Where is the best place to watch the NCAA tournament?
Midnight Sun reader AC-M sent me an e-mail a couple days ago wondering where the best spots are to watch the tournament.
She writes:
I find I struggle every year trying to figure out who/where has the package, and sometimes am disappointed that a bar with loads of TVs is showing just 2 games.
And bonus points for people who can identify places downtown to sneak out of work to watch during *ahem* lunch.
I caught a couple of the games in Lucy's (21 N. Eutaw St.) and Pickles Pub (520 Washington Blvd.) yesterday, and of the two of them, Pickles is the better place for game-watching ...
Normally, I don't like it when bar owners shamelessly plug their place. But I'm going to make an exception here. If you own a bar and want to boast about your gameday package and the number of flat screen TVs you have, go for it.
Oh and by the way, I chose this photo of my alma mater basketball team, because they won like winners last night. Will they keep it up? Probably not. But right now, they're winners, and I like winners.
(Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
I'm not a bar owner, but I will pump up Looney's in Canton. The only problem is that it gets too crowded sometimes, but if you can finagle a bar seat, there's none better.
Other than that, I'm a big proponent of Shuckers in Fells. When they open the windows, it makes for a very enjoyable game-watching experience. And their food is superb.
What I would recommend to both of them is to keep the sound on for games. No bars do that nowadays, and I think that really makes the game better.
Posted by: duffster | March 20, 2009 11:11 AM
Bleachers in Canton is a simple, small, sports-bar that has had the package in the past. The crowds are not overwhelming at all - quality people are usually there, one of my favorite off-the-beaten track locations.
Posted by: Peter | March 20, 2009 11:36 AM
Peter, personally, those are my favorite kinds of places to watch the game, too.
Posted by: Sam Sessa | March 20, 2009 11:37 AM
Don't Know and No Idea have the March Madness Package. It's the best package of the year. A lot more places have it nowadays but I am not exactly sure who has it. Personally I would rather watch the games at No Idea, all HD and you are a lot closer to the TV's, all 14 of them. Not trying plug, just answering the blog question of the day.
Posted by: jason | March 20, 2009 12:02 PM
I second Shuckers in Fells. I was there ALOT last March Madness and wasn't disappointed.
Posted by: J | March 20, 2009 12:12 PM
I'll be at Shuckers or Looneys wearing a Carolina blue jacket and Chapel Hill shirt. WOOT!
Posted by: duffster | March 20, 2009 12:24 PM
Duffster, you know UNC alumni group hangs out at Portside for the games?
If you can afford it, I always loved getting the comfy leather chairs at the ESPNZone for the afternoon. You have to order like $15 worth of food every hour to hold on to the chair, but the screens are great!
Put me down for Looney's. Nothing better for Terp or Irish games.
Posted by: Sturmy | March 20, 2009 1:01 PM
Definitly Looney's every game at every bar!!
Posted by: DavidS | March 20, 2009 1:25 PM