Day Drinking at the Alibi Lounge

Archibald’s is a fixture in the (admittedly lame) DC strip club scene. It’s been at the same location with the same ownership for 50 years. The space at 1520 K Street NW used to feature Archibald’s on the lower level and a billiards bar known as Fast Eddie’s on the second and third floors. Today, Fast Eddie’s is gone, and Archibald’s uses all three floors. The second floor is now called the Alibi Lounge and the third floor, the Executive Lounge. At the moment, the familiar downstairs space is closed. IMHO, the second floor’s setup is not ideal for watching the dancers—the stage is poorly lit, with a suspended metal hoop instead of poles. That said, it’s still a fine spot for day drinking in DC’s business district, which is my usual goal.

For most of my 25 years working in DC, I considered myself an Archibald’s regular. Day shift was a friendly spot for lunch or happy hour, essentially “Cheers” with naked women. Their main competitor, Camelot, featured dancers who were a bit more attractive on average, but with a studied indifference to the customers. Archibald’s dayshift dancers seemed more spirited and fun-loving—they enjoyed being there and wanted you to do the same. In recent years, however, the day shift lost its mojo as the management focused on building the night shift, with special events, porn star bartenders, and private dances upstairs.

It now seems to me that Archibald’s day shift is in the midst of an identity crisis. Last Tuesday, there were four dancers working, all reasonably attractive (~7) with varying degrees of friendliness. The dancer I spoke to said that they must work two day shifts per week in order to get scheduled for nights (i.e., where the money is). For all appearances, the daytime business is just too slow to attract a steady cohort of dancers. My visit began around 2:30 (after lunch but before happy hour); there were 4-6 PLs including myself, drinking quietly and chatting with dancers. Service was efficient and drink prices were as anticipated. But the scene lacked energy—it was more like a library (albeit one with a full bar) than the “old” Archibald’s. Walking out the door 90 minutes later, I was glad I visited but couldn’t think of a compelling reason to return.