CAUTION! SHARING AN ALE AT SLAINTE IRISH PUB IN BALTIMORE
MAY ENGENDER THE GRACES OF EROS
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I’ve
always been willing to go to extraordinary lengths, or to cast
aside personal wellbeing for the sake of a good a light show. I recall
scaling a wall and a nighttime dash across the Fields of Abraham in
order to catch a brief glimpse of fireworks over Quebec City during a
Canada Day celebration not so long ago. Then there was that mild case
of criminal trespass into the upper offices of a skyscraper in lower
Manhattan, so that I and my chum Robbie might secure a better view of a
4th of July display above New York’s Hudson River. But better men than
me have gone impetuously into the darkness seeking the light.
Late on the afternoon of August 18th, 1790, a small packet boat was
greeted by a round of friendly canon fire from the heights of Federal
Hill as it approached the wharf at the head of Narragansett Bay. Among
the government officials onboard were George Clinton, the Governor of
New York, Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, and President
George
Washington. They had come to the city of Providence to celebrate
and
recognize Rhode Island’s ratification of the Constitution.
That evening the President, accompanied by a few friends, abandoned the
pomp and comfort of Mr. Daggett’s Tavern on Benefit Street and ventured
forth onto the rain soaked paths of the city. Contrary to what his
record of nighttime military operations might indicate, Washington much
preferred to stay indoors after dark. But for the sake of the lads at
Rhode Island College (now Brown University) who had prepared a
spectacle of candlelight in the windows of the main hall, the President
would cast aside his distrust of the night air.
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| For
the past several Decembers my wife and I, along with our dear
companions Jack and Kathy, have braved the unpredictable meteorological
conditions along Baltimore’s Northwest Harbor in order to witness the
Parade of Lighted Boats. Bone chilling cold, ice storms, snow squalls
and near frozen appendages seemed a small price to pay for this annual
Christmas extravaganza produced by the Fells Point Yacht Club. Three
years ago though I acquiesced to the common sense and wisdom of Jack,
who suggested that we consider a sheltered vantage point overlooking
the harbor, a crow’s-nest of sorts, replete with food, drink and a
working furnace. |
THE
SLAINTE PUB would have been a welcome addition to any
historic
American neighborhood; but the fact that it provided what was
essentially a first row balcony view of the Fells Point
waterfront just added to what was already a near perfect public house
experience.
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THE HANDSOME DOWNSTAIRS BAR
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AND THE EQUALLY CAPTIVATING UPSTAIRS BAR
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| This
year once more we took up our now familiar positions at the
upstairs bar to await the arrival of the seasonally festooned fleet. As
is normally the case, I gave in to my wanderlust and curiosity and
split my time between the first and second floor bars. There was talk
and pints of Clipper City Loose Canon
Hop3 Ale
with clientele and staff
downstairs, and dialogue and drams of whiskey with friends and family
upstairs. And as a matter of course there was the usual pleasant banter
with customers that were happily tucked into the many cozy nooks of
this exceptional Irish Pub. |
At
some point I decided to head out into the falling snow to attain
what I thought might prove to be a much more dramatic view of this
nautical pageant. As I became absorbed in the surrounding revelry it
was easy to understand why we mark our great moments of political and
spiritual enlightenment with such grand illuminations. There is on
occasion good reason to stoke the fires, ignite the powder and overload
the extension cords.
But as I stood at the end of the wharf my eyes were drawn back to the
glow that was coming from the tavern on Thames Street. It was then that
I realized that the grandest illumination of all is the light that
comes from within-----from within our hearts and from within those
places where we gather together in peace, good cheer and goodwill.
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WARMEST WISHES AND SLAINTE! FROM ALL OF US
AT AMERICAN PUBLIC HOUSE REVIEW |
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