The evening started off with the traditional drinks and snacks at the Schooners bar at the Sheraton. Everyone was forced to eat vegemite and crackers, which helped to prepare stomachs and digestive systems for the night ahead. Some disappointed people who had accidentally paid to go to the inferior Brownlows (the Help Awards) took the advantage of at least tasting a bit of what they would be missing by having a quick drink before the bulk of the Aussies headed off for the next stop.
The Elephant and Castle is an English style American bar, and for some reason, as soon as we arrived we were sent to the dungeonous pool room, which had previously been empty. I think we might have already been a bit noisy.
After refreshments, we were ready for the next stop, which was a joint called Rock Bottom. It wasn't rock bottom yet, but we sampled the convivials, before planning our trip into the rain to our eatery.
And that was Red Robin, which we reached just before the kitchen closed (fortunately). The wisest of our group headed for home after Red Robin. But the rest of us, with our bellies full of food, were ready for the long trek to our last resting place, called J&M Bar and Card Room. The hardiest ones travelled by foot in the sleet and sludge to the Pioneer Square area, while the soft ones found a sober person and a car. Meeting us at the bar were escapees from the Brownlows, includingly, so we are reliably informed, the band. (You see, the Brownlows stopped at the ridiculously early hour of midnight.) Paula Berger, sporting a very spectacular hair arrangement, made the stupid mistake of loaning her credit card to Mike Bates to pay for some drinks. If anybody has seen the credit card since, please contact Paula, as she is getting hungry and her car needs petrol (Australian for 'gasoline'). Mike claims his memory was fuzzy.
The evening ended us with a few of us pleading with the bouncer to throw us out, just to preserve our reputations. We staggered back to our hotels
My very grateful everlasting thanks to Tom DesSaint and Carol Anne Wall for having the presence of mind to take photos!
Second Stop: Elephant and Castle, an English style pub. We were quickly despatched to the pool room, out of sight of the public. Pictured are Kathleen Padova and Kathy Wyrwas.
The wallpaper gives it away... still at the Elephant and Castle, Eileen Coccia discusses the merits of Vegemite with John Wall.
There's always a pool sharp in every crowd.
Sam Leopold, now how's my memory - I think that's Rick? - and that looks like Tony Self get into the snacks.
The third stop for the evening was the Rock Bottom, and we're already making nuisances of ourselves!
Photos like this make it easy to remember where we were! Otherwise, I don't think anyone would have a clue!
This picture doesn't show it, but it was a typical Seattle evening - cold and rainy. But who's the hero in just a t-shirt?
A change of decor - this must be the Red Robin.
Ah, this couple are Poms - Geoff Smith and Annie Guest. They joined us a bit late, but soon caught up with the aid of very large drinking glasses.
The evening's dining was at Red Robins. I'm not sure why Sara Carmichael is wearing a mask, but that wasn't the only mystery of the night. Maybe Dan Nickisch (he's on the left) knows the mystery of the mask?
A here's a likely lot. This was taken at the J&M Bar and Card Room, which was our last stop of the evening. For some of the revellers, this was familiar territory, as we ended up in the same bar in 1998.
You may think this photo is blurred, but this is just how I remember it! It seems to be at the J&M, where we were joined by leftovers from the Brownlows, along with the Dallas band The Big Pink Wow.
If you are pictured in any of the above photos, and not identified, please e-mail Tony Self so the oversight can be corrected. If you know of people that attended and aren't listed above, or if you are listed above and didn't attend, again please contact Tony Self so we can ensure this is an accurate record of the night!
Explanation: The Brownlows are an extremely boring annual awards night for the best Australian Rules Football player. The night consists of game by game counts of the best players. After three hours of this, the winner is known. Despite the fact that everyone knows its really, really, boring, it is one of the highest rating television events in some Australian states.