Afterwork Burrito

Everyone hates Mondays. No matter what you do, chances are you're not a big fan of the end of the weekend, going back to work or school. To alleviate the pains of long first day of the week, one bar/restaurant in State College was kind enough to make an offer any one could possibly resist: Large Margaritas for five bucks anytime until midnight and all-you-can-eat burritos until nine. Thank you MadMex!

MadMex is part of the DaysInn on Pugh Street, half a block north of Beaver Avenue. It is the best sport in town to cool off after a stressful and painfully long Monday, especially in the summer. The outside patio will be full of students and workers alike and nothing taste as good in the late afternoon sun as a frozen strawberry margarita--and yes, it's okay for guys to drink those too... However, MadMex as many other wonderful drink specials, one of my favorites is the three-dollar pint of Magic Hat #9, one of the best summer beers. The burrito special is equally great. Every burrito is made to order, so if you want to have beef on the first and shrimp on the second you're good to go.

On sunny and warm Mondays, MadMex is my favorite place to go in Downtown State College. If you're looking for a place to hang out with friends, relax and drink and eat well for less, this is the place to go.

The Tank

Any day, any time... Sharkies is always there. And so am I. My favorite place in town, Sharkies Bar and Thrifty Bottle Shop is literally my second home. I am not only saying that because I spend so much time there but because I never had a bar before that I'd call "mine". A bar, where the staff knows my name and the bottle of Lionshead is waiting for me when I walk in.

But why do I like the place so much? Well, first of all, they have a pretty damn good selection of beer and drinks and all of those are easily affordable. Adjacent to the bar Sharkies operates a well-stocked bottle shop providing the supplies for the after-party at Karl's place with Corrinado's Pizza (just a block away). Secondly, there's an upstairs and a downstairs bar, so if you're a smoker like me you'll prefer the downstairs but if you don't smoke you are not going to be affected by the smokers if you stay upstairs. Thirdly, you can play your own music on the internet jukebox. The fourth reason is the great pool tables Sharkies has to offer. Seven all together, four upstairs and three downstairs. I never really played pool before but now I'm a big fan.

Lastly and most importantly, the people and thus the feeling of the bar. On the one hand, the staff is extremely wonderful and never fails to contribute to a good time. On the other hand, the people who come to Sharkies. For some reason there seems to be an unwritten code of conduct at Sharkies. Hardly ever will you find disrespectful people, no matter how drunk they get. And if anyone is stepping out of bounds they'll be out in no time. Also, in no other bar would I ever leave my belongings on the table for the entire night. At Sharkies no one will ever touch them and if I forgot everything I'm sure they'll still be there next time I show up. What truely makes Sharkies what it is for me is my Sharkies crowd. A group of three delightful individuals with whom I share my passion for the place. Not many of my friends are actually too fond of the place and I understand that it is an acquired taste and you have to like the atmosphere. All I can say is, come and find out, it's definitely worth it. See you at the shark tank!