A Slow Thursday At McDoogals

It had been several years since I had been to “The Famous McDoogals”, as they refer to themselves.  Anne Arundel County is beyond my typical clubbing radius.  I was nearby for another reason so I thought I’d check it out.  This visit was about a month ago on a Thursday night.  When I arrived I was able to park out front.  Parking is free and there appears to be a fair amount of space in the back.  Since there are fewer than 10 spaces out front that should have been my first clue that not much was happening on this night.  At the point when I arrived the manager/doorman said they had just opened.  It was 8:45.  Their sign says they open at 8.  Thursday night cover is $8.00.  Friday and Saturday is $16.  Tuesday and Wednesday is $5.  Since McDoogals is BYOB, it’s an 18 and up venue.  You hand off your beverage of choice to the person behind the bar.  I’m not sure exactly how this works because I wasn’t drinking on this night.  It looks like you tip the person behind the bar each time you come to retrieve a drink.  They also sell juice, 12 oz canned sodas and bottled water for $4 each.  If you forget your drinks, or are unaware of the situation, there are 2 beer/wine/liquor stores relatively close by to the club; one located on each side of the drawbridge over Stoney Creek.  

Upon entering I was patron #2.  I grabbed a chair at the right corner of the bar directly in front of the cash register.  No one was dancing for a while.  Eventually a light-skinned AA dancer with a lot of tats and long, braided hair emerged.  She put some money in the jukebox and began to dance.  I later learned the dancers pay for and pick their own music for their stage dances.  The rectangular bar completely encloses the stage.  The dancers perform a two-song set on stage and are completely naked by the end.  (Unlike in some of the Baltimore clubs I’ve been to no one crumpled up a dollar and threw it in the direction of the stage.)  The dollar parade occurs after the dancer has completed her set.  You are obligated to tip if you’re at the bar.  I gave Dancer #1 a buck and hoped for more action on stage as Dancer #1 was not my type.  Eventually a darker skinned AA with big, natural boobs and glasses came out on stage.  Once she finished her set and did the dollar parade, she came back by and asked if she could sit.  I agreed.  Her name is that of a mountain range in California.  We chatted for a while.  She gets bonus points for wearing glasses and for being able to carry on a conversation about several different topics.  And also for not immediately leading with “Wanna dance?”  I ended up getting 3 dances from her in the lapdance area.  Dances are $30 per song and are not pre-paid.  Since the music is coming from a jukebox you get a complete song.