Drinking Alone at the Liberty Game! — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave, Prospect Heights

The Place: Game 2 of the semi-finals between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces at the Barclays Center. WNBA, baby, let’s go!!!

*The Q Mixer “Cocktail Club” at Barclays, on the way to section 12*

The Time: Tuesday October 1, 7:30pm tip-off. I’m a huge basketball fan and the Liberty have been doing so well this season, I knew I needed to jump on tickets to this important semi-final. My boyfriend was working, and friends that I texted either couldn’t make it, or were already going and there weren’t any available seats near them. So I said “fuck it, I’m gonna get my own ticket!” Here’s a perk that I never realized but should have guessed: you have access to a lot better seats when you’re only buying one ticket. Swish, swish, bish!

The Vibe: Are you fucking kidding? It’s a Liberty game, the vibes are IMMACULATE. This is by far my favorite fanbase of all the sports I care about (which is just tennis and basketball, and all the random sports at the summer Olympics once every four years, but still). Even just getting through security is kinda fun. There’s a DJ outside, everyone is buzzing with excitement since the Liberty won Game 1–the girl in front of me in line has pom poms! As I waltz over to section 12, I keep my eyes open for a cool bar…and there doesn’t seem to be one for the commoners! There are obviously many places to get a drink, but no special bar for those in a double-digit section (those are reserved for famous people and “members,” apparently). But whatever, my seat is AMAZING and the energy in the stadium is off the charts. If you’ve never been to a Liberty game before, allow me to introduce you to Ellie, aka Big Ellie, the Liberty mascot. Let me tell you, this fabulous twerking elephant is just as thrilling as any buzzer-beater. She has a long clip-on braid that she whips around while she dances, but even the way she just struts across the court is mesmerizing. She even makes house calls–meaning she’ll get up in the stands and twerk on people. The Liberty also have a dance group for those over 40 (!!!) called the Timeless Torches (which until this year, my boyfriend thought was just a 30 Rock joke and not actually real), who did a dance routine to “I Hope I Get It” from A Chorus Line. No remix or anything! Between Ellie, the Torches, and the actual basketball team that’s kicking ass this year, Liberty games are no question THE place to be in Brooklyn.

*A Q Mixer paloma that’s shockingly pretty good!*

The Bartender: Okay, enough of me waxing poetic about the Liberty. I decide to stop by a Q Mixer kiosk on my way to my seat because they seem to be making actual cocktails and have a pretty short line. There are two bartenders, and they’re using jiggers to measure, but they are absolutely not respecting the laws of physics. (I do love that these bartenders seem to be known by name by some fans. The guy behind me in line says, “‘ey Lainie, I was hopin’ I’d find ya here!”)

The Drank: There are some “top shelf” spirits behind the bartenders, but it’s unclear as to what they’re for because there seem to be two choices: a vodka mule or a tequila paloma (both with Q mixers, of course). I choose the paloma, and it’s actually not bad! It’s not too sweet, not too sour, not cloyingly artificial tasting. It is, however, like $25. At halftime, I get my obligatory sports-game-beer, a tall boy Modelo, which also costs too much money.

Was I Hit On?: So my dream in coming to a Liberty game by myself is that I would make some fun new lady sports friends. To my dismay, I am surrounded by a lot of dudes in section 12. But I get to talking to the couple to my right, Jake and Molly, who live around the corner and are season ticket holders. Jake tells me that there’s always someone different sitting in my seat, row 12 seat 9, like a constant rotation of guest stars. Then it occurs to me. THAT’S why all the folks in my section are talking to each other like they know each other–because they do! They’re all season ticket holders and these have been their seats for the entire season. Season ticket holders are the regulars at this bar. And now I want to be a regular at this bar!!

Should You Drink Here Alone?: Absolutely yes. My ticket cost, like, a hundred bucks and I was basically courtside, and that only happened because I came alone. And the thing is, at a Liberty game, you are never actually alone, because there are 17,000 other people cheering for the same team. (And the Liberty won 88-84, so the stadium went nuts.) Certainly because it’s the WNBA, there are more women than there would be otherwise, and it feels like a safe, fun space to celebrate women’s sports. But for me, there’s something about seeing big burly dudes wearing jerseys with women’s names on them and doing the Ellie Wave that will never get old.

Update! On October 6, The Liberty beat the Aces 3-1, so after defeating the defending champs, they’re off to the finals for the second year in a row!! LET’S GO LIBERTY LET’S GO!