another one bites the dust --- Urge Lounge

[brettnyc]

So this past Friday, I was in the mood to grab a drink and peruse some dancers shaking their moneymakers at Urge Lounge.

It's always been known for having dancers every night of the week...and from past experience the dancers usually start around 11 pm on the weekends.

Urge used to occupy a space which was perfect for dancers, as the bar had four sides, allowing the dancers to circulate around the perimeter and giving

patrons an optimal view from any seat at the bar. A couple years ago, they moved next door and the new location has a long linear bar along one wall, which is less satisfactory.

In any event, I arrived around 11:30 pm and noticed that there was a cover charge, for the first time I can recall, which entitled you to one drink. I got seated at the bar & immediately noticed that there were no dancers...which seemed odd given the time. About ten minutes went by and a couple guys next to me asked the bartender if there were any dancers tonight? The bartender, who was someone I had never seen before and lacked any semblance of rudimentary social skills, barked back..."we don't have dancers anymore. we have a couple guys walking around the room." the guy who asked the question turned to his friend and said, "If I'd known that I wouldn't have come here!"...my sentiments exactly. I was floored that Urge has discontinued having dancers at all - they were the only reason to venture into the place...not too mention, it seemed that all of the old staff has left and been replaced by a far less friendly crew. I also noticed that the manager, a tall Latin hunky guy was no longer there, and I believe he used to book the dancers. I have NO urge to go back to Urge - Guess nothing lasts forever, but after losing The Web a few weeks ago, it's sad to see that another venue for dancers has fallen by the wayside.

[EZEtoGRU]

What a shame that another gogo bar option is gone in NYC. Seems that many of these clubs are really struggling. It's really too bad.

[Irtwo]

Thanks for the update. What did he mean by "we have a couple guys walking around the room"?

[brettnyc]

The snarling bartender was referring to two guys in undies who were trying to sell shots to customers...far from the dancers of yore! I do have some fond memories of the URGE lounge in its old incarnation...with dancers who weren't shy about shaking what they're momma gave them. One of the sexiest dancers I recall seeing there was an hunk from Uruguay named Ernesto, who happened to be visiting from S. Florida where he was a regular at Boardwalk - which I only found out after running into him at Boardwalk during a visit there.

Unfortunately, I've heard he's moved back to Uruguay. I'm sure he left many broken hearts behind in S. Florida. Between the loss of The Web and Urge...the outlook for venues with down and dirty dancers has gotten a lot bleaker in the big apple.

 

Thanks for the update. What did he mean by "we have a couple guys walking around the room"?

[adannyboy]

That sucks. It was a cute spot. I once got drunk and handed a dancer $200.... I thought they were singles... turns out they were $20s that a client had just given me... =/

 

good times

[john1]

I agree, the move lost all of its appeal! They should move back to the old space - I'm sure they can recapture their allure.