NIGHT FEVER: 20 BEST NIGHTS OUT

WORDS JEREMY DILLAHUNT

Strut your stuff on the dance floors of the country’s hottest nightclubs.

What better way to discover the true essence of a destination than to see what the home crowd does for fun on a Friday night? Whether rocking out to a local band, dancing the night away to DJ beats, relaxing to the smooth sounds of jazz and blues or simply sitting back and relaxing with a cold brew, there’s always something to do after the sun dips below the horizon. So, throw on your coolest threads, put on your dancing shoes and check out some of the country’s top spots.

New York

1 CIELO
18 Little West 12th St. 212-645-5700
www.cieloclub.com
Music: House music DJs Dress Code: Smart, urban and very fashionable
Price: Door charge varies, $12 cocktails
Crowd: Icy early in the evening, dancing queens by the end of the night The pet project of ex-Ibiza DJ extraordinaire Nicolas Matar, Cielo is a small slice of Mediterranean debauchery (minus the sandy beach), on Manhattan’s West Side. Champagne flows by the bucket, and the dance floor is always packed with a motley assortment of international guests decked out in Prada, Gucci and Versace. Getting past the bouncer-guarded velvet ropes can be quite an affair, but once inside you’ll be treated to what is arguably NYC’s best sound system and a revolving cast of the world’s most respected and sought after DJs.

2 LOTUS
409 W 14th St. 212-243-4420
www.lotusnewyork.com
Music: Hip-hop DJs
Dress Code: Dress-up to get in and not stand out
Price: $20 door charge, $15 cocktails
Crowd: Celebrities and their hangers-on—definitely a big party scene
Bling, bling! Can you hear the sound of the celebrity train coming? Lotus is one of those nightclubs that books mariachi bands to play parties for guests like Grace Slick, Naomi Campbell and Bono. Nobody seems to pay for anything, and when you turn around you’re likely to see P Diddy talking to Lindsay Lohan. Al Sharpton likes to unwind with his constituents around the leather tables, and for kicks, Mos Def drops in for impromptu hip-hop sets. It’s kind of like dying and going to celebrity/model party heaven—not for the faint of heart.

3 APT
419 W 13th St. 212-414-4245
www.aptwebsite.com
Music: DJs—depending on the night, it’s either dance or hip-hop
Dress Code: None required
Price: $5 door charge, $6 beers
Crowd: Mostly 30 and under, fashionable
Apt is easy to miss with its unmarked steel door on a dimly lit street located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. Inside, however, you are treated to two levels of nightclub. Upstairs looks like your white-collar uncle’s New Hampshire country cottage and is all about hanging out and looking good. Downstairs, which looks more like a “Buck Rogers” smoking lounge, books the best DJs Europe and North America have to offer in an intimate setting. Resident DJs James Friedman, Roy Dank and Tim Sweeney back up crowd movers like The 45 King, Prince Paul, Kaos, Isolee, Trevor Jackson and many, many others.

Nashville

4 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE
422 Broadway. 615-726-0463
www.tootsies.net
Music: Both kinds—country and western
Dress Code: None Price: No door charge, $4 beers
Crowd: Mixed ages
One way to describe a dive bar is to say that it has lots of character, and Tootsies Orchid Lounge has it in spades. The first thing you’ll notice about this iconic Nashville establishment is that it’s purple. Once you step through the front doors, however, you get the sense that Tootsies is more than just a gussiedup storefront. Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and countless other country music legends cut their teeth on Tootsies’ miniature stage. Despite its gloried past, the bar remains an egalitarian straight-shooter, and features local up-and-comers alongside the likes of Hank Williams Jr and John Stone.

Atlanta

5 ELEVEN50
1150B Peachtree Rd. 404-874-0428
www.eleven50.com
Music: DJs play dance and hip-hop
Dress Code: Fashionable
Price: $10 door charge, $10 cocktails
Crowd: Young and trendy—everyone looks their sexy best In addition to Atlanta’s blues foundation, you can enjoy the city’s current revival as a major player in the nightclub industry at this unrepentantly upscale nightclub-cum-lounge. Drop your rump on the dance floor to the latest tracks from the likes of Atlanta natives Lil Jon & The Eastside Boys, leaders of “Crunk,” the latest craze in hip-hop’s ever-evolving sound. Global dance DJs like Deep Dish, Sasha and Junkie XL are also regulars behind the turntables. And when all the bling gets overwhelming, you can escape to Eden, the club’s outdoor lounge complete with bungalow couches and a swimming pool.

