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A Thank You Letter To Penn State Bars

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Rachael David
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PSU chapter.

*Disclaimer: Not all Penn State bars were able to be included in this list.

Whether this was your first year experiencing the wonder of State College bars or you’ve been a frequent customer since junior year, saying goodbye to the places that have become our homes away home on Friday nights (or, let’s be real, most nights of the week) is going to be emotional. These places are responsible for some of our best memories (or lack thereof) and leaving them in a few days just doesn’t feel right. No matter where we end up after this, Penn State bars will always hold a special place in our hearts. 

1. Café

Thanks for giving us a place to go when the weather is warm. Thanks for convincing us not to go to that afternoon class and making it even more embarrassing when we do and have to pass all our friends drinking on your patio. Thanks for having teas in every flavor imaginable and including one with an extra shot at the same price. Thanks for giving us a valid excuse to visit you for 55 days straight. Thanks for the skillet fries. Thanks for letting us drink the days away with the people we love and the ones we’ll miss the most.

2. Indigo

Thanks for having the best dance floor in State College and the $1 LITs that gave us the confidence to drop it low on Thursday nights. Thanks for hosting every formal known to man and providing the perfect backdrop for photo-ops. Thanks for being the only bar that will hold our jackets for us. And shoutout to the guy who’s out there shaking his stuff every Thursday and putting us all to shame. We’ll miss you too, man.

3. Pickle’s

Thanks for being the most casual yet fun bar out there. Thanks for having one of the most manageable lines any day, airing all the big games and playing throwbacks better than anybody. Thanks for country night, chicken finger baskets and fun bartenders. You have some seriously devoted fans and for good reason. Until next time, Pick’s.

4. The Gaff

Thanks for letting us all be singers on Wednesday nights. Thanks for the $6 liquor pitchers, the $3 tallboys and the electric lemonades. Thanks for promoting proper hygiene by forcing us to take showers after we leave you. Thanks for the adios motherf*ckers and the nights we don’t remember because of them. 

5. The Phyrst

Thanks for being the only bar downtown that will show us a decent time on our 21st. Thanks for the green hat that let everybody know it. Thanks for training us to pull our sh*t together even when we’re sober so we don’t get kicked out. Thanks for adding the addition. Thanks for smelling of French fries basically all the time.

6. Mad Mex

Thanks for giving us a reason to go out a Monday night. Thanks for making your margaritas “Big Azz” and letting us mix flavors. Thanks for using real fruit so we can feel kinda sorta good about ourselves for drinking three of them. Thanks for serving the most massive burritos we’ve ever seen.

7. Skellar

Thanks for pleasing both us and our alumni parents. Thanks for the live bands and multiple rooms to explore. Thanks for being a Penn State classic forever and always.

8. Primanti Bros.

Thank you for the drunk ducks, the bombass food and the great atmosphere. Thanks for the eye candy on the walls in the girls’ bathroom. Thanks for the heat lamp outside your door. Your endless lines have challenged our abilities to entertain ourselves in the coldest of weather, but once we reach the front and inevitably see someone we know inside, it all becomes worth it.

9. The Den

Thanks for being the mecca of trap rap in State College. Thanks for helping us go up on a Tuesday. Thanks for having the most ridiculous dance floor and the outdoor deck when we need to breathe again. Thanks for the pole when we’re really feelin’ wild. Thanks for forcing us to buy more than one drink on our card.  

10. Bar Bleu

Thanks for making it acceptable to consume a drink (or two) the size of our actual heads. Thanks for the much-needed appetizers after consuming one too many of them. Thanks for the basement it took us awhile to discover. Thanks for always being a chill option for the night.

 

Save us a seat, bartenders. We’ll be back.

 

Photo credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

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Rachael David is currently a senior at Penn State University and serves as the Campus Correspondent for Her Campus Penn State. She is majoring in public relations and minoring in psychology. Her love of creative writing and all things Penn State is what inspired her to become a member of the HC team in the fall of 2013. Her background experience includes working for the Undergraduate Admissions Office at Penn State as a social media intern in the spring of 2014 and is currently working as a social media intern for an internet marketing company in Harrisburg called WebpageFX. This past summer she also served as a PR intern for Tierney Communications. Rachael enjoys anything media related especially catching up on her favorite shows, including Saturday Night Live and any show on Food Network. She has a passion for food but also loves being active and spending her free time running or hiking. She hopes to gain more experience in all aspects of the media industry during college and plans on pursuing a career writing for a life & style publication in the future.