Washington DC boasts of several areas with excellent nightlife. Adams Morgan, Georgetown, and the area near the Verizon Center are probably the best areas for visitors to go bar or club hopping. Pick up a copy of the City Paper for a list of events, there are concerts every single night- from the jazz club Blues Alley, to the gay/lesbian friendly areas of Dupont Circle (particularly the 17th street stretch). 

Adult Entertainment

Adult entertainment is available downtown at Archibald's and The 1720 Club, where you rub elbows with the politicians who occasionally stop in.

Beer 

One of the largest selections of bottled beer in the world is available at the Brickskeller in Dupont Circle, which is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records. They  offer a very extensive selection categorized by Country and Style. Upstairs, one can also obtain draught beer. They usually open at 6pm on weekends. Brickskeller also owns RFD (Regional Food & Drink), which, at 35 taps, boasts one of DC's largest draught beer selection. RFD is located in Chinatown - on the Metro Red/Yellow Line. You can also check out the Capitol City Brewing Company on Capitol Hill after a long day of sightseeing.

Nightclubs-Trendy 

If dancing is your thing, you can see and be seen at MCCXXIII near Dupont, or try H20 or the new Love Nightclub (formerly Dream) for usually packed houses  (note: Love is not on any metro line, so you'll have to cab it or drive there).  Modern in Georgetown is also a good dance spot with excellent DJs and a cool sunken, circular bar. For a lounge-style vibe without the pretense, check out Science Club which brings in top-notch DJs, including periodic surprise visits from internationally renowned names.

Super-clubs

For 11 years, Buzzlife Productions has been leading the way for electronica, house and trance in the DC area.  The venue has changed to Fur Nightclub, and still continues to bring in good talent.  However, it seems that Panorama Productions is now in the forefront of bringing international talent to DC at Club Glow.  These parties hold thousands of patrons and focus more on the music, and less importance on the trendy scene.  However, still dress smart and wear shoes you can actually dance in.

Live Music

Black Cat and 9:30 Club are two of the best smaller venues for live music in the country, and are close to one another near the U Street area. Some other venues include DC9, the Velvet Loungeand the Red and the Black. All tend towards progressive/alternative music, with Red and the Black and the Black Cat frequently venturing into more hardcore and punk. 

Gay/Lesbian

For the most time efficient gay club crawl, head to 17th street in Dupont Circle. Here you will find Club Chaos and the Dupont Italian Kitchen upstairs bar as well as JR's Bar and Grill to name a few spots. Head a few blocks down to the Thomas Circle/14th street area for Halo. Spots for the ladies are unfortunately fewer and far between, but Phase One in Capitol Hill is always a safe bet and Wednesday is Ladies Night at Club Chaos. 

Latin/Salsa

There  are a number of Latin clubs for those looking to salsa, rock out en espanol or chill out to Bossanova or Latin jazz. For dancing, nothing tops Adam's Morgan venue Habana Village with three floors, including a live band and the best mojitos in the city.   Bossa, also in Adams Morgan, also boosts a live band on its first floor and a DJ upstairs on weekends and Cafe Citron in Dupont Circle is a magnet for the (Latino) bold and the beautiful.

For Rock en Espanol, try either Saturday night at the Marx Cafe in Mt. Pleasant or the Rumba Cafe in Adams Morgan. For a laid back Latin vibe, Rumba Cafe has Latin jazz on Wednesday and Thursday and Brazilian music on Fridays. The Chi Cha Lounge on Florida/U street or Rumberos in Columbia Heights are also good bets. 

Jazz

Every Friday night the Atrium Cafe at the National Museum of Natural History is turned into a Jazz Cafe. It's a $10.00 cover and you can purchase food and drinks. Check out the website.

U street is lined with bars that have jazz almost every Th/Fr/Sat night - just take a walk down and follow your ears. Bohemian Caverns is the most famous, but other little places like JoJos or Utopia are good bets as well.

 On 14th street is the venerable HR 57 Club named after House Resolution 57 that celebrates jazz as a distinctly American artform. You can bring your own liquor or wine, but will have to pay a corkage fee and the music acts vary from open mike to some of the best in the business. 

 

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