DC in the evening: what to do?

[MAC SMALLS]

Let's say you don't wanna hit a club....honestly what is there to do in DC after 8 on saturday? We've had the lunch thread and that was a tremendous help; what about dinner? What's poppin in Adams Morgan?? or Georgetown? Thanks for any replies in advance

[zimzima911]

what kind shit are you into..music and environment wise? georgetown has no good clubs, there are a few decent college bars i guess...um...adams morgan is the spot for lots of everything. all the other tight spots are just kind of scattered around downtown. like i said more info is nessesary i can't just list every bar and club in the city.

[joey_formal]

lets not beat around the bush, dc has a multitude of places to go out, it really breaks down into what you're looking for i will give my personal suggestions according to what im into. im pretty into chill places very rock oriented though i suggest:

Black Cat 14th St. NW

Red & Black H St. NE

Rock & Roll Hotel H St. NE

Palace Of Wonders H St. NE

Tryst 18th St. NW Adams Morgan

Bricksellers 20th ? And P St NW Dupont

Big Hunt Conn. Ave. NW Dupont

DC9 9th St. NW

just some suggestions i hope this helps

[Thorns]

Totally Adams Morgan... Georgetown kinda sucks.

[joey_formal]

going out in georgetown is like testing your tolerence to douches, although georgetown does kill with late night eats at Quick Pita, and Philly Pizza.

[zimzima911]

cafe mi amor late night in gtown is bomb

[joey_formal]

oh yea i forgot that too so good

[mojinho]

i hear Citron in Georgetown is pretty good, my sister just went there and hooked up so maybe you would too!

[Analyst]

Adam's Morgan, while formerly a vast improvement from Georgetown, is now just another haven for those from the annoying suburban NoVA and MD-ites. This migration coincided with all the PN Hoffman lofts and condos opening all over the city and real estate prices going through the roof (i.e., smack dab in the middle of 18th Street, Chinatown, Dupont Circle).

As the inevitable gentrification wagon rolls on, the more interesting places to hang out are moving east to 14th Street and beyond:

HR-57: Center for the Preservation of Jazz & Blues (on 14th Street)-This hole in the wall houses some of the best homegrown jazz in the city and basically stands as a great alternative to Blues Alley in g-town. It's BYOB but the music is amazing and the local crowd is nice and mellow. It's next door to Rice, a great Thai restaurant with dark corner and exposed brick inside. Make sure you try the mango and sticky rice...

Bohemian Cavern (on U Street): It's a jazz club that looks like it's been there for a while. Never been but have always been curious...

Cafe Saint-Ex (on 14th Street): Up the street from HR 57 is Saint Ex. By night, it's a bar/cafe with a house party in the basement. Good belgian on tap and excellent brunch.

Wonderland (in Columbia Heights): Good neigborhood bar around 11th and Kenyon; good music and crowd

Red Room at Black Cat (on 14th Street): I'm in agreement with Joey Formal. If you're looking for a chill place, this is a nice bar to shoot some pool and hang out.

Chi-Cha Lounge (on 16th Street): Smokey den laden with couches and hookah. House and chill latin music. Gets a little too crowded on the weekends though.

The Raven (in Mt. Pleasant): Might be a little too local, but I loved this dive bar in the Mt. Pleasant neightborhood off of 16th Street.

Bar Pilar (on 14th Street): Don't know if its still there but the food is awesome and the music was good. They served tater tots and country fried steak the last time I was there, with Lush's album "Spooky" playing in the background...

Overall, DC has a little of everything. It depends on what you're looking for. So much has changed over the years. Anyone remember the Capital Ballroom or the House of Secrets around 5th and T?

Anyway, just make sure you get the late night chili dog from Ben's Chili Bowl on U street or the giant pizza slice from Pizza Mart on 18th Street. It's open til 4am

[shoreman1782]

Adam's Morgan, while formerly a vast improvement from Georgetown, is now just another haven for those from the annoying suburban NoVA and MD-ites.

True. More 80s music singalongs and post-collegiate vomitty drunkenness--not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm there during daylight more often than at night these days. Reef's deck is still OK.

Bar Pilar does tapas now, but it's better than you might expect. I miss their upscale diner fare, but it's still a good place to get a viking beer, esp if St Ex is brimming with douches. Both are walking distance from the Black Cat, so one of them will be a good time. Red Room has the best jukebox in the city, though Wonderland is close behind.

In Dupont, I like Tabard Inn's front/fireplace room, Firefly when it's not busy. These are tame, "go and have drinks and talk to the people you came with" kinda palces though.

The R'n'r hotel and "atlas district" are getting better, but it's a pretty sketchy area, relatively (mostly fine, but make sure you have a ride or are willing to take a cab).

[Bona Drag]

agreed, good joints and weird crowd, in a mostly good way, but h st is a bitch to get to

r n' r hotel is great if you want to stand around and look cool, but whenever i've been there it's always too damn loud to try and have any sort of conversation

cosign on basically all of analyst's post, espec. wonderland - though again, not all that easy to get to

you did leave out chief ike's, which is just off 18th

lots of people hate, but for my money still the best joint in the city

chill, beatdown dive bar upstairs and corny thuggish dancefloor downstairs

<3 it

[Analyst]

True. More 80s music singalongs and post-collegiate vomitty drunkenness--not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm there during daylight more often than at night these days. Reef's deck is still OK.

