Lindsey Ault-Authier ’06 said the Sea Grape’s reopening on Friday, Feb. 10 was long awaited. She was devastated when the popular bar closed in mid December
“Senior morale was low,” she said. “The vibe on the beach was just not the same. I’m so happy it reopened.”
Some beach residents said they enjoy the convenience of the bar and the familiarity of knowing who frequents it.
“The Grape goes hand in hand with living at the beach, but students go to the Grape to find out where the after party or late night partying is going on. It’s more just a starting point for the night,” said Michelle Kolind ’06.
Other students said they didn’t mind the bar being closed.
“I actually didn’t miss the Grape because I felt like the parties at the beach were more fun and lasted longer when it was closed,” said Rob Gulati ’06.
Local bar and restaurant owners said they noticed an increase in business while the Sea Grape was on hiatus. Many students ventured to bars on Post Road such as Skybox and Bravo.
“We were definitely packed,” Skybox bartender Jennifer Brennan said. “This week has been pretty slow.”
“Skybox’s deceptively spacious interior with plenty of seating and a pool table had surprisingly few patrons at 8 p.m. this past Thursday evening,” she added.
Bravo owner Mike Constand said he saw a lot of first-time people who told him they would continue to visit the bar on Tuesdays.
“I prefer having a packed house of Fairfield students to a packed house of 20 to 30-year-olds,” he said. “Fairfield students are mostly very respectful.”
While Constand described Fairfield students as endearing, Fairfield Police have one problem with them.
“We don’t have any resentment,” Lieutenant Michael Walsh said. “However, if you ask me about reasoning with people who are intoxicated, it’s trying because they’re unreasonable.”
But Walsh also said the police department treats Fairfield students just like other members of the community.
Officer Tony Vaspasiano felt the same way.
“Whether they’re on the beach or on Greenfield hill, they’re treated the same across the board,” he said.
Graduate John Gallugi ’05 said he did not have a problem with Fairfield police while he was living at the beach.
“They’d catch us with beers walking to the Grape and just tell us to dump them out, but if it were Fairfield Security, they might have taken the can of beer to the crime lab for prints,” Gallugi said.
With a permenant injunction against student gatherings on Latern Point, and a lack of traditional events like keg races and Clam Jam, many students said the beach has been significantly toned down in comparison to previous years.
“I don’t know how it is now, but before they took all the fun out of it, it didn’t suck to go to Fairfield,” graduate Marcus Yco ’05 said. “They started taking things away before I ever got there and now it’s all gone.”
Walsh said the same number of police officers patrol the beach year-round.
“We have enlightened the culture of the beach area to what is legally reasonable and what clearly is not,” Walsh said. “I believe the culture of the beach area has changed to one that is safer for all members of the community.”
Students said the culture of the beach has changed in other ways.
“The beach parties definitely used to be a lot crazier, like having kegs on the point and many of the Fairfield traditions that that university has taken away from beach residents and the underclassmen,” said Kolind.
The bar had closed for renovations. The owner was unable to be reached for comment.
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