DC's for FAC

Despite what you may have heard, DC's F.A.C. is nothing special. I decided to venture to the bar for the first time on Friday. I had heard about the great drink deals and the "fish bowls," so I wanted to check it out for myself.

When I arrived at the bar, which is located in the Ped Mall on South Dubuque Street, around 5 o'clock, I was surprised because it was already jammed with people. The bar itself is unique to downtown Iowa City. I can't think of another bar that can compare to DC's interior. Inside feels like a sport's bar. TVs are positioned all over the bar and sports memorabilia fills the walls. When you enter the bar, there is a set of stairs immediately to your right which lead you to the second floor. The first thing I noticed is how narrow the bar is. There is not very much room to move around, and working my way to the bar took some effort.

I had heard about how great the fish bowls were here, so I figured I would order one to start off the night, but, once I finally reached the bar, I found out the truth behind the fish bowls. When I think of a fish bowl, not an actual fish bowl but one from a previous experience at a bar that serves fish bowls, I expect something fairly large that could definitely serve more than one person. I was let down. The fish bowls were small and they cost $4. Watching one of the bartenders fill a fish bowl, I noticed how little alcohol actually went into the drink, and, plus, there was a limited list of drinks that you could order at the bar.

Instead, I ordered a large mug of beer, 32 oz. The mug was huge, and for $3 I thought this was going to be great.

Trying to lug around a 32 oz. mug of beer in an extremely crowded bar is difficult. I was constantly being bombarded with elbows and bodies. With little table space available I had to hold the beer the entire time. I am not the weakest individual but after about five minutes I was tired of holding the beer. The actual beer itself was watered down and warm. The downstairs was too crowded so I decided to check out the upstairs. When I made it to the top of the stairs, I was disappointed to find that the upstairs was even narrower than the downstairs and just as crowded, so I headed back down to the main floor. I found some space with my friends near the entrance; finally we had enough room so as we didn’t have to worry about being knocked into and spilling our beers. After a half hour, my beer was so warm and watered down that I had to order a new one, which, not to my surprise, was barely colder than the beer I had just set down. Even though it was nice to check the latest bar in downtown Iowa City, I am in no hurry to return. The bar has potential, but, during FAC, the bar is just too crowded and the drink specials are not really that great.

And, for your own safety if you decide to check out DC’s, be careful as you walk in because there is a slight raise just inside the door. My friends and I watched person after person stumble as they walked into the bar, and I don’t think it was just because some of them were drunk.