I made a Labor Day Resolution to put myself through detox. This summer, I had an imaginary vacation for which I partied like a rockstar and drank like a fish. But now I need to recharge my battery … and my liver. I don’t have the same party stamina I did when I actually got my summers off.
But even after not drinking for an entire year, my recent vow of sobriety made it all the more evident that alcohol to nightlife is like Lindsay Lohan to alcohol; you tend to not have one without the other.
Think about it: If you meet someone in a social setting, it typically pertains to drinking — happy hours, concerts, games, birthdays, weddings, and theaters even … or just a regular night out. Ever notice how most restaurants have bars? Even Jillian’s and Dave and Busters have a bar right smack dab in the middle of their arcade.
Is alcohol some sort of social lubricant? Do we really need it in order to develop a sense of social aptness? Can we please interact sober? I’m pretty sure I’ve met lots of annoyingly drunk guys that I would like otherwise.
Do I need to go to rehab just to find a dry place for nightlife? No, No, No!
Cason Point: Nightmare on Independence. (Speaking of Independence, why the hell did they change a part of Independence to Charlottetowne Road? As if Charlotte streets aren’t confusing enough.) But Nightmare has a Haunted Mansion featuring blacklight indoor mini-golf. It’s elaborately animated, yet very real. They have shock walls in their mazes, things popping out at you and interactive actors like the mad scientist and the dude chasing you with a saw. With holes like the Ghostly Library, Toxic Avenger, Drop Dead and Magic Attic, I had to dodge decapitated heads and skeletons to make it under par.
They are temporarily shutting down shop to open up their Haunted House, which will make the mini-golf look like an enchanted forest. Think of it as a theater where actors are walking through a reality horror show. And downstairs there is a circus freak show which will “scare the yell out of you.” The show starts Oct. 5.
Meanwhile in Belmont, in addition to a Haunted Mill and Haunted Museum, they’re opening up Cosmic mini-golf for which you can putt-putt on a different planet. How horribly fun!
But there are still slim pickings for a nightlife sans alcohol. I asked several of my friends for suggestions, and we were all so dumbfounded you’d think I was asking them to prove some scientific theory. But don’t worry, I will investigate this further. To be continued.
This article appears in Sep 19-25, 2007.
