Sunset at the Venice Ale House (BCS Day #3)
The sun broke through the blinds and warmed the chilly safe house, spreading its light slowly over my bed, across the floor of the living room, and eventually up Jay’s couch until it climbed and spotlighted the wall where Cale keeps the bulk of his Tiki mug collection. It was Sunday, and we had all day to do whatever we wanted.
I looked at my watch and shot a text to my mom, the keeper of the texts between my parents, letting her know that we were alive and awaiting their arrival. I also included the address again in case she lost it. They were still airborne, but this way she would get it on arrival and have an asset to work with while Jay and I made our way to the Starbucks five minutes down the street.
As we sat outside Starbucks watching the vibrant scene unfold before us, I was reminded of how much I appreciate Venice. We were background scenery in an elaborate play in which characters danced a rhythmic daily routine of mayhem, the setting a paradoxical village where nothing, however odd, seems out of place.
My phone started vibrating at a more frequent rate than normal. People were starting to wake up. The text I was looking for was the first one I got that day. Both Bo and Anthony, friends from my scholastic days in Auburn, were checking in on our whereabouts. The city is large and spread out, and I worried that even though there were thousands of Auburn fans sprinkled throughout, we would miss several of the key people I wanted to spend time with. The group that Bo and Anthony represented was certainly at the top of that list because we’re all together seldom anymore. My life in Auburn has two parts, and these guys were the stars of Act I in the story of my time on the Plains. They were my first friends outside my hometown and the youth in me that it represented. I was relieved to find out they were close to us and we made a plan to meet on the Venice Boardwalk for lunch. What better place for the reunion than the Ale House?
When the call came in from my parents, we were already back at the safe house. The cabby dropped them, and once they found the walk street where the house is perfectly hidden, they barreled toward the beach and the entrance gate – two walking Auburn University Athletics billboards primed for the next few days.
Not twenty minutes later we were heading down the boardwalk toward the Ale House and the reunion I looked forward to. My parents were excited to see these guys as well; they had known them as many years as I had.
The Ale House was quite a wait, which was disappointing seeing as it is my local establishment. I thought about waiting for a table when Anthony called.
“That place doesn’t start serving beer until noon, which I kindly explained wasn’t ok with us,” he said in the casually direct manner with which he handles everything. “We’re at a café just a few down that had no problem serving us liquor. We have seats for you.”
The next few hours were spent reminiscing over beer after beer and fresh California café fare while we basked in the sun of an exceptional Sunday. Everything was perfect at that moment, as is often the case on the day before a gigantic game.
We all made plans to meet later that night in Hermosa for Charles Barkley’s party at American Junkie and scattered in different directions in front of the café. I had Tyler (whereabouts unknown), Jay, my parents, and myself on the list for the party so I knew our access was undeniable, but Anthony’s mere presence anywhere somehow lifted literal and figurative barricades. It had been that way since college, so I had no doubt that I would see them later.
Around this time, two more texts came in. One was from Tyler announcing his arrival at the beach to collect his things (still on the safe house floor), and the other from Jess asking what we were up to. I revealed our beachside bar location and we didn’t have to move, which was a beautiful thing as the midafternoon sun crept closer to the water and another beer dropped in front of me as Tyler and Will in an Uber car and Jess and her roommate Amanda on bicycles rolled our way.
Once we were all together, we paid our tabs and made our inevitable journey back to the Ale House. It was the beginning of a long sunset, which is truly a magic hour in Venice. It was crowded, but just the right amount. As the first round of drinks landed on our highboy table, the Ale House owner yelled for everyone’s attention.
“My buddy Caleb, visiting from out of town, has offered to buy everyone in the bar a drink. He’s single, ladies! Drink up!”
A bevy of cheers echoed down the boardwalk and our waitress, still unloading our drinks, reconfirmed, “These are on Caleb.”
From that moment on, my Dad and Caleb became really close companions. I swear I saw Dad pouring a beer behind the bar from the tap, but that might have been an illusion brought on by the flawless conditions of that moment.
Caleb didn’t stop with one round; he was having too much fun. I’m not certain we paid for a thing until the sun buried itself in the horizon.
Jess and Amanda headed home on their bikes and Tyler and Will made their way back to Hollywood. Once home, Jess texted me about our plans for the night and thought she might join. Jess has the charm that Anthony displayed on a regular basis, so I doubted she would have any issue getting into American Junkie either. It was set for us to scoop her on our way to Hermosa.
The Westerly on Lincoln, aka home of the baddest bitch.
That was the text Jess sent me as our Uber car careened along the highway leading to Marina Del Ray. It was a quick stop to collect her and we were off for Hermosa.
American Junkie was a garage door bar situated along a pedestrian walkway. It was pretty spacious and with the open air style was a perfect location for what Barkley was trying to do, which was to provide a casual, fun place for Auburn fans to congregate. There was a stage in the back of the room occupied by the DJ and Sir Charles held court just adjacent. In my experiences with Charles, it’s always the same. He’s one of the only celebrities that truly enjoys creating chaos with his presence. Back alley private entrances and roped off areas aren’t his style. He’d rather come straight through the front door and cast a broad stroke of crazy across the scene.
The bar was filled with familiar faces from all corners of the Auburn Family. Local Auburn business owners, alumni, and current students – I recognized several of them by name and face. We could have easily been in a Toomer’s Corner bar instead of on the opposite coast. Drinks flowed with ease within the hometown oasis created by Barkley and for the second time that day, not much money was spent.
My two “Acts” in Auburn collided at American Junkie, often leaving the young contingent wondering if I had lived several lifetimes. I laughed this off used to it, and ordered another round of Fireball shots for us.
As the evening escalated, my parents, who are wiser than me and wanted to be fresh for game day, decided they were going to cut out. I ordered an Uber car from my phone and gave directions to the driver once he entered the scene. My dad is still pretty enamored with this service, which is incredibly convenient, and as far as he could tell, costless.
The official end of the evening is still a mystery to me. The last pictures taken feature Jay wearing Jess’s belt around his head in a random grocery store parking lot. This time it was Jess who fell asleep during a transfer. Jay and I had certainly matured at that point.
