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The U-District doesn't offer much of interest unless you're taking your new fake ID out for a spin. With the exception of jazz club Lucid and the District Lounge in the Hotel Deca, most U-District haunts fall firmly in the pub category and are filled with students on weekends. If you don't want to drink, you'll have better luck: the neighborhood has a comedy club, a few theater troupes, and several good movie theaters, including beloved art house Grand Illusion Cinema .
With its neat brick walls, polished wood floors, and vintage memorabilia, Big Time Brewery is one of the best places in the U-District for a quiet beer away from the frenetic college scene. Opened in 1988, it was one of the first local brewpubs of the craft beer movement. There are more than a dozen beers on tap, including cask ales; come here for that, not the mediocre pub grub.
This small comedy venue attracts nationally known touring comedians on weekends and keeps a good flow of local talent and up-and-comers on weeknights. Headliners usually play two shows per night, which means last-minute tickets are usually easy to come by. Tickets are generally reasonable, though the price doesn't include the two-item minimum order per person. Food is an option, but not a good one; you're better off fulfilling your minimum with drinks (which include non-alcoholic choices).
It's all about the view at this rooftop bar of the Graduate Hotel: in a neighborhood with few tall buildings, it feels on top of the world. Inside, windows that stretch to the ceiling surround the exploration-themed decor, while the patio space extends the view to the sky. Most of the craft cocktails have clever local themes, but the bartenders are happy to mix conventional classics as well.
This dimly lit place, with classic eon signage out front, serves tasty frozen cocktails, pizza by the slice, and some more elaborate full pies dreamed up by the founder, a former fine-dining chef. The atmosphere feels like an ironic take on the classic New York pizza joint, with better cocktails and a cleaner setting than the classic college pub.
