by Ifeoma O. on YOU ARE FUN! It's a good sign when my feet are in excruciating pain, I'm dripping sweat from head to toe, and dehydrated....from dancing all night ;-) I've only been here for ReggaeGold on Saturday nights. Not a bad deal with the whole $5 deal if you sign up for the guest list and arrive before 11pm. I love that it's real grown and sexy too. Females looking real fly with their natural 'dos and sexy stylish fits, Men looking real smooth with their collard shirts and sneaks Though some of these dudes think they're real slick, it's really not that serious to get a women's attention by pulling her arm to dance with you and practically forcing yourself on her behind and getting "too excited" when you are dancing with her...YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE...It's Gross! Also, it can get real crowded in here by 11pm so I suggest you and your friends pick your fav spot in the club and stick to it, create a nest there where intruders are prohibited, unless your a$$ will be bumped to the curb. Oh and another thing, How you gonna have a packed club, and only two bathroom stalls in the ladies room...WE ARE LADIES...you know it takes us extra time in there. BUT all in all, this place is the place to dance to some great reggae music. Everyone is completely hyped, people smoking endo in the back, and the beats don't stop til the cops come a'knockin...seriously
by Ellsworth Kirkling on The Good: :: good bartenders. very nice and friendly :: good bands and good dj's :: disco ball :: outside area for standing or sitting The Bad: :: there's no bad here. there's just..... The Ugly: :: the plethora of hipsters. and i use the term "plethora" loosely. i wanted to seriously start walking around the room and asking people individually, "do you realize you look like a total jackass?" it's like walking through an SNL skit about hipsters. i get it. you are way cooler than i am. i cannot compete with your chain smoking, your horrible hairstyles, and the $400 you blew on that pair of skinny jeans and can't afford on your $5.15/hr salary. :: the wannabe rockstars. just because you spend a lot of money on clothes that make you kind of look like a rockstar doesn't make you a rockstar. you're still just your run-of-the-mill jackass. :: the high levels of pretentiousness. :: $10 minimum to use a credit card. Would I go back? Definitely not. The need to see and be seen here is overwhelming. I just couldn't enjoy myself. This place is SO FREAKING OUT.
by David S. on What to say about the Cinch, my favorite gay dive bar? Well, the first thing I always say to my best pal Sean(iqua) is "Wow, what a strange night at the Cinch..." To which (s)he always replies "YOU ALWAYS SAY IT'S A WEIRD NIGHT AT THE CINCH!" And that's what's to expect, should one walk through it's western style double doors. The Cinch, almost like the old Badlands (or license plate bar as us oldies used to call it) is a western themed bar. What "west," I have no idea. It's sort of like "Brokeback Mountain" merged with the gay porno "Bareback Mountin'," and ended up on a coke binge, followed by a brief stint in the ER. Long story short, the Cinch is just one of "those" places where the drinks are strong, and the clientelle is pretty easy going. Sometimes pretentious, but never rude, the Cinch is an odd dichtomy: Old timers of the Strasse, recounting its glory days of when even the Royal Oak was gay; the straight couple that realizes one drink in that NO ONE is going to hit on the girlfriend, because the boys are out with their "girlfriends"; and those younger Aberzombie and Fake gay guys that seem to have gotten lost on their way to the Castro. On the weekends, make your way to the back of the bar and look for a bartender named Michael. He's the skinny one. Ask him to make you a top-shelf margarita (any tequila will do), on the rocks with no salt (unless you like salt). What you'll get is a pint-sized cure for your ills. Two them, you'll be wondering what ills you had. Three of them, the next morning you'll have all your ills back, plus a hangover. For slow mid-week fun, stop in an make use of the internet jukebox filled with obsure records. Putting on Sergio Mendes and the Brasil '66 is always great fun. That, and "Portugese Washer Woman" by Astrud Gilberto and Walter Wanderley. Follow that up by KMFDM, a little Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Pet Shop Boys and Belle & Sebastian, you'll have a throughly confused bar. Then kick back with your drink and watch the ensuing fun. The Cinch has plenty of beers on tap, and at pretty reasonable prices. And if you like pool, the two pool tables are empty during the week, and semi-competitive on the weekends. Did I mention that there's a yard? Small as it is, expect it to be packed with smokers during the brief heat called "Indian Summer."
