One Andersonville resident claims he made the move out of Boystown to the up-and-coming gay and lesbian neighborhood because the people there were "less plastic". And although I wouldn’t necessarily compare the boys in Lakeview to my Visa card, there is something to be said for a certain down-to-earth quality found among many Andersonville residents.

Most of the gay men who live there are slightly older, perhaps a little more practical, a little bit past the inebriating side effects of having come out, but not so far matured that they’ve given up visiting a local neighborhood bar. It’s exactly this type of over-Boystown crowd that you’ll find in @mosphere, the latest addition to North Clark Street’s growing number of gay and lesbian bars.

@mosphere is a small club, one bar lining the wall, a small dance floor opposite the bar, and bar stools and tables against French doors that open onto the street front. The concept, according to co-owner Charlie Brown, is to offer a "bar where you can dance and bring your friends in, with no attitude". It's the first non-leather bar on the strip to offer dancing for gay men and the first to try to market itself as an upscale club.

As the bar finds place in the neighborhood and a loyal following, it offers drink specials, guest bartenders, and local theatre group performances. Betting a little harder on the need for some groove, the club offers request DJ's, dance lessons, and a return to "old-fashioned" Tea Dances, the kind without any one-letter named associates.

Andersonville residents seem pretty happy to have @mosphere in the neighborhood. Judging from the usual crowd, maybe plastic isn't "everywhere you want to be"?