I squeezed past body after body weaving my way through the crowd talking, laughing and dancing inside Cans Canteen and Bar on Thursday. The building, at the corner of Graham and Fifth Street, is huge and it seemed as if every inch of it was filled with people.
Cans is the newest offering to Charlotte's bar scene. It's a restaurant, dance club, lounge, bar and all around hang out spot and it provides a strong anchor to the Gateway Village area. If successful, Cans would stretch the boundaries of uptown's entertainment district. Right now that district stretches from Caldwell down to Church Street, from Fifth to Eighth streets. Cans gives partiers a reason to walk a few blocks more down to the Gateway Village area, which also boasts Town restaurant, the Corner Pub and Cedar Street Station. Ideally, people could park in the core Tryon and Fifth street area and bar-hop up, down and around Fifth Street. Or they could park for free in the Gateway Village area and walk up to the Tryon Street area.
While standing inside Cans listen to Efren Ramirez, aka Pedro, I talked to some friends if they think Cans will succeed in Charlotte. A couple of people said they thought it was too far away from the main hub. What do you think? Is Cans too far away from the main party areas uptown? Post your replies below.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Popping the can
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5 comments:
It looks to me as if Cans is going to do very well. This is based on the fact that the place is packed four nights a week, is the nicest/largest/most original bar in town and is just a couple of blocks from the main "entertainment" district. All this and there are still multiple condo high rises going up in between Cans downtown. As the number of residents downtown increases I think the area of the entertainment district and the distance people will walk to get to locations will increase.
No I don't think it is. I think a lot of people here are just too lazy to walk a little furthur. Everything doesn't have to be crammed into one area...
Here is an opinion from a guy that doesn't go to a club to hit up on other women... I only go with a group of people I am friends with and dance in a group with them (dancing = moving the hands, arms and feet a little 0:-) ). But:
1. Women need to be mindful of what they are wearing and how they are dancing. Many in the clubs where respectable clothes, but some have clothes and dance moves mimicking those in the music videos. The wrong message can be inferred and may just scream sex. In this case perhaps guys will come up to dance with you, but not treat you like an object. So respect yourself by dressing in a more classy fashion (not almost too short skirts, or everything tightfitting).
2. Women stand your ground and get a little loud. The guys probably doesn't want to attract attention to what he was doing... and can prevent others from doing the same thing. Perhaps may automatically alert the bouncers.
3. Guys, don't go to clubs looking for women to have sex with. And don't go feeling up ladies, even ones you don't know... that shows you have a lack of respect for women in general also.
Also a side thought.... anybody else feel it is wrong to allow one gender into clubs for free and charge the other? And also what about clothing restrictions (i.e. guys no t-shirts or hooded jackets, but women anything goes).
I went to the Elevate "event" (ha!) a week or so ago. Quick impressions: downstairs is much nicer than up. Someone's going to crack their head falling at that ledge located front-left upstairs. The clientele had a higher "airhead quotient" than socials by, say, Young Affiliates of the Mint or John Lineberger's crowd.
Oh, and to Cans/Elevate/Steve Caldwell: If you're going to advertise an event as starting at 7, why did the ditz at the front door announce that the event was 'over' when I arrived at 7:15? And why hadn't 'Pedro' (who was prominently advertised in the advertising for this "starting at 7" event) even STARTED by 10:45, when my girlfriend and I finally said F it and LEFT.
Bottom line: I predict Cans will go the way of Props (remember THAT place?) and their transient "I've got to be at the new kewl place even though it's kinda lame y'know" crowd will abandon it when the next flavor-of-the-month bar opens.
Great place, it will become the cornerstone to Panther tailgating.
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