Fumus (unregistered)
says:
(06.17.2009)
Horrible Experience on New Years
First off if you are reading reviews for this place because you are probably from out of town and most likely don't know anything about the Bars or Clubs in NY. Basically, this place is the kind of place that "want to be" cool types go to. Guys poppin' their collars, with their shirts open revealing a gold chain covering their bare chests wearing sunglasses at night on their bloomin' onion haircut heads. The girls are fake tanned with low cut dresses and even lower IQs. Welcome to what is commonly referred to by New Yorkers as the "Bridge and Tunnel crowd". Life doesn't have to be like this and you don't have to go to an establishment like this. There are a few clubs and night life establishments that actually are “too cool”. Well dressed attractive young people attend, these people are socialites and members of the a “happening scene”. You probably won't get into a place like that, it's sad but not many people do. What is offered instead is a faux-exclusive experience. This is that experience. You pretend with other pretenders.
The sad part was that I knew all of this before I went to Club Prime. I knew what I was getting into when I came here for New Years. I bought a ticket online last minute; most other places were sold out. I had been to places like this before “how bad could it be?” My friends and I all dished out one hundred and twenty plus dollars. Double for me actually because I paid for my girlfriend. Supposedly included was to be hors devours, a dinner, and of course open bar.
We arrived late at 9:30pmonly to find the doors had not been opened (doors were said to open at 9 and open bar started at 10 and ended at 2). We stood in line in the cold for forty five minutes, the girls with me complained about having to use the restroom as we nearly froze in the windy below zero night air. A bouncer came by at one point checked if we had tickets and made me aware of an alleged "VIP LINE". He said I didn't have to wait in the cold if I didn't want to anymore, he could let me in now. Of course, I'd have to grease his palm. I said that was ok, I'll wait. Other people however did slip the guy a few twenties to get moved up to the separate VIP waiting area. It was a moot point though, not that I felt sorry for the people who gave the bouncer money; they let both lines in at the same time.
Once inside we traded one line for another this time to check our coats. The line for coat checks was huge and it stretched about 50 feet from the door to interior club entrance all the way to coat check both. I decided not to waste another hour waiting to check my coat, so I carried mine and went in.
The food was out as promised. It was probably the best part of the evening (it was delicious but I was starving so that's hardly an objective opinion) although, I will say, the DJ wasn't bad either. The DJ played a great mix, hip-hop, rock, techno, and amazingly they were all songs I liked and he steered clear over played ones. This is where the pros of Prime end and the cons Prime of the night begin.
First off the place is small. How small? Most places in the city are small. What do you mean small? You might think to ask. It's probably the size of an average McDonald’s restaurant, or your typical drug store. It's small. Then they stuff it with tables, a DJ booth in the center of the dance floor and then fill it up way past its capacity. It was a mob in there; imagine being in general admission (standing) seats of concert. Imagine not being able to escape. That's what it was like people were stepping on each other all over. The bar was a literal mosh pit with people stacked on one another unable to move desperately shoving their way forward. Luckily when I got close enough to the bar to get a free hand out, I knew how to get attention from a bartender in a place like this. Give them money early and keep it coming. "Twenty dollar holler" as they say. The bartender there loved me and got me whatever I wanted shots, beers, water, whatever. If she saw me it was mine. It came at price though I dropped around $100 on tips. Well worth it though because I stayed mighty tipsy. Others around me complained about their apparent lack of service and B*!(# about how greedy the bartenders were. The bartenders were a bit nasty to other people who tried giving them ones and fives, for example only giving them one half full drink or just ignoring them completely. Welcome to New York!
The nightmare truly began when my girlfriend tried to use the bathroom. There was an hour and forty five minute wait. Surprise! Or maybe it's not that surprising. Girls got caddy with each other really quickly. Fights broke out at the door of the bathroom. I pulled out my HD camcorder and started to record all of this. At which time I pulled my girlfriend into the bathroom and paid the male bathroom attendant a "twenty dollar hollar" to let her pee in there. Later however, she wasn't as lucky as she was waiting in line, a girl thought my girlfriend budged her and my girlfriend has a drink poured down her back. I was infuriated. I continued to record though; I wanted to share with people the horrible experience I had so they could see all of this. Sorta like Cloverfield but without the giant monster. A bouncer pulled me aside however and said I needed to coat check my camera, pictures were ok but I couldn't use a video camera. I said ok. I put my camera and my coat in the coat room.
As I went back out to the dance floor it was about 1am. A funny thing started to happen the bouncers started to kick people out. Girls and guys all over the place were being escorted to the door. A lot of people had gotten sick from all the drinking and were puking on the dance floor and puking in the corners of the club. Also there were a few fights. It seemed though the bouncers weren’t just throwing out the sick and the rowdy, they wanted to clean house and began throwing people out a random. Every few minutes or so bouncers would come by and take a few more people away. After about a half hour at 1:30, I was one such person. The bouncer said I was too drunk and I had to go. Although I was intoxicated I had full conversation and explained I wasn’t that drunk and I wanted to know what I had done. He said some girl said I stumbled into her. When I asked who he refused to show me the girl and said he would forcefully throw me out. I said no need. I couldn't find any of my friends so my girlfriend and I grabbed our coats and left. We hailed a cab and when I was halfway to my destination I made a discovery. My HD camera had been stolen out of my jacket pocket. The bouncer or coat check people made sure my movies of the horrible events in that bar would never see the light of day and someone got a HD camcorder out of the deal.
