Not being into the local bar scene, a nice glass of wine at home seems to do
it for me these days, we have actually found ourselves heading out twice into town
to a club for a drink - but mostly for the music!
Remember those days back when night clubs were awesome.
Cocktails, velvet curtains, sofas to lounge on, comfy ladies rooms, no TV
screens blaring out sports. . . . and often live music such as jazz or blues groups
with a songstress singing oldies with lyrics you could understand,
and melodies that brought back memories of the great stage shows and
classic movie musicals.
I guess the majority of today's younger 'clubbers' don't always go for this type of
entertainment, but there are so many of us out there who can still enjoy an evening
on the town at a place such as C.Grace in downtown Raleigh.
It's underground and has the feeling of Prohibition-era. Entering through the
door you are faced with a dark space which, as your eyes become accustomed,
show velvet hangings and art deco statues anchoring the corner stage. Comfortable
seating at small tables and areas with sofas, and three sparkling bars where it's touted
the best bartenders in town shake and pour.
The crowd was interesting, all age groups, couples, singles, casual or dressed
to the nines. . . . . . . . .
A peek inside the ladies room at C.Grace . . . . . .
. . . . . and three ladies who enjoyed a couple of special hours together,
Cindi singing with her excellent musicians, and us enjoying every
moment at the club on a chilly evening - Bob was with us also.
The back story here: Cindi was Jasmin's Kindergarten teacher many years
ago - we knew back then she had amazing musical talents, voice
and piano, as well as being a great teacher.
Jasmin is musical and sang in and directed her HS chorus.
She's a first soprano, loves jazz - you may recall she asked us to
take her to New Orleans for her 21st birthday gift in 2017. Front row
seats at Preservation Hall were part of the trip and we had a ball there,
also listening to street jazz and visiting other jazz venues.
As for me - I got to know Cindi well during those Kindergarten days when
I read to her class on Wednesdays, and was always addressed as 'Jasmin's
Grandma.' Cindi is retired from teaching now - back in
November, we bumped into her at the grocery store and she told us she was
singing with a jazz group at this club on certain nights. We immediately made
a date to go and had such a fun time. Last week we went a second time and
Jasmin tagged along. . . . .needless to say it was so much fun to get together.
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