Slainte!
September 4, 2002

Alex finally did it! After a full year of diligent persistence, slow but steady progress, and perhaps even a few tears, he has reached a goal set all the way back in September of 2001, shortly after we arrived here in the city. On August 20^th the day finally came that he drank his 100^th pint of Guinness at the Dead Poet Pub! Alex’s name is now proudly displayed on a plaque at the end of the bar - Alex T. Hill (the T is for Tiffany because she was there with unwavering support every pint of the way).

For over a year now it has been our Tuesday night ritual to venture a few blocks north and have a few pints. Our favorite bartender Todd would greet us with a smile as soon as we walked through the door, and would begin to pour before we sat to order. And the man knows how to pour a pint, Irish cloverleaf in the foam and all.

For weeks approaching the grand 100, Todd had been threatening that he would join us in the final stretch. And true to form, he was right there taunting us with car bombs (a shot of Baileys dropped into a half pint of Guinness – it tastes like a chocolate shake) and other exotic concoctions. Tiffany mostly kept to Martinis of all shades and colors. Somewhere around midnight the bell was rung signaling one more name was to be added to the list of the Guinness 100 club. The momentous event was recorded on all media at our possessions, both video and still pictures. The goal had been achieved, but the night was far from over. Drinks kept flowing and vision kept being impaired. Tequila shots were introduced late into the evening, but international relations between the drinks of Ireland and those of Mexico were quite volatile. We staggered home in the wee hours and wisely stayed in bed well into the afternoon the following day.

It will be a very long time, if ever, before we’re that loopy again. But it was for a good cause. After all, it is a good thing to set and then to meet goals. Let it never be said that we accomplished nothing while here in New York. We will miss Todd and our Tuesday nights at the Dead Poet, but we have left our mark. It’s good knowing that Alex’s name will be there in that bar on the Upper West Side long after we leave New York.

click here to see PHOTOS from the Dead Poet 100

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