As part of my semi-annual visit...

As part of my semi-annual visit to Syracuse, besides good Italian eats, I was hard-pressed to pass up the Alpine. I've been to places throughout the US (Portland, Seattle, Miami, Vegas, etc)...some much better, others much worse, but I find that the girls in this place make all the difference in the world.<br>

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The cover charge at $3 might as well be non-existent. It might be higher on the weekends but I don't recall it ever being higher than $10. The bar is probably the smallest of all the places I've been too. There is virtually no renovation from when I first stepped in over 6 years ago but it is kept clean, including the bathroom. Drinks are reasonably priced and well made. The bartender seemed to be able to make pretty much anything you or the dancers could think of (and I liked everything enough to buy a round or two for the girls). Music was the typical r&b/rap with some occasional rock. No thug factor at all although there are a few homeless regulars who were surprisingly respectful and decent. There was one homeless woman outside though who didn't leave until the cops came by but there was no scene. No real annoyance factor except some mildly creepy patrons (I guess they make me look better!) and some extremely unenthusiastic ones that didn't seemt o like the dancers talking to them (I've been to a place where I didn't care much for the dancers but every attendee was just pumped to be there and I had a great one).<br>

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The dances are reasonably priced at $20/per song. I'm not sure if it's always the same DJ but songs were not cut short. Nice assortment of girls, mostly white and suburban though. If you don't like it one night, you should give it a shot at least one other night. I went on the previous Saturday and wasn't thrilled. Tuesday on a final whim paid off. There were several very memorable girl-next-door-types (some doe-like, others cute-whiny) and the top earner came across as very sincere and affectionate. She had some massage/neck rub skills too! There was no hustling that I saw. Dances in the back room used a timer if you were paying for XX minutes. The dancers check with you between songs to see if you want to keep going. Girls didn't seem to expect tips either. The ticket system for dances also works well. You could pay with a credit card without any extra fees (plus it also rings up as restaurant/bar if you've got a % cash back credit card).<br>