One crazy night in Gotham

by Gloria Diaz
Arts & Entertainment Editor

I celebrated my 19th birthday a few weeks ago never having been to a club.

All that changed as I walked through the doors of Gotham in San Bernardino last week. I was no longer a club virgin.

I usually do not go out on a Wednesday night, but I could not pass up the opportunity to have fun. After I had been slaving away writing my Core 300 paper all day, a couple of my Campus Times buddies thought they should pat me on the back for a job well done by taking me out.

Before departing from campus, we made a pact to protect each other from the strange guys we would encounter. I ensured my friends that "I would not be approached not even at least once." But they confidently exclaimed "Yeah right!" for they knew the club scene better than I did.

A half-hour car ride was cut in half by our speeding down the 10 freeway. We failed to notice that the car was going 90 mph mainly because we had some pre-party tunes playing to pump us up for the club.

In the middle of all the excitement, we got lost in San Bernardino when we took the wrong exit. There we were, three girls in a car lost in the middle of the night. Isn't this how horror movies start?

We spent the next 20 minutes trying to find the right exit.

When we finally got there, I paid $10 to get into this college hot spot, which burned a serious hole in my wallet, but for the sake of fun, money is no object.

Upon my entrance, the sounds of Dr. Dre's "Tha Next Episode" filled the hall. Everyone was dancing around like this was the place to be. The high energy level made me forget about the high cost. It all seemed so surreal to me.

A year ago, going out on a Wednesday night was a foreign idea. That was something my roommate did, not me.

The dance floor stood above the tables, making me feel like I was on top of the world. People crowded my dance space; at times I was forced to move over because the couple to my right decided to get frisky.

I was taken away by the music that just made me want to keep dancing even as my knees were getting tired.

As I caught my groove with a really fun song, DJ Quick's "Down, Down, Down," this weird guy came up to my friends and me and asked if he could join us. But my witty self used the common excuse of the night, "I came with them." And thankfully he went on to ask the next girl in his sight.

The temperature in the room started to rise, and to go perfectly with the mood, the DJ started to play this summer's anthem, Nelly's "Hot In Herre." It sent the crowd into a frenzy as guys with really bad body odor started to take off their shirts. I could not help myself saying, "Put your shirt back on, homie."

I was high on life that night, which usually makes for some of the best nights. The lights and the beat of the music pumping out of the speakers above the dance floor eventually made me forget that I had class the next day.

As Missy Elliot's "Work It" sounded through the hall, a guy came in between my friends and me and began spinning around with his hands up. I could not help but laugh and wonder what this guy was doing. Good thing he left, because he was starting to mess up my groove.

It was the perfect night. The best part about it was that there was no alcohol involved - we were just high on life. In high school I knew that I could have this much fun sober, but once I got to college, that idea just went out the window.

Although I got to the club a little late - midnight - it was enough to enjoy myself and have the best night I have had so far this year. I know that we are all at ULV for an education, but it does not hurt to have some fun once in a while. Having a good college experience will lead to a happier you.

Oh, and one more thing: the first exit we took was actually the right one.

Gloria Diaz, a sophomore journalism major, is arts and entertainment editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at btls60s@att.net.