Meier_Link

Tonight I went to meet some friends of mine in a new place. Not new residence or city, rather a new gathering point, per se. Ordinarily we meet at a bar, shoot some pool, drink some drinks, that kind of thing. Tonight, admittedly not my normal night for going out with my friends, they wanted to meet up at a place called "Bar Charlotte".

I'll admit that I am a person that is akward in a lot of social situations, however, being at a bar is one of those situations that I am comfortable with. Get a drink, talk to people around you, shoot some pool or play darts; that sort of thing. Being at a club is one of those things that I am not entirely comfortable with.

"Bar Charlotte", as it turns out, is not, by my definition, a bar. It is in fact a club. I did not realize this until tonight, as I waited alone for my friends to show up. I mean, I'm not knocking the place, there's plently of fairly attractive girls wearing highly provocative clothing everywhere. The catch: they're hanging all over and rubbing all up against guys that in ordinary circumstances you probably wouldn't trust parking your car.

In a place like this, I feel like a complete tool, sitting alone and tapping my foot to R&B music with manufactured drum beats thinking "what the hell am I doing here?"

I have to say, I feel somewhat socially inept in such a place, and perhaps I am, but I would far prefer sitting in a bar and talking to someone about meaningless stuff to waiting in line to rub up all over someone I haven't met until we rotate to the next stranger. Maybe I'm to uptight. Maybe I just don't get the scene yet. This is my take on it.

guthmund

You are not alone.

I've been to quite a few bars. I'm quite comfortable there as, for the most part, the atmosphere is pretty laid back and low key. If I'm lucky, I can grab a table, have some pleasant conversation and listen to some music. If I'm damn lucky, the band doesn't suck and there's some pretty girls to ogle.

I've been to a few clubs and I just don't get it. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of conversation going on there, the music is way too loud and repetitive (I guess to encourage dancing) and everybody seems way too concerned with rubbing up on each other either by dragging them to the dance floor or forming little groups around tables with questionable occupants. I enjoyed the voyeuristic vibe I felt at the clubs. There are usually lots of pretty good looking women wearing very little, but overall, I'd say I enjoy the "bars" a lot more than I enjoy the "clubs."

I guess to each their own, eh?

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Vincentt

Bar Charlotte is shitty.

Clubs suck for the most part, and I hate 'club' dancing.

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mazagmot

Do people at actually meet at clubs and stay together longer than one night?

thatoneguy

This is amusing, that's always the first thing I ask when someone mentions they're going out to a bar, "Wait, is this a BAR or a CLUB?" I didn't ask one time and went with some friends and I was in the same situation as Meier_Link, it is absolutely not my scene.

Any club I've ever been to seems to just be dirty girls wearing nothing grinding up against dirty guys to horrible music. Given the choice to put myself in that situation, I'll gladly pass every time. I am not a fan of the club thing at all.

Rodney

The only time the club thing works is if it's actually about the music or the dancing, not primarily about going home with someone. A friend of mine lives in Austin and swears by the scene there for that reason. Of course, Austin also has a movie theater where you can order beer and pizza from your seat using a built-in controller. So I'd say they know how to have a good time in that town!

Carno

Yeah I definitely agree. I like bars much more than clubs. The types of people that frequent bars are usually very different than the people who frequent clubs.

Painted

Don't they have bars in clubs now? And what about live entertainment in a bar, does that make them a club?

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Grasshopper Green

The only reason to go to a club is if you are in the mood to dance, and it is much better to go with someone than trying to pick someone out of the sweating, drunk, groping mass of humanity that you'd actually want to "dance" with. I thoroughly enjoy going to a club with my hubby and another couple that we are friends with; the few times I've gone with just girlfriends suck. Bars are a lot better if you want some decent conversation (forget that at a club, you can't talk over the music) and better atmosphere.

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greeneyes

I just moved to Charlotte and whenever I ask someone to recommend a bar, they just look at me funny. Apparently they refer to everything as "clubs" down here. As soon as the word "bar" comes out of my mouth, someone asks me if I'm from the north, go figure.

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CandleInTheDark

I'm definitely NOT a club person. Shitty music, worse people, and horribly expensive drinks are not my idea of fun. I only go when I'm already drunk and I want to make fun of people who can "dance".

I love real bars. Get some draft, play some pool, and listen to musicians who play their own insturments. Awesome.

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Grasshopper Green

When I lived in NC, I can only remember one "bar" in the area that I lived in, and it was the cliche seedy dump that you would be afraid to walk into. When we wanted to go have a drink without going to a club, we went to the bowling alley.

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Rekna

I miss real bars since I moved to SLC. Out here if they serve liquor they are pretty much always a club or a restraunt. Bars can only serve 3.2 beer (and it is expensive). It is unfortunate.

irseg

The line between the two is somewhat blurry.

However if you walk in and can't talk to the person next to you without screaming at the top of your lungs 2 inches from their ear while dodging drinks and cigarettes being flailed about, you're more likely in a club.

On the other hand, you can actually hear yourself think and have a conversation at a bar. It's a shame they're usually just full of old drunk guys, though.

IC3

When i was 19,20 i would go to the bars sometimes, Then i was introduced to the rave scene. I would go to raves on the weekends (If they had a good DJ line up) and during the week i would go clubbing (If the DJ line up was good).

