The Districts

Zizkov · BluntZizkov, third tab: the hill, the TV tower, and a pub with a crooked door.U Krive Pumpy pours a lager I'd rate a seven, and I'm a generous person.You ordered wrong. The word for what you should have said is 'tmave'. Argue.Tereza Novotna Sit down Vinohrady · WarmVinohrady, fourth tab: plane trees, high ceilings, and a workshop over the dentist.I drink at U Sedme Loutky, where the barman has a puppet's patience.Bring me something 'rozbite', broken, and I'll mend one of you.Blanka Hruba Sit down Smichov · DrySmichov, night shift: the line 22 shortcut, a locked depot and a view of nothing.My pub is U Posledni Zastavky, which stays open for drivers and the lost.Tell me where you're going. 'Kam' means where, and I'll check your answer.Zdenka Malikova Sit down Karlin · ProudKarlin, fifth tab: flood marks, glass kilns and a bridge nobody remembers crossing.U Zlute Hrudky is where I put my burnt hands on the cool zinc.Burns are stories. 'Sklo' is glass. Which story breaks first?Klara Dvorska Sit down Vinohrady · DryVinohrady again: my hands are steady, and my cello is not.I drink one glass at U Tichych Hodin, where the quiet costs extra.Prove you can sit still for a minute. 'Ticho' is quiet. Go.Vendula Pospisilova Sit down Mala Strana · TeasingMala Strana, sixth tab: cobbles, statues and thirty percent of the facts.I recommend U Ctyr Svicek, whose owner swears he saw a king sneeze.Pick a statue and I'll invent its grievance. 'Socha' is statue.Hana Kucerova Sit down Holesovice · WarmHolesovice, seventh tab: the old market halls, a river bend, a pub cellar with perfect acoustics.Our quartet plays at U Mene Hluku, on Thursdays, to nine people and a dog.I play the middle voice. Hum one and I'll find the harmony. 'Hlas' is voice.Marketa Svobodova Sit down Vysehrad · WarmVysehrad, eighth tab: the rock, the old walls, and a bakery that opens before the trams.I eat at U Peceneho Kralika, where the soup is served before the question.Sit. 'Chleba' is bread. Tell me when you last ate properly.Alena Benesova Sit down Dejvice · DryDejvice, ninth tab: white flats, straight lines and one crooked pub.U Rovne Cary has a level on the bar and a barman who checks it.I measure everything twice. 'Rovne' is straight. Where are you crooked?Dagmar Vlckova Sit down Zizkov · TeasingZizkov again: a tattoo studio over a launderette, napkins everywhere.U Cernych Rukou, where I sketch on the tablecloth and the owner frames it.Pick a bad decision and I'll draw it small. 'Chyba' is mistake.Eliska Horakova Sit down Nusle · DryNusle, tenth tab: a malt house, a plain loaf, and silence on purpose.I teach silent tastings at U Tiche Sladovny, where nobody speaks for the first sip.Judge a lager by what it doesn't say. 'Mlcet' is to stay silent. Try it.Jitka Marek Sit down Letna · BluntLetna, eleventh tab: a bookshop with a tea kettle behind the till.My pub is U Dvou Stran, which refuses to stock a best-seller.Tell me the last book you finished. 'Kniha' is book. I'll tell you who you are.Lenka Kolarova Sit down Smichov · TeasingSmichov, twelfth tab: dawn runs along the river and a gym with bad light.I refuel at U Pevneho Bodu, where protein is a rumour.Tell me where you're tight. 'Napeti' is tension. I'll find the knot, in conversation only.Radka Zemanova Sit down Letna · DryLetna, Thursday night: the pub court is in session, and the jury is drunk.U Spravedlivy Pene seats me at the head table, with a gavel made of a coaster.Bring a bet. 'Pari' is a bet. I'll bring a ruling and no mercy.Ivana Dolezalova Sit down Zizkov · TeasingZizkov, the tram loop: I count stops and sighs.After shift I stand in U Posledniho Zvonku with a lemonade, and nobody says anything.How many stops until you tell me what's wrong? 