Ok, here's the lowdown on what I can tell you about my Crobar experience.. still can't tell you everything though - some things are only for close friends:-) The night also represented my return to the clubbing scene after too long an absence so I was keen to go.

By the time it was due to go to the club I'd got used to NY's grid system again, and although it looked like a relatively short walk on my map it turned out to be quite a trek: a couple of miles probably but this was no big deal as I'm used to walking. So I crossed over numerous streets and the neighborhood started to look less commercial and more residential. There still seemed to be the same amount of Crazy People around, mainly hangin' on street corners but somehow they seemed crazier than their city-centre counterparts. Maybe, I dunno :-) What the heck, I was in a very positive and upbeat move in anticipation of the night ahead. The street lighting was getting much worse - not quite as bad as Alton, UK (where I live) but rather conspicuous by it's absence.

On every corner there seemed to be a hot food stand, mainly falafel, kebabs and that sort of thing - didn't actually see any hot dog vendors, maybe they'd all been displaced, but those huge NY pretzels were still really popular especially when spread with mustard. They all smelt *delicious* and a couple of times I was really tempted but I was unusually strong for me and moved swiftly on. Maybe it was the thought of potentially moving to, erm, a "different" beat later in the evening that convinced me not indulge.

Anyway, I was okay with the West 28th Street part of the journey as I'd only come from E31st, but the 10th/11th Avenue part was becoming distinctly seedy: I was soon conscious of being very alone on the street... Naturally your imagination runs riot at times like this but in reality the streets of NY are a lot safer than they used to be and because the Crazy People are so outwardly crazy you tend not to get the closet-psycho type that lurks around London and other big cities: very reassuring. So crossing over the last Avenue I now found myself in an exceedingly run down area, with giant potholes (craters?) in the road and I wondered if I had gone to the right place - I kept going though. Well, I had come to the right place and up ahead I saw the Crobar main entrance with barriers in front.

A bank of TV monitors filled the front wall and promotional videos and flyers were being displayed on them. There was another nightclub a little further down the road but this was still closed and I made a mental note to use this as a backup in case my VIP pass didn't get me in. I had arrived ! Yes, I was a bit early but no matter.. The door policy was strict and everyone without exception had their ID checked. Well almost, I didn't because I'm obviously over 21 :-) There was a bit of hassle as my original ticket vendor had screwed up issuing my VIP pass, neglecting to tell me that I really needed tickets as well for this event, not just a booking: nevertheless I was good natured about it, mentioned that I'd come over from the UK for the event, and everything was sorted very professionally. Kudos to Crobar who look after their guests!

Inside was a coat room that was bigger than some dancefloors I've been on and I relinquished my jacket at a cost of $5 (including tip). I had the dubious distinction of having "number 1" on my coat ticket - that's so me! I then wandered downstairs to the first dance area - this was the one with a forest of translucent, illuminated poly pipes rising up from the floor like trees. There was a small dance floor there and lots of seating, plus a huge bar: think Wetherspoons and you're about right. It was hard to actually believe there are so many spirits but this one seemed to have them all. I parted with $7 and had a bottle of impeccably chilled Bud'. I wandered around checking out the er, clientele and as the place filled up I was pleased to see that it was a good mix of ages, and even more pleased to see that I wasn't the oldest person there! Made me feel really good actually :-)

Punters continued to file into the club and a number of bouncers also started to mingle with the crowd: one of them growled "mazaltoff" at me and I just grinned.. I didn't tell you that Yahel and Kojak, the DJs for the night were there for Chanukah (a sorta Christmas/Hanukah thing in the Jewish calendar) and this was a major NY Jewish
event. Still I wasn't the only gentile there and I reasoned that as long as the music was good and we all had a good time there was no problem. I mused on the different outfits that my fellow clubbers were sporting: pretty much the same as me - everyone looked smart, but a couple of groups of wiggers turned up as well complete with trademark white "uniforms". I was surprised to see that Eminem lookalikes were still around, and even more surprised to see them at a Jewish Trance-fest, but it takes all sorts I guess :-)

By this time it was getting distinctly packed and the small dance floor was starting to play some rap; no-one was really dancing though, and moments later the bouncer in the other dance area opened up the barrier and we all flooded through into the main area for the main event. The two areas were connected by a white-tiled tunnel with coloured lights set into the floor. The main area was very large indeed with large video screens and huge speaker banks were located around the centre floor. Considering the power of the sound system in this room it was amazing that the two floors were totally acoustically isolated: someone had been very clever and both areas continued to play totally different styles of music without any interference or bleedthrough. There was a stairway at one side leading up to a verandah and this in turn led off to VIP rooms. I was invited up later on in the evening but is was just somewhere quiet to have another drink and maybe get to know people a bit better ;-)

