Philadelphia

Webster Hall - The oldest club in town was revamped. It all starts as soon as one treks down 11th Street, heading toward the main doors, where you'll see the deep stairwell-to-nowhere is now an entry point, dressed with a nifty neon sign directing you to "The Studio”-- an intimate area designed to hold about 300 while bands and DJs play a buffer of alt rock/ electronic that does justice to the modern sound of New York rock. The Marlin Room is still only a few steps away, and here you find even more updated fun–like new furniture and a new bar that has shifted toward the rear. Where once turntablists were forced to spin from that tiny raised space in the wall, now those who man the Mac are set up near the doorway that accesses the main entrance. Head up the stairs (with the stairwell now encompassed by plasma screens featuring cool deco-visions) and pass through the still-undefined lounge/ bar area to the Grand Ballroom that still looks...familiar. However, the backwall DJ booth has also been ripped out as the selector now permanently holds fort on the large stage, with that gigantic movie/TV screen still in place. Finally, the upstairs balcony still offers all the trappings of a VIP area–sweeping view, a separate room–but the story will remain the same, as this upper deck will remain mostly open to all, with little velvet-rope pretention.