The previous creation of Caesar's Palace's Swedish owners is among Moscow's most notorious nightclubs. In fact, in the early 1990s, that club, Night Flight, was just about the only club in town. And in the first years of its so-far decade-long life, it became a top tourist destination, especially among businessmen looking to live it up in the city that was then being touted as the Wild, Wild East.
I was living in New York back then, but I met countless middle-management types who fit the above bill. All of them were itching to see two things on their Moscow trips: The Bolshoi Theater and Night Flight. In fact, the club's notoriety easily rivaled that of Liverpool's Cream or Amsterdam's Roxi, both of which have international reputations for their one-of-a-kind parties featuring the world's best-known DJs and music to match.
But Night Flight's claim to fame was of a slightly different nature: Night Flight was famous, for the most part, for its women, a good percentage of whom could be expected to present their companions with a bill for services rendered at the end of the evening. Despite the seedier side of Night Flight's reputation, however, the club has been packed every night of the week for the better part of 10 years, its parking spots home to cars pricier than those at the city's most exclusive nightclubs. It's occurred to me in the past that the scene outside Night Flight on certain nights would better suit a Monte Carlo casino.
Night Flight has enjoyed such a long, successful life, in fact, that its owners probably deserve some sort of clubbing award for professional savvy. Nowhere else in town is managed as professionally as the immortal Night Flight, with its ideal location on the city's main thoroughfare, Tverskaya Ulitsa; well-paid management imported straight from Stockholm; international (albeit within a select population) celebrity founded almost solely on word of mouth; and some of the strictest face control this side of Jet Set. In addition to all of that, the club has a special bonus/debit system to discourage employees -- most of whom are beautiful Muscovite females who also happen to hold degrees from prestigious local institutes -- from stealing from the club. Reluctantly, I take my hat off to Night Flight: It's not easy to keep the city's wealthiest VIPs happy and satisfied for 10 years running.
That said, Night Flight's new sister venue, Caesar's Palace -- which opened last month in a building considerably shabbier than the one that houses Night Flight -- differs considerably from its predecessor. Most noticeably, the new club's interiors mimic the colorful opulence that has become fashionable lately in exclusive spots like Shambala DJ and Jet Set.
It occurred to me that Caesar's Palace might be management's attempt to win back former Night Flight clients it lost when those clients married. Whereas Night Flight offers pick-up and prostitutes -- and makes no bones about it -- Caesar's Palace is more the upscale DJ joint, with a decent menu and comfy furniture. Even the strippers there give off an air of good breeding, and they are well-mannered enough not to embarrass the wives of VIP clients.
The management at Caesar's Palace likes to call the club the city's "only real nightclub." As a frequent clubgoer, I must find fault with this statement. If they're referring to the club's interior -- which relies heavily on gold accessories and mirrors -- I have to say that it is blatantly derivative, a throwback to the early 1990s, when Max Club and Marika were the much-hyped venues in town, and to the other upscale clubs I mentioned above. As for the musical format at Caesar's Palace, it reflects the (middle) age of the club's management: None of Caesar's Palace's recent acts ?€“ neither Army of Lovers nor Doctor Alban -- passes for interesting in Moscow these days.
While Caesar's Palace may not be the city's only real club, however, it certainly has value for its target customers. So, if you find yourself getting misty-eyed at the mention of "17 Tverskaya," check out the latest offering from its architects.
Caesar's Palace. 50 Zemlyanoi Val. Metro Taganskaya. Tel. 916-6781. 9 p.m to 5 a.m.
Night Flight. 17 Tverskaya Ulitsa. Metro Pushkinskaya. Tel. 229-4165.
I was living in New York back then, but I met countless middle-management types who fit the above bill. All of them were itching to see two things on their Moscow trips: The Bolshoi Theater and Night Flight. In fact, the club's notoriety easily rivaled that of Liverpool's Cream or Amsterdam's Roxi, both of which have international reputations for their one-of-a-kind parties featuring the world's best-known DJs and music to match.
But Night Flight's claim to fame was of a slightly different nature: Night Flight was famous, for the most part, for its women, a good percentage of whom could be expected to present their companions with a bill for services rendered at the end of the evening. Despite the seedier side of Night Flight's reputation, however, the club has been packed every night of the week for the better part of 10 years, its parking spots home to cars pricier than those at the city's most exclusive nightclubs. It's occurred to me in the past that the scene outside Night Flight on certain nights would better suit a Monte Carlo casino.
Night Flight has enjoyed such a long, successful life, in fact, that its owners probably deserve some sort of clubbing award for professional savvy. Nowhere else in town is managed as professionally as the immortal Night Flight, with its ideal location on the city's main thoroughfare, Tverskaya Ulitsa; well-paid management imported straight from Stockholm; international (albeit within a select population) celebrity founded almost solely on word of mouth; and some of the strictest face control this side of Jet Set. In addition to all of that, the club has a special bonus/debit system to discourage employees -- most of whom are beautiful Muscovite females who also happen to hold degrees from prestigious local institutes -- from stealing from the club. Reluctantly, I take my hat off to Night Flight: It's not easy to keep the city's wealthiest VIPs happy and satisfied for 10 years running.
That said, Night Flight's new sister venue, Caesar's Palace -- which opened last month in a building considerably shabbier than the one that houses Night Flight -- differs considerably from its predecessor. Most noticeably, the new club's interiors mimic the colorful opulence that has become fashionable lately in exclusive spots like Shambala DJ and Jet Set.
It occurred to me that Caesar's Palace might be management's attempt to win back former Night Flight clients it lost when those clients married. Whereas Night Flight offers pick-up and prostitutes -- and makes no bones about it -- Caesar's Palace is more the upscale DJ joint, with a decent menu and comfy furniture. Even the strippers there give off an air of good breeding, and they are well-mannered enough not to embarrass the wives of VIP clients.
The management at Caesar's Palace likes to call the club the city's "only real nightclub." As a frequent clubgoer, I must find fault with this statement. If they're referring to the club's interior -- which relies heavily on gold accessories and mirrors -- I have to say that it is blatantly derivative, a throwback to the early 1990s, when Max Club and Marika were the much-hyped venues in town, and to the other upscale clubs I mentioned above. As for the musical format at Caesar's Palace, it reflects the (middle) age of the club's management: None of Caesar's Palace's recent acts ?€“ neither Army of Lovers nor Doctor Alban -- passes for interesting in Moscow these days.
While Caesar's Palace may not be the city's only real club, however, it certainly has value for its target customers. So, if you find yourself getting misty-eyed at the mention of "17 Tverskaya," check out the latest offering from its architects.
Caesar's Palace. 50 Zemlyanoi Val. Metro Taganskaya. Tel. 916-6781. 9 p.m to 5 a.m.
Night Flight. 17 Tverskaya Ulitsa. Metro Pushkinskaya. Tel. 229-4165.
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