Adapted from the original Facebook event.
Hi everyone! America's new most favorite holiday, Drink the Link, has come early this year!
What is Drink the Link? Well it's a combination of the only two objective good things in the universe: drinking all day and public transportation. Each year, a brave crew starts at one end of Sound Transit's Link Light Rail line and visits a location for every stop. At each location, they imbibe, if that's their thing. It's fun! Yes, failure is the norm, but never the expectation, and every year hope blossoms anew like the flowers of spring. And yes, of course, you can and should feel free to join midstream, because doing the whole length is kind of insane, and only done by the kind of insane. Here's the plan for this year:
| Arrival Time | Station | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Angle Lake |
Silver |
| The Silver Nugget was an unexpected joy from last year's trip. Even though it's a veritable hike from Angle Lake, it's the closest thing that's open anywhere near the required time to finish this horrible, impossible, waste of time endeavor. Plus the bartender was really nice! | ||
| 10:00 | Airport | That awful wine bar in the airport before security |
| Last year the Drink the Link early morning crew was SHOCKED to find Pilot House closed and had to fall back to this location. This year we are similarly beholden to its surly staff and long wait times. Let's turn their frowns upside down! | ||
| 11:00 | Tukwilla | Chongtong Thai Cuisine |
| Wait, WHAT? Not China Pavilion? After three years of poisonings occurring on account of the well rum, this year Chongtong gets its chance, namely because it is open an hour earlier. | ||
| 12:00 | Rainier Beach | Ethio Emperor Bar N Restaurant |
| The surprises just keep coming! Remember in 2015 when a large amount of time was wasted going all the way to Nate's Wings and Waffles? Remember how after that it was resolved that Rainier Beach would be the station for consuming jello shots on the train? That's the friggin past. There's a bar here now, and with God as my witness we will patronize it. | ||
| 13:00 | Othello | Taco Street |
| I know a lot of people really like the seafood bag place. I know I know I know. But it's really not a sustainable Drink the Link activity. Now tacos, those are a Drink the Link activity. | ||
| 14:00 | Columbia City | Billard Hoang |
| This is a tough one. Columbia City Ale House has been a loyal friend, but Billiard Hoang is closer. I've also heard that "barreling headlong towards failure" is not everyone's personal manta, so choosing something closer may not be a bad thing. | ||
| 15:00 | Mt. Baker | Cafe Ibex |
| An outstanding and consistent standout, there is nothing more to say except that it will be our pleasure be hosted by this wonderful venue yet again. | ||
| 16:00 | Beacon Hill | Perihelion Brewery |
| A wonderful spot right near the station easily earns itself a second visit. | ||
| 17:00 | SODO | Orient Express |
| Oh COME ON, it's a place made of trains. This place is so obviously a Drink the Link destination that it wasn't for the first two years. Yeah I know that doesn't make sense. No, you shut up! | ||
| 18:00 | Stadium | Pyramid Alehouse |
| A fine place. If you lose an iPod there they will return it. | ||
| 19:00 | International District | Fort St. George |
| A nice glass of plumwine and some fried chicken will be appreciated at this time. | ||
| 20:00 | Pioneer Square | Collins Pub |
| It is with mixed emotions that I announce the inclusion of Collins Pub as the stop at Pioneer Square. Last year, their failed adherence to posted hours really threw the whole Drink the Link process into a real pickle. But this year, THIS YEAR, we shall be earlier and this shall not be a problem. | ||
| 21:00 | University Street | Diller Room |
| Embarrassing fact: I sometimes trust computer programs to make decisions. On the yelp.com food recommendation computer website, the Diller Room has like four dollar signs for its price. So I was like, "Nah, this is not a venue I shall use for Drink the Link!". But then I actually did an in-person investigation and found the Diller Room to be a wonderful bar with reasonable prices and an extensive happy hour. We will not experience that happy hour, but we will experience all the other aforementioned properties. | ||
| 22:00 | Westlake | Retro Restaurant & Lounge |
| Shitty name. Nice bar. Good hours. | ||
| 23:00 | Capitol Hill | Nacho Boracho |
| This was going to be EuroPub, but that's closing at the end of January. So it's Nacho Boracho, which, admittedly, can be awfully, uh um, chaotic. But the Yeti closes at 10 for some reason, and at this point it's really important to conserve walking time. | ||
| 00:00 | University of Washington | College Inn Pub |
| Let us sit by the fire and recount our unlikely, yet fantastic, success. Ah yes. We have spent a whole day using the shit out of public transit, with only our damaged livers to show for it. We are true champions. | ||
OK here's the part where I promulgate things. That's fun and unusual!