May 11, 2005
Ask DCist: Where Should an Intern Hang Out?
(DCist would like to take a moment to introduce one of our summer interns, Lindsay. Lindsay is a University of Maryland journalism major who is spending her summer interning for a new political comedy radio show End of Politics (think Daily Show). She also spends time in the local stand-up comedy circuit. Look for her posts on intern highlights and general around town bits and pieces this summer... well, if she can find time to write in between sprinting coffees around town to us contributors as we blog in our pajamas in our bedrooms and whatnot.)
Dear DCist,
I have a new roommate who's coming to stay with me while he interns on the Hill for the summer. He only knows one person in the area, and this gets me wondering: are there places around town that are known for being intern hangouts (bars/restaurants/coffee shops)? He's 21, so going out for after-work drinks is a possibility . . .
Thanks for the tip,
Audrey
As one of the new interns, this DCist has also been on the lookout for some fun places to hang out in the district this summer. We've found that Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle and Georgetown neighborhoods usually attract a younger crowd because of their their proximity to George Washington University and Georgetown University. Also, the Hill attracts hordes of interns, tempted by the siren call of cheap beer within walking distance from Congress. Tell your roommate to start by checking out the following places.
Soho Tea & Coffee is a a cozy hangout spot that offers lots of delicious non-alcoholic beverages, sandwiches and desserts. They have free wireless, a terminal for email, and a 5 percent discount for students with a college ID. Monday nights are the most popular, featuring a comedy open mic night with a mix of local comics and the occasional big name stopping in after a show at the DC Improv. Soho is located at 2150 P St. NW,(202) 463-7646.
Lulu’s Club Mardi Gras is a fixture in the intern universe. This New Orleans-themed bar has food, a large dance floor, plenty of happy hour specials and theme nights. Friday is Campus Club Area School Party night with drink specials for college students until 3 a.m. Events like this one also make Lulu’s a crowd favorite for college males in the D.C. area. Lulu's is located at 1217 22nd St. NW, (202) 861-LULU.
Platinum Nightclub is one of the most frequented clubs among the college-aged crowd. Thursdays are college nights hosted by HOT 99.5 FM and are free with a college ID until 11 p.m. Fridays are ladies’ nights, so while your roommate will have to pay to get in, he’ll definitely find himself surrounded by a lot of women. Platinum is located at 915 F St. NW, (202) 393-3555.
As a Hill intern, your roommate will no doubt spend some time on the Pennsylvania Avenue strip on Capitol Hill, home to such bars as Capitol Lounge, The Pour House, and Hawk 'n' Dove. In the summer you can't walk into one of these spots on a weekday night without bumping into an intern still wearing their security badge. Happy Hour specials are ubiquitous, with specifics changing from day to day. Be sure to advise him that he should keep shop talk to a minimum -- it may be interesting at first, but by summer's end talking about the intricacies of letter opening gets old. The bars are in walking distance from the House and Senate office buildings or can be reached via the Capitol South Metro station.
Now Audrey, chances are that while your roommate may be eager to go out and have fun in DC, he probably won’t want to go out alone. Ask yourself these questions: Is my roommate attractive? Is he straight? Is he single? If the answers are yes, show him this DCist's picture (left) and hook it up! Favor for a favor...that’s fair, right?
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Lulu's is a terrible recommendation. Cheap beer goes hand in hand with its sleazy clientele. NEVER GO TO LULU'S (if you have any self respect that is).
"NEVER GO TO LULU'S (if you have any self respect that is)"
That caveat means that you're preaching to the choir. Lulu's will remain packed.
A better option for the college-age crowd is McFadden's, right by Lulu's.
I will whoreheartedly second the Lulu's as a lousy selection idea. As someone who lives a few blocks away from Lulu's, I will loudly declare my hatred of that bar. The GWU students who pollute it have no concept of basic civility, like not running down 22nd St screaming at 3am, or not knocking over newspaper boxes, or not smashing my girlfriend's windshield. Lulu's is a cesspit.
Trying to re-create Bourbon Street on M Street is just a bad idea. Lulus, thumbs down.
Yes go to McFadden's! Go to Lulu's! And while you're at it, go to The Front Page and Tequila Grill too. That way the rest of us can drink in intern-free bliss!
To echo Adam's general sentiment: Lulus? WTF? Did an intern kill your pet or something?
With the exception of swing dancing on Wednesdays, Lulu's is the sort of place that can actually make Rumors seem upscale and classy.
Interning offers so many opportunities for demeaning humuliation at a scale that rocks your faith in humanity. Why put this final nail in the coffin?
I'm also not so sure Platinum is a stellar idea either, unless they aren't getting enough random groping on the hill. Better ideas: 18th Street Lounge, Saint Ex, Red after 1:30am on Fri or Sat (or earlier Sunday). Or if they really must get silly and not proud (but not entirely skeevy) dancing in, there's Heaven & Hell for 80s night Thursdays.
C'mon, Lauren, I bet you were 21 once. Interns need love too.
dude, you seriously recommended the WORST places in DC to go hang out. I'd personally recommend Saint Ex, Pharmacy Bar (good mixed crowd and great jukebox), and the Big Hunt.
are any of you kidding me? the minute a horde of interns showed up at saint ex or any of the places you actually enjoyed hanging out in, you'd be in a seriously pissy mood. the places lindsay recommend might not be where everybody wants to hang out, but for interns looking for cheap beer and to meet other interns, they're perfectly fine.
