The LONG version
So after work last night I went straight to ICE to meet some friends. I arrived about 5 minutes before they did even though they left before me. It was obvious immediately that one friend was drunk and the other had been drinking. As soon as we walked in the non-intoxicated one asked me if the valet was supposed to give him a ticket for parking. I didn't know as I parked myself. So he took me outside with him to check with the valet, they told him no he would remember him and he didn't need a ticket. So after a check of our wrist bands we were allowed back in. I went into Big Brother mode for the drunk one after we had been there 15 minutes and he asks me to take him to the bathroom because he's going to be sick, I like to keep an eye on my boozed up friends so they don't pass out or get molested whilst inebriated.
I wandered around on my own a bit so I could see the club but I kept an eye on the drunk boy in question. As for the club I didn't like the music, the one drink I did have, a long island, was WAY over priced at ten dollars especially since I was at Necto on Friday night and only paid like seven bucks (I think) and at Aut I had one, which someone there spilled after I had a drink of it, and it was five or six dollars. Valet is insane at ten bucks as well and I opted to park down the street on my own for free. I've also heard they're going raise the already high for a gay club seven dollar cover charge to ten. I thought it rather odd to have the four or six queen size beds on the second level as well. All manner of people were laying on them and all I could think was what must be crawling, spilled, and oozed all over them. Overall I would say the best part of going to ICE was the architecture of the building and the layout of the space. The second floor perch viewing was especially unique for gay clubs in our area and offered a Babylon-esk feel from the Queer As Folk series.
It ended up I had to tell two bartenders not to serve my friend at about 1am at which point his head was bobbing around and he was swaying on his feet. It must be a requirement to be a moron if you tend bar there since neither of the two bartenders saw any problem with serving him. In fact the second one rather than SELL him a full shot, gave him a fingernail worth of a shot "on me" (meaning the bartender) after I pointed out that my friend was barely standing. My friend was escorted out and I grabbed my coat before following him. I got outside a good 30-60 seconds later to find some middle aged angry looking guy in all black pointing at my friend while looking at the bouncers and saying "You're outta here," before he huffily went back inside. Ended up my friends coat check ticket was with the guy who drove so I turned to go in and was held by the arm by a bouncer who asked where I was going. I looked at him as though I must've misunderstood as he was standing right beside me when I told thedrunk boy I was going to get his coat. So I said I was going to retrieve his coat. I was informed I would have to pay cover again. At this point I knew he just wanted me to pay him to get back in simply because he thought I would be dumb enough to give him money. So I related the story of coming out earlier to speak with the valet and not needing to pay again. After that he simply said I had been thrown out by management. At which point I asked what part of that manager pointing over at the drunk before I was even outside and saying he was thrown out meant me? He would have none of it. So another friend of his called the driver inside on the cell to inform him they had to go. Once I knew they were on their way out I left.
I'll say ICE is worth going to once even if only to experience the second floor view to the ground. But with the high prices on EVERYTHING and the poor music plus not to mention the drive all the way to downtown, I'd say just goto Backstreet or Necto.