6 BLIND WILLIE’S
828 N Highland Ave NE. 404-873-2583
www.blindwilliesblues.com
Music: Live blues bands and solo performers
Dress Code: None Price: $5 door charge, $3 beers
Crowd: Mixed ages, serious blues fans “One bourbon, one shot and one beer.” If the blues is about anything, it’s about singing and drinking—both of which you can do to your heart’s delight at this Atlanta landmark, named after blues godfather “Blind” Willie McTell. Though it has been host to contemporary legends Taj Mahal, Rufus Thomas and the recently departed Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Willie’s is typically dedicated to a more local crowd of hardcore blues devotees. Arrive early if you want to catch house regulars Lotsa Poppa, House Rocker Johnson and Sandra Hall on the club’s whiskey-soaked stage—the rickety chairs fill up fast.

Philadelphia

7 FLUID
613 S 4th St. 215-629-3686
www.fluidnightclub.com
Music: Dance and hip-hop DJs
Dress Code: None Price: $5 door charge Crowd: Young, hip and underground A locals’ hangout that has grown too big in reputation for its underground roots, yet remains physically so small that it is unlikely it will ever leave them entirely. Fluid is home to all of Philadelphia’s varied musical influences. On any given night you might catch the likes of techno impresario Josh Wink; The Roots drummer ?uestlove spinning hip-hop, funk and soul; and Afrobeat champion Rich Medina turning up the heat on the dance floor.

San Francisco

8 THE ENDUP
401 6th St. 415-357-0827
www.theendup.com
Music: Dance, hip-hop and funk/reggae DJs
Dress Code: None, get creative!
Price: Door charge depends on the night, drinks $5 to $10 Crowd: Democracy in action—50-year-old club veterans share space with 20-something trendsetters San Francisco’s aptly named The EndUp is where people looking for fun have, well, ended up for more than 30 years. As diverse as the city it calls home, the nightclub is a favorite among all walks of life: black and white, young and old, couples and singles all share the dance floor night-in and night-out. The revolving DJ roster, held down by residents David Harness, Ruben Mancias, Blackstone and Charlotte the Baroness, has hosted the likes of superstar DJs Doc Martin, Louie Vega and DJ Pierre. The heated outside deck has palm trees, a fireplace and a waterfall for when you want to escape the party and have a chat.

Chicago

9 SMART BAR/METRO
Smart Bar/Metro
3730 N Clarke St. 773-549-0203 www.smartbarchicago.com
www.metrochicago.com
Music: Metro has live bands, Smart Bar has DJs
Dress Code: None—but generally underground trendy
Price: Door depends on the night and can be as much as $40, $6 beers
Crowd: Shoe-gazers and dancers, depending on which club you’re in, mostly young and hip
Chicago’s two widely disparate musical traditions, house music and indie rock, literally come together under one roof at the Smart Bar and Metro clubs. The Metro, a make-or-break venue for bands on the indie rock circuit, sits on top of Smart Bar, a dance music staple that is home to as many genres as you’ll find in your local independent record store. Managed by the same owner, you can usually get one ticket that is good for admission to both venues. That way, if you’re feeling indecisive, you can split your musical tastes down the middle and bounce back and forth to the sounds of bands like Stellastarr, Idlewild and Sufjan Stevens, or house DJs like Colette, The Hacker and Marques Wyatt. The dress code is pretty relaxed, and the interiors are basic black box-booths and couches. It’s a good idea to arrive early or reserve tickets ahead of time, as both venues fill up and sell out quickly.

Dallas

10 DOUBLE WIDE
3510 Commerce St. 214-887-6510
www.double-wide.com
Music: Rock, hillbilly, hip-hop, dance DJs
Dress Code: None—trucker hats and “Daisy Dukes” for fun Price: $2 well drinks Crowd: Loud, young and ready to make a night of it There’s nothing quite as fun as playful satire, and Double Wide has created an environment full of it. A celebration of the “White Trash” lifestyle, this Dallas hipster slum books rock bands and rock DJs proud to appear in stained wife-beaters and cutoffs. Pabst is the drink of choice, while listening to talent with names like Hotrod Hillbillies, The Boozers and The Seat Sniffers. And don’t worry about spilling that Blue Ribbon, the couches are covered in plastic and well drinks cost a measly $2. YEEHAH!

