[試譯] 旅遊文學_Behind the Velvet Ropes

Behind the Velvet Ropes / 夜店攻略

Nightclubbin’ is one of the hottest activities among the city’s young and hip. Fueled by pounding beats and stiff drinks, New York club culture is alive and well. New clubs open all the time and the buzz moves on faster than the average person can keep up. Even clubs that are somewhat past their prime still like to create the illusion of high demand by forcing patrons to wait in long lines out front before allowing them to enter. Many visitors to New York want to experience the nightclub scene for themselves, but navigating the door can be tricky. You may head out in hopes of partying with a crop of supermodels, only to be turned away at the dreaded velvet ropes with little or no explanation from a surly bouncer.

夜店生活是最受紐約年輕男女喜愛的文化。紐約夜店豐富多姿，無論是烈酒，還是音樂節奏，勢必震撼你的感官。這裡天天都有新夜店開張，就看你有沒有過人毅力持續關注。一些老店，即使已過了全盛時期，為了製造受歡迎的景象，還是故意讓客人在門外多等一會，好讓店面看起來很熱鬧。來紐約玩的遊客，當然很想泡一下這裡的夜店，但要找對門路，可是需要一點技巧。興致勃勃出發，期待與明星名模「偶遇」，但還沒搞清狀況，就在門口被保鏢攔下，一定很掃興。

Here are some tips to improve your chances of success. So go out and test your cool quotient using this as your guide:

以下是一些貼心提示，幫助大家玩得更盡興。現在就出發，測試一下你的魅力指數。

Educate Yourself / 事前準備 

Many clubs use the classic ‘closed for a private party’ excuse to turn your away. This is seldom true. Know what clubs you want to visit and check their website in advance to see if you can get on a guest list. Come up with a couple of alternatives in case Plan A doesn’t pan out.

許多夜店會用「今天被包場」作為理由，拒絕你入場，這通常是藉口。先想好你今天要去哪家夜店，並上網做功課。多準備一些替代方案，萬一被擋在門外，還有其他選擇。

Dress The Part / 穿著得體

大部分夜店不歡迎穿牛仔褲和運動鞋的客人。對女性而言，衣著規定較不受限制，盡可能穿上妳的戰袍吧。建議男性穿著可走時尚簡約路線，至少看起來荷包要夠深，能請女生喝幾杯酒。

Don’t Mouth Off / 保持優雅

夜店保鏢根本不在乎你是誰，如果你強調自己人面很廣，只會令保鏢更加確信你是小咖。儘管你需要跟一堆瞎咖一起排隊等候，但你的耐性和禮貌通常能幫助你獲得保鏢青睞，提早入場。

Create Gender Balance / 男女同行

Many clubs turn away all-male groups, to maintain the right mix inside. If you’re going out with the guys, find some cute girls you can bring along to help you through the door.

為了控制場內男女比例，許多夜店會拒絕一群男生進場。如果你跟一票男生跑趴，記得帶上幾個秀色可餐的女生一起入場。

Go Early / 早點入場

When all else fails, just start your evening a little early. The real rush doesn’t happen til 11 or later. If you’re willing to camp out for a couple of hours, you can wait for the scene to come to you. Bouncers are usually lax on dress codes and rules before prime time. As long as you’re ordering drinks no one will toss you out.

若以上方法都行不通，那就早點開始你的夜生活吧。反正人潮都是從晚上 11 點之後才開始暴增。只要你願意早點到紅龍外排隊，就能早點入場卡位。在尖峰時間之前，保鏢入場管制通常較寬鬆。入場後點幾杯酒，誰也無法趕你出去。

老師評語：似乎很適合譯此類主題，效果頂不錯。（...笑翻）