I finally saw the inside of The Red Room last night, and all my The Shining associations have officially dissipated.

After CultureMap's launch party ended Wednesday night, revelers weren't ready to call it a night. It seemed like a sizable part of the crowd of 2,000 made a mass exodus from West Ave to The Red Room a block away to keep celebrating into the early morning hours. Upstairs was so packed that management stationed a villain-esque gatekeeper at the base of the stairs for crowd control. If you had to go downstairs to use the ladies' room, be damned; re-entry was near impossible. The overflow crowd filled the downstairs bar and spilled outdoors into the patio. Despite the lack of elbow room, everyone was in the highest of spirits. It certainly wasn't your typical school night.

Once upstairs, I was afraid to leave my station lest I never make it back, but I did get to chat with Steven Thomson, my CultureMap columnist counterpart (of sorts) and future partner-in-crime. His Trendysomething in SoMo series is bananas. Miya Shay miraculously was able to float back and forth between the floors (she must've struck a deal with the stair guy), along with an eclectic crowd that included Kim Padgett, Carrie and David Hardaker, Charlotte Fischer Ewart, Ceron, Caroline Schiller, Lindsey Love, Jarrod Klawinsky, Christine Mills, Roberto Fartone Mennella, Bridgette Bottone and Vance Muse.

There were almost too many bodies to truly appreciate the bold red décor, but I know I'll be back: I left my tab open.