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St. Cloud State University
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Commentary
Downtown SC often taken for granted
By Bobby Hart
Published:
Monday, March 29, 2004
Bobby Hart -- Staff Essay
I've been trying to come to grips with this relationship I've been in for a little over eight months now, making it my third longest and most complicated by far. It milks me for every cent I have, makes me look like a fool on a regular basis and gives me too many headaches, yet I keep going back.
I've labeled my relatively young experience with downtown St. Cloud as a love/hate relationship. I knew from the first minute I got involved, that it'd be the end of me and my prediction has been right on thus far.
Although I've been at odds with the bars of late for the reasons listed above, I came to realize something this weekend when a couple friends came to visit from Minneapolis: downtown St. Cloud is pretty damn cool. Their admiration fueled a few comparisons. I began to think of my experiences at schools like the University of Minnesota, the University of North Dakota, Kansas State, Mankato, Duluth and Madison. Madison's State Street, K-State and downtown Duluth's atmospheres are pretty tough to beat, but the good old SC tops them when it comes to logistics, price, diversity, music and all out DRUNKENESS. Is this something to be proud of? Who knows, but my house has played host to students from many universities from all over the country, and they all seem to end up in the same place: under the table, mumbling late morning remarks such as, "That was a good time ... I think."
What gives St. Cloud major advantages over other universities comes down to location, location, location. The ability to walk an average of five blocks from campus, and then hit nearly every bar within a block radius is a privilege taken for granted by those who don't get out much. Go ahead and take a drive down I-94 to Minneapolis for a night out on the town. You'll likely pay $20 in cab fees, cut about 30 minutes of drinking time standing in lines and pay about $5 per drink.
Here's a brief tour in the town that's taken the majority of my money and soul.
The Red Carpet - It's hard to beat eight bars in one. I swear, there's crevasses in that place that I've yet to see. Every room has a different atmosphere, and the band room is fit to host the best concerts in the area. The addition of the martini bar, equipped with a deck outside brings a classy edge (yeah, I said it) to St. Cloud. Yet, the ability to eat peanuts and drink beer while relaxing in a booth makes the Keller Bar my room of choice. Plus, $1 domestics and Bacardi drinks on Thursday are key.
D.B. Searle's - Its tacos make it the best happy hour in town. Laid back acoustic performances by Preston and Paulzine on the raised platform in the lower level gives this bar the most relaxing atmosphere in town (as long as you have somewhere to sit) as far as music goes during the week. On the other hand, weekends can trigger claustrophobia.
The Press - If you ask me, diversity is cool. I don't know how they pull it off, but The Press can pack the lower level with heavy metal, Slow Children heads and have a completely different hip-hop crowd upstairs. Depending on the mood, both can be entertaining.
MC's Dugout - Not one of the Big Three (mentioned above) as far as popularity, but that's what makes MC's so appealing. You can go there, even on weekends and not rub shoulders with everyone in the place. The sub-level entrance gives it the whole "Cheers" feel, and if you dare go there too often, indeed, "everybody knows your name." However, I'm biased on this one. To me, nothing is better than drinking a Hairy Buffalo and playing Big Buck Hunter II. It's easier than the real thing and the game gets plenty more challenging after a few Buffalos.
McRudy's - I don't exactly know why I keep going there, but it always seems to happen come 1 a.m. The place grows on you.
Many a night the blurry walk home leads to Perkins ... a perfect ending to a night out on the city I've grown to love and hate.
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