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We here at Pedal Party understand that next week people claiming to be your family will invade your home to eat your food and sleep on your couch. We strongly encourage to you employ Plan PP (Pedal Party) to keep everyone happy this holiday and make this family time a little more memorable.
Step One to this plan is to enjoy the lavish spread we all know you’ve been planning since you last saw everyone for Grandma’s birthday. We promise that this year you will not feel guilty about that second helping of mashed potatoes when you remember you will be pedaling to your favorite watering hole on Washington Avenue in the near future.
Step Two is as easy as pie: call Pedal Party. The sooner you plan this exit strategy, the more likely things will remain harmonious for Thanksgiving instead of the usual chaos you’ve come to expect. This particular step also insures that you and your family will leave the house for some fresh air unlike years past where the afternoon was spent yelling at the TV while the favored team lost the Cotton Bowl. Now you’re ready for Step Three of Plan PP.
The final step is to bond with your family. Aside from enjoying the great outdoors while on the party bike, you and your family will spend several hours bonding. Together you’ll face such obstacles as “railroad tracks,” “steep driveways,” and the ever difficult task of executing a “RIGHT TURN.” While tackling such calorie-burning tasks, you might notice sudden changes in your family. Such changes have included: increased smiles, an unexpected abundance of laughter, and stronger family ties. Everyone will find themselves having a great time together all while burning off Mom’s homemade pumpkin pie and cornbread stuffing.
So grab your favorite canned beer, boxed wine or other allowed beverage and hop on the Pedal Party. It’s time to take back your sanity and love the in-laws again. Or even better, give Grandma and Grandpa their due time with the kids while you ride the beer bike, and let’s party!
01
Welcome November! With all these beautiful day ahead, more people will start to ask themselves the same question: “What should I drink while I ride on the Pedal Party?” Here’s a suggestion for your next trip around the block: Black Iguana Ready-to-Drink Wine Cocktails from Tomball, Texas.
What’s a wine cocktail? It’s a mixed drink that already has the alcohol added. Simply freeze the pouches overnight, and, “poof,” you are instantly A Number 1 Party Planner of the Year. The best part of these margaritas? They are 100% Pedal Party compatible as all Black Iguana drinks are made with wine.
Also, because of the wonderful pouch design, you can these beverages straight from the package. Think of them like adult versions of those Capri Suns you drank as a kid. For those that prefer a more ladylike appearance while cruising on the party bike, Black Iguanas can also be consumed using a straw (not included) thus keeping your lipstick beautiful, and you sense of class intact.
Another notable Black Iguana benefit is the flavor variety. Now you can cater to all 16 passengers’ tastes while on the bike bar by serving your riders Black Iguana in Peach, Mango, Strawberry, and the Traditional Lime flavor.
Equally handy is the fact they’re sold in grocery stores. Since liquor stores are closed on Sundays, this makes last minute planning for those party bike rides ever so convenient. And speaking of last minute, these drinks are just as good over ice as they are when frozen.
See you and your Black Iguanas soon on your next ride on the Pedal Party.
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After a year of solo fun on Washington Avenue, the Pedal Party bike finally got the sister she had always wanted. Now with twice the fun available to Houston, it was time to throw a party and christen the pedal-powered 16-passenger bikes. This past Saturday, 2000 Edwards Street was the place to be.
So what did all our adoring fans get to enjoy? Well, we’re glad you asked. Between the music being spun by Special K from 104 KRBE, the free rides on the PP, and the free beer from Saint Arnold Brewing Company and the Yard Sale Brewing Company, our fans were made to feel special. Thanks to Doggie Style Hot Dogsand Zilla Street Eats, no one went hungry while they hung out in our Secret Lair, better known as Pedal Party World Headquarters.
Of course, this christening party would not be complete without champagne, speeches, and the big name reveal. Following a wonderful “thank you for coming out” speech from owner Gene Landry, he and partner Kelly Anderson christened the party bikes in honor of their grandmothers. We now present to you the “Ardis Belle” and the “Ina Marie;” may their tap never run dry and their riders never fatigue.
With names in place, we sent the beer bikes out on their first formal race. While the kids were out on their play date together, the rest of the crowd waited for the second most important announcement of the days: the names of the door prize winners. Congrats to our winners and many thanks to Liberty Station Bar and Sawyer Park Bar & Restaurant for donating gift certificates. And once again thank you to everyone that came to the Pedal Party Christening Event. We had a blast.
Miss the party? Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or join our mailing list with the form on the right, to get all the juicy details for our next event.
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Pedal Party is happy to introduce our whole second actual employee!
