New place to catch the column

Since there isn't a columnist area on the site anymore, I figured I would post my weekly columns here. You might catch it Thursday or Friday depending on how ambitious our slammed I am that day. Have a great weekend guys!

There's a reason I have this job: because I like to go out a lot, and have a drink or two while I'm doing it. That was a good thing this week, because nothing really went as planned.

Voyage (remember, Voy-ahge) was on my list of places to go this past weekend, but a costume mishap (I didn't have one yet), and a party I forgot about, postponed my trip to this new downtown club on Pine Street.

Instead, I decided I would go to Lux's new Euro Night, which this International Drive lounge has been touting on its Web site. Supposedly, everyone can get in free and drink free until 11 p.m. I've been broke as a joke, and a free cover and free drinks sounded very appealing. But when I arrived at 10:30 p.m., the doors were locked.

This wasn't that surprising, considering Lux was the bar that was supposed to be called Blue I's, which week after week mentioned a grand opening that never happened. Finally, the bar renamed itself and opened last summer with a new ultra-lounge concept (which really isn't that new). The location, in a strip mall, doesn't scream swank or lounge, with a sign so small you can barely make it out from the parking lot. (My friends and I drove in circles a couple of times before spotting it.)

So, what do you do when nothing seems to go as planned? Rely on an old standard. Cricketers Arms Pub has been here for years, but in the past year it moved from its original location in The Mercado to the Festival Bay Mall on International Drive. I hadn't had a chance to check out the new joint, so when Lux failed me, I drove a couple miles up the road to that English pub that has loyally served Orlando for many years.

The move was initiated because tourists abandoned The Mercado. That place is seriously sad. Festival Bay has never been jampacked during the times I've stopped by, either, but for a Tuesday night, Cricketers was bringing in a decent crowd. The previous location attracted lots of service-industry workers and tourists, and that still seems to be par for the course at this location as well.

The interior woodwork, stage and nook seating make this location more appealing. A fireplace opposite the stage gives the pub a cozy feel. Two bars are set up, one inside, where the stage is located, and another on the patio in front, where the majority of the customers were hanging out the night I was there.

Because it's I-Drive, prices are a bit steeper than what you would pay elsewhere, with domestic pints creeping over $4, and hand-drawn ales touching $6. But with 17 beers on tap -- four hand-drawn -- there is a good selection.

TVs in the joint are airing what you would expect in an English pub, football of course (no, not the American kind). Bands that include Willtown, Jeff Howell and Average Joe Band play the pub nightly and without a cover; the only night there isn't a band is Sunday, a k a karaoke night. In fact, this Saturday night, Cricketers will be throwing a birthday celebration for Joseph Graye of the Average Joe Band, and it's open to the public.

So if you're in the mood for a pint, some local music and a friendly atmosphere, stop by. If anything, it's open when it claims to be.

Cricketers Arms is at 5250 International Drive in Orlando. Call 407-354-0686.