The Madison

no, no, and no. line out the ass which on a scale of one to makes sense was definitely a negative fifteen because once i got THROUGH that line i entered the club…
never in my life have i felt more enraged and perplexed at once. enraged: every single bouncer i meet except one was rude. i get through the door and they try to charge my guy friends 30 dollars when we are on a guestlist… apparently that guest list ended at 11:30 even though my friends had been on line since 11:15. I meet 2 girl friends of mine that had gotten through 15 mins earlier… they’ve been to the bar and said the bartender gave them a $ 15 LIT that was the size of half of a normal LIT glass and hardly strong. They decided not to take it… which caused the bartender to morph into a beast of monumental proportions. When I saw them they were running away for their lives.
perplexed because: I could not and still cannot figure out why so many bougie yet hood people were willing to wait 30 minutes and pay 30 dollars to stand in an overdressed community center rec room playing Hot 97. I also did not understand why me and my girls were the only two women NOT running the risk of showing ass cheek upon sneezing. All in all, we stayed inside for literally 5 minutes before heading to the LES for what would end up being a GREAT night (see my review on Libation) in which we met Mos Def outside after we danced for 2 hours.
So yeah… I read the previous reviews. Somehow I tried to rationalize it all. DON’T DO THAT. We wouldn’t lie to you. Go somewhere else before you waste a good hour of your life in line/​inside/​and in transit.

Yup this place is a hit or miss. More misses though…
I went once and it was an Asian Invasion. Nothing against Asians but the whole club was just standing around talking. I am the type that likes to dance and have fun. I dont mind meeting new people and talking but thats not exactly the only thing I want to do on a Saturday night.
Not much room to dance too. Might be worth checking out one night if your stuck deciding whether to stay home and watch a movie or going out to a night club.

Terrible venue management. A bunch of friends had a big party here and everyone was still standing in line at 11pm. Apparently they hadn’t emptied out the place from a previous engagement. I don’t like venues that purposefully have people waiting outside to make their place look popular.

The Madison is the worst club ever. Spend your hard earned money some where more decent. They rob you at the door. Charge you $ 20.00 when they suppose to charge $ 15.00 (when your on the list). They rob you at the coat check. Charge you $ 8.00 when it says $ 4.00 on the wall. The bartenders are a bunch of rude retards. They take 30 minutes or longer to make your drink. This place is just horrible. Go at your own risk!!!

One of my very first clubbing experiences in NYC, when this place was «Eugene’s.»
I liked the set up. They had couches in the center of the club, with a full-​service bar to one side and the dance floor on the other.
The crowd was diverse, which is always cool. I liked the music; it was mainly hip hop. Good memories!

There’s another listing for this club and that’s where I posted my real review but let me just say this is a dreadful club that treats its regular patrons like dangerous criminals.

Came here twice. First time the music was better. It really depends on who’s DJing. I thought the crowd was good though. Not old like The Grand and Marquee yet not too young like Stereo. Just in the middle and diversity-​wise, it was a really mixed crowd. Would could back if i knew there was a good DJ. Like other clubs, they all have their mix of hip hop, classics, pop, a little rock, and maybe some reggaeton. If you get a table, try to reserve the one next to the DJ. It’s on an elevated stage in the middle of the club. Best table in the whole place!
Music: 4 Crowd: 4.5 Atmosphere: 4
loses a star bc of that stupid hoe at the door who made me pay when i came for a friend’s party. and no one else (both guys and girls) and i mean NO ONE else had to pay. when i confronted her, she wouldn’t even look at me. haterrrrr.

4 stars because we always drink on the house! Also because the company is always awesome.
Now, I have something I need to get off my chest (and no, we’re not talking about my bra!). To all you little wannabe glamorous girls that push and shove others like you’re trying to start a cat fight — leave your ass at home.
I find Madison is a hit or miss place — one night it’s crazy good and the next has you wondering WTF is going on here? Yes, I have experienced both nights and I prefer the former.
Having friends in the promo business is essential mainly because they hook you up and are awesome people. Oh and also because you’re not standing in any stupid line or trying to look extra sexy (even though you already look pretty damn «yummy») to get in. Once inside, slip off that winter coat and try to enjoy your time!!!
Last time I was there the dj was spinning a tasteful mix of: hiphop, house and reggaeton, all of which I favor. Aside from the bottle service that keeps us pumped up all night long is the crowd. The guys in there are hilarious and cannot be taken too seriously. One guy kept circling around us saying «You are soooo yummmy!!! You are just soooo yummmyyy!!!» Now, I did say guys «cannot be taken too seriously» but I didn’t say guys can be annoying. Guys «can be annoying.» There, I said it.
All in all this place is pretty good as I have yet to have any major complaints. The people (yes including the ladies) can get pretty ridiculous although I’ve never before had a girl try to stir up a scene with me for no reason. DRAMA need not apply to this place. The fellas can become overly touching and that’s when you have to walk or dance your butt away. Or, if you’re digging him just call him yummy.
As for drinks, since we always do bottle service compliments of our friends, our mixes are probably stronger then what’s served at the bar. AMAZING.
Enjoy. Don’t fight. And make sure to call someone «yummy».

