Yesterday, I was lucky enough to catch legendary Seattle band, Mudhoney at a favorite New York venue, the Bowery Ballroom. My girlfriend managed to score tickets so our name was added to the guest list. Now a bit of background is helpful here. We’re both habitual early birds and nervous nellies to boot. This means, despite the show starting at 8pm (which means 9), we wanted to make sure our names were indeed on the guest list. We caught the train right away and ended up in Manhattan with 2 hours to spare.

With plenty of time, it made sense to get a quick bite. We skipped our planned stop of Delancey and instead chose 2nd avenue. Practically right outside of the 1st avenue exit, is the Tuck Shop. They’re one of the few places making Aussie/New Zealand style savory pies in New York. Additionally, they make incredible baked sausage and veggie rolls. I sat down for a sausage roll and had the good fortune to be given a second one for free. They’re loaded with sausage, sage and garlic and are perfect for snacking. Always on hand are sweet and sour as well as sriracha sauces. They get bonus points for having a totally open kitchen – something to be said for being able to see how clean the place is.

Satiated, we still had an hour and forty five minutes to kill. We meandered in the direction of the venue and caught an amazing happy hour at Local 138, located appropriately at 138 Ludlow. $3 drinks and nice bartender? Yes, please. Finally we made it to the venue where Mudhoney put on another excellent show featuring fan favorites like Hate the Police, Blinding Sun and of course Touch Me I’m Sick. We ended the night, with Punjabi Deli to go. All in all, it was a great night.