Monday, September 27, 2010

UCLA-Texas Road Trip Party Experience Report

The eyes of Pubclub.com were upon Texas on the weekend of Sept. 24-25. The occasion – or excuse, if you will – was the UCLA-Texas football game. The excitement of spending three days – we arrived on a Thursday – was too much to ignore. For PubClub and Bruin fans, as well.

This is a party report of the Texas football experience.

UCLA always plays at least one strong road game a year. In 2009, it was Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. Bruin faithful like to experience the flavor and atmosphere of different colleges, so several thousand travel to the games. In the case of Texas, many just wanted to party in Austin which is, without question, one of America’s great towns. There’s 6th Street, with its three-block lineup of bars that bring out college students with ridiculous pricing like $1 beers and $2 drinks, to the more refined areas for working professionals such as 6th Street West.

Then there is the pre-game tailgate party and post-game celebration/drown the sorrows and blame the offensive coordinator bar blow-off talk.

Austin, it must be said, did not disappoint.

Well, for the most part. Thursday was fairly slow (by UT standards) on 6th Street. PubClub arrived in plenty of time for Happy Hour but there was little happening until nearly 11 p.m. When a few students did arrive to the bars, they were as difficult to talk to as California girls – something we came all the way to Austin to avoid! This certainly was not in character for a previous Austin experience.

PubClub also had a tasteless, useless “dinner” at a place that, on the outside, seemed to be a good choice. “Legendary” Tex-Mex a sign read outside of Chupacabra and it’s probably legendary all right because the salsa was flat in flavor, the chicken so bland it defies any further description and while the pork had potential, it was dry and what taste it offered was overwhelmed by a Texas-sized amount of sour cream. So basically there was no dinner.

Still, the beers were as little as a dollar at two of the most popular bars, The Library and The Aquarium.

The next day’s partying began at a great Austin bar a 15-minute (cab) ride from downtown. It’s an oasis – but not The Oasis – on Lake Austin called the Hula Hut. Right on the water, it’s a highly popular place for Happy Hour and weekends. A few drinks there turned into several drinks there. At night, we went to 6th West, a lineup of lounges and bars better suited to those with jobs rather than learning about jobs. We hit the hot trifecta: Star Bar, a lounge with a patio front and back and a lot of beautiful Texas girls in sexy skirts, Kung Fu Saloon, a more casual bar/lounge, and The Dogwood, a nearly-all-outdoor bar that had rocking music and rocking patrons.

Then it was game day! And in Austin that means getting to a campus bar, a place called Schoultz’s, 3 hours before kickoff. This is a German beer hall of sorts, with a large patio surrounded by two buildings with bars. It holds several hundred people and gets so packed there is a line to get inside one of its bars, even for those on the patio. Beers here are more expensive – $6 and $7 though they are 20 ounces – but for those without a tailgate to crash, it’s the pre-game place to party.

We walked the dozen blocks to the massive stadium, which was remolded only last year, and caught the band and cheerleaders entering the field through the tunnel (it’s at the Red McCombs Red Zone). In fact, the girls were posing for pictures in about as friendly a display of pre-game personality as their must be in all of college football.

UCLA, which can struggle to reach a respectable bowl – if making a bowl at all – always gets up for the big games and quite often, the Bruin fans return home with the satisfaction of an upset road win. In, fact, in the team’s last trip to Austin in 2007, UCLA whipped the Longhorns worse than any team in Texas history, 66-3. Remember the Alamo; heck, Texas fans were saying “remember 66-3!” wonder what they will be saying after THIS year? UCLA, two weeks removed from a 35-0 beating by Stanford at home, whipped No. 7 Texas 34-12.

Yet PubClub went to the University of Alabama and the desire to watch the Tide in a very difficult game at 10th-ranked Arkansas proved too much to overcome. So at halftime, after a walk around the inside edge of beautiful Memorial Stadium, it was back to Schoultz’s. Alabama was down 20-7 but the cute girls who had served beers loved PubClub and served beers at a discount (including throwing in a couple of freebies), a hot lady from Vanderbilt came in to root for the Tide and we celebrated as Bama made its fourth-quarter comeback. Soon, the place was filled with Longhorns, who had left their game early.

Eventually, the entire PubClub Party Group showed up and we were all amazed at how friendly the Texas folks were in defeat. They complimented UCLA and saved criticism for their team’s offensive coordinator. The loss did not stop them from drinking, that’s for sure. Oddly, UCLA fans were more in shock than were Texas fans; somehow the Longhorn faithful were almost expecting it, if not this week than another.

Later, on 6thStret, PubClub was standing by the bar at Austin’s spring break bar, the Dirty Rooster, when a girl climbed up the back of The Bartender (PubClub’s roving party animal and author of this blog) and hopped up on the bar. Seconds later she was joined by a half-dozen other girls and the place exploded. A female bartender then joined them and started spraying beer on everyone. This was like being in the winning locker room at the World Series.

The rest of 6th Street was going OFF, especially the upstairs balconies at Maggy Mays and the Blind Pig Pub.