Mainly i went to clubs because the music i was into at the time (Jungle/Drum n Bass) and still am into it to an extent, It was only being played in the clubs.

I never went to dance or to meet girls..I went strictly for the music and to see the DJ wreck the decks.

Ya i know bars have DJ's, But last time i was at a bar it's not really the same type of DJing your gonna see in a club or at a rave.

Every bar i have been to seems to always have these slutty girls that everybody is saying that infest the clubs, It's just that the dance floor in a club is the club..everything else is kinda secondary.

In a bar you got the area where you can sit down and talk, You got the pool table/Dart area and then you got the dance floor which usually has the same stuff happening as club dance floors.

But like i said..Club dance floor is the club with the bar lining each side of the dance floor usually with a small seating section or couches on the side of the dance floor and club dance floors are usually like twice the size as bar dance floors if not bigger.

I would rather go to a club over a bar anytime..Cause in a club it will usually be the same crowd into the same music and not a big mix of people that you get in a bar..And from my expierence a big crowd that's all into the same music is better than a mix of people who like different music.

Not saying none of you appreciate music, But alot of it has to do with the passion for music or atleast that's what it was about with me and everybody i use to party with..And there is nothing better than seeing/hearing your favourite DJ spinning a record and then bringing in the next track mixing the beats into the track that's about to end making his whole set sound like one never ending song.

I guess the difference would be that bars are more of a social kind of atmosphere with i guess kinda background music (If there is no live bands, If there is then i guess it could be the same as a club in a way) where clubs are more for the music people who go to see the feature DJ of the night..every night that the club is open.

I don't really know how to explain the looks of night clubs..Kinda exotic? classy?...I don't know, Clubbing was pretty much like going to a rave to me..I was going to see the DJ's that were spinning at the raves on the weekends but also during the week in the night clubs.

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Meier_Link

That's strange. Must be the people you hang out with... One of the bars around here that I enjoy going to is "the Flying Saucer". They are always packed and have a huge selection of beer. I don't know what side of Charlotte you are on, but there's several good bars, depending on what you want to do.

Grasshopper Green

Utah has the most ridiculous liquor laws in existance. Since there is nothing but restaraunt bars or "private clubs", it really is kind of hard to make the distinction here.

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greeneyes

I live on the north side, near the university. I'm basically a mile away from where IBM Drive hits Mallard Creek Church Road.

I haven't heard of the Flying Saucer, but I'll check it out.

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CandleInTheDark

Totally opposite here.

A club is a dance floor where you go to get drunk at. Huge variety and mix of people. I'd agree the people the same (shitty top 40 pop/R&B/rap) music.

A bar has regulars. A bar is a place you go to after work for a few drinks, or on the weekend for alot. A club you go to on the weekend to get absolutely trashed while being surrounded by the attractive women in skimpy clothing.

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IC3

I don't know what the clubs are like where you live, But when you leave a club here at night there's people outside handing out flyers for upcoming party's, Now depending on the size of the club there is usually atleast 2 different rooms for 2 types of music. The flyers will list resident DJ's and feature/Inernational DJ's, I'm not talking about the mainstream clubs where the local radio stations broadcasts live to air playing the shitty radio music..I'm talking about clubs that are pretty much raves..But during the week, The big time partys are on the weekends in venue's that will hold thousands with atleast 4 different rooms for whatever music your into which usually consist of: House/Trance, Drum n Bass/Jungle and breakbeats..Mind you i only attened clubs that had a room spinning jungle these clubs aren't always about rave scene music, It was usually Sunday nights & Tuesday nights..Then the other nights i guess they had house DJ's or whatever.

So sometimes you get a mix of people into different music, But the rooms are seperated..Usually one crowd on the main floor then the other in the basement.

I agree bars have regulars, But on saturday night's the bars are packed with just as many skimpy dressed woman with people getting trashed.

Clubs have regulars too...About 4 years ago or so every tuesday night at Turbo Nightclub (Now known as Sound Emporium) was Fungle Junk (Jungle Funk) and they always had atleast one international DJ who would just destroy the place, So all the jungle heads would be there on tuesday's..Then other night's of the week other clubs would be holding party's with the same music with big time DJ's.

Believe it or not..There is a difference even in the type of club you attend..

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Vincentt

Flying Saucer is great.

Wine Vault is nice too, not a bar, but a great place. When it gets warmer they should have some live music again.

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listid

Ok, I agree completely with the distinctions between bars and clubs. I have the good fortune to work in a bar in a small university town that turns into a club after about 10 o'clock at night Thursday through Sunday. During the club time when I'm not working its too gross for me to go without a large group to buffer me from all the regulars who want to grab the familiar face.

blizzak

Bars are more of a safe place to go if you want to just chill, shoot pool, take it easy, etc. They're fun, and you have a good time even if you're going alone or only have a couple people.

But I like clubs too. I find that the best club experiences are when you get a lot of people that you know together and you get a fair bit of predrink on. If you don't have too many people at clubs that you can dance with, you always end up uncertain.

Having a girl or two there to dance with is often great too! But remember that it is no place to meet girls.

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Suave

I don't think that's the idea, but you never know.

But yeah, I'm not a huge fan of clubs either unless I'm in the dancin' mood (which is less frequent than one might think). Then again, for me they can be easier to introduce myself to the opposite sex in than bars (sometimes not).

Blizzak: it's a place to meet girls if you're just looking for sex.

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