Whitney's is anything but a student bar. It's far too sedate to attract very many undergraduates and too small to accommodate crowds of youths out to relieve themselves of the pressures of college life. Probably, the regulars at Whitney's--the bar has a loyal local adult following--wouldn't have it any other way.

Not only hasn't Whitney's caved in to the temptation of serving a student population with lots of money to throw around, it also has gotten along without charging the exorbitant prices that every other Square establishment demands for its liquor. The draughts are good and 25 cents cheap. Mixed drinks can be had for less than $1, and though the drinks aren't all that tall, the bartenders are not stingy with the liquor.

One serious warning about Whitney's: It is a male dominated institution and women who venture there are liable to suffer some mild verbal abuse from the patrons. When the revolution comes--sources expect it within the next five years--Whitney's will be a decent place for all.

Gas Light Pub

Inman Square

Charles U. Daly, vice president for government and community affairs, says that he has never really done much to deserve the tough guy label that The Crimson always attaches to him.

But if Daly does, to use his words, sometimes feel closer to the people at the Gaslight Pub than the Harvard community, he must have a streak of bully in him somewhere. Make no mistake, Gaslight Pub is a tough place. But we think you'll like it.

First, on weeknights--when things generally are pretty calm and most of the hot shots are home watching T.V.--the draft beer is only 25 cents a hit. Second, on weekends--even though the tap is shut off and bottled beer is pawned at 75 cents--there is live entertainment of several varieties. The scheduled entertainment is the music. A disc jockey pulls out the cases and cases of 45s he's collected from the fifties and early sixties and spins them on his record player, set up in one of the corner booths. Then, once the place starts rocking, the unscheduled but not unexpected entertainment begins.

Most of the people at the Gaslight are regulars who've come to have a good time and do some serious drinking. In fact, sometimes it gets too serious. Several weeks ago, a small time brawl broke out when someone accidently nudged someone else with a bumper pool cue stick. It's not at all unusual to see several rowdies ejected or to find someone with a bloodied face on the sidewalk outside.

And they dance at the Gaslight, too. Boy, do they dance. All in all we think the Gaslight is a great place to go if you really want to relax and, well, get drunk with a crowd. The Gaslight Pub is for real and after a night or two we think you'll begin to know Chuck Daly's feeling.

Plough and Stars

Mass. Ave towards Central Sq.

The Plough and Stars is an easily-overlooked hole in the wall on Mass Ave near Central Square, with a big Irish clientele--it has strong ideological links with the IRA and refuses to serve English liquor. The Plough is always jammed mostly with rough-and-ready-looking men, and the trick for Harvard students and professors going there is to be able to pose successfully as just plain Cambridge residents. It's a mark of high distinction in some quarters if you can stride into the Plough on a Saturday night and be greeted by name by the people there. The Plough has a largely inaccurate reputation for being a good spot for a Saturday night knock-over-the-tables fight; if you're looking for that kind of action check out the Gaslight Pub in Inman Square. At the Plough, people just guzzle beer--and Guiness Stout on tap--and try to find a little room to breathe.

Casablanca

40 Brattle St.