The End of Era

The Mason Arms, a pub on the corner of Upper Berkeley Street a two minutes walk from our hotel has probably been at that location for forty to fifty years according to the Spanish barmaid who served us Tuesday evening. But when we're sipping suds in Austria and drinking wine in the Alsace three weeks from now, the Mason Arms will be saying "Last call (forever) folks!  Like other London pubs, the MA will close up shop for good on September 21st unless a new owner takes it over.

The cabbie who drove us from Paddington station to our hotel said that the influx of Muslim immigrants to London has had an impact: They don't drink liquor, at least not openly in pubs. The "no smoking" law also
probably hit the pubs hard, as it did some blue-collar bars in California when "fuming" over your brew ended. The nose dive in the world's economy hasn't done the pubs any favors, either.

We ate in  the Mason Arms on our first night in London. I had a German beer (not that great), but also a pint of "Lemony Cricket" (not to be confused with the children's book author, "Lemony Snicket", aka Daniel Handler, of San Francisco). A sign near the bar said the beer would be "Music to your taste buds" as a cartoonish cricket played a violin, and that you'd notice a hint of lemongrass (what --- a British-Thai beer? Blimey!).

So three weeks from now, raise you glass and drink a toast to the Mason Arms: Gone, but not forgotten, by its long-time, loyal patrons, and a few of London's tourists, too.