Austin R.
Yelp
The 3-star rating is a blend of my experiences with Uptown in the past (5 star) and now (1 star.) From what I understand they changed owners in the last year, and everything has changed and not for the better.
The way it used to be was that every night had a theme, and Uptown was basically a different place every day of the week, which made it really interesting and cool. Goth Night used to be here, but now it has moved down the street to another venue. I think Thursdays and Fridays were hip-hop nights and that also brought a totally different crowd.
Tuesday nights used to be GLBT night. It was super fun and I went almost every week for the three years I lived in BG. What totally surprised me about it was that people would come loyally every week to see friends, dance, and relax.. it was more like a community, not just a bar. It was a very safe and comfortable space. All the Tuesday nights I went, I never saw any discrimination or anything that would make anyone feel unsafe. Another amazing thing about the Tuesday nights: People from the whole region - all the rural areas around BG and Toledo, and southeastern Michigan, would come. I met friends from BGSU, UT, downriver Detroit, Fort Wayne, Defiance, and Findlay. Although the majority of people were from the university, the dance floor was pretty full even during summer and winter break, because they had loyalty from people from all over the region. What I liked about the atmosphere is that it was really possible to make friends and feel a sense of belonging. In the gay world it is hard to find that, so Uptown on Tuesdays was great.
The Uptown dance floor is in a different "room" than the bar area. Half of the dance floor is upraised like a stage which makes it really cool, if you go up to the top you have a view of everyone in the club, and it makes you feel important.
The building itself is very cool, as it is over 100 years old and on two floors. To get to Uptown you pay a cover charge at a window, and then go up a steep flight of stairs. Getting down the stairs after the night is over was always harder than getting up the stairs at the beginning of the night.
I can't speak for all the theme nights, but on Tuesdays the DJ was always pretty good. In recent years the sound system got worse (louder but not better... I preferred the old sound system which was better and not as loud.) And the music quality slipped a little.
Anyway, I recommend that you check out Uptown/Downtown and see what the new owners are doing, it is (I think) a unique old building with a lot of tradition, and worth checking out. But I am not happy about their decision to change up the nightly themes and events. Those nightly events are what made me loyal to Uptown, and with them now gone (Tuesday and Wednesday nights), its not real likely I'll be a customer.
