Pointless Prize: 2023 Photo Scavenger Hunt

[Kbikeva]

1/17/23 Prohibition

Reston’s brief flirtation with the time after Prohibition was lifted is represented by this sad and derelict building, the former Bowman Distillery, makers of Virginia Gentleman whiskey. It is mere steps from the W&OD (at Old Reston Ave), but no one can figure out how to preserve/develop it because there’s no room for car parking. No one is convinced that something catering to trail users would work.

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[AlanA]

1/17/2023 – Prohibition

Luckily, prohibition ended so you could have drive through places like this to get cold beer at 11 am!

p.s. Bikeallintgonforum.com keeps telling me my upload has failed. I’ve been trying for 15 minutes. I’ll try later.

pps. I give up. I’m going to bed. (still won’t upload this morning 1/18)

[lordofthemark]

@AlanA 222688 wrote:

1/17/2023 – Prohibition

Luckily, prohibition ended so you could have drive through places like this to get cold beer at 11 am!

p.s. Bikeallintgonforum.com keeps telling me my upload has failed. I’ve been trying for 15 minutes. I’ll try later.

Obviously because uploading is PROHIBITED. Get it?

[lordofthemark]

So my pic (on Strava) is of the rum distillery at the Wharf. During prohibition rum was smuggled from the Caribbean to the USA by rum runners.

All of which is a hook for my story about myself (naturally) and the 100th anniversary of prohibition. And my new cocktail making hobby. Some of y’all have already heard this story.

So. Pre 2019 my main form of ethanol consumption was craft beer – fit pretty well with the biking community (I am NOT touching the “Is there too much drinking in the bike community” topic – if only there were a forum devoted to general biking questions, someone could start a thread on that)

Early summer 2019 I was at a small party given by a friend of a friend in Bethesda. Our hostess made Manhattans using cherry preserves and rye. Mine was very tasty. Later that summer we were at a party hosted by a pair of bike friends here in NoVa. They served Gin and Tonics using homemade tonic water. Also wonderful. I decided that crafty cocktails was a new interest. Not planning to make any at that point.

I got on the cocktails subreddit and decided to celebrate the 100th anniversary of prohibition by getting a drink at some special place. I considered the Willard, which has an historic bar, where the mint julep was invented, and a famous bartender. But mint juleps are for spring, and the anniversary was in January (of course). So I picked out one of these hip speakeasies downtown went there and ordered an Old Fashioned (because of course I need to do things in sequence, simple and classic first). I liked how finding the door resembled playing a video game.

On the subreddit they told me it was wrong to celebrate the START of prohibition you are supposed to celebrate the end. But the 100th anniversary of the end is not until 2033. But clearly I caused massive bad karma. Because two months later the pandemic hit.

Speaking of the pandemic, when it hit I happened to have a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 in the house (to know why involves a long discourse on Jewish customs naturally enough). I had not intended to use it for cocktails, but because of the lockdown I was not going to go to any more bars (I DID get mead delivered) and the venue to which the bourbon was to be donated had gone fully virtual. So I made my own Old Fashioned, and now I know SOMETHING about making cocktails.

[AlanA]

@Mtansill 222676 wrote:

1/17/23: Prohibition Begins

My bike and I are enjoying some bathtub gin today. We had a grand time, darlings!!!

(Bonus: found the empty bottle on the side of the road and properly disposed of it after it served its purpose.)

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Based upon your creativity, I would say that you should be playing the ‘expand your horizons’ game.

[AlanA]

@lordofthemark 222695 wrote:

Obviously because uploading is PROHIBITED. Get it?

Obviously, another person who should be playing ‘expand your horizons’.

It’s nice to see some funny posts. I got a chuckle out of that.

[Nadine]

@lordofthemark 222696 wrote:

So my pic (on Strava) is of the rum distillery at the Wharf. During prohibition rum was smuggled from the Caribbean to the USA by rum runners.

All of which is a hook for my story about myself (naturally) and the 100th anniversary of prohibition. And my new cocktail making hobby. Some of y’all have already heard this story.

