1333 New Hampshire Ave. N.W.
Carded: at every entrance
Cover: none
Dress: Winter weather chic
Specials: Everyone’s favorite Thursday deal of six Coronas for $10 and happy hour from 10 p.m. to close on Saturday

Who wants to mix alcohol, fashionable footwear and slippery sidewalks? The sleet started to fall around 6 p.m. on Saturday, and I was sure my evening’s plans were ruined. However, my roommate fares better in winter weather than I, so she decided we should battle the weather and go out anyway.

The Brickskeller had a 30-minute wait and wasn’t even taking names, so we trudged to The Front Page. The 19th Street bar was packed, so we opted for sitting down instead of being social. The bar at the New Hampshire entrance was empty, despite it already being close to 11 p.m. However, the place soon filled with the usual Saturday mix of girls drinking Cosmos (so clich?) and guys drinking Bud Lights.

There’s something about sitting at the bar and opening a tab that just makes you feel drunk. Maybe it’s because the bartender keeps the drinks coming, or maybe it was because I didn’t eat anything for dinner. Either way, I had a lot to drink, but so did my friends. Why else would we watch women’s boxing on D.C. public television, and why else would they let me scream, “I work for them!” when my internship’s commercial aired?

The only downside to opening a tab is closing it. Sure, it was on my friend’s credit card, since he was the gentleman of the group, but just imagine the money you could save by going out just two nights a week instead of three or four. Alcohol is currency.

Factor in round-trip cab fare and four drinks for an average bar trip and that’s easily $30, at least. Spring break is eight weeks away, and your plane ticket costs $250. If you can sacrifice one night out until then, that ticket is practically covered. See? Alcohol is currency.

But I’m not one to talk – the bartender at The Front Page gave my group a free round.