Ok so- in keeping with the "Law Theme" of this page, since after all I am by occupation a law student, I am starting a new feature on Sanity Hearing where I will provide reviews of local bars and restaurants. I am hoping that some of you see the humor in the title of this feature since "Bar Review" (for those of you who do not know) is the supposedly hellish course that law students take in order to study for the Bar Exam. Anyways- on with the show:
Kartabar:
This trendy nightclub on Thayer Street is home to many of those (who at least think they are) Providence's richest and most beautiful. The bar offers a variety of trendy cocktails served martini glasses as well as extremely loud techno/house music. When the club is empty I actually like the design of the place, but generally on any night you want to go out this place is chocked to the brim of juiced up guidos wearing armani, showing off their gold chains and extra whispy chest hair. And let me not forget the ladies-the girls here win the award for the Ocean State's bitchiest (which is no small achievement). Every time that I have been to this club the music is so loud I end up having to shout at someone right next to me in order to talk and inevitably someone I am with ends up being challenged to a fight by one of the regulars suffering from 'roid rage. On top of that, on any night during the weekend you can count on getting awful service here. Generally I am a good tipper, but this is the only place I have ever given a bartender no tip on purpose.
Overall I feel this might be the worst bar in Providence. Unless crowded, pretentious, and overpriced are your cup of tea, then skip this place.
Lili Marlene's
Not everyone likes this bar, but I do. It is not the type of place where you will go to meet random people, but if you and a group of friends want to go to a nice quiet place that is well decorated and inexpensive then you will like this place. It does not have a sign on the door, which I think is cool, but it is in Federal Hill, which I find slightly annoying because it is not close to much else other than restaurants. They have free pool there and the drinks are downright reasonable.
My overall verdict on this place is that it is a good place to go after dinner if you are out in Federal Hill or if you just want to get away from it all, so to speak.
The Wickenden Pub
Generally I only go here on thursdays, which is raffle night [I know what you're thinking- raffle? Hold your horses]. This place is the dark and raunchy kind of dive that I love to go to just to let loose with friends. This Wickenden Street institution is home to a lot of RISD and Brown kids and has a 99 Beer club as well as huge 34 ounce drinks. I generally go here to get a drink with friends from the evening division of the law school, which (sadly) I am no longer a part of. Thursday is raffle night where they give out raffle tickets to each person coming in the door and then later at 10:30 and 11:00 they hold to raffles where prizes include a variety of usually pretty cool booby prizes, including a goldfish (which died two weeks later) I once won and took home in a dirty travel mug.
The Wickenden Pub, or "The Wick" as locals call it, is a pretty cool place in my book because it reminds me of the dive bars that were in our college town in Lancaster, PA such as the legendary Hilde's. Overally my verdict is that this place is great to just go out and get a casual beer with friends.
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