In a strange coincidence, the Presidential Inauguration/Martin Luther King Jr. Day long weekend will also promote something quite opposed to public service—binge drinking.

Well, not necessarily, but over 150 District bars will be open for extended debauchery starting tonight until Tuesday, Jan. 22. The D.C. council approved later last calls for certain bars last summer as way to generate easy tax revenue for the District government during the period of inauguration festivities. The later closings are estimated to rake in $750,000 for the local government.

Not all bars are eligible to stay open, however: Only 154 have been cleared to serve liquor till the wee hours of the morning and only so long as they serve food until 2 a.m.

Recent graduate of Howard University’s math department  Roland Carter, now working as a Data Analyst at Friends of Choice in Urban Schools, produced a nifty interactive map detailing where the select establishments are and how far they are from the nearest Metro station. You can filter by Metro line, quadrant, and neighborhood.

Other than that, after the jump are Vox‘s choices for where to head to take advantage of later bar hours. Most Georgetown favorites—Tombs, Rhino, and McFadden’s (I guess?)—aren’t on the list. Take it as an opportunity to try some new places. Read the rest of this entry »

Did you really think we were done posting about college rankings?

In recent news, this week BroBible ranked the 100 best college bars in the nation, with The Tombs at 90th place and Rhino Bar and Pumphouse going for the win in fourth place. According to BroBible, Georgetown is the place to go for “popped collars, shots, and ballers.”

The website attributes Georgetown’s poppin’ Rhino scene to the lack of Greek life.

“Despite being an undeniable Bro haven, Georgetown does not have any “official” Greek life presence. This means that Hoya nation’s finest often take their talents to the corner of 33rd and M St., a place filled with a cataclysmic combination of Northeastern Prep, Mid-Atlantic lax swag, and a constant flow of liquor mixed with maxed out credit card tabs,” the description reads. “The upstairs–which often features the finest talent from Georgetown as well as GW–is an unrelenting cave of darkness whose flair for the sloppy make-out is second to none.”

In the past, the website has documented the Hoya basketball team’s brawl in China as well as the Harbin 9 DMT lab.

The Tombs received a slightly less dazzling review.

“The bar hosts highly popular Trivia Nights, which for a school known for training future government leaders, is probably the furthest possible thing from politically correct.”

Though we have yet again been stereotyped as a lax bro-filled, preppy university with guys and gals freely swiping our parent’s credit cards, it can’t come as a huge surprise that Rhino has stolen a spot in the heart of BroBible.

“Douchey” is a adjective that gets thrown around a lot in D.C.—it is, after all, chock full of politicians. But as we all know, that designation doesn’t confine itself to the Hill, and, in many cases, a person’s douche score will automatically increase whenever he or she enters an establishment where alcohol is sold. Complex quantified this phenomenon last week, when it released a list of the “25 Douchiest Bars in D.C.”

Spoiler alert: The gold medal went to McFadden’s. It was a landslide, this place is the Usain Bolt of douchey bars.

But don’t fret, Georgetown. Just because a place mostly frequented by tools from GW took #1, that doesn’t mean Georgetown didn’t get some love, too. The bronze medal went to Smith Point, that tiny place on Wisconsin that you’d never guess was ridiculously exclusive. George snagged #8, with Complex stereotypically suggesting that the requested attire is “the proper polo, salmon pants, and the appropriate loafer.” And, no surprise at all, our very own Rhino Bar and Pumphouse snagged a respectable #16. Here’s a snippet of their stunningly accurate description:

This is the type of place where you’ll find some unfortunate soul doubled over in a puddle of his own puke and tears (and possibly urine) after his team takes a Saturday L. As far as sports bars go, this is the place where dreams go to die. Like any stinking pit of bodies, it gives off that unclean feeling, like you’ll have to soak your hands in sanitizer for an hour afterwards—even if you didn’t touch anything.

Soak your hands? Try your entire body.

In response to this list, Brightest Young Things defended the cred of our city with a list of their own, which ran down the District’s least douchey watering holes. Not a single Georgetown bar made this list, despite BYT‘s accusation that Complex‘s list reaffirmed the stereotype of the neighborhood being “too preppy and too Republican.” Better luck next time, Thirds.

But maybe the most interesting part of the list was the single overlap: The Black Cat’s Red Room made both. Complex called it “reminiscent of the gateway to hell that you’ll remember from the original Amityville Horror,” while BYT hailed it as “a casual, cover-free destination when bar hopping along the spine of 14th Street.”

In a unanimous vote at last night’s ANC2E meeting, Georgetown neighborhood leaders quashed an proposal for later bar hours during three-day holiday weekends. There are 19 three-day weekends, and the hours would be extended till 4 a.m. The idea was part of Council Chairman Kwame Brown‘s effort to raise $1.5 million in the District budget.

Budget balancing through later bar hours was, unsurprisingly, not a hit with the neighbors. Commissioner Bill Starrels headed the resolution. The commission voted against the proposal for several reasons. The bars would close after Metro hours, encouraging people to drink and drive. Another reason cited by Cookie Cruse, CAG’s spokesperson on alcohol, was that foot traffic may strain police resources by “encouraging street crime,” according to the Georgetown Dish.

If you were hoping to stay up till 4:00 a.m. singing your last rendition of “Working Class Hero” by John Lennon on Labor Day at Mr. Smith’s, well, get over it, pack up, and go home.

