After barreling through 20 years to reach that infamous title of adulthood, college students alike cross that impasse and inevitably yearn for the "better days." Days when all-out birthday parties at Chucky Cheese ruled the evenings, and weekends consisted of pajama-wearing movie-showing sleepovers. And the unthinkable becomes the actual -- we knew how to party better when we still had a 9 p.m. curfew.
Finally, the cries for a childhood mecca with a lighthearted older crowd were answered, and Baltimore gave birth to Jillian's in Arundel Mills Mall. With a restaurant, hibachi grill, game room, billiards room, bowling lanes, and even a kick-ass "Groove Shack" dance floor, how can you go wrong? For those who are looking for a good time, and those who are just plain looking, Jillian's is the perfect place to live it up and party on down.
If you're planning on making the drive, you might as well make a day of it, and with six different venues all in one place, the time flies. Jillian's is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday night, with additional hours Sunday through Wednesday. The early arrivers get the advantage, with no age minimum or cover charge until 10 p.m. (after 10 p.m. you must be 21 or over), but for those who are well versed in the typical covers at clubs in Baltimore, the $5 fee after 10 p.m. is chump change.
Despite the 80's-tinged carpets and walls of the entrance that provide Crayola with the majority of their business, the information/reservation desk that greets you gives you that feeling of security that comes from the concierge in a hotel lobby. If the word "corny" comes to mind, have faith -- the flips and sizzles coming from the hibachi grill and the luminescent glow of the games beyond should be enough to lure you in.
First stop on the list is, of course, eating. The group-oriented longer hibachi dining style might not be your cup of beer, but the Video Caf?? is guaranteed to please, even if you lose a few brain cells after staring at the enormous wall-covering televisions.
The menu serves just about everything, from classic sandwiches to BBQ ribs and surf and turf (with shrimp, not lobster). With enough seating for a small country, wait, if any, is never long.
The Video Caf?? fills your appetite, but the "Amazing Games" room calls out to the child in you. Put some money in one of the centrally located machines, take your card, and run with it to the nearest invention of electronic entertainment. Up-to-the-minute simulation games mixed in with old-school classics like air hockey provide enough fun to fry your pupils and numb your butt for hours.
The constantly crowded bar in the middle of the room keeps the drinks flowing at decent prices, and don't forget to keep your tickets. In true Chucky Cheese style, every time you win a game, you get tickets, and if you collect enough, you get to trade them in for a prize.
Jillian's provides the teenage "cosmic bowling" scene in the socially acceptable title of "Hi-Life Lanes." Black light conducive balls and lanes create a psychedelic glow for bowlers, while those just there to cheer can chair-dance in the bouncy cushioned booths in each lane.
If you want to bowl or shoot billiards in the 9-Ball Lounge, sign up early and expect a wait. During the peak Friday night 11 p.m. crowd, the wait can be half an hour or more, but there are plenty of other things to pass the time. The more the merrier -- at least for your wallet. On Saturday and Sunday, bowling after 4 p.m. is $4.50 per person per game, but with parties of three or more, the price goes down.
A true Jillian's experience is not complete without braving the hazy, smoke-filled, hotter than Hell ambience of the Groove Shack. The name speaks for itself, blaring music from the 70s to today. The DJs tend to go through spurts -- you won't recognize three songs in a row, and then you'll get freaky and sing along with the next three.
The Groove Shack is the whole package: white guys who don't know how to dance, girls who get their groove on in ways that are probably illegal in some states, and women in their late thirties who still find the need to let it all go and dance around one of the two poles next to the DJ booth. Even if it's just to peak in and laugh, this club extraordinaire is something you have to see in person.
Jillian's is definitely not a leisurely stroll from campus, but it's worth badgering your friend with a car into taking you, and if a whole group of you gang up, he'll have to submit. Spend the whole day, or go to catch the late night scene -- either way, there's something for everyone. And it's the only place where the kid and the adult in you can coexist for far less than the price of therapy.
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