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LA nightlife

post #1 of 22
3/3/08 at 5:14pm
Thread Starter 
... will be in LA w/ the girlfriend Thurs - Sun ... any suggestions of cool bars to check out? not into the club scene, thinking more along the lines of lounge/bar that might have decent music? cool place for latin music also? anyone been to The Derby?
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post #2 of 22
3/3/08 at 5:31pm
The Derby isn't quite the same as the last time you saw it in "Swingers." The Dresden, however, IS the same.
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post #3 of 22
3/3/08 at 5:34pm
Thread Starter 
is that a rec for the Dresden?
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post #4 of 22
3/3/08 at 5:40pm
Eh, it's Marty and Elaine covering random hits. Not sure what you mean by "decent music." 4100 is a pretty decent lounge with an awesome jukebox (old AFI, Massive Attack, random indie favorites, random 60s/70s, etc.). It was a fav with Kiefer Sutherland before the whole DUI thing. It'd really just help to know your bar scene and go from there.
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post #5 of 22
3/3/08 at 7:08pm
Thread Starter 
RE my bar scene, a bit on the upscale side as opposed to the dive bar, live music is always a plus ...
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post #6 of 22
3/4/08 at 12:39pm
depends on what you consider "decent music"

the Burgundy Room on Cahuenga/Hollywood always has good music, a la punk, powerpop, 80s. and across the street is the Beauty Bar which can play some decent tunes

If you want The Derby from Swingers, you'd need to go on Sunday nite. It's completely changed since owner Tammi died and it changed ownership. M-Sat is "
alt/indie rock" nites, and only sunday is swing/roots/rockabilly

The Dresden is cool, and right nearby is Goodluck Charlies which is also really nice.

If you're around sunday nite, The Cicada Room in downtown is a really upscale lounge that has a live swing band/orchestra. No cover charge on sundays, and it has a dress code of jacket/tie for men, and evening gown/nice dress for women. It's very art deco and it's like stepping back in time to the 30s
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post #7 of 22
3/4/08 at 1:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Get Smart View Post

If you're around sunday nite, The Cicada Room in downtown is a really upscale lounge that has a live swing band/orchestra. No cover charge on sundays, and it has a dress code of jacket/tie for men, and evening gown/nice dress for women. It's very art deco and it's like stepping back in time to the 30s

What about The Edison? I've never been to it since it's in downtown LA, and I tend to stay in places like Santa Monica or Irvine when I'm in the area.
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post #8 of 22
3/4/08 at 1:13pm
Fuck the Edison!
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post #9 of 22
3/4/08 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Get Smart View Post
Fuck the Edison!
Aww...did someone wait outside in the cold? Santa Monica has a few decent places. I'm not big on live music bars unless I'm there specifically to see the band so my suggestions would be for lounges.
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post #10 of 22
3/4/08 at 2:12pm
since you asked for latin, the place for salsa music used to be the century club in century city or the mayan downtown. i don't know if that's still the case, but those two are worth looking into.
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post #11 of 22
3/4/08 at 2:13pm
Thread Starter 
okay thanks ... we'll actually be staying in santa monica ... any suggestions for cool lounges in santa monica, e.g., on the promenade or further down on main street. are there any bars/lounges of note in Melrose nowadays? Hollywood? Westwood? For the three nights perpahs we'll hit a different area each night.
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post #12 of 22
3/4/08 at 2:16pm
Circle Bar in SM's worth checking out. Actually, I really like Main St. in general. It's a cleaner, more compact version of Melrose.
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post #13 of 22
3/4/08 at 2:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveDr89 View Post
okay thanks ... we'll actually be staying in santa monica ... any suggestions for cool lounges in santa monica, e.g., on the promenade or further down on main street.

are there any bars/lounges of note in Melrose nowadays? Hollywood? Westwood? For the three nights perpahs we'll hit a different area each night.

my favorite bar in santa monica is called circle bar. it's on main street. it has dark red lighting and a good vibe overall, but it can be a packed meat-market on weekends, and the music is hit or miss.
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post #14 of 22
3/4/08 at 2:23pm
In Santa Monica I'd spend one night doing the Main St bar crawl. I don't find many of those places especially "cool" but in total it's a cool street to spend a night on. Library Alehouse has a great beer selection if that's your thing.

If you want live music I'd go to the other side of town and hit up Spaceland, The Echo, etc if you like cooler-than-you indie rock. Or you could go to the Mid-Wilshire area and try Molly Malone's, which usually has some pretty interesting bands (last time I was there I saw a bluegrass band made up mostly of D-list and below actors - weird but good). Apart from latin I'm not sure what kind of live music you're looking for though.

Downtown LA, The Edison is pretty cool (despite the attitude - don't show up in sneakers). If you've never been, The Standard's downtown rooftop bar has a great view at sunset and into the early evening. And if you're a whisky fan, Seven Grand is a must - they have a great single malt list. I believe Bordello over in Little Tokyo has live music on occasion but I'm not sure what kind it is.
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post #15 of 22
3/4/08 at 2:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveDr89 View Post
are there any bars/lounges of note in Melrose nowadays?
Melrose has the Snake Pit if you're into dives, and the Village Idiot if you're into more of the brew pub thing. Up Fairfax from Melrose is Lola's which is a martini bar that has a pretty good selection of specialty martinis... I wouldn't really consider it a destination, though, unless you are planning to go pick up trannies on Santa Monica Blvd afterwards.
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Hollywood?
There are tons of very expensive places in Hollywood. But you aren't Lindsay Lohan so you're not getting in (you might have a shot if your girlfriend is an absolute stunner AND she brings a hot friend). If you really want to go out in Hollywood I'd stick to the bars on Cahuenga - Velvet Margarita, Beauty Bar, etc.
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Westwood?
There is no decent place to go out in Westwood. Westwood only has one "bar" (Westwood Brew Co) and that is usually full to the hilt with obnoxious UCLA frat types.
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