There always seems to be some...

There always seems to be some sort of drama in Washington Park. The Chameleon Club burned down and it took some time before it was back up and running. C-Mowes also burned down, and by the looks of it when I drove past it last month, it ain’t getting back up soon. And then there was a fire at Dollies. (They all seem to have started with accidents, but it seems so coincidental, don’t you think?) I had assumed they closed down as a result, so I went to Wise Guys, a club that just opened within the past 12 months. This has now replaced Dollies as my favorite club in ESL.

Even though it’s in the heart of WP and so I would not venture there on my own after dark, the fact that it’s a straight shot from Kingshighway makes this incredibly accessible: It’s past the pile of lumber that was C-Mowes, and then it’s on the right side. (Aside: Having unpaved parking lots seems to be a law here.) No cover during days, and the Wednesday special was $3 longnecks. The three stages are laid out as catawampus as earlier reviews have tried to describe; I may see a use if there’s a lot of traffic coming in at nights, but when they use only the circular stage not abutting against a wall during the day, the two empty stages look very superfluous. Of course, if you’re concentrating on the action in front of you, it doesn’t really matter.

Each stripper performed three about-full-length songs. Since I was virtually the only guy there, they took off their clothes as soon as I laid down my $2. Washington Park rules still apply here, for I got to touch just about everywhere, even in good light and plain sight for all to see, including security. What stands out in particular at Wise Guys is that (unlike Dollies) there is a DJ that (unlike Hollywood Show Club) isn’t afraid to play hip-hop and R&B. Hell, sometimes he plays what the dancers want him to play.