Sein, Pedal Party’s newest captain (driver), hails from Abilene, TX. Soon after birth, he joined the gypsies of the South and traveled with them for 13 years which ultimately lead to him attending 13 different schools in as many years. Among the glamorous towns he’s resided in, Sein can claim Lafayette, New Orleans, and Albuquerque.
Now working as doorman for the Porch Swing at Heights Boulevard and Center Street, Sein (pronounced just like Sean) also Captains many of our weekday jaunts, safely guiding groups as they pedal their way around the neighborhood on a big beer bike built for 16. In his four months of service, he’s seen just about everything… and tried most of it.
Don’t let the baby face fool you; he’s no softie. Before coming to work for Pedal Party, Sein spent some time as number 73 for the semi-pro football team of the New Mexico Rams.
When he’s not driving a crazy bike bar up and down Washington Ave., Sein spends his free time entertaining his favorite lady, Magnet, his puppy rescue. Maggie, as she’s known to her friends, has been known to make guest appearances at the Pedal Party headquarters, while her fur leaves a lingering reminder of her love for our big ol’ party bike.
Can’t wait to meet this cool cat in person? Then be sure to mark your calendar for Saturday, September 10th for the Pedal Party Christening event. Sein will be on hand all day signing autographs and taking pictures with all our loyal fans.
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So we’re having a SHOWER!
We’ve added another 16 person party bike to our fleet! To celebrate our new arrival and to thank our Alumni and supporters, we’re having a big Christening Event!
In addition to the official naming of both bikes, the Pedal Party Christening event will feature four food trucks, Zilla Street Eats, Good Dog Hot Dogs, Hit N Run: Killer Street Food & Doggie Style Hot Dogs (which can usually be found on Washington Avenue,) free beer from Yard Sale Brewing Company & Saint Arnold Brewing Company, door prizes including a $50 gift card to Sawyer Park Sports Bar, a $50 Gift Card to Liberty Station and a Gift Card for a FREE Pedal Party! KRBE’s Special K will be on hand, spinning tunes.
The event is free to attend, RSVP on the Facebook Event: http://on.fb.me/p9Tkg8
03
Following an exhaustive search Pedal Party is super-proud to announce the hiring of our VERY FIRST EMPLOYEE!
Meet Stephanie, she’s joining the Crew as our new Captain. She’s been a fan of Pedal Party for a while and saw the job posting on our Facebook page. (See, there are VERY good reasons for ‘liking’ us on Facebook!)
Stephanie is a graduate of Texas A&M and, therefore, comes to us with a lot of experience with drunk people. She’s fun, friendly and drives like Mario Andretti. In her other life, she works at a law firm, runs wine tastings and used to work ‘Drench a Wench’ at the Texas Renaissance Festival so, she knows her way around a wine cellar and isn’t afraid to insult and threaten to sue you if you disagree with her tastes.
Once we saw the Batman sticker on her car, we knew we’d found ‘the one’.
Stephanie will be picking up tours with Pedal Party as we work towards expanding our fleet, so you’ll be seeing her around Washington Ave more and more. She’s just completed her training with us and already has a shout out in a review on Yelp!
She’s a strawberry blonde that’s cute as a button, but don’t think you’re gonna violate the Code of Conduct with her on board because she’ll cut you. We’ve seen it, its not pretty.
Please welcome her aboard!
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I’ve decided to start a new series of sporadic blogs posts called “Pedal Treats” which will be my food reviews of snacks people have brought on their Pedal Party tours. For the first one, I have an amazing find by one of this weekend’s riders, Claire (I THINK Claire made them…correct me if I’m wrong), called CAKE DOTS!
Besides having the cutest name ever, there are many other reasons to go nuts for these. In simple terms, they are like a tiny bit of cake, dipped in chocolate and and decorated with a bit of blue icing. In reality, each one is a body-rocking tastegasm, coated with happiness and embellished with something naughty. I could happily eat these, exclusively, until I died or Richard Simmons staged an intervention.
The actual cake part is moist, very moist and, I think, more akin to cookie dough than cake. (Although, don’t take that as a ‘bad thing’, as I could follow the aforementioned diet plan with raw cookie dough with no complaints.) The coating was a perfect texture, not too melty, but not super crunchy, a hard balance to find.
I asked for the recipe but its a secret, so using the few that I stole from the party, I’ve devised my own, its not quite right yet but I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. Its all Claire’s fault, really. Feel free to try it out and adapt to your own needs.
