Lumpy's vs. Lost and Found

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Which was better?

  • Lumpy's

    Votes: 71 66.4%
  • Lost and Found

    Votes: 36 33.6%

  • Total voters
    107

Sobchakcyclone

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2010
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Bowling Alley
UnderWhere? Was it that or UnderWear? IMO, It was a bar started for people who couldn't make it in upstairs to hear the bands, although Front242 may have played there live once. I think I saw the SunDogs, also. Another channel of revenue, if you will. Lumpy's came later, and it always seemed to be a place for people that lacked the interest for what was happing in People's.

For me, they're apples and oranges. I actually played pool league in Lumpy's, and it was a joke, the table, I mean. We drank there sometimes, still have a plastic mug. There were other basement bars back in the day, like the Cave-In, and whatever was the greek place under the Coliseum.

To me, they were totally different crowds. Different kinds of people. Lost and Found was lost and found. It was a cool nestled away, quiet place to hang and talk. The booths and woodwork of Cy's and L&F in the 80's-early 90's was great. Somehow, taking everything out and having no respect for property is the thing of today.

I go back all the time. I hate what CampusTown has turned into. A bunch of tatoo parlors and fast food. I respect the heck out of the owners of Welch Avenue Station. Through the years, that place has stayed its course, kept its identity, and really been the only continuity in CampusTown. We'll wait in line every time we're in town to get food brought down from PizzaPit, and listen to music from the past.
 

JP4CY

I'm Mike Jones
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Dec 19, 2008
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Didn't Thumbs have a ****** beer night where all crap beer was $1 a can?

They also had a dog and pony show. You could get a pony bottle of High Life and a hot dog for like 75 cents on Friday afternoons.
 

CloneFan03

Active Member
Mar 18, 2008
773
51
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Cedar Falls, IA
Lumpys by a long shot. Would often head down to Lumpys when the line at the bar was too long at peoples (for trailer trash night or FAC). Pee wherever.

L&F wasn't bad, but had WAY more fun at Lumpys.

Mickey's Basement was always interesting for after hours. Not sure who we knew to get down there, but we'd always see some crazy stuff happening down there! Didn't go to Mickey's too often, but would always appreciate a sketchy hot dog at 1:30 am before heading to Super Dog or the Fajita Man.

Man the things I would do for a super dog right now...
 

CloneFan03

Active Member
Mar 18, 2008
773
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Cedar Falls, IA
One of my favorite memories from college was seeing Nice Peter at Thumb's. He had just broken up with his girlfriend and got REAL hammered, inviting anyone to the back to smoke weed with him. Talked so much **** about her throughout the show. Lots of laughs!
 

isukendall

Well-Known Member
Nov 30, 2006
2,446
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Fort Collins, CO
One of my favorite memories from college was seeing Nice Peter at Thumb's. He had just broken up with his girlfriend and got REAL hammered, inviting anyone to the back to smoke weed with him. Talked so much **** about her throughout the show. Lots of laughs!

That's awesome, I never knew he played at Thumbs. I met him when I lived in Chicago for a year after undergrad, and when I came back to ISU he and his girlfriend stayed at my place when they played a show at Peoples. Guy was hilarious, wrote great songs and was a fantastic performer.
 

Farnsworth

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
16,926
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Des Moines, IA
Great thing about Lumpy's when I was in school was they had bouncers that didn't really give a **** guarding the back entrance to Peoples. You could go downstairs, grab a cheap drink, and then head into People's the back way and avoid the massive line waiting outside.
 

Al_4_State

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Mar 27, 2006
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This is the best way I can describe Lumpy's:

Nearly every conversation I've ever had about the bar started out with "so where did you **** in there?"
 

00clone

Well-Known Member
Apr 12, 2011
19,661
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Iowa City area
Anyone have pictures of the Lumpys?
th
th
 

weR138

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2008
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This is the best way I can describe Lumpy's:

Nearly every conversation I've ever had about the bar started out with "so where did you **** in there?"

NOT in the back stairwell. They had a dude on guard for that ****.
 

weR138

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2008
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Lumpy's, no doubt. Thumbs was another great option.

Thumbs is a sad story. Was an awesome townie bar when I was an undergrad. Towards the end of grad school it got infected with dooshy backward ball caps.
 

HappyJoe

Active Member
Jan 21, 2014
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Des Moines
I worked at People's/Lumpys for a couple months. I finally put in my notice and told them that I wanted to party and spend money instead of make it. Pretty much lived at People's from '04-'07. I won't drop names but the other highlight of Friday nights at Lumpys were the bartenders. Very attractive.
 

NorthCyd

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What I am gathering from this thread is the key to a great dive bar is to allow patrons to **** anywhere.
 

CtownCyclone

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What I am gathering from this thread is the key to a great dive bar is to allow patrons to **** anywhere.

You should be gathering that if a bar doesn't charge hardly anything for beer and wishes to stay open, some cuts have to be made somewhere. At Lumpy's, it was the restroom facilities.
 

clones26

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2006
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Urbandale
I worked at People's/Lumpys for a couple months. I finally put in my notice and told them that I wanted to party and spend money instead of make it. Pretty much lived at People's from '04-'07. I won't drop names but the other highlight of Friday nights at Lumpys were the bartenders. Very attractive.

So you knew Stretch?