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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Bar Belle

Originally Published 10/30/97

Bar: Kelly’s Irish Times Saloon and RestaurantWhere: 14 F St., N.W., right outside Union Station

Crowd: 21-30

Getting in: Be 21 or in the military

Prices: A little pricey, but fair

Food: There was a pretty good list, but drinking was the only thing on mine.

Dancing: More on this later

Pick-ups: Men are bold

Pluses: Great crowd

Minuses: A little too far off of campus

Going to Irish Times was not in my plan this weekend, but when a roommate turns 21, you must do as requested. And I am glad I did.

The bar was packed. With two levels and an immense bar with an added table just for beer, there still was not enough room to get into an ordering space. When 21 shots need to be ordered, it is essential to have room at the bar.

The crowd was fun. No one was overly rambunctious or too drunk. They were just too close. There was nowhere to turn to get some fresh air and a little much-needed personal space.

The drink selection was good, but they did not carry some of the newer, trendier peppermint schnapps, which is just fine. They look like antifreeze, but taste much worse.

Every half hour or so, an older gentleman would take a guitar to the mike and sing every song requested. He sang things like “Brown-eyed Girl,” “Friends in Low Places” and “Alabama.” He could almost play the guitar, and hit the right note at least once in a song. By the end of the night, everyone thought he was the best performer in D.C.

Dancing was a little weirder. Upstairs, people danced whenever a favorite song was played, but downstairs was a little different. People were backed into corners, kissing strangers while red lights flashed to the beat of the frat-like music.

It was a good time and a good bar. The crowd could even be considered attractive, though one young man who tried, unsuccessfully, to pick up the Bar Belle, said, “They’re all ugly on the inside.” Note: Do not tell a young woman surrounded by her friends that the people around her are “ugly on the inside.”

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