Zum Schneider

Yelp.

I joined the site in August and since becoming Elite have made a whole new network of friends that i have SO MUCH in common with! I really cant explain how awesome the site is for not only reviewing or researching places but for connecting with people that have similar opinions as yourself.

When I landed my coveted spot on the Yelp Drinks Bus Tour, I got to put faces to names and ended up on the coolest, most friendliest bus of the tour! The experience alone had me thirsty for more Yelp events..which brought me to Keybar two weeks ago where I pounded back shot after shot with my fellow yelpers. It was there, while getting completely sloshed that I bonded with a great group of yelpers.

One Yelper in particular, is a real Riot and a go getter. The male version of myself…only im a little more awesome (my blog, my rules). He sent me a message on Yelp the other day.

Subject: Boozefest

Re: Tomorrow. 1pm. Be there.

I’ve learned in life that when people demand you be somewhere- there are guaranteed good times ahead. I doctored my agenda a tiny bit and hit the city at 1230 pm on a Saturday to Loisada. Avenue C and East 7th street to be exact.

Zum Scnheider is a Bavarian bar slash bier garten in a part of the city that I normally wouldnt find it. I have never been to a beer garden. I am not a huge beer afficionado.

But I like to drink beer. And i like to socialize. Zum Schneider has an awesome decor that invites you to plop at a wooden table, order das boot and get ridiculously drunk over the course of several hours.

My friend Phil, the organizer of the impromptu boozefest, snagged a huge table in a corner of the bar. Me, being me, arrived a little late and flustered because i hate being late…

But Phil was on top of everything. Waiting at the table, along with a few other yelpers was a basket of fresh, warm doughy pretzels with a spicy home made mustard. My empty stomach rejoiced with these amazing pretzels. It was difficult to share.

Opening the beer menu, i was overwhelmed. One, I dont know much about beer other than some taste good, and some taste bad… Phil was very wise to direct me to the Hofbrau which i loved so much, i ordered 3 pints of it.

It was truly an awesome time. The weather was gorgeous, the conversation was flowing effortlessly about any and everything, and the beer was endless! the staff at Zum Schneider were amazingly attentive and knowledgeable. Not once did i feel like i was being rushed out of the restaurant or ignored…

But the pretzels in my belly were slowly proving to be ineffective and I needed a snack. STAT. I ordered the weiners.

stop giggling.

thats what they were called. Essentially, there were hot dogs. But these hot dogs were fantastic. Each bite had an insane snap to it and i greedily dipped each bite into the mustard that I want to dip everything in!

The potato pancakes here are incredible as well!

I snapped this photo halfway into our adventure.

I left 5 hours later, slightly buzzed and a little peckish… I am absolutely in LOVE with this place. While I walked to the train station I called my father (the beer lover) and told him i found the perfect place to take him on fathers day.

I’m dead serious.

Its a done deal. Hes excited.

Whats your favorite beer?

*******

While completely off topic, I would like to take an opportunity to express my sentiments on the world celebrating the murder of Osama Bin Laden with the words of the brilliant and late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of dimishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder the hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that…” -Martin Luther King Jr.

Mari, so kindly pointed out that the original quote i posted (which i found on facebook) was mis quoted. And even though it was mis quoted, the person who stated this has said something very powerful and instead of continuing to post the quote incorrectly, I am going to credit the woman who posted this on facebook.

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. … Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that” -Jessica Dovey (which added a line to the original quote and gave MLK the credit)

And from my own heart, while 9/11 has devastated me beyond belief, I do not feel the deaths of thousands have been justified by the murder of one man. I’m no hero; I have never been a big fan of “an eye for an eye”. Jumping up and down and celebrating the death of anyone makes us no better than “them”.

…just something to think about.