Columbia University
- Nightlife

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Columbia University - Nightlife - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.62

Nightlife

Quick Stats

Primary Areas with Nightlife Morningside Heights has a number of campus bars, but all of New York has booze and nighttime fun aplenty to offer.
Student Favorites Campo
Other Places to Check Out
  • Bars between 80th and 90th on Amsterdam
  • Bars on Bourbon Street
  • Dublin House on 79th between Broadway and Amsterdam
  • Evelyn on Columbus at 79th Street
Local Specialties Don’t hesitate to ask for a dry martini, a Sammy Smith’s oatmeal stout, or even a blue Whale. Well, maybe you should hesitate on that last one.:
Favorite Drinking Games Beer pong and Beirut have been known to occur at frat houses, but most Columbia students prefer not to engage in the tomfoolery of drinking games. They just go ahead and drink.

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Comb the world over, and it is impossible to find a place with as happening a nightlife as New York. There are enough restaurants, cafés, clubs, museums, galleries, exotic movie houses, theater, and sporting events to keep anyone occupied. The Morningside Heights neighborhood alone has bars and hang-outs aplenty to fill the desires of the majority of the student population. Private student parties can be fun, as well, provided that the people are interesting. The various schools at Columbia schedule many events for their students that are designed to allow the people to mingle. The West End and other local bars are packed during academic down times. Some live for gala-type openings at clubs and restaurants, but you should make sure you are on “the list” before attempting to crash these venues.

The weekend officially begins on Thursdays around Columbia and the bars can be busy. As fun as the city can be, it is very expensive and tiring—bars are open till 4 a.m., and many clubs stay open later. Some prefer the local scene just because it can be less costly than going downtown. Others live on Top Ramen for a week to be able to have one night out in the city, but they would probably agree that it was worth the sacrifice.

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Columbia Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Nightlife at Columbia University

ballzrunna

'15

Art History

1.5
D+

nightlife sucks

Of course, the nightlife in NYC is amazing... and you can go with a few people downtown and have an awesome time but you really don't get a sense of community at Columbia. The same exact few people go to a bar called Mels on Columbia campus every single thursday friday and saturday night. It gets really, really, REALLY, boring after a while and there is no change in pace. The frats and sororities are very exclusive so when they actually do throw a party, which never happens, it is usually at the only bar people go to so everyone's night is ruined because they can't get into the bar. Everyone is off doing their own thing and the students really are not inviting.

Dec 16, 2011

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Nightlife at Columbia University

pr2000

'14

Social Sciences

5.0
A+

Varied, Lots of Options

This varies whether you are Greek, rich or friends with a lot of upperclassmen. If you are not Greek, there are a few open parties available, with usually at least one open party during non-exam season (though this might decrease now that Pike and AEPi are shut, no one went to Psi U anyway).

For those who know people in upperclass dorms, East Campus is a common destination though the parties there tend to be a little cramped at times.

If you are rich and have a good fake ID (and I mean, really good, scannable and blacklight compatible) then you can venture downtown to the clubs which obviously are incredible, if a little pretentious at times. However, this requires people who are similarly wealthy/ID holding. The latter is obviously irrelevant when you turn 21.

There are several bars around campus that are relatively easy on ID (though you will still need one, it just means they don't have to be very good, photocopies sometimes work). These include Mels, 1020, the Heights (bouncer here stricter than most), and Cannons to name a few, each attracting their own kind of crowd.

Finally, if you are Greek, if you're a guy you often hold things (mixers, informal gatherings) at the house, and then usually end up at a bar afterwards.

So, overall you have a lot of choices, and often you'll have to pick whether to go to EC, frats, Mels etc etc in one night. Fake ID is a must though.

Jul 08, 2011

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Nightlife at Columbia University

lmw2123

'11

Creative Writing

1.9
C-

Go to NYU

If you want a more legit party, head downtown to the NYU paty scene or go to Brooklyn. Columbia has its raucous parties filled with Four Loko and sometimes even with hired bartenders in dorm rooms, but parties tend to be less crazy than expected at a university. Frat parties are fun freshman year, but the allure dies after that. Parties at Columbia are kind of how you'd expected Ivy League parties to be: conversation too often leans toward the intellectual or political, music is eh, and alcohol is the only thing keeping it going.

Nov 11, 2010

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the off-campus bar and club scene on the following topics

What is the party scene like on campus?

What’s the best way to get to the popular nightlife spots?

Facts

Club Crawler

There are no clubs in the area immediately surrounding Columbia, but if you head downtown, there is a huge scene of all-night places (frequented more by NYU students than anyone from Columbia).

