#musty attic for me is not like a scary place but more like a kinda sad nostalgic place

[cheddar-baby]

Vibe: Musty Attic

[theloopboulder]

You’ve probably heard it before. The bar scene sucks.

The University of Colorado Boulder is known for being a “party school.” But let me tell you, this absolutely does not apply to the bars. The hill is amazing. Parties on every block. Wine bags circulating around frats. Dagers. Endless games of die. Seriously, the house parties don’t seem to stop in Boulder. The bars… not so much. On a lucky Friday or Saturday night you might get lucky and have some fun. But usually, the bars are either dead, creepy or way too packed. Here’s my thoughts on some of the popular bars around town and why they suck. And just a quick FYI, they are all overpriced, too. 

The Downer

Okay, if you’ve ever been to the Sundown Saloon, you know what I mean when I say it really just does not smell good. It’s musty. It could be more humid downstairs in that bar than it is in South Carolina. There’s not much standing room between all the tables and the pool tables. On a busy night, there will be no where to sit so you awkwardly just stand in the middle and block the path for everyone walking through. This might also be the most popular bar in Boulder, too, at least for college students. The amount of times I hear people say, “We’re going to the Downer,” on the weekends is a little scary. 

The Pub

The Pearl Street Pub isn’t actually horrible. Go here for a more chill type of night. I’ve never seen it get too crazy or busy. Also, the food here is amazing. Seriously, amazing. The chicken tenders, mac and cheese bites, fries. All of it is sooo good. Very tasty, but very overpriced.

College Night at The Rio Grande

On Thursday nights, The Rio has college nights. Starting at 9 p.m., margaritas are only $5. People seriously go crazy over this. As if it is really that great of a deal? My only advice for the Rio is get there early. This is where everyone wants to be on a Thursday night so be there right at 9 p.m. to avoid standing in line for an hour. The only other downside to College Night is elbowing people all night to get to the bar. Other than that, it’s pretty fun. It doesn’t feel too overcrowded (other than at the bar) and overall it is a really laid back and fun vibe. If only College Night could be every night...

Press Play

This place is just weird. I don’t really know what else to say. Go to Press Play if you like to dance with a bunch of other sweaty, gross, drunk people. The games are fun but I wouldn’t say they are worth it. 

Tahona

Tahona is great. They have good tacos. Strong margaritas. And an awesome happy hour deal. But only until they take away the tables for the night and make it into a dance floor. Then it also gets kinda weird. I have had multiple friends of mine say that they always feel uncomfortable in Tahona cause men line the edge of the dance floor and watch them like they are in a fish bowl. This hasn’t happened to me personally, but I’m just saying, I’ve heard this more than once. 

The Attic

The Attic might be my favorite bar in Boulder. It’s a little ‘off the beaten path’. It has a pretty chill vibe and it never gets ridiculously busy but fills up enough so you don’t feel like you are the only person there drinking. The Attic also has games to play. There’s this one Kool-Aid drink, too, that will definitely get you more drunk than you planned to. 

Overall, the bars in Boulder have some work to do. Ultimately, go to the bars in Denver. Or consider stumbling around the hill again like 19 year old you used to do.