Day 5 Stats by Reese -- Free Parking

On the sixth day, there are rules you know:

Salt Creek Grill
Princeton Forrestal Village
1 Rockingham Row
Princeton, NJ 08540

609/ 419-4200



Day 5 Stats:

It is day 5, and we’ve all had time to recover from the Bordentown Pub Crawl that caused some of us to only be able to write in French for a few days. I slug through the traffic full of poor souls about to get trapped in the circle of hell known as the Nassau Park parking lots (seriously, the police and EMTs are issuing alerts to bring diapers and bottled water because it could take 4 - 6 hours to leave the parking lot!). I am grateful that I have a much more noble purpose than shopping.

I arrive at JoJos by 5:30, and the lot is already full. Suddenly, a man appears in front of my car, gesturing wildly. I panic for a moment that I somehow ran over his foot in my new car, but no, he is pointing to the glowing, sparkly, Holy Grail of the 12 Drinking Days attendee - an open parking spot! I slide my car into the spot with glee, and enter JoJo’s with a spring in my step ready to regale my fellow TDDoC mates with my tale of victory, only to be met with a room full of strangers and reserved tables.

I cannot contain myself; I need to tell someone of this achievement and whip out my phone to start the WHHHYYYY call when Felicia walks into the bar. It turns out that there was not one TDDoC miracle, but TWO! Felicia and I decide to celebrate with a drink, strategically choosing bar stools near patrons that look like they might leave soon, and not in the path of the bathroom. Scugi walks in, hugs us, and takes a seat on the other side of the bar in a move to try and save as many seats as possible for the those yet to arrive.

Scugi, Felicia, and I engage in a conversation across the bar consisting of hand gestures, some shouting, and Facebook messages for a good while. I learn that Scugi is friends with the pastry chef at Rat’s Restaurant. “Oooh, we haven’t been there in three years!” I think. Gman and family arrive, having had to battle the traffic on Nottingham Way as pedestrians. Gman was in quite a snit, having made a reservation only to find out that his table wasn’t going to be ready for hours. Julian and Andrew sniffled and said quietly, but loud enough for the hostess to hear, “Does that mean no Christmas pizza this year?” Su is so frustrated with the situation that she starts pounding shots of Sambuca. Three minutes later, the Gman Family Table, hereafter referred to as the GFT, is ready.

Sandor and Yo arrive, and Sandor is looking for Goettle. Apparently Goettle’s stats yesterday were so controversial that Sandor and Mrs. Sandor got into a fight over them, and he only made his point tonight because she was so upset with him he needed to leave the house and let her calm down. Sandor spends the rest of his time at JoJo’s pacing the bar and staring at the entrances waiting for Goettle so he can make him pay for the distress he has caused. Sandor leaves, and Goettle receives the all clear from Tamp to leave his car and cross the street. Rose and Shea enter, and a chorus of "Where is Ska?" is heard. Ska arrives much later, and heads to the Scugi side of the bar. Amazingly, we don't hear any of the conversation on that side of the bar!

Finally more of us start to arrive, everyone bemoaning the parking situation, which brings up the Pub Crawl, and some of the group are still upset about the complete lack parking in Bordentown, and why in the world did we not go to Dublin Square??? But there is a common theme with almost every place we’ve attended so far, with the exception of Killarney’s - NO EFFING PARKING.


Another theme that has emerged, and this one quite troubling, is that this year seems to NOT be the Twelve Drinking Days of Christmas where the locations are spread evenly throughout the central area. Instead we have the Twelve Days of Whitehorse-Mercerville Road. When a discussion arises, as it always does, of the next location and the myth that the stat writer gets to pick the next location, all of the suggestions are also on Whitehorse-Mercerville or just off of road. In fact, the leading suggestion is Unos down the street! Don’t get me wrong, the Hamilton Unos is attractive because it has a large bar and tons of parking, but that would be pizza a second day in a row, and we could space the pizza consumption out, especially since it would pale to JoJo’s pizza. Where has our creativity gone?! Why not the attractive happy hours of Ruth Chris’ cheapest price bar menu ever, or Salt Creek Grille, or Slocum’s sandwiches and immaculate bathrooms, Rat’s wines and free pastries from Scugi’s friend, or the Firkin, or the Americana, or Dacy’s wings, or (gasp) a place that has a Karaoke night? Is it because we haven’t had many new members, or are still scarred by the Chevy’s incident, or is the loss of those who went to Denver weighing so heavily upon us that we can’t think past Whitehorse-Mercerville Road and only places with no parking as a way of honoring the grief we have for those who can drink with us no longer?! Nay, I say! We need to remember that we have boldly imbibed all over this great state. “Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”