Getting Things For Free, Vol. 80: The Music, The Magic, The Matchless Martinis

Matchless: A Greenpoint bar. Martinis: Deceptively strong drinks. Magic: Martinis and Matchless in tandem. But let me explain: I journeyed up to Matchless on a whim at the pleasant request of a friend with a friend whose literary magazine was celebrating its launch. Having been invited, I put on my coat and readied to go. But was my friend ready to accompany me? No. I waited for at least another 30-40 minutes while he finished working, gathering data, assembling numerous mysterious pieces of information into a computer system and discussing the nature of whatever was being done with his coworkers. In a nutshell: I waited for a very long time. And because I was inconvenienced, I too made a pleasant request: A free drink, specifically a dirty martini because I’d been fantasizing about one for ages. And it was so good he drank part of mine and made amends by ordering another. Free martinis at Matchless: Magic.