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January 24, 2005
"Blizzard" Weekend 1
Despite the threat of a blizzard arriving in Baltimore in the wee hours of Saturday morning (or what I like to call late Friday night) Emma and I decided to go out to see a jazz show at the Caton Castle Friday.
Neither of us had been to, nor heard of, the Caton Castle, but decided to go since the show sounded good and the online map made it look like it was on Caton Ave just north of I-95. After meandering around Batimore's west side - going north on South Caton until it changed names to South Hilton, turning the wrong way on West Caton, which turned out not to actually be West Caton, doubling back and finding West Caton - and touring the Charm City's beautiful west side at the same time, we found the Caton Castle.
"I wonder if this is going to one of those places where we're the only white people?"
It definitely had the signs the signs we'd be white islands. I think the proper name of the establishment we were about to enter was "Caton Castle Carry-Out Liquors and lounge." There was a lot of bullet-proof glass. "I don't know. Could be. Let's see."
"Things are fun that way."
We went up to the building. There were three doors. Two looked like they opened to a liquor store. The other appeared to open to the "lounge" portion of the building. We headed toward the lounge door. Walking past windows that opened to the lounge I noticed that it not only looked like we would be the only white people, but we'd be the only white people in a 10x15 foot room. "Are you sure this is the place?"
"It seems right. -- Which bell do you think I should ring?" There were two door bells next to the door; one looked to be a normal doorbell, the other an intercom type.
"I don't know. Try both." She did. We waited.
Nothing.
After about a minute someone from inside the lounge knocked on the window and said, "Go in the other door." we went to the next door. One of the doors that looked to open to the liquor store. It was locked. We tried the next, a heavy, yellowing bullet-proof glass door. It opened to the liquor store fortified better than "the army that youhave"'s Humvees.
Inside a door opened to the small lounge. As we stepped in the patrons looked a bit shocked to see such pale people. "Are you here to watch me play?" One of them asked.
"Yeah."
"I'll be in there in a minute." He pointed to a door at the back of the lounge.
The door opened to a hall filled with tables. There was a piano, a parquet dance floor and about 6 people. We were about to sit down when one man asked, "You here for the show?"
"Yeah."
"It's supposed to be tomorrow. It's postponed"
"It's tomorrow?"
"Yeah. It's postponed till the 5th."
"So it's not tomorrow? It's the 5th?"
"No. It's postponed till the 5th because of the blizzard."
"OK. So the 5th. Not today or tomorrow."
"Yeah. It said today but it's supposed to be tomorrow, but it's not. It's postponed till the 5th. He'll be using a Roland [something or another]."
"Wow."
Then came the small talk. Unfortunately it all went something like this to me:
"[Something or another]."
"Really?"
"[Something or another]?"
"Yeah?"
Unable to understand the man we tried to politely excuse ourselves to formulate a plan B in the car. We got through the door, back into the lounge.
"Oh, you came for the show?"
"Yeah."
"Well you coming back on the 5th?"
"Sure. We'll be back."
"You better be ready to do some drinking."
Was this a challenge? Do they think we're not up to it? "You think we're not up to it?"
"We'll do some drinking now." -Emma.
"Alright. You my people. Get whatever you want. On me. -- What do you want?"
I saw 16 ounce can of Steel Reserve sitting near the bar. "I want a Steel." "Steel" being the proper way to refer to Steel Reserve.
"Me too."
"What? People drinking Steel in the bar? That's something else."
There was some talk amongst the customers and the bartenders - for some reason there was one bartender for every 2 patrons. "Steel? In the bar?" "They're hardcore." "That's my drink."
One of the bartenders left the bar to the attached liquor store to grab two cans of Steel Reserve. She came back and gave me my can. She asked Emma if she wanted a cup.
"No, thanks."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't need a cup."
"A straw at least?"
"No. No straw. Just the can is fine."
"Nothin'?"
"Just the can."
She stuck a straw in the can and pushed it over to Emma. Then went back to serving mixed drinks for the other clients; the liquor coming out of single serving plastic bottles.
As we left someone called out after us, "I better see you here on the 5th!"
Posted by calculatoronfire at January 24, 2005 03:56 PM