Dear Friends/Family/That Random Taxi Driver That Picked Me Up and Took Me Home After Finding Me Face First On The Sidewalk,

Sometimes I like to drink. A lot. And on those occasions I may or may not (okay, always) do stupid things. It is not me, you see; it is the alcohol. In fact, it is not until the morning after when I am chugging Gatorade and trying to get my bed to stop spinning that I even realize exactly what went down. And I feel bad – really, I do. So, I want to take this opportunity to apologize for it all.

To The Bartender: I am sorry that I hopped over the bar and drank beer directly from the tap. And attempted to spray my friends with Tonic Water. And knocked over that giant stack of glasses….

To My Best Friend: I am sorry that I bit your hand when you tried to take my falafel away from me. Yes, I know I said we would share. I am also sorry that I stole your shoe…and drank a beer out of it. And that I peed in your garbage can. Oh, wait. That was your sock drawer? My bad.

To My Friends: I am sorry that I called your girlfriend “Gorilla”…to her face (but I am more sorry that you are dating such a mess). Sorry that I brought that random dude back to the apartment and accidentally took him to your room. I will wash your sheets…and rug. Oh, and your teddy bear. Read More »

My first night back in Los Angeles, after a year of living in New York, I ended up at a bar on Sunset called Coach & Horses. It was dark, dank, a jukebox kind of place. I started talking to a guy, a friend of a friend, about our jobs, favorite movies, favorite television shows. He worked in the writer’s room of a popular TV show, we were both addicted to “Top Chef,” and we agreed that the first four seasons of the “West Wing” were brilliant and far surpassed seasons five thru seven.

It was refreshing to talk to a guy who shared my interests and taste, because in New York it was hard to find someone I had anything in common with. I felt like I’d struck gold, and then I remembered: I wasn’t in New York anymore. This was Los Angeles, a city full of my kind of people.

It’s not just a myth that everyone in Los Angeles works in the entertainment industry in one capacity or another; you’re hard pressed to find someone with no industry connections. Everyone in LA seems to have a script they wrote tucked under their arm, and most would rather win an Oscar than a Nobel Peace Prize. Some might hate this, but I love it and talking to this guy at Coach & Horses felt incredibly good. Read More »

When I told my friends that I went and grabbed a drink by myself at Happy Hour they were shocked. “Don’t you know how that looks?” they asked me. Many women think it looks like a move you pull when you’re trying to get laid, when really, maybe all I was trying to do was get a half-priced glass of Sangria and Buffalo Wings (don’t judge the pairing, it’s delicious.)

Independence is attractive. Having enough confidence to say “table for one” is beautiful, and frankly, quite difficult to acquire. TwentySomethings are generally surrounded by people, all. the. time. From roommates to classes, parties to multiple job hopping, mixers to double dates, in between it’s hard to find that sacred time of solitude. It’s often easier to stay surrounded than to forge out on your own, because being alone means there are decisions to make; what you want, sans your friends influencing opinions (God love them).

Do you order Chinese food every night because you’re craving the same Chow Mein you’ve been eating for the past week or because your roommate always gets it? Do you really want to see 27 Dresses AGAIN, or is there an Indie flick you’ve been dying to catch….? The truth is until you do things for yourself it’s terribly difficult to answer these questions because you’ve never asked yourself what YOU wanted before.

This is no simple process. Alone time scares many a confident person. Knowing where to find your fulfillment outside of friends is often hard to do. Friends fulfill me, sharing fulfills me, my family and the random dude who engaged in conversation over a beer pong table (sometimes) fulfills me. But, on some days being able to sit with a cup of tea, or take a walk with my Ipod fulfills me more than ANY OF those things.

Here are some suggestions for those of you who are looking to move forward into your lonesome with grace, excitement, and security. Trust me, after a while, you’ll learn to LOVE IT: Read More »

It’s called “Happy Hour” because cheap food, cheap drinks, and the end of the work day= HAPPY.

Being that most of us are ridiculously broke, Happy Hour is Ecstatic Hour, easy on the bank account and good for the soul. CollegeCandy wants to assist you all in saving your money to pay for those student loans, and give you some of the best Happy Hours in your cities so that all the dough you acquire from long work hours, can be well spent.

CHEERS!