At one end of the main floor there was a stage, and at the other another huge bar, that seemed even bigger than the other. Despite there being only 4 bar staff no-one was kept waiting for any length of time - something that a lot of UK venues could bear in mind. The majority of people were drinking cocktails but I resolutely stuck to my bottles of Bud'. Guys, I have to say that the girls behind the bar seemed to have been hand-picked for being gorgeous, and it was the first time anyone had refused a drink "because she had to keep her fantastic figure" - believe me there was no way I was going to disagree...

The first DJ on was Mark S1, and at the same we were treated to a floor show on the stage by a couple of masked dancers and a guy with a snare drum kit. It was a tight little set and a good performance - what surprised me was that the dancers were actually a boy-girl combination (so I was reliably informed).. Hmmm.. They finished their set to a huge round of applause and the floor then opened up for the DJ Yahel set.

At this stage the floor suddenly filled up and the whole room started to dance as one. The experience was electrifying, and the music was so loud that I was conscious that not only was my body vibrating, so were my clothes which was *very* weird. You couldn't help but be swept up in the atmosphere, and my positive mood moved up another couple of notches. Cool, and no drugs needed either ! A lot of poseurs were trying to allocate themselves a little pocket of personal space and failing :-) The music was pumping louder and I was conscious that people were just so friendly, dancing with anyone that moved with what looked like a hint of rhythm: baby, I was that man!! Incidentally I'm still trying to get a track listing..

The other thing I noticed that the mood was generally so positive that people were not seeming to need to get drunk to have a good time.
When I go to Paris and London in the next few weeks I'll be seeing if the same holds true - it's not as if the drinks prices were putting people off; it's just that people wanted a good night out. Anyway, I danced in the centre of the main floor, near the stage and eventually joined a group of girls in a corner near the stage back wall. There was more room to dance here, but it was somehow the loudest and most vibrating area I had been in all night: an incredible experience and I was actually so caught up in the atmosphere I was kinda conscious that my dancing was becoming increasingly wild, but that's my trademark ! What the heck, my partners didn't seem to mind and our little group was moving together in synchronicity to a trance beat that seeped right into to my mind and back out again. My seratonin level must have been crazy high by that time and I was lovin' it. We danced in a detached state for what seemed like hours but eventually I came down to earth at a natural break in the rhythm and had to leave. It coincided with another weird event which as I said I can't go into, but suffice to say that it signalled that it was time to go (and I'd run out of cash anyway)..

Oh yes, I'll mention the restroom at this time. As with any club/similar venue, floor space is at a premium, and the restroom was therefore small - too small for the number of guests and although I didn't have to queue for long it had a cattlemarket feel to it. The guy with probably the worst job into the entire joint was the "restroom manager" who was handing out paper towels to guests and was tipped accordingly. His job was made a little more rewarding by virtue of the very large, very full jar of money on his table and the fact that each towel cost me $1. Money well spent IMHO, and someone has to do it.

So, with Yahel's magic vibes still zapping through my mind I collected my jacket and made my way out of the club, back into the freezing cold night. The time was the cusp of late,late night and early morning, and as I walked down the street (with a huge grin on my face) I noticed a long queue at the other club - if I'd had enough money I'd have gone in, but there you go. I walked back along the same route which was, if anything busier and more alive than when I'd come out earlier. The Crazy People were still out in force but were being overshadowed by the Party People who were roaming the streets looking for action. As if by magic, some of the seedier-looking faceless buildings that I'd previously dismissed as derelict dives had somehow been transformed into throbbing nightclubs with strict door
policies enforced by equally strict door-Nazis. There were random groups of transient clubbers moving from club to club, and I got talking to two girls, one of whom was having major shoe problems (never wear new high-heels to go dancin' honey!). One of them recognised my English accent and we talked as we walked down the street - turned out she had been raised in Glasgow and had been in NYC for just a few years. She said that there were not many Scottish Black Princesses in New York and who was I to disagree ? We talked about the clubs, her family and friends and then parted at the next block. Ships in the night.. I floated back to the hotel through more busy streets in the City That Never Sleeps and by the time I got
back I couldn't sleep either.

I'd had a fantastic experience, and it's one that I'll never forget. Roll on the next time ! Check out Crobar here.