What’s better than bellying up at the bar? How about five bars? Seemed like a no brainer to me.
Bar crawls are nothing more than a great tipsy urban hike and Kihei Kalama Village is the perfect spot for a gentle walk. It’s stiletto ready, infirm friendly and has plenty of vittles around to keep your energy up. The Wednesday Walkabout (WW)–which happens on the second Wednesday of each month–is about to become part of your evening vernacular.
Taking a cue from other famously fun tours like Portland’s BarFly Bus, Seattle’s Snuggie pub crawl and San Diego’s Gaslamp Crawl, the bar owners of Kahale’s, Dog and Duck, South Shore Tiki Lounge, Three’s and Ambrosia have teamed up to present a new reason to go out and drink responsibly while taking advantage of their serendipitous geography.
The Walkabout’s fun and games start promptly at 8pm. That’s when it’s time to clock in at bar number one. And by “clock in,” I mean ask for your stamp card: each bar on your trip will give your card a notch, even if you don’t actually order a drink.
My Walkabout began when I slipped into Ambrosia and picked up my dance card. There, I caught the tail end of Kanoa and Jessica’s set. After a flip of a coin, I walked over to Kahale’s next. The Herb Andrews Band was on fire with their rendition of Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” for a packed house of booty shakers. As I slid onto a seat at the bar, I realized I was off to a great start. I ordered a vodka press and sipped it until the band took a break.
Rather than rest on my laurels, I did the Barmuda crawl. I took the scenic route to Three’s Bar and Grill so I could add to my buzz with fine smoking tobacco procured at Aloha Discount Liquor. By the time I made it to Three’s Surf Lounge, Louis Lambert and the swingers were having a good time while I settled into the cushy black couches. A nice tumbler of icy vodka with refreshing soda and a squeeze of lime showed up promptly, courtesy of the cutey behind the bar. But it was my co-pilots turn to imbibe, while I cooled my jets with ice water and put another star on my crawl card.
Did I mention the WW’s special of the evening was Jagermeister? Bless their beautiful herbal digestif souls for sponsoring $5 shots for the night at all participating bars. I said a prayer to the Jager god at each place as I ordered something else. I could be downing the stag’s blood at any moment.
At Dog and Duck, which was filled with throngs of heartthrobs and damsels partying here, we stepped up our game and ordered shots. The lovely blond behind the bar then dished up the best Kamikazes of my life. Star definitely earned.
Later, we took our super-fun selves to the Tiki Lounge for the fifth star on our dance card. As we sipped water and challenged Bartender Bart to a Kamikaze contest, I discovered Jagermeister makes T-shirts in child size (there is no way a grown women could really fit the XS size) as well as toys like a blinky Jager necklace-light thing. I scored both for my seven-year-old. Emboldened by Kamikazes, I inspired new athletes to the crawl while Bart graciously passed out cards and stars, poured liquor and passed out Jager schwag like a pro.
The night was far from over, but Tiki wasn’t serving Scoobie Snacks anymore so we had to move on. For late night grinds, Dog and Duck offers a pub grub menu that rocks and Ambrosia serves light fare like a bistro cheese platter or their New York cheesecake. We hunkered down at Ambrosia over pita chips and dips as several more Jager jocks crossed the finish line, and trophies like golf towels, shoes and board shorts appeared from behind the bar. With an unusual (to say the least) night cap of Goldschlager and Jager, we cheered on our fellow finishers.
Now here are five tips for getting your walk on this Wednesday, Mar. 13:
1. Get off the couch. I know it’s Wednesday night, but you can set your DVR and live a little.
2. Wear comfortable shoes. It’s not a long walk but don’t take any chances letting pinched toes stop you from earning all five stars on your card.
3. Drink water. Consider the whole thing exercise, and as we all know, exercise requires proper hydration.
4. Imbibe safely. Bring a designated driver.
5. Be prepared, because the drink special will be Patron.