La Fiesta del Autobus!

Mexican Bus decor
Originally uploaded by misocrazy.

Last week, I joined some young'uns on a Mexican Party Bus, for my friend Jeff's birthday. (It turns out that he has the same birthday as me! --but we're a few years apart.)

If you want to feel like you're turning 21 again, or recapture those crazy college days of yonder that you never had, I highly recommend it.

To my surprise, the bus driver included a couple nature stops (one at Twin Peaks and one at the beach, by Beach Chalet) in addition to three bars all spread out across town (540, Trader Sam's, and Kennedy's).

Some advice before you go:

• Hydrate and eat a proper meal before starting.
• Pace yourself.
• Visit the restroom at each bar.
• Carry Purell.
• Wear easy shoes to walk in.
• Keep your cell charged and on you.

Now that I am in my 30s, I was able to remember these things and have a pretty good time. (Except I may have embarrassed myself by ranting about being old too much toward the end of the evening.)

New things that I learned while on the bus:

• 540 did not accept passports as proper ID! Have you ever heard of such a thing?
• Don't be surprised if the Mexican Bus driver turns out to be German. (gotta love the diversity of San Francisco)
• My buddy Joe really likes the piña coladas at Trader Sam's.
• They serve sake at Kennedy's (across the street from Bimbo's 365).
• Hold on to your sombreros when you are standing at the top of Twin Peaks. It gets windy.
• If you bring maracas, you will lose them.
• Beware of people armed with cameras.
• Make sure your camera is charged so you can have equally incriminating photos of everyone else.