Austin, TX- Carlos ‘n Charlies Happy Hour: 2-7, plus live music!
Doc’s Motorworks- Happy Hour:4-7 plus daily food specials. $2 pints of Miller Lite? Sign me up.
Saba Cafe- Happy Hour: 4:30-7 half priced cocktails and $5 appetizers!

DC/Arlington- Gua’rapo- Happy Hour: 5-7, drinks and tapas specials. Plus Hookah!
Iota Club and Cafe- Happy Hour:5-9, half off wine, $2 select bottles. Live music, local bands.
Irelands Four Courts- Happy Hour:4-7, daily food specials. Wednesday= 55 cent wings?! Live music also! Read More »

Like any good twenty-something, I’m on several random email lists, usually of the happy hour variety. When one of my favorite haunts in lower Manhattan emailed me about an open bar next Monday, I did a cartoon-style double-take.

Not because I’m that excited about an open bar, but because in the subject line, this one was exclusively for supporters of Barack Obama.

I opened said email instead of deleting immediately and read that the “suggested donation” was $25 per person, but more would be greatly appreciated, and that the proceeds would go directly to Obama’s campaign.

Maybe I should’ve been disgusted. Instead, I was intrigued. A politician’s supporters realize a great way to get the twenty-to-thirty demographic to donate… give them booze in exchange for the donation. Unlimited alcohol—and sushi!—for four hours, even.

Considering drinks are between $7 and $10 apiece in the city, and sushi will cost you at least $5 a roll-order… why, you’ve got dinner and a buzz in the name of being politically active. Read More »

It is pretty much mid-August already, and for you lucky bastards heading back to school in the fall, it is time for the back-to-school insanity: Back-to-school sales. Back-to-school packing. Back-to-school planning. Back-to-school countdowns.

For me, however - a newly anointed adult – mid August means nothing more than insanely hot days where I don’t want to leave the house because I am so depressed that I am not going back to school in two weeks. No welcome week to look forward to. No reuniting with friends after 3 months apart. No dollar pitchers on a Wednesday night.

Nope, just another fucking day to get up at 5:30, go to the gym and head into my office where I have no windows and no contact to the outside world only to return home to my (fabulous) apartment and do even more work before going to bed and starting it all again. Hell, if it weren’t for the JC Penny back-to-school ads that show up in movie theaters, I wouldn’t even know it was mid-August to begin with!

Without a school year to look forward to, days blend into weeks, which blend into months and before I knew it, the summer is gone and I still look like (a well-dressed) Casper the Ghost. Read More »

If you’re a Harry Potter fan (and come on, how can you not be?) then you’ve wanted to try Butterbeer. The magical, frothy drink that warms your insides sounds incredibly delicious. And with a slew of Potter fans wanting to try the drink as well, there are plenty of different recipes to try.

So throw your own HP party (whether its for the upcoming book release or the new movie) and whip up a batch of Butterbeer for you and your muggle friends.

And if you don’t feel like going to the trouble, drop a shot of butterscotch schnapps into a pint of your favorite beer. It’s surprisingly delicious!

Cold Butterbeer
From Britta Blvd

1 cup butterscotch schnapps
7 cups cream soda (almost one 2 liter bottle)

-Carefully mix just before serving, adding the schnapps to the soda then stirring gently to mix well, or the fizz will dissipate too soon.

Hot Butterbeer
From Elanor Isolda at The Leaky Lounge Read More »

I’ve always been a firm supporter of the phrase, “It’s five o’clock somewhere,” it is almost like a mantra to me.

Whether it was the mimosa I’d sip on Monday morning before class, blind-eyed to my roommate’s disapproving glares, or spiking my Coke with a little nip of rum in the dining commons at lunch to my friends’ bemusement, I’d just smile real big and cluck, “It’s five o’clock somewhere guys! Loosen up!”

Alright so maybe my tendencies slightly resemble that of Sully, the homeless alcoholic on the corner block who’s always singing Ace of Base off-key — But hey! Cheers to being young and reckless! At least he ‘saw the sign’…for happy hour.

Either way, such tendencies made it no surprise at all that I found myself in a bar (Thank you trusty fake ID!) this past Friday getting some drinks with a friend. After a hard week of internship pandemonium, a stiff drink in the city was just the cure. Read More »