We're here: it's no longer the "third-to-last Friday" or "second-to-last Friday" at Moose's. It's the last Friday at the North Beach institution before it becomes Joey & Eddie's on April 1. Join the Valleywag crew as we cry into our drinks then shuffle off into the cold, cold night. Moose's, we barely knew ye. For those able to pull themselves together by Saturday, more events:
When I read that Moose's, the historic haunt of legendary columnist Herb Caen, was turning into an Italian brasserie, I had a bit of a snit. But after stopping by this afternoon, I'm not as worried. Glamixologist Valen West told me she's staying on behind the bar. And the name? "Joey & Eddie's" isn't so bad. The food will be "family style." Family style. A bar named after two guys. You know, in the '30s and '40s, North Beach was known for its queer nightlife. Happy times are here again. (Photo by MyTypewriter.com)
An outrage, a crying shame: Moose's is closing on April 1. The North Beach restaurant and bar facing Washington Square Park is being replaced by some abomination called "Joey & Eddie's." Valleywag is not taking this sitting down at a bar, ordering a Juniper Breeze. We're packing up and moving Valleywag Fridays to an undisclosed location starting next month. Until then, you've got four more shots at our Moose's happy hour, an enduring tradition since January 2008. We'll make our last one on March 28 a blowout.
We've created a monster. Moose's Friday has become a power clique for brainy women in heels. Tired of "cocky pretend business moguls" as one put it, the Valley's bad girls have chosen to hang out with us cocky pretend writers instead. Come on over from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in North Beach. New pageview champ Melissa Gira Grant (left) will tell you how to raise your rates. DO NOT wear a hoodie, or Splunk VP of Fashion Christina Noren will drag you into the ladies room and make you over, like a ZZ Top video. Dress up, people, we got into this biz for the shiny shiny glamour.
Did you know some heathens ask for a martini on the rocks? And how many advertisers does AdBrite really have? That was just some of the bits of scandal I overheard at Valleywag's Bad Girl Friday, our happy hour turned welcome wagon for new writer Melissa Gira Grant. Check the photos for more evidence of revelry. Oh, and what is Valleywag emeritus Nick Douglas doing with Grant? Their Facebook profiles say they're "in an open relationship," but I've mentally slotted it under "it's complicated" — even I don't want to know the details.
Come meet Valleywag's newest writer, Melissa Gira Grant. Try not to ignore her boyfriend, Gawker writer and original Valleywag Nick Douglas. I'm guessing the hot topics will be sex, money, and sex. Oh, and your very important tech company, whatever it is. Yeah. Drinking and carousing starts at 4 p.m. and runs until at least 8.
Sex and tech writer Melissa Gira and new Gawker writer Nick Douglas are two of the confirmed famous-for-the-Internet people who'll be at Valleywag Friday today, starting at 4 p.m. and continuing through maybe 8 or 9 at Moose's in Washington Square. Some of Gridskipper co-conspirators may be there, too. Valet parking available.
There's been an incredible turnout here at Moose's to send off Natali Del Conte, the LCD-screen talent CNET plucked away from PodShow to be its newest TV star. Sarah Lacy, the BusinessWeek columnist, is here with a copy of her new Web 2.0 histoire, Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good, an advance reader copy of which I exclusively rubbed up against my chest. For a prolonged time. I can't tell you what's in it, but the book felt good, people. Paul Boutin is handing out sunglasses, and Patricia Handschiegel of StyleDiary is dishing out fashion advice. Next up: We're sending Del Conte and Lacy off to the Crunchies in a limo, because that's how Valleywag rolls.
So far at Natali Del Conte's going-away party: A VC (Stewart Alsop of Alsop Louie, pictured with Del Conte), two CEOs, a French startup guy, a stealth founder, a stats geek, a videoblogger, and some friends of Natali (who just happen to be really hot.) Brian Solis of Bub.blico.us is taking my picture as I type this. And Rafe Needleman of CNET just walked in. Come on over to Moose's and join the crowd.
This week's Valleywag Friday at Moose's in North Beach doubles as a going-away party for CNET's new TV star Natali Del Conte. She moves to New York next week. Be sure to dress rock-star, because StyleDiary.net entrepreneuse Patricia Handschiegel will roll in from Los Angeles with her posse. Natali has to leave at 7 p.m. sharp, so don't be late. Drinking and crying will carry on until closing time. Gossip and handbag advice for all!
No, I don't understand Paul Boutin's fixation with Bono, either. But he brought a fistful of sunglasses to Moose's on Friday, and before we knew it, everyone was putting them on. The bar's lighting is already moody, and let me tell you, when you put on a pair of Bulgari, it gets murkier than an open-standards discussion list. Things got even geekier when the boys from Uncov rolled in. And then, out of nowhere — well, out of Las Vegas, really — Julia Allison and Meghan Asha showed up to glam up the evening. Did we say "happy hour"? Our apologies. We practically closed the place. Next Friday: Natali Del Conte's going-away party.
Today's Examiner features a front-page story on Moose's, the recently remodeled North Beach bar-with-a-very-nice-restaurant-attached that Valleywag has taken over as our Friday happy hour spot. Co-owner and bar dominatrix Valen "rhymes with Van Halen" West lets Owen park his PowerBook right where 20th-century gossip legend Herb Caen's typewriter used to be. I'll be there, too, with a couple extra pairs of sunglasses in case you forgot yours. 4 p.m. until Owen's corporate card maxes out. 1652 Stockton Street on Washington Square. Valet parking for Valley people, or the 9X/30/45 lines for Munitards. (Photo by Jason Steinberg/San Francisco Examiner)
"Quick, post the pictures before you sober up!" the ever-helpful Paul Boutin emails me. I'd love to, Paul, but it seems that Brian Lam, gadget expert, forgot to put charged-up batteries in this superhigh-tech, amazingly unusable Sony camera he lent me. Thanks, Brian. This is why he's running a gadget blog and I make fun of venture capitalists for a living, people.
Special correspondent Paul Boutin and I are at Moose's, a historic bar in San Francisco's North beach district. "23 people have posted on the Facebook wall for Megan's farewell party, but no one's actually shown up," I tell Boutin. "So Web 2.0," he says. "Fail." The Uncov guys aren't even here to give Boutin shit for stealing their line. Unbelievable. People, unplug already. Moose's has a cool bar, a hot bartender named Valen (above), and even trippy vacuum-tube lighting for the geeks. After the jump, photos of the bash in progress, such as it is. Come on and join us!
