NotJolly.com - International Humor Site

Check out NotJolly.com for some funny jokes and pics. The aim of this funny joke website is to translate jokes from other languages into English, but its not limited to just that. It is very new and has only a few things still, but it might be worth a read anyway.

Glamour Petergoff Parties in Northbrook, IL

If I think about it, "glamorous" is actually somewhat of a good description of Glamour Petergof Friday night parties. I don't think there is anything close to this place in the (Northern) suburbs of Chicago. Petergof even appears better than a majority of downtown clubs when compared on sound quality, setting, and music. This place is large and open - similar to old Crobar, except wider and without the second level. Lighting is nice - there doesn't appear to be too many moving lights but the colors really make it look much more upscale. There is no strobing either, which is good for this place. Also, their go-go dancers are really good-looking girls, unlike at some other clubs.

However, this place has not as diverse a crowd as most other clubs. Petergof crowd is over 80% Russian and Ukrainian. That could be good and bad - good if you are one of them and bad if you are not and you accidentally push someone. But security seems very good at this place - as soon as there is any trouble, they pop out of nowhere.

There is a lot of parking right in front of Petergof nightclub (it is actually a banquet hall, but they turn it into a full-scale nightclub on Fridays if the restaurant is not rented out for a big private event), thanks to the location in suburbs. One of the annoying things there is the fact that later at night there are a ton of people outside smoking right in front of the door. They block the entrance and get mad if you try to get through. Security tries to get everyone to move but the situation returns within a few minutes.

Layout Inside

Inside this place is beautiful. It is very open and has a LOT of space. First when you come in, you are inside a "smaller" room (might be 40'x40') that appears as a lobby. There is a separate set of speakers and dj decks there, but the dj seems to always be missing, which might be ok since nobody stays there for over a minute anyway. Out of that lobby there are a few ways to take. To the right there is a nice cafe-looking room - there is a separate rather large bar there and the music is much quieter so you can easily keep a conversation there. Back to the lobby... To the left there are bathrooms - don't know about the women's bathroom, but the men's one is actually really small. If you go straight, deeper into the building, you get to the main room with a large dance floor. This room is huge. There are private tables with white couches all around it (bottles are not that expensive here, by the way) and a rather small bar for such a large room in one of the corners by the entrance. There is a nice purple ambient color in that room, music is loud but doesn't hurt your ears. The dj is playing from a large stage with lighting effects. This is probably the biggest club I've been to around Chicago, looks like it might be even bigger than Vision in downtown. Of course it is much cheaper to have so much real estate in the suburbs than in the middle of a city, but still - Petergoff nightclub looks like it had a ton of money invested into it.

Drinks and Food

The bartenders make your drinks the way you want them, if you ask for it to be strong - it will be strong. However, I was also told by a few people that the bartenders get pretty drunk there themselves.

Food in this place is great! I tried their sushi and it was on the same level with a nice Japanese sushi restaurant. When considering food, remember that Petergof in Northbrook is actually a very nice banquet hall/restaurant. And they gave us food after 12, so their kitchen stays open rather late. Bottom line: I suggest trying their food.

Summary

Petergof nightclub in the Northern suburbs of Chicago is a beautiful place. It has good food, great interior, and music. But, a portion of the crowd is just not nice... This place, more than any downtown club has visitors that are rude and aggressive. But if you don't get too drunk and start bumping into people (or yelling if someone accidentally bumps into you) or hitting on girls that came with other guys, you should probably be ok. Its just far from all other party spots.

Griffin Lounge on Chicago Ave

Last Saturday I went to Griffin Lounge, which is located on Chicago Avenue not too far from Enclave. Got there around 1:15 am. As much as I think their staff was friendly and polite, I really did not like the vibe of this place for some reason. Those guys that people refer to as "douche bags" so often... well, there were a bunch at Griffin Lounge that night. And I barely see any of those in Chicago nightclubs (to me there is a difference between someone who's into clubs and a douche bag). People kept walking by and pushing everyone without any apologies - this might actually be due to the fact that this place really does not have any areas that are not "walk-through". The way the entrances, bathroom, and private party areas are set up - there is really no single place inside Griffin Lounge which is not a way to get to another location but just an area where you can dance/stand in and not block traffic.

