Bill Kaelin

Bill Kaelin: Middle-aged and fabulous

I may be getting older, and I don’t go out like I used to, but I still crave a night of good music, amazing cocktails and people watching. If I could go out and do shots of fireball, smoke cigarettes and party until last call, I would be the first in line, but the hard fact is that the older you get, the harder it is to recover.

Recently a couple of my “middle-aged” friends and I finally figured out how to get all the benefits of going to the club without feeling like crud the next day. Mary’s in East Atlanta was throwing a birthday party for Madonna, and if anything was going to get me out of the house, it was going to be that bitch. Starting with a quick pre-cocktail at the house around 8 pm, we then took a short Uber ride to East Atlanta that placed us at a perfect spot right at the bar by 9:30. Bartender Marky Hatch served us some good stiff drinks with sweet smiles while the music and video mixing by DJ Diablo Rojo was pure perfection. I had a buzz by 10:30, and we were having a blast just watching everyone filter inside. MadonnaRama is like a gay national holiday, and since the early birds always get the worm, we still had the best spot right at the bar, even though there was a line of people waiting outside the door.

The Madonna madness continued until around midnight, when the three of us looked at each other and, without saying a word, knew it was time to “Take A Bow.” I was tipsy, had lots of laughs and listened to great music, but I was ready to lie in my bed by 12:30. The same strategy worked perfectly one week later, when at 8 p.m. sharp we decided to check out the brand sexy new spot in West Midtown called “Little Trouble.” The name itself sounded like it was the perfect place for me; after all, I am always looking for some trouble, just a little less than I used to.

Little Trouble is a stunning spot on the lower level of the White Provisions building. Created by Caleb Wheelus and Ian Jones, the team behind local favorite hot spot Victory, it is inspired by the iconic science fiction film, Blade Runner.

Little Trouble makes you feel like you are in another city or quite possibly another planet. The entrance sets the tone with a long dark corridor that leads you to a mysterious, red neon sculpture that seduces you through the doors. Nothing is what it seems in the space where the windows are like walls and the walls are like control panels steering the mother ship. Cocktails and conversations are encouraged with plenty of seating, a killer drink menu and a futuristic, cinematic, electronic soundtrack that’s played at the perfect volume. The crowd is eclectic, interesting and sexy, and the pan-Asian food menu created by Chef Melissa Allen is exceptional and perfect to share. The stoners at my table were losing their minds over the pork rinds drizzled with local honey. They were the perfect balance of salty and sweet, and all I could think of was how they wouldhave made Ria Pell proud. I was so transported that I hadn’t even realized I was on my fourth delicious Rosalita cocktail made with tequila and Aperol by Midnight and realized it was probably time to head home while I could still walk. Little Trouble is exactly what Midtown and my middle-aged self needed, and I am so thankful to have figured out a way to still go out on the town without closing the bars down.