Ahh. Staying out until 11pm used to be easy. When we were in college, it was the norm - even with an early class schedule. Something about dive bars and cheap beer made the mornings easier. But after graduation and the reality of actual responsibility, if we're not laying on the couch watching DVR-ed Dexter by 10:30, we're living in fear of the next morning.
Still, every once in a while, a late night out during the week with friends we don't see often enough is the prescription we need, even if it means a self-prescribed dose of Tylenol, Gatorade and greasy McDonald's breakfast in the morning. And that's what happened last week when we decided to relive college with about 40-50 other young Providence College alums.
Providence College is your typical small, New England drinking school with a Catholic problem. It's a small campus - smaller than several high school campuses in the Washington area. And an even smaller student population - just over 4,000. Despite the size, PC shared a tailor-made zip code with seven bars, four "packies," and three Dunkin Donuts (four, if you had a car or were willing to walk an extra two blocks). So when we heard the alumni club was throwing a "Welcome to DC" happy hour at Bar Louie near the Verizon Center, we were all about it.
Happy hour turned into happy hours very quickly - especially after running into a good number of people we haven't seen since leaving the dive bars along Admiral Street. Old stories we retold and others were embellished. We met friends' wives and husbands and talked with casual acquaintances about their jobs and apartments. It was a trip back five years, to a time when just walking into a bar (or a classroom or cafeteria) made you part of a larger community.
That's what we remember about Providence. We all had something in common. We all had shared experiences, even if we didn't know the people we were sharing them with.
Despite the pulsing headache, these nights are important because they're about more than unwinding with a few drinks and a cold buffet. Since leaving college, these nights are few and far between - and, for a young married couple, they're an endangered species, making the next morning a scar we wore proudly.
So, there it is, a Sand Pail item crossed off. But still an item, nonetheless, we hope we can scratch off again.
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