Las Vegas

11 RAIN IN THE DESERT
4321 W Flamingo Rd (inside The Palms Resort). 702-940-7246
www.n9negroup.com
Music: Everything from superstar pop acts to dance DJs
Dress Code: Look your best or forget about getting in
Price: Nights range from $10 door charge to as much as you want to spend on special VIP access passes, drinks $8 and up
Crowd: Vegas’s finest party-goers come out for Rain parties—sexy, sexy, sexy is all there is to say, really
It wouldn’t be Vegas if it wasn’t over-the-top, and Rain, located in the Palms Casino Resort, is decadent even by Sin City standards. Its 28,000-square-feet have hosted Kid Rock parties, Ozzy Osbourne concerts and surprise Britney Spears performances. Resident DJs ROB and Hollywood open for superstar DJ guests like The Crystal Method, Grandmaster Flash and Miguel Migs. You need to make reservations to experience Rain’s 14-foot fireballs, gyrating go-go dancers, snaking river set underneath the dance floor, dancing water jets and—to be modest—legions of drop-dead gorgeous clientele. Dress for success or be left out in the neon streets.

Kansas City

12 BEAUMONT
4050 Pennsylvania Ave. 816-561-2560
www.kcclubs.com
Music: Live bands—rock, country, funk, metal, etc
Dress Code: None
Price: Cover depends on the night, $3 beers
Crowd: Mixed ages, interests and styles—it’s a crapshoot
All you wannabe cowboys can test your mettle at this veritable cornucopia of cattle-driver culture, where visitors can country line dance, ride a mechanical bull or sing along to country troubadour stalwarts Cracker, The Del McCoury Band or Brother’s Keeper. Call ahead to confirm what kind of night you’re going to have. The bookers at Beaumont have a devil-may-care reputation and are also known to book heavy metal bands or aspiring pop stars alongside the more traditional country bands. The club also features two indoor sand volleyball courts. Cowboys love volleyball, you know.

Denver

13 LOTUS/KARMA
1701 Wynkoop St. 303-718-6666
www.lotusentertainment.net
Music: Dance and hip-hop DJs
Dress Code: Fashionable and smart
Price: Door charge depends on the night, $10 cocktails
Crowd: Lotus hosts a range of parties, and the crowd changes with them— in general it’s trendy, young and beautiful
Denver is no longer an outpost of western frontiersmen, as this enormous ultra-chic nightclub can attest. Lotus/Karma, as the name implies, has an Asian-inspired design and has been host to a diverse collection of acts, including hip-hop stars Method Man and Redman, circus extravaganza Cirque Du Soleil, dance DJ D:Fuse, as well as innumerable bikini fashion shows and your average, run-of-the-mill go-go dancing, concubine/burlesque Chinese New Year bash. Dress to impress, call ahead for events listings and get in line early — Lotus/Karma is Denver’s most popular nightclub and the wait to get in can be painfully long on Friday and Saturday nights.

Milwaukee

14 UP & UNDER PUB
1216 E Brady St. 414-276-2677
www.upandunderpub.com
Music: Live bands and a jukebox
Dress Code: None, wear your long johns if you like
Price: Minimal door charge, $1 shots and $4 pitchers
Crowd: Think about who the “Cheers” characters were based on. Sometimes a bar is just a bar—and you’ve got to love one that advertises “beer pong,” free pool Tuesdays, and is home to a host named Mississippi Cactus. Milwaukee is a rock ‘n’ roll city, and you’re not going to find much more than that at the Up & Under. Wednesday’s are open mic nights, and live bands fill the stage Friday and Saturday. For the rest of the week, you’ll be satisfied with throwing darts, drinking cold frosty mugs and seeing how long you can hold the pool table.

Detroit

15 OSLO
1456 Woodward Ave. 313-963-0300
Music: Techno DJs and not much else
Dress Code: None, but since they’re technophiles, something angular would probably work
Price: Door charge varies but is usually $10, drinks are $7 and up
Crowd: Young, trendy, fashionable and ready to party all night long
Oslo is kind of a funny nightclub, it being a sushi restaurant and all. But then, Detroit—the city that invented electronic dance music and big-hair rock ‘n’ roll—is kind of a funny city. The interior looks a bit like a Jenga set about to topple over, but behind the oddly angled wooden slats is a sound system that could launch a starship. Oslo regularly books overseas techno luminaries such as Ellen Alien and any number of DJs from Cologne, Germany’s Kompakt record label. There’s no dress code to worry about, but you should definitely work on your robotic dance moves.

