Last Friday I checked out three new Capitol Hill venues: Grey Gallery, a lounge and gallery in Backstage Thrift's former location; King Cobra, a rock club built on the glitzy skeleton of Sugar; and the new digs of venerable adult shop Crypt Off Broadway, which resides where the Vogue once did. All three venues are within a few steps of each other, all three held their grand opening fetes the same night and all three are outstanding in their respective ways.

Grey Gallery makes the most of Backstage Thrift's old split-level space. The spacious gallery floor is broken up with three-quarter walls, which are currently hung with works by Laura C. Wright, Chris McMullen, Allison Manch and others. (Wright's boxing-themed pieces are particularly fun, especially "Going the Distance," a wreath of boxing gloves made from repurposed leather jackets, and "Heavy Baggage," a zippered-and-buckled leather punching bag that's Frankensteined together from jackets and luggage. And "Ticket to the Gun Show" -- a dumbbell covered in fake fur -- would look perfectly at home next door at Crypt.) The bar's loft seating is dark, cozy and subdued -- in real contrast to the high ceiling, bright lights and white walls of the gallery space below.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get close enough to Grey Gallery's busy bar to sample it. It was slammed with opening-night business, and its placement in a narrow corner of the room makes it difficult to approach while an art opening is in progress. Grey really does feel like two separate venues, and it will be interesting to see if it can maintain that split personality over time.

As yet, King Cobra has no such identity crisis. It's a proper rock club like the ones your dad used to haunt before Clear Channel killed FM radio and your old man realized that tinnitus wasn't just for Pete Townshend anymore. A sizable crowd packed the joint Friday, despite the fact that it's not entirely open: Half of the venue, including the stage, is still under construction and walled off.

Still, it's impossible to resist the siren call of cheap booze and loud metal, and even without a stage, King Cobra is formidable. The staff is made up of former Crocodile Cafe and Kincora employees, and once this sucker is completely built out and booking bands, it should take some of the sting out of the Croc's untimely demise. Guess it takes a reptile to do a reptile's job.

I never visited the shop in its old location on Denny, but the new Crypt Off Broadway couldn't be less like a mausoleum if it had a greenhouse. Their vast selection of (usually discounted) lingerie, leather apparel, toys and good old dirty movies is attractively displayed, and the staff is friendly and unobtrusive. You'd do well to head down there and pick out a few Valentine's Day gifts, along with some items for your personal collection. To paraphrase Joaquin Phoenix in "8MM," I'd hate for you to be in one of those everyday situations that call for such items and not have 'em.

Geoff Carter is NWsource's staff writer. Prior to taking the most kick-ass job in all of Seattle in 2003, he was the film columnist for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper and the A&E editor at Vegas.com. His work has appeared in publications too numerous or embarrassing to mention. He lives in Ballard with a hot roller-derby babe and two redoubtable cats.

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