Just Hanging Out

Compromise is sometimes defined as an agreement whereby both parties get what neither of them wanted.  So often on trips to Walt Disney World, we spend so much time worrying about whether or not everyone is having fun, that we forget to enjoy ourselves.  I don’t think I fully realized this until my first solo trip to the World.  For the first time, I could be completely selfish.  So when left to my own devices, where I did I spend the bulk of my evenings?  You guessed it; the ESPN Club.

Okay, okay; bear with me here.  I realize that with no one else along, I could have a quiet, leisurely meal at a fine restaurant.  I could hit the parks and experience minimal waits by utilizing the single rider line.  I could even get in some quality shopping time (and believe me, I did).  But when I just want to hang out and relax, nothing beats the ESPN Club.

I’m not going to claim to be a sports expert.  Heck, the only sports I really care about are football and baseball.  But if you like sports even a little bit, this place can’t be topped.  

First, there are the bartenders.  They are awesome.  They work hard, serve efficiently, and keep the crowd entertained and energized. 

There is a good selection of beers on tap (Bud Light, Blue Moon, Yuengling Lager, Samuel Adams Seasonal), as well as bottled beer.  Of course, you can always go for a sissy old fruity drink, but you’re in a sports bar, dude!

The food is typical bar fare, but that’s exactly what I want with my beer and football.  There is a time and place for everything, and this is the time and place for nachos and wings!

Best of all though, is the atmosphere.  During baseball season, you will generally find two camps: Yankees fans, and everyone else. I may not be able to agree with a Red Sox or White Sox fan on much, but at least we can unite in our hatred for the Evil Empire.  (I’m just kidding, of course.  I don’t hate Yankees fans; I just enjoy sparring with them.  A lot.)  Now, football season is another story.  I DO hate the Baltimore Ravens, passionately.  And after a few beers, I’m pretty vocal about that.  It’s amazing that I always manage to leave the club unscathed, now that I think about it…

Do you have a favorite hang-out spot in the World?  Fill me in over at www.facebook.com/disneygene! 

'Cause it's Root, Root, Root for the Home Team

I am a girl; I swear.  I mention this because I fear my femininity may be called into question at some point during this post.

You see, I love sports; particularly football and baseball.  Watching them, that is.  Playing them?  Not so much.  I mean, I can establish my dominance on the offensive line with the best of them, but am absolutely useless at any position involving hand-eye coordination.  There was a reason I was always picked last in gym class.

Because of this arm-chair quarterbacking addiction of mine, one of my absolute favorite places to hang out is at the ESPN Club at Disney’s Boardwalk. I love it there.  I’ve visited numerous times: alone, as part of a couple, and with my family, and have always had a blast.

The menu is nothing special; sandwiches, burgers, chili, etc., but it’s exactly the food you want when sitting down with a large draft beer to watch the game.  Speaking of sitting: good luck with that.  This restaurant/bar is always packed whenever I go (which tends to be during Monday Night Football or baseball playoffs; go figure).  Waits for tables in the restaurant usually exceed wait times for Peter Pan’s Flight, and there are generally patrons standing three deep at the bar, hoping for a bar stool.

This brings me to the bartenders.  They are probably my favorite on property.  Despite the fact that they are extremely busy, they take wonderful care of me when I’m there alone.  The last time I went, one of the bartenders knew that a customer had asked for his bill and would be leaving soon.  The bartender tipped me off to this, so that I could be positioned to snag this man’s seat as soon as he left.  How sweet is that?  Another time, I arrived at the club ravenously hungry.  It was after 8:00 PM and I had been in conferences all day with no chance to eat.  My eyes tend to be larger than my stomach at times like that, and I ordered the wings and the nachos.  The bartender took one look at me and said “No.  You’re never going to eat all of that.  I’ll bring you the nachos, and if you still want the wings, I’ll bring them then.”  He was right.  The nachos were huge; I didn’t even finish those.  I thought that it was incredibly nice that he was looking out for me, instead of trying to get a larger bill, and thus a larger tip. 

The service is also great in the restaurant half of the club.  My husband and I went there on our honeymoon, and our waiter was great.  He even arranged for Ray and I to receive Mickey groom and Minnie bride ears the following day. Oh, and they were doing a sports show during halftime that night, and the MC interviewed me.  Of course, he probably wishes he hadn’t. (Let me give you all a little tip: if you ever meet me and you have a microphone and I don’t, do not under any circumstances relinquish control of the mic to me.  You’ll never see it again.)  

Even my daughter has fun there, and she hates sports.  Fortunately, there’s an arcade attached to the club, so we just keep feeding her money, and she stays happily entertained while my husband and I watch the game.  Talk about your win/win!

Joy of all joys, there’s even some shopping to be done there.  Mostly small ESPN stuff, but I still regret not buying the jersey that said “You Can’t Spell “Princess” Without ESPN”.  How “me” is that?

Have you ever visited the ESPN Club?  What did you think?  Let me know at http://www.facebook.com/disneygene!