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Eyebar needs to rethink its vision

                Last Friday I attempted to broaden my horizons heading down to I street by checking out the aptly named Eyebar at 1716 I Street, go figure, just half way between 17^th and 18^th streets. Having not heard much about the club itself I went with an open mind. I arrived shortly after 12 am to find a fairly decent crowd awaiting entrance. Knowing one of the promoters allowed my friends and me a quick entrance, free of cover. 

On its first floor we were a little disappointed to find a fairly bare, long room, equipped with a rather simplistic bar along one wall. This was apparently the mish-mash floor, spinning rather lame hip-hop followed by the occasional remix of a traditional college ballad along the lines of Journey or Madonna, not my idea of a good time. Not particularly impressed we went upstairs to a fairly identical looking room, spinning standard house music. From what I had heard Eyebar had been closed until recently for renovations, although to be perfectly honest it wasn’t clear what it was exactly they renovated. Having not been there before I can’t really comment on the change, but frankly the décor was quite plain. Along one wall was a row of surprisingly small screens (12-inch) displaying images of far off galaxies. It almost seemed as if the display had been scaled down for budget reasons. Beyond that there was really nothing to catch the eye, black walls and ceilings, holey ceilings to be specific. It gave me the impression that this club is still in a rudimentary state.

What really grabbed my attention about this club was the crowd. The night I attended it seemed to be a much younger crowd, college students mostly, looking as if they had just rolled out of bed and strolled on over.  I can understand the casual club setting, but this seemed to be pushing it a bit. Sneakers, baseball caps, and hoodies do not belong in a nightclub claiming to be an upscale venue. It made me more reminiscent of a house party in your friend’s basement, an enjoyable basement to be sure, but nonetheless a basement.  While I managed to get away without paying a cover, which I assumed was the norm based on the casual attire of those waiting outside; I would have never guessed that they were charging $20 a person. During one of my frequent cigarette breaks outside I ran into a friend of mine who was irate at the fact that he had to pay the rather steep cover only to be surrounded by underdressed kids attempting break dancing battles on the dance floor.

The drinks while plentiful were a little overpriced. As the night progressed the crowd did begin to pick up, but alas this did little to change my opinion. It’s unlikely I’ll be returning.