As you appear to be a current Illinois student, I have a question for you (or for anyone who wants to chime in). I am coming down for the MI game Fri night with some guys in their late 30s/early 40s and we plan to hit campus town Fri and post game Sat. While I am guessing Kams and COs are still the same, and I have been to Legends and the Illini Inn in the past few years, do you have any suggestions regarding the local campus town hot spots this weekend?

If you are guessing they are still the same as when you would have been there in the late '80s, you would be absolutely correct and definitely wrong, respectively.

Pray tell, Irish Boy, where should a group of late 30s Illini spend their evening in Champaign?

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You know me like that.

Illini Inn is fun in a seedy, hometown bar kind of way, but it's way too small/crowded for the weekends. Legends and Murphy's are probably my two favorite bars, and I'd recommend spending most of your time there. Kams and CO's are popular, but they're both dives and have been as long as I've been down here (I've been told by those in the know that this was not always the case. Dr. Ken's and my opinion on Kams differs in this respect.) If you're looking for a trendier-type place, either Brothers or Firehaus are OK, although seasting is scarce at Firehaus compared to Legends and Murphy's. Another nice place that's just a little bit outside of campus (maybe four blocks) is Rock's on Springfield.

Hope that helps.

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Fire Phil Emery

What was my opinion on Kam's? Too drinky to remember. If it was anything other than the following, please allow me to correct myself.

I hate Kam's and always have. However, it is the only bar that remains identical to what it was while I was in school (except Murphy's but that too is a little different). So, it holds some nostalgic aspect for me in that sense. But, it's still a dive that has guys pissing in the wastebasket just like in the late '80s.

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You know me like that.

OK, never mind, I was wrong. I thought your opinion was "it's a disgusting dive, but oh how I love it so." Your opinion is closer to "it's a disgusting dive, just like in the old days!" Obviously, I have not developed that nostalgia yet.

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Fire Phil Emery

I always liked Murphys the best, but that was when I was 19-21, so Im not sure it would be the same for someone in their late 30's.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Our route was Murphy's for burgers and beer to Firehaus (old R&R) for what the kids are doing these days to Kam's for drunken nostalgia.

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You know me like that.

You can't go wrong with Murphy's.

I hear Ruby's is good for a group of older men.

No love for Clyborn's?

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"It's not exactly a rocket surgery." D.J.

Clybourn's dress code is too fancy for our brand of drunken slobbishness.

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You know me like that.

Thanks one and all for your valuable insight.

Yes, Dr. Ken, it was 83-87. I only went to Kams occasionally for Sunday night $0.25 beer night (I was a GDI); I was a COs Happy Hour Bucket of Beer guy back in the day.

Irish Boy, if you think the Illini Inn is a dive now, you should have seen it sans televisions, CD jukebox and video games. I am sure we will hit the Illini Inn at some point (I still have my Mug Club Card), but as there are some in the group who think they are "players" despite the gray peppered in their hair, , I am sure we will hit many different spots. Thankfully there will be no orange sansabelt slacks in the group.

Any place with a dress code is automatically disqualified in my book.

Ahhh.. There was nothing better than getting out of my Friday 3pm Psych class and walking across the street, backpack in tow, to join some friends who had already secured our mopbucket full of luke warm Natural Light for an afternoon of drinking. Everybody throw in $3 and fill the bucket...

Good times.

I've been a lost wanderer down there of late with no more O'Malley's, DeLuxe, R&Rs, COs is some funky black painted dive.

LaBamba is still there though.

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You know me like that.