Being a senior in college changes you in lots of ways.
You know how to navigate campus, when to steer clear of advising hours, what time of day hot ROTC guys run stadiums in the Swamp, and that carbs will never love you back in the way that you love them.
However, the bars in midtown can be as scary to a senior as they are to a freshman. Salty Dog is still fun, but Fats can only bring me a sliver of the joy it used to. Hard liquor, however, is still my boyfriend. So, what’s a champion drinker like myself to do?
Ladies night used to only fuck up my Wednesdays, but after a fall semester away from Gainesville, I discovered that my *now upperclassmen* friends migrate downtown on Thursday nights for AYCD 8-10 p.m. ‘Cause why not continue the fun of drink specials and blacking out with your besties two nights before the weekend begins?
We crush what could be considered a handle of Barefoot pinot grigio before Ubering to Tall Paul’s. We’re #badbitchseniors now and we can’t be bothered. If we have to wait more than 15 minutes for their hipster bartenders to play coy and not serve us that VodkaSodaWithALime our buzz will be, like, seriously in danger.
Alas, Tall Paul’s certainly offers a slice of Hogtown culture that Fats is, well, lacking. The painted concrete floors, long wooden benches and open-air windows are distinctly Floridian and chill. There’s more to do than chug loaded Coronas and blatantly stare at that hot Sigma Chi who is way too young for you. Tall Paul’s doesn’t offer Bud Light pitchers, but playing oversized Connect Four while holding an IPA can be fun, too.
A boldly “cultural” experience, Tall Paul’s Thursday has been known to get the best of us.
In a soiled attempt to be sophisticated, an unnamed frat star drank as many glasses of cabernet as he could at Tall Paul’s Thursday. Why didn’t your mom prepare you for being wine drunk during holiday breaks at home, bro? The red puke stains down his polo at the end of the night were cute. Cute like a puppy peeing itself. Don’t be that guy.
“Y’all know that Tall Paul’s is open on other nights besides Thursday.”
We dabble with drinking downtown again Saturday night, and find out that we move around too much and yell too loudly for the weekend bar regulars. Still, my girls and I pregame midtown at Tall Paul’s and spend some quality time laughing at the old guys hitting on us and dancing to the live band.
Pro-tip: flirt with the bartender. They’re nicer to you on the weekends, mostly because you’re the youngest person there. He who wields the beer tap also commands the cash register, so your drinks are free this time.
I appreciate the temporary migration from Midtown to downtown. Senior year in Gainesville can be just as fun as freshman year. Remember, we’re students at a great university, so gaining new experiences and venturing out of our comfort zones is part of who we are as intellectuals. So, let the bars downtown be bae on nights when midtown just won’t cut it.
Variety is the spice of life, no?
All Photos Courtesy of Tall Paul’s Brew House Facebook Page.
