OT: Michigan-friendly bars in Northern Virginia/DC
I left Ann Arbor this summer for an internship in Northern Virginia, Fairfax to be exact. I was wondering if anyone familiar to Fairfax/DC metro could point me to a good bar or two in the area. Are there any Michigan friendly bars? Help a fellow Mgoblog member find a good place to get a drink after work. It would be greatly appreciated.
I recall Bailey's in Arlington from when I had a contract with NSF. There's also a place in DuPont.
You definitely have to get out of Fairfax. It's off-season, don't worry about finding fellow fans, find good beer. Church Key in Logan Circle comes to mind.
Check here and here. I'll spare you the snark that I'm sure others will surely take care of.
I just moved to DC about 6 months ago. Bailey's is B1G friendly but not UofM specific I don't think, Buffalo Billiards is in Dupont and great if you're younger/rowdy, RFD in Chinatown is now the officialy UM Alumni bar in the city I think, but the best is Kangaroo Boxing Club in Columbia Heights - but it's really hard to get a table if you don't get there early (really good bbq there as well).
I go to RFD all the time when I'm working in DC, no idea it was the official alumni spot. Great beer selection there, at one point they were one of very few places with Aventinus on draft.
Went to Buffalo Billiards for the Syracuse game last year and it was overwhelmingly Michigan. Don't know how it would be for a regular game though.
on game days.Sometimes up to 90% if you gp by gear.
IS THE BEST. The people who work there are awesome, they have great drink choices, and the food is nuts. One of my favorite bars/restaurants in DC, regardless of the Michigan connection. Recommended: gorgonzola bacon mac n cheese.
I haven't been yet, but how is the neighborhood?
Tons of friends that live in the Columbia Heights area. 11th street is blowing up right now, really great restaurants and bars.
And I think a couple of the owners/founders are from Michigan.
I was in DC this past weekend and went here - I really liked it, food was great.
A bit smaller in size (~50 total seating, maybe?). I'd love to go back for a game.
I'm interning this summer in that area as well. I went to GVSU, though, but would be cool to meet up and have a couple of beers some night.
Live in Fairfax, but interning in Reston, for the Media Research Center. It's in a little corporate area called Campus Commons.
That's the only Michigan bar that's left around here. I'm sure the alumni association will find someplace to go now that Bailey's is closed. KBC's food is amazing, though.
Fairfax city or county?
Bailey's actually just closed, so this question isn't so bad. Kangaroo Boxling Club and Buffalo Billiards are probably the best spots.
Buffalo Billiards is a major bar for football Saturdays -- literally hundreds of UM people there for ND, MSU and OSU and a good crowd on any given game weekend. Wouldn't say it's a "Michigan" bar, though, at least not in the way that Kangaroo Boxing Club is. KBC was founded by Michigan alums; their staff shirts say "Michigan Drinking and Yelling." Good barbecue, too.
That's if you want to come into DC, though. Not sure what the scene is like in Fairfax.
Wait...it is summer already?
I will be relocating to the DC metro area next month, and I will keep these locations in mind. My wife is making noises about how we don't need cable, and she may have a point. I mostly watch cable to see live sports. 12 months of cable TV subscriptions will go a long way buying drinks and food at a sports bar a few times a year.
Lived in DC and NoVa for the last 14 years. There really are no official UM bars to be had anywhere. Not sure it matters during the summer since you won't really be seeing football or basketball season. You'll probably find the World Cup playing on just about every sports bar screen as this is a highly international scene obviously.
Reston Town Center is probably not for you as it's more for the older professional crowd. Just do DC right as a youngster by doing the U corridor (the hot new area) by 14th, and of course, Georgetown. If you're a prepster try Smith Point late night in G'town. Lots of drunk blondes and guys in Izods you can easily out-work for the better talent - not my scene but I did do damage there ten years ago.
If you're sticking to Arlington, which isn't a bad scene any more, head to old faithful beer shack Whitlow's and go from there.
Also, if you are going to take in movies, take them in at the Courthouse Theater in the heart of Arlington. They have the best full recline sofa seats in the nation.
I will be relocating to McLean in the next month so I will be looking for places to hang on Saturdays as well.
Although I never lived there, an older brother of mine lived in Georgetown for years. The bars there are a lot of fun. Can't recall any bars that are overwhelmingly Michigan-supportive, but there are a few places there that are a good time. Tony and Joes is a great place for Sunday brunch and some beers, and on Friday the open air deck is great...turns into "little black dress night" and the scenery is incredible. My favorite bar was J Pauls on M Street. Great menu, great crowd. The whole area is full of cool places to hang out.