Painting the square red

Harvard Square is perfect when you're too lazy to make the trek into Boston but not lazy enough to stay at Tufts, which is exactly how we were feeling last Saturday night. My best friend (visiting from Villanova), housemates, and I refused to spend Valentine's Day just eating cookies and watching movies, but we weren't exactly in a rush to get out of our PJs and into Boston. Instead we braved the Harvard nerds and took the Red line to... the Redline.

Formerly a dive bar known as The Crimson Sport Bar and Grille, the spiffed up Redline is now home to, well, just about anyone and everyone. The bar attracts a very diverse crowd, from baseball cap-wearing college kids and the "just came from work, so I'm still wearing my suit" set, to wannabe Euros and Cambridge locals.

As with all Harvard bars, there are also lots of Harvard kids. The last time I was at the Redline, I had two "altercations" with Harvard students; one with a group of guys to whom I spiritedly (or hopped up on spirits, whichever you prefer) said/shouted: "Tufts is F-ing awesome! Harvard sucks!" The other encounter was with two alumni, who were confused as to how their o'l pit, the Crimson (the previous name of the Redline), had turned into a now pseudo-classy establishment. Upon discovering their ages, I exclaimed, "You're 27! You can hire us after graduation!" Needless to say, I will not be invited to any Harvard Finals Club parties anytime soon ... Oh, lushes say the darnest things!

Inside, a modern red and black d?©cor attempts to imitate a classy ambiance. There are plenty of places to sit -- the leather banquette or heavy wood furniture-- and take a breather from the center dance floor. The booths in particular are great for chatting with friends.

The music, as my friend called it, was "straight up hip hop" without any deviations into bad music hell. On the dance floor, we ran into other Tufts ladies enjoying a jaunt into Cambridge, along with some guys who couldn't dance a lick but looked like they had fun trying. If you need a visual, just imagine someone who is so blindly into their own dancing that they don't realize they resemble an epileptic seizure. But an "A" for effort, right?

As far as mingling with other bar-goers, the Redline's casual, even upscale, atmosphere lends itself to polite meet-and-greets-this is far from a meat market. The guys were harmlessly aggressive, but just in case, my companion used the playful, yet effective "actually, I'm a lesbian" response. (The dude backed down.)

The drinks were delicious, but not exactly cheap. I recommend the Raspberry Kamikaze; it's as smooth going down as a regular Kamikaze shot but with a flavorfully sweet kick. The shots cost $6 each and the beer around $4.50. It's not a bad deal considering the cab situation adds up to around $11-15 (and cheaper after you split it with your friends), and the bar closes at 2 a.m., which certainly beats the 12:45 last call in Davis.

We didn't find Mr. Right or even Mr. Right Now, but the nearby location was key, the drinks were yummy, and the crowd was fun (or just funny to watch). The cutesy couples on Valentine's Day didn't make me lose my lunch... but unfortunately, I did lose my dinner. Note to self: soup doesn't count as a meal on a night of heavy drinking.