First things first...they fixed the parking...

First things first...they fixed the parking lot. This is not a misprint. Feel free to drive most makes and models up to the spot now. The hill is still there, so if your vehicle rides really low or has a low front end you may still want to take a moment before you pull on up. The way it has been redone, the small side road off the right is also open for parking. But you have to navigate the hill to get there unless they unblocked the way in the from the residential neighborhood. The access road from the backside is by the gas station around the corner if you swing around to the right (driving away from the club) at the light at the strip mall across the street. You'll know it when you see it. Onto the club. Busy night for a Thursday. DJ was almost non-existent (didn't really talk at all) but music kept ripping along at a steady rate. One thing I've always liked about Irving's even when it was just a sea of very uncomfortable chairs (they just bought some new ones, btw) was that they never cut the songs short. Even with the regular dance prices on the floor at $10 you're going to get your money's worth. VIP prices start at $20 but can be negotiated. It'll cost you $20 to get back there the first time and $10 for the girl, but both girls and customers only pay once per night. Been a little lazy with the reviews. Figured some other people could chip in (there are enough faces in the place these days). Consider the rest of this a combination of recent visits.

Something different when I walked in was the variety in the crowd. The girls are still basically all black except for a tight bodied little blonde in the usual crew, but if the customers continue to diversify you might start to see a different mix of girls again like a few years back. Club was crowded but chill, but the dancers could still work on saying hi before "wanna dance"? Showcase Theater up in Beltsville had that issue for years before the girls there figured it out. A few girls here seem to have regulars but a lot of them just bounce from guy to guy looking for dances. More of them could stand to show a few moves on stage to generate interest. One of the best looking girls in the place always puts in stage time even though she probably doesn't need to be up there to get guys interested. I got a few dances from a couple of different gals and they didn't disappoint. Had two knuckleheads beside me that were completely in the middle of one of my sets and constantly trying to talk to the dancer. If you want to stare that's one thing, even make a couple of comments, but trying to chat up a dancer when she's busy with another guy is just bad form. Had to move along to VIP just for a little peace and quiet. Looks like they turned over a lot of the talent again and so far so good with most of the new dancers. If the demographic on customers (and girls) continues to shift I'll mention it in another review. In other news, apparently there was some sort of incident here the other week. Heard the guy lived. Won't go into details, and the club has taken some noticeable steps to address some of the less favorable aspects of the club experience.

Another visit. The parking lot is well lit now, and smaller. For those who've read my other reviews about this place, if you're a typical customer just passing through you'd feel a little better about walking around now. Even if the folks reading this are mostly strangers to me, I wouldn't recommend a place where violence is not a rare and random occurrence to the public. I still like the place, though, and it manages to be an upper tier club in the service department. But they've really got to do something about the customers lighting each other up, and it looks like management is trying. Some customers are still a little funny about being in other people's dances but I guess it's all in good fun. So many girls here spend 70% of their time sitting around yet some dudes can't decide they want a dance until they're busy with someone else. If anybody wants to check this place out for the first time, security is maxed around the weekend and that's when they have a stage rotation (for those who just like to tip and see the lineup). The mood in the club is little subdued compared to how it's been over the last year or so, but I would say this is the first time I've been there late night where the place seemed to be really organized at all. Tradeoffs. So on the one hand, I'd say the club has taken another step up (which gets it a 7 on the club rating) but it always seems to be driven by negative reinforcement. The wild urban west mentality is only going to get a business so far. The girls weren't as solid as the last time I was in, but couldn't tell you if some of the familiar faces I didn't see took the night off or are off the roster now. Floor was busy with dances and so was VIP, so the talent was there it was just not the best I've seen.