The 'In' Keepers

Opening night we had a line almost four blocks long. We can only have 150 people inside the club, so obviously there's going to be a wait. Anything after that night was a piece of cake. It was a nice eye-opener.

Do people ever drop names to skirt the line?

A lot of people say, "I know Michael, I know Tom" [the owners]. Even if you know their mom, it doesn't matter. Tom and Mike know the entire world.

What's the strangest behavior you've seen from people in line?

I think a lot of people are just fascinated by my hair. I've had customers who want to touch it. I have to remind them that just because I work at Be Bar doesn't mean I'm part of the bar.

1318 Ninth St. NW. 202-232-7450. http://www.bebardc.com/ .

JOSEPH LEWINSON, 29,

Crossroads Entertainment Complex

Caribbean music fans flock in droves to Crossroads in Bladensburg for the food, dancing and live performances by reggae, dance-hall and soca music greats.

The hardest part of your job must be patting people down, right?

No guy wants a pat-down, but it's part of the procedure. We need to make sure the environment is safe. If there's a piece of metal on you, a belt buckle, it's gonna register on a metal detector. And it's just a machine. Don't take it personally.

What advice would you give patrons to smooth the process?