FD's is one of the best...

FD's is one of the best spots in Manhattan if you're looking for midday entertainment. The doors open at 12pm daily so it's easy enough to pop in on your lunch break if you work/live in midtown or just happen to be passing by the area in the afternoon. Unlike some of the other establishments in NY that open early, FD's doesn't roll out the second string dancers just because the sun is still up. In fact, thet not only have quality, but they tend to have at least 15-20 girls on hand on average from noon until about 6-7pm (when the night shift starts). In my last 4-5 trips, I've found the daytime crew to be exceptionally attractive, and, as is the case in most clubs that open early, they tend to be much more laid back in their approach to customers since the entertainers typically outnumber the patrons earlier in the day. With the law of small numbers (of customers) on your side, I'd recommend getting to FD's around 12:45-1:00pm (don't want to be too eager) and proceed either to the middle of bar which greets you upon entering or hang a quick right to the tables one row back from the stage just in front of the lap dance area. The seat at the bar affords you a great view of the 3 strippers that are rotating at all times on the main stage, as well as the 2 strippers that are working inside the rectangluar bar area itself. The tables to the right of the entrance are slightly elevated and afford you not only a birds eye view of the main stage, but also put you in pole position for the three step walk to the lap dance area when you are ready. There's a lunch buffet that runs until about 1:30pm, and the drink prices start to increase dramatically after that time, with little warning from the waitresses. I'd focus less on the food and drink, and more on the spectacular dancers, however. On any given week day I've found there are at least four or five girls that would rate an 8 or higher at any of the bigger clubs like Scores, and there are always at least one or two 10's as well. That's not a bad hit ratio considering you're very likely to get some quality time with a top girl given how few customers are in the place before 5pm. As a result, you have much more choice in my opinion than were you to roll in at 10pm on a Friday night when you'd be lucky to even catch a glimpse of any of the hotter girls on their way in and out of VIP room, let alone have time for conversation with one of them. It's been my experience at FD's during the daytime hours that I've yet to have a girl approach me directly for a dance without first sitting down to chat. I'd rate the club higher if I found that the case was the same at night. As for the lap dances, they're standard NY fair (topless with lots of body-to-body contact - but NO hands), and if you get the right girl you're certain to get your money's worth for the $20 cost of one dance. Certainly a better experience than the impersonal treatment at Scores. THe only draw back is the privacy factor - the lap dance area which consists of an L-shaped bench that spans to sides of the wall along the back right recess of the club, is not sectioned off in any way from the rest of the club nor is there any physical seperation between you and other patrons that might be getting a dance next to you on the same stretch of booth. During the day this is less of an issue since you're likely to be one of only maybe two or three customers getting dances at a time and there's plenty of room to spread out, but at night I've found the lap dance area tends to put you knee-to-knee with your fellow patrons which is not ideal. If you're up for a trip to the VIP room, it'll cost you and the privacy factor is still an issue. The VIP room costs $370 for an hour, $150 of which goes to the girl, the rest goes to the club. Drinks are unlimited, and you're ushered back to one of two small rectangular rooms behind the stage. Each room has space for about 12 people (dancers and patrons) with 3 table/chair-for-two set-ups along each wall (you sit face to face with a dancer who sits in a chair opposite you until the dance gets going). The beauty of getting to FD's early is that you're likely to get at least one of the VIP's rooms all to yourself which makes for a much more intimate experience, which I've found quite enjoyable. At night, FD's will pack anywhere from 30-40 girls into what can't be more than a 35'x35' room, but unfortunately they seem to be able to pack at least twice the number of customers, and all of the informalities that make the afternoon experience so luxurious seem to dissipate. If you go during the day, be sure to ask for Adriana.