I'm getting bored with "chill" bars. (Seattle, Federal Way: how much, house)

[JesseJB]

I'm sorta backlashing on "chill, laid-back" bars. I really do enjoy a relaxed atmosphere with good ambiance but sometimes I'd like to actually have fun. It seems like every place that opens here is touted for being the opposite of fun. They seem to focus too much on the alcohol and food and decor instead of the enjoyment factor. Why are we being lured to nightspots by their food? Shouldnt we think about that after we go out?

You either have:

a) dance "clubs" where 21 year olds with guns from Federal Way wearing 3-sizes-too-big polo shirts like to hang out.
b) upscale cocktail/beer bars with awesome selections and food but not "fun."
c) quiet dive bars where everyone is sitting
d) loud dive bars where everyone is sitting
c) live music venues that can be fun depending on the night but usually end up paying $14 to watch a band and just stand around and not socialize for 3 hours.


Where is the FUN?

If I had the $$$, I would open a place that had a 7 night a week dance floor with electro/retro/indie dance rock music, little or no cover, cheap drinks, limited seating, fun lighting, large dance floors, and a huge back patio. With torches. Or fountains. Or something awesome. And maybe margaritas.

I go out all the time with friends and everyone gets nice and toasty by last call but we rarely ever let loose and blow off steam like we did at house parties in college. When youre not having fun, the attention turns to the drinks and people order rounds of shots just to keep everyone from falling asleep in our dark bars. I leave to walk home thinking "yeah that was nice and the beer was good and the night had it moments, but...sitting around isnt that fun. The only time youre not sitting on a night out in Seattle is when youre walking to the next bar. Im $50 poorer, 5 pounds pudgier and I'm thinking about people dancing their asses off having the time of their lives in other bars across the country while Im thinking about what a "chill" night I had and how tomorrow Im going to "just chill" at home or maybe take a walk and cook or something."

If one more place opens with "natural wood decor, great selection of drinks, quiet atmopshere, a great chill place to meet up with a friend" Im gonna jump out the window.

[jenlion]

Draw up a business plan. Open it. You know what you want, it doesn't exist, fill the gap.

[W & C]

*shrugs*

Trinity, Contour, Last Supper Club, Havana, Neighbors (if you don't mind shirtless dudes on the dance floor making out w/ each other), Rock Salt, Baltic Room, Venom, War Room - all these places have dance floors that stay busy. Even Jillian's on East Lake has a small dance floor that actually gets a lot of action. I am sure I haven't listed all of them, or close

Are you going to tell me all of those belong to your a) category above ? Maybe the bottom floor of LSC, maybe. The top floor is a nice techno venue, though. Trinity definitely doesn't have an abundance of Fed. Way polo shirt wearers. Their main floor is mainly full of asian women. I took my friends from Chicago there once, they were impressed.

[JesseJB]

Yeah I do lump all those places in with category A. Theyre all kinda bridge n tunnel and mainly popular with frat boys, Asians and Facebook models. Well, except for Havana. I kinda like that place when its not Comeback night.

I wonder how much it would cost to open a place? It just seems like there are too many hoops to jump through and you probably have to be wealthy. I remember going to bars in NYC that were just little dives but they would all have dance floors in the back that were always a blast. I want to turn the upper floor of Lindas and the back section of Cha Cha into a dance floor. Done!

[W & C]

Well, if places with suburban white kids and asians are unacceptable to you, you should try some hispanic places. I know Triple Door does salsa nights on Sundays, Rock Salt does salsa as well on weekends and whatever that big chinese restaurant is next to it on Eastlake. U-District's got a couple of joints, one I think is called Casa de Mojito or something, now I'm told there's one called Babalu on 45th & Wallingford, that I haven't been to yet.

[motor80]

Originally Posted by JesseJB

I'm sorta backlashing on "chill, laid-back" bars. I really do enjoy a relaxed atmosphere with good ambiance but sometimes I'd like to actually have fun. It seems like every place that opens here is touted for being the opposite of fun. They seem to focus too much on the alcohol and food and decor instead of the enjoyment factor. Why are we being lured to nightspots by their food? Shouldnt we think about that after we go out?

