It’s June. Except for the summer melt, most admission decisions are done, summer plans made and few rising seniors have yet to start their personal essays (though they should!) . I found myself remembering the fun off campus places we hung out at in college. Our favorite was called Pizzatown (long gone now). What what’s your favorite off campus haunt and why? What about your kids? Younger son went to Frenchman St in New Orleans but when we were in town he wanted us to take him to Dante’s (now closed) or Brightsen’s. What are your favorite memories or current off campus favorites ?
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Fun thread!
My college haunt was called Dunbar’s. A total dive bar in our college town where we would get together with friends on Wednesdays for “group therapy” - a pitcher of beer and shots for the table for $5. And popcorn. We would play cards or dice games in the built in booth by the window. By my senior year I was living next door to the bar so it was an easy commute ; )
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When folks came to visit my DD at Santa Clara, they often took her to Su’s…which I don’t think is open any longer.
My favorite thing NOW is hanging out at my lake…it’s quiet and pretty. And both of our kids enjoyed that during their summers at home during college.
I spent a summer on campus as a student once summer…but I didn’t have time to enjoy any special places. I was either in class or working one of three jobs I had. But I will say…when I had time, I had friends with cars and we would drive into the countryside…which was beautiful.
I met DH in college. Our favorite place was an old-fashioned candy/sandwich counter just off the Michigan Diag called Drake’s (no longer there). I cut hair for pocket money, $5 a pop, and that was enough for a night on the town – .75 cents for a movie at the Cinema Guild followed by two cups of Early Grey tea and a shared cinnamon bun at Drake’s. Those were the best times. The other favorite was disco dancing at The Blue Frogge. The 70’s were a blast.
DS attended “college” in an isolated fort on a dogleg on the Hudson known as “The Gray Prison.” The road onto the post has a McDonald’s, a bank, and a couple of very bad restaurants. Off-campus to cadets means NYC. He went once.
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Drake’s – hot chocolate with those delicate wafer cookies they’d add in the side was my favorite place to be on a cold day.
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In Boulder the cool place was The Sink a bar/sandwich place on the Hill.
The Sink, a historic restaurant and bar in Boulder, Colorado, has hosted numerous famous guests. Its most notable visitor is President Barack Obama, who famously stopped by for pizza in 2012. Other celebrated figures include actor Robert Redford (who worked there as a janitor in 1955), Anthony Bourdain, and Guy Fieri. [1, 2, 3]
A wide variety of celebrities, athletes, and public figures have dined at the legendary establishment, leaving their signatures on the walls. Prominent visitors include: [1, 2]
- Actors: Dan Aykroyd, Jake Johnson, and Damon Wayans Jr.
- Athletes: Bill Walton, Rashaan Salaam, and Knowshon Moreno
- Food & Media Personalities: Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert, and Guy Fieri
- Political & Historical Figures: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Tony Mendez, the CIA officer depicted in the film Argo
- Musicians: Dave Matthews [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Honestly, I’ve been there more as an alum than as a student as it was kind of expensive for my poor student budget.
Another place was the Dark Horse, which just closed after 50 years (but will reopen at a new location). I could only go there during the day as it was a very popular bar at night, with a very very strict ID policy (known to confiscate the fake ones). I didn’t turn 21 until after I graduated.
The Catacombs at the Boulderado Hotel, for $2 Bahama Mama night.
The 3.2 bars (beer bars for 18+), where I went most often (Round the Corner hamburgers) closed when they raise the drinking age to 21.
Now I’m more likely to have lunch at Chautauqua where there is a lovely porch to sit on and enjoy the breeze.
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I went to school in a very blue collar town (birthplace of unionism in the U.S.). There were lots of hole in the wall bars, and the KA was my favorite. Fortunately, if you met me now, you’d probably never figure that I spent so many nights in bars in my youth. Honestly, though, there wasn’t anything else to do in town.
D went to school in Nashville, and she hung out where the singer/songwriters hung out. Cannery Ballroom was her favorite spot. The Ten out of Tenn collective played there, and D met lots of unsigned musicians that she showcased on the radio show she had while in school.
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We would go to Father’s IV, especially on dollar pitcher nights. I was mostly broke in college.
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We’d go to the coffee houses near town. Sometimes they’d have a student musician playing. We’d also go to concerts and movies connected to campus for cheap. We were all poor so did things that were very low cost. There was a bowling alley in the student union which had pretty reasonable prices too. We’d sometimes get a pizza we could all split or go to Denny’s on Sunday when dorm didn’t serve dinner.
I was lucky as I often had a BF with a car.
I spent my first 2.5 years of college living at home along with the rest of my friends. Not conducive to a real college social life.
Then I transferred and lived in an old coed dorm meant to house transfers or upperclassmen. Most of the first floor was a huge lounge with couches, a pool table, arcade games, TV area, etc. I practically lived there. That’s where everyone went to socialize and to find people to do things with.
That was my only really fun year of college and my grades reflected that. My required summer field camp was also fun.
Sadly, my roommate bamboozled her mother who was working in Saudi Arabia. Talked her into paying for an apt and my roomie only asked that I pay $100/month rent. I couldn’t afford to say no. She got a boyfriend and my social life went kaput.
At least my major was very small and we all knew each other. So going to class was somewhat of a social event.
The famous place to go on my campus was Eskimo Joes. Yet I didn’t go once in three years. I frequented “The Strip” when I lived in the dorm. There was no liquor by the drink in my state except in private clubs, so clubs handed you a card when you walked in and you were a member. I remember dancing my heart out to Big Country, A Flock of Seagulls, Tainted Love, etc. Lots of great music in that era.
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And then walk around the corner to the original Border’s bookstore, my favorite place to be on a rainy day. Good times. (And Go Blue!)
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We used to go to Monty’s Den if we had a few dollars which was the on campus bar that had cheap pitchers of beer. Otherwise my friends and I mostly went to the frat parties since they always let the girls in and it was free beer. Many of the frats had live bands on the weekends and we loved to dance. We also used to go to an El Torito restaurant not too far from campus for happy hour. Back in the early 80’s we would buy a $1 dollar beer and eat the free food!
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Oops
There was a bar a mile or 2 away which was the place to be “seen” on Thursday night. In the late ‘70’s I used to go with a dollar in my pocket -beers were 45 cents each and a phone call ( if I needed a ride) was a dime. So 2 beers and a phone call. Guys usually bought us more beers.
Friday nights were frat parties, Saturday night was date night.
As for my kids, I have no idea.
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A popular place was Gay 90s. A pizza parlor whose claim to fame is cashews on the pizza and being the inspiration for the TV show Cheers! 
The creators of the show were regulars there during their college days. Sadly it closed a while back, so no going there on reunion weekends.