So. Pre 2019 my main form of ethanol consumption was craft beer – fit pretty well with the biking community (I am NOT touching the “Is there too much drinking in the bike community” topic – if only there were a forum devoted to general biking questions, someone could start a thread on that)

Early summer 2019 I was at a small party given by a friend of a friend in Bethesda. Our hostess made Manhattans using cherry preserves and rye. Mine was very tasty. Later that summer we were at a party hosted by a pair of bike friends here in NoVa. They served Gin and Tonics using homemade tonic water. Also wonderful. I decided that crafty cocktails was a new interest. Not planning to make any at that point.

I got on the cocktails subreddit and decided to celebrate the 100th anniversary of prohibition by getting a drink at some special place. I considered the Willard, which has an historic bar, where the mint julep was invented, and a famous bartender. But mint juleps are for spring, and the anniversary was in January (of course). So I picked out one of these hip speakeasies downtown went there and ordered an Old Fashioned (because of course I need to do things in sequence, simple and classic first). I liked how finding the door resembled playing a video game.

On the subreddit they told me it was wrong to celebrate the START of prohibition you are supposed to celebrate the end. But the 100th anniversary of the end is not until 2033. But clearly I caused massive bad karma. Because two months later the pandemic hit.

Speaking of the pandemic, when it hit I happened to have a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 in the house (to know why involves a long discourse on Jewish customs naturally enough). I had not intended to use it for cocktails, but because of the lockdown I was not going to go to any more bars (I DID get mead delivered) and the venue to which the bourbon was to be donated had gone fully virtual. So I made my own Old Fashioned, and now I know SOMETHING about making cocktails.

Great story. I LOVE old fashioneds! Do you know how to make the smoky kind? And if so will you teach me? [emoji2]

I love how your written stories babble a mile a minute just like your speech. My father used to say good writing should sound like the person is talking. I think you got that one down [emoji38][emoji1360]

[Mtansill]

@AlanA 222697 wrote:

Based upon your creativity, I would say that you should be playing the ‘expand your horizons’ game.

Haha. No.. that ain’t me. Nor is it healthy for my continued employment in the federal government.

[CBGanimal]

1/17/2023 Prohibition Begins

This Lounge would not exist if it we during the times of Prohibition. There used to be a speakeasy here with a creepy little door that took you to a separate area that only those with an invitation knew about. And I will leave it there…

[Nadine]

1/17/23 – prohibition

In VA we’re still restricted to state run liquor stores. Everywhere ELSE I’ve ever lived,the liquor stores have flavor and personality. In Cambridge MA one liquor store had a cat that lived there. I used to order wine by the case from a liquor store in Somerville, and when we were packing to move to VA they saved me boxes…. I got my best sturdy book boxes from them. But here in VA we’re still prohibited – from having fun liquor stores with personalities. Here all the liquor stores are state run flavorless places like this one …

[JoM]

1/17/2023 – Prohibition

The Quarry House in Silver Spring, MD is located down a steep narrow staircase on the corner of Bonifant and Georgia Ave. It was one of the few speakeasies still standing from the prohibition era.
Back in the day, there was no sign, you either knew it was there or not. I guess the new owners want to be found.

[Laurie E.]

1/17/23
Prohibition – when I searched for ‘Beer Garden/Speak Easy’ in Clinton MD, I got the bar, ‘The Bottom Line’. But the picture will not upload. You can find a picture on my Strava post for the ride for today.

[bikingjenn]

During “Prohibition” the US Government prohibited ALCOHOL! Per the Constitution Museum website (in Philly–I want to go; never heard of it), The 18th Amendment to the Constitution Passed by Congress December 18, 1917. Ratified January 16, 1919. Section one of the 18th Amendment “After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.”

Well that did not go over so well. It was Repealed by the 21st Amendment, December 5, 1933. In the meantime, many citizens were not happy about being told what to do, so they made their own alcohol. Well, our citizenry continues to balk at government mandates, such as STOP signs. Many motorists consider these items suggestions rather than requirements. Am I right?

[drevil]

1/17/23 Prohibition

Cool factoid article by WAMU about how the Prohibition saved the terrapins: Our Taste For Turtle Soup Nearly Wiped Out Terrapins. Then Prohibition Saved Them

Testudo the Terrapin at University of Maryland by bikecentric, on Flickr

[LeftyLaura]

1/17/23 – Prohibition

With prohibition forever, there wouldn’t be bike shops with beer! Thank you Green Lizard!

Photo fails to load on all three of my devices. I’m too frustrated to continue. If you want the photo, go to Strava.

[Author]

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