Where: 1719 G St. N.W.
(one block west from Capitol Hill)
Prices: $12 all you can drink (Saturday)
Girls: None- they’re women

How many of you have ever heard of Exchange Sports Salon? If I told you it was only a few blocks from Thurston, you probably would have no idea. But sure enough, the Exchange is there, it has been there and it will continue to be one of the best-kept secrets of the GW bar scene.

Sure, walking into the Exchange for your first time isn’t glamorous. It’s a dive, without question, but in the best sense. The walls are layered with sports memorabilia, and the jukebox can’t decide between classic rock and country. But unlike the other dives we have grown to love, the Exchange isn’t crawling with GW students. And that is exactly how they like it. Catch it at any hour besides happy hour or lunch and you’re guaranteed a table with your buddies. Roll up to the bar and spit jokes at the bartender. They eat up the personal attention and love to tell stories. Hang around and they may even drink with you.

After-work sports teams and men in uniform frequent the bar, so don’t be surprised if a brawl starts up every now and again. It’s a place to shoot pool, put back a few pitchers, tell stories and get drunk and disorderly every now and again. Liquor’s cheap and the crowd’s cheaper, so no need to dress up. If you spend any time getting ready to go to the Exchange, you missed the point. If you do happen to meet a broad, keep in mind, the average age is 25 to 45, so she’s either desperate, divorced or desperate and divorced. But experience comes with age, so desperate is not always a bad thing.