Best & Worst of SF Nightlife -- Feedback Needed

[cityhype]

@Texan, nice report. This I have trouble believing this,

Originally Posted by Texan#1

I feel like the girls out in San Francisco are just as good looking as Dallas girls

but couldn't agree more about the lame 1:20 last calls. Some bars and clubs are better than others, but I think the marina's especially bad about early last calls because there's so many bars in such a small area.

I've only been to Dallas once, and it was for a very short period of time, but from everything I've heard Dallas is crawling with attractive girls. I've heard legendary things about SMU and then I've also heard really good things about Austin, Tx.

How's the nightlife in Dallas? What are the major differences between nightlife here and there?

[Texan#1]

Dallas nightlife is surprisingly very good. The people of Dallas love to dress well when they go out. The Uptown area of the city is the most popular and is home to many high-end apartments and condos and is very flashy. People love to go out and be seen, so it's common to see ferraris, lambos, bentleys, etc, pulling into valets. The area also has many many fratty bars that are more down to earth. The old school wealthy like to go out to charity and fundraising balls and galas and will typically end up at the Ritz or Stoneleigh P hotels.

We then have the diverse downtown scene. The Slide in San Francisco can be found in downtown Dallas, but with more racial diversity. This area of town has everything from Techno and House to Rap and Hip Hop. It's more likely to find the hip hop and rap patrons here than in Uptown.

Knox-Henderson is most like the Marina in SF. The area has many pubs and restaurants that turn into clubs and lounges at night. You can find everyone out in this area from SMU students to older parents.

We then have Greenville aveune and you can find everything in this area. The people in this area tend to go out in more comfortable clothing and are the "I don't care" kind. Now, there are some clubs like Kinki Lounge that try to be more Uptown, but it just doesnt work. It can be a good time.

Then there's Deep Ellum... used to be a Jazz area and gets its' name because the main street in the district is Elm St and blacks in area used to pronounce is as Ellum. The area was once a huge attraction, but quieted down after criminal violence occurred in the 90's. It's now making a huge comeback and there are about a dozen or so bars and clubs in the area. It's a very a neat area and it will continue to grow in popularity.

Oak Lawn and the area around Fitzhugh are where all the gay bars and clubs are. Looks similar to Castro in that everything is right to next to each but more car-friendly as you can park your cars in front of the sidewalks.

The thing that I appreciate about Dallas is that there are cabs lined up all over town, so it's easy to get and go home. I had to wait forever and fight for cabs in SF. We also have a good nightlife on week nights as well. Several clubs have gotten together and have formed industry nights in which everyone goes to specific clubs. Sundays it's Mantus in downtown, Tuesdays it's Wish in Knox-Henderson, and Wednesdays it's Joyce in downtown. You will find top 40 with a sprinkle of of house at all of these clubs. Drink prices are about the same, paying cover is a turn off for me so I avoid clubs that do charge cover, and it seems more diverse in Dallas, but with less Asians.

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by Texan#1

Dallas nightlife is surprisingly very good. The people of Dallas love to dress well when they go out. The Uptown area of the city is the most popular and is home to many high-end apartments and condos and is very flashy. People love to go out and be seen, so it's common to see ferraris, lambos, bentleys, etc, pulling into valets. The area also has many many fratty bars that are more down to earth. The old school wealthy like to go out to charity and fundraising balls and galas and will typically end up at the Ritz or Stoneleigh P hotels.

We then have the diverse downtown scene. The Slide in San Francisco can be found in downtown Dallas, but with more racial diversity. This area of town has everything from Techno and House to Rap and Hip Hop. It's more likely to find the hip hop and rap patrons here than in Uptown.

Knox-Henderson is most like the Marina in SF. The area has many pubs and restaurants that turn into clubs and lounges at night. You can find everyone out in this area from SMU students to older parents.

We then have Greenville aveune and you can find everything in this area. The people in this area tend to go out in more comfortable clothing and are the "I don't care" kind. Now, there are some clubs like Kinki Lounge that try to be more Uptown, but it just doesnt work. It can be a good time.

Then there's Deep Ellum... used to be a Jazz area and gets its' name because the main street in the district is Elm St and blacks in area used to pronounce is as Ellum. The area was once a huge attraction, but quieted down after criminal violence occurred in the 90's. It's now making a huge comeback and there are about a dozen or so bars and clubs in the area. It's a very a neat area and it will continue to grow in popularity.

Oak Lawn and the area around Fitzhugh are where all the gay bars and clubs are. Looks similar to Castro in that everything is right to next to each but more car-friendly as you can park your cars in front of the sidewalks.

The thing that I appreciate about Dallas is that there are cabs lined up all over town, so it's easy to get and go home. I had to wait forever and fight for cabs in SF. We also have a good nightlife on week nights as well. Several clubs have gotten together and have formed industry nights in which everyone goes to specific clubs. Sundays it's Mantus in downtown, Tuesdays it's Wish in Knox-Henderson, and Wednesdays it's Joyce in downtown. You will find top 40 with a sprinkle of of house at all of these clubs. Drink prices are about the same, paying cover is a turn off for me so I avoid clubs that do charge cover, and it seems more diverse in Dallas, but with less Asians.

Thats a good review. Having lived in both Dallas and SF I can say that the nighlife in Dallas is significantly better. The quality, ambiance and service at a average bar in Dallas is far ahead of SF and I agree the crowd anywhere in Dallas is way more diverse than SF. Also so many of the places in Dallas have free/cheap valet. And of course you have quiet a few 24 hr dining establishments like Buzzbrews, Cafe Brazil and Taco Cabana to visit after all the partying. Not to mention all of these are much cheaper in Dallas.

I miss Uptown, Greeville and Knox/Henderson badly after moving here... I also miss the awesome dive bars on Maple like the Grapevine and Windmill Lounge!

[Texan#1]

^ Our after-hours scene here sucks though. If you want the night to go on then you end up at a strip club or at a restaurant in which a scene (couples fighting) or a fight breaks out. We can also order drinks until 2 (maybe a min or so after if you sweet talk your way) and they politely walk you to the door while you finish your drink.

I've never been to Windmill, but I guess I should try it out. I've only been to the Grapevine once and thought it was a huge melting pot of everything.. straight, gay, old, young, fratty, punk, everything! The San Francisco Rose is a good time... people get sloppy drunk with their $3 wells and do their karoke shows. They also have the neighborhood transvestite that stops by from time to time and dances the night away to the fine tunes.

I would still love living in San Francisco. I would move there just for the cuisine.. I didn't eat one bad meal there (other than In N Out).

[cityhype]

Sounds like I have to make it out to Texas. If anyone's interested in some good SF nightlife, I'm going to be in the city every night this week hitting a variety of different nightlife events. Should have some good field reports and/or suggestions.

[lmk1707]

Originally Posted by Texan#1

The thing that I appreciate about Dallas is that there are cabs lined up all over town, so it's easy to get and go home. I had to wait forever and fight for cabs in SF.

Taxi Magic is by far the best way to get a cab in SF, in my opinion.