I remember I liked this place the last two times I've been there, but that was over 6 months ago and perhaps it has changed. I really hope that I just landed on a bad night. The atmosphere just seemed wrong and even the music was somewhat different from what I would like in a night club (personal taste). The dj booth looked like a party of its own - there were way too many people there in what seemed like a semi-sexual "orgy" with horny girls and guys with a crazed "oh yeah" look on their faces. I don't normally observe that in other night clubs - usually the djs are a little more serious about their work.

On to the good things

This place is roomy and open. The lighting is great - both the ambient and all the track heads/strobing things and such. The bar had nice quick service and wasn't way too hard to get to, but the club was not packed (probably 70% of what I would say is "packed" for this place), so I cannot definitely say that the bar would be readily accessible if it was busy. The bartender that I was buying drinks from was a nice guy - looked positive and made good drinks fast.

I will go check this place out again in a few weeks and see if my expereince will be different. Perhaps I'll try to arrive earlier?..

Crescendo Nightclub in Chicago

I have to start off with the fact that Crescendo is one of my favorite Chicago nightclubs. It is classy, busy, and cozy. Yet its usually not full of very pretentious people, is not over-crowded, and is not tiny.

Crescendo Staff

Their bouncers are cool, never unfair or disrespectful, and I will stick to that even though a few weeks ago they didn't let one of my friends in, who was underage (she never had any problems in other Chicago clubs). Their security people inside are also nice - even if they have a problem with what you are doing, they will point it out in a very polite way. Bartenders are allright, rather quick at making drinks and keeping waiting rather short, though there are always a bunch of people just hanging around the bar, making it hard to get to. Drinks are average-priced, not watered down and are made the way you request them with no problem (so if you ask for it to be strong, they make it that way).

Music and DJs

They play house and various top pop and hip hop songs from the radio. But mostly house/dance music. I don't think I've ever noticed the DJs at Crescendo mess anything up, so I'd say they are top-notch. Music volume is set to the maximum comfortable limit (unlike some other clubs I've been to), so you can still talk (loudly) without the need to yell in your conversation.

Crowd

Crescendo crowd appears to be predominantly below 30, predominantly good-looking, classy, though not the most "elite" (I actually find those annoying sometimes). People appear rather happy at the Crescendo dance lounge and I've never seen a fight in this place.

Setting and Interier

The entrance is slightly below the clubs main floor, so you have to go up a short flight of stairs when you come in, but the stairs are wide and sufficiently lit, making the pass comfortable and safe. At the end of the stairs there is usually a bouncer who makes sure that the stairs stay clear for passage, but once in a while there will be a jam anyway as people stop at the top of the stairs to decide where they will go next.

Crescendo only has one long bar, which is across a rather long but somewhat narror dancefloor from the entrance. The only problem with bar access are a few columns that run parallel to it several feet away. Because of these columns and the people that hang out by the bar, it sometimes becomes hard to get to (columns block the people trying to let you through).

To the right of the bar is a VIP area, surrounded by 5 to 6 foot high walls at the sides (except front and back, where it is blocked by ropes and bouncers). And behind the VIP area, there is another small dancefloor which is usually more clear than the main one. Furthermore, there is additional seating and tables on one side of the VIP area and in the back of it. Thus, about half of Crescendo's floor area is taken by reserve-able seating areas.

There is also a small downstairs area in Crescendo with the stairs going from near the club's entrance. The bathrooms are downstairs along with coat check and a round couch (facing outward). There is also a small bar there, but I don't remember if it is usually serving anything to customers, and tall two-person tables with bar-type chairs run along the perimiter of this round-shaped room.

Summary

Cozy and even somewhat romantic (which is odd for a club) bringing together of a lounge and a dance club, makes Crescendo one of my favorite night spots in Chicago.

Spy Bar in Downtown Chicago

Spy Bar is located in the same buildnig and right below my favorite bar in Chicago, Hop Haus. And as much as I like Hop Haus, Spy Bar is just not my type of place. Even though I very much enjoy going to other clubs (such as Crescendo, Le Passage, Sound Bar, Crobar, etc.). Here are some positives and negatives I can share about Spy Bar.

