Bust a move to Bar Baltimore where dance space is plentiful

It's a club that we've all been to. It's a club where most of us have had beer spilled down our backs. It's a club where you will most definitely leave having had at least one totally sketchy guy hit on you (if you're a girl). Then again, that's a reality at all clubs. As far as the Baltimore scene goes, Bar Baltimore is one of the better clubs and definitely one to check out, even if you decide not to return.

First of all, the layout of the club is ideal. Finally, a club that has managed not to skimp on dance floor space! Even though it's usually packed, and you're right up against people on every side of you, it's something that you pretty much have to expect at a club. However, there is a lot more dance space compared to other places. There are also boxes to dance on, if you're daring enough and feel the need to shake your ass in front of the entire crowd. Hey, who doesn't get that inclination sometimes? I myself have risked the box.

The bar is located close to the entrance and there is space to dance around it, although most people usually use that area to drink and talk with friends, and the main dance floor is further in.

Of course, with a name like "Bar Baltimore," the club naturally has to have a kick-ass bar. It has a definite Coyote Ugly feel to it. The most daring women of the night dance on the bar, along with a few guys, and every once in awhile, the bartenders will get up there and join them. Even though these girls don't do tricks with bottles, they certainly get down nasty style as guys watching stare at them, salivating, with their tongues to the floor.

Nevertheless, they always seem to be having a lot of fun, and the bar-dancing definitely adds even more life to the party. Just a quick note to those of you who plan on trying it - be careful. Some girls have either hit their heads on the top of the bar or fallen off. This would not only be obviously painful but also extremely embarrassing in front of a massive crowd of dancers.

From personal experience, the quality of the music all depends on the DJ of the night. A couple times I was there, the music was a little lacking. The DJ had some sort of fetish for techno and older hip hop. I didn't hear a recent song the entire night, and the scene kind of got old fast, as it does when there's not a song at least every five or 10 minutes that you can sing along to at the top of your lungs. For the majority of my visits, however, the music was great. It was a mix of R&B and the usual dance songs, along with remixes of songs to get the crowd going, like "Living on a Prayer" and "In the End." There's also usually a pretty good number of older songs that everyone knows, along with what's at the top of the charts right now.

The only thing you have to worry about, which of course you have to worry about at every club, is the sketchy guys. Ladies, you will inevitably have at least one come up to you and try to grind on you. There does seem to be a recurring problematic guy. He looks to be about 30 years old, 5 ft. 8 in. or so, with dark brown hair. He always dresses really well, in nice pants and a crisp button-down shirt. Watch out for him. He doesn't get the point very well, and he'll just keep grinding on you unless you make it completely obvious. What's the best way to do this? Always, always, always go dancing with friends, preferably more than one. That way, you can look out for each other, and if anything causes problems, you can deal with it together, pull each other away, say a few nice words and kindly make your way to another part of the dance floor.

Aside from the handful of guys like the one already mentioned, the crowd is pretty familiar, seeing as the people who would go on college night would tend to be, yes, that's right, college students. It's a great place to have fun among your friends and peers, with everyone letting loose together.

In my opinion, it's one of the better clubs in Baltimore, and even if the music or the scene winds up not being quite your style, you'll no doubt have fun the one time you go. So for the dancer and partier in you, go to Bar Baltimore this Thursday night for College Night (which recurs every week, by the way) and go crazy.