50 Days to 50 Years: Day 49, Happy Hour with Corey Woods
“The beauty of friendship is loyalty.” ― Debasish Mridha M.D.
So I am a late bloomer to drinking and to Happy Hours; it just never was a part of my world until my late 30s and 40s. Now I love them, not merely for the discount liquor, but for the discount food! I admit it: drinking is an excuse to eat more, and I do far more of one than of the other!
This past year I have had the fun of trolling some local haunts with my friend Corey Woods. So for our "50 Days to 50 Years" date, we hit the Atwater Village Tavern on Glendale Boulevard, in what is the main street of Atwater Village Los Angeles. Corey gets the distinction of being the first participant of this 50-day "Odyssey" (His word—love it!).
Corey and I met in 2009 through his wife Andrea. Sadly, they are now divorced, but I am thankful that I have been able to maintain a friendship with them both. This is a rare thing, as one of the casualties of marriage dissolution is often the mutual friendships. But one of the traits I love about Corey is that he is loyal—if you are his friend, then you are a friend for life. That's the way I roll too.
Had it not been for Andrea, Corey and I probably never would have met, because on their face, our lives are pretty different: He works long hours in sound and boom work in the entertainment industry, I spend my days in a Yoga studio or in front of a computer. Corey is an atheist; I am a devout Christian, and so on. Bur one of the hallmarks of my 50 years on earth that I am most proud is that differences have never been a determining factor in my choice of friends. I like people who are different than me because they give me a fresh perspective on life.
But friendship is also based on commonalities, and we have those too: we are both writers; we both have a biting sense of humor; we are blunt and to the point—a trait that is rare and unappreciated in Los Angeles; and, we also share similar ideological viewpoints: we are both constitutional conservatives. With this 2016 election cycle, there was no lacking of conversation and opinion.
I highly recommend Atwater Village Tavern, for the drinks and the eats. Corey had his favorite IPA, and he ordered me my current favorite libation, a Moscow Mule (killer!). The Happy appetizers included chicken and brisket tacos, pork nachos, and chicken wings; so a grand time was had knoshing, debating, and lamenting over the state of the world, the Republican party, and life in general.
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Thank you, Corey for being first out the gate, being a loyal friend, and a fun barfly!