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I think the reason why you will never see CA expand beyond 2AM also has to do with the fact it is such a car centric state....could you imagine how many more DUI’s and deaths there might be if it last call was extended to 4AM??....in a NY or Chicago you have much more public transportation options. Even with Uber/Lyft I do not see CA or the West Coast changing.
Vancouver definitely more mellow than Montreal or Toronto...weird drinking laws—was in a bar with no more available barstools (all occupied) but plenty of space to stand and enjoy a beer. I was told they could not serve me unless I was seated.
Actually DUI's in most cities have dropped in half in the past 4 years because of Uber. You are basically saying its ok to get drunk during the day at tailgating, brunch, sports bars, festivals, concerts, wineries, breweries, etc, etc during the day when most people are out but its bad to drink late at night when most people are sleep....
not to change the subject but thats crazy everyone loves to drink during the day but don't want people drinking at night
I lived in CA for 32 years...LA, largest city by far , is very freeway and car dependent, as is OC....Only area in San Diego with mass transit is Gaslamp but that is only one party area (no mass transit in beach communities or North County—I never took the Coaster to party in La Jolla or Del Mar) and you are assuming people live right near the trolley stop and will utilize it. Yes, SF—much smaller city than LA, does have BART and cable cars. I never took a cable car when I lived there to party and BART would only make sense to use IF the bar or nightclub were on the BART route. Plenty of people from Marin, East Bay, South Bay drive into the city or drive, on freeways, to local spots.
When did you live in LA? The thing about LA is it's so spread out, people often only bar hop in their own neighborhood. It's crazy that even WeHo can't stay open past 2am. Imagine all the extra money those bars could make. I mean...IT'S WEHO! Many of the people bar hopping there live local or have friends there and can crash there. Many people are moving to DTLA now, and DTLA is well-served by public transit. People that go out in Hermosa Beach are often locals that can walk home or have plenty of disposable income for a cab/Lyft.
Your logic is that all people in the cities must suffer because some people in the suburbs might drive to the bars. The majority of the cities I listed are NOT urban and either suburban themselves or surrounded by massive suburbs. The urban pockets of LA, downtown San Diego, and the entire city of SF should not suffer from limited nightlife and tax revenue just because some kids from OC, Mira Mesa, or Walnut Creek might drink and drive. I've taken the Muni Owl buses with limited memories more than I care to admit.
Also having 2 more hours to drink doesn't automatically equate to more drinking and driving. I think having more time to space out your drinks lets you pace yourself instead of guzzling shots before 2am last call hits. And if someone is going to drive drunk or fight at 2am because they're drunk, they'll just do it at 3/4am.
So one other place in the American west--Portland. Not exactly the beacon of high energy, outgoing, sociable people. Vancouver is Canada, and while still west coast, I'd say it has a different vibe than the rest of the PNW and west coast; it's a mix of the PNW nature with the sociability of the east coast somehow.
Sidebar from the main topic here but still relevant:
Portland may not be a beacon of energetic and sociable people, but the sheer quantity of bars and laissez-faire attitude there is pretty awesome, and there are definitely plenty of interesting characters with all the townies and hipsters. There seems to be a dive bar with slot machines on every corner, fully nude strippers are allowed at bars (if that’s your thing), and plenty of more upscale cocktail bars are spread throughout as well, as well as tons of places that serve great food until late. If you like drinking in quirky environments there aren’t many better cities in the country for that. (Especially once you get out of the hipster dominated core areas.)
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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It’s never good to drive drunk...but at night I think the body is even more naturally tired the longer you stay out and it’s darker...Uber is a good thing..be curious to see DUI and drinking death stats for daytime v nighttime...my $ is on nighttime.
Quote:
Originally Posted by googgo
Actually DUI's in most cities have dropped in half in the past 4 years because of Uber. You are basically saying its ok to get drunk during the day at tailgating, brunch, sports bars, festivals, concerts, wineries, breweries, etc, etc during the day when most people are out but its bad to drink late at night when most people are sleep....
not to change the subject but thats crazy everyone loves to drink during the day but don't want people drinking at night
I'm suprised no one has mentioned the different races and ethnicities that each coast is made up of. I feel like that is also a major factor.
I wasn't sure if anyone felt the same as I did about that. The French established New Orleans. Miami is heavily Caribbean Latin. NYC/Chicago are heavily Italian and Irish. I get Boston is too, but they're a little different. Philly is too, and they're between Chicago/NYC and Boston. But yes, the people who helped a lot of the east coast cities flourish are often from parts of the world that don't look down on those who drink. A lot of Florida, as well at Atlantic City NJ, was established for the sole purpose of vacationing. Those that settled the west were not as often the sociable, big city people of the northeast, but purposely left the dense big cities to be alone and work in their own farms/ranches.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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I lived in OC 15 years ago...would drive up to Belmont Shore, Manhattan Beach, Hollywood, etc at least a couple of times a month because it was more happening...drove home from there and/or from bars I frequented in OC.
