Trivia Night @ No Idea Tavern

For some reason I got it into my head that I wanted to try out bar trivia on Tuesday. I did some research and tried to find out what kinds of trivia the city of Baltimore had to offer. I created a comprehensive list of possible places to try out. Here's what I have so far:

Monday

James Joyce 7:30

Tuesday

Shuckers 8:00

No Idea Tavern 8:30

Wednesday

Camden Pub 5:00

Alexander's Tavern 8:00

Canton's Portside Tavern 8:00

Waterfront Hotel 8:00

Thursday

Max's Taphouse 9:00

Friday

Edgar's Billiards Club 6:30

Sunday

Maggie Moore's 8:30

I haven't heard of some of these places, but I'm willing to check them all out and grade them!

Tuesday Aug 17: I ask my awesome neighbor (M) over facebook if she would be down for some bar trivia. I knew she would be. I didn't know that she would want to go that same night. It was just a general inquiry about her interest in trivia night. She texts me soon after and says she could meet up at 8:30 that night. I checked my schedule, and wouldn't you know it - there happens to be a trivia night at that exact time. Wow! It must have been fate. So we plan to go.

I text M's bf (J) and tell him to be there or be square. As it turns out, he is not square. He came over before we left and we watched the end of Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I give it a C+.

J bikes to the bar and beats us with 10+ minutes to spare, since we drove and had to find $^&#ing parking in Federal Hill. As we pull into our spot 2 blocks away, Dennis says, "I'm never coming to Federal Hill again by car. Just putting that out there now." Looks like we gotta get some bikes.

J texts me as we're walking to the bar - "We got a table in the back. Team name? 1 min." Our volleyball team, Average Bohs, came to mind naturally. But alas, I did not meet the 1 minute deadline and I was left to the mercy of J's imagination. We were Boh Mamas. I liked it.

We were given a sheet of paper which outlined 5 rounds and 8 answer spaces for each round. There's also a blank next to each round number. I'm guessing they change up the categories each week. First category is Movies from 2010. The emcee for this trivia stands behind the bar and yells out questions over a megaphone. Each group is huddled around a table, communicating in hushed whispers, lest your opponents hear your answers. There was a lot of pantomiming involved. J mouthed to me that one of the answers was "Book of Eli" which I misheard as "Blinking Eye," so I confusedly pointed to my eyes as I blinked spasmodically. Sadly, a few milliseconds later I realized what J was saying, but it was too late. The blinks had already occurred. Alas.

At the end of the round, MC asked if any repeats were needed, then he went through each question one at a time as the crowd shouted the correct answer. The scoring is based on the honor system. You write your own answer in, score yourself, then tally up the points. It seems like it would be pretty easy to cheat, but M pointed out that that prizes must not be that great. Good call. Turns out the prizes are mostly alcohol-based, which is fine by me. Also, the bar plays 2-3 songs between rounds so you have a chance to use the bathroom, grab a smoke, or order another round of drinks.

Poor MC had to call out each of the team names after each round and the team responded with their score for the round. I say poor because while we just picked a name thinking, 'we need a team name,' many others picked a name thinking, 'this guy is going to call this out over a megaphone in a crowded bar.' My favorite was "Paging Dr. Faggot." (PS. If you haven't seen The Hangover, stop reading and go see it now.) One team was called "The back door is open" which wasn't that great, but after the 3rd or 4th round MC changed it to "The back door is slightly ajar." Someone yelled out, "I hope no one gets in!" I laughed.

The next few rounds were pretty fun. It seemed that MC had come up with all of the categories & questions on his own, which I liked. The remaining categories were Famous Pairs, Night & Day, -Ologies, and then a Name That Tune round. It was MC's 8 favorite artists. The first one was Coldplay, and after he played the clip some girl hollered, "You know how I know you're gay?" and it was pretty funny. We did the worst on that round, but I still impressed myself with the songs that I did get.

After the 5 rounds, there was a final bonus round where you wagered your points for one question. The category was First Ladies. The answer was Cleveland, which one group actually got right... how, I don't know.

Quick booze summary: We drank buckets the whole time. 5 Miller Lights for $2.50 each. We got 4 buckets & split the bill down the middle, so it worked out to about $12 per person. Not too bad for 5 beers.

At the end of each round, the team with the best score was called up to the bar for a round of shots. If there was a tie, the teams had a chug-off... which meant sucking a Guinness through a straw. Vom!! But it keeps things interesting. I didn't see what the winning team got, but I'm guessing it was more booze.

Me & D having a good ole time.

Overall, we had a great time! I'm planning on going back next week and possibly making it a regular thing. We'll see how the other bar trivia journeys go. If you're in Baltimore near Federal Hill on a Tuesday night, try to stop by around 8:30 and grab a table and an answer sheet. It's fun for a laid-back night out with a few friends. Hope to see you there!!