Getting drunk the night before a holiday based around stuffing your face seems counterintuitive. How can you be expected to load up on turkey and mashed potatoes, browse the ads to plan your Black Friday shopping excursion, then pass out on the couch when you’re hungover?
For whatever reason, though, Thanksgiving Eve is big — maybe because there’s really no other time you’ll get to go barhopping on a Wednesday night. Or maybe just because it’s Buffalo, and we generally seem to use any excuse we can to get a party going (“Woo, it’s Thursday!”…”Woo, there’s a Sabres game!”…”Woo, it’s Dyngus Day!” — I’m not complaining).
As a newly-minted 21-year-old, this will be my first “official” Thanksgiving Eve, meaning my friends and I want to go somewhere we’re going to have a good time. The discussion of where to go, however, keeps leading back to Chippewa — which is a problem. They’re convinced that every other decent bar in the city couldn’t possibly have anyone in it tonight because, clearly, Chippewa is where the party’s at.
I love that Buffalo has Chippewa. It’s something fun to tell visitors about (it makes the city seem like a hip place, I guess?), and it would probably be entertaining if I ever felt like going dancing for a night. There are a couple decent places I enjoy (what up, Papaya! Tip Kym the bartender well — she’s awesome!) — but I outgrew my “Chippewa phase” before I even had one. You see, I’d rather not spend my night paying ridiculous cover charges and drink prices while being hit on by Long Island bros and avoiding puking high schoolers (side note: I like how this article makes it seem like this study about underage drinking is some huge discovery. I went to Nardin; I could have told you the results of this study a LONG time ago. I’m not being harsh. I’m being honest).
I know for sure I will begin my evening at Fuddrucker’s on Maple ($6 burgers, $1 drafts — can’t go wrong with that). After that? It’s all up in the air. So help me out. Give me suggestions. Where will you all be tonight? Please, dear readers, don’t let me die a slow death in the nightclub purgatory that is Pure and Quote.
Angela Marie Stefano 
Fuddruckers? Child, please…
You start the night on Hertel Avenue at the Sterling Tavern. The best burgers in Buffalo and a couple dozen of America’s finest microbrews on tap. Then, you stay on Hertel, hit the Shadow Lounge for a drink and then head down to Elmwood and drop in at Cole’s and Goodbar. You follow that up with a stop at Allen Street Hardware for a drink or three and close the night out where all classic nights in Buffalo end, The Pink.
When the Pink shuts down, you head over to Jim’s for a steak sammich or the Towne for a greasy breakfast. Home in bed by 6AM.
If you follow my prescribed route, you get a little bit of each major Buffalo bar district (except Chippewa), have a fucking excellent time and have a good story to tell the next day.
As a near 20 year veteran of Buffalo’s bar scene, you can trust me on this.
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The problem with this (and, granted, there are none, were this a normal night) is that I will not have a driver — we’re relying on the train and cabs for the evening, simply because no one wants to be the one who has to drive. This basically means we want to stay in one general area (of course, I was thinking Virgina, Allen or Elmwood) instead of go all over the city.
I will, however, be finding a night to put this plan into action. Cole’s is one of my favorites, and I can’t resist greasy diner breakfasts (seriously, a weakness) for too long…
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I endorse the Smith plan. If I dare bother to go out drinking tonight it will probably involve Allen St. in some way, shape or form by the end of the night. Then again my night, in reality, will likely consist of me curled up with a book downing many glasses of whiskey or scotch.
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I would avoid Hardware, Staples(maybe), and Brick personally. Going to way too packed to enjoy. It’s not where you go but who you go with! Stay safe.
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