1721 So. Flower Street, Downtown Los Angeles
Exit 110 S. Fwy at Adams, left on 23rd, left on Figueroa, right on
Venice, right on Flower
(213) 744-0477
Sun - Sat: 4pm - 2am
Cover: Free (VISA, MC)
Dance fee: $27/hr 10 minute minimum
Map
There is a banner advertising free parking on the chain link fence of
the lot across the street, on the northeast corner of the intersection
of Flower and 18th, right by the freeway on ramp.
I attended their grand opening in August. This is a Latino club (at
least that was the original intent when the owner of LA
Grand was still involved) that apparently now aspires to be an
integrated club like Flamingo used to be. I talked to the now sole owner
briefly. Without mentioning him by name, the owner alluded to the fact
that Bill, the owner of LAG, wasn't involved with the club. He said
"the other guy" didn't want to spend any money to attract a
higher-class clientele.
It appeared that the owner was trying to run the club in a very
professional manner, i.e., the upscale atmosphere, staff all wearing
ties or suits, security walking around with earpieces and
walkie-talkies, etc. This seemed strange for a supposedly Latino
club. For you ex-Flamingo patrons, the manager is Sleepy, who also
managed Dreamland in the early 90's and most
recently was a cashier at Dreamland after Flamingo closed.
A sign prominently displayed outside the entrance listed all the
items that were prohibited:
No sneakers?!?!
No tank tops
No ball caps
No shorts
No shirts without collars (T-shirts can be worn with a blazer)
No headbands
No gang attire
No weapons (duh!)
The entrance is downstairs. You first enter a small, bare foyer area,
which also serves as the designated smoking area. Up the stairs to
the right the first thing you see is a counter with a cash register and
a soda machine behind it. As you pass the counter to the right, a
short corridor takes you into the main area of the club. At the end of
the corridor to the right is the front desk. The DJ booth is
inexplicably located right behind the front desk, which makes it pretty
crowded when more than two people are in the area. Behind the front desk
near the floor are four camera monitors. One was focused on the dance
floor, another on the TV room, another on the poolroom, and the fourth
featured alternating shots of various areas of the club.
The TV room was only moderately dark and there didn't appear to be
any good nooks and crannies for freaking. The darkest area is where the
couches just off the dance floor are. Maybe if you got there early, when
no couples are on the floor, you might be able to do some freaking.
On a recent trip I noticed that it seemed darker in the dance area
than the first night. The camera monitors below the cash register were
turned off. However, recent reports indicate that the lighting has
increased and that they are trying to keep couples off the more private
part of the dance floor (there is a small area that isn’t picked up by
the cameras). These moves are not conducive to increasing business. I
think they will struggle unless they make some adjustments. However, I
have also heard that the owner owns the building that the club is housed
in, so it could be that the club is merely a tax write-off and not
something that necessarily has to make money for him.
