Houses of the Holy

It was around 9:00 on a Thursday and I was driving into Seattle from the north, down Lake City Way, deciding whether to stop at Deja Vu, Rick's or Pandora's. Pandora's is the best club overall but for me the best time to go to Rick's has been on weekday nights. Less corporate feel, no one asking you to buy drinks, no lineup gimmicks. Plus I was hoping I could run into Nina who I hadn't seen in a while.

The parking lot was nearly full but it wasn't hard to find a space. I walked in and to my surprise they only asked for $10. I was expecting the old price so with the extra $20 I had already taken out I got singles from the bar, which now serves beer (hence the lower cover). I didn't partake. Another thing that seems to have changed lately is that the club is a lot brighter now. I'm guessing it's related to the alcohol change, but it's not really possible to hide in a dark corner now. And all the seats in the LDA seem less private. My ideal brightness would be halfway in between what it used to be and what it is now. I like being able to see the dancers better but I don't like feeling like everything is in the open.

Only one stage going but each girl got two songs with no "stage maintenance" in between. I was happy to see Nina there although she was chatting with a customer. Even better, she was announced as the next dancer. While I waited for the other girl's set to finish I watched a guy take out a vape pen and a short time later get approached by a big burly guy.