I used to live right across the street from Meridian Hill Park and a few blocks from the heart of Adam's Morgan. After a while, I also preferred going there during the daytime and during the week, rather than during the full-on weekend nights.

Tryst was a great spot to hang out. Comfy couches and free wifi and good brew/drinks.

After DCCD closed down, I think Crooked Beat should still be around in the basement of the the red row house.

Second Story books was a nice second hand bookstore right on the strip.

[poly800rock]

I used to live right across the street from Meridian Hill Park and a few blocks from the heart of Adam's Morgan. After a while, I also preferred going there during the daytime and during the week, rather than during the full-on weekend nights.

Tryst was a great spot to hang out. Comfy couches and free wifi and good brew/drinks.

After DCCD closed down, I think Crooked Beat should still be around in the basement of the the red row house.

Second Story books was a nice second hand bookstore right on the strip.

DCCD closed down? my old band played a few shows there back in the day...that sucks

[joey_formal]

I used to live right across the street from Meridian Hill Park and a few blocks from the heart of Adam's Morgan. After a while, I also preferred going there during the daytime and during the week, rather than during the full-on weekend nights.

Tryst was a great spot to hang out. Comfy couches and free wifi and good brew/drinks.

After DCCD closed down, I think Crooked Beat should still be around in the basement of the the red row house.

Second Story books was a nice second hand bookstore right on the strip.

crooked beat is still in that basement on 18th where as second story books moved over to P st in dupount.

[joey_formal]

DCCD closed down? my old band played a few shows there back in the day...that sucks

poly when was that and what was your band called i booked alot of shows in dc, not at DCCD but alotta places regardless

[GoSurface]

930 club is good. But the last time I was there was when I went and saw Spoon.

Black cat is good.

If you feel like driving, theres Sonar Lounge in Bmore, but that's sort of a drive. Saw Interpol there a few years back.

Umm, Saki in Adams Morgan is good.

There's a restaurant in Adams Morgan that does 'drag' brunch Sunday between 10-2. Drag queens serve you brunch. Could it get any better?

I actually really hate adams morgan after hours. Throw-up everywhere, cops everywhere, drunk-tranny-whores everywhere. It's not pretty. I'm only there for jumbo pizza at 4 in the morning.

The gay clubs are pretty much non-existant, if you're into that. Apex is terrible. Cobalt is not so bad. Anyway, DC is a pretty tame town. Georgetown is alright if you wanna check out a movie.

[MAC SMALLS]

man I knew the guys on SuFu would come through...thanks alot!!!!

[Analyst]

There's a restaurant in Adams Morgan that does 'drag' brunch Sunday between 10-2. Drag queens serve you brunch. Could it get any better?

Ha! I forgot about Perry's....on the corner of Columbia and 18th...

Eastern Market around Capital Hill also has some good breakfast/brunch...plus Capital Hill Books, very cozy place for a quiet Sunday afternoon...

[joey_formal]

Cafe Leopolds in Cadys Alley off M St. in Gtown does a great brunch too.

[syddhartha]

i went to oyamel today. GREAT mexican tapas. it's in penn quarter, down the street from national portrait gallery. try it out.

[Analyst]

bumping this up for the other DC discussion.....

[norcal]

flying into DC from a saturday to wednesday, looking for some suggestions for spots to shake the shoes a bit. not really one for top-40 though, more uptempo jazz/breaks. Any hints?

[Analyst]

Check out 18th Street Lounge to the left of Five. Both are at the Connecticut and 18th Street split. 18th Street Lounge is above a mattress store behind an unmarked door.

[norcal]

Check out 18th Street Lounge to the left of Five. Both are at the Connecticut and 18th Street split. 18th Street Lounge is above a mattress store behind an unmarked door.

i thought i heard that 18th street lounge was a good spot, but it's one of those velvet rope, leave-your-sneakers-at-home-and-get-all-pretty-and-superficial sort of place. don't know, might have been just a bad review...

just looking for a place that i can go in my standard jeans, t-shirt and chuck taylor attire...but still good music/people...

[Analyst]

Actually, your review of 18th Street Lounge is spot on. It's got the obnoxious door policy, dress to impress crowd and such. I used to prefer it on the weekdays as the area gets a bit congested and tiring on the weekends.

If you're looking for something more organic and homegrown go to 14th street. There's a place called HR-57: Center for the Preservation of Jazz and Blues. It draws its name from a Congressional resolution that declared jazz as a rare and celebrated American art. It's got a very local DC and neighborhood crowd. Draws from the Mt. Pleasant, Shaw, Adams Morgan, Dupont set. No dress code. Awesome jazz music and jams that plays late into the night.

Basically, it's the opposite of 18th Street Lounge, which is more jetset lounge-ish, downtempo music on vinyl.