Who's excited for even more Democratic primary action? Anyone? Anyone? Drudge?
This year's primary has gotten everyone all riled up, and Obama and Clinton supporters alike are going to have to start doing some deep breathing if they want to be able to reconcile on April 23rd, after the last major primary in the nation. Of course, McCain supporters are hoping they'll never be able to kiss and make up.
So are you seeking to distract your political operative with love, or reach out to other members of your party? Whisper "You make me feel so good, I might just drunk-dial a superdelegate" to someone at these hot spots:
Woody's Bar :: Woody's bills itself as "Philly's Gay Mecca," and it worked for one Chelsea Clinton fan. 202 S. 13th St.
That's Christian Bale at 18 singing about how he needs to leave New York City for warmer climes in "Newsies." If you've followed the weather in NYC recently, we're thinking a lot of people will be joining him.
Remember, Bale's paper boy found love, and you can too--try a special delivery to one of these hot spots.
Ten Thousand Waves -- This Japanese-inspired mountain spa is the perfect place to unwind after that sixteen-hour paper route and meet someone in the tub -- or "meet them again."3451 Hyde Park Rd.
Ark Bookstore -- All that horse-wranglin' and paper-tossin' and union-organizin' leaves a man very little time to develop his mind or his soul. Luckily there's the Ark, a spiritual bookstore with hotties. 133 Romero St.
What better place to look for love before Valentine's Day than Love Field? We've never hooked up at Dallas' secondary airport, but with that kind of name we expect at least mild passenger-to-passenger flirtation. Or alternately, a secret Flickr admirer.
For better luck and less chance of getting frisked in the security line, try these other Dallas locations:
Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill -- The NFL season may be over, but there's still time to find a cute guy drinking with his brothers at this big-screen-and-pool-table joint. They even have WiFi, so you can post your connection right after you miss it, you wuss. 3227 Mckinney Ave.
Ghostbar -- This W Hotel hot spot with a sister bar in Vegas isn't cheap, especially when it comes to $300-plus bottle service. But while you're contemplating the LED-lit bar you might get to lock lips with a fellow Van Halen fan. 2440 Victory Park Ln.
Crossroads Market Bookstore & Cafe -- Well, even if you don't find a guy who can take a hint, at least you'll come out with something good to read. 3930 Cedar Springs Rd.
Looking for reliable free wifi in Vienna? Phil, in the 6th District, should satisfy you. This joint near the Museumsquartier is ready for your laptops. It's a coffeehouse with a shop component selling books and hip miscellany. At Phil, you can sit down with any book from the store so long as you handle it carefully. They also host movie and DJ nights. Did we mention the free wifi?
The scene here is busy, so arrive close to opening if you really plan to set up shop and need a space with power outlet access. It really fills up around 2 p.m., and in Vienna, that pretty much equals getting smokey too. Smokey or not tough, the coffee is strong and the staff are friendly. Now, a tip on tipping: don't say "thank you" until you get your change back from the coffee bar. To hand over a bill and thanks at the same time means "keep all the change!"
Some place called Rapture Cafe & Books has been on a flyering campaign around the East Village recently. As we shuffled through the door this morning, clutching or first coffee of the day for dear life, we finally peeled one of their ads off our building's elevator and decided to investigate. Turns out we're intrigued and it's not just the 500th place on our block that wants to sell us General Tso's chicken.
Rapture opens tonight at 200 Avenue A, so we're assuming tomorrow will mark its first full day of operation. It bills its atmosphere as "literate" and decor as "Native American/Southwestern," so you can probably picture the vibe they're going for. Its cafe will serve food and drinks and its book section will sell only the most stimulating works.
Now here's the kicker: they've also got free wifi. We'll tentatively accept the "Get Smart" slogan on their handbills if that stuff works. We'll be dropping by tomorrow morning to see what, if anything, is up and running.
It's not just newspapers that are suffering at the hands of the internet; it's bookstores, as well, especially landmark ex-pat bookstores. OK, that might be a bit of a stretch, but the changing times have certainly had an effect on the recent troubles of Prague's most famous (and first) ex-pat bookstore, the Globe.
The current owner, a German who bought the place in 2003, is looking to sell. He blames himself for many of the Globe's problems, which amount to a loss of $120 a day. But he also blames the Prague Post for outing him as a gay man in a profile when he bought the bookstore, which he says led to a drop in clientele shortly thereafter.
While that's a possibility, it's more likely a combination of smaller factors. One, as the Post notes, ex-pats don't need to leave the house to search for apartments; they can do it from home, even before they leave, instead of meeting each other at a bookstore. And they can order English-language books online, too. What's more, the café in the Globe was never great, and it steadily got worse in recent years--we were served spoiled food the last time we were there. So it was hardly a "destination".
Ultimately, though, let's blame the internet for this--it makes sure all those potential ex-pats never leave the U.S., instead finding cushy apartments in Williamsburg and Echo Park. They won't be missed abroad, we can guarantee that.
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by egw
