American Legion Marsh Post #442

So its a Saturday night, and I actually have three days off in a row. So I find out about this obscure techno-​house night by the Charles and it sounds delightful. I have to agree with almost all the reviews above mine. My style of dancing to techno involves skipping, jumping and side steps, which all involve alot of high impact movements. So the surface was rough and sadly most of the crowd could’nt really move to the stuff except maybe this very cool couple named Mischa and Anna, and another couple of people.
The bartender refused to serve me straight vodka, so I demurred anymore alcohol. I did snag a free red bull and drank half of it and started feeling the onset of a heart attack or something. The music was ok, the crowd somewhat diverse, it included a dude doing electric boogaloo moves and moonwalk type stuff which was hilarious to watch.
Next time I might just bring my family here and party outside of the fence and bring my own drinks and save the ten bucks too! Oh yeah word of warning, in the last eight months, I have seen police sobriety check points on the other side of the river Westbound and they seem to be running these regularly, so if you drive, make sure you take small roads to get home and avoid Soldiersfield Road at all costs.

Awesome!
Really a great place and easy to have a ton of fun over there.
While it isn’t the easiest place to get to it’s not that hard as ling as you are willing to walk. I did have a moment of pause before I realized that they have a nice little underpass walkway right before you get there.
The location is little more than a concrete area that is right next to the post. They do have a bit of barking out front but I didn’t get the lowdown on it.
I ended up going for a DotC event and was quite pleased.
The area was nicely gated off and they had some screens set up along with a nice little grill area for some food. They had a mini outdoor bar to provide quick refreshment to the crowd.
Inside they have the regular bar. though some people wouldn’t call it full it was close.
Prices for the drinks are very reasonable with mixed drinks coming in at only about $ 6 a pop.
Good area to dance
nice indoor area to chill at.
Keep in mind that mosquitoes will try to eat you alive and you may need to use a porta potty
Love the classic cig vending machine.

Lauren B. and I got 4 vodka/​cranberry drinks for $ 12. What UP. Double fisting is probably your best bet to avoid lines. Not that I’m advocating binge drinking. errr. yeah. The bartenders inside were okay (I didn’t use the outside bar at all). They didn’t really make eye contact and were probably a little surly for having to deal with the Dancing on the Charles crowd inside of their regular chain-​smoking/​Keno players. As a dive bar, it ranks but the lighting is far too bright and unflattering. Can someone turn it down a notch? Thankyee.
As for DOTC. it was fun. considering the little time I spent outside dancing and getting bitten by mosquitoes. Hey. the drinks were cheap and the place was air conditioned. Whoops. haha. Make sure to pack some toilet paper, antibacterial, bug spray (they had the decent smelling kid but ran out), cash. and you should be all set! Maybe a flashlight if you’re scared of dark port-​o-​potties. The music was FANTASTIC but the area kind of reminded me of what my junior high dance would have been like had it been placed in the wilderness.

Looong trek out here from Harvard Square– a friend and I decided to check out this «Dancing on the Charles» event (7÷12÷08) in order to track down a mutual friend who was there (hadn’t seen her in a while).
So, this was completely not worth it. DO NOT COME HERE! No women’s restroom (just port-​o-​potties), $ 20 cover (reduced to $ 10 since we came at 12:00 AM), bad music, and, most importantly, bad crowd (obviously this doesn’t apply to everyone who attended… just my overall impression). I would describe it as having a pseudo-​Eurotrash feel. Now Eurotrash can be fun, but the people have to be cooler and less sloppy-​drunk than this.
My friend (hometown=Jakarta) said, «This reminds me of the parties in Bali. Well, the really divey, bad parties in Bali.»
Yes, drinks are cheap, but, considering the cover, it’s not really a deal. And, considering the poor location, music, and people, no amount of cheap booze can really improve the situation.

Save for the music and the company, Dancing on the Charles at this venue is similar to what I would expect from a public dance party in Wisconsin.
The location is almost certainly a total bust. The pavement «dance-​floor» is all uneven, and the drink stand was pretty pathetic — they didn’t even have any Red Bull to serve at a Red Bull-​sponsored event! No, you had to make your way inside into a suprisingly «hick-​ish» townie bar and pay for them.
The people working the drink stand/​bar were also pretty unfriendly — like this was all being put on against their will. Lastly, I didn’t feel that the «on the Charles» part of the event was really taken advantage of.

