http://www.indy.com/posts/7702 en-us Alex_B Being a club DJ for 22 years, I would say just give the people a good vibe, sports on some good flat screens (buy the subscription packages, A dj that does not have his head up his ass and will talk to the people that are there, make sure the prices are in-line for any bar thats in a 20 mile radius of where you are and you are golden. Too many places think they will re-invent the wheel with these upscale joints and the bars that key into the people are the ones that outlast em all! Alex B Tue, 06 May 2008 15:20:03 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21931 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21931 jOHNbILLS A GROUP OF FRIENDS AND I VISITED THE 'ICE' LOUNGE. IT SUCKED. WE STAYED THERE FOR A FEW HOURS AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WERE INSIDE W/ US. THEN WE WENT UP TO THE TOP FLOOR. IT WAS LINED W/ BUG INFESTED MATTRESSES AND NO PEOPLE. I WAS THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED. Tue, 06 May 2008 14:43:07 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21925 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21925 mbnjmntrb neal, i think the same amusement you felt when these started popping up is about the same feeling i got when i saw million dollar condos popping up near the north and south-east parts of downtown. is there a market for the yuppie urbanite apartment dweller in a town that offers little youth culture in the city's center? i think the two are related in that if you go to school, work, have friends and family in the cities center, you would want to live there too. yet in a city that has at best crappy public transit and only two grocery stores in the downtown area, how can you lure rich people to stay somewhere without the infrastructure? the same could be said for the bars you write about; without youth money (over paid yuppies), youth culture (movie stars and famous athletes), and a youthful feel (downtown is boring), how can these places sustain? the upper north-side places are kind of a joke to me since they are all either in or near a strip mall. its just wasteful spending for an empty good time that ends up the same as it would at any nicer hole in the wall anywhere in the city. Sat, 03 May 2008 22:58:00 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21835 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21835 rictor I've never heard of any of these places, but then I'm not big on bars in general. I've had clients try to impress me by taking me into the VIP in Vegas clubs, but it doesn't do anything for me except make me charge them more as they obviously have money to waste. The same goes for when people rent out some pimped out Hummer limo to drive up and down the Vegas strip. Yah, it beats a cab, but what a waste of money. You could buy a car for what it costs to rent one of those out for the day. Sat, 03 May 2008 16:37:26 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21830 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21830 alexbrickel I've been to just about all of these "ultra-lounges" at least once. You buy a bottle with an extreme markup, and get to sit and drink with some of your buddies in a closed-off area. In my opinion, this is only fun when you're out with a bigger group for a special occasion like a birthday. The "regulars" at these places are usually guys who want to impress the ladies by showing them that they can afford VIP at the latest club, or girls that are trying to find guys that are trying to impress them. There's nothing wrong with that, but these aren't exactly loyal customers. I've been to most downtown/northside bars and the ones that thrive have a few things in common. 1) Indy residents like to watch sports and drink so make sure you have lots of flatscreens. 2) Lots of people like cheap DLB (domestic light beer), so make sure you always have some on special. 3)People like bar food, so make sure you do bar food well and provide solid service. 4)Throw some pool tables, dartboards, and/or Golden Tee machines into a pub atmosphere and your all set with the 21-30 crowd. Sat, 03 May 2008 12:09:35 -0400 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21825 http://www.indy.com/posts/7702#comment_21825