Nightlife on a Budget

After being asked if I am Irish and answering “Yes”, the question is inevitablyfollowed by the requisite statement “you must be a girl who can hold herliquor.” I reply with the requisite chuckle. I have come to expect the obviousstatement. After all, the Irish do live up to the stereotype. With a holidaydevoted entirely to whisky, beer, and pubs, it becomes hard to dodge the linkbetween Irishman and alcohol. But how does a broke college girl celebrate her’heritage’ on a wee little budget? With some luck of the Irish and a littlesavvy anyone can live it up on Saint Patrick’s Day or every weekend if youreally like to party!
A good location is vital in getting the most out of a small budget. Staying in onespot means only one cover charge is paid. However, since Thursday was Saint Patty’sDay and this holiday is about pub hopping, I picked New Haven for the vast array of bars in small vicinity, most of which have an affordable or nonexistent cover charge. Also, lots of pubs in one area translate to no cab fare or drunk driving- safe and cheap! As it turns out New Haven happened to have a Saint Patrick’s Day special where bars opened early and charged no fee to enter. Once inside, there were gobs of beer specials. Mixed drink prices, however, did not change but no one drinks Vodka on a day devoted to Guinness anyway. Seeing the generous bar community of New Haven become so immersed in the SaintPatrick’s Day spirit, my curiosity demanded to know if other Connecticut citieswere infected with the Irish bug. I discovered other club towns like SouthNorwalk, Fairfield and Stamford all cashed in on the Irish excuse to bingedrink on a weekday. In all three towns the bars opened around ten in themorning and remained open until one at night though most partiers were passedout by then.
However, by one o’clock on Thursday I was still awake and eager to see whatfinancial deficit a night of obligatory celebration had wreaked on my alreadymeasly bank account. Twenty dollars was my budget and I came in far under that.Choosing not to get plastered helped keep my expenses low. However, betweenswigging down water and popping aspirin, my hung-over comrades were able torecount their expenditures from the night before. Most people enjoyed anevening of unabashed drinking for under twenty dollars as well. Many survivedeconomic demise by chugging down pitchers of cheap beer and by getting a headstart on the festivities by drinking at home before hitting the bar scene.
My morning headache, substantial dehydration, and the five dollars left in mywallet is proof that you don’t need to stumble across a pot of gold to partylike an Irishman on Saint Patrick’s Day. Forget about luck and use common sense; find a bar with good specials, a place to pre-game, a designated driver, and if it’s not a holiday, a good excuse to celebrate!