31/12/2009 New Year's Eve

Subject	New Year's Eve
PostedDate	12/31/2009
	Unlike Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve didn't go according to plan.  This year I planned to stay local. A mate was DJing in Ye Olde Monken Holte in Hadley Highstone - one of Barnet's oldest pubs and full and character - and characters!  As far as I knew it was one of the only places in Barnet that was free to get in on New Year's Eve. The atmosphere and particularly the beer are very good in there, so I'd persuaded some friends it was the best place to go. Everywhere else seemed to be charging silly money. There was a band playing in the Bell & Buck, but no way were they worth a tenner - besides, the beer has gone way downhill in there. I was just getting ready to leave home when the texts and phone calls started coming in - in spite of what I'd been told the Monken Holte was 'Ticket Only' and already sold out! Everybody was already heading home before I'd even got out of the house as there didn't seem to be anything else happening that wasn't 'Ticket Only' or just rubbish. I put Plan B into action and headed into town to the Intrepid Fox - not knowing if anyone I know would be there. That's one of the things I like about the Intrepid Fox - I nearly always bump into people I know there. This was no exception and I think I made the right (last minute) choice of seeing the New Year in there surrounded by like minded people. It was a Decadence night at the pub as well, so it was a good rock 'n' roll vibe - and unlike anywhere else I was likely to go locally it was open til three in the morning.  I left there around 3.20 and courtesy of the free all night New Year's tube service I was home in less than an hour - quicker than a normal night in the West End or Camden. Result!