Another One of Washington Park's Half Dozen

Blondie's is one of Washington Park's half dozen dive bars (the others being Wise Guys, Cheeks, C-Mowe's, Dollie's and Miss Kitty's). I arrived at the fenced, monitored parking lot on a Friday evening just before 7pm so I wouldn't have to pay cover charge. Six strippers, two white and four black; were sitting at the bar when I walked in. All of them were in their mid-twenties or younger.

There's two stages but no dj. The employees stop by the jukebox to select a few songs after the playlist ends. Customers can request songs if they feed the machine a couple bucks. There's a pool table in the front. Beers were $4, and top shelf liquor was $9. They have frozen pizzas for $10 because why the hell not.

None of them are interested in giving you a dance unless you're interested in the VIP room. Nor is the trolling particularly high; they sit at the bar, smoking and drinking until you approach them. The entry fee to the VIP has recently been reduced to $30. The price of anything else is at the discretion of the dancer and yourself. (For me, that was an additional $100.)