The pub of the city

Evan Dyson / staff photographer John Andrews (right) and Eddie Payne, two patrons of The Pub, play foosball Wednesday, April 13 before the party started and college students flooded the club.

Many students have heard about The Pub’s College Night on Wednesdays, but some are reluctant to give it a try. "I’ve never been [to it]," senior Jared Hanline said. "I’d go if my friends wanted to go."

Students who have gone, such as senior Wade Johnston, have had a good time. "I liked it. It’s a little rustic but spacious, with amazing service," he said.

Some students are already enthusiastic patrons, but many are hesitant about sacrificing a school night at a bar because they think it won’t guarantee them a good time. For the latter, here’s a review of this past Wednesday, April 13, to help you all decide whether or not to go.

The Pub has lots of tables, a big stage, a long bar and tons of dancing space. At 11 p.m., however, it was pretty empty. The disc jockey spun upbeat hip-hop music as JMU’s Breakdancing Club performed stunts, but most patrons sat and stared around the room awkwardly, reluctant to initiate the dancing. The DJ noticed the inhibitions of the sparse crowd and yelled, "We’re not getting the party started until more people arrive! So get on your phones and tell your friends to come out here!"

Perhaps the patrons followed his orders, or maybe the rest of the hump-day partiers just needed some more time to assemble, because by midnight the bar was packed with students looking for a getaway.

Once more people arrived, The Pub was like Mainstreet Bar and Grill resurrected — guys with mouths clenched in self-conscious concentration swayed to the music as they pressed up against giggly girls who flipped their hair playfully.

"Ever since Mainstreet burned down, I’ve missed having a place to dance and unwind during the week," junior Angelina Perazzoli said. "I love this place! It’s going to be my new home on Wednesday nights."

Although The Pub is perfect for dancers, it is also a great hangout for loungers who want to do more than sit at the bar and play "Photo Hunt" all night.

The Pub features a billiards and lounge area that boasts a maximum capacity of 146 people. Including the dance floor and the bar, The Pub can hold up to 687 people.

What does this huge capacity mean for patrons? It means that waiting to get into a bar is no longer like waiting for Godot. It means girls don’t have to hold hands and squeeze through a sea of sweaty dancers to make a group trip to the bathroom. It means that the bar won’t become a sauna of alcohol and hot breath by 1 a.m.

An area that can host nearly 700 people, however, needs regulation. The bouncers, senior James Patterson and Harrisonburg resident Dustin Losh mean business. Their wary diligence can rival that of Cerberus’. If you plan on coming out to The Pub, bring a valid state I.D. — no JAC card, brilliant excuse or amount of shameless flirtation will get you in without one.

Losh nodded to a girl who walked in meekly, showing her X’s as proof that she had already paid the cover. I asked him if it’s possible that anyone could walk in for free if they swiped their hands with markers themselves. He turned to me and the look in his eyes made me regret that I had even imagined such a scheme.

"I know who comes in and comes out — my memory is that good," he said before he held his hand out to see an I.D. from the next student at the door.

I predict that there will be a resurgence of students with black X’s on their hands on Thursday mornings. The Pub is the new hot spot in town, whether you want to drink with some friends, see fresh faces or dance the night away.