Some tips for first-year clubbing
Darren Sharp | Fulcrum Staff
IF YOU TURN 18 sometime in your first year, you’ll inevitably find yourself partying in Hull, the nearby city just across the Quebec border. Hull offers a multitude of terrifying clubs waiting to welcome new students into their grimy clutches. Your 19th birthday will grant you access to Ottawa nightlife, but until then you’re stuck taking expensive cabs to Le Volt or other similarly named Hull bars.
Here’s a brief survival guide for making it through those debaucherous evenings with nothing but a strong buzz and a stronger French vocabulary.
Keep track of your friends
The worst thing in the world is suddenly realizing that you’ve been ditched in Hull. Clubs get packed, people get separated, and before you know it you’re standing at the bar alone getting talked up by a guy who is most certainly too old to be there. Always keep one eye on your Coors Light and one eye on the people you came with.
Figure out your way home ahead of time
Whether you plan on leaving a little early so you can catch a bus or you’ve put some extra money in your wallet to hail a cab at 2:30 a.m., never go to Hull without knowing how you’re getting back. Coming from someone who has had to walk home from Hull in the middle of a winter storm, I urge you to take my word on this one.
Know which bars are sketchy and which bars are … less sketchy
There is no such thing as a respectable club in Hull. That said, there are definitely ones that are slightly more classy than others. Knowing which ones to go to and which ones to avoid comes with experience, but commit it to memory once you figure it out. If you keep notes on which bar has the nicest bouncers, which is the most cost-friendly, and which boasts the best creep to non-creep ratio, you will thank yourself.
Never look back after your 19th birthday
Seriously. Never.
