The Common Share
Where: 2003 18th St. NW
Cover: Nope.
Carded: At the door, looks scarier than it is.
Dress: Sweatpants are overdoing it.

The main draw of The Common Share is the bar’s claim that you can get every drink for the common price of $2. Get it? Common Share, like, all the drinks have something in common.

Apparently, owners Aetius Rossa and Laird McCauseland were fed up by the inflated drink prices around the city and opened the Common Share in 1998 with the mission of bringing affordable spirits to all.

Supposedly is the key word here. On my Saturday night visit, no such pricing scheme seemed to exist.

As we queued up at the door I noticed a small handwritten sign that said the five words that no sign at a bar should ever say – “No credit cards accepted tonight.” Luckily, knowing what would happen if I sat for too long without a beer, my friends covered me.

Not having to pay for my own drinks (and being pretty toasted) I didn’t really notice the $2 fiasco right away. What I did notice is that the inside decor looked more like the Delt House than any bar I’ve ever been to.

I felt like I was in someone’s slummy apartment. There were a few couches that were occupied (not that I would have sat on them anyway) and some benches and tables. Worst part – no bar or bathrooms upstairs.

Now here’s the kicker. I attempted to call and inquire to the Common Share management about the change. When I called the number listed for the bar in both the Post’s Entertainment section and the Yellow Pages, the number was not in service.

Does the Common Share exist? Or was my outing just some weird nightmare? We’ll never know.