I first heard about Big Al's...

I first heard about Big Al's through an ad in the Philly Inquirer back in the early 1990's. I was intrigued back then because I knew that region of Pennsylvania and never thought that a strip club would be allowed. Ever since then I've wanted to go see how such a den of iniquity could exist in the middle of one of the most conservatively religious regions of the country. After about 25 years I finally got to the place.

The club is located in the middle of Reading in an area whose best years are long gone. The street is very rough, buildings are old but not terribly rundown, traffic is busy and the club exterior is as nondescript as the rest of the street. The parking lot is small and challenging to maneuver through even at the time I was there.

I arrived and entered at about 12:30 pm, just after the club opened for the day. No one was at the front desk so I paid no cover. Whether I would have been charged if someone had been there, I don't know. Coming in from the bright sunlight I could still see my way around easily, so the club wasn't too dark. The bar was to the far right, the stage was slightly to the left. A row of chairs surrounded the stage. Behind the stage chairs to the right of the stage was a row of bar stools, and 8-10 low tables were between the row of bar stools and the bar itself. The stage was long and narrow and perpendicular to the entrance. There was a pole at each end of the stage. My overall first impression was that the club was clean and well-kept.