Photo by Alan Zilberman.
By DCist contributor Alan Zilberman
Just in terms of eating and drinking establishments, the H Street corridor has changed a lot over the last several years. The Palace of Wonders is now Vendetta, an Italian Restaurant with a bocce court. Several food trucks now have brick and mortar locations nearby, and the abundance of street lights mean that drunken idiots now feel safe enough to walk the streets. But after all the fads that come through the neighborhood, The Pug is the neighborhood stalwart. Devoid of pretense, this is the sort of place to grab a few or watch the game — no more, no less — which is exactly what the owners want. The Pug has been around for a while, and given the proliferation of graffiti, its bathroom has experienced genuine entropy.
+4 for functional locks: Aside from the door lock, which provides only a modicum of comfort, the bathroom at The Pug offers a functional sliding bolt. Since the bathroom is deep in the bowels of the bar, far from the bartenders, it is easy for a frustrated drunk to bang against the bathroom door, demanding a chance to evacuate him or herself. In a place where the shots are plentiful, some extra security is always welcome.
-2 for nostalgia: Back around 2007 or so, The Pug’s bathroom was my favorite bar bathroom in D.C. The main reason for this was because the men’s room had a giant print of Marilyn Monroe bench pressing. It is the rare photo that’s both sexy and empowering, which made it a welcome choice in a bathroom that has a boxing theme (of sorts). The bathroom has fallen into disarray, with tags and graffiti everywhere, so the former oasis is a husk of its former self.
+1 for references to good movies: I may have to plead ignorance on this one, but it indiscreetly reads, “Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends” on the wall in The Pug. While I’m sure it’s an old saying, the line reminds me of The 25th Hour, one of my favorite Spike Lee films. There’s also a poster for Raging Bull resting against the wall. Since I review movies when I’m not reviewing bar bathrooms, I take comfort in bar owners and taggers who have good taste.
-2 for annoying an annoying paper towel sensor: Look, it’s not rocket science, bar owners: no one likes to shake their hands at a hand sensor like an idiot. It leaves us, bathroom patrons, feeling like an incompetent idiot. Please stick to high-powered hand driers or a stack of paper towels, please. I’m not a germaphobe, I know I need to touch things in order to use a bathrooms. I can take a hand-crank for a paper towel dispenser.
+3 for enough toilet paper in case of the apocalypse: There are dozens of toilet paper rolls for the ready. There is so much toilet paper that I could use an entire roll to wipe in one sitting, which is rarely necessary, and have plenty left over. Clearly the bathroom also doubles as a storage closet, and I appreciate having a complete picture of the necessary supplies. While The Pug does not have an abundant food supply, it’s one of the better places to hunker down in the case of a cataclysm.
Overall score: +4. Even with all the graffiti, the bathroom of The Pug is welcoming and retains some of its character. I just wish we could all be so civilized that the Marilyn poster could return without fear of it being vandalized.