I’m sure if you strolled in thirty-​five years ago it would have the exact same patrons (obviously younger, but with the same outdated hairdos and unflattering patterned sportswear), dirt cheap drinks served in plastic cups, unforgiving lighting, wood paneled décor, Keno, and awkward guys from ages 19 – 102 half-​heartedly trying to pick up women.
The bartender was adept behind the bar. He was at an age where he could easily be retired, passing his time by staring blankly at a television screen in an assisted living facility, but instead he took my drink order.
All four drinks were $ 12.00.
(This was probably my most favorite part).

I’ve only been here once (the Thunderdome event on ⁹⁄₂₁), and admittedly I wasn’t entirely sober upon arrival. However, I was cognizant enough to realize that this is not the best venue for a dance night.
First, the cab driver did not know how to get us there. He dropped us off in front of Mt. Auburn Hospital, leaving us to wander the dark, lonely, desolate streets of Cambridge/​Somerville late at night in search of an address that may as well have been mythical. Eventually we followed the thumping bass and flashing lights to our destination, but getting there was absolutely no fun at all. It’s not at all accessible, unless you (or a buddy) have a car.
Secondly, echoing others’s sentiments, here’s a horrible equation: concrete floor+dancing=PAIN! Not an ideal place for getting down, unless you’re wearing those Dr. Scholl’s gel insert things. And even then I’m sure you wouldn’t be all that comfortable.
Thirdly, the music was turned down around, oh, 12:30 am or so. LAME! Aren’t your eardrums supposed to be blasted beyond all recognition during a dance party? Aren’t you supposed to be unable to hear what people are trying to yell to you? Yeah, not so much at this venue.
I didn’t go to the bar or the vomit-​covered ladies’ room, so I can’t comment on either. However, I’d like to say that I think my bladder has now suffered permanent damage from waiting in line to use the men’s room. The MEN’S ROOM! I overheard quite a few guys saying that they were just going to pee in the bushes somewhere. Luckyyyy.
And when you want to leave? Yeah, better cozy up to someone who has wheels. For about five minutes there I thought I was going to have to hoof it home to Brookline (!) until I managed to flag down one of the scarcely-​seen cabs.
So in short, this is not an ideal location for dance nights. Sure, it’s nice to dance under the stars and down by the river (said in Matt Foley voice), but I think that there are way too many inconveniences that come with it.

Wow, ok, while opening up the back area and letting all us kids dance in their yard sure seemed like a good concept for Thunderdome, what wasn’t cool was the noise restraint that got put on us about 30 mins after I had arrived.
Not to mention that it’s way out there, and practically NO CABS know how to get there, it’s not very T accessible as well. The bathrooms had lines going out to the door as they each only had one stall, and ours got DEMOLISHED when some moron girl was throwing up everywhere. We voted to use the men’s room for the remainder of the night. The bartender was rude, and told us he couldn’t serve us water, and there were waters available in the cooler in the corner. What he must have meant by water, was that there was vitamin water energy drinks left. Two of them, which I eventually grew sick of which may have been account of the numerous energy drink/​vodka combinations I had prepared earlier in accordance with some energy supplements. I’m surprised I didn’t have a heart attack. Altho I do remember shouting that I had Alzheimer’s because I didn’t know where I was or WHAT was going on.
Needless to say, we left early to head to an after party that which we never made it to, and would up at 3:30 Ginza sushifest. Which probably was better than any afterparty.

I always have a good time at Thunderdome, but this definitely wasn’t as good of a venue as Central Square…
Big turn off’s for me:
— Access: like everyone else, there are no cabs here
— Bar: The bar was cramped and away from the dance floor. Much better in Central where it’s part of the dance room
— One DJ: My favorite part of the dome was that you could slide over to the other room if you didn’t like what the dude was spinning. Couldn’t do that here.
Big turn on’s:
-$ 3 heavy-​pour Grey Goose cape codders.
— Hot babes shakin their booty!

