While I need to look into what the best road would be for the charitable component, let me propose this, which I may have mentioned briefly before.
SEAN GULLEN'S TREMENDOUS UPSIDE BAR CRAWL.
Let's find a weekend that works for people who want to come into NYC, I'll look for a group rate at a hotel or something if needed. One of our fav pastimes was a charity bar crawl that sorta fell apart a couple years ago as we all got older, families, etc... if ever there is a reason to get together, throw down a few, reminisce, give to charity and, most of all, make new friends to continue Sean's tradition of embracing friendship across thousands of miles.
We usually did it down in the Village, and I'd like to hit up a number of those spots. Proceeds go to charity, will make some t-shirts, open to any and all suggestions. As our crawl used to be an annual thing, let this be the inaugural. Perhaps April so the weather's a bit better and time for planning etc.
It's a celebration of his life, of life in general, of friendship. And much like passover or purim, anyone who is NOT feeling drunk by the end just ain't doing it right.
Tell me these were not GREAT times:
Drink TU and Drunk Koya (was a latter stop on this particular crawl)
Koya and TU - the early years.... Maybe my fav photo ever with TU. This was my first bar crawl I think. But while his friends of 10, 20 years at the time were there, as you all have put so well, I never felt like the "new" friend. And that feeling extended beyond Sean to our crew. A friend of Sean was a friend of ours. That simple.
Funny story as Sean and Co. almost saved my ### that day. Was making out with some random chick in the bar and hanging with her for like an hour. Suddenly three girls come rushing up and are like, wtf are you doing (to me). I'm like, slurredly responding... um, making out with your friend? They respond, well, her boyfriend is RIGHT THERE (other side of the room) and #### almost got out of hand. As if it were my fault that this chick didn't tell me her BF was there? Its silly little stories like that and always knowing that your back was had, that abound. PS - when my wife reads this later (I want her to see these accolades and she's well aware of FBGs role in our collective lives) remember this was before we met.
GO GIANTS! (18-1) - In perhaps the most fun night of my life with the crew we gathered for our annual super bowl bash in the City at our friend Mike's apartment (while not "that" mikes apartment, he got at least as much ### as the site) for the first Giants-Pats SB. The good thing is Mike always got awesome food and it was a great party, which was needed since my Giants were about to get destroyed. By the end of the game I had not moved from my "reserved" spot on the couch and was dead sober. Actually just glued to a game that I thought would be a blowout. Well, we then proceeded to blow out our brain cells at the local bars. I remember yelling out the window on West 54th and hearing the resonating cries of victory through the pillared canyons of NYC.
Now, Sean was, unfortunately, a Jets fan. But he was not one bit bitter. He was so ecstatic to see his friends (most of us are giants fans) happy, that he was literally as happy or more so than we were. Good memories in that room, I'll share a couple stories about it but remember - as awesome a guy as Sean was, even he had limits. And if you are going to steal in on a chick he's making progress with at a bar only to totally fumble the opportunity so NO one gets laid, expect appropriate revenge (story to come).
This will be our night - If you come to the celebratory Irish wake of a bar crawl and you see more clearly than this by night's end (hell, afternoon's end), then you are doing it wrong. Just look at that fuzzy happiness. The guy brought with him a vibe of awesomeness.