Diversions

How unremarkable... I wish I didn't have to say that.

Friends who are longtime residents of Grand Rapids suggested we spend a night down at Diversions. It's the sort of club where girls can relax, couples enjoy themselves, and the ridiculously playful gay crowd makes the atmosphere positively electric. My sort of scene, especially since I fancy myself a terrible dancer and never got into the club scene on the West Coast. With a clutch of trusty friends, what could go wrong?

The club lurks below street level in an unremarkable part of downtown near a large, vacant building we stalked through thanks to friends-of-my-friends who worked on one of the ground-floor shops. Parking otherwise might have been tricky without using a public lot. Enter neon and darkness, ground central for a lot of 80s and early 90s hits near the bar, and one really dull DJ who was spinning stuff that wasn't very danceable. We got drinks and waited for the atmosphere to improve.

We waited an hour.

An hour of half-heartedly committing to the dance floor and waiting for a song we recognized or something not cut with dubious remixing that needed badly for Armin van Burin to show up and render it halfway recognizable again. Twenty minutes loitering, shouting at a conversation, giving up and looking for cheap shots. The dance floor was seething with wallflowers and very few of the glorious gays and their sharp style were even trying to take to the floor. So we went and paid for a few rounds of pool instead, which was tolerably fun, though still left a lot to be desired. We came to dance and party, not shoot balls. At least not that kind.

Karaoke proved a lot more entertaining since a birthday party for a 40-something proved those gals and their guys had chops. Somehow we were squashed in a booth listening to them, having another round of drinks, and giggling at the adults showing us all how to have fun. But by 10:30, things were still totally dead on the floor so we gave up early, called it a  night, and went to stargaze and hunt for entertainment in a theatre.

I'd like to think this was an off night.

I always love a good gay bar and this one fits the bill. We got there early so it was pretty dead but the bartenders were fun. $3 Cover with karaoke, a dance floor, TVs showing music videos, and yummy Fruity Pebbles shots, Then the gays started strolling in..casually late and fabulous, Needless to say, I had a gay old time. I will definitely come back next time I'm in the area.

We arrived here pretty early, in fact me and my friends were probably the only ones here.. I thought, lame... But before we knew it, the place filled up with quite a variety of people! One side of the bar has karaoke, which we completely took advantage of! It's not every day I get to sing Madonna's Hanky Panky!! The other side of the club was dancing.. Some of the best dancing I've ever done! Awesome vibe in this place! Great songs for getting your groove on.. I loved the fans on the ceilings for all the dancing fools to cool down!! The bartenders were friendly and very attentive.. I wish I lived closer so I could dance here more often..A pizza truck even came around after closing time and was selling pizzas.. this came in handy while we waited for our cab..