During our California trip last week, my wife and I had a chance to visit The Greatest Club in Los Angeles (self-proclaimed).  The Monte Cristo is located in the corner of Hollywood near Koreatown.  On Friday nights they host a Goth Night called 'Ruin.'  The Friday we went, Marilyn Manson was playing right down the street.  As you can imagine, things picked up after midnight.

Carol, a long lost friend from High School, was the catalyst for our journey.  We even got ourselves some clothes (Aardvark's) and some makeup to boot.  Here is our little story.

Photo credits to Carol on many photos.

Getting ready for the big night.  Somehow I didn't even mind dressing up -- maybe I am a Goth at heart.

Ladies and gentlemen, the playas.

No, it is not the magic of photoshop -- I am actually sitting next to beautiful women without restraints or sedatives being involved.

We were feeling very cheeky.  Many of the photos I took didn't come out well because we were distracted by the pretty lights and weird people wandering around.  Like Tigerskin-no-panties girl.  Or Pacific-Islander man.  Or Tall-skeletal-rotating man.

Oh yeah, and I was drunk.  That didn't help.

Debonair, or crazy?  You be the judge.

Ok fine.  So crazy it is.  Still had to ask.

The club was done up in red curtains and was dimly lit.  To my surprise, there was an absinthe bar and I had a chance to taste it for the first time.  Very expensive, but worth it for the whole ritual.  First, you pour the shot of absinthe into the class over a sugar cube.  Then you use the strange contraption above to melt the sugar cubes with water, creating a cloudy, anise-y drink.  I was impressed, and since I like anise, I found the drink itself to be strange but appealing.

In the sitting rooms, the walls were decorated with lots of pictures and ornaments.  The axes were a nice touch I thought.  The couches and booths were cozy and private.  The sound system was very good, though I think they had a problem with the subwoofers for a while.

A nice surprise was that a guy came around near the start of the evening with a notepad on which we could jot requests for songs to the DJ.  I requested Bauhaus' seminal "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and was rewarded 45 minutes later by the DJ.  Also of note was "This Corrosion" by Sisters of Mercy, a favorite of Cristen's.

I don't know whether I can say with authority that this was in fact the Best Club in Los Angeles.  It was a really nice club though, and I had an awesome time.  Thank you Carol for shaking your bunny tail at a Goth club 10 years ago in New Orleans!

And special thanks to my moms and pops, who watched the kids while we were out being irresponsible.