Blog 18: A Weekend on Campus

Hammerhead's Inn is located just outside the parking lot of the University.  My freshman year, before I was old enough to drink, the Campus Bar was just a little hole in the wall.  Then, the owner decided to renovate the place, move in some flat screen TV's, and add the "Hammerhead's" moniker to the sign.

Hammerhead's can be live or dead at any given night, and any given time.  Sometimes, on weekend nights and game nights, it's packed with students and bar-hoppers to whom Hammerhead's is just a stop on the way somewhere else.  Other nights, it's dead and  me and my friends get the place to ourselves. Tonight, though, is a game night and a weekend night.  Hammerhead's is packed.

Domestic pints are $3.  Shots and mixed drinks are $4.  Top-shelf is $5.  Sharky's is cheaper than anywhere, except Long Island Ice Tea is $12.  The weeknight bartender thinks the owner is nuts- Applebees down the street sell LIT for $4 after 10.  The owner doesn't listen to this.  No one comes to Hammerhead's for LIT.

Tonight, I'm not paying.  My wealthy friend points to the top shelf, and says we'll do shots of whatever I like.  I look up there- there's several varieties of Patron, Black & Red Label, Hennessey, Cristal, and several other drinks.  Tonight, we drink shots of Patron.  A bottle of Patron Silver costs about $40, but tonight we pay half of that for the four of us.

Jaeger Bombs and Irish Car Bombs are $8.  We do a couple of those.  Jaeger's in the fridge and "bottom shelf," by the way.  It tastes like black liquorice and costs the same amount as Jack, Captain, Jameson, Jose, Schnapps, and so on.

2 pitichers of beer, drinks and shots for everyone has already put our tab up to nearly a hundred dollars.  By last call that's nearly doubled, but no-one is falling over.  Somewhere behind us, another group of friends- older friends- are talking about where they'll go next.  They start naming off the different clubs around.  They've drank as much as us, but their night is still young.

We debate the club but even my wealthy friend is spread thin on cash now, and I hate clubs.  Before we leave, one of our girlfriends talks the bartender into a round of shots.  This one is on him.

We hop in the car and pop into a diner.  Gyros for everyone is on me.  The next morning, I'll see the hole in my wallet and be disappointed.

Nearly 3:30 a.m. we're back on campus, relieved there's no random DUI check.  Campus police are busy, crashing a real party that's happening in one of the residence halls.  "They're idiots," my wealthy friend says as we're walking back.  "They borrow so much money just so they can live there and party, just so they can get kicked out later."