Well, Rich and Bennett's St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl did at least.
The crawl will be featured on "Extreme Wild Parrties" tonight at 8 p.m. on The Travel Channel.
My friends actually call me the Travel Channel because I travel so damn much, I am actually in Chicago as we speak ... or as you read rather. Perhaps for a reason for which I'll be telling you to set your DVR for.
Hmmmm.
By Sarah Coombes
As my best friend’s maid of honor, I have a position almost as big as the white dress — the party planner. And as a nightlife writer, I’ve been all around Charlotte. Therefore it is only fair that I share the most unique and budget friendly locations to have that bachelor/bachelorette blowout. And none of the places exceed $30 per person. So get ready for a list of the top 4 locations in Charlotte to say your pre-wedding I do’s... and by that I mean your “I DO want more alcohol” vows.
Pole Dance Charlotte: Let’s face it, inside every woman there’s a hidden urge to test out that stripper pole... in private of course. So, for your big fling, why not fling off your inhibitions too? Pole Dance Charlotte offers private classes for Bachelorettes. Included in the price is a bridal tiara for the bride to be, 90 minutes of pole dance and lap dance instruction, and a group photo that gets emailed to the hostess the next day — that’s right ladies, photographic evidence of your wild night out... just in case you forget a few details along the rest of the party path. You must pay a minimum of $150 for 6 people or less, but you can split the cost per person to come out to $25 each. The maximum amount of people allowed is 15. The parties start at 8 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday with a last start time of 9:30 p.m. … which leaves plenty of time for an after party at one of the other locations mentioned in this article. For more information contact Kelly at Kelly@poledancecharlotte.com
Strike City: The next generation bowling alley, Strike City, is like a triple threat of the entertainment world, it offers a bowling alley, a bar and a restaurant... now that’s a way to put a spin on your single night out. Strike City doesn’t take reservations, but you can book through an event coordinator - and if you take that route, you’re on the fast lane to drink tickets and chocolate fountains. But if you just want to make a pit stop on your guys or girls night out, its $45 an hour, per lane and $4 per person for shoes on Fridays and Saturdays. You can fit up to 8 people on a lane, so if you split the cost it is roughly $10 a person. Now that’s a way to ball on a budget! Oh and as a final note, Thursday is ladies night, so if the gals can afford a pre-bachelorette shindig it’s $35 an hour and free shoes — now that’s a real strike!
Because FLO stands for "For Lesbians Only" and well ... I'm strictly dickly. But hey, to each his/her own. Even though I'm not personally invited, I got the following invite for Pride Charlotte, because this weekend, FLO is "taking over" Las Margaritas.
Friday 07.17.09 Part 1
FLO Sexxy Blue Jeans
come dressed in your sexxiest blue jeans...
*Live performance by Charlotte's hottest bellydancer "The Exotic Nayna"
*Poetry like you never heard it before from the QC's own "Just Nika"
*Complimentary drinks passed out to 10 of the sexxiest ladies
*Drink and Food Specials
*Door Prize to the lady with sexxiest blue jeans
*The hottest vendors in the QC
Saturday 07.18.09 Part 2
FLO White Party
come dressed in your sexxy white .
*Live Performance by Charlotte's own R&B vocalist "Kawfi" and a special performance by the lovely R&B artist "Ida Divine"
*Free Rainbow Berries
*Door Prizes
*Drink and Food Specials
"FLO is For Lesbians Only... but it is also for women who are comfortable around women who love women - Sorry no men!"
Las Margaritas
4426 East Independence Blvd
Charlotte , NC 28205
And for those that are only gay as in happy ... there's the ABSOLUTely Heavenly Summer Cocktail Party at the Westin. Located on the newly renovated patio of Ember Grille with DJ Kopasetic on the wheels.
The cursed corner that was once Menage, then Hom, has had an Asian invasion and is now Fiji & Kashmir.
Now you can "Feast" at Fiji Sushi Bar and Lounge.
And where Liv used to live is going to be an upscale nightclub, Kashmir.
Kashmir is slated to open in two weeks and Fiji in mid-August. Meanwhile, the attic of the old Hom — Play — is still for lease
"This is a reinvention of the 5th Street Corridor" says owner Chandler Alan Beal with Bar Concepts Inc. who is also remodeling Indochin Grill and transforming it into an ultra-lounge serving Asian tapas and cocktails, such as Asian infused teas, until 2 a.m.
Bombay Sapphire Gin to be exact … and used in original recipes made by Charlotte’s top bartenders. Last night was the Bombay Sapphire and GQ Magazine’s Most Inspired Bartender Contest at Loft 1523.
The contest consisted of lot of the same bartenders as the Bar Wars event at Alley Cat — but it was a lot classier of an event with a lot higher stakes. The winner of the event last night will be flown to Las Vegas to compete against bartenders from all over the country — and that winner will then be featured in GQ Magazine and be credited for creating Bombay Sapphire’s new drink to be mass-marketed in the U.S.
