Charlie's is a little taste of South Texas smacked dab in the middle of North Halsted. With sister bars in Denver and Arizona, this country bar seems to have more of a dual personality than anything else—line dancing to country favorites and hits borrowed directly from the now defunct Nashville Network before 2 AM; mainstream pop and dance in a disco after the switchover.

The actual bar is a decent size square with bars surrounding the dance floor (notice the cowboy boots disco ball) and country paraphernalia lining the walls. Western in its style, wagon barrel trashcans sit next to hay loft stall benches--behind, pictures of men in cowboy hats are hung on the wall.

The crowd is about ninety-eight percent gay men, thirty-something and up cowboys in Wranglers, boots, and Stetsons early in the night; twenty-something boys from Roscoe's and Circuit mixed in with leather daddy types who closed down Cell Block after the switch.

For late night options, Charlie's is one of the few where the men keep their clothes on and the music remains mainstream. Best bets for going are Friday and Saturday nights a little before the change over—grab a beer and a stool and watch ten minutes of line dancing as the slow invasion of the guppie morphs the bar.