Via Georgetown Dish

Below, we’ve republished Juliana Brint’s August 2009 post about “all the various vices you might be interested in engaging in during college: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking.” And here’s our disclaimer: Vox isn’t endorsing any of these activities. (And most of the advice and information came from outside sources.)

Alcohol

Georgetown is definitely a drinking school, and on weekends you can almost always find a party somewhere on or near campus. When going out, there’s no quicker way to be identified as a somewhat obnoxious freshman than to travel with the entirety of your floor. It’s also seen as particularly poor form to crash a party, drain the booze and leave.

At Georgetown, people generally don’t charge guests admittance to parties (a fact that will doubtlessly shock your friends who visit). However, if you find kindly upperclassmen who frequently supply you with liquor, it’s generally a good idea to reimburse them.

If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, you have plenty of nearby options. Here’s the run-down:

• Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
• Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and you really can’t beat it for convenience.
• Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
• Rhino (3295 M Street): Sketchy and crowded on weekends, but sells good wings
• Smith Point (1338 Wisconsin Avenue): Bastion of prep that prides itself on having a guest list; Late Night Shots central.
• Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
• Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and almost exclusively for students, but also the strictest with IDs.

How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer, but generally avoid trying your fake at Smith Point, Third Edition and Tombs.

If you’re looking to procure your own spirits, the best bets are Towne (1326 Wisconsin Avenue), Wagner’s (1717 Wisconsin Avenue) and Dixie (3429 M Street; but don’t even think about using a fake at Dixie). Wisey‘s also sells beer and wine.

If you’re tired of jostling at the bar for a watered-down rum and coke or an overpriced draft beer, Booey’s is also a good bet. Its pitchers are among the cheapest around, and it is open until midnight.
Read the rest of this entry »

Last night’s Advisory Neighborhood meeting was pretty long for my taste. Discussion included streetcars and the ANC’s preference for having them built without overhead wires and without dedicating an entire lane of traffic to their operation—but aside from that, (and streetcars aren’t even coming to Georgetown until after an environmental review that will start in 2012 or 2013) there wasn’t much more to it, as far as Georgetown students are concerned, than extended bar and restaurant hours and public safety improvements. Here’s the wrap:

Dining in the wee small hours of the morning

What’s that old saying? When the mice are away, the Advisory Neighborhood Catmissioners will unanimously pass a resolution that allows every bar in Georgetown to seek permission to start serving alcohol at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday for the entire month that the FIFA World Cup is taking place, with less than five minutes of discussion … and will play?

Something like that. But that’s pretty long for an aphorism, so let me break it down a little further.

At last night’s ANC meeting, commissioners responded to a bill passed by the D.C. City Council that will allow D.C. bars to seek exemptions to open at 7 a.m. from June 11 – July 11 for the World Cup.

Bars still need permission from their respective ANCs to seek an exemption from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, however, and Vox‘s guess is that if Georgetown University was still chock full of students, this would have been a serious issue.

But like we said, there was only about five minutes of mild discussion. Under D.C. law, bars can start serving at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at 10 a.m. on Sunday, but few Georgetown bars are actually licensed to open that early. The ANC resolution will not only allow bars to seek exemptions from ABRA  to open at 7 a.m. but also to serve alcohol during the revised hours for the entire month of the World Cup, provided they serve food and open their outdoor seating areas at their normal hours only. (In one of our favorite parts of the meeting, commissioners wondered why bars had to open so early for the World Cup. Student Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL ’11) explained that it’s because the World Cup was being held in South Africa this year).

Read the rest of this entry »

Georgetown student Taylor Price is suing M Street bar Mr. Smith’s for discrimination, according to ABC 7 News.

Price, who has been in a wheelchair for five years after a swimming accident, claims he was discriminated against when he was at the bar with some friends on January 23, 2009.

According to ABC 7 News:

“I was told by the manager that the bar was too crowded and that I was a fire hazard and I was not allowed to go to the back of the bar,” [Price] said. “I just could not believe that someone would say that to me. All I wanted to do is enjoy the evening with my friends.”

And according to Price, that’s not all the manager said. “He pointed to the corner and told me that if I wished to remain at the bar that I would have to sit in the corner,” he said.

The manager of Mr. Smith’s had no comment on the lawsuit, according to ABC 7 News.

Oh, Tombs, you give love a bad name…

The rumors are true—Tombs will indeed be discontinuing their Wednesday 80s Night. According to the Tombs’ Executive Manager Ken Siegrist, attendance at 80s Night was lower than it had been in past years and, with a crop of freshman who can’t claim to be made in the 80s, they’re going to be introducing a new entertainment night.

Siegrist said that 90s Night has started to take off, but they have not yet determined a replacement theme for 80s Night. They will be having “focus groups” with customers and staff members to work out a good substitute.

You may not notice it, but you pass it every time you ride the GUTS bus to Dupont Circle. The mere existence of that free lift (and the three nearby bus routes that run past the university) make ignoring this bar pure foolishness.

The Brickskeller, located at 22nd and P St., carries a wider variety of beers than you could possibly imagine. Some are expensive, some are not. Either way, it’s a chance to experiment with new brews from a vast array of countries (from Venezuela to Sri Lanka).

The atmosphere of the bar is acceptable, though the music playing on the jukebox is really hit or miss. Seating is ample. Try the Gouden Caroulis Tripel, it’s worth your time and certainly easier than flipping through their dozen-page beer menu.

Posted by Austin Richardson, Blog Editor