Illustration by JASON CHEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
By Matt Goulding
Daily Bruin Reporter 9:30 p.m., Thursday, May 10 A smoky haze
intermingles curiously with remnants of the night’s dinner
and empty Old English bottles as second-year aerospace engineering
student Pablo Kohan and his friends prepare for the evening in
front of them. “A pre-game is an essential part of the party
formula,” said Kohan. “Sometimes it’s the best
part of the night.” While the element of spontaneity hangs in
the air like the stale cigarette vapors, it is apparent that a
near-sacred ritual has begun. This is Thursday night in Westwood,
when a weeks worth of relative dormancy gives way to vitality for
some people, chaos for others.
 PRIYA SHARMA/Daily Bruin UCLA extension student
Sid Jun (left) enjoys a drink with his brother
Sanghoon at Westwood’s popular Madison’s Bar and
Grill. “You gotta live the day, you gotta live the
night,” Kohan said. “That’s our motto
here.”
Kohan’s patented recipe for a tasty pre-game: one group of
close friends, two or three CDs of hip-hop music, and a generous
supply of alcohol (preferably “40s” of malt liquor).
Combine all ingredients on large couches or balconies and garnish
with a Garcia Vega double-leafed blunt. Meanwhile, around the
corner at a Gayley Avenue apartment, fourth-year mechanical
engineering student Zack Krevor begins to get antsy. His week of
long and arduous work at an end, Krevor has been looking forward to
tonight since his early week adventures on South Campus.
“Usually, you get a feeling early in the day,” Krevor
said. “Your work’s done, you want to have fun, so you
call up people and make sure they’re feeling it too.”
There is no doubt that Krevor’s crew is feeling it tonight.
Unlike Kohan and associates who characterize themselves as
apartment-party enthusiasts, Krevor and his group of older friends
plan to head into town tonight to put their fingers on the thumping
pulse of Westwood’s bar life. Krevor’s restlessness
stems from the omnipresent threat of a live-in manager ““
especially one who lives right below him. “We have house
rules,” said Carol Fena, Krevor’s apartment manager.
“If they are not obeyed, then we intervene. It is for the
students as much as for the adults of this area.” Krevor
tries to gather support from the troops, but the shot glasses,
video games and the surly chatter prove too strong of an opponent.
Krevor knows he must be patient.
11:30 p.m, Thursday The air gets thicker by the minute as eager
students pour into the already-overflowing apartment on Landfair
Avenue. Some confuse the domicile for a can of sardines and turn
around dejected. Kohan and his buddies, however, have made their
way to the balcony and he has assumed the coveted role of
“keg master.” “When you get to an apartment
party, its important to establish a home base with the group you
came with,” Kohan said, with the perpetually flowing tap
practically begging for a break. It is rare, he said, to go to a
party where you actually know the host. The large group of friends
from the pre-game adds an element of comfort to the entrance into
unfamiliar territory. According to Kohan, a good ratio of women
within the herd adds to the possibility of apartment party
acceptance. Too many males may throw off the carefully anticipated
balance of guys and girls, causing for a less-than-cordial welcome.
For third-year English and Spanish student Emma Geddes, this scene
is all too familiar. As a resident in the legendary 424 Landfair
Complex, considered by many the epicenter of the Village’s
apartment party life, Geddes is constantly exposed to the nameless
faces. “At first, we weren’t sure if we could handle
living here,” She said. “It has a party reputation you
have to uphold.” Geddes said the circular layout of the
complex, coupled with the fact that there is no landlord living in
the area, creates a good party environment. Little does she know,
when she wakes up tomorrow, her pool will be infested with a keg, a
brick, and a motorcycle. Across town at Maloney’s on Campus,
a popular bar and restaurant on Gayley and Weyburn Avenue, Krevor
spots some friends and saddles up next to them. Libations flow
freely as greetings are exchanged and thirsts are quenched.
“I always see people I haven’t seen in a while when I
come to bars,” said Krevor. While the bars provides a
seven-day party atmosphere, Krevor said that the $50-$60 he drops
in an evening is a big disadvantage of coming into the Village.
After scoping a number of IDs at the door, Alex Quizno, a bouncer
at Maloney’s, takes time to reflect on the three bars that
constitute the Westwood scene. “It’s pretty
simple,” he said. “Madison’s usually has the
younger crowd. Maloney’s and Westwood Brew Co. are usually
the mellow spots.” That’s not to say there isn’t
a problem with over-consumption at these places. “People get
kicked out every night for being too drunk,” Quizno said.
After 24 years on the force, Sgt. James Vandenberg of the UCPD, has
a lot of experience with this type of behavior.
“Historically, there has been a problem with student
drinking,” he said. “We get a lot of calls about
drunken, disorderly behavior. We also see a lot of students with
fake ID’s.”
1:45 a.m., Friday, May 11 After spending the last two hours
hopping between Maloney’s, Brew Co., and finally catching
last call at Madison’s, Krevor has made his way to Roll-Inn
Sandwich, where those left standing try to hold down greasy
cheesesteak hoagies. Gary Bruner, who has entertained Westwood
partiers for the past 10 years with his classic rock covers,
bellows out an acoustic rendition of Rick Springfield’s
“Jesse’s Girl.” “The students have always
treated me well,” Burner, who strategically places himself in
front of the town’s busiest spots, said. “Coming out to
the bars, they love to hear me play the classics.” He mixes a
repertoire of 80-90 Beatles songs with a few drunken favorites like
“Maximum Cleavage” to make a healthy living in the
Westwood area. Meanwhile, Kohan, after hours of intense apartment
“hunting,” has made his way down for a well-deserved
sandwich to cap off his night. The inebriated interplay between the
under-agers and the bar hoppers makes for an interesting scene.
“The end of the night is always the biggest variable,”
Kohan said. “Sure, most people here might be faded, but
that’s not the focus. Being with your friends is always the
most important thing.”