Well Past The Best Before Date

I decided, on a whim, to check out Club Paradise on a recent Saturday night. This club has been on a sharp decline since it's 2000s heyday, and it perfectly fits the bill of a club that has been hit hard by the pandemic. It's not like things were exactly jumping pre-2020, but the bleak vibe now really is something to behold.

So I pay the $10 cover which is kinda crazy (considering the upscale Brass Rail downtown doesn't even charge a cover) but whatever. The real annoyance here was the aggressive patdown. This place had a shooting in late 2022 and, rather than spring for a metal detector, they have their goons aggressively paw patrons as they enter. I had to explain that my glasses case and phone were just harmless items after the security dude in a suit/manager nervously questioned me about them.

Eventually, I make it in to a club with about 15-20 patrons total for a Saturday night at peak time (i.e. 12:30 am). I order my ~$11 domestic beer and survey the scene. The club has a bar at the front and then table seating around a mid-sized stage. There is also an elevated area with tables and two seats apiece. Elevated area is nice if you can snag it, and you should be able to since it's not usually too busy here. Private cubicles for dances surround and enclose this upper area. There is also a small VIP area to the right when you enter with plush leather couches and the like.