Venue, The -
Imagine a booming warehouse brimming with lithe bodies twisting to the music, a perpetual drink-fetching scramble at the bar, limousine chauffeurs waiting casually for clients, and a glittering VIP overlooking the whole scene. The Venue on Tchoupitoulas has all the makings of an iconic club—space, scene, even a couple Ferraris parked prominently in the front—which make it all the more disappointing when it falls completely flat. For the more discriminating crowd, the sophistication falls away when you realize that the hot bodies you’re dancing next to are high-schoolers complete with braces, acne, et al. And the VIP? How obsessed are you with New Orleans basketball players, hyped-up businessmen, and marginally famous rappers? Against its hype, The Venue’s reality pales in comparison, but it’s still New Orleans’s largest dance floor and veritable nightclub.