[HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]E3[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Price of a pint of beer: ú1.40 [BULL] Glass of wine: ú1.30[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Cinemas:[EBOLD] (2) MGM, which shows mainstream movies, and The Arts Cinema, which, surprisingly enough, is more arty.[PARA][BOLD]Pubs:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Cambridge has many good pubs, despite the fact they're pretty expensive (the prices above are the cheapest, on average a pint of bitter is is over ú1.50). The pubs along the riverside are most popular amongst students. [EITAL][PUSH]push[EPUSH][ITAL] would just like to plug the places where we've thrown up riotously on the floor: The Cambridge Blue; Cow and Calf (relaxing); Anchor (riverside pub with great grub); Mill (riverside, a range of ales); The Eagle; Blue Boar (trendy); Pickerel; Mitre (busy); Baron of Beef (good boozer); Bath (central) and many more. [EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Clubs/discos:[EBOLD] (4) [ITAL]Considering a local student population of something over 20,000, Cambridge is poorly equipped in this field and much of the time, students stick to their college bops for their funky fun. [EITAL]Those who insist on seeking alternative amusement have the following choice: Fifth Avenue ([ITAL]popular[EITAL] ú2.50 Tuesdays, Big Holy Noise); Route 66 ([ITAL]fun but seedy, [EITAL]ú2.50, indie and dance, town/student mix); Junction ([ITAL]large and ugly, top DJs, ú4[EITAL]); and Xenon ([ITAL]cosmopolitan but not so popular[EITAL]).[PARA][BOLD]Music venues:[EBOLD] The famous Corn Exchange has a capacity of 1,500 and is renowned as a musical haven (recently Primal Scream, Wonder Stuff, Marillion [ITAL](zzzzz)[EITAL]). The Junction (cap 700) is a purpose-built venue [ITAL]with as much character as a goldfish[EITAL], although it gets a few names in (recently Therapy?, Madder Rose, Blue Aeroplanes). Boat Race and Man in the Moon pubs good for folkies.[PARA][BOLD]Others: [EBOLD]Cambridge also offers a bit of busking and many carefree capers by, on or in the river, such as puntin', hootin' and fishin'.[HDNG]UNIVERSITY:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]E2[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Price of a pint of beer: ú1.20 [BULL] Glass of wine: ú1[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Bars: [EBOLD]Each college has at least 1 bar, often shamefully cheap, although some don't allow anyone but college members and their guests ([ITAL]but it's never too hard to crash[EITAL]). [ITAL]Usually the bar is the gravitational centre of college life, which may explain the number of people lying on the floors (physics joke).[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Theatres: [EBOLD]Drama is all over the place in Cambridge. The [ITAL]slightly pokey[EITAL] ADC (cap 250) is run professionally for student productions and aims at a wider audience than simply students. It's got good facilities such as its own lights, bar, club room and workshop. At ADC, along with Fitzpatrick Hall (in Queen's College) and the Robinson Theatre, a handsome number of pretty big shows are performed each term of an extremely variable standard ([ITAL]some very high highs, but some lamentably low lows[EITAL]). Also, at an enormous proliferation of other smaller venues throughout the University, including The Cambridge Playroom and about 4 others, more experimental productions continue virtually non-stop all year.[PARA][BOLD]Cinemas:[EBOLD] Most colleges have their own film club, which usually amounts to rented videos in the JCR, although some are more professional (especially at St John's, Queens, Peterhouse and the Cambridge Union Society). Being run by students, these, of course, show just about anything students might want to see [ITAL]and often just what the projectionist wants to see. (Ooh, crikey, The Blues Brothers again).[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Clubs/discos:[EBOLD] The biggest regular club night is the weekly Big Holy Noise held at Fifth Avenue (800) run by CUSU (and often attended by [ULNE]Anglia Poly University[EULNE] students) but students can usually rely on a rave 5 or 6 times every week by doing the rounds of the college bops. [PUSH]push[EPUSH][ITAL]plug bops at Queen's Fitzpatrick Hall, Clare College cellars, John's Boiler Room and Trinity Old Kitchens.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Cabaret:[EBOLD] The famous Cambridge Footlights Revue has given birth to some of the world's funniest chuckle mongers. For example, The Monty Python Team (John Cleese, Eric Idle, etc), Smith and Jones, Fry and Laurie, John Sessions, Clives Anderson and James, Emma Thompson, Tony Slattery and so on ad ridiculum. [ITAL]But the biggest joke in recent years has been that they performed as if, because they have such a great reputation, they don't actually need to be funny any more. The sad thing is it's true - one untalented crop went straight onto the BBC's 'Going Live' to embarrass themselves, their mums, and the nation. [EITAL] Cambridge Comedy is unkillable, though, as Baddiel and Newman have shown, and the Footlights show goes on [ITAL](and on, and on...)[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Music venues:[EBOLD] The University Concert Hall (650) host mainly classical concerts including the University's many orchestras, choirs and chapel music groups. For more contemporary sound-waves the one to watch is Queen's Fitzpatrick Hall (again) with a capacity of 300.[PARA][BOLD]Balls:[EBOLD] [ITAL]No, not a rude exhortation, but wild parties in penguin suits and ball frocks.[EITAL] Most colleges have one (or share one with another college) and some are huge (such as Trinity College's). The one thing they almost all have in common is a discussion with the bank manager - a double ticket can cost in excess of ú140. Some colleges have cheaper versions by cutting back the thrills and frills. Most students end up deciding they're only young once and only a student once and what the hell and go to at least one ball a year anyway. For really top names in music and cabaret, balls are the crunching ground since the organisers are often willing to splash out on chart bands. The odd thing is the balls are almost all in June and yet are called May Balls. Answers on a postcard...[PARA][BOLD]Others:[EBOLD] Terribly civilised entertainments flourish, such as garden parties and cocktail parties and cheese and wine parties and possibly even Tupperware parties for all we know. Students should remember to pack their cravats and Laura Ashley dresses.[HDNG]EATING OUT:[EHDNG][PARA]During the day, livers in generally eat lunch in the college dining halls, but there are also cafeterias and sandwich bars in some of the departments and in the University Library. Apart from these, students are to be found feeding in pubs, local sandwich shops and tea rooms of which there are many. The secret is to avoid the tourist snakes and seek out the student ladders. The local fare fares well. There is a good selection of munch troughs to suit all tastes, especially those who like pizza. Vegetarianism is rife amongst students and most restaurants have adjusted their menus to offer more than a cheese omelette. For quality cuisine, there's French, Mexican, Indian, Chinese and so on, but prices often mean students either have to go dutch when eating Italian or take their parents, or their parents' cheque book. A case in point is Browns who do excellent burgers and steaks and all that stuff. Fast food joints squat on every corner cruelly luring the weak-willed: kebabs, fish'n'chips, sandwiches, jacket potatoes ([ITAL]try Tatties[EITAL]) and Burger King. Macdonalds is finally open, [ITAL]to the consternation of the right-on[EITAL]. One of the worst excesses of student life is that doner feeling about 2am after serious partying and then comes the automaton stumble for a kebab from Gardenias, which is open until the small hours start getting bigger.
