Grad Center Bar

As a Brown Undergrad, after hearing hype about the GCB for years, this was one of the first bars I hit up once I turned 21.  I totally get its appeal - really cheap beer, laid-back and fun atmosphere, and you're bound to run into familiar faces.  

It felt like this was a lot of people's "go-to" bar, and I can see why.  It's not-for-profit, so the drinks are actualllyyy cheap, they have a great beer selection, and I think I even saw someone order a cheese plate! I love cheese!

A College Hill institution, with unbeatable drink prices. It's a high-quality bar at night, but I prefer to beat the student crowds by coming in between 4 and 7. The back rooms are actually a great place to study over a beer or just to socialize in peace and quiet between those hours.

The atmosphere: dark, divey, hipster: where, after a long day of research; experiments; poring over literature; or whatever it is that grad students do in their never-ending quest to gain eternal knowledge; one can relax, calmed by the hazy twinkle of Christmas lights, or the blacklit chalkboard of beers galore. Comfy seats are accompanied by bar stools, and on a busy night are hard to come by. The bathrooms are lined with comics (a great way to pass time in the john).

The aforementioned beer selection is one of the best I have seen in any bar, let alone in Providence. Perhaps it's due to the membership fee, but prices are considerably lower here than most places I've been to. Feeling overwhelmed? The bartenders are usually willing to give some pointers.

I am oh so fortune to be dating a Brown grad student! That way, I can be granted guest access to the exclusive GCB. (And not exclusive, as in, "we're too good for the rest of the world," "what label are you wearing," etc.) It has recently come to my attention that a membership can be purchased for the average joe; I may need to take advantage of this.