AMSTERDAM — Living in Baton Rouge during prime partying years, University students are first dazzled and then disillusioned with the sights, sounds and unfortunate smells of Tigerland, Third Street bars and house parties.
But I’ve seen nightlife take on a new, more challenging incarnation in young, metropolitan cities through the bouncer-guarded doors of a dance club.
Aside from the adventurous souls who float over to Splash nightclub, nights and then mornings in the club remains an elusive experience for many. But breaking from the provincial party life of a conservative southern city, some might not expect the obstacles within the belly of a hot and heavy club.
Going to a club presents a different kind of game than beer-pong and flip cup. Developing a few survival skills can help a pub crawler transition into a master of the all-night rager.
Preparing proper transportation can prove a complicated exercise, so make a plan. Arriving too early can cut into the pregame period, leaving you buzzless to occupy an empty dance floor until the crowd arrives. Reaching the destination too late can mean long lines, cranky doormen and an increased cover charge, which sometimes rises drastically after midnight.
Be ready to pay. Club owners have to make it worth their while to mop up the ocean of spilled alcohol and bodily fluids that flood the dance floor until the last man or woman sloshes through the puddles and into the new day’s dawning light.
You’ll pay for a cover charge, coat check, drinks and more drinks. In some astounding cases of exuberant capitalism — when those drinks stop singing the sweet song of the schwasted siren and begin the uncomfortable call of nature — you might be paying to pee.
On top of your estimated bar tab, add an extra paycheck for tips. To get the attention of the overloaded bartender and part the masses, it’s going to take a little charm and a little more than your spare change. Be polite, and if you manage to get some attention before the club brims with thirsty patrons, chat a little, make an impression and hope they remember your face for next time.
But if you’re not into paying your own way through the evening’s trip to boozetown, nightclubs are notorious for aggressive prowlers, willing to victimize their wallet for the chance to get lucky. It’s a risky business and not for the shy, but with an outgoing attitude and a willingness to at least talk to a semi-imposing stranger, both parties can leave happy or at least mollified. Walk with your new friend to the bar and watch that no special ingredients make it into your cup or bottle.
But if a booze-benefactor gets out of hand, an exit strategy becomes crucial. Having a quick and reliable getaway can also save the night when you or a friend has overdone it. Club employees can kick a patron out when they believe someone is on drugs, too hammered to function or if a person poses a liability. The peace of mind that comes with knowing the way home is paved by cab fare, a bus or metro ticket or a designated driver is valuable during a night out.
The cost is high and the obstacles are numerous, but the reward could be a night immortalized in an overplayed Top 40 song.
Morgan Searles is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Baton Rouge studying abroad in Amsterdam.