Prohibition hosted a speakeasy benefitting the Alzheimer’s Association on Friday, March 30, 2012.
Wearing 1920s clothing was encouraged, and the admission fee of $10 included gaming chips, a ticket for a free specialty martini or moonshine drink and free swag.
I walked out of my apartment in my t-strap heels, dangling earrings and drop-waist dress, while my date put on some slacks, loafers and a newsboy cap.
With that we headed into Uptown, anticipating that the night would be a blast into the past.
By the looks of the club, you wouldn’t have guessed that a special event was going on that night, especially since the guys at the door were dressed in t-shirts and jeans.
For a moment I thought that maybe I got the dates mixed up but was quickly assured that this was the right place and the right time. After being handed two tickets each, one for a drink and one that would get us playing chips, we ventured into the dimly lit space.
The crowd was a mix of people mostly in their 20s and 30s, some dressed up in their newspaper boy hats, suspenders, feather boas, flapper dresses and the like, while the majority were disappointingly clad in their modern-day, casual, after-work clothes.
Photos courtesy of Tricia Bangit.
Blackjack and Roulette tables were set up and the employees for the most part dressed up as if they were at a 1920s speakeasy. Across from the bar was a little video game arcade and as the night went on, rap and pop played, growing progressively louder by the hour.
I must have missed the lesson in American History that taught about video games and rap music being big in the Roaring Twenties.
While Prohibition is a fun enough space to hang around in, it seems to have a bit of an identity problem.
The name implies jazz, the names of the drink specials reflect the intended time period, and the wall is full of quotes referencing the prohibition era, yet there is still something lacking in the overall atmosphere of the club.
A flat-screen T.V. had a basketball game playing, much to the delight of some of the patrons, but that detail made the place feel like a bit of a sports bar.
I had been expecting to feel as if I was on the set of something between “Chicago,” “The Great Gatsby” and “A Midnight in Paris.”
I wanted to feel like Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald could have walked into the club at any moment, and having a bunch of modern contraptions and anachronisms scattered throughout Prohibition made that feeling impossible.
Once I put my slight disappointment aside, I had a good amount of fun. I was pleased by the Prohibition Punch since it was loaded with grenadine, and playing Blackjack was especially enjoyable since I wasn’t betting actual money.
As the night wore on we inevitably made friends with our competitors.
At the end of the games, the remaining chips were converted into raffle tickets. I was feeling pretty proud of the 19 tickets I had until I saw a woman with a strip of tickets so long that it touched the floor.
Needless to say, I didn’t win any raffle prizes that night, but I did get a free hat and t-shirt. All those freebies made me wonder how much the club was actually able to raise for the Alzheimer’s Association.
I ultimately didn’t get out of the night what I had initially intended. But at least I met some cool people and had a decent time.