I'm not what you would call a hardcore partier, but I do enjoy going to a club every now and then. And when I'm away from home I miss the good old Los Angeles nightclubs. Of course we have TAP here, but it just isn't the same. TAP is just some place for me to wander off to once I've had a few too many drinks. Going to a club, on the other hand, is an event. First of all, it involves dressing up and driving, two things I rarely do here. And while the basement of Stone has its charms, nothing compares to the disco balls and strobe lights of an authentic nightclub.

The Diva's webpage describes the club as "home of Western Massachusett's (sic) LGBT and Goth scenes." I don't know anything about the Goth scene. Diva's has a different theme every night, and Tuesday, at least, is Goth night. But I do know that it caters to the Pioneer Valley's LGBT community. I went on a Wednesday, which was drag show night.

My first (and, so far, only) experience at Diva's Nightclub did not let me down. I first heard about Diva's through the Pride Alliance; they were planning a trip to coincide with Allies Week, and I decided to go along for the ride. We went early, and initially I was disappointed by the low turnout, but as the evening went on, the club filled up. At the peak of the night, it was full, but not shoulder-to-shoulder packed.

The club features a bar, a small dance floor and lots of lounging space. The atmosphere is lively but not frantic, and probably less sketchy than the average campus party (at least in my experience). People at Diva's very much do their own thing. Glammed-up drag queens and girls in tight shiny vinyl pants dance alongside people in grungy jeans and t-shirts. The clientele is diverse; gay, straight, male, female and otherwise. It's a popular dance club for ladies looking to avoid the advances of unctous club rats. Diva's is a good place for drinking and dancing and also for simply lounging. The club has very consciously devoted much of its space to areas for hanging or making out-the soft black leather couches can go either way.

The DJ mostly plays club mixes of recognizable pop songs, as well as popular hip-hop. If you're not a fan of techno music, you might be better off sticking to TAP. I was turned off by their techno version of Daft Punk's "One More Time." Why does an electronic song need a techno version? But in general the music is fun and upbeat, which is all I ask of any club. I'd never known before that Pink's "Don't Let Me Get Me" or Five for Fighting's "Superman" were so danceable.

But the main attraction on Wednesday nights is the drag show at 11:00 p.m. The show is nothing incredible-one performer at a time went onstage and lip-synched to a song-but it is worth the wait. My favorite was a drag king in a baby-blue sports jersey who rapped along to Bubba Sparxx's "Ugly." She knew how to work the crowd, and had me half-convinced that she was a real rap star. Word to the wise: bring $1 bills. You'll want them to wave at the performers onstage.

At the end of the night, expect to be extremely tired from dancing, partially deaf thanks to the speakers and seemingly intoxicated due to a potent mixture of alcohol and strobe lights. No worries. You'll wake up the next morning refreshed, able to hear, sober again and thanking God that TAP is no longer your only option.

Diva's Nightclub is located at 492 Pleasant St. in Northampton. Open Tuesday through Sunday, and occasionally on Mondays. The opening time and cover charge vary according to the day of the week.

For more information

Call Diva's Nightclub at (413) 586-8161 or visit www.divasofnoho.com.