The Ottobar has always had fun (free!) DJ nights upstairs, featuring everything from metal to funk to soul to Britpop. But on Friday one of its most popular dance parties, "Two-For-Tuesday," expanded by moving downstairs. DJs Craig Boarman and Matt Walter spun a mix of indie, 80's, new wave, soul, and more on the main stage of the music club.

Cover was $6 (two-for-one admission if you arrived before 10 p.m.) and, perhaps the best part, the drinks were two-for-one all night. So we're talking two mixed drinks for $4—hard to find a better deal than that on a Friday night. The music included usual dance party selections, like Depeche Mode, Junior Senior, Talking Heads, Michael Jackson, and Le Tigre—so nothing too monumentally unique there. But the crowd, though not as massive as the bar's dance parties used to get, was loving every minute of it.

I also appreciated how The Ottobar showed the Maryland game in the back bar. Truthfully not many people besides me seemed to care about the first round of the NCAA tournament, but I thought it was nice that they showed it anyway.

According to the bar's Facebook page, it'll be hosting this sort of dance party one weekend each month. Next up, The Ottobar is bringing its Moustache Super Fun Dance Party downstairs on April 23, where there will be no cover and $2 drinks until 10 p.m. The more cheap, fun dance parties in this city, the better.

[Image: courtesy of Liz Steinberg via jhunewsletter.com]

Last night I attended my first Ignite Baltimore event at The Walters Art Museum. For those not familiar with Ignite, it's a global event series where speakers give five minute presentations—accompanied by their own PowerPoint slides that automatically change every 15 seconds—on any subject they choose. Ignite originated in Seattle in 2006 and now has 35 chapters around the entire globe. Baltimore's chapter started in October 2008 and last night marked their fifth event.

At their first event, held at The Windup Space, about 180 people attended. Last night, more than 400 people packed themselves into the Walters. Up until last night, Ignite Baltimore was free of charge. However, the organizers began charging attendees $5, which goes to the newly established Ignition Grant (more on that later). The low admission price is great for a whole night's worth of conversation, entertainment, and intellectually stimulating presentations.

For the first hour, guests mingled in the Walters lobby and munched on free food from Puffs & Pastries in Hampden. The food was great—stuff like pulled pork sandwiches, chicken salad on croissants, avocado salad, and vegetable tarts. Drinks weren't free, but were reasonable. Not a bad deal for the minimal admission.

Around 7 p.m., organizers ushered people into the Graham Auditorium where the first wave of speakers gave their presentations. Co-founder Patti Chan introduced the event, giving a little bit of history about Ignite, and announcing the birth of co-founder Mike Subelsky's son that past Saturday. She even took a cell phone video of the entire audience wishing the baby boy a happy birthday. The whole thing was very tech-geared—people were encouraged to tweet during the presentations.

The first wave of presentations was a mixed bag. Topics ranged from the complexities of being biracial to the importance of recess in city schools to hiking to mysterious spots in the Baltimore area. Brian Sacawa—a Peabody alum and current curator of the Contemporary Museum's Mobtown Modern music series—did a presentation that examined why all music coming out of Baltimore is "experimental" and hopes to see other genres get on the map. Another fascinating talk came from James BonTempo, a technology advisor for Jhpiego, a nonprofit health organization. He showed how mobile phones are affecting global healthcare. (For example, text messages can alert health care providers of medicine stock-outs in parts of Africa).

Before intermission, organizers announced the winner of the Ignition Grant, which is a $1,500 grant presented to the person with the most innovative idea to make Baltimore a better place to live and work. Surprisingly, there were two winners. Mark Schumann is a homeless resident who plans to do a photo interview to show how the perception of homelessness is different than the reality. Robert Wray is a technologist and biker who plans to strap a camera to his bike helmet and create detailed video of five bike trails in and around Baltimore. (See more about his project here).

Following intermission, the second wave of speakers was just as fascinating. There were presentations about Wolverine, saving opera, a sculpture project in Baltimore, and creating a federal Department of Peace. One of the more interesting speakers was 15-year-old Hannah Freedman, who was mature beyond her years and encouraged the audience ("adults") to help save the environment. The last presentation was especially moving, as speaker Dr. Tom Ritter had just returned from Haiti. He talked about the devastating hunger he witnessed and how a revolutionary stove could save the country.

Ignite Baltimore proved to be an extremely thought-provoking event that made me realize there is no shortage of great ideas and visionary thinkers in this town. For more on Ignite Baltimore and the Ignition Grant, pick up a copy of our March issue on newsstands now.

