Expecto Pub Crawl

Oh my lanta yesterday was an absolute blast! It was the annual Expecto Pub Crawl over in Royal Oak. This was the second year I’ve participated in it and while many of you know I’ve never read the series (I have listened to the majority of the books on CD as my younger brother listened to them as I was getting my driving hours in) I love going.

We got super lucky. Priya was in charge of tickets and she waited for a promo code ensuring we got the VIP experience at the regular rate. Thank you Priya. If you don’t have one of her in your group your seriously missing out! The VIP package included an upgraded Harry Potter lanyard that you could pick your house, a mug in your house color, an acceptance letter, a wand, a deathly hallows necklace and a Marauder’s Map.

Our first stop and check in point was, The Royal Oak Tap House. Priya, Bridget, Grant and I got there. Then Sarah and Adam met us too. When we finally got to the bar to order drinks we got a traditional Butterbeer and a Unicorn Blood. I had the Butter Beer and it was really good. I’m not sure; I think I like the butterscotch version better but this was really good. Nikki arrived as we were ordering drinks meaning our group was mostly complete.

Then we headed over to Pronto where it was a little less busy and we could actually reach the bar without throwing elbows. Here we got a round of Poly Juice Potion. Unfortunately or fortunately for us there was no hair in it so there was no transfigurations to be had. I got to remain me and the group did as well. Personally I don’t want to get to enjoy that transformation.

From there we headed over to 5th Avenue where we got to enjoy the Harry Shooter. It was a fun drink and that’s where Matt and Jess met up with us. This means that our entire group was together! After introducing Matt & Jess to the group I enjoyed a round with them and we headed out!

From 5th we grabbed O’Tools for the nastiest drink of the crawl. It was called the Kreature and it sure tasted like a nasty Kreature. It’s easy to say that as a group we didn’t enjoy this one and we packed our gear up and headed onward to the next destination.

Then we crossed the train tracks and wound up over at Tequila Blue where we got to enjoy an Expecto Hangover. The name didn’t do it justice. It was actually really good. That was our last shot before we decided it was time for a snack. We decided to hit BDubs so Sarah and I headed over since we couldn’t grab seats.

At BDubs we basically all had some version of Honey Barbecue Boneless wings. It’s safe to assume we’re a group with similar tastes. We needed the break since most of the bars offered food but getting to the bar and ordering was difficult enough. We thought that this was the easiest solution.

Okay we’ve had our food so it’s time to keep chugging along. The next stop we went to was Mesa where we got the Muggle Struggle. This one was really good and we snagged a table where we could sit and drink the drinks. Talk about a great timing moment. We stayed here and talked for a bit before heading over to the next destination.

The next spot was Mr. B’s which is a classic pub crawl spot. It’s huge with pool tables and the best part clean bathrooms!!!! Here we ordered The Drink of Despair and there was nothing disparaging about it. I’d happily get it again.

Then, for our final destination we ended up at the Rock on 3rd. This is the best one to end up at. They have good food and you never, let me repeat that, never start out at the Rock on Third. We technically ordered Huffelpuff Punch but I think only a few actually drank it. We were all disappointed. They didn’t have the Jell-O shots anymore. (The only downside to winding up here.) While here we got some mozzarella cheese sticks and nachos! Plus we did have a round of shots. I’m happy to announce that Adam had his first ever Yeager Bomb! I choose a gummy bear. I’m not about those bombs.

The funny thing about this stop was the bathrooms were so gross Nikki and I braved the pouring down rain and hustled over to Mr. B’s to use their bathroom. Then on our way back we played in the puddles outside and I don’t just mean walk in the puddles but we actually jumped in them.

From there we all of us headed our separate ways. I think it’s safe to say we all had a fantastic time and are looking forward to next years festivities.