cobalt press release

The New Cobalt

The District has changed a lot over the last few years: people, neighborhoods, administrations (!!!). Nightlife in DC has evolved, as well. In the fall of 2008, Cobalt/30° hired me as their new general manager, resulting in a staff overhaul, a new restaurant, LevelOne, and, most importantly, a reversal of many of the old exclusionary policies.

The “no high heel” rule is gone. Done. Check out this article in the Washington City Paper. So, welcome back ladies, we’re sorry. We are also working on recreating our identity. While Cobalt/30° will always self-identify as a gay bar, it is in no way meant to be strictly a “gay establishment for gay people.” Dupont Circle is no longer the gay ghetto it was in the past; it is now a mixed neighborhood, filled with all sorts of people of different sexualities, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. And all are welcome.

We’ve also begun holding a series of events reaching out to often-marginalized communities. Our rotating Saturday nights include the successful aZen, produced by Aqua for the Asian and Pacific Islander queer community. Bare, by luRe, catering to queer women. And at the end of this month we will be debuting SHIFT, an indie/electro night geared towards the alternative community.

Cobalt/30° strives to be a neighborhood bar; a space where anyone can feel welcome and comfortable. Change takes time (we know, the website needs work), so please be patient with us, we’re working on it. So, come by, have a drink (we’ve got buy-one-get-one-free happy hours every day, $1 drinks on Thursdays and open bar Friday nights – hey, times are tough!) and check out the New Cobalt. And if you’ve got any suggestions or ideas, let us know; we’re listening.

See you all at the bar!

Mark Rutstein
General Manager, Cobalt/30°/LevelOne
Mark@IKnowDC.com