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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

The Bar Belle: Hell

2327 18th St. N.W.
Carded: yep, but only after being coaxed in by bouncers
Cover: nope
Dress: Adams Morgan trash
Specials: None

Finals period is hell. Your brain is fried, your body is exhausted, and while Thanksgiving break was supposed to be full of rest and relaxation, the days off only yielded more stress – the lethal dose of annoying relatives, looming deadlines and tryptophan-induced procrastination. Like I said, finals period is hell, so you might as well visit it.

Located appropriately below Heaven on 18th Street in Adams Morgan, Hell lives up to its name. Looking for a place to get quickly sloshed without paying a cover, my group descended into the depths of this basement bar after being persuaded to give it a try by the bouncers. I gave in to temptation. Well, actually I had to go in because the bouncer was carrying my ID down the steps.

The bar certainly lives up to its name, with its low ceiling, dark walls and grotesque murals. In what is certainly not the Sistine Chapel of sketchy bars, Hell’s bar top features scenes from the underworld that look like they’ve been taken from a bad graphic novel. Or, better yet, a TV-MA episode of a “Simpsons” Halloween Special – if one should ever be made.

Guests at Hell are treated to the sickly sweet smell of incense and drinks so strong the liquor will overpower any odor in the room. Mixed drinks, at $5, are about 90 percent alcohol, 5 percent mixer and 5 percent ice, but at least you get your money’s worth.

Proving the drinks were full of cheap liquor, one of my friends spilled hers, and even though it was nearly empty, the bartender gave her another one on the house. I was convinced the bartender was a male stripper – there was something about the way he lit cigarettes, his gyrations while mixing drinks and his way-too- bronzed skin and slick hair that screamed, “I like to dance naked!” Then again, he could just have been from Jersey.

Belle Rating: **

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