After Midnight at the Republican

I arrived at the Republican after midnight on a Friday night or Saturday morning. As others have mentioned this is a very nondescript venue. You need to look for a mustard colored building on the south side of the street in the middle of the block. when you walk in your are immediately confronted by a staff member who wants to see your driver's license and take $5 if you have not been there in a year. (Membership fee for a private club?) Next to his laptop computer on a small shelf there are two signs posted on the wall: (1) Shoes and Shirts required, (2) Bras and Panties Optional. This is an old rowhouse with a strange floor arrangement. The first room is at street level, is about 20 feet deep with a full bar on the left. Straight ahead are two staircases, both five steps up or down. Down goes to the two gender specific lavatories -- not very clean. I wonder if the women resent having to squat over the throne. In the Men's room the urinal is broken. Upstairs there are some tables and a short bar with chairs. Right next to the staircase and just a few feet from the end of the main bar, is a stage about 5 feet deep and 7 feet long. The stage -- with two poles -- one at each end -- is about 3 feet above the upper level and five feet above the main floor. There were four dancers rotating: a very tall Asian, a redbone African American and two European Americans All of them appeared to be coeds from the University of PA hoping to make a few dollars from dancing. In spite of the sign by the entry door, I never saw any panties come off. The girls all started with three pieces of clothing, a mesh cover or shirt, a bra and a bikini bottom (the bra and panty usually matched). the girls would walk back and forth between the two poles for three songs, then remove their bras and dance for two more songs. the sound system was very primitive. One girl came to greet me when she came off stage, while the others focused on other tables. One thing that is VERY STRANGE about this place is the number of customers who were 20 or early 30s aged women. One group of 5 women came in with a male "protector" and enjoyed taking a few dollar bills and tucking then in the dances stockings. I don't think they were lesbians because there was not much touching. The women all seemed mildly thrilled that they could do this. by the time I left (about 1:45) the place was filling up with more couples (male and female). very few single guys and very few large groups of men only. The whole place smelled of many years of tobacco smoke and maybe some weed. The drinks were reasonably priced. Like your neighborhood drinking establishment. I doubt that I will every return. Oh, parking is a challenge, but if you go east of Passyhunk on Snyder Street, you can find parking spaces near the Melrose Diner. The women were attractive, but there was no energy in the room. Strange or unique place. Down the road at the Purple Orchid there were dozens of cars. Most I have ever seen.