Life

Thursday, March 23, 2023

FROM NIGHTLIFE PAGE 5

Despite the reputation of having more expensive drinks, the cost of drinks at Brock’s is almost identical to Jay’s and doesn’t include an automatic gratuity charge. However, with a bar this large, there is a wider variety of clientele. As a young woman, it is seemingly impossible to move around Brock’s without having to combat creepy comments made by older men who live in town, which is seen as a major turnoff to many—as it should be. Although a variety of people can be positive, it can be stressful having to worry about whether or not somebody’s grandpa is going to make a comment about your low-cut top. The bar also attracts a sizable military crowd, and as much as I respect those who serve our country, I’m not going out with my friends to serve as their entertainment for the night as they tail me walking around the bar.

“Many of the townies try to get too handsy not only with me but my friends,” said senior biomedical sciences major Michela Attianese.

In addition, some of the fellow bargoers seem to lack social cues and knowledge of how to exist in a public setting, as well as normal conversation skills. “I have seen a lady that was high on some type of drug partake in sexual activities with a man at the bar and then proceeded to tell me she built all of Fredericksburg and forced me to put her number in my phone because she said she wanted to hire me,” said Attianese.

Honorable Mentions

Despite the seemingly endless and redundant routine of visiting the same bar until the student body is either deterred by drama that occurred there, rising prices or looking for a change, there are other bars in the area that can offer a reprieve from the chaos of the aforementioned spots. Many of these other bars seem to be used as pre-gaming locations, where students have a few drinks before heading to their final destination, which tends to be Brock’s or Jay’s. From belting out T-Swift at Fork N’ Biscuit, dancing to live music at Billiken’s Smokehouse or enjoying the rooftop bar at Castiglia’s Italian Restaurant during the warmer months, it seems the only variety this school leans towards is where their first few drinks come from. These pre-game spots are not open as late as Jay’s and Brock’s, which has proven to be one of the main reasons they do not gain as much traction, hence why I’ve shunned them to the honorable mentions category.

Finally, the place where few dare to venture: Spirits American Bar and Grill. Admittingly, many of us have stumbled up the bar’s uneven, creaky stairs once or twice following a long night out. However, despite the layout that would seem to be enticing to a younger crowd, the bar seems to bring in a more eccentric crowd of strange townies, which has proven to be a turnoff to college kids.