Whoah whoah whoah. Whoah. Don't be sending 21 yo Hill rats to St. Ex or Pharmacy. That's sacred ground, upon which interns and other college DBs shall not tread. I'm with Lauren, keep them out of our bars. Besides, Lulu's, Rumors, McFadden's et al. are made for people like college students and interns. They'll love it there. And if they absolutely *have* to come to Adams Morgan, then send them to Millie and Al's or the Angry Inch.
The question asked "where do interns hang out?" More specifically, "places known as intern hangouts." The answer stated exactly where the interns hang out.
Now, no one said that our summer intern coverage is not going to include alternative suggestions to the above. This is an intern answer from an intern perspective in May...things change over the summer as the city gets explored. Jaded 27 year olds get a grip, we will answer your bar questions another day. BTW, anyone been to the new place in Arlington called The 11th Hour yet?
Interns should take note that U Street was recently shut down entirely. Capitol Hill, I hear, is open for business.
Kriston, this is true. However, interns be warned: there's some sort of weird energy barrier that seems to be blocking the entrance to Barracks Row, and that one little bar across the street from Eastern Market is infested with the Plague.
Where is this new bar in Arlington, called the 11th hour?
It was a few years ago that I worked with summer conferences and interns, but I remember they often went to Tequila Grill. Mainly because most of the interns were underage.
If this is still a hangout, by all means head right over.
Interns:
I'm pretty sure Kriston is correct; the entire U Street corridor closed for the summer. Don't bother checking though, just take his word for it.
Wonderland has shut down too (here that Virginia??)
I haven't actually "seen" The 11th hour...but apparently it is at Washington (ish) and 11th St. I was told it was skinny so it might not be a huge storefront. I know a few people who have stopped by and said it was like a nice local bar. A little divey, not too much. Don't know specials and such. I need to check it out. Arlington needs a few more with all the stupid high rises going up.
As a reprentative of the Jaded 27 Year Old Delegation, we are willing to concede T. S. Muttley's in Adams Morgan to the Intern Army. It really is the coolest bar in Adams Morgan. Honest.
I have bad news: in case you hadn't noticed, the White Hat Frat Dude Brigades invaded Adam's Morgan a long time ago. Take note of the 2:30am brawls one can see any Friday or Saturday night in front of the pizza joints as evidence.
Some say the last time a Hill intern went into Tonic, they were never heard from again...
Cute male interns should check out Omega or Windows. I bet you'll even get a free drink (or five).
okay okay, my bad for suggesting the tasteful places....it was just in the hopes that the interns would see a cool place and reform their evil interney ways.
i *think* it's called eleventh street. i was there once a few months back, and it had a nice atmosphere - low lights, deep red walls, kinda lounge-y. i liked it.
Pharmacy Bar? St. Ex? Soooo 2003. I only go to bars that haven't even opened yet. That's how fucking cool I am.
Hey, now! These are just my suggestions... Cheap places to get your drink on. Correct me if I'm wrong, but most people my age prefer a cheap drink and fun atmosphere over a "classy" and overpriced cocktail lounge...The places I listed are ones to meet people in the same age range...if anyone has any other ideas, let me know! I could always expand my horizons and go to a different bar!
If you're a beer nerd, the Brickskeller is a dream come true. Just don't bother sitting upstairs: it's hot, smokey, loud, and impossible to get service. The downstairs bar is ideal, but general seating isn't too bad, either.
Eleventh Street
It's right across the "street" from Mr. Days (another intern hotspot) next to the Post Office (the little tiny one, not the big one under constructon). It's really hard to find since its so small and overshadowed by Clarendon Grill. Very nice.
Ahh, 11th Street, not 11th Hour. I went there several months ago and found it to be pretty bad. The decor was cool, yes, but the music (at least that night) didn't match it at all. They were supposedly (according to the review I read in the post) looking for a Manhattan-esque neighborhood bar feel, but I didn't get that at all. It just felt like a Whitlows or Clarendon Grill or some other bad khaki-infested bar. In addition, the bourbon and Coke I bought there was weak and expensive. Alas, Arlington seems to only have 3 bars worth going to - Dremos, Iota, and Galaxy Hut. Oh, there is a fourth, the Cinema and Drafthouse is great.
Too bad Dremo's will likely be closing this winter.
a better option is to tie them all together and drop them in the river, rather than clog our bars and restaurants.
Frontpage on a Thursday, buckets of beer and free tacos
What's the deal on Dremo's, Neil? Are they planning to put another hole in the roof or something?
Apparently their landlord has already sold the land to a condominium developer who wants to build a 10 story (I think that was the height) high-rise on that land and the adjacent land currently occupied by the Taco Bell parking lot. Dremo's lease ends in December. The owner is apparently already looking for a place to move to, but the real estate on this side of the river is, of course, hard to come by. The last I heard, they were looking at a building formerly occupied by a Friendly's on Lee Hwy. I don't think it will work so well. Dremo's is awesome because it is one of 3 dive bars on the Orange line. Move it far away from the Metro stations and density, and you will have a completely different clientele.
I think you might have just ruined my evening, Neil. While Dremo's is a shadow of its former Bardo Rodeo self, it's still one of my favorite bars ever.*
*which has nothing to do with the fact that they employ one of the hottest bartenders ever, btw.
Rumors!? I can't remember it during the summer ... but during the rest of the year at least, Rumors is definitely not for actual interns. Rumors is for 29 year olds who want to relive their glory summers by dancing on a biazzre deck to bad music.
Becca, 11th Street was OK but overpriced and too much Mister Days overflow. Neil's comment about Dremo's is sad but true -- December's the apparent closing month. Go play free pool during happy hour and drink pitchers of Purple Haze while you can. Sadly, the other great dive in Arlington, Joseph's, has given way to yet another Irish pub, Kitty O'Shea's on Wilson.