Underage undergrads under a watchful eye

Boston’s student army is back, and pub doormen are braced and ready

September 17, 2011|By Billy Baker, Globe Staff

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During the course of a typical night, Eld said they’ll turn away anywhere from five to 15 people. For those who get sent back to the dorms, Eld will often tell them, quite simply: “It’s not your time.’’

Inevitably, though, it will be their time. They will turn 21, and then they will have full access to what all the fuss is about, get to experience the proud awfulness of Mary Ann’s.

The bathrooms smell historically bad and have oddly irregular geometry. Outside, all three windows are boarded up, and above them is the mustard yellow sign with “Mary Ann’s’’ in green script. Half of it used to be a laundromat.

But that’s Mary Ann’s, that’s how it has always been, and entering the society inside is quite simply a rite of passage at the Heights. So is trying to fool the doorman.

“The secret to using a fake ID is that you need multiple backups,’’ a female senior said as she waited in line to have her ID checked. “Health insurance cards. Old ATM cards. You have to just throw them at them, be like, ‘Are you serious? How dare you ask me?’ ’’

But that was a long time ago. She’s, like, old now, she said. She’s 22.

In fact, she said, she hoped that none of the underage kids got in. Her friends nodded. They didn’t want to have to socialize with sophomores.

At Mary Ann’s, this was their time. Everyone else just needed to wait their turn.

Billy Baker can be reached at billybaker@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @billybaker.