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I’m old enough that I remember the Combat Zone and the age 18 drinking law. Boston was very different back when college Freshmen didn’t need fake IDs to drink. The Boston I remember at age 18 to 22 was way more nightlife-oriented than now. It was also way less gentrified than now. The South End was a rough place. My Freshman year college roommate was from there. Like a scene from Good Will Hunting. Lots of bars with cheap drafts. Not the $12 drinks of 2021.
I would to see less costly drinks…I’m not sure Boston is worse off though without the combat zone..a zone of strip clubs and prostitutes..I don’t do much late night anymore but I also recall an issue with Boston being covers and lines to get in everywhere..moreso downtown faneuil/tremont/Stuart/boylston/fenway/south end (wallys/beehive). Less so Cambridge/somerville/Brighton
How does DC compare to other major cities nightlife-wise? That's never really been my scene but I did have a couple nice nights bar-hopping with a group in the U St area and Dupont Circle. Was way more active way later into the night than you'd find anywhere in Seattle, at least.
How does DC compare to other major cities nightlife-wise? That's never really been my scene but I did have a couple nice nights bar-hopping with a group in the U St area and Dupont Circle. Was way more active way later into the night than you'd find anywhere in Seattle, at least.
its not great, but not bad. Like you can find a venue you want in DC. Its not as crazy as NYC, Miami, Chicago etc but its still a good time.
But compared to Boston.. its Miami.
The only thing Boston is stronger in is Beer Gardens.. which the future of that is uncertain..
Well yes..but Milton is a low density town..that’s in Boston, Cambridge, somerville, Brookline, Gillette, Dedham, Quincy a few others…
Boston is not a club drink till 4 am mecca..it’s nightlife is more scattered and I’d put it behind dc..it’s fine enough for most people out of their 20s
I’m all for loosening the liquor license stuff and decreasing cost for nightlife and restaurants overall in core. I think Boston has always struggled with balancing the alcohol use and concentration of college students…they could be a bit looser
I guess DC probably has better nightlife. Particularly if you are looking for LGBT or AA specific nightlife.
Boston's more traditional DT setup may give it more of a night on the big city feel with the Theater District/Bullfinch Triangle/Quincy Market. But
Adams Morgan and U Street probably feel a little busier.
I don't have a sense of how Allston, Cambridge,
Somerville are at night? My impression is they take a lot of the action from Boston's core.
I'd say this is pretty close - particularly with regard to LGBT or AA specific nightlife. I think the Faneuil Hall/Blackstone or Lansdowne areas can rival Adams Morgan and U Street for crowds on a Friday/Saturday night, but overall DC gets the edge.
Boston's nightlife is a little more decentralized than some places because you have smaller nightlife clusters well outside the city center. Davis and Union Square in Somerville, Central and Harvard Square in Cambridge, Brighton Ave (Allston), Cleveland Circle, Coolidge Corner, W. Broadway (Southie), etc. are all destinations in their own right that keep people out of downtown.
I've lived in both, and I'd put both near the bottom of the list of major American cities in terms of nightlife, but I'd choose DC if nightlife were majorly important to me.
Maybe it’s because I’ve only been to Boston while the marathon is going on, but I’ve always had a blast there in the bars. I’m sure I’m a bit biased too as there’s a large population of New Englanders in San Diego, so when people found out I was from there I was treated in a very favorable way, and also had an instant ice breaker.
We’ll be in New York next week for three weeks, and I told my wife how I want to go back to Boston. We may go down for an overnight trip and I’d like to say I can give an update on if it’s nightlife is dull, but unfortunately I’m a much duller person that I was back then. Not to mention married now. I’ll always have great memories of the bars there.
Maybe it’s because I’ve only been to Boston while the marathon is going on, but I’ve always had a blast there in the bars. I’m sure I’m a bit biased too as there’s a large population of New Englanders in San Diego, so when people found out I was from there I was treated in a very favorable way, and also had an instant ice breaker.
We’ll be in New York next week for three weeks, and I told my wife how I want to go back to Boston. We may go down for an overnight trip and I’d like to say I can give an update on if it’s nightlife is dull, but unfortunately I’m a much duller person that I was back then. Not to mention married now. I’ll always have great memories of the bars there.
Boston is more than fine for bars/beer gardens/day drinking/pub crawls…overall too expensive ..
It’s not great if your scene is dressed up clubs, late late night, and massive late night entertainment districts..
It’s just scattered…it’s also strict. Harder to drink under age..
Boston is more than fine for bars/beer gardens/day drinking/pub crawls…overall too expensive ..
It’s not great if your scene is dressed up clubs, late late night, and massive late night entertainment districts..
It’s just scattered…it’s also strict. Harder to drink under age..
I'm more of a bar guy and I still found it underwhelming
Maybe it’s because I’ve only been to Boston while the marathon is going on, but I’ve always had a blast there in the bars. I’m sure I’m a bit biased too as there’s a large population of New Englanders in San Diego, so when people found out I was from there I was treated in a very favorable way, and also had an instant ice breaker.
We’ll be in New York next week for three weeks, and I told my wife how I want to go back to Boston. We may go down for an overnight trip and I’d like to say I can give an update on if it’s nightlife is dull, but unfortunately I’m a much duller person that I was back then. Not to mention married now. I’ll always have great memories of the bars there.
I've always been more of a bar, pub, brewery, beer garden guy than a close the club down at 3-4am guy and Boston's more than adequate for me on that front. In fact, for the stuff that I personally enjoy doing, I'd take it over DC any day of the week. But for someone in their early 20s looking for more robust nightlife (especially LGBTQ, African American, or clubby nightlife), I'd have to say DC is the better of the 2.
What also seems to be lost in a lot of this "Boston nightlife sucks!" talk is that it's relative to a handful of other major cities. Boston certainly brings up the rear on this front compared to most of its peers, but it's still a major city and there's plenty of variety in terms of nightlife options.
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