It's a Jungle Out There

Thank goodness the night was not over for Baby Mama, Baby Daddy and myself after the disappointment that was dinner. I don't think the two would have given much thought about visiting me ever again if it wasn't for how the rest of our night went.

We decided to chase the bad memories of Lucca's down with some cold ones over at DeVere's. This is the Irish Pub I told you guys about on my last record-breaking trip. This time around we were just going for some beers... us and the rest of Sacramento and its greater area. We got there and it was PACKED. It took a good amount of time just bob and weave my way to the bar. It's a good thing I have pasty white skin, freckles and red hair because my fellow Irishmen behind the bar served me up quickly. Others were waiting there a bit longer just to put their orders in. I went with my fav SnakeBite, and Baby Mama and Baby Daddy went with some kind of beer on tap that I clearly can't remember.

Normally I love the place. It's a great place to catch up with a bunch of friends, and wander from group of friends to group of friends and chit chat and throw back a few. But if it's just 2 or 3 of you, your going to better served (litterally) going to some place just a tid bit more intimate. We weren't even halfway done with our drinks when we decided all the commotion was all just a little too much for us, and we left.

Baby Mama and Baby Daddy wanted to head back up to the rooftop lounge above DeVere's that we had been to earlier that evening on our Safari where we saw Cougars and Manthers. The problem with Mix is that if you're on a big night out (which we were. Lots of drink and food already consumed with lots more in the future), the cover charge come nightfall hits your wallet pretty hard. It's $20 a head to be able to walk up the stairs to enjoy the night air. Now, that's par for the course in Sacramento so I'm not saying it's more expensive than other places... But it's just that it can get pricey if you're planning on going someplace else rather than the rooftop petting zoo. That's why Baby Daddy turned on his charm.

A few smooth words to the doorman-bouncer-guy and quick shake of the hands, Baby Daddy got the three of us in for half the price. Once upstairs we tried to find a spot just as good as what we had before, but had to settle for a little more exposed spot. It wasn't all that bad though. We did get a nice view of a Manther in his natural habitat. His mating ritual involved sharing the fruits of his labor (cash turned into alcohol) with his unassuming mating partners (a group of 20 something women). But the would-be partners were not to be fooled. They knew their extra bright colors and patterns made them more appealing than most others... and that the Manther's molting fur (slightly balding head) and mangy coat (denim shorts) were no match for them. They huddled together and formed a pack and thwarted the Manther's advances in hopes of finding a more fit one that would be better fit to raise their young. Or buy them more expensive drinks. Same thing really.

After our lesson in the ways of the wild, we moved over to the bar next to the dance floor and proceeded to watch a whole 'nother breed of animals on the prowl. This mix included slightly inebriated young females, slightly inebriated old females, and a few men looking to capitalize. Good times!

We had a round of drinks while taking it all in, and decided the night would not be complete without a(nother) nightcap at a(nother) great light night people watching spot. But we didn't need a tranquilizer dart to make it out of our next place alive, just another stomach ;)

What's a Male Version of Cougar?

Because that's what myself, Baby Mama and Baby's Daddy were dealing with when we started the new Freckled Record.

After Zocalo's we headed over to this new-er bar in downtown, called Mix. It's a rooftop bar that serves small plates. And when the sun goes down the cover charge goes up and it turns into a club... one the of the hottest in downtown.

For their Happy Hour, from 4-7, they don't charge to lounge around in their open-air digs. The whole lounge isn't totally out in the open... the back half is covered. And in the winter they pop a huge tent over the other half, making it semi-open-air. In the summer it can get pretty hot up there if you're their for Happy Hour... but when the sun starts to go down it's one of the best places to just sit back and relax. We got there just as the sun was heading down, and took up a GREAT spot in the corner. This place has retro-style lounge chairs, Adirondack chairs, and benches all around the perimeter with cushions and pillows.


That was the view from our corner spot. (The woman on the left is a perfect example of the type of people that like to frequent this place. Not saying anything bad... just saying. The key demo for this place is the over 30 crowd. 'Nuff said.)

We sat back and ordered a few beers to water down the cocktails we had just had. They've got a specialty cocktail menu, a wine list, and small plate menu. I've tried some of the small plates when they first opened and wasn't overly impressed, but I'd be willing to give it another try (if you're in town I'll let you treat me to some ;). We decided to stick to just beers as we had reservations later on that evening.

Just because we didn't eat doesn't mean we didn't have a lot to digest. There were some interesting people there. Including the male version of the cougar to our left. I've heard of Mougar, Billy Goat, Trout, a Cobra or a Manther. I'm going to go with Manther. I say he was staring at Baby Mama, but Baby Mama says he was staring at me (poor guy must have already had his beer goggles on).

Anywho, the three of us (Baby Daddy included, not Manther) concocted the story of our lives if he were to approach us. The first two characters were Baby Daddy and Baby Mama:


These two were in Sac getting to know hockey big-wigs because he was looking to make the move from playing overseas to playing in Cali. Next up was Baby Mama's cousin, who was Baby Daddy's assistant:


The story couldn't be that hard to keep straight, right?

We eagerly awaited Manther's approach, but alas, he never came. I didn't know whether to be flattered or embarrassed that a balding man his late thirties didn't hit on me. It didn't matter... we had dinner reservations to catch at one of my family's favorite spots. After all, we had a date with the Gov-nuh.