Contrary to the dumb-asses over at DigitalCity.com, Chemistry is located within the city limits of Philly. (Jeez, where do they find these people??) This dance-club with a deck is at the far end of Main Street in the neighborhood of Manayunk. Over the past ten years, former tenants included The River Deck and The Edge, if you're up on your Philly Bar History.

The first thing that hits you when you roll up to Chemistry is that you're asked for ID. Sure this isn't unusual but the bouncers then proceed to run your ID through a scanner AND make you stand in front of a video camera to take your picture. This is not good.  Even-though Philly's City Council is likely to require bars and six-pack stores to eventually require bars (and six-pack stores) to scan ID's, it ain't a law yet. The new bill isn't requiring a picture to be taken of you before entering a club - that's a Chemistry original. What if the state starts tracking how often you hit a bar or pick-up a 6-pack? This is trouble. Is it too much to ask for an anonymous night out without recording my life's info and my face? It feels like a police line-up. 

Regardless of the Orwellian overtures at the door, the layout remains the same as the previous tenants: dance club on the inside and deck on the outside. The interior of Chemistry contains a small game room (3 billiards tables), three bars, an area filled with about 5 tables/chairs and of course the dance floor. The exterior contains a deck with 2 bars. The deck overlooks the Manayunk canal on one side and a carved out piece of parking lot on the other which is where the live musical acts get their Bob Marley "game on."

For those of you into the dance scene, Friday's at Chemistry are called "Oxygen." When the Oxygen party is going on, Q102 DJ Richie Rich spins the all of the clubs hits you can handle.  Thursday's are "Double Fistin' Thursdays" (2 for 1 drinks). There's an 18 to 21 Party on Tuesday Nights. Saturdays are "Super Size Saturdays" where you can upsize your drink to 20 oz  for a dollar extra. 

The Chemistry crowd is divided between college aged  & mid-20somethings getting their "freak-on" on the dance floor. In the warmer weather they open up the deck and bring in live reggae music. At that point, all bets are off and all ages are likely to be seen. There's just something inherently attractive to all people about the combination of reggae music, a wooden deck, liquor and the Schyukill River. Well, the Schyukill River isn't a deal-breaker, any water mass will do.  

Being a dance club, I was surprised to see a nice selection on the taps: Guinness, Yuengling and Sam Adams stood side-by-side with the standard issue Coors Light and Miller Light. Here's a tip. If you get to Chemistry early, you'll probably get your brewski served up in a glass. Save the glass. As the night goes on, they break out the plastic and the butter gets served in plastic. Yikes! Just pour that plastic brew into the glass and you'll look like a professional. Everyone knows that beer tastes better in glass and who wants to walk around holding a plastic cup filled with alcohol - what is this a frat party??!! 

A minor problem is the bathrooms. I hate to bring up the crapper at this time, but someone had to say something. The Mens and Ladies Rooms are both up on the second floor. While The Dog was up there marking my territory, there were 2 ladies in one of the stalls. The ladies room was crowded and a line was stretching out of the ladies room and down the stairs. Not only did you have to go around the line on the way up to the bathrooms, you had the added congestion of people coming down the steps exiting the bathrooms. I felt like a salmon going upsteam to spawn. This is nuts, they should combine the mens and ladies room into one ladies room and carve out a niche downstairs for a mens room. This bathroom situation has been going on for 10 years already, fix it! 

Being the only real dance club in Manayunk, they could have easily  rested on their laurels, but the dance floor is kickin'. Not only are the tunes keeping everyone moving, there's fog, lasers, disco lights and these very cool columns of water with air bubbling up thru them for a neat effect. Sure it gets crowded on the dance floor, but that just means it's the place to be.