Being our first time in Vancouver, we were not sure where to go for nightlife and wanted to stay close enough to walking distance from our hotel. We picked up a local paper and saw there were several places on Granville Street, only one block parallel to Howe Street where we were staying. We ventured down to Granville Street, in search of Stone Temple which sounded from the paper like it would be fun, and were pleasantly surprised to discover there was no cover charge for ladies. However, we spent a short time here--just long enough for the DJ to announce two birthdays in the house--a 19-year-old guy and a 20-year-old girl. We walked farther up the street and easily found the next place on our list from its large banner reading the Roxy
The outside looked somewhat upscale with its shiny wooden doors and red velvet rope, meant to keep the crowd in line. This time there was a $6 CN cover for each of us and we hesitated on whether to pay cover at a place where we may stay as short a time as the other, but decided to give it a try.
We walked past the large, long bar into an area with lots of high, small, round tables with round bar stools. Almost every table was taken by 2-4 people, though the bartender claimed most nights it was usually a lot more crowded. We managed to find an empty table and joined the rest of the crowd in paying attention to the performers on stage, a band called Dr. Strangelove. They are the house band and usually perform Wed-Sat. We were impressed with the music and stage show of this 70s and 80s cover band. Sara and Kelly are the lead singers, and that night "Angel" and "Princess" were sequined on their small t-shirts. They inspired the patrons with their loud, fun songs and the dance floor became crowded, but there was still room to dance. Rather than wait for a cocktail waitress, we went up to the bar only a few feet away, and were given an impressive bottle-and-glass throwing and flipping show before the drinks we ordered were poured. Eventually, Dr. Strangelove took a break and in between sets, the DJ played new music from the Kinks and other under-played bands.
Wandering around looking for the ladies room, we discovered the nearly empty back room which had pool tables and also a bar, but was extremely quiet compared to the scene in the main bar. Meandering back to the main bar area, we recovered our table and spent the rest of the night enjoying and dancing to the sounds of Dr. Strangelove. The bar continued to serve liquor until 2am at which time we made our way to the door and were glad we had gone out close to our hotel.