Thursdays are back! Rejoice! Distortion Disko at Duvet was one of my weekly rituals during my first year in New York (until of course it got too tragic for its own good — don’t you love New York nightlife?), so I was psyched to hear that Kenny Kenny and the boys were back in action with a new Thursday night party at The Madison enticingly called Sebastian
After giving them a few weeks to get their act together, I rolled up with some of the boys last night. I was nervous considering Scott’s review (and this one of my favorites of his). And while he makes some excellent (and hysterical) points — it’s not all that bad. First off, the space is beautiful, soft and glowing with some nice touches (particularly in the lighting fixture department). The crowd is what it is, but I thought everyone there was having a pretty good time. The music started off fairly undanceable, but morphed into some hot remixes of 90’s black-​diva classics (Show Me Love anyone? — I was waiting for some La Bouche, but it never happened).
Minus one BIG star (i debated on taking two off) for the drink situation, about which Scott is right on. It’s really unacceptable. Not only was my drink tiny (like shot-​glass tiny) and disgustingly weak, but it was $ 9. I realize this is a New York club — and I’ve definitely paid more for liquor, but for $ 9 give me an actual drink! Not tonic with a spash of vodka. And you have a $ 50 credit card limit?! Give me a break.
But, all in all, a good time. I’ll definitely be back. Viva la Thursdays!

This club was formerly Eugene. Not sure when it switched over. For the most part, the inside looks pretty much the same when it was Eugene. Very crowded on a Saturday night. Mixed crowd. I would say age range is early 30s to mid 40s. Cover is generally $ 25 — $ 30 I think. Drinks are on the more expensive side, but average for NYC clubs. Music is good — hip hop.
I give this place three stars, b/​c it wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad. Just average.

We are Unilocalers. We are critics, we are writers. We analyze and evaluate and experience New York with keen eyes and striking wit. We separate the swankiest from the skankiest with a sprinkling of stars. We are veritable walking encyclopedias of the best and the worst that the City has to offer.
Yet of all of the brilliant and talented Unilocalers across the globe, only I – the illustious Me – truly knows the definition of ‘suck’… for I have suffered it and lived to tell.
This is my story.
«[Some party promoter] invites you to the Grand Opening of SEBASTIAN (new party) at THE MADISON (new venue) from the people who brought you Ono, Happy Valley, Bank, Distortion Disko and Kino 41.»
This sounded promising, not that that listing of parties meant anything to me. I’m not sure what I expected, but it really doesn’t matter. This review is about what I got.
Let’s take a journey in our imaginations to a charming lounge bar with low ceilings but an open space, large bar area, impressive dance floor, ample seating, and neat light fixtures.
Are you there? Now breathe in deep… ahhhhh, smell that? That’s the smell of potential. Don’t get used to it. Look around.
One of my friends tonight was impressed with the diversity of the crowd. Yes, diversity. Let’s break it down. 60% Attack of the Clones, 30% wannabe hipsters with bad hair, 9% «edgy» disaster victims, and 1% me.
And by «edgy disaster victims», I mean people in striped gloves, no shirt, clown shoes and eyeliner. They looked like they farted in a Hot Topic dressing room and the attendants threw them out in whatever they were left wearing. This was the crowd that was smoking on the dance floor with no admonishment from the staff. It was sickening.
You’d think with such a «varied» crowd, at least someone would look like they were having fun, but it was basically a bunch of guys standing around trying to look pretty. Barely anyone was dancing – maybe because the DJ couldn’t play anything useful – and there was absolutely no energy in the room at all.
I ordered a drink here to try to make the best of things: vodka/​ginger ale at the recommendation of a friend of a friend. I watched the bartender pour about half a shot of well vodka in there, and then he had the cojones mas grandes to charge me $ 10 for this anemic cocktail. I actually took it back to him and complained, which is something I NEVER do at bars.
There was nothing redeeming about this place. By midnight, even the bathroom reeked. I’ve been to bars I don’t like before. Mr. Black, for instance, is somewhere I never ever have fun, but I have no ill feelings towards the place because there is definite appeal. People have a good time there; the place and the crowd just aren’t for me.
The Madison, on the other hand? Let’s not even talk about it anymore. We can do much much better.