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Spending most our lives living in hipster paradise

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Also by Molly Webb:

Spending most our lives living in hipster paradise (September 10, 2004)
Madison's brewery battle (September 24, 2004)
Natt Spil top choice for great drink deals (December 3, 2004)
Best bars to warm up winter (December 10, 2004)
Madison's unlikely watering spots (October 22, 2004)

by Molly Webb

Friday, September 10, 2004

According to the coffee-table book “Hipster Handbook,” a hipster is “one who possesses tastes, social attitudes and opinions deemed cool by the cool. There’s a good chance that we all know someone who fits this image — the kid who refuses to drink anything except PBR, the guy in your English class who wears tight black T-shirts and dark jeans every day, the girl in your dorm who only listens to bands no one else has heard of.”

Such hipsters abound in Madison, probably due to the thriving local music scene, the city’s general appreciation of and support for independent films, and the plethora of coffee shop options surrounding campus. But where do these “cool kids” go to throw back a few cold ones?

In general, you won’t find too many hipsters at places like The Pub or Bullfeather’s. Frankly, the jukeboxes are just not diverse enough. But whether you fancy yourself one of the indie elite or just want to hang with them, three key bars within walking distance of campus can get you in with the in-crowd.

First things first — the Lava Lounge, located at 461 W. Gilman St., has a sizeable hipster population and is just minutes from most campus locations. You can even get a head start and stop in upstairs at The Piercing Lounge/Blue Lotus Tattoo to procure some extra holes or ink before beginning your night out. The artists are friendly, personable and can put a little something fun on your body anywhere you want.

Head downstairs to the Lava for a drink to celebrate, and you’re greeted by a tiki-themed bar offering pretty much every drink imaginable. You can get basic rails for only $1 on Monday nights, a large selection of beers (ranging in price from $2 for PBR to $4-ish for the more heavy-duty brands like Guinness), and even 10 different varieties of tiki drinks at about $5 each.

Once you’ve gotten your drink on, venture in further and you’ll discover a jukebox packed with everything under the sun, ranging from Johnny Cash to Ministry to that punk band that practices too loudly in the house next to you. It’s certainly one of the loudest jukeboxes in town, but also one of the most unique. If you make friends with a bartender, there’s even a chance your band could get a CD in rotation.

If you don’t mind standing, make sure to check it out on a Tuesday night — it’s Big Ass Glass night, which means 22-oz. glasses of beer or rail drinks for $3, with the option to keep the glass for an extra $2. Wednesdays are also good — Kill the Keg features $1 pints of PBR until the keg is empty. If you’re the lucky one to “kill the keg,” you get a T-shirt.

After the Lava Lounge, the Paradise Lounge, located on the Square at 119 W. Main St., is one of the biggest hipster hangouts in town. It’s generally pretty easy to tell from the jukebox selections what kind of crowd you’re dealing with at any particular bar, and the box at the ‘Dise features greats like Operation Ivy and At the Drive-In. While catering to Madison’s punk and metal communities, the Lounge manages to offer some killer drink specials and the best deals on pitchers you’ll find anywhere.

The Paradise can’t be brought up at all without a mention of Tuesday night’s special — $1.75 rail drinks. If you thought students didn’t go out during the week, think again. The smallish bar is usually jam-packed every Tuesday from 9 p.m. until bartime, so if you’re looking for the place to be, this just might be it. Another noteworthy special is Friday night’s, which features $1 off all their already-cheap pitchers (which means $3 pitchers of Huber — and who can pass that up?).

If the ‘Dise is too hardcore for you, you may want to take a short walk over to the Caribou, at 703 E. Johnson St. Although tiny and somewhat sketchy-looking from the outside, the ‘Bou has one of the most eclectic and best-loved jukeboxes in town, and some great service to boot. It’s not uncommon to be served by the owner, a fabulous lady who always takes the time to socialize and see what the drunk kids are up to.

Specials at the Caribou come and go — I once hit it on a $2.50 Sailor Jerry night — but the out-of-the-way location and great selection of beer (almost all in bottles) is worth the walk. The mom-and-pop atmosphere doesn’t hurt, either. And the hipster population — huge!

Now that you know where the cool kids hang out, it’s up to you whether you want to partake. The music will be loud, the beer will be flowing and the crowd will be hip, so bring your miniskirts and leather jackets and let the fun begin.

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Anonymous (September 10, 2004 @ 11:17am):

my god...please tell me the plaza still exists! GQ, a little mag people here in the "city" read, named the Plaza the number one hipster bar in the US last year...yet the glorious Badger Herald missed this? Forget to actually work on the article or did you just throw something together, as usual?

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