New Orleans Bar Blog
A bi-weekly series of libations with Becca-approved design or flavor. Perhaps both.
Name: Yuengling Traditional Lager
From: D.G. Yuengling & Son of Pottsville, PA
Type: american amber
Pair it with: that last-minute beach trip
Emphasis on: flavor
PSA: Yuengling is now available in New Orleans!
Many attend, few understand.*
Another bar from my trip to Virginia. Janet and I went to watch the Nationals, my first MLB game. We knew we had to stretch out expensive stadium beer for nine innings, so we hit up Blue Jacket beforehand.
Apparently when I was younger, I was really into baseball. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with trying to impress a boy in fifth grade. It scares me how young I was when I took an interest in boys. But at least the interest in typography started early, practicing my block text and using stars as serifs.
Vibe: spacious, loft goals, polished
Beer to try: Duchamp, Goldfinch
Food Favorites: wings, loaded potatoes, fries
Address: 300 Tingey Street SE | Washington, DC 20003
*Title of post credited to Leo Durocher.
When I was finally legal to drink in public, a hotel bar was never a planned outing but a random convenience (clean bathrooms). The scene was of solo travelers, limited beer selection, and the same colorful carpet that ran throughout the hotel. Then the hotel industry itself evolved, becoming Instagrammable. I’m not an authority on things but I hear it’s a thing now to meet up at hotel bars.
I was in Northern VA for a mini vacation, walking around Tyson’s Corner with my cousin Van (rhymes with fun, which she is). We didn’t want to shop and already ate, and there it was, an ad for happy hour. A sign from the old and new gods.
I thought Barrel & Bushel was a standalone bar, but it was part of the Hyatt hotel. No carpet? Huge draft selection? And what was that? 2-7 p.m. happy hour? The gray clouds parted and the sun emerged. The odds were ever in our favor. Next time I’m visiting VA, I’ll be sure to purposely wander here.
Vibe: airy, bright, modern
Specialty: draft beer
Happy Hour: Daily 2-7 p.m.
Address: 7901 Tysons One Place | Tysons Corner, VA 22102
Gina Rodriguez from Jane the Virgin started Movement Mondays on her Instagram to garner support for working Latino actors. She points out that studios feel more confident in hiring Latino actors for high-profile roles if the numbers back it up. TV shows and movies with Latino actors need to pull in higher ratings and more revenue.
This approach is the same for all minorities and extends beyond the acting community—into all aspects of creative professions. Inspired by Gina, I am starting the series Monday Meetings to highlight Asian movers, shakers, and makers. We should be seeing them and hearing from them more often—not just sporadically.
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Meet Adrianne Ho, a model and fitness guru, making athletic wear the new black. She founded Sweat the Style, an incentive for fending off your pizza craving and turning on your Sporty Spice vibe. More than just fitness and style, her site also focuses on food, highlighting nutritious products and where to eat in L.A. Materialize your I need to start working out inclination with her monthly Sweat the Mix playlist. Stop feeling bad about your body and start feeling abs.
Photo by Brandon Shigeta for Hypebeast.
You can [send] someone an emoji of a glass of wine. They come over and you have sex. Then they go home. It’s the end of Western civilization as far as I can tell.
—Patricia Altschul of Southern Charm
Image by Bravo TV.