Honey Bunny -Welcome to Rajwood!

Tags

bar, club, honey bunny, moscow, nightclub, party, rajwood, review, theclub

So its a saturday night , and my friends and I are living an Indian restaurant after four hours of drinking , eating and talking . One of the boys recommends a bar called THE BAR . Its located close to the Red Square and We ve been there couple years ago when the place just opened . He said that there will be friends we know , and since no one objected , we hailed two cabs and went for it !

Arriving ten minutes later , we walk inside this place . The entrance is very sexy . marble tiles on the floor s, beautiful 18th century interior . we checked in our coats , and took the stairs down to the club . Two gorillas greeted us and after a short stubby kid cleared us for dress code and face control , we were inside . The place was pumping with loud music , girls were dancing on the tabletops , it was loud and sweaty like it usually is . We spotted some people we knew , and gave them our hellos etc . Bundling together near the bar , we made our first order .

This is when i realized that this event was done by the honey bunny crew . they organize parties around Moscow for couple years now , and I ve been to their events on and off . Then I ve spoted a guy my friend knew , and I ve known from some time back  . He was indian , and a chef . And apparently the event was an Indian theme . So there were indian dancers , indian food . I didnt dare to try , but it was resting on the bar top for people to take .

As far as the club itself . It has a charm , the interior is nice and very cozy . But its extremely small , and not intended for nightclub people and parties of that caliber . This is a place where top ceos and gentlemen can come have a table , and a drink and chit chat about business while getting a bj from one of the hookers . So to me that s the kind of business that should be inside this place , but now they ve turned it to a regular nightclub .

As far as the honey bunny , well they ve done the food , dancers , gave out these indian dots on the forehead to guests and played indian music . I do wish that the food would be handed out by waiters and not laying on the bar , cause God knows its not hygienically proof . But other wise I really dont see what they could have done more , if only they should have invited more Indian and Pakistanian people to the place .

As far as a club , its just like all the other places . Very hard for me to see why I would choose this club before any other location . Its small , so it gets full pretty easy , so if only i m in that particular part of town , i would choose this club , but then again there s Pacha club five minutes away . And thats a full size nightclub .

So the event organizers done well . But the more times they ll change locations the more people they ll attract and more new people will get their brand and recognize .

The club itself , needs a format change . We dont need another nightclub here , we have way too many already . But I would like this to be a gentlemens club , where we would sit with the boys , smoke cigars and talk prior to going out and partying .

So well done the promoters , club owner should consider a new approach , otherwise this club will be short-lived .

Partying in Abu Dhabi

Tags

abu dhabi, alcohol, americans, cinnamon, drinks, gclub, muslim, partying, uae, zenith

The Nightlife .

The nightlife is a bit specific in UAE . officially there is no alcohol sold in the country , except for bars and restaurants . But that doesn’t stop people from getting hammered , now does it . Most of the bars and nightclubs are located at the hotel areas . So every evening after 7 pm tons of people swarm the hotel lobby or campus to go to the bars and get their drinks . There are lots of Americans going out , mostly men . so they have their beers and chat up some girls . Now even though prostitution is illegal and taboo , there are mostly prostitutes working at the bars and clubs . Lots of Africans , Thai and Russians . So there is really no picking up going on , the girls approach you and offer their services . Well , I never tried it out , so wont comment on that . But that s the way it is . Otherwise apart from that , its just like anywhere else . drinks , dancing , and flirting . I would say its okay , but didn’t really make an impression on me at all . So partying isn’t one of UAE strong sides .

partying in Stockholm

Tags

booze, cafeopera, christmas, clubs, drinking, latino, nightclubs, party, salsa, solidaritet, stockholm, sweden

 