[Image: courtesy of Ignite Baltimore]

A few months back, several friends and I booked a five-day trip to New Orleans to celebrate a couple of birthdays. I was excited not only to get away, but to explore a city I'd never been to. Little did we all know, we were about to experience the biggest party the city had ever seen.

Before I even get to the Super Bowl, I have to say the nightlife in New Orleans lived up to every expectation. Live music spews out of every open door in the French Quarter—whether it's a smooth jazz trumpet or a lively zyedeco accordion. Alcohol is ever present. You're pretty much always encouraged to drink, even if you're just spending your afternoon at the zoo. And there didn't seem to be any rules, from what I could observe, about where and when to drink.

With the exception of Bourbon Street spots, everything was very reasonably priced, too. I'm pretty sure we got ripped off when buying jello shots on the side of the street (I know, so gross), but most of the bars we ventured into were charging $3 for beer and $5 for mixed drinks. For a hyped-up city like New Orleans, I was impressed. I tried some beer from local brewing company, Abita. I especially liked the Abita Amber, a smooth, caramel-like brew that was very easy to put back.

Obviously, the French Quarter is the party spot you always hear about. But I was staying near Tulane University and was able to hop around some of the Uptown bars, too, which was a nice change of pace. New Orleans seems to be a lot like Baltimore, in that there are a smattering of trendy spots, but most people in the city flock to dive bars (like Ms. Mae's), beer bars (like The Rendezvous Tavern), and bars where you can dance late into the night (like F&M Patio Bar). It was refreshing to see that a city, which has such a glorified nightlife reputation, was still extremely laid back at its core.

And then came Sunday. A friend (and NOLA local) recommended we watch the game at Lucy's, a bar in the Central Business District, where many Saints players apparently hang out after games. This was definitely the right spot. A huge crowd was hanging outside the bar with a DJ and various food and drink vendors (think Pickles times 20). The game was being projected onto the side of a building and looked pretty crystal clear by the time the sun went down. The atmosphere in the second half was explosive. Every gain felt like a touchdown and every touchdown felt completely insane. Tracy Porter's interception in the fourth quarter ignited the entire crowd into a frenzy: beers were flying, strangers were hugging, and everyone was chanting, "Who Dat?" (At one point, I even talked/screamed to some kid's grandmother on the phone).

When the game ended, everyone headed to Bourbon Street where the real celebrating began. And I use the word celebrating for a reason. When some teams win (ahem, Philly), cars are flipped over, stores are vandalized, and property is set ablaze. That night, I barely saw any destruction (except one guy who was, quite literally, attacking a tree) and all anyone could do was dance and hug. Maybe it's because the city is still rebuilding so the last thing its residents want to do is destroy it. Or maybe it's just because what the people in New Orleans value is simple: having a really good time.

[Image: courtesy of nola.com]

On Wednesday night I attended a cocktail reception at the new Milan restaurant/lounge in Little Italy. As Suzanne Loudermilk wrote on her blog, she and I were able to get a private tour of the space a few weeks back and it's pretty impressive. The plush white leather couches and glittery cherry red bar make patrons feel as if they're in a lounge in Miami or Los Angeles. Plus, there are private rooms off the upstairs dining area and an outdoor patio (with space heaters) that offers year-round al fresco dining.

At the media reception, Milan offered a handful of complimentary drinks, two of which were signature martinis. The Prada martini (Grey Goose vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice) was a bit too sugary for my taste. And the Fendi martini (Stoli vanilla vodka, Frangelico, crème de coco, and cream) would make a good after-dinner drink, but was too heavy to start the night out. But, I loved their version of the Melon Ball cocktail (melon liqueur, vodka, and pineapple juice), which was a frothy, perfectly balanced blend of sweet and sour flavors.

Normally, these cocktails would run about $11 each. Yikes. Good thing Milan offers a decent happy hour Monday through Friday from 5-7 p.m. Specials include $3 domestic bottled beer, $4 select white and red wines, $5 mixed drinks, and a rotating $6 fashion martini (like the two above). It also offers $2.50 off small plates, flatbreads, and bruschettas.

Though Milan hasn't even been open for a month, there's already a lot of talk about whether a space like this can succeed in this city. Certainly there have been a lot of lounge-type places that haven't fared well in low-maintenance Baltimore. But, there have been many (like Red Maple and Pazo) that have thrived. I think Milan's proximity to Harbor East will help its business tremendously—most people that frequent that neighborhood wouldn't mind the steep drink prices and would welcome the beautiful décor.

Still, in order for it to truly succeed, Milan will have to prove it's just as successful beneath the surface—with stellar service, consistently delicious food, and a lively bar scene. But if Wednesday night's wall-to-wall attendance was any indication, it's off to a good start.

[Image: courtesy of bmoremedia.com]