<p>Hey Guys,</p>
<p>I was wondering how was the American university nightlife? Are there plenty of things to see or do outside of campus since I heard AU is a technically “dry” campus like other campuses in the DC area. I heard to get the best of the nightlife you would have to travel 12-13 minutes to the Georgetown area to get the best shopping/dining/clubbing experience that DC has too offer? Is this true or does AU have a thing of their own?</p>
<p>Any feedback is appreciated!</p>
<p>Is AU a “dry” campus?</p>
<p>Yes, AU is a dry campus. However 99.9% of the RAs have a operating theory that if they don’t see it and they can’t hear it – then it isn’t happening. So small parties go on in the dorms. </p>
<p>Tenleytown Nightlife
AU does have it’s own thing going on. One option is the unofficial frat and sports houses that surround campus that have huge parties – particularly during welcome week. If frat parties aren’t your scene (and after you turn 21, they tend not to be), there are places in the immediate area that are AU hang outs. Chef Geoffs, Murphy’s Law, and the Malt Shop are frequent favorites, as are margaritas at Guapos. (Malt Shop also has the prime location across the street from Steak n’ Egg – prime 24 hr food.)</p>
<p>Elsewhere
In my humble opinion – I hate Georgetown on the weekends. Best shopping there = most expensive (Anthropologie etc.), the dining is not the best in DC, and the clubbing is expensive cover fees with weak and expensive drinks. The club/bar scene there is littered with Congressional Interns who have gotten sick of bars around the hill. Furthermore, M St. is a nightmare on the weekends and makes public transportation via bus unreliable. Your first semester here (assuming you have…the means to do so) is spent exploring what’s your favorite. If that sounds amazing to you – that’s your choice, and then yes, fun is 12-15 minutes away. </p>
<p>However, Two stops away from AU on the metro ( Red Line –> Glenmont, to Adams Morgan) is one of the best bar scenes in DC. Some of my favorite dining is two stops in the other direction (Red Line –> Shady Grove to Bethesda). My favorite tapas place in D.C. as well as just some cool restaurants and shopping both there and in Friendship Heights (one stop up from AU.) NW DC (where AU is located) is one of the most affluent neighborhoods, has great shopping, and great dining – just without the historical claim to fame (and the touristy feel that goes with it) of the Georgetown neighborhood.</p>
<p>What I loved about DC was that it has a bunch of fun nightlife areas which were distinctly different and, over time, you tended to associate with one or two of them almost like descriptions of your personality. In contrast with AUTransfer, I generally hated Adams Morgan – but I agree that Georgetown is annoyingly expensive, snooty, and difficult. I hung out in the U Street Corridor, which is grittier and has several alternative-type venues, and Dupont Circle, which is a neat area 15-20 minutes south of campus by driving. But everyone will have their favorite areas, and that’s fine. I know that H Street, Foggy Bottom and Bethesda are other popular areas to try.</p>
<p>The area immediately surrounding AU is pretty sparse on fun things to do, because it’s pretty residential. There’s Guapo’s which is aggressively mediocre, but Chef Geoff’s is great. Nightlife is definitely something you have to make an effort to <em>go out</em> and get (as opposed to wandering over for a quick drink on a weekday), but I found it to be really good.</p>
<p>D’oh… double post</p>
<p>used to party all the time at AU - pretty decent party scene, especially the frats. girls weren’t bad looking either.</p>