Best cities for nightlife?

[sav858]

I had a feeling with all the new places opening in Oakland lately that that might be the case, I guess I'll have check it out. I'll admit I haven't really gone out for nightlife there in awhile.

[ccm123]

SF, Walnut Creek, Los Gatos, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, San Mateo and Mountain View

[CirclingLogan]

If we're talking post-11pm, nightlife is pretty lackluster in most of the Bay Area compared to the east coast. Not that it's a bad thing; a lot of people have to get up early the next day to do yoga or hiking or surf instead of sleeping in late, then heading to brunch (of course, that exists too). Just a different culture.

Oakland has lots of great stuff in the evening/early night, but late night is mostly neighborhood hipster joints (which are great, but not for everyone). Never experienced Walnut Creek nightlife, but I imagine it's a lot like Arlington, VA or err... Arlington, MA. Pillsbury dough-boy white, non-ironic 80s music, vodka sodas and boot-cut jeans. San Francisco is clearly where it's at, but it's no NYC.

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by CirclingLogan

If we're talking post-11pm, nightlife is pretty lackluster in most of the Bay Area compared to the east coast. Not that it's a bad thing; a lot of people have to get up early the next day to do yoga or hiking or surf instead of sleeping in late, then heading to brunch (of course, that exists too). Just a different culture.

Oakland has lots of great stuff in the evening/early night, but late night is mostly neighborhood hipster joints (which are great, but not for everyone). Never experienced Walnut Creek nightlife, but I imagine it's a lot like Arlington, VA or err... Arlington, MA. Pillsbury dough-boy white, non-ironic 80s music, vodka sodas and boot-cut jeans. San Francisco is clearly where it's at, but it's no NYC.

I have to disagree; one of the most frustrating things to going out in the Bay Area was everyone arriving to a club around midnight, only to have the lights come on at 1:45. I guess the reason drinking hours aren't allowed to go later is California's car-dependent culture.

[BayDude]

^ They recently proposed a bill to prolong last call hours in certain cities, but ofcourse, that was shot down. California is a the ultimate nanny state and special interest groups (MADD, highway patrol etc) had their way in the end. As usual.

[orzo]

Originally Posted by sav858

And how on earth do you figure Campbell is better and Burlingame is on par when it has far less nightlife? Maybe Palo Alto. Pretty sure no one ever talks about Campbell or Burlingame's nightlife for a reason.

There is a focus on WC's nightlife because it has one of most vibrant, concentrated districts outside of SF. The East Bay's nightlife is only lackluster compared to SF but compared to everywhere else in the Bay Area it certainly holds it's own and is better in many cases.

I spent about half of my childhood in Walnut Creek and go back to visit often. Trust me, Palo Alto is more concentrated than Walnut Creek in terms of nightlife and Downtown San Jose is far more concentrated.

Downtown Burlingame (not Broadway) has about 8-10 drinking establishments within a few blocks and it gets just as lively as Downtown Walnut Creek on weekends. In terms of Campbell - have you ever been on Campbell Ave during the weekend? There is a tight strip of bars and restaurants with bars that gets pretty active. Overall, Downtown Walnut Creek's nightlife is very comparable to a handful of cities on the Penninsula and South Bay, including the ones I've mentioned, San Mateo, and a couple of others.

I suppose if you're in Contra Costa County Walnut Creek stands out as being the best nightlife destination, but there are plenty of cities throughout the Bay Area (excluding SF, Oakland, and Berkeley) that are very comparable or by some accounts better/more concentrated than Walnut Creek.

[Relegate]

Walnut Creek is pretty random, I agree. A decent cluster but nothing that stands out too much compared to a bunch of other Bay Area cities. I know it's not in the Bay Area, but Sacramento's nightlife is better than you probably expect.

[CirclingLogan]

Originally Posted by Natural510

I have to disagree; one of the most frustrating things to going out in the Bay Area was everyone arriving to a club around midnight, only to have the lights come on at 1:45. I guess the reason drinking hours aren't allowed to go later is California's car-dependent culture.

Eh. I don't go to clubs and I don't know anyone in California who starts drinking at midnight. Most people I know do some early day-drinking while it's still warm.

[orzo]

Originally Posted by CirclingLogan

Eh. I don't go to clubs and I don't know anyone in California who starts drinking at midnight. Most people I know do some early day-drinking while it's still warm.

I think that was his point.