Cakegasms by Your Captian (Adapted from ‘Cake Dots’ by Claire who wouldn’t share the recipe)
for cake:
For Chocolate Coating:
Preparation:
Optional: apply ice to scalded fingers from dipping into boiling chocolate too soon.
Nom Nom Nom
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As you may recall from our November newsletter, a Pedal Party rider (Lizzy Hinson, I’m talking about YOU!) artfully guilted us into starting a recycling program. Since then, we’ve become nearly fanatical in our recycling efforts and things are going very well.
Basically, we’re sorting out all the aluminum, cardboard & plastic from the garbage. The aluminum cans get the tabs pulled off, and crushed; cardboard gets broken down and the plastic bottles get the lids taken off.
We take the plastic and the cardboard to the neighborhood recycling center, conveniently located about 8 blocks from the World HQ; you don’t get money for that, but you do get a feeling of satisfaction which is quite satisfying…especially when you make a stop at Berrypop on the way back to reward your good deed.
The cans are taken to C & D Scrap Metal where we are paid the handsome fee of approx $.60 per pound for them. This, generally, equates to about $25 a month, not a big windfall, but it does give a little petty cash for the homeless people that offer to wash the bike sometimes while we’re stopped on tours. They do a great job and I’m happy to help.
The tabs are collected and donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Houston, a fantastic organization dedicated to helping support families in their fight to overcome childhood illness. The RMDH collects just the tabs off of the cans because its a clean an manageable way to collect aluminum with out having to add costly facilities to manage the mess that the whole can would bring. Its a brilliant idea and a significant source of revenue for a great cause.
You can get more info on how to donate the tabs from your home or office by checking out their Pull Tab Program page. They’ll even send you little cardboard houses to collect your tabs. Once your full, you can drop them off in person or simply mail them in. Couldn’t be easier!
So, CONGRATULATIONS BOOZE HOUNDS! Not only have you contributed toward the unique environment of the Washington Ave. Corridor with your excessive beer consumption, but you’ve also helped make the world a better place. Cheers!
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Super-fun, laid back, easy going. No, not the Pedal Party (but, yeah, us too,) we’re talking about this month’s featured stop, the Washington Avenue Drinkery!
This is one of the most un-pretentious places on the west end of Washington Ave with super-friendly staff, lots of space, a giant patio and great tunes. You don’t have to be ‘on the list’ to get in and no one’s any better than anyone else once you’re inside.
Its a chock full of specials which vary from day-to-day (sometimes from hour-to-hour!) but, to show how much they love the Pedal Party, The Drinkery is sponsoring PP Specials this month JUST FOR US, including:
$3 Wells and Domestics
$4 Imports and Miller High Life Mimosas
$5 Calls and drop shots
$2 Kamikaze shots
$2 Lonestar
Miller High Life Mimosa? $2 Kamikaze? At these prices, you can’t afford to NOT do a Pedal Party to the Drinkery!
The Drinkery also has a full menu of (really good) pub food, so its a great mid-tour stop to carbo-load for the ride back.
This special is good through November, so make sure to tell your Captain that you want to stop there and get some good food, some cheap drinks and a great time!
The Washington Avenue Drinkery
4115 Washington Ave.
Houston, TX 77007
713-426-3617
www.washingtonavenuedrinkery.com
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Liberty Station is a super-cool, fairly new addition to the Washington Ave. landscape. Located on the east end of Washington (within a stone’s throw of the Pedal Party World HQ,) its quite different that a lot of the other bars in the area.
First, its setting: Mostly outdoors, Liberty is a converted filling station which still retains the roll-up doors, giving it a laid back, ‘ice house’ feel. Unlike your standard ice house, though, the interior is really well designed and kinda classy. Most of the action, however, is outside, either on the ample patio or on the Cornhole field which is almost always in lively use.
Keeping true to their motto: “No Crap on Tap,” Liberty eschews standard tap fare, opting for more specialty names. The awesome bar staff also has some pretty nifty cocktails up their sleeves, if you lean more towards the cocktail side.
Every singe time the Pedal Party has visited Liberty Station, we’ve received a rousing cheer form the onlooking crowd. Is it because we’re totally awesome or because we just came careening in like a bike out of hell? I like to believe the former.
This month, Liberty is sharing the love with PP riders by offeringmade-from-scratch Strawberry/Basil Ritas and ‘Very Berry’ Mojitos for $6! That’s worth doing a Pedal Party on its own! If you’re not into either of those, you’ll still enjoy 20% off something that suits you. Generous AND accommodating…who could ask for anything more?
Liberty Station
2101 Washington Ave.
Houston, TX 77007
713-640-5220