Most people go to bars to drink, hang out, or hook-up, so any one of them is the perfect setting for the singles scene.

My partners and crime and I have put aside our other commitments and taken time out of our busy schedule to visit five local bars in the quest to find the perfect single’s scene.

The first bar we visited was Mandango’s on 1310 Fulton Ave. Upon entering smells of garlic and fried food fill the crowded room. Sounds strange right?

Well luckily for the hungry drinkers Mandango’s offers a somewhat late night ?” until midnight Monday through Saturday ?” menu.

The bar space is somewhat small but filled with familiar faces. The crowd is mostly Sacramento State students between 21 and 26 years old. The dance floor is quaint, but perfect for busting a move.

However, despite all the friendly and attractive faces that seem extremely inviting ?” the drink prices could may as well be described as coyote ugly.

First, we were ignored for 10 minutes before ordering the first round of three vodka and Red Bulls which came to a total of $19.50. Upon examining the receipt, we found the bartender charged us for premium vodka without even asking. Our second round was three Washington apples which set us back another $22. Very pricey.

After spending almost $50 for only two rounds of drinks and three phone numbers added to our cell phones versus two given out (beat those odds), we left for some place a little more affordable.

Our next stop was the Firedance Lounge ?” recommended by some of our new found friends at Mandango’s ?” at 8704 La Rivera Dr. hidden in the Big Lots parking lot.

We went on a Thursday night, which is supposed to be a good night for crowds ?” they even had a DJ, but unfortunately the bar was pretty empty. We didn’t stay long ?” we used the bathroom and decided to head on to more exciting ventures. Not a very hopping singles scene ?” at least on the night that we went.

By this time it was 12:45 a.m. and our last stop for the evening was Stingers ?” conveniently located very close to campus at 7890 La Rivera Dr.

It was such a relief to walk in an establishment with smiling bartenders and pay only $9.75 for three greyhounds! With all the money we saved, we decided to go for round two which was three kamikazes for only $9.00.

Not only do the drinks seem like they are “student priced,” the crowd is mainly either current or graduated Sacramento State students.

We stayed at Stingers until closing and left with two more additions to our cell phones ?” putting us at five for the night.

For our next outing we decided to travel downtown to Alhambra Blvd. Our first destination was the Blue lamp located at 1400 Alhambra Blvd.

Almost every night at the Blue Lamp features a band and the night we went was no exception. Jam session with Marty Holland was very talented and played awesome rock music which included “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon. However, the music was too loud to have a conversation with anyone and directed the focus to the stage rather than on other patrons in the bar.

Attention ladies ?” the crowd was mostly male between the ages of 23 to 40. In fact there were only three females in the entire bar until we arrived.

The drinks were very reasonable ?” only $3.50 for a Red Bull and vodka ?” and really strong!

After the Blue lamp we drove about a mile further down the road to our last stop for the evening, the Limelight at 1014 Alhambra Blvd. Now even though this bar has cutesy bartenders, very friendly bouncers, and reasonably priced drinks, unless you are the Queen of Hearts don’t expect to find any love behind these doors.

Ever since the Limelight converted its back room to a card room, all love connections have been put on hold. The grumpy, unfriendly gamblers in the back make it somewhat of an awkward situation.

After a one week, five-bar joyride, if I had to recommend just one it would ‘bee’ Stingers. The crowd was plentiful and friendly, the bartenders were very attentive and the drinks reasonably priced. We had more ‘hook-ups’ at Mandango’s, but on a student budget how can you afford to buy their drinks?

Alright, now five bars in one week are plenty for me. So, now it’s your turn. Although we had a lot of fun at all of the bars ?” there have to be more hot spots out there. Your mission ?” should you chose to accept it ?” is to travel Sacramento’s nightlife far and wide to let me and your fellow classmates where they need to go to get their hook-up on.

Who knows maybe your favorite bar will be number one in Best Singles Bar ?” Sacramento State edition. Stay tuned to learn how to cast your vote.

Contact Liz at [email protected]