I felt like I was in Hell’s Kitchen for bartenders, slash a science fair. Anyone that thinks bartending is easy is apparently only a beer tub girl because bartending is a science … literally. Mixology is chemistry.
The bartenders were using fruits and ingredients I’d never even heard of before. There were edible flowers frozen in ice, lemon peels wrapped around ice tubes, homemade jams lacing the glasses and extraordinary garnishes. And there were a lot of recipes involving cucumbers; apparently cucumbers are the new it ingredient — like pink is the new black, cucumber is the the new pomegranate.
And the winner is … (drum roll please)
Is it just me or does it seem as though being single these days is kinda like the current state of the economy? In fact, it’s so bad I'm considering going on a reality show to find love... no, really. Or, to this event...
But you better hurry up and register because spots are going faster than dateable people off the market.
"The Better Class of Charlotte presents Dating: How to Find LOVE in 60 Seconds!" Hosted by Charlotte relationship expert Dr. Anne Banicks and author Brian Howie. Complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres for all pre-registered guests. Cost is $20.
Tuesday, July 14th, 7 - 9 p.m. at Ashton South End.
125 W. Tremont Ave.
The wristbands we get when we enter a bar, club, concert or event do not constitute as an accessory. In fact, it can ruin your whole outfit.
Getting ready for a night out is a production — especially for the ladies when it comes to coordinating the fashion … and a neon-yellow paper bracelet typically doesn’t coordinate with our fashion.
We scour our closets and do our own little version of a fashion show and movie wardrobe montage trying to figure out what to wear. And after carefully selecting an outfit and shoes to match, we apply makeup to coordinate, style the hair accordingly and accessorize carefully to give the outfit some frosting. And when it’s a girl’s night out and we're all dolled up, we pose for “before pictures” — as in before going out, before getting sweaty from dancing and before having to top off our wardrobe with a wristband.
So, there we are, all dressed up and ready to go … and then as soon as we get out, we have to put on a tacky plastic wristband with its excess poking us in the eyeball all night when we go to take a sip of a drink.
By Tiffany Handy
University vs. Uptown … who can bring in the greater throng. While on Thursday nights Uptown is jamming with Alive After Five, University has its own concert series that is just as jamming.
The University Summer Concert Series is every Thursday through June and July at University Place — home of Boardwalk Biily’s, The Wine Vault and Bad Dogs. This past Thursday, a Dave Matthews tribute band rocked the boardwalk while surrounding bars supplied cheap beer and well drinks.
I spent most of my time at Boardwalk's due to its $2 liquor specials in addition to the $2 drafts and domestic bottles. Bad Dogs had some great specials as well, such as half-off appetizers from 5-7 p.m., $2 Coors Lite and $1.25 PBR. And then there was The Wine Vault with its Beer Cannon, which is, exactly what it sounds like. $5 Riesling and $2 can beers were the featured items. In summary, whatever your poison, you can get it on a college student’s budget in University.
Just Because.
What are you doing this weekend? How about this ...
And on Saturday RockHouse Event's Social Olympics is going to rock Midtown Sundries at Lake Norman. The teams are sold out, but this event is more fun to watch than the actual Olympics.
... as in Dish it Out pottery studio.
I know what you’re thinking, "What in the hell does a pottery-painting place have to do with nightlife?" Well, they serve wine there. And some of the best nights out, are nights in. Well, out, but not at a bar at least.
Places like Dish it Out allow for some good wholesome fun — and you have more to show for it than a hangover. Meanwhile, the kids can occupy themselves while moms can gather and talk about "adult things" and about how much they needed a night out.
They have just about everything you can imagine to paint, from plates to giant martini glasses to dog bowls to people bowls to jewelry boxes to … you get my point.
I made a ring holder and painted “With This Ring” on it to and gave it to my friend as a wedding gift. In her thank you note she wrote: “Thanks for doing arts and crafts for us Brittney — it was my favorite gift — something needed and something homemade.” And that was my favorite thank you card I received … it’s normally just, “Thanks for the Target gift card.” Because they know I wait until the last minute when everything on their registry is out of my budget so I just get them a gift card … considering 87.9 percent of my friends are married, they’ve figured me out by now.
Then you leave your pottery to be fired, and you can then walk down the street to Big Ben Pub for a drink, catch a movie at the Manor … or, go home and put the kids to bed.
They also host “Creative Parties” for birthdays, bridal and baby showers, and my personal favorite … girl’s night out. It actually won Charlotte Magazine’s Best of Award for “Best Place to Have a Party.”
Dish it Out has locations in Myers Park and Stonecrest.
And no, no one is in there replicating the scene from Ghost .
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