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If you count the Short North and the Ohio State areas as part of the Columbus Ohio downtown- those places are always hopping.
I distinctly remember downtown Columbus not having nearly as much of a nightlife as downtown Cleveland. IMO there is nothing in Columbus's downtown that even competes with the Warehouse District, E.4th, Theatre District, etc. Combine that with the Cavs, Indians, Browns and concerts at CSU, Quaker, The Agora, or the House of Blues.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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Yeah, since I know Columbus pretty well myself I'd say that if you are visiting the area from out of town and you want to experience something unique or fun, I'd recommend High St. (Ohio State Campus). It's a pretty unique little strip of restaurants and bars that you can't find at just any University. Downtown and Short North are definitely not what I'd call mega-clubbing districts but both have expanded quite a bit in the past 10 years and Short North at least offers something a little more eclectic.....if that's your thing.
If this was 1994 when I first came to Columbus, I would have to agree with the previous posters the downtown was quite dead after sundown. However, within recent years things have changed dramactically. C-bus may never be on the same scale as Chicago but now it has the Arena District on the northwest side of downtown with decent nightlife.
The number of bars and restaurants in a given city is going to be a good indicator of that city's nightlife offerings. Cities like Minneapolis and Omaha place a much greater emphasis on Rock, Indie, and Punk music, which isn't exactly conducive to having a good club scene IMO. Milwaukee has a huge club scene that revolves around Electronic Dance Music (EDM), Hip-Hop, and Top 40. Thanks in part to our proximity to Chicago, we get some of the top DJs from around the world here in Milwaukee every week.
Milwaukee FTW.
What the hell are you talking about? In terms of the Minneapolis scene, you have absolutely no clue. The Minneapolis and Saint Paul scene is very diverse in terms of music offerings and venues from rock, hiphop, indie, electronica, top 40. Hell, First Avenue nightclub is famous...what's the Mke equivalent?
Milwaukee is big on the bars, not the clubs...there is a difference.
Well, look at who's winning this poll, enough talk
What the hell are you talking about? In terms of the Minneapolis scene, you have absolutely no clue. The Minneapolis and Saint Paul scene is very diverse in terms of music offerings and venues from rock, hiphop, indie, electronica, top 40. Hell, First Avenue nightclub is famous...what's the Mke equivalent?
Milwaukee is big on the bars, not the clubs...there is a difference.
Well, look at who's winning this poll, enough talk
Clearly, you're the one who doesn't know what they're talking about. First Avenue is a concert venue, not a nightclub. Our equivalent would be the Rave/Eagles Ballroom, but obviously not as prominent. What's the Twin Cities equivalent to Alpine Valley? Oh that's right, you don't have one.
Do people not understand what a nightclub is or something? Nightclubs wouldn't have indie bands like Jack's Mannequin or Death Cab playing at them, but more along the lines of DJs like Bad Boy Bill or Danny The Wildchild.
Clearly, you're the one who doesn't know what they're talking about. First Avenue is a concert venue, not a nightclub. Our equivalent would be the Rave/Eagles Ballroom, but obviously not as prominent. What's the Twin Cities equivalent to Alpine Valley? Oh that's right, you don't have one.
Do people not understand what a nightclub is or something? Nightclubs wouldn't have indie bands like Jack's Mannequin or Death Cab playing at them, but more along the lines of DJs like Bad Boy Bill or Danny The Wildchild.
It's a nightclub. People go there to dance as well as listen to artists. There are bands, DJs, solo artists as featured acts, and it ranges from indie to mainstream. Interesting article here:
Is Milwaukee Afraid of Hip Hop? « RadioMilwaukee’s Soundboard (http://blog.radiomilwaukee.org/2010/01/28/is-milwaukee-afraid-of-hip-hop/ - broken link)
After Chicago, I'd say Detroit. The city may have a lot of problems, but Detroit has some awesome clubs. After Detroit, I'd say Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
Milwaukee is big on the bars, not the clubs...there is a difference.
Wrong. Let me explain. A great club scene which I include "piano bars" and "ultra lounges" is more than just quantity and diversity in venues. It's also about layout of the club, the design, the clientele, the overall atmosphere. For instance I spent 4 days partying like no other in Minneapolis and was given the club tour by a guy who owned a club in Minneapolis. There was one club that had a great design and nice layout but the people must have been shipped in from rural Minnesota because nobody knew how to dance to the various songs that came on and what they were wearing was not what I would call "classy" or "stylish". The club it self seemed classy but the people they let inside just didn't fit the scene, and the DJ was horrible and my host was embarrassed.
Milwaukee has a great club scene, as some one who spent a lot of time in Miami, Chicago and Houston and a stint on Long Island. Milwaukee has a very nice quality, quantity and wide selection to choose from. Milwaukee has a lot of upscale clubs and most of attract the best of DJ's in the industry due to what I call the Chicago influence. People that have moved up here from Chicago and people that come to visit from Chicago add to Milwaukee's club and lounge scene. A lot of the clubs in Milwaukee were started by Chicago club owners looking to expand outside the Chicagoland area.
Marketing groups and promotional groups and a lot of club design was inspired by Chicago. Whether it's a Milwaukee club hiring a Chicago PR firm or promotional group or hiring a design company out of Chicago to design their club in Milwaukee. Also A lot of DJ's or celebs come up to Milwaukee after of before their show or appearance in Chicago since it is only an hour away.
I think the people make up the club experience and the DJ seals the deal. A lot of Milwaukee clubs and lounges host numerous fashion shows and fashion has become huge in Milwaukee where you have a lot of start-up fashion companies and Chicago companies looking for other venues will come up to Milwaukee to showcase their gear.
Milwaukee has numerous entertainment districts not just downtown but with all being close to downtown. Anything to cigar bars, upscale piano bars to ultra lounges and DJ Clubs. I think Milwaukee wins due to variety of people it attracts and the style of venues, overall DJ scene and type of nightclub. Whether it's a Greek club, Russian, Serbian, Cuban or Asian, Milwaukee offers a ton of upscale variety only to be out done by Chicago. Not just my opinion but this is what I hear from my Chicago friends as well. Milwaukee's nightlife might be it's most underrated aspect of the city.
I would rank it Milwaukee, Twin Cities, STL. The Twin Cities aren't bad at all it's just a little bland for my tastes, the people and the club's and their DJ's.
I like Milwaukee as a city but if you go to downtown Minneapolis on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, especially during the summer you well see club after club after club down hennepin, 1st ave, 2nd ave, and washington ave with lines waiting to get in. i know its not like that in Milwaukees downtown, not close, maybe more in other parts of the city but not downtown Milwaukees. downtown Milwaukee is similar to downtown stpaul not much people traffic.
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Milwaukee Nights!
