January = Foundation Lounge

Saturday January 30th, 2010

The first stop in this new challenge was Foundation Lounge, a swanky little bar in the bottom of the Hotel Commonwealth in Kendall Square. The absolute best part of this location is that it is literally right outside the Kendall T station which is a major plus when you are wearing a short skirt and tights on one of the coldest days of the winter. We arrived at about 9:40pm and the place was not crowded yet. There is a coat-check that is free but tips are highly encouraged as evidenced by the five and ten dollar bills left encouragingly in the tip jar. We ordered a drink and quickly found the perch we would use for the rest of the night. We stood by the corner of the island bar which you can see on the right side of the picture. This turned out to be a great spot to people-watch for the whole night and it left us in an approachable position.

On a slight digression, Foundation Lounge has a good rum selection and the prices aren't too bad. It was $8 for a Sailor Jerry's and coke. Anyways, drinks in hand the beginning of the night was a bit disappointing. Most of the people were couples exhibiting lots of PDA or big groups of friends who also seemed to be paired off. Not a very friendly crowd for two single girls. The first interaction of the night came from "Faneuil Hall Boy". He had been talking to two girls for the first hour we were there but kept inching closer to our end of the island. Finally when the two girls left to go to the bathroom he made his big move! He came over and asked if I had any suggestions for where in Faneuil Hall to take his two guests who were visiting from out of town. Just in case anyone reading this doesn't know, Faneuil Hall is a strip of clubs and restaurants in a historic part of Boston where younger people go and pay high covers to pay for expensive drinks. I told him I did not go there very often, the most recent place I had been was the Hong Kong but it burnt down. So he responded, "Oh so do you go out in the Allston or Brighton area?" I think I laughed out loud, said neither. He proceeded to respond, "Oh well you are useless then." It was said in a joking manner but the point was made. Faneuil Hall Boy departed with his female companions.

By this time it was getting close to 11pm, the DJ had just started to play some good music and more people were arriving, including groups of what appeared to be single men! There were two different groups who huddled close by to our location for a while, two men who appeared to be a bit on the older side and another duo who was obviously trying to make some sort of contact. This may sound promising however the main problem with the Foundation Lounge is that everyone was short! I mean I am a tall person, plus I have started to try to wear heels and most of the men were not even average size and I am not exaggerating! Another problem is that a lot of the bouncer staff is way more attractive than the patrons.

At this point Rachel and I began to talking to a gentleman (I will call him Mister P) who was standing next to us and was by himself. We commented on these fancy drink contraptions that people at "reserved" tables got. It was a pyramid of glasses around a big mountain of ice and there was also containers of mixers. A waitress came by with a bottle of vodka and would fill glasses, I am assuming so that people did not have to actually walk to the bar. Mister P was enjoyable to talk to while people-watching. He was waiting for a friend to get in who was now waiting outside in a line that had formed after 11:00! Mister P unfortunately, was also very short. He tried to offer to buy us a drink but I felt like a bitch because he was drinking a bud light which was probably $4 and our drinks combined would be $16 so we dodged the question.

The music really began to pick up with a version of "Lick it Good" and so we did some dancing mostly just booty-bumping. Then came Shakira's "She-Wolf" which I LOVE and have a really strange fascination for the cage-dancing combination. I turned to get Rachel's expression and inadvertently made eye-contact with one of the men of the hovering duo. He and his friend immediately swooped in and started dancing/grinding behind Rachel and I as the Shakira medley continued. After Shakira was over it was about 12 and we needed to catch the T. So Rachel went back up to the bar to get her card. I was trying to talk to one of the hovering duo (Mister S) but we seemed to be having a language barrier. At one point he said, "I can see you dance". I was unsure if this was a question, statement, or demand but Mr. S was very insistent. At this point I was feeling a little in-over my head, so I turned back to Mister P who was still on the other side and asked for his assistance. I continued to talk with him until Rachel returned from the bar with her card. It was unfortunate that we had to leave to catch the train home just as the night seemed to be heating up.

However, as we were leaving we walked straight into a fight. Well I was stopped by a bro who was acting as a bouncer and trying to "protect" me. Rachel was trying to walk right through it. I have had some bad experiences with bar fights turning into shoot-outs so I tried to grab Rachel's arm to pull her back. The fight was kind of big and seemed to be multi-racial. However, when the bouncers final broke it up they carried out two Asian girls, literally by grabbing them by the waists and carrying them like a tantruming child out. Another highlight was a waitress who in five-inch stiletto heels put an Asian man into a head-lock. So this evidence may suggest that the fight was among Asians. So after a bit of ruckus we were able to leave safely. So all-in-all it was a good night, lots of good people watching, and overall a nice atmosphere.

Lessons of the Night: As most people probably already know the night does not really start until after 11pm. Yet I am not about to wait in a line in the dead of winter to get into a lounge. So we may need to nap so we can stay later and save up for next month so we can take a cab home. Any suggestions for a good place to go in February? Where are the tall men?