04.06.07- Campus Fun Campus Fun
The Columbus Dispatch
College crowd packs Gateway hangout
Ah, spring, when a young man's fancy turns to "studying" on the Oval in four-hour shifts.
But prime tanning hours, like NCAA tournament runs, inevitably end, which is why places such as McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon exist.
Yes, the navel gazing continues after hours at the popular South Campus Gateway hangout. The reasons are plentiful: three patios, more than a dozen flat-screen televisions and two fully stocked and staffed bars. This last element is especially crucial as McFadden's tends to pack 'em in like petite sardines on weekends.
Waiting in a short line to get inside on a recent Friday night, I anticipated an evening of playing elbow tag to score a drink -- my least favorite bar game (followed closely by electronic darts).
Patrons, most dressed as if it were summer in Bali instead of a 60-degree evening in Columbus, fanned out across the lower and upper levels, leaving just enough space to bump and grind when the DJ commanded it -- which he often did.
Because McFadden's proudly touts its Irish heritage with a large neon clover out front, I settled on a Guinness draft ($5), which was delivered after the bartender had downed a shot with a guy at the end of the bar.
The dark drink, which matches the downstairs' polished wood decor, was served in a plastic pint glass. I'm fairly certain that can get you killed in some parts of the Emerald Isle. When a second order arrived in right proper glassware, all was forgiven.
Most surprising was the choice of music, which leaned heavily on 1980s and 1990s fare, including Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel and Madonna's Like a Prayer.
(Not to worry, modern pop fans: My Humps also graced the sound system, as required by the landmark case, Fergie vs. Earth, 2005).
At midnight, the DJ asked: "Where all my pretty ladies at?" The pretty ladies responded by raising their plastic-bottle Bud Lights and shouting inarticulately. The DJ then asked his pretty ladies to dance on the bar. A handful of pretty ladies obliged -- despite the homemade sign reading: "Dance on the bar at your own risk."
The song they danced to, occasionally ducking to avoid the hanging lights above the upstairs bar, was none other than Guns N' Roses' Welcome to the Jungle. Appropriate, yes, but the sight of early 20-somethings dancing to a 20-year-old song made this Axl Rose fan in his late 20s feel a tad dated.
By that time -- Hang On Sloopy followed a half-hour later (just in case you forgot which state you were drinking in) -- I had moved to the second-level patio, a cozy space equipped with metallic tables and chairs.
It's a fine place to take a breather and check out your patio counterparts at Ugly Tuna Saloona and Mad Mex. There's also a clear view into the apartments on the opposite side of High Street. Note to the dude watching TV in his third-floor digs: We can see you.
All in all, McFadden's nicely extends the college experience.
And because it's dark inside, you don't even need a tan.
