IntoSalsa Road Trip to Bloomington
by Erin Lamb
posted April 5, 2006

Last Saturday, April 1st, a group of salseras and salseros made a trip out to Bloomington for the weekend. The plan was to first stop at Oliver Winery, then hit La Charreada Restaurant, and finally dance the night away at Second Story nightclub. This is a run down of the events as they happened and the interesting things that we saw along the way:

Oliver Winery was great. The tasting room is full on Saturday afternoons, and everyone has glazed eyes and a smile on their face from tasting the many selections of wine. The grounds around the main building are beautiful and there are many benches and tables you can sit at around the property to enjoy a bottle of wine. We certainly took advantage of the last call bottle opening. By 7:00 they had to run us out of the place because the doors had closed at 6:00. The party had already begun.

Bloomington as a town is very enchanting in a small town Indiana sort of way. When you drive through the streets you start to hear John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses" song run through your mind. There are plenty of boutiques to shop at and our friend Martin treated himself to a box of fine cigars from a cigar shop. It was his birthday and he decided not to share with the rest of us!

At La Charreada Restaurant we met up with some of our Bloomington friends. We had a table of about 15 and we ate like kings. The dishes are huge and we all were happy that we were going to dance it off later that evening. I had to wonder if my butt was going to fit in my skirt later that night. Thank God for elastic!

Second Story nightclub reminds me a little of the Jazz Kitchen before its makeover. It is dark, and the dance floor is crowded. The bar is even smaller than the dance floor but the bartenders keep the traffic moving. If you should ever decide to visit Second Story on their Latin night, don't make the mistake I did. They do not accept credit cards - cash only. I now owe a few of my friends some drinks at the Vault this Saturday because they kept my glass full at Second Story. Can't let a Saturday night go by without a few good drinks!

I must say that I do not believe Second Story compares to our Saturday's in Indianapolis, but I might be biased. I like our music selection better, and I believe the bartenders at the Vault are so much friendlier. However I was happy to see how many Indy salseros showed up to party with the IntoSalsa gang. It was nice having everyone there together. I hope that even more people will come next time we have another road trip. The more the merrier I always say!