Grand Central: "The Distinguished Alternative" in Baltimore's Gay Night Life

Originally opened as Central Station Pub on September 12, 1991, the club that touts itself as "The Distinguished Alternative" is located at 1001/1003 N. Charles Street in Baltimore's Mt. Vernon community. The original location, a large, historic row home at the corner of Charles and Eager Streets, was significantly expanded in early 2003 with the purchase of the adjacent building that formerly housed the Stagecoach. In May 2003, with the addition of a two-bar discotheque to expand the property, the club was renamed Grand Central. Like the whole Esso/Exxon name change in the seventies, most long-time patrons still refer to it as Central Station, a fact given a nod by management in their retention of the old name for their web site address.

Grand Central has a feel of being much more upscale, and more trendy that its major competitor, the Hippo, catty-corner at the intersection of Charles and Eager. With its opulent wood, stained glass accents, and its rich, dark tones, the main bar area of Grand Central has the distinctive feel of an exclusive "gentlemen's club" from a bygone era. A few steps up from the bar is the billiards parlor, with several regulation-sized tables that are kept in impeccable condition.

Formerly known as "Spike," the second floor lounge at Grand Central has been refurbished from top-to-bottom to include candlelit booths, soft fiber-optic lighting, and impressive leather recliners. The lounge continues the gentlemen's club ambience, and is a perfect spot for dinner, drinks, and conversation.

The smaller video bar at Grand Central, while still tastefully decorated, is a bit more relaxed than the main bar or the lounge. The stained glass cabinetry behind the bar is particularly noteworthy, and high seating at cast iron tables provides more of a local pub than a downtown club atmosphere. A large projection screen and several video monitors broadcast dance videos continuously, and as with all other areas of the enormous establishment, the bar is fully stocked and capably tended.

Unlike the rest of the venue, the gentlemen's club aura ends when you walk through a narrow corridor in the annex building and emerge in the high-tech disco. There are two large bars on either side of the sunken dance floor, and a video wall with a spotlight stage. While the sheer size of the sunken dance floor across the street at the Hippo dwarfs Grand Central's comparatively modest floor, it's entirely adequate for the size of the crowds they draw, and has ample space along the rails and the back bar for spectators. The fog, intelligent lighting, and lasers provide a wonderful show, although the fog has been known to be a bit overzealous at times.

In keeping with its reputation as a full-service club, Grand Central is a good bit more event driven that its elder competitor across the way. The club hosts everything from karaoke to wet underwear contests, game shows to drag shows, and more. My particular favorite recurring event is the "$5 Martini and $5 Manicure" held each Wednesday evening in the main bar area starting at 7:00PM. It makes me giggle, and you just have to appreciate the tongue-in-cheek behind anything that stereotypically gay. (My nails have never looked better, by the way).

Wisely, Grand Central doesn't attempt to compete against "Baltimore's Biggest Dance Party" across the street at the Hippo on Saturday nights. Instead, Grand Central's open dance night is on Friday evenings from 9:00PM until 2:00AM, featuring one of my favorite disc jockeys in the area, DJ Nick Sid. Nick plays an extraordinary mix of dance, house, and techno, including his signature remixes of classic 1980s songs (think "Journey" with a tribal beat). DJ Nick does most of his mixing live, which makes even the same song a slightly new experience each time. Another wonderful, unique trait of this veteran DJ is the shorter percussion bridges he uses to blend songs (the more well-known, less technical jargon being "the thud-thud-thud part"). In general, people tend to stay on the dance floor longer when there's less time to think about how tired they are between numbers. It's worth the trip to Grand Central on Friday nights, if for no other reason than to hear Nick spin.

On Saturday nights, Grand Central is host to "Elektroschock," the club's goth/industrial dance party. DJs Neska and Warring spin the latest in dark gothic and industrial music. Be prepared for a comparatively young crowd, a great deal of black clothing, and boys wearing eyeliner who are decidedly not gay. This is the only night of the week that one tends to see straight folk at Grand Central, and the other areas of the club tend not to attract spill-over patrons from the "Electroschock" event.

While all are welcomed, treated with respect, and are made to feel at home at any time, Central does veer toward being much more exclusively gay than the Hippo, generally speaking. Neither should be considered better; merely different, and a part of their own unique charms.

Drink prices are reasonable at Grand Central, and there are scads of very generous specials running all week long, including the "All Drinks $1.75" special that runs from 9:00PM to 11:00PM in the disco on Friday nights. The bartenders are efficient to a fault, personable, and all are quite blessed with the talent of remembering their regulars.

The crowd at Central tends to be a little older, on average, than its neighbor across the street. While there is no specifically decreed dress code, the crowd tends to be fairly well decked out, with neatly-pressed designer jeans and polo shirts being about as casual as it gets on most nights. "The Distinguished Alternative" is indeed a valid claim.

Grand Central
1001/1003 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-752 -7133