Edmonton Journal
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Page: D4
Section: Ed
Byline: Olivia Cheng
Source: Freelance

Escape Ultra Lounge - WEST EDMONTON MALL

My girlfriend punches my leg and cocks her head toward a group of Eminem wannabes. They've been trying to hit on every female in sight all night. Now they're stepping up the game by breaking out a bag of marijuana and plopping it down at a table of hot girls, who all raise their eyebrows at each other. Unfazed, the guys yell for rolling papers, measure out their green and roll a fat one. Once the dutch is lit, it doesn't even make a full circle before the smell draws security like bloodhounds.

For the next few minutes, I crave popcorn as I watch the comedy of the Bong Boys trying to talk their way out of getting tossed out. They keep talking all the way out the door.

Don't try anything stupid at Escape. Open a can of whoop-ass here and the bouncers will be on you to close it.

But don't get the wrong idea; this isn't a rough place. Far from it.

Walking past the waterfall walls leading to the club's main room, it looks like a place that's more class than crass. Fashion-conscious club-goers kick back in the black armchairs and giant ottomans dotting the lounge area. Others have staked out the spacious booths off to the side. Four separate bars with fast and friendly bartenders serve up rows of shooters and highballs, while beer girls in midriff-baring outfits dance at their drink stations.

It's also a people-watcher's paradise. Girls dressed in head-to-toe black are a given at any party, but a lot of the ladies here flaunt their full dime potential, dolled up in colourful cocktail dresses, stiletto sandals and designer bags. The guys are almost as pretty, in funky dress shirts and fitted jeans. Some up the GQ ante with blazers; others inadvertently kill their cool by accessorizing with sunglasses. Not tinted eyewear -- actual sunglasses.

Maybe their sensitive eyes are blinded by the dance floor's strobe-heavy light show. The exhibitionists dance atop a long, narrow platform as the DJ covers genres ranging from R&B, pop, rock, electronica and old-school funk.

Best part is you can dance without constantly getting bumped. The area is sectioned off by banisters, and flanked on both ends by DJ booths to keep wandering traffic at bay.

Well, almost. Just as I'm getting down to a Lil Jon beat, I get smashed from behind by a bouncer who's forcibly escorting someone out. The bouncer doesn't even look back.

The dance vibe dead, my friends and I rejoin the rest of our group by the back bar. Oh wait! Something's going on over there. We hang back as bouncers throw more guys out and watch as their friends and foes race out after them.

In many ways, Escape is making the effort to cater to a high-end crowd, and raise the bar for Edmonton's club scene.

But all those wannabe thugs risk driving places like this out of business. So relax, check your aggression at the door and have a good time. At Escape, there's one to be had.

Olivia Cheng
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