Editor’s Note: The student sources who are under 21 in this story are referred to using their initials to preserve their anonymity.
Ithaca, New York — a city of about 33,000 — has the 9th most bars per capita out of every city in the U.S. If a zest for exploration hit a resident, they could go to a new bar every night for a month and would still have more to discover.
Despite the wide variety of drinking options available throughout Ithaca, drinking rates at Ithaca College have decreased since 2022, according to survey results from the National College Health Assessment. In 2022, 66.2% of students reported using alcohol in the past month. In 2025, only 54.1% of students reported using alcohol in the past month — trending less than a point above the national average.
Although alcohol consumption has decreased, many Ithaca College students still decide to go out on Fridays and Saturdays, hopping on the Route 11 bus around 10 p.m. for a free ride downtown. From Aug. 17 to Sept. 21, between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) route 11 bus recorded 1,400 riders.
As fewer people are going out and there are only a couple of bars on the commons that are less likely to catch fake IDs, I wondered what kept students going to the bars. On Sept. 26, I decided to see for myself what a night out in Ithaca looked like from the perspective of five 20-year-old Ithaca College roommates who do not shy away from a night out.
The Pregame
I met the group at an upstairs Circle Apartment at about 9:45 p.m. NG, MB and CG were out on their balcony as I rang the bell. They let me inside and showed me to their regular spot. A small side table held MB’s mixed vodka Celsius, CG’s Simply Spiked Bold — 8% ABV —, a near-empty bottle of Recipe 21 Premium Vodka, NG’s Mike’s Harder Lemonade — also 8% — and a small bag of weed. CG said the plan for the night was to go to the commons, which meant either Moonies Bar and Nightclub or Lot 10.
When I asked CG what they usually did before going to the bar, he said that the group gets the cheapest mixer and liquor they can find. NG also said he makes sure he is cross-faded every time he goes out, as he continued to take hits out of his bong.
“It takes the anxiety out of going out,” NG said. “I need to be high before I’m drunk.”
NG said he has had his fake ID since he was 15 years old, but he said he has never gotten carded in Ithaca when buying liquor. Before going out, NG said he preferred Lot 10 before they made their smoking rules stricter on the patio. He also shared his vision of an ideal night out.
“Drink five drinks at Lot 10, go to the patio, smoke a couple joints and cigarettes,” NG said. “Everyone leaves Lot 10, goes to Moonies [and then] Marrakech, always Marrakech. … And a post-game, a post-game is the most important part of a good night out.”
NG also said he missed The Range, a bar on the commons that closed in August 2024 due to financial strain.
“When The Range was open, that was also a bar that you could go to when you were underage,” NG said. “It was a good vibe, it wasn’t a club, it was a bar. The Range closing messed stuff up.”
MB said the problem with Moonies is that no one goes anymore, and if there were a bigger crowd there, she would be there every night. A little later, roommates GR and KR came out of their rooms to meet the group outside.
The Bus
At 10:38 p.m., the roommates joined a group of about 15 at the TCAT bus stop. A full bus passed, but an empty one followed. Once they got on the bus, CG and NG opened their buzzballs and began drinking them.
The TCAT has been free for students to ride since Fall 2023. Students can log into the TFare app with their student ID to scan into the bus.
Trevor Jensen, service planning and scheduling manager for TCAT, said in an interview with The Ithacan that when he had to drive the Route 11 bus from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, it originally drove him nuts.
“I have a puritanical opinion on good public conduct,” Jensen said. “But at the same time, it’s a lot of fun because you feel productive. … You’re driving 60 to 70 people up the hill, saving them a lot of time, you’re taking potential drunk drivers off the road and you feel like you’re doing something good.”
Jeremiah Anderson, operations manager at TCAT, said that providing public transportation for students who are drinking during the evening is a public service to the students and the communities on Hudson Street. Anderson said that if there was one thing he could remind students about is to be more considerate of pushing and shoving when boarding the bus.