I ve made my way to Stockholm for the Christmas holidays; I was to stay there for a week between 24th dec and 31st dec 2011. And since I had lots of free time, I had no other choice than to party at some of the best locations Sweden had to offer. The first party day was the Christmas day, I was expecting many people but not quite as many as I ve seen outside. At around 23 o clock the whole city was full of young and old club goers. My first stop was Cafe Opera nightclub. (cafeopera.se) I was surprised to see how many people turned up for the party this day. The club was so entirely packed, that it wasn’t fun to be inside. IT took around 30 min to get in, guest lists only and another 30 min for the wardrobe. And it would take you on average around that time too to get a drink, so without giving much thought, I ve made my choice to bail out. Breaking my way out of this overcrowded dungeon, I made my way to Stureplan. The top location for bars and clubs in Stockholm. Here most of people go out, and have their way at the bar. I ve chosen a club called Solidaritet. There was no line yet here, due to early hours. This is one of the very few locations where the doors are open till 5 am. Most of the places close at 3 am in Sweden. So happy to be inside and paying 200 kr entrance, I was what it felt like the only guy at this location. The music was pumping but there wasn’t that much action around. Slow but surely people started to pile in, after I ve ordered my second gin n tonic. I ve noticed the diverse crowd right away , regular students , office workers were congregating here , my eye caught one particular character . What seemed to look like a large plus size girl from the front, turned out to be a transvestite once he turned to face me. Abit of a shock came over, but later subsided since me ve remembered where I was. This is Sweden, this is normal and accepted. I was studying this character the whole night there. And noticed that it was getting some action from the drunken Swedish males, so apparently it was ok to be gay and cross dress. In other places this guy would have gotten his ass kicked but not in Sweden. 

 

I was feeling tired already early in the night , since I was three hours ahead from local time , I had to call it a night even before the club got filled up . What I ve noticed is obviously overpriced drinks , you have to pay around 120 sek for a gin n tonic , which is 600 rub , and you get a 4 cl gin instead of a 5 cl . And a double is 8cl in Sweden, not a 10 cl like in the rest of the world. That too, plays a role. Another thing noticed is how most of the males are drinking beer. It’s obviously the cheapest drink, women stick to white or red wine. Very few guys get shots, and if they do, it’s not vodka or tequila, its Jaggermeister all the way. Not my favorite shot at all. A good thing is that, all clubs are smoke free, so you don’t have to smell like an ashtray at the end of the day, but you do smell other people’s odors, and sometimes it’s not the best choice.

 

So most of the week, I ve visited bars and clubs. Getting around with a good friend of mine, we hit different locations. The above 30 ths place, with no music and a good beer bar. Didn’t impress me much at all , if not for some random conversations , it would have been quite a boring place , noted for being the top  mid 30ths single hangout spot . The place didn’t leave you feeling like in the mood for love or anything like that. We visited a La Havana club, Latino club located on the main street in Stockholm sveavagen. It was a tiny place with low end service and interior. This location attracts foreigners from Latin America, Brazil, and Cuba etc. To dance salsa and raggaeton. Some Swedish men and women come there, to dance and get a one night stander. The place was interesting, but not crowded and too focused on dancing rather than on sex.

 

Another particular night out in Stockholm, I remember was a Thursday night. I was heading to meet my friend, at some place I ve haven’t heard of at Ostermalm. While walking there, I ve bumped in a guy looking for directions. He asked direction to Soap Bar, and I was happy to guide him there. After walking him over to the bar, I suggested that he follows me to meet my friend, because he was by himself and first time in Stockholm. So he was happy to do so. It turned out he was a great guy in early twentieth, from Vienna, where he teaches class on how to engage and get popular with women. It’s a shop on pick up techniques. So I was very happy to share my stories and my techs with him. It was a great fun night. We parted friends, and he is the guy next to me on the photo above. Taken at Solidaritet.

 

Well, that’s pretty much it. Stockholm can be a very fun party place if you come during the summer. But it does go out of hand, and clubs cant uphold any high standard as do the clubs in other cities. Stockholm nightlife is wild , but too mundane .

 

 

The InterNations Moscow Success Story, the year 2011 Closing Party!

