Address: 306 Stuart Street (between Arlington and Berkeley Streets)
Website: http://www.riseclub.us/
Best Nights: Friday and Saturday
Who Goes There: Young people. Rumored to be mostly homosexual men. Not necessarily true. Decent amount of women go there. Ages 22-30.
Cost: $ (only pay cover, no alcohol served after 2AM)
Listen, we’ve all been there. You’re having a great time at a bar or club. Plenty of drinks and girls later, you decide that the party cannot be over. It’s 2 am (this is Boston). And that’s when it hits you. Boston doesn’t have an after hours spot. Whatever you think of, you’re going to end up home. For years, I have complained – until this past weekend.
Since I’ve been able to go out (I won’t disclose how long it’s been), I have always tried to find a nice after hours spot. It would just be good to know that there is a place to go and dance your pants off, or maybe even have a drink or two (not in Boston though, as there is NO alcohol served past 2am, but you can drink if it is a BYOB). Well, I think I found a place. It’s called Rise. And it is pretty crazy.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into the place was that there are barely any lights. I mean, you don’t know where you’re going, you could get lost, it’s that dark. When we arrived, we were greeted by a very attractive girl, who doesn’t have much other purpose but to collect $20 from you. No, that’s not a typo. It costs $20 to get in. I was a little taken aback considering the fact that there is NO alcohol. Maybe you can find a Red Bull somewhere but I didn’t try to look.
I wish I could post pictures there isn’t enough lighting (even for flash) to be able to take anything. But the place in terms of looks is pretty nice, which doesn’t say much since you can barely see anything. Rise is divided into two floors. The bottom floor is a lounge for hanging out, taking a break from all the dancing and getting away from the loud music. The real show is on the second floor.
Upstairs, there are no lights. The only lighting that’s used is from a strobe system they have set up. I’m also pretty sure they have a fog machine. Either way, it looks good. And the music – all I can say is, “Wow.” It seems like they have some pretty world-class DJs that come in and make guest appearances. This guy was on his game. Some of the best mixes of house music can be heard here. I am not a big fan of just jumping up and dancing to this kind of music (although, I do enjoy the music) but there was something about this DJ’s selection that made actually dance. Music is top notch.
Other amenities include a clean bathroom (trust me, it is) and a coat check. Pretty crazy that Rise is open from 1:30 – 6 or 7 in the morning. I was there for about a couple of hours and I was dancing the whole time.
Can’t really talk about much else, like the girls and such because…I couldn’t see them. But I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking to dance the night away with friends or you want to give an experience to a lady friend you met that night. I went out on Friday and talked to a few friends about it. What they mentioned to me was that it is mainly a place for homosexual people to go on the weekends.
Looking online, that seems to be the case. So, my experience happened on an “off” night. But I am hearing and seeing reviews saying that the weekend nights are even crazier. If someone has been there and want to post a comment about it, be my guest.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the nights:
Friday – Orbit
Saturday – Storm
Sunday – Earth
My overall rating for this place would be an A- (90). This score is based on the fact that it’s the only after hours spot I know of right now, and that gets bonus points. The only downside is that there isn’t any alcohol. But this place is great for groups.
If you go to their website, you can see that you can be a club member of Rise, which gives you access to cheaper covers, front of the line treatment, guest privileges and some other cool things, sponsored by Rise. For a yearly charge, if you like this place, it may be worth the investment.
Check this place out. It may not be for everyone, but at least this is a great start towards keeping Boston awake just a little while longer.
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