By Kiev Martinez
Camaraderie was the word of the night during the annual McDaniel College Budapest year-opening pub crawl. Students gathered at the customary spot UdvarRom (Klauzál u. 21), a ruin pub and hostel famous for its very relaxed atmosphere, good drink specials, and great music. A multi-level, multi-room bar, UdvarRom welcomed us with a cozy corner table over by the entertainment area. Pitchers of mixed drinks, beers and other libations were ordered, and foosball machines were fed with 100 HUF coins – some students just shouldn’t play foosball! For the first time, the McDaniel College Budapest student body was joined by the Budapest Semester in Math Program members, bringing together two diverse student bodies. Long, comfortable wooden picnic tables line the bar, where we quickly filled up our assigned area. Almost 40 students left UdvarRom to head to Anker’t later in the evening.
One of Budapest’s ideal ruin pubs, Anker’t (Paulay Ede u. 33, 1061) is host every other Friday to one of the city’s most welcoming LGBTQ and hetero events, where everyone can come together, have fun, and be safe. A nicely kept outdoor area, large interior spaces, and cheap drinks kept everyone fueled as small groups formed to talk or hit the dance floor and strut their stuff. With even more students joining the pub crawl, the laughs continued to roll. As the night wore on closer to midnight, the group departed to one of the best dance spots in town, Ellátóház (Dob u. 19), in the heart of District 7. Known for its courtyard with massive trees (and quite a lively party hostel upstairs), Ellátóház always delivers, whether with live bands or a DJ hitting the turntables. Although drinks are a little pricey, you get one and you nurse it for the time that you’re there. After some intense dancing, the pub crawl split into two – half to the famous Instant/FogasHáz, and the other to Ötkert.
It was wonderful to see the McDaniel College Budapest family come together to celebrate another great year of school. The school looks forward to welcoming everyone to the end of term pub crawl in December.