“I’d [also] like to say the volume on the bus, but I don’t think we’ll ever control that,” Anderson said. “I’m not saying everyone [on the bus] is drunk, but [students] have been drinking and it dulls our senses and [they] tend to get louder and excited. Also, not running in front of a moving bus … it’s very dangerous.”
After the Towers stop, the second TCAT on the route reached maximum capacity and skipped the Garden Apartments stop. At 11:03 p.m., about 70 passengers exited the TCAT at the Ithaca Commons Seneca Street stop.
On the commons, a manager at Lot 10 was giving out ½ off drink tickets to students. CG grabbed one on the walk to Moonies.
Moonies
CG told the roommates that the plan was to get off the bus and go to Moonies quickly to pee because there is never a line before going to Lot 10.
“They never have a cover anymore,” CG said. “I think Moonies is struggling. I would be shocked if they didn’t close down in the next year.”
Shakawat Hossain is the owner of Moonies, Level B and Hideaway in Ithaca. Hossain has owned Moonies since 2020 and said in an interview with The Ithacan that IC students have a lot of memories at Moonies.
“I always ask customers, especially Ithaca College students, what you guys want, because [Moonies] is your place,” Hossain said.
Hossain said students complained about the regular $5 cover and asked him to create “power hour deals”, which he said he did. On Fridays and Saturdays, Moonies typically runs promotions where students can come in at a certain time to purchase $2 beers and mixed drinks. Hossain said the power hours increased business among Ithaca College students during the weekend.
“With $10, [students] can get mixed drinks, a couple of beers and a couple of drinks; it’s a very good price no one can beat,” Hossain said.
Hossain said the drink promotions do not benefit sales at Moonies, but he still runs them because he cares about the college’s students. Hossain also said downtown life in Ithaca is notably less busy because of inflation.
“[The] downtown area used to be busy at night,” Hossain said. “Now it is kind of quiet, inflation is affecting every business.”
Lot 10
The roommates quickly exited the bar to get in line at Lot 10 at 11:18 p.m., and ordered four lemondrop shots, two Long Island Iced Teas and two strawberry Surfsides from the downstairs bar for $54. NG said they try to order as many drinks as possible early, before a bigger rush of students at the bar.
The roommates took their drinks up to the upstairs dancefloor, which was almost full. They danced for about 20 minutes as CG and NG alternated hitting the vape and sniffing poppers.
Senior Cassie Skeele was working at the upstairs bar at Lot 10 that night. Skeele said she has been working at Lot 10 for a little over a year and said her favorite part of the job is waking up with more money in her pocket and no hangover. Skeele said she makes about $150 a night as a bartender.
“I usually work every Friday and Saturday,” Skeele said. “I have seen a lot of fights, drunk people getting mad and throwing drinks at each other. There’s a huge age range at Lot 10 [too], seeing people interacting is always interesting.”
At 11:45 p.m., the roommates went down to the beer garden to sit outside. The Lot 10 bouncers — who were also IC students — dressed in neon orange t-shirts, would not let anyone else upstairs because the dancefloor was at full capacity.
KR said that just like other nights, she did not have fun because Lot 10 does not play good music. CG said you cannot even meet anyone new at Lot 10 because everyone goes to IC. On the walk to the 12:31 a.m. TCAT, CG smoked a cigarette and said she wished there were more options than Lot 10 or Moonies.
After the night ended, I met up with CG and NG again when they were sober. If the night ended in disappointment, I wondered what kept them going out week after week. CG said that since they are social people, going out is the best way to see everyone they want.
“Even though it’s an average night out, it’s OK,” CG said. “When are you gonna go out every single weekend twice a night?”
NG said the best part of a night out is sharing moments with your friends and that before he starts to work, this is his last chance to let loose.
“It’s just about being around my friends,” NG said. “It gives us so many stories that we talk about. … A bad night out is still better than a good night in.”