So that’s a football weekend in Austin, another awesome experience in this totally fun Texas town.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Mooning of the Amtrak – Let Them Party!

Sometimes, adults do things that might seem more suited for college kids.

The Mooning of the Amtrak is one of those things.

It was born of a bet – and it's a sure bet that a bar was involved – and has now turned into an annual event. Each year, a few hundred people roll off the 5 freeway in south Orange County, CA, to a dive bar called the Mug's Away Saloon in Laguna Niguel, and moon the passing Amtrack trains.

It's the Mooning of the Amtrak, and it's as harmless as an ocean breeze, as fun as a beach party. Goofy, yes. Dangerous, no. The 2010 event is Saturday, July 10. For a review of the event, go to PubClub.com:


Of course, with nothing better to do, the Laguna Nigel City Council considers it a treat to the lifestyle and well-being of their citizens – never mind that the Mug's Away is in a business area, located in small industrial-type strip mall with no residences around for miles – and want to shut it down.

Police are warning people to STAY AWAY!!!

What, they have nothing better to do than try and ruin people's Saturday afternoon? There are no problems at this event, it's just good clean fun.

Okay, if any person has had "their first beer," take care 'of em. But for the 99% of law-abiding, fun-loving people, LET THEM PARTY!!!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Over-the-Line Tournament San Diego

PubClub.com will once again dispatch PubClubette wild child Chelsea Hunter to cover the Over-the-line tournament this summer in San Diego.

This is one of the wildest, craziest and unconventional beach parties found anywhere in the world. It's a two-week event which consists of a sporting event that is not too taxing because the REAL reason is to drink beer on the beach!

"The game itself is a form of softball. I had about three different people try to explain the game to me, but considering most attendees were already 5-6 beers deep by the time I arrived, I never really grasped the exact rules. It didn't matter, though, because everyone was in good spirits and was having a blast, especially as we plastered PubClub.com temporary tattoos on everyone at the tourney!, Chelsea wrote during her first journey to the event.

The highlight is the Miss Emerson contest, which takes place on the second Saturday. Again, here's Chelsea's observation:

Another interesting part of the tournament is the "Miss Emerson" contest.

Now I have to admit, I was skeptical as to the validity of this contest and what exactly the judging specifications were based on. I originally thought that it was solely a "who has the bigger boobs" contest which, do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with at all!

Come to find out, it is much more than that as I learned when I interviewed one of the recent winners, Mary Kraszewski. The judges are looking for a beach beauty who carries herself with style and grace. Out of all the qualified contestants only one is crowned Miss Emerson, based on her interview with the committee of 9 judges!

The contestants' interview skills and stage presence determines the winner. The newly appointed Miss Emerson is then expected to attend all the events that O.M.B.A.C sponsors for the next year.

(Editor's note: It should be pointed out that the writer, Chelsea Hunter, is a former Miss Fitness Arizona and was the first runner-up in the 2007 Miss Long Beach Grand Prix contest.)

The 2010 event is July 10-11 and 17-18. The Miss Emerson contest is July 18. Read more about the party, and see Chelsea's photos, on PubClub.com!

Fourth of July 2010 Hermosa Beach, CA


Wow. That was GREAT! Tony the Tiger Grrrreeeaaat!!!

The Fourth of July in Hermosa Beach, CA, was one house party after another, all along the walkway that runs along the sand called The Strand. House party, house party, house party!

It was wild – some so big that crowds nearly blocked the Strand and one that involved hundreds of people on the beach – but also as calm as the gentle on-shore wind that blew in off the Pacific. It was responsible adults acting like responsible adults, all having a great time, smiling morning, noon and night. The troublemakers, it appeared, were all on holiday, spending the 4th elsewhere. And cheers out a red cup to the Hermosa Beach Police for letting the people party and not spoiling the fun by breaking up bashes or otherwise causing a party pooping scene.

The day started, as it always does in Hermosa, with the Ironman competition. This is an event unique to the area and it combines physical exercise with the California surfing culture and the South Bay beach culture of drinking beer. The Ironman consists of a couple hundred participants running a mile, paddleboarding a mile and drinking a 6-pack. That's right, the participants are required to pound down the Bud (the winner did it all in a little more than 10 minutes).



This then leads to a crazy party, lifting the winner in the air and forming a mosh pit while a punk band pounds live music (Pennywise, from Hermosa Beach, was once the band). This goes on for about a half hour under the watchful eye of the cops, who then move in a shoo everyone away. And guess what – even after this wild show of emotion and craziness, the people pick up their empties and put them in plastic trash bags. See more of this event in this PubClub Ironman article:


After the Ironman, it's onto the Strand! Actually, first it's onto a restaurant and bar to get some food. And in 2010, several Ironman competitors went to Cafe Boogaloo, which gives free mimosas for two hours with breakfast. The punk band showed up, as well, and it was lively to say the least.



Out on the Strand, it was sunny and funny. A band on a platform went up and down the beach. So, too, did a DJ. Everywhere, but Buds were flowing and people smiling. This is the way the 4th of July should be celebrated at fun party beach!


Check out more great party photos, events and reports on PubClub.com!

Cheers!