Pros

Spy Bar has a real underground feel to it - like you are at a hidden party that only cool people know about.

Cons

SPy Bar has a real underground feel to it - like you are in a crammed basement of an industrial building.

This club feels like a a hallway - it is long with the entrance on one side, though there is a wider area at first, where the main bar is located, it still is always severly overcrowded (at least it feels that way). I understand that some people like the crowded feel of clubs, but I don't - at least not that much. The situation is made worse by the fact that it is very hard to walk around the club due to its narrow walkways. This club feels like the biggest safety hazard to its patrons - crowded, narrow, exit all the way on one side, small stairway leading to the exit... I'm sure there are additional exits (as required), but I just don't know about them, thats why I'm saying that it only "feels" unsafe.

Summary

Music is great (to my likes), there are two bars, lighting on dancefloor is appealing, the confetti that they sometimes rain on people is fun, crowd is nice, though I saw fights there 2 times out of 3 or 4 times I've been there. But, this place just feels like... small! I didn't think that I was claustrophobic, but the ceilings, the "narrowness" and darkness (its dark in the rather long hallways connecting main bar and the "dancefloor") of 70% of the club. It just takes away from this place for me. If I remember correctly, Spy Bar is more of an afterparty place for many people - perhaps thats why people enjoy it more. I was rather sober there, maybe when you are drunk it doesn't seem as gloomy and small.

I know that my thoughts about this place are rather negative, but I definitely don't hate it. The thing is - I Like venues with higher volume, with high ceilings, wide walkways. I don't really like small college type bars and other small crowded places. I think that small cafes and sushi bars are great, there are no drunk people standing around, and the small space makes them feel nice and cozy. If there Are drunk people standing around - I want the venue to be large. Though I know that there are a ton of people who do not share this opinion with me (why else would college bars be so damn popular).

If you haven't been to Spy Bar - go check it out yourself!

Le Passage Nightclub in Chicago Downtown

Le Passage is located at 937 N Rush Street, just a little south of the intersection of Rush and Division and Level Nightclub. It is rather hidden from street view without a flashy entrance and a huge crowd. Yet, it looks like a very cool place with a high-class, somewhat underground feel.

Inside Le Passage

When you arrive at Chicago's Le Passage dance club, you pass by the bouncers on Rush Street, and follow an alley with a red carpet for almost 100 feet. It’s an alley, but it’s well lit and clean... and it has a red carpet (small thing that is almost pointless, yet makes you feel nice). There is a smoking area to the side from the entrance, and the nice thing about it is the fact that it is in a pocket between tall buildings - making it free of wind and not as cold during winter.

As you enter through a small door of La Passage at the end of the red carpet, you have to go down a rather narrow flight of stairs, then through some more corridors... then you start seeing people behind white draped curtains (so the high-class feel adds to the cool underground vibe). This club has a bunch of cozy vip "rooms" that are separated by the white curtains from each other. Thus, this place appears to have more seating than any other downtown Chicago nightclub. And they feel much much nicer than most vip areas in other clubs – not too modern with uncomfortable couches, yet, not too retro with couches that you would see in an old-school British mansion. Cozy. The lighting is also just right – that seems like a small thing, but actually is important as some places make seating areas really dark.

Dance floor, bar and DJ at Le Passage

The dance area is not very large, but I think they are going more for a dance-lounge feel for Le Passage and not a super dance club. If I remember correctly, there is only one bar, which seems like not enough. But the bartenders were quick and it took me only 1-2 minutes to get my drinks every time I went up there. DJ was pretty good – played both hip hop and house music. I heard some older hip hop, too. Overall, I really liked the music – it was fun, not only electro, but also something that people were singing along to a little bit, yet not like some bars that play almost county that drunk people yell along to non-stop (I actually like some country, just not in a club/bar).

Drinks are somewhat expensive – a jack and coke plus red bull vodka added up to $21. Though it seems the same as most other Chicago nightclubs.

Overall thoughts

I loved this place last Saturday night. The crowd appeared friendly and nice, place has a really cool feel to it. I’m sure I’ll be going there again in a few weeks.