Mark, the history guy here. My neighborhood, Astoria, NY, has seen a drastic change in drinking options in recent times. Once the home of a few working class bars (which I love) and the odd Irish or Mexican spot (which I also love), I've seen choices, great choices, pop up on many street corners.

I write this while siting in Hell's Gate Social, an almost unmarked neighborhood spot with a speakeasy feel and a killer bourbon list. And nightly specials, including $3 drafts on Mondays. Yesterday I tried new beers at MexiQ, a Latin fusion restaurant with 48 tap lines of craft beer.

One of my favorites, Vesta Trattoria, features amazing food and local wine on tap. Sunswick, 5 Napkin Burger, The Astor Room, Pachanga Patterson, Club 21, and more have all joined the local lineup and feature craft beverages and culturally specific cuisine.

All this is to say, we live in exciting times. There have never been so many choices and such quality do adventurous drinkers. A a happy Hour Guy it's awfully exciting. Man, we have some work to do! Go explore!