It was because of the driving and partying that I then moved to Downtown SD. Was good to be able to walk to the Gaslamp until I figured out most locals avoid that area like the plague (touristy, douchey crowd) and I tired of that area...more professional adult nightlife in North County areas which I drove to though they also, boringly, shut down fairly early.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jessemh431
When did you live in LA? The thing about LA is it's so spread out, people often only bar hop in their own neighborhood. It's crazy that even WeHo can't stay open past 2am. Imagine all the extra money those bars could make. I mean...IT'S WEHO! Many of the people bar hopping there live local or have friends there and can crash there. Many people are moving to DTLA now, and DTLA is well-served by public transit. People that go out in Hermosa Beach are often locals that can walk home or have plenty of disposable income for a cab/Lyft.
Your logic is that all people in the cities must suffer because some people in the suburbs might drive to the bars. The majority of the cities I listed are NOT urban and either suburban themselves or surrounded by massive suburbs. The urban pockets of LA, downtown San Diego, and the entire city of SF should not suffer from limited nightlife and tax revenue just because some kids from OC, Mira Mesa, or Walnut Creek might drink and drive. I've taken the Muni Owl buses with limited memories more than I care to admit.
Also having 2 more hours to drink doesn't automatically equate to more drinking and driving. I think having more time to space out your drinks lets you pace yourself instead of guzzling shots before 2am last call hits. And if someone is going to drive drunk or fight at 2am because they're drunk, they'll just do it at 3/4am.
You said “most major cities in the east have at least a 3am last call”. That’s just patently false, as the list I posted of major cities in the Northeast and Midwest demonstrates.
I still think there’s plenty of nightlife fun to be had on the West Coast in cities like SF, LA, Portland, and Seattle. These are large cities with tons of bars and districts with major nightlife clusters. Check out the late-night video posted below of Capitol Hill in Seattle. It’s just an example, but you can usually find at least 3-4 areas like this on weekends in West Coast cities (in SF and LA moreso).
As I said, I agree with some of the points you’re making. The West Coast party culture is more about hanging out with people you know,, drinking great craft beer, and smoking great weed. People still party and stay up late but it’s a different kind of partying. it seems like around post-27 or 28 years old there are less people staying out partying at bars/clubs until close on the West Coast.
The biggest aspect to this honestly that I’ve experienced is that the West Coast has a more elitist attitude and is far cliquier. I was just in Nashville for the first time and was amazed at how friendly and outgoing everyone was at the nightlife establishments, even with people they didn’t know. Everyone is just sort of partying together. I’ve noticed this even in larger cities like Chicago and NYC. As long as you’re not in the super hipster neighborhoods people are far more inclusive and willing to party with strangers. It creates a different environment and energy.
On the West Coast you tend to go out with people you know and not really expand too much beyond that while you’re out. In the Northeast, Midwest, and especially the South you may go out with certain people but you’re also very likely to end up partying with complete strangers in the mix as well. To me, that and the greater focus on health in the West Coast are way bigger factors than last call. Places like Vancouver and Portland serve after 2am and that doesn’t change the other elements I’m describing. Even if CA approves the bill (currently In the works) to allow liquor to be served until 4am I don’t think it will change those elements.
That said, I actually think West Coast cities tend to have great and varied bar scenes, especially for folks looking to be out drinking between 9pm and 1am. The options are plentiful, the quality of the beer, wine, and cocktails are high, and there are certainly high energy nightlife areas to be found. Here’s the one I was talking about in Seattle:
Completely agree with this, and in my opinion it can be simplified even further. The west is more of a "go out for a specific purpose/reason with friends for literally one or two drinks" vibe whereas the east attitude is "it's Friday, let's get this on!" From my experiences living on both coasts, this is fairly universal and impacts many other aspects of high energy that have been discussed on the previous posts. Additionally, simple population density coupled with smaller geographic footprints has quite a bit to do with the feel of high energy cities.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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I love Portland—great foodie/restaurant city—and bars (beer and wine)...but the weather, bit too hipster (prefer clean cut professionals) and fact it gets real hicky/conservative when you get out of the actual city boundaries would never have me live there. Great to visit though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vincent_Adultman
Sidebar from the main topic here but still relevant:
Portland may not be a beacon of energetic and sociable people, but the sheer quantity of bars and laissez-faire attitude there is pretty awesome, and there are definitely plenty of interesting characters with all the townies and hipsters. There seems to be a dive bar with slot machines on every corner, fully nude strippers are allowed at bars (if that’s your thing), and plenty of more upscale cocktail bars are spread throughout as well, as well as tons of places that serve great food until late. If you like drinking in quirky environments there aren’t many better cities in the country for that. (Especially once you get out of the hipster dominated core areas.)
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