Closing Time

4 a.m.

Cheapest Place to Get a Drink

Unless it’s happy hour, plan on paying four or five bucks for a pint just about anywhere you go, except of course, upscale places, where cocktails can run from six or seven dollars all the way to fifteen.

Organization Parties

Every year, ADP, the gay and lesbian fraternity/organization, sponsors Hot Jazz, a semi-formal with live jazz and free champagne (for the $30 price of admission). It’s not to be missed.

Club ListingsWhat's This?

Pacha

One of New York’s hottest clubs with 30,000 square feet of party space divided into four levels.Sound system and lighting are just as impressive as the famous DJs that keep the club packed well into the morning on weekends.

618 W. 46th St.

(212) 209-7500

www.pachanyc.com

Star Night Club

This bar and club is more laid-back than the haute culture of the rest of the club scene in Manhattan, and it offers a fun, casual locale for the shaking of groove things.

246 Columbus Ave.

Upper West Sie

(212) 633-9800

Bar ListingsWhat's This?

Karaoke Wow!

What better than a night with friends in a futuristic Korean-style karaoke bar? With a wide selection of songs and drinks you’ve probably never heard of, this is definitely an experience to try.

10 W. 32nd St.

(646) 454-1777

karaokewowny.com

Night Café

The dive bar to end all dive bars, the clientele at Night Café looks like a lineup at the local precinct. But sometimes, you want to drink in a place where the music blares sad, drinkin’ tunes and questionable substances aren’t hard to find. Cover: None

938 Amsterdam Ave.

(212) 864-8889

Nacho Mama’s Burritos

A favorite amongst sorority girls and male athletes, Nacho’s is usually a pretty safe bet for eye candy (which, granted, are sometimes way-too-drunk freshmen girls). Look your best and act your nicest, though, as the bouncers can be quite stringent and make you wait outside (which all Columbians agree is a little strange in the un-swanky neighborhood of Morningside Heights). Cover: None

2893 Broadway

(212) 665-2800

The West End

There’s hardly anything you can say about a bar whose slogan is “Where Columbia had its first beer,” except that everybody goes there. It’s the closest bar to the main gates of campus and most residence halls, so everyone is familiar with it, making it a popular place to assemble for a study lunch or a night out. Fortunately, the place is as big as a barn, so there’s room for all who are thirsty and a lounge in the basement is often a spot for local and campus bands to play. Cover: None

2911 Broadway

(212) 662-8830

Table XII

Another swankfest, Table XII is connected to the Lombardy Hotel and serves the bold and the beautiful. Cover: None

109 E 56th St

(212) 750-5656

Cannon’s

A favorite among Columbia athletes, Cannon’s has pitcher specials most nights of the week and a rowdy, fun attitude. This is for the  strong-hearted. Cover: None

2794 Broadway

(212) 678-9738

The Abbey Pub

The 10-block walk to the Abbey can be hard to handle on a very cold night, but the table service and friendly, laid-back atmosphere can be worth it. The Abbey Pub used to be known for serving alcohol to anyone, including those entering the bar in strollers, but recent crackdowns have changed the rules. Cover: None

237 W. 105th St.

(212) 222-8713

1020

1020 is the favorite among upperclassmen and some graduate students. The pool table in the back also draws neighborhood folk who just want to shoot a few rounds and drink a few pints. A big screen in the back plays the big game or whatever movie is on TBS or AMC. Cover: None

1020 Amsterdam Ave.

(212) 531-3468

Ding Dong Lounge

The indie-rock undergrads at Columbia rejoiced when this dingy, punk-rock dive bar moved to town last year. But all drinkers agree, the Ding Dong is an unpretentious place to drink cheaply and listen to something other than pop radio (live DJs mosts of the week help keep the music interesting). Cover: None

929 Columbus Ave.

(212) 663-2600

What to Do if You're Not 21What's This?

Going to sing karaoke in Koreatown

Interested in sharing your vocal talents and having a blast? Then the numerous Karaoke bars in K-Town (Koreatown), on 32nd between 5th and 6th Avenues are where you should be. Rooms accommodating anywhere from five to 50 people are available for private use, and you do not have to be over 21 to sing.

Amsterdam Billiard Club

344 Amsterdam Ave.

(212) 496-8180

Caroline’s

Caroline's is a great comedy club at Times Square that books class acts.

1626 Broadway

(212) 757-4100

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Most Recent Student Author

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Name: Alexandre Millet

Hometown: Washington D.C., Geneva

Major: Economics and Computer Science

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