cow sucks, and was going to be at Rye with a group of girls. As we look for the new spot, it turns out that FSU got done in by happy hour and didn’t make it out to Rye at all, and PatS is with a crew of guys and is so plastered when I talk to him on the phone that he makes no coherent sense.

We decide on a third party, Berg, who’s over with a few other high school people we know at Ambassador. Big surprise though, when we get there, all of those friends are gone and Berg’s the only one left. Standing by the door, we’re talking about the club when in walks Andris Biedrins. With a 7 foot wingspan, expensive suit, crew of guys and gel spiked hair, he walks in and can’t possibly be anyone but Biedrins. Gavroche decides we need to seek him out, and when we do find him, he’s at the upstairs bar. Luckily for Gavroche, he paid attention to his parents, and as a result, can walk right up to Biedrins and start speaking Russian with him. The friends aren’t sure how to take this, and one of them, who Gavroche dubs a “Moscow asshole” basically tells him to get lost. The other one tells him not to worry about the first guy, and that Biedrins in chill. Chill or not, we get into a few shots, let Gavroche spin some more Russian for the man, and then make ourselves scarce. As I give him a handshake on my way out, I drunkenly mumble something about hoping he gets better soon.

And there you have our Friday night. It was much cooler than kicking it at a frat party with players from the college team like we did back at SC. It wasn't quite as cool as The Wire. But it was Biedrins! Just be sure that if you see him, you have someone to speak Russian.