CLUB
It's the ultimate house party and it's our pleasure to introduce you to the new Mansion 360. The 40,000 square foot Miami mega-club was recently redesigned from floor to ceiling with unprecedented lighting and sound systems and an edgy new façade. The city of Miami Beach even declared Saturday, January 21st "Mansion Day" as the club reopened its doors to kick off a two day electro-fest deemed "Deadmau5 unhooked."
True to the new 360 concept, the DJ booth has been relocated to the center, promising guests a great performance no matter where they are on the dancefloor. Mansion goes beyond simple bottle service with the new VIP scene, complete with a full private bar with ample tables and seating, all in the shadow of world-renown DJs.
The air might be getting a bit crispy, but that doesn't mean Chicago's party scene is cooling down. And since the Friday night line at the Wit can be enough to make you want to stab someone with your stiletto, you might want to consider moving your night out to the afternoon. With an influx of brunch parties invading New York and Los Angeles (and when we say "brunch party," we're not talking about baby showers), the Wit wasn't about to be left behind.
When merely going out to eat or choosing a date destination becomes a tiresome, banal task, just add music. Whether you're on a date or with friends, the live jazz music performed at these intimate restaurants will have you grooving, chewing, and coming back for more.
Jazz Standard: Underneath Danny Meyer's cajun Blue Smoke rests this jazz and barbecue Flatiron oasis. Opt for Blue Smoke