Went to Christie's Cleveland for the...

Went to Christie's Cleveland for the first time a while back with a couple of friends for one's birthday. After years of going to some of the bigger clubs outside of town and some of Cleveland's lesser offerings, this was a trip to be anticipated. Having spent my whole life watching/hearing Christie's commercials and its claims to be the top club in town further sparked my interest.

The good: First and foremost, the dancers were the most beautiful I've ever seen in Cleveland and of comparable quality to the girls at bigger clubs in other cities of the region. There was a strong selection, anyone looking for a dance should be able to find a girl who fits the bill...the trick will be getting her attention, especially on busier weekend nights (more on that later). The club was well furnished and comfortable; drinks were pricey, but not out of the realm of reasonableness given where you are; the club entrance was also well furnished with a good setup. We bought the birthday boy a couple of tableside dances with a girl he'd been eyeing. Decent amount of contact on her part, but pretty strict limitations on where hands were allowed to roam. From the other floor dances I saw, this was par for the course. Lastly, the parking situation. Though the $10 charge was on the expensive side, having a well-lit, secure, and guarded lot was a nice touch, especially in the flats.

The less-than-stellar: That night, the club was having a burlesque competition of some kind that took up the stage for the first 45 minutes to an hour that we were there. We only caught the last couple of competitors, meaning that most of that time was spent watching the "awards ceremony"...not exactly what any of my group were there to see. Not sure how much of the crowd was for that and how much was just because of it being Saturday, but the club was packed. We were relegated to sitting in the back behind the stairs the dancers use to get from the second floor to the stage. To say our view was limited would be an understatement. About the only view we had weas of the girls giving private dances on the couches surrounding the floor. The club remained packed all the way until close (more in a minute) and though we all had our eyes on a couple of girls, we never had the opportunity to get the attention of, nevermind dance with, any of them. I was shocked at 2am when, with the club still packed, the lights came on and we were sent home. Most clubs in other cities extend their nights by a couple of hours on the weekend because, if the club is packed at last call, it will be for a while longer. This led to an issue getting out of the secure lot, as a full club of patrons all headed through the lone gate at the same time.