It's Saturday Morning. Go to a bar.

It's football season. More importantly, it's college football season. This time of year always is nostalgic for me. What I'd give to be back in Wisconsin, drinking beer at 8 in the morning, wearing red and white from head to toe, and doing Jump Around at Camp Randall. And also between ages 19 and 21. This = I didn't get hangovers then. But I did get a little fat there, not gonna lie. I blame cheese and beer.

Fun Jump Around Facts 

• A Wisconsin tradition since 1998, started by the men's swim team, using a megaphone and a diskman.
• In 2003, officials tried to cancel Jump Around. Pissed off, the student section refused to stand during the game, booed, and started chanting "fuck the sound guy." The next week, officials reinstated Jump Around (This reaction really should have been anticipated, as a favorite chant of the student section is "Eat Shit, Fuck You.").
• Concerned with damage to Camp Randall, a study was done - the stadium does in fact move during Jump Around, but it was determined it was safe by seismologists.
• Doing Jump Around is the only time I have been very drunk and had a moment where I thought "I question doing this, I think I might die."

Now that I am in NYC and have no bleachers to bounce around on, I must settle for a bar. Thankfully, there are so many Badgers in this town, there are four Badger Bars.  

So, Review Number One: Libation, located in the Lower East Side at 137 Ludlow, judged with the help of Sweetness, Sconnie Nation, and Mind Scientist. We all went to Wisconsin, but only Mind Scientist and I knew each other then.

Booze Selection

Normal prices for New York, but they do have some local choices, namely Leinenkugels, but not Honey Weiss, which, I mean, is nice, but nobody chooses to drink the original stuff who is under the age of 50. They also have Fish Bowls (random booze concoctions served in a fishbowl) like they did at Wando's. No free bacon with the fishbowl though. 

The crowd was also a little taken aback (read: intimidated) by our taking of shots for each touchdown.    

Wisconsin Food

They have brats! Good as the brats at State Street Brats? No. But, I've only seen the option to order a brat at one other place in New York, so YAY! These weren't too bad though. Probably the best Wisconsin offering at Libation. Also, the waitress kept calling them sausages, which the are not. 

They also have cheese curds, which I was so incredibly excited about, you don't even know. Cheese curds can only be described as pre-cheese, which is then battered and deep fried. These ones were okay. They'd make me happy in a bind, but I have the sneaking suspicion they are mozzarella (granted fresh and good quality) but NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. We are on the East Coast, but these ABSOLUTELY ARE NOT CHEESE CURDS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, NOR IN ANY TIME, MANNER, OR PLACE. I question if these people even have set foot in Wisconsin. 

Crowd

Decent, but not overly enthused. The girls dress too fashion focused for a college game, and half the guys only seem moderately interested. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that this had to do with the fact that we were playing Purdue, but still. Get it together. You're fan enough to come out, you're fan enough to cheer. Maybe this is just New York though. Fans that are too cool. Or maybe they're the New Jersey Coasties. Someone needs to explain. You can sit though, which is nice. As a short person, if I have to stand at a bar I can't see shit. Mind Scientist and I did Jump Around and some people got into it, but not enough. Boo to you...boo. Note the sitting people below. 

Music

Not a fan. The DJ played either 90s music, or super clubby stuff. He did get it together a little bit and played Sweet Caroline and Jump Around, but there was no On Wisconsin, and no Varsity. These are game day staples. Fuck the Sound Guy?

Overall, I guess this place is okay. I'd go if I had no where else to go, but it's nothing to rave about. I give this place a rating of 5/10. There has to be better.

And now I go back to watching Ohio State. Seriously, stop tolling that damned bell.