'Zastavka' is stop. Count.Sarka Vesela Sit down Liben · BluntLiben, thirteenth tab: a kitchen, a courtyard, a sour cherry tree.My pub is U Hrnce, where I'm not allowed behind the pass and I go anyway.Goulash is an argument. 'Gulas' is goulash. Say you're wrong, with your mouth full.Pavla Holubova Sit down Zizkov · WarmCopper kettle at six, foam at nine, forgiveness at closing.At U Krive Pumpy nobody asks your name until the second round.Say 'na zdravi' like you mean it, and tell me what you're toasting.Tereza Novotna Sit down Vinohrady · DryI restore what others throw away, which includes opinions.U Sedme Loutky has a stage the size of a tray and a clown with a grudge.Is it cheating to love a thing for its cracks? Discuss.Blanka Hruba Sit down Smichov · LateI know the shortest way out of anywhere.At U Posledni Zastavky the clock is five minutes slow, on purpose.Stay. The next tram is always the last one.Zdenka Malikova Sit down Karlin · WarmA paper bag of dumplings from the stall by the kiln, still warm.U Zlute Hrudky doesn't take sides.Share it, and tell me what you'd make if nothing could break.Klara Dvorska Sit down Nusle · ProudNusle, under the long bridge, where the wind arrives before the news.My pub is U Pomaleho Casu: slow beer, slower waiters, and I approve of both.Show me your hands. 'Ruka' is hand, and I have opinions.Vendula Pospisilova Sit down Mala Strana · WarmTrdelnik is for tourists, I say, with sugar on my sleeve.At U Ctyr Svicek they pretend not to know me, and I pretend to be foreign.Tell me where you're from, and I'll tell you what it never taught you.Hana Kucerova Sit down Holesovice · LateGingerbread after the last tune, and the bartender sweeps around my feet.U Mene Hluku keeps a viola-shaped stain on the wall.Tell me the sound of your street at midnight.Marketa Svobodova Sit down Vysehrad · DryRye, plum kolaches, sourdough older than my last argument.At U Peceneho Kralika they've never once let me pay.I'll settle it with you: what is the best thing you've eaten standing up?Alena Benesova Sit down Letna · TeasingLetna, from my balcony: a park, a metronome and a long view of other people's roofs.I drink at U Obratu, because a good building should end in a good pub.Name the ugliest building you love. No cheating.Dagmar Vlckova Sit down Zizkov · LateVinyl on the shop floor and a pet snake that approves of nobody.At U Cernych Rukou I owe the barman a drawing and a dignity.Tell me what you'd never get inked, and why you're looking at your arm.Eliska Horakova Sit down Nusle · ProudI come from Budweis and I'll say no more, and you'll be glad.At U Tiche Sladovny the bread is plain so the beer can talk.Which beer do you drink when no one's watching?Jitka Marek Sit down Letna · WarmSecondhand margins are the only honest reviews.At U Dvou Stran I read other people's pencil notes aloud, and the barman sighs.Leave me a note in the margin. What would it say?Lenka Kolarova Sit down Smichov · WarmHandball on Tuesdays, stairs on Wednesdays, forgiveness on Fridays.U Pevneho Bodu has a table by the radiator reserved for people who've run too far.What's tight in your week? Tell me one thing you can loosen.Radka Zemanova Sit down Letna · TeasingPoker for matchsticks, wagers in pencil margins, a ruling by midnight.At U Spravedlivy Pene I have never lost, and I check twice.Make me a bet I can't rule on.Ivana Dolezalova Sit down Zizkov · LateLast tram, back of the car, the bell still ringing in my ears.At U Posledniho Zvonku the owner gives trainees the table by the window.Say something I'll remember at the next stop.Sarka Vesela Sit down Liben · WarmLabelled soups in the cold room, each with a grudge and a date.At U Hrnce they accept my apologies in the form of empty plates.What's your plate-clearing apology? Tell me.Pavla Holubova Sit down