Nightlife Review, Buffalo News, August 2006
There are some bars that have a cover charge because a lot of people want to get in. Then there are bars like Club Paradise that charge a cover to create the illusion that a lot of people want to get in.
That may be unfair, considering there is a robust, seemingly loyal clientele of this Blasdell nightclub in the Clarion Hotel (formerly the McKinley Park Inn) that does turn out to listen to 80s tunes or classic rock cover bands. But there are too many of those “classy” illusions at Club Paradise that fall flat, creating less a swanky nightclub and more an out-of-the- way bar with an identity crisis.
The “paradise” part, for instance. The efforts to turn the large, well-proportioned interior of the club into a tropical setting seem rather half-hearted – an inflatable palm tree crammed in a corner is more or less the extent of it. The rest of the atmosphere seems left over from the previous incarnations of any hotel bar – that terrible patterned carpeting, string lights and the lingering smell of the age of indoor smoking.
But, as previously mentioned, there is a demographic that really enjoys Club Paradise, maybe for its cheap beer (about $3 for domestic bottles) or its variety of entertainment. (Some nights feature line-dancing or salsa lessons, others notorious local bands like the Boys of Summer.) Maybe these people – mostly over 40, mostly suburban – don’t want to have to go into the city, pay for parking (or a parking ticket) and worry about crime or drunk drivers on the Skyway. The set-up is great, with many, many tables and places to sit, two bars and a huge dance floor. The liquor selection was not entirely extensive or top-shelf, but you can get any of your basic cocktails for extremely reasonable prices. A couple pool tables and dartboards are scattered through the bar, but the crowds seem less interested in such distractions and more into doing shots of cheap tequila and swaying ever-so-slightly to Tom Petty classics. There’s an underlying vibe to Club Paradise of first dates – nervous couples standing at the bar, or moms and dads out for the night, on their own for once. It is one of the more charming parts of an evening here – a very innocent objective of having a good time with good music and a little beer or whiskey.
Security was a bit overzealous, considering the setting and calm, older clientele, and you have to actually leave the bar to use the restroom – it’s down a hallway towards the hotel and it is by far the least pleasant part of your evening, dirty and poorly-lit.
Club
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