You either have:

a) dance "clubs" where 21 year olds with guns from Federal Way wearing 3-sizes-too-big polo shirts like to hang out.
b) upscale cocktail/beer bars with awesome selections and food but not "fun."
c) quiet dive bars where everyone is sitting
d) loud dive bars where everyone is sitting
c) live music venues that can be fun depending on the night but usually end up paying $14 to watch a band and just stand around and not socialize for 3 hours.


Where is the FUN?

If I had the $$$, I would open a place that had a 7 night a week dance floor with electro/retro/indie dance rock music, little or no cover, cheap drinks, limited seating, fun lighting, large dance floors, and a huge back patio. With torches. Or fountains. Or something awesome. And maybe margaritas.

I go out all the time with friends and everyone gets nice and toasty by last call but we rarely ever let loose and blow off steam like we did at house parties in college. When youre not having fun, the attention turns to the drinks and people order rounds of shots just to keep everyone from falling asleep in our dark bars. I leave to walk home thinking "yeah that was nice and the beer was good and the night had it moments, but...sitting around isnt that fun. The only time youre not sitting on a night out in Seattle is when youre walking to the next bar. Im $50 poorer, 5 pounds pudgier and I'm thinking about people dancing their asses off having the time of their lives in other bars across the country while Im thinking about what a "chill" night I had and how tomorrow Im going to "just chill" at home or maybe take a walk and cook or something."

If one more place opens with "natural wood decor, great selection of drinks, quiet atmopshere, a great chill place to meet up with a friend" Im gonna jump out the window.

What are you looking for? Dancing Bears on the bar? Contortionists? Jugglers? Pick up a Stranger, flip through it, find something that tickles your pickle, and go there.

Here are some places and venues that come to mind:

War room
Havana
Baltic Room
Re-bar (has some really great "dance music" nights as well as improv theater stuff)
Chop Suey - especially "Comeback"
Crocodile
Show's at Neumos
Neighbors (AKA gay-bors)
R Place (also gay bar/dance)
Emerald City Soul Night (60's Soul and Northern Soul) at Lo-Fi in Eastlake
The Can Can (Thursday night's Big Wheel Bingo is a freaking blast)
Or, try something like The Cuff -- leather daddy/clone gay bar that has an awesome dance night, or so I hear from my homo-friends.

[seattlenextyear]

Huh? College frat parties were fun? Man, I'm glad I'm 30 and have accepted my total lameitude.

Give me more fries with truffle oil please! And a pint of your newest microbrew. I need those carbs because I plan on going to Home Depot tomorrow to pick out some new shrubbery.

What was that? You make your own ketchup? Wow, I just foodgasmed!

[pwright1]

I love the chill bar set. I think Seattle has plenty of the places you're looking for. I was at the Triple Door Aqua Lounge Sunday and I had a blast. Salsa night, live music, no cover and dance the night away or just chill.

[JesseJB]

Well I'll have to try some of these nights out.

Here's what I kinda mean- I was at a divey little place in the East Village and it looked like any Seattle dive really, even down to the crowd. But there was this 30'x30' or so dance floor in the back with a DJ and a tiny bar where they were giving out free vodka wells and they were playing Beatles (!) songs and there was like 30 of us dancing like crazy and getting wasted. I went to at least 3 other places like that during that night. We need some of that!

Dives with dance floors. Yeah. Thats what I mean.

[azoria]

Dives with dance floors.....hmm, can't think of one and I'm a dive bar connoisseur. Love run down taverns with a homey dinge.

Seattle just largely not into the dance thing. I'd love to find a Euro style techno dance place here but I don't think one of those exists either.

Maybe you should be like the next door neighbor we had in the U District. He had some patio furniture on the roof of his garage and held impromptu parties which included a loud boom box on the porch and beer can throwing into the yard. He always oversaw these proceedings in a bathrobe and slippers. Laid back, yet loud. Passersby welcome into the wee hours.

Nate his name was. Quite a guy.