Tags

alexleonov, expat, international, internations, moscow, networking, nightclub, pacha, party, raffle, vodka

thursday and i m getting into the subway heading to Pacha club for the last event of this year for Internations (www.internations.org ) . Internations is a social on line community for expats and people with that background . They have covered most of the world and do networking events . So basically you can always check whats happening in the city which you live in or waiting to travel to . The Moscow community is quite large , i believe that have almost 1000 members . The community is managed by germans and they do events once a month , they always choose thursdays and offer either 3 alcoholic drinks and food for the entry fee , which is around 1200rub-1800 rub per head , or do a free bar depending on the event and endorsements . now , they usually change locations , but they use some spots more often than others , such as starlight dinners and radio city bar , obviously cause of the strong connection between venue owners and the organizers . Internations events in Moscow always have sponsors , and raffles . But i have my doubts about them , cause its a strange coincidence that some people always win something , and I have been attending this for third year , and never won anything …but i dont have any hard proof )))

But never mind that , so this time the event is held at famous Pacha club .  I ve been there many times , and its one of my favorite spots for going out . good interior , good music ,and girls are amazingly nice . but i dont visit the club too often nowadays cause most of my friends , choose different locations . Anyway i make my way to the buff bouncers and tell em to let me in . As i enter i walk to the hosts , and announce my name and pay the entry fee . they give me a poker chip , which i m to trade for a meal . Despite being a thursday and very early , the place is packed . these events usually always look the same , foreigners aged 30 to 60 , and young russian girls . so people get drinks and mingle , its suppose to be a business networking event , but i hardly believe that you can do any business with anyone there …I personally talk , but almost never follow up on connections made at internations events .

So the bar was offering all you can drink vodka , whisky , red wine , beer . vodka was good Kauffman , dont remember anything else really . Met alot of friends there .  

here are some of my friends ( and you can spot me in the background )

 

I was pretty much happy with the drinks , and was having some beers , cocktails , vodka shots , vodka cocktails and some red wine in the end .  I never tried the food …but it looked like they were serving some sort of a curry dinner . But my friends told me that it was good .

And as always after some time , the german organizers take the stage and start the raffle . I never listen or follow it , so i wasnt into that . but that have ok prices , usually hotel getaways , clothes and ipads . but as i ve mentioned before , i do believe that they are some what tainted , rigged .

This time my friend was a part of the raffle announcements , so i cared for a look  see !

Well to summarize the party , I would give it 3 out of 5 stars . Pluses were : location , attendance , alcohol

Minuses : thursday ( not the best choice), no music , no entertainment  , same crowd .

thats about it )))

Golds Gym party at Runways Bar dec 2nd 2011

Tags

2011, alexleonov, blackjack, corporate, event, goldsgym, moscow, nightclub, nightlife, party, runways bar, russia, stas pieha, tequila

 

Its friday evening , and I m on my way to Belorusskaya metro station . I m  there to attend a Golds Gym in Russia  15th anniversary  party . The party is held at a new location called Runways bar . I ve never heard of it , so it took me some time to find it . Then i ve realized that its located exactly at the same place where a club called Zhara ( heat ) was once located .

I m met by four big mean looking bouncers at the doors . they ask for a club card or an invitation . I flip em the card , and they step down , to let me in . Its still quite early , only 15 min past 8 pm . but the line to the wardrobe is huge . i think i ve spent like 20 min or so in cue for the wardrobe , luck would have it , i took my mp3 player and was happily listening to some heavy metal by Bullet for My valentine . As i finally caught a break , and turned in my jacket . I was approached by two very hot looking young ladies , one gave me a glow in the dark wrist band with golds gym logo on it , and another one gave me a hundred dollar bill , and told its for gambling . Well , the bill was fake of course , but i could use it to play either black jack , or roulette . I walked in to the club , it was pretty much packed . and nothing changed much interior wise since i ve been there a year ago , when it was club Zhara .  The bars were fully operational , and i decided to pick up a corona to start the evening . I was waiting on my brother , so i ve located myself in the gambling section of the venue , and observed people playing black jack . On stage there was a show with dancing , they were announcing some memorable sports moments etc .  

finally my brother showed up , and we started the drinking properly  . the bar meny was standard , nothing special . overpriced as everything else in Moscow , but we re used to it . so we went for the tequilas and some gin tonics . I must point out that prior to this day , i have been sober for over three weeks . so my alcohol resistance was put to a test . after throwing couple of drinks down , i went outside to meet a good friend of mine , who stopped by to check this party out , since i ve invited her .

