If you’ve packed your dancing
shoes, check out The Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard or Dragonfly
on Santa Monica Boulevard. Both places welcome live bands on a
regular basis. Count on a younger crowd, (twenties &
thirties), and long lines on weekend nights. The Gig in
Hollywood also hosts a wide variety of rock and pop music bands
such as Grasshopper Takeover and Fat Opie for your dancing
pleasure.
If you want the ultimate
atmosphere surrounding you while you dance, check out the
seasonal Santa Monica Pier Twilight Dance Series. You can
dance your heart out with the Pacific Ocean and the sandy
beaches surrounding you as a rock, pop, R&B or country group
entices the waves to dance right along with you.
A bit older crowd loves to drop
in at The Coconut Club, named after the Ambassador’s
former supper club. Merv Griffin has created a place that will
surely catch your fancy if you like to do a bit of ballroom
dancing or cha cha a step or two. The full orchestra gives this
place a classy feeling you won’t soon forget. Be sure to tuck
a few extra bills in your pockets when you head to this
club, it's usually very expensive.
If you want to see the big game
while in LA, you should consider stopping in to a local sports
bar. There are many of them scattered around LA and Orange
County. (LA County comprises the northern part of the general
Los Angeles area while Orange County stretches out just south of
it.) When visiting Long Beach down in Orange County, you’ll
want to head straight for Tracy’s Sports Bar and Grill.
Should you want to confine your evening activities to LA County,
try out Tony P’s in the beautiful Marina del Rey part
of town. (Three nights a week, Tony P’s sports bar area
converts into a highly popular dance venue for many of the
well-heeled regulars).
Another of the city’s best
sports bars, Teasers, is located in a tourist’s
paradise, Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade area. You’ll
feel revitalized by the salty Pacific Ocean air as you walk
among this colorful and unique collection of restaurants and
shops as you head to this bar. Should you just be looking for a
sports bar where you can play a simple game of darts, shoot some
pool or watch a game on TV, head straight for D.B. Cooper’s
on Motor Avenue. It’s a very casual and laid-back place.
If you love comedy clubs, then
L.A. is second to none in its array of top-notch ones you can
choose from during your nocturnal forays around the city.
Perhaps best known is the Comedy Store on Sunset
Boulevard where some of the most talented comics and
sitcom stars got their starts.
There’s also the Comedy and
Magic Club down in Hermosa Beach. Jay Leno often tries out
new material there on Sunday nights before presenting it on his
late-night talk show. Other highly talented comedians perform
there as well. If you want to visit a place that’s been around
since the Sixties when it was a folk music hangout and that has
hosted the likes of George Carlin, Lily Tomlin, Dana Carvey and
many others, drive out to Pasadena in the San Gabriel Valley
area and catch a show at the Ice House. While there you
can even order a tasty dinner before the show starts.
Before leaving the city, die-hard
comedy fans might want to check out The Groundlings Theatre
on Melrose Avenue. Many successful Saturday Night Live stars got
their start with this famous improvisational group.
As your evening starts to wind
down, you can stop off at one of L.A.’s trendy or more
established bars and lounges for a nightcap. Big Foot Lodge
on Los Feliz Boulevard is the type of place that will make you
feel like your visiting some sort of Sixties ski lodge with its
roaring fire and heavily paneled interior. As you sip your drink
there, you can listen to the tunes being played by the resident
DJ or concentrate on your friend’s lively conversation.
For those who prefer the feel of
an English bar, the John Bull English Pub in Pasadena on
South Fair Oaks Avenue is a great place to grab a drink or even
an entire meal. On the weekends, this place turns into a very
popular dance spot late at night.
While in town, you may also want
to just stop in for a cocktail at the famous Polo Lounge
located in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Watch as the upcoming
stars of tomorrow try to act calm while seeking to impress the
agents and producers at their tables. Keep in mind that others
in this big city just can’t get enough of Café La Boheme
in West Hollywood when they would like a great drink or two to
help them unwind after a busy workday or when gearing up for an
exciting night on the town.