No no no. please don’t put anymore dance nights on here please. I appreciate the idea — dancing outdoors by the river, away from the public, somewhere cool and grungy. But let’s say we start with 5 stars for that idea — well, we end up getting down to 1 star because:
: –1 star :
Concrete floor that destroys your ankles after 45 mins of serious dancing. Somebody hyelp, get me an ankle doctor.
: –1 star :
Location that really sucks when you want to move on. To where? How? Taxi! TAXI! Anyone?
: –1 star :
Volume gets turned down to itty bitty level at 12.45 so that if you want to seriously ass shake, you have to occupy a small area within 8ft of one of the two speakers to be able to feel the music
: –1 star :
Bar that although ridiculously cheap, is a huge nightmare — it’s run by grumpy old boston guys who find any excuse not to serve you, revel in stacking up large lines, close early for no reason and just chat with their pervy buddies (one proudly announced to me he was a ‘Tits Man’ as he was staring at the girl beside me’s boobs).
It could be so much better. Maybe if I bring a hipflask, nike air max and my own ipod I’ll have a good time here. I only went for the Thunderdome that sucked so maybe it can better on other nights.

So I rolled over to this place on Saturday Night with Roni E for a Dancing on The Charles Event that was run by this group called Soul Clap.
Honestly it was a great concept and I think the thing that made the night were my girl Roni and the 2 people we met & hung with.
I do think a few things could use some improving:
#1…the line to get a drink. Seriously I’ve seen poop roll up hill faster. No dis to the bar staff either. Hellooooooo, if you are gonna throw a party with 20 – 30 something’s that want to drink, hire more than one bar keep. Puh-​Leeze.
#2 I’m not a huge fan of Techno/​Dance. The music was good, but …
I’d hope when they run more of these parties maybe consider some other genre’s or at least mix it up a bit.
#3 Yeah a little dark. Really could not see my hand in front of my face. Even worse we were trying to find Miss Ligaya and well enough said. Certainly not looking for a stale operating room, but some mood lights/​candles perhaps?
#4 While I’m at it and I swear this is my last bitch. Photog dude: if you are gonna take pictures could you get a better angle of me. Not one where I’m looking like a deer in headlights ’cause your flash is brighter than the flippin sun.
On the bright side, there were these dudes break dancing that were phenom! I can’t remember their name, but they were fantastic to watch — and I plan to have them at my art show in October (insert shamelss advert here).
Overall, not horrible. Just make sure you go with a great group of peeps like me. After all that’s what makes the party, right?

Let it be known that I am writing this based on the Dancing on the Charles event.
Though the facility is small, as most American Legions would be, it is a great place to have a small event. The set up of the bar however, for an event this size was incredibly horrible.
For an outdoor event, they could have had a table set up with ice buckets behind them for the beer. Those who want mixed drinks can get it at the actual bar. But no… the only place you can get drinks was at the bar and let me just tell you waiting in this line was like waiting for a tumor to grow.
Other than that, the drinks were avg. price; the music was eh — as Ligaya mentioned it was mostly techy house/​electronica music; I’m not a raver — I’m a rocker. But… it was still a good time to be had by all.
On the bright side, we met some fine, charming gents from Germany.

While this place on its own is rather nondescript, they host a banging party on the waterfront. I highly recommend a «Dancing on the Charles» event during the summertime. My gripes are that they tend to play more techy house music, and I like the deep stuff, and that the concrete patio isn’t good on the ankles.
Though the worst thing was the lack of bartenders. Like um, one. The queue was out the door. People were buying six packs so they wouldn’t have to keep waiting in line for half an hour. BETTER SYSTEM! Also, they really need to get rid of the horrible orange plastic fence that obstructs the view of the gorgeous, moonlit river. I understand they don’t want people to sneak in, but then just extend the fence to the water on either side. I doubt you’ll have anyone swimming to enter, eh?
But how can you beat grooving under the moon and stars alongside running water? Exactly. You can’t.

Don’t really know what category to put the Marsh Post in, because it’s both a great place to rent for a private event and a great place to party during a public event. It’s hard to find, but once you get there you’ve stumbled on the perfect summer spot. There’s a patio right on the river plus cheap drinks. Look out for the Dancing On The Charles parties going on throughout the summer.