The Lush refuses to write her last column.
I mean, this one isn't the last one, because there's the Commencement issue! And the Commencement issue won't count either because I'll be so deep in graduation denial that I'll ignore the fact that it will be my last column ... ever.
But I have to acknowledge that time is short, and I haven't covered nearly as much as I'd wanted to this year. I wish I'd made it to a winetasting, or at least conducted an at-home review of my favorite wines with kitschy names (my favorite being a fruity pinot grigio christened "Mommy's Time Out"). I also wish I'd made it to the Sam Adams factory for a tour, but since that bottle recall, perhaps it's best I wait a few more months.
So here's my year-end review, and what better way to gauge the year than by that crown jewel of senior privileges, pub night!
Let's start with my first pub night. It was incredible - Halloween at Ned Devine's and one of the Lush's favorite nights out in Boston ... ever. In an appropriately Lush-y fashion, the Significant Other and I went as wine and cheese. Nobody knew what we were since we fashioned our costumes exactly one hour before the event, but we knew, and that was all that mattered.
My second pub night? Not so good. It was at the Harp at the Garden and was nowhere near the quality of the first, what with the obnoxious coat check girl, the hopeless bartender and the empty dance floor. The night was almost enough of a bummer to deter me from getting a ticket for this last pub night. Almost.
So my third try, held at Trinity last week, far exceeded my expectations, especially after I had realized the three-story bar is located directly next to my least favorite Faneuil Hall spot - Hong Kong. My experience at Hong Kong was a tragic night of sweaty claustrophobia and close calls with wait staff bearing plates laden with various interpretations of meat-on-a-stick. And I do not have good memories of waiting on the cobblestone street outside, having cigarette smoke blown in my face by a girl clad head to toe in white lycra.
Trinity has the same kind of cheap drinks/crowded floor/loud music thing going on, so it really doesn't have any claim to bragging rights over Hong Kong. But it was booked for a private event and packed with about 500 of 2008's finest, so it made for a good night.
The bottom line with pub nights? The bar really doesn't matter - it's all about the crowd. The Halloween event was awesome because no matter how many times you caught a glimpse of yet another dude dressed as the Captain - and drinking Captain - it's still hilarious. Back in February, at the Harp - which is generally agreed upon as an excellent spot - the crowd seemed to be feeling the winter blues. I even witnessed an all-out brawl between two young ladies trying to retrieve their coats from the mounds of outerwear. This time around, I'm not sure what was in the tonic water - wait, maybe it was gin - but Trinity was buzzing from opening to closing. I can only speak for myself when I say it might have to do with an attack of extreme carpe diem graduation mentality.
Of course, the party isn't over for the Lush yet - there's still plenty to celebrate. But with just two days of classes left for me, this is where it gets tough. I know that plenty of other soon-to-be Tufts graduates are asking themselves the same question: How will I bring my 72 ounces to Spring Fling on Saturday?
Kate Peck is a senior majoring in English. She can be reached at Katherine.Peck@tufts.edu.