As she came in , a popular pop singer Stas Pieha made his apperance on stage , and the crowd was dancing and singing along , so did my friend . I m not a fan of this guy  , but at least he sang live and he did pretty well . so i was tapping my feet , as  i was drinking down my gin tonic . After a while , we went to do some gambling . the money was fake , but it was still fun nonetheless . So it was black jack . we bet some money , won some chips and traded them for a parcel full of goodies . Which bytheway i forgot later the same night at a different bar . bollocks !!!

So to summarize the event . It was well made . there were hosts , dancers , singers , disco , decorations , cake , photographers , goodies , games those were the plus sides . the minus was the club itself is horrible designed and arranged . the tables , bars are located in the way of the dance floor and stage . the bar menu was weak , so were the bar staff . huge line to the wardrobe and obviously no fire exits or safety was tainted . luckily it was a private event so people were keeping themselves cool . Otherwise i wouldnt go to this club to party unless it was a closed event like this .

but just to rate the party , it was a strong 3 out of 5 stars . good but not great .

www.goldsgym.ru

lookin cafe nov 4th 2011

Tags

alexleonov, bar, kitch kock, lookin cafe, moscow, nightclub, nightlife, party, rock n roll, tequila

Its been awhile since the last post here . I have been partying every weekend non stop . But lets review the last fridays party . Russia had a holiday , so people were partying thursday , friday and saturday non stop . We were a big gang , my brother and I and four other girls . The night started at our house with cocktails and cognac , after these pleasantries , we took the cab to check out the new hot venue Rock n Roll bar (http://rocknrollbar.ru/). It tooks us 25 min standing in line outside , to get to the door . And we couldnt come in cause one girl in our party was under 21 . So the actually card people , thats very new for Russia . Without loosing much hope , we ferried down couple hundred meters to KitchKock bar ( http://www.kitchkock.com/) . Mr Sergey Zakrasin ( host ) informed us that the place is full and we had only to pay 20.000 rub (650 usd )as a deposit for a table and we would come in . Well , since no one but my brother and I would pay , we decided to try another location down the road .

We walked by Lookin cafe (http://www.citycafe.ru/lookin/), and it looked packed and busy . I have been to Lookin rooms bar before which is a nightclub and it was a popular location with many party people , so we decided to check the place out .

It was small , but had lots of different areas , and was full . music was various from club to rock , to 80th  . people were dancing and drinking . we had some tequila shots . The bar staff was pleasant , security was in check . Not a bad place , but dance floor was overcrowded and it felt like inside a subway . but nonetheless not a bad place for kids aged 18 to 23 .

I ll stop by there again for sure !!!

yours truly

A.L

Omers birthday party

Tags

alexleonov privateparties moscow party event art night russia, house, omers, party

Terazza peroni party Stockholm

Tags

alexleonov privateparties moscow party event art night russia, campari, party, Peroni, stockholm, stockholm.com, terazza, whatsgoing.com

Its a thursday evening in a sunny Stockholm , i was invited by my friend Walter to a party at Orangeriet bar . Its a promo party by Peroni beer and Campari . The start was at 7 pm , the place was already crowded by then , and more guests were arriving by the minute .
The crowd was good , not many young people , mostly people over 30 , and they came for an after work chat with friends . There was no music , that was a minus ,and only two bathrooms to accomondate the whole establishment . bar was working well , and they made good drinks and were friendly . Prices were upper mid class , a campari soda mix was 108 swedish kr . Small snacks were served to the guests , photos were taken and there was a contest for prices .
All and all , it was a good event , the organizers did well , some things to improve were seating , there were way too many people and too few seats , a dj should have been there to play lounge minimal house , bathrooms should have been maintained and cleaned every half an hour at least , and a place this size must have more wc available .
But it was a positive event and i enjoyed myself . Thanks to Walter , stockholm.com and whatsgoing.com for inviting me . Good job guys
Alex Leonov