Before I dive into our Week Six adventures, its only fair that I address Week Five...or the lack thereof. Week Five fell on July 4th. The thought of this made me as giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve: no work, barbecues and Sips, followed by fireworks. On a Wednesday. Did I mention 'no work'? Ah, the planning for this day was full of energy and excitement. We'd throw a party from noon until Sips, hit Sips, catch some fireworks and head home. Theme of the day? Freedom Sips. Simple right? One would think. In hindsight, my zeal for day drinking always wins. I should know this at the age of thirty-one.
Dear Center City District, the next time Sips falls on a bank holiday, what are the chances that we can move Sips up to 3:00PM or 4:00PM? Whew...5:00PM is a stretch when my celebrations start at noon. ::sigh:: I guess these are the reasons that we work during the day.
Fast forward seven days. This week was a special week, as fellow Sipster and my best friend from the past 10 years is celebrating her birthday. In traditional Sips fashion, the birthday honoree gets to select his/her choice of Sips location. The decision was to go a bit off of the grid this week and tap into our classy side for the recently re-introduced Beer Garden at the Four Seasons.
[Had i known then what I know now, I would have avoided the Four Seasons. NOT because of our experience there (detailed below), but merely to avoid the senior executives from my company all staying at the hotel for a board meeting today. Taking the chance that you bump into the Chairman of the Board on the way out of the loo while spilling your 15th beer? I'll pass. Lucky for me, that did not happen....this time... ]
ANYHOW, during Beer Week 2012, The Four Seasons and With Love Philadelphia had, hands down, the best pop-up beer garden in the city. So, without hesitation, we expected this one to be the same. It was not, in fact, the same. Despite the fantastic drink list and constantly replenished homemade chips, the 'garden' environment was lackluster. There were no couches or chairs in the lawn, and the garden was contained to just the patio. A small disappointment, however nothing to spoil a great night of friends, birthdays and great drinks!
Let me reiterate - The Four Seasons is amazing. Even their bathrooms are poshy. The drink list could not have been better, displaying six or seven local beers, great wines and some fantastic cocktails for $7 or less. The seating was cozy and made it easy to converse with all people in our party. The service was great and the bartender was friendly and patient. [Side note: patience is a must with our group, as we never remember anything. He probably repeated the beer list 150 times before we remembered even one of them]. And the best part? The Sips hours were extended from 5PM - 8PM. An extra permitted* hour of Sips. I just wanted more garden with my beer.
Dear Four Seasons, We love you. We especially love the amazingly good looking men that hang out in your bar area. You woo'ed me with your garden environment during Beer Week, so my expectations were high for Sips. Any chance you can add some comfy couches for our imminent return? xo, SIPSonthis
*Please see week four post for rules around Sips hours.
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