I had a reason other than...

I had a reason other than going to a strip club for being there on a Wednesday afternoon. But since I HAD to be there, I paid attention to help out my brothers on TUSCL. This is NOT a strip joint. Yes, there are so-so looking, a tad-too-old women that strip to panties and pasties on a corner stage, but it is really a neighborhood bar. It just happens to have dancers as an entertainment choice.

The basics: there is off-street parking on a couple of shabby paved lots behind the building. You need to know where this place is to find it. Although the bar is right on a main drag, just west of a newly discovered downtown area, it has little signage and no indication of what is within. I do not know about the restroom, but judging from the rest of the bar, it is small, antiquated and dirty. There is no security to be seen anywhere, and I got the feeling that if any shit went down the regulars would be more than happy to clear it up. There was no cover in the afternoon, and I do not know about evenings.

The bar was VERY busy for 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon. There were probably 50 patrons, most of them drinking beer in bottles, and most of them appeared completely disinterested in the dancing. There was a pool table that was very busy and an old juke-box that pumped out blues, jazz, old rock and roll, some country, and NO RAP. It was just the right volume, as you could hear the music, but you could still chat.

The entire bar was served by one bartenderess who doubled as waitress. She was, without question, the prettiest girl in the place and wore low slung slacks and was bra-less under her tank top. I would guess she is not yet 30 and is pretty. Also, she is a formidable bar staff. She was always busy, out on the floor and behind the bar, but was nice enough to answer a few questions from the new fat guy drinking water at the bar (me). I had two beers, at $2.50 each, and several waters. She never got behind in her service and her tip jar was crammed with larger bills. It was obvious that most of the old geezers came to this neighborhood joint to see her.

The dancers all were in their 30s (or 40s) and were attractive enough with that girl-next-door-if-you-live-in-a-trailer kind of look. Unsophisticated, very covered up, and judging by the lack of waists and crepey bellies, mothers of many children. They appeared universally friendly and dressed in cocktail dresses to mingle the bar and sit with the patrons.