Thank God it’s spring.
It’s been really hot outside lately and I love it. And do you know what I love more than this weather? Drinking outside in it. While Saturday may have begun with a bit of a failure, it happily ended up being a successful daytime drinking endeavor… followed by a nighttime photo shoot at the bar.
First, Failure
After a sad and claustrophobic attempt at attending Cuegrass downtown, a group of us headed out to find another outdoor Raleigh spot where we could eat and drink in the sunshine.
[Explanation: Cuegrass was an outdoor festival of barbecue, bluegrass, and beers. Sounds like a fantastic and super pleasant thing, right? Okay, to give you the rundown on the clusterfuck that was Cuegrass, we waited in a surprisingly long line that curled around the block in order to reach the entrance of the festival. Well, despite our on-going surveying of a crowded scene where no one appeared to have food in hand, and even fewer appeared to have drinks, our group debate on whether to even go in ended with us waiting patiently in the line and paying the $5 entrance fee anyway. “Hey guys, it’s for charity!” was the constant refrain of this discussion.
Once “inside” festival headquarters – ie, through the metal gates that divided it from the public – we were met with a line at the bar of The Pit about five deep… followed by (you guessed it!) several long lines for everything imaginable, but most obviously, for beers. And food. Hell, there was even a line for ice cream. We quickly exited Cuegrass to find booze we could actually get our hands on. Ha, Cuegrass… more like Line Fest, am I right? Hey guys, it’s for charity!]
All smiley because we don’t know what’s in our future…
After a beer each at Tasty Beverage, we exited these nightmarishly packed few blocks of downtown. It was pretty much immediate relief.
State of Beer
I like this place.
After some brainstorming regarding our priorities of plentiful outdoor seating, food, and no more damn lines, we headed to State of Beer, which I had yet to check out. We posted up here for several hours, the long outdoor tables and benches perfectly suited to groups who may want to add more friends (even your hipster friends that show up on bikes), order snacks, and choose from several draft, bottle, or can beers.
Obvi this shot made my Insta for the day
The place has a pretty hip vibe with a record player spinning up front – they actually used it, changing the records as the day progressed – with draft beers from $5 to $6.5. There’s also an entire bottle shop from which to choose other beverages. In terms of food, they don’t have a full kitchen, but they’ve got some solid choices like sandwiches, salads, and apps.
Our group split a cheese board (obvi), charcuterie board, and a pimento cheese sandwich with chickpea salad – the latter I unfortunately failed to photograph but it had pickled cherry peppers on it, and I’m a fan. We hung out here, watching multiple rounds of trolley-pubbers come and go, until the rain came. As people abandoned their outdoor tables and beers, we considered polishing off a few empties as they filled with rain. No, we didn’t.
A “Break” and Snacks
Because Christina has the superhuman ability to drink all day and not eat anything, I had to beg for a stop to grab snacks. I’m sorry, but a few pieces of meat and cheese and one-fourth of a sandwich is so not enough for my body during a round of day drinking. Well, maybe it would’ve been enough food if everybody wanted to see me in bed by 8 PM, and by bed, I mean asleep in public and being asked to leave the bar because I am a “liability.”
So I grabbed some Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (which I’ve referenced before as my fave) because I cannot resist them and a 5 Hour Energy (another essential due to my sleepy-drunk disposition) at the convenience store. Then I ordered some “garlic knots” from the pizza place attached thereto. I put “garlic knots” in quotation marks, because they appeared to be yeast rolls covered in butter and garlic with cheese melted on top. And I’m not complaining…
We reunited with Charlie over our spread of assorted gas station treats and light beers and prepared for the next leg of our day drinking journey.
The Station
Half of the group headed to Raleigh City Farm to check out the beers and musical events happening there while I ended up at The Station with Charlie and his golfing buddies from earlier in the afternoon… because food. Located on Person Street, they have plenty of outdoor seating, umbrellas, and a few TV’s where you can hang out, eat greasy food, and drink beverages of your choice – it’s very happenin’ when the weather is nice. We got some pimento cheese dip in tiny cast iron skillet with pita bread. Charlie got a burger and I um, did not, for some reason that escapes me at this point. All I remember is the waitress saying, “Ahh, a liquid diet for the lady.” The one place all day where there’s a ton of food and Charlie will pay for it, and I don’t get anything but part of a shared appetizer! Probably a mistake…
Person Street Bar
Fighting my battle with sleep, a battle in which sleep was aided by the 9% beer I’d just consumed, we headed to Person Street Bar to meet up with the rest of our group. And in keeping with the theme of the day, we quickly relocated to their outdoor patio area out back… that I HAD NO IDEA EXISTED! There’s tons of seating and even a little fountain and some decorative plants, you know, for aesthetics. And who doesn’t love string lights? But best of all, they serve a list of cheap beers (finally!) like Miller Lite, Tecate, and Budweiser. Hooray!
Of course, it’s at this point in the day – after the sun has set and my motor skills are at their finest – that I decide I’m going to photograph everyone and everything.
I have no idea what topics of conversation followed, but there were lots of poses and middle fingers (which have been culled from the mix of photos), a few solid minutes of me stalking Christina and Brian, and even a little meditation thrown in. I hope you guys enjoy this ridiculousness that I am in no way a part of. Next time, I promise, we’ll take some photos while the sun is still out and before everyone has been rained on.
If anyone is wondering where else there is to day drink outdoors in Raleigh, stay tuned. I’m sure I’ll be adding to this list in the coming months! Now that it’s warm, day drinking is pretty much my life now on the weekends.
Nights are overrated.
PS – I still fell asleep before midnight.
