In many ways, Pure Platinum is...

In many ways, Pure Platinum is exactly what everybody here is looking for in a club. The inside is decorated and laid out nicely, and isn't too dark or too bright. The music isn't ridiculously loud. At $10, the cover isn't bad, and there isn't a drink minimum (or at least it's never been brought up the numerous times I've been there and just gotten one beer), so your total up front cost is just that $10 cover. The waitresses are all pretty cool and don't pressure you for a drink any more than a waitress at a regular bar would - if you don't have one, they'll ask if you want one, or ask if you want a refill if you're empty, and they'll completely leave you alone if don't want anything. I don't think I've ever been pushed to buy a drink for a dancer. The drinks are a little more expensive than they would be at a local dive bar, but not too much, and certainly less than at many night clubs downtown. There are two stages, and at least one of them always has someone dancing on it. There's plenty of TVs around if the girls aren't up to your standards or you need a break, and if you smoke there's a mostly-enclosed space with the same seating as indoors that also has a couple TVs (this is a rare commodity, even for regular bars in the area) and occasional drink service by the waitresses. Sometimes dancers go out there for a break themselves and just hang out with customers. The dancers aren't the least bit pushy, and will frequently just sit at the bar or tip rail and hang out with you for a bit before asking for a dance, or not ask for one at all. Unlike most places in San Diego, people actually do sit at the tip rail here, and the general atmosphere is a lot more festive and not as oppressive or business-minded as other clubs. It's one of the best places in town to just hang out and have a beer. Generally, the nights are more active, and it can get pretty crowded on weekends. I've only gone once during the day, and there were only three dancers working and almost no other customers. Customers seem to typically be people from out of town, as this is the closest club to the airport, and hotels and convention center downtown. Locals may be able to finagle free passes from dancers or wait staff.

The big downside: Almost no mileage whatsoever, unless you're prepared to shell out some major bucks and maybe invest some time in building a rapport with one of the dancers.

Parking on site is almost non-existent here. There's a small lot in front with space for about 6 cars, plus a valet lot. Pacific Highway has open parking (maybe metered, but those won't matter after 6pm), and there's plenty of street parking off to the east on the other side of the train tracks. I'm a frequent visitor to the Casbah (a music club a block east), so parking on the streets over there is my standard procedure anyway, and I just walk the couple blocks down to the club. The neighborhood is a bit industrial and oriented towards airport service (rental cars and long-term parking structures), but between this place, the Casbah, Kava Lounge, El Camino, the restaurant cluster further south on India, and being located at one of the busiest intersections in town, there's plenty of nightlife so it's pretty safe to leave your car out and I've never had a problem walking around at night.