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They have a license to serve liquor until 3:30 in Philly? If so, I stand corrected.
But I still don’t think West Coast nightlife is awful by any stretch. Aside from the 2/230 laws I think it has a handful of fun nightlife cities with a diverse array of options. Anchorage Alaska allows alcohol until 5am but no one would claim it has particularly good nightlife.
Yes, some places in Philly have licenses to continue serving until 3. I think it’s a pretty new thing, but I’m not sure exactly how new it is.
And about Anchorage: that’s really interesting. I’ve never been to Alaska, but I would think that it would just be lacking in... people.... just in general. Honestly, the thought of partying until 5am in Alaska actually sounds really fun to me. Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t be surprised if people partied hard in Alaska. I want to hear opinions about their nightlife scene if anyone on here has ever been there.
They have a license to serve liquor until 3:30 in Philly? If so, I stand corrected.
But I still don’t think West Coast nightlife is awful by any stretch. Aside from the 2/230 laws I think it has a handful of fun nightlife cities with a diverse array of options. Anchorage Alaska allows alcohol until 5am but no one would claim it has particularly good nightlife.
I remember last call as 3 am, but the establishment itself staying open past that of course. Philadelphia has surprisingly great and weird nightlife. I would put its nightlife above any West Coast city’s.
LA’s nightlife has gotten better in some ways over the years especially with rideshare services. I also remember feeling like Portland had pretty good nightlife for a fairly small city. The Bay Area, Seattle, and San Diego were fine enough—it’s not like there’s no nightlife, but I’d definitely say it’s not at all a strong suit for these cities.
West Coast nightlife is not BAD, but the east coast is definitely better...even the midwest could be considered better in many aspects. Major cities on the east with later nightlife than anything on the west coast are NYC (4am), Philly (staggered but some are open till and even past 3am), DC (3am on weekends and 4am NYE), Miami Beach (5am), Atlanta (3am), Tampa (3am), Miami has an area of 24/7 but others are 5am, Broward County (4am), Chicago (some 4am), Louisville (4am), Indiana the whole state (3am), NoLa and Louisiana at a whole I believe (24/7), Atlantic City (24/7), Hoboken and Jersey City (3am), Buffalo and Albany (4am), Ohio has some till 2:30 which isn't super special but still after 2am, Tennessee (3am). Some of these may be wrong, but it still shows how the East Coast, Midwest, and South all have later nightlife than the West Coast.
LA is definitely the winner on the west coast aside from Vegas though. While 2am is last call, several establishments can stay open well past until 3 or 4 or even 6am (specifically Exchange LA in DTLA).
West Coast nightlife is not BAD, but the east coast is definitely better...even the midwest could be considered better in many aspects. Major cities on the east with later nightlife than anything on the west coast are NYC (4am), Philly (staggered but some are open till and even past 3am), DC (3am on weekends and 4am NYE), Miami Beach (5am), Atlanta (3am), Tampa (3am), Miami has an area of 24/7 but others are 5am, Broward County (4am), Chicago (some 4am), Louisville (4am), Indiana the whole state (3am), NoLa and Louisiana at a whole I believe (24/7), Atlantic City (24/7), Hoboken and Jersey City (3am), Buffalo and Albany (4am), Ohio has some till 2:30 which isn't super special but still after 2am, Tennessee (3am). Some of these may be wrong, but it still shows how the East Coast, Midwest, and South all have later nightlife than the West Coast.
LA is definitely the winner on the west coast aside from Vegas though. While 2am is last call, several establishments can stay open well past until 3 or 4 or even 6am (specifically Exchange LA in DTLA).
Portland/Oregon is the latest on the West Coast at 2:30 (Vancouver is 3am but obviously is not in the US). The point, though, is that there is a lot more to judge nightlife by than when last call is. Most of the large West Coast cities have pretty solid quantity, quality, and variety when it comes to nightlife (in fact, SF and Portland are two of the most bar-dense cities in the country), with distinct vibes and cultures that can't be found elsewhere.
The West Coast is clearly not the best region for nightlife, but my point was it's far from awful, as implied by a poster earlier.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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I would go with LA, especially for variety…..Gaslamp can be good for those up to their early 30’s though it can attract a douchey crowd which many locals avoid for that reason. (“Daylife” partying at one of the beach cities might actually be better). Some on the West Coast get off on nightlife focused on craft beer bars (which we have on the East Coast), but I need more than just that. Been awhile since I partied in SF—cool drinking bars and a few clubs though not the most attractive female populace. Pearl District is fine, but more from a dining experience; Portland does have a good strip club scene but not something an average person does on a regular basis.
Last edited by elchevere; 11-07-2021 at 07:42 AM..
I would go with LA, especially for variety…..Gaslamp can be good for those up to their early 30’s though it can attract a douchey crowd which many locals avoid for that reason. (“Daylife” partying at one of the beach cities might actually be better). Some on the West Coast get off on nightlife focused on craft beer bars (which we have on the East Coast), but I need more than just that. Been awhile since I partied in SF—cool drinking bars and a few clubs though not the most attractive female populace. Pearl District is fine, but more from a dining experience; Portland does have a good strip club scene but not something an average person does on a regular basis.
I think Capitol Hill in Seattle is better than Gaslamp.
The Pearl is kind of a weird choice for Portland. That's like saying Belltown is one of Seattle's top two nightlife areas --- they're mostly residential with a mix of offices, high-end shopping, and bars/restaurants/cafes. Maybe in the '80s and '90s these areas were hot. I'd name Alberta, Hawthorne, MLK, or Broadway/Weidler (around the Lloyd Center) before the Pearl.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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I’m least familiar with Seattle which is why I didn’t mention it….Gaslamp didn’t really appeal to me (even though I was a 7 minute walk from it) as it was a lot of conventioneers and not enough local professionals. It did have a couple of clubs and rooftop bars but I did my partying elsewhere after my first few years living there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheEggHead
I think Capitol Hill in Seattle is better than Gaslamp.
I'd go with Capitol Hill. It's really exciting. A new emerging nightlife District in Seattle is SODO with clubs like Supernova, Monkey Loft, Aston Manor, Club Sur, Showbox, and a new one opening 'The Comeback'.
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