Last Thursday night, freshman dorm Porter Hall was filled with students getting ready to go out.  Girls curled their hair and picked out their heels, while guys were dabbing themselves with cologne and buttoning up their shirts.

In the bathrooms, girls helped straighten and style each other’s locks and put the finishing touches on one another’s make-up. In the dorm rooms, guys spiked or combed back their hair and went through their shoes to find the best and most appropriate pair.

Everyone seemed to flutter about the hallways, struggling to get in front of the full-length mirrors and helping each other decide what to wear.

The freshmen were all getting ready to go to Bottoms Up at 69 W. Chippewa St., a bar and nightclub where many young people go to have fun, drink and dance. On select Thursdays, it has what is referred to as “Blasted Thursdays” or “College Night.” You still have to be 21 to drink, but you only have to be 18 to enter and party.

Doors open at 10 p.m. and the place is popping until it closes at the wee hour of 4 a.m. It’s said that “College Nights” tend to be the biggest turnouts because so many more young people are able to attend.

“The best part (of going) is getting dressed with my friends in our dorms,” Buff State student Celena Browning said.

She explained how she and her friends spend a lot of time picking out what they are going to wear, doing their make-up, and styling each other’s hair — all of which makes the whole “going out” experience even more fun.

Different nights at Bottoms Up have different dress codes — and a lot of times club goers who follow the codes get in for a reduced price. Last Thursday, for example, was “White Out” night.

Ashley Parrella, a freshman at Buffalo State, said the club looked awesome with all of the lights and everyone wearing white.

“It really added a cool feel,” she said, as she glowed in all white from head to toe.

A lot of people who go to Bottoms Up really get into the dress code and dressing up for the club in general. It’s a chance for students to get out of their usual sweats and tees and step into dance and party clothes that make them feel good about themselves.

Students can either take a taxi or ride the party bus that comes to fraternity houses.

“It’s easy,” Parrella said.  “You just pay two dollars to get on the bus and it takes you right to Bottoms Up.”

When you first enter the line for the club, it’s almost as if you are in a movie. People are dying to get in, the bouncers are checking IDs, and the music is blasting out onto the street. Once you get in, you hear the DJ shouting to the crowds as the music and voices of all the clubbers fill your ears.

“It’s an awesome club,” Scott Ambinder, a freshman, said. “The energy in there definitely ramps up as the night goes along.”

The place is usually crowded — people bumping into each other, dancing together, and it’s like a maze when you are trying to get through the crowd. But almost everyone seems happy to be there within the masses, laughing as they dance and party.

“I don’t normally dance,” Browning said, “but when I get there and I’m around everyone and the energy, I end up dancing the night away.”

On Bottoms Up’s Facebook page, people write things like “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” “This is the best club,” and “This is my favorite place to go on Thursday.” The page has almost 9,000 likes.

“It seems like everyone goes,” Parrella said of the young college students.

She went on to say that a lot of people go simply to get off campus and see the city for a while.

People love to dance, get out and have fun, and take advantage of their newfound freedom — and Bottoms Up seems to be one of the places to do so, making Thursday the new Friday for many college students.

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