Name: Dina Ogando Bartends at: Ding Dong Lounge, 929 Columbus Ave ...

na Ogando

Bartends at: Ding Dong Lounge, 929 Columbus Ave (105th St.), 212-663-2600

Favorite Musical Artist: Stevie Wonder

Favorite Song: "Don't You Worry"

I love this bar. How long has it been here? Three years.

And you grew up in this neighborhood? Right.

So what was it like 10, 15 years ago? [Laughs] Basically, walking down the street, you could get shot so easily. It was open war. You would go to the store to get some stuff, a shoot-out would happen, then you'd wait until they killed each other and walk over the body on the way home.

You're serious. I'm serious.

Shot bodies. Shot bodies.

Did you go to high school around here? No. I went downtown, to Fashion Industries High School.

And is that why you're so fly? [Laughing] No?

Do people even say "fly" anymore? I don't think so.

What about the public school across the street here? Why are the kids there so bad? That school over there? No one gives a shit. No one really does. They do whatever the hell they want.

I sometimes see this small group of very frightened white kids who go there. I guess they're a little bit afraid.

So the whole ideal of different groups coming together in New York's public schools- Well, I went to a public school, and it sounds crazy, but a lot of black and Spanish kids don't like each other. It was that blacks and Dominicans [didn't] like each other, but blacks and Puerto Ricans got along well. Very strange.

And you're Dominican? Yes.

And you feel there's a rivalry with Puerto Ricans? A stupid rivalry. I don't really understand it. My family [through marriage] is Puerto Rican as well. We say a few words differently, but that's about it.

You told me earlier you've waitressed and bartended in strip clubs. I was 24.

Did you strip? [Laughs] No. Trust me, no. I wanted to, though. I was desperate and I was in college. So I went out and got this dress with the matching thong and the garter and everything. And then you have to wait on line? And each girl, she gets on the pole, and she has two minutes to audition.

And then it was your turn? Right. And the general manager's there with the house mom watching. And it was my turn, and I was so nervous, that I couldn't let go of the pole! [Laughs] And he's like, "Move it along!" So he sends the house mom over and she's like, "You can start taking your clothes off now."

And poor you, you're still on the pole? Right. And I was just like "Are you hiring for waitresses now?"

Was that at Harmony? It was at [name of prominent club deleted at Dina's request].

And how much would a waitress make in a night there? It varied. There were nights you could walk out with $50. There were nights you could walk out with a grand.

But on average? I'd say between $350 and $500.

Jesus! What the hell am I writing for? [Laughs]

And what would you wear? That was before Giuliani was mayor, so we'd wear-

Nothing. No! It was a tuxedo shirt that was sleeveless and backless. A red bowtie and a red sash. A black thong and three-inch heeled shoes. And they would measure your heels every day to make sure they were three-inch.

What was the strangest thing you saw there? There was this one guy, this Jewish guy, he was Hasidic, and he'd pay for a lap dance. But he wouldn't look at the dancer while she was giving him the lap dance. I didn't get that. So let's say he's here, and he's sitting in the chair?

Okay, now I'll stand up and give you a lap dance? [Dina averts her eyes in horror] Yeah, so you're doing the dancing, but he's not even looking! And then once she's done, he gets another dancer, and won't look.

I'm sorry. I'm speechless. Right.

Not about the Hasidic guy-I'm speechless I just gave you a lap dance. [Laughs] I learned a lot there, though. I would train girls there to waitress. And they'd want to make more money, so they'd get a boob job and start dancing. But I didn't like the fake look. I was happy with the way I was. And the guys, sometimes they'd pay me a lot of money to find a girl who was natural.

Every stripper I know never had a dime to show for it the day she quit. They'd make the money, then blow it away.

Literally. Right. Clothes, coke and more coke.

So back to the Ding Dong Lounge. Okay.

I was expecting some kind of scene here but it really is a fantastic neighborhood bar. Absolutely! We know all the regulars. We have parties with them. All the bartenders here are awesome. All of them. So you can't go wrong, any night you come here.