Gold Mine Saloon
705 Dauphine St. (French Quarter off of Bourbon)

http://www.goldminesaloon.net/

Reason: A Flaming Dr. Pepper induced dance party.

Drink: Flaming Dr. Pepper
Drank: Round of Flaming Dr. Peppers
Drunk: Flaming Dr. Peppers for everyone at the bar!

Dr. Peppers which were soon after flaming

With dance music from the 60s to today, Goldmine plays all of the dance songs that you actually want to dance to. We can rarely find a less-than-awesome song from which we can justify departing from the dance floor to take a Flaming Dr. Pepper shot, and that’s saying a lot. (Conversely, we can also rarely find a less-than-awesome Flaming Dr. Pepper shot from which we can justify departing anything for.) The dance floor is massive and it’s the focal point of the bar. Whether you want to be the center of attention (you? maybe. us? never!) or hide in the shadows (you’re having an off night? you found someone you would only make out with in the shadows?) – The Goldmine’s dance floor has all of your bases covered.

And much to our recent surprise, there are non-dance-floor-areas of The Goldmine as well. Although initially confusing as to why they exist, it is beneficial to have areas to retreat to for temporary relief from profuse sweating and/or aching knees. Break past the confines of the dance floor to find nooks with video games, pool tables and areas you can actually hear others talk and yourself think.

We’ll admit that we haven’t been there anytime besides past 12pm on a Friday or Saturday night so we can’t tell you exactly what kind of crowd is there, how much drinks cost (we do recall that water is relatively pricey) or what the atmosphere is like on weekdays but what we can tell you is that Goldmine is Golden and that you should just Go.

anxious weekend dancers

mindless musings:
If you wake up after a night at the Goldmine with a distinct, grimy film covering your entire body, then like many before you, you’ve had yourself a very successful night.
As we like to say at LOC: Gold Mine Grime = 100% worth it each and every time.

Seriously, Gold Mine is freaking fun. If you ask a couple of our clumsy LOCers what the saddest outcome was of a breaking of a big toe, a tearing of an ACL and a spraining of an ankle – they will all reply in unison: “our inability to dance at Gold Mine”.

Now we feel a LARGE need to preface that, as a group, we have a dance bar pact. “As proud members of LOC, we pledge to not go into a dance club with the mindset of scoping out the hottest member of the opposite sex and proceed to slyly, but sexily, shimmy our way into their hearts for the rest of the night.” We may be bumpers, we may be grinders but we definitely do not want to make love in this club. We are simply out there to have a good time, shake what our mommas gave us and attempt to exude some rhythm in the process.

Unfortunately the rhythm part doesn’t always plan out.
And some of us have even been so lucky to receive comments such as this on the dance floor:

At a random dance bar:
(LOC girl dancing by herself to “2 Step” by DJ Unk, boy approaches)
Boy: “Hey!”
LOCer: “Hey!”
Boy: “Do you know how to two-step?!”
LOCer: “Ha! Not really!”
Boy: “Ok, good. I just wanted to make sure you knew.”
(boy walks away, LOC girl resumes dancing, but stops attempting to 2 step)

At a cousin’s wedding:
(LOC boy approaches a group of women, trying to get some more ladies on the dance floor)
LOCer: “Hey, come on! You girls have been standing over here all night, why don’t you come out and dance?!”
Girl: making an excuse: “Uh, I would but I really don’t know how to dance.”
LOCer: “That’s ok, have you seen me out there?! I don’t really know how to dance either!”
Girl: “Yeah, you’re right, we saw you, you really don’t know how.”
(LOCer sullenly retracts from group and proceeds to grab a bottle of wine…)

….So… our point here… is that you don’t have to be a good dancer to go out and have an awesome night at a dance club. And if you suffer from pre-dance floor jitters, follow our common routine: (1) Enter the Goldmine (2) Partake in a round of Flaming Dr. Pepper shots (2.5) Probably partake in a second round Flaming Dr. Pepper shots (3) Dance like no one is watching.

“Laissez les bon temps rouler”
- The Dancing Queens

Insider Tip: Upon Entrance:
Sadness: there is a fluctuating cover charge at the door (we’re guessing the more you’re stumbling, the more you’ll pay) and the people working the door are rude. Just accept this as one of life’s inevitable evils and move on.
Happiness: your hand will be stamped at the door with a phosphorescent stamp, quickly wipe the stamp under both of your eyes, instantly transforming yourself into a glowing, superhuman, dance god. If that doesn’t impress the guy/gal you’re trying to impress then they are simply unimpressible.