This is a basically a mini-report. There's really not much to this city, and it's certainly not worth going to on its own, despite being a lovely post-industrial ****hole for the most part; but I figured some information based on my past experiences wouldn't hurt to add to this forum. It may also be helpful to someone who finds themselves in the area for whatever random reason.
Background:
Binghamton is a mid-sized city in the "southern tier" of New York, which places it not awfully far from the Pennsylvania border. The closest large cities are Philadelphia and New York, which are both about 3 hours away. There are around 10 buses each day from New York alone that stop in Binghamton, since it is a major stopover on the way to other cities within the state (Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, and various smaller towns)
So why bring this stuff up? Binghamton has a major state school, and so there are plenty of students about during the school year. The university itself is not in the city of Binghamton, but students go off-campus for just about all nightlife anyway. More on that in a bit.
Logistics:
When I was there (I had friends that went to school there), I stayed with people I knew, but you should be downtown. The only place I'd recommend is the Holiday Inn on Hawley St. It's a stone's throw from basically where all the nightlife is. Speaking of which...
Nightlife:
The relevant nightlife is all on one block of State St south of the intersection with Court St. Two places come to mind for me.
Rathskeller Pub: Known as "The Rat" by some, this club is in a basement but has a large bar and a lot of dance space. I didn't find this place good for gaming with its crowds and girls who seemed more intent on showing off or sticking among themselves. Dance game may be somewhat effective here, but I was hard-pressed to find any suitors.
Dillinger's: This is a multi-level bar across the street. The place itself is actually pretty good in layout with its outdoor patios and small dancing area on the inside. This is a relatively better place to chat up girls than the previous locale.
There are other places on the block, but I never went into them. This also doesn't cover the house parties, which are often in the fraternity houses (mostly on Front St. across the river). Thursday-Saturday is pretty much when the students will be out.
Parade Day:
The only time I would ever recommend going to Binghamton is during the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. The parade is held annually on the last Saturday of February/first Saturday of March. I had the opportunity to go once a few years ago, and it is quite the spectacle. Everyone is drunk starting in the morning and after the parade down Court St., all the revelers head to State St. which is full of crowds the whole day. The lines are long, but it's pretty damn easy to pick up here. I was able to pull around 3 girls throughout the day, but only got close with one of them (blonde 7). That never happened because of poor logistics and a boneheaded decision on my part.
Background:
Binghamton is a mid-sized city in the "southern tier" of New York, which places it not awfully far from the Pennsylvania border. The closest large cities are Philadelphia and New York, which are both about 3 hours away. There are around 10 buses each day from New York alone that stop in Binghamton, since it is a major stopover on the way to other cities within the state (Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, and various smaller towns)
So why bring this stuff up? Binghamton has a major state school, and so there are plenty of students about during the school year. The university itself is not in the city of Binghamton, but students go off-campus for just about all nightlife anyway. More on that in a bit.
Logistics:
When I was there (I had friends that went to school there), I stayed with people I knew, but you should be downtown. The only place I'd recommend is the Holiday Inn on Hawley St. It's a stone's throw from basically where all the nightlife is. Speaking of which...
Nightlife:
The relevant nightlife is all on one block of State St south of the intersection with Court St. Two places come to mind for me.
Rathskeller Pub: Known as "The Rat" by some, this club is in a basement but has a large bar and a lot of dance space. I didn't find this place good for gaming with its crowds and girls who seemed more intent on showing off or sticking among themselves. Dance game may be somewhat effective here, but I was hard-pressed to find any suitors.
Dillinger's: This is a multi-level bar across the street. The place itself is actually pretty good in layout with its outdoor patios and small dancing area on the inside. This is a relatively better place to chat up girls than the previous locale.
There are other places on the block, but I never went into them. This also doesn't cover the house parties, which are often in the fraternity houses (mostly on Front St. across the river). Thursday-Saturday is pretty much when the students will be out.
Parade Day:
The only time I would ever recommend going to Binghamton is during the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. The parade is held annually on the last Saturday of February/first Saturday of March. I had the opportunity to go once a few years ago, and it is quite the spectacle. Everyone is drunk starting in the morning and after the parade down Court St., all the revelers head to State St. which is full of crowds the whole day. The lines are long, but it's pretty damn easy to pick up here. I was able to pull around 3 girls throughout the day, but only got close with one of them (blonde 7). That never happened because of poor logistics and a boneheaded decision on my part.
