Naples: a traditional venue?

Don't go to Naples for the pizza. If you want a gourmet slice, hike to Wooster Square and feast on a brick-oven pie from Pepe's or Sally's. However, if you're looking to blow off some steam with fellow Yalies, Naples on Wall Street is the place for you.

People visit Naples more for its atmosphere than for its pizza, which brings about either fanatical devotion or harsh comparisons to cardboard. During the day, Naples serves as a typical restaurant, complete with a jukebox and big-screen TV.

On Thursday and Friday nights, however, Naples comes alive. Its booths and dance floor are packed until 2 a.m. with students unwinding after a busy week. "Naples is the perfect place to start an evening," Avni Gupta, SM, '00, said. "People can go there to dance, just hang out, or get really drunk."

It is hard to imagine a more traditional college hangout than Naples. Although students of all classes visit this popular destination, it is primarily known as a place where freshmen begin their weekends. On the dance floor, a DJ plays a blend of classic dance tunes and more modern favorites like "The Train Song."

The music can't compare with a dance club, but it does give worn-out Yalies a chance to forget their papers for a while and party the night away. Flashing lights and a smoke machine add to the rowdy and festive atmosphere. Student bands occassionally perform, adding to the party mood.

The packed dance floor is only part of the Naples experience. While an alcohol crackdown has ended the reign of the pitcher--beer must now be ordered from a waitress who checks for IDs--people still hang out at Naples drinking, and consuming huge amounts of greasy, $1.50-a-slice pizza. Initials carved by generations of students cover every available surface of the traditional Yale establishment.

Naples sells whole pizzas that students can take back to their rooms, but that defeats the purpose of the hangout. At Naples, you grab a slice, get something to drink, hit the dance floor, and socialize with your friends. Naples is the place where the week's stress melts away, and the weekend's fun begins.

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