Long ago, in the mists of Berkeley, there was only one location decent folks went to enjoy a cold beer or five at lunchtime - The Hotsy Totsy. Everybody who was anybody ended up there at some point, and the main draw (apart from the tasteful pictures of crying clowns and $3 beer) was the shuffleboard table. Could we possibly find a similar venue out here, so far from the beloved Left Coast?
Somewhat unfeasibly, the Marriott Hotel in Tyson's Corner claimed to have a shuffleboard table. I arranged to meet Vince there, and while shuffleboard should never be played before sundown they did have a nice table set off in a little atrium giving uninterrupted views of flight crews alighting from their buses from Dulles airport. The place had about as much character as a hotel lobby because...well, but the food was good and the table demonstrated none of the "character" of the Hotsy's somewhat abused surface.
The outcome of the game is not important. What is important is time spent with a good, wise friend while I'm trying to find my way in the world. "Loser!" shouted Vince as he sped away, waving the traditional Yorktown Cup trophy out of his car window. But what he was really saying was "I'll always be here for you." Weren't you.
The precision, the balance, the smell of stale beer.
You can choose your friends...unless you live 3,000 miles from home, then you just have to put up with whoever's nearest.