Los Angeles

16 ZANZIBAR
1301 5th St. 310-451-2221
www.zanzibarlive.com
Music: Live bands and DJs
Dress Code: None
Price: $5 weeknights; $10 weekends, $6 beers Crowd: Probably the most diverse crowd LA has to offer, but predominantly younger fashionable ready-to-party trendsetters
Located in Santa Monica, Zanzibar is a Morrocan-inspired live music and DJ venue that boasts one of the best weekly lineups in the whole of Los Angeles’ considerable sprawl. Zanzibar focuses heavily on an international sound, and Sunday through Wednesday the club is decidedly more mellow than it is for its rocking parties Thursday through Saturday. DJ Jason Bentley helms Fridays, with special guests like Ben Watt, Mr Scruff and Truby Trio often turning up. Saturday’s hip-hop parties, hosted by 2×4 (two DJs, four turntables) specialists Haul and Mason have featured iconic guests like Pete Rock, DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Revolution.

Boston

17 MIDDLESEX LOUNGE
315 Massachusetts Ave. 617-868-6739
www.middlesexlounge.com
Music: Funk, dance, hip-hop and rock DJs
Dress Code: None
Price: Usually no door charge, $6 beers
Crowd: Mixed social scene, but generally young, hip and trendy
Boston’s bars may close early, but its after-hours clubs keep the night alive until most people are swallowing coffee on their way to work. Middlesex Lounge consistently books some of the best underground DJs in the country, and attracts a cross-section crowd of hipsters, MIT students and professionals who are more interested in dancing than checking each other out. Thursday’s FE Soundsystem party has been packing the dance floor regularly. During the day, the ultramodern space transforms into a lunch bistro by way of chairs and tables perched on wheels.

Los Angeles

18 THE DRESDEN ROOM
1760 N Vermont Ave. 323-665 4294
www.thedresden.com
Music: Live jazz/lounge duo
Dress Code: Smart casual
Price: No door charge, $7 cocktails
Crowd: All over the place—young, old, trendy, professional and everything in-between
Behind an unassuming cracked brick face, The Dresden Room hides a design straight out of Dean Martin’s interior decorator’s imagination. Dark wood paneling, white leather couches and frosted glass set the scene for expertly poured, madly inspired cocktails. Jazz crooners Marty and Elayne are still belting out sets 23 years after taking up their residency in the laidback lounge. Featured in films Swingers, That Thing You Do and many others, The Dresden is often home to a celebrity enjoying a Blood and Sand, the establishment’s signature rum drink.

Miami

19 THE OPIUM GARDEN
136 Collins Ave. 305-531-5535
www.theopiumgroup.com
Music: Depends on the night, could be P Diddy or resident DJs Dress
Code: Very stylish—if you’re wearing jeans, they’d better be the $400-variety
Price: Variable, expect a minimum door charge of $20
Crowd: A-list Hollywood celebs mix with scenesters of all walks.
Everyone is trendy at The Opium Garden The only thing limiting Miami’s South Beach bid to create a more decadent nightclub scene than Las Vegas is square-footage. Whereas Vegas has plenty to spare, South Beach is a self-contained nook of a neighborhood—that just happens to be set on a glorious beach. The Opium Garden is a waiting list nightmare—one reviewer advised guests to “bring your tax returns to do while you wait in line”—so call ahead. It is a sprawling complex that from the outside looks like a walled compound. Inside it’s not too different from a tropical garden with a Japanese Zen architecture motif. Just a short city block from the beach, it’s no surprise that the world’s biggest DJs and A-list celebrities like Jay-Z and P Diddy line up to play here.

Washington DC

20 EIGHTEENTH STREET LOUNGE
1212 18th St NW. 202-466-3922
Music: Live bands and DJs play a world-beat oriented sound Dress
Code: Dress up—they try to evoke the Rat Pack style
Price: Depending on the night, door charges range from free to $20, drinks start at $8
Crowd: DC’s very finest, youngest, hippest, trendiest and coolest come out for whatever is happening at the lounge
Located on the top three floors of a turn-of-the-century mansion, Eighteenth Street Lounge, or ESL, has three bars, three fireplaces, a large outdoor patio and seating for 200 people. Though the dress code is strict—look good or go away—the crowd inside is a fairly laidback group. The brainchild of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza, the duo also known as Thievery Corporation, ESL has become a nexus of sorts for Washington, DC’s cultural hodgepodge. The club’s house bands range from traditional Cuban son players to West African griots to reggae transplants from Jamaica. Hilton and Garza themselves can often be found behind the turntables spinning loungey, danceable world music and sipping mojitos.