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New friends, new nightlife
Nov. 7th, 2009 01:32 amOne of the nicest feelings in the world (for me) is when you meet someone in person for the first time and there's that immediate chemistry of "Hey, here's someone who's going to be cool to hang out with." Which isn't to say that there haven't been plenty of folk without that whom I ended up becoming friends with once I got to know them better, but some people you just chat for a bit and go "Hey, you're cool." I don't even know what causes it, or what causes the opposite reaction to someone you don't know well. Appearance has something to do with it, as does bearing and self-confidence, but that's only part of the equation - I've met very charismatic people before who, after talking to them for a few minutes, made me go "Huh, not interested." But whatever the complex equation of speech patterns and charisma and pheromones and body language might be, it's always a very pleasant surprise to find someone who comes out as a positive result.
On that note, I'd like to thank Dan (aka![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gracewanderer) for hanging out tonight, and express my regret that he's taking off so soon. It was a fun night of karaoke and fast food and pool and dancing, and I (at least) enjoyed myself immensely. What with having him and Adam around (and even Brian for part of the evening), it felt comfortable and fun, like I'd been living here for a while and had friends. Sadly, Adam's going to be on a business trip for three weeks (in Hawai'i, the jerk) and Dan's done with his training, so it looks like I'll be on my own for the next couple weeks. Guess I'll have to actually make some local friends. Ah well.
As for a report on the local nightlife, it's surprisingly not bad. There's a little place called the International Karaoke Bar that's cozy and well-kept. The drinks have very little booze in them, but I don't particularly mind that - I'm all for a drunk-enough-to-be-friendly-but-not-obnoxious crowd. The bartender (a little Asian woman apparently known as "Mama") has a reputation both locally and on various websites for running a tight ship, and the bar reflects that - it's clean, well-maintained, and any troublemakers get shown the door promptly. I'll have to show up another time or two to confirm my initial impressions, but on the whole I'd recommend it. (Sadly, there was a sign behind the bar saying the place was for sale - one can hope that she'll only sell it to someone who runs it equally well, but there are no guarantees. Sigh.)
We also checked out Rendezvous, which bills itself as an upscale nightclub. To their credit, they mostly live up to their promises - the place is definitely nicer than anywhere in Juneau. The quality of fixtures and general cleanliness were both quite good (with the pool tables and cues being worthy of special mention), the staff were friendly and alert to potential issues, and it was pleasantly crowded but not overly packed. I didn't try any of their drinks, so I can't comment there, but the service was pretty good. The DJ, sadly, had rather more ambition than skill - Journey's "Midnight Train" really didn't need to be mixed with Daft Punk's "One More Time". But you can't fault his enthusiasm, and there was some decent music in amidst the "Bwuh?"-inducing segments.
Unfortunately, Rendezvous suffers quite a bit from the common nightclub problem of sensory overload. I realize that loud music and flashing lights and all of that are kind of the point, but there's nothing wrong with [a] having the loud music be well-balanced instead of completely bass-heavy, and [b] providing a chill room or something so that people can hang out and chat (or get to know each other) without shouting. The pool room, usually the closest thing to such in a nightclub, was at least moderately removed from the dance floor, but the music was still loud enough to be intrusive to conversation. Even the bathroom (usually the area of last resort for the overstimulated dancer) was equipped with super-powered air hand dryers, which worked very well but were LOUD.
All of that said, I'll probably go back at least a couple more times, especially once I get around to making some friends locally. Perhaps their DJ will even improve, who knows. If nothing else, the Latin music and odd mixes break up the constant stream of hip-hop, which gets old after a while. Now if they can just get him to work on his transitions...
On that note, I'd like to thank Dan (aka
gracewanderer) for hanging out tonight, and express my regret that he's taking off so soon. It was a fun night of karaoke and fast food and pool and dancing, and I (at least) enjoyed myself immensely. What with having him and Adam around (and even Brian for part of the evening), it felt comfortable and fun, like I'd been living here for a while and had friends. Sadly, Adam's going to be on a business trip for three weeks (in Hawai'i, the jerk) and Dan's done with his training, so it looks like I'll be on my own for the next couple weeks. Guess I'll have to actually make some local friends. Ah well.As for a report on the local nightlife, it's surprisingly not bad. There's a little place called the International Karaoke Bar that's cozy and well-kept. The drinks have very little booze in them, but I don't particularly mind that - I'm all for a drunk-enough-to-be-friendly-but-not-obnoxious crowd. The bartender (a little Asian woman apparently known as "Mama") has a reputation both locally and on various websites for running a tight ship, and the bar reflects that - it's clean, well-maintained, and any troublemakers get shown the door promptly. I'll have to show up another time or two to confirm my initial impressions, but on the whole I'd recommend it. (Sadly, there was a sign behind the bar saying the place was for sale - one can hope that she'll only sell it to someone who runs it equally well, but there are no guarantees. Sigh.)
We also checked out Rendezvous, which bills itself as an upscale nightclub. To their credit, they mostly live up to their promises - the place is definitely nicer than anywhere in Juneau. The quality of fixtures and general cleanliness were both quite good (with the pool tables and cues being worthy of special mention), the staff were friendly and alert to potential issues, and it was pleasantly crowded but not overly packed. I didn't try any of their drinks, so I can't comment there, but the service was pretty good. The DJ, sadly, had rather more ambition than skill - Journey's "Midnight Train" really didn't need to be mixed with Daft Punk's "One More Time". But you can't fault his enthusiasm, and there was some decent music in amidst the "Bwuh?"-inducing segments.
Unfortunately, Rendezvous suffers quite a bit from the common nightclub problem of sensory overload. I realize that loud music and flashing lights and all of that are kind of the point, but there's nothing wrong with [a] having the loud music be well-balanced instead of completely bass-heavy, and [b] providing a chill room or something so that people can hang out and chat (or get to know each other) without shouting. The pool room, usually the closest thing to such in a nightclub, was at least moderately removed from the dance floor, but the music was still loud enough to be intrusive to conversation. Even the bathroom (usually the area of last resort for the overstimulated dancer) was equipped with super-powered air hand dryers, which worked very well but were LOUD.
All of that said, I'll probably go back at least a couple more times, especially once I get around to making some friends locally. Perhaps their DJ will even improve, who knows. If nothing else, the Latin music and odd mixes break up the constant stream of hip-hop, which gets old after a while. Now if they can just get him to work on his transitions...
