The evolution of BED (part 2)

I’ve been to the new BED a few times already and it now feels a little less alien than before. The familiar feelings are starting to come back and I’ve even seen some old friends—people that I haven’t seen for quite some time now.

This latest king-sized BED made me reminisce about the original BED: that old hole-in-the-wall clubbing hideout where boys were packed liked sardines. I still miss that place but there’s no stopping progress.

That BED of 2003 to 2005 holds many fond memories for me. That was where I met this guy who happened to be my neighbor. (It turned out that we lived in the same subdivision.) We spent a few times going home together and I fell for him. I once confessed my love for him and he replied, “I’m so not worth it.”

BED closed in October 2005 and claimed half the space of the old New York Cafe. The remaining space would become Rainbow Project, a restaurant/lounge operated by the owners of BED, before turning into the now-defunct Club Mafia, which was partly owned by a controversial Quezon City councilor-actress. The newly-renovated BED mostly retained the old style and look of the original BED, with it’s iconic circular sofas, except it was now bigger and bolder.

It was in that queen-sized BED that I met V. It was also in that BED that I would fall in love with the guy who I fell the hardest for. Unfortunately, even though he said that he loved me as well, we weren’t meant to be.

When BED got burned down last year, the owners took this trial as an opportunity to reinvent BED. Gone was the old logo as well as the club’s red circle motif. And gone almost completely was the old floor layout—the only remaining remnants are the original entrance and exit doors, the original stairway to the second floor and its adjoining bar. The remaining empty space of Orosa Courtyard was claimed, and the roof deck that was unused till now was also conquered. This king-sized BED now sports a space-age look and the DJ’s booth now takes center stage. And—get this—BED now features a whopping 5 bars!

The unique attraction of the original BED was the aquarium urinal. Well, they retained that and relocated it now to the ground floor CR. What I find amusing is that they decided to add another aquarium, above the DJ’s booth. The white screen where visuals are projected would occasionally roll up revealing gogo boys getting wet under shower heads while dancing on poles.

The question for me now is, will I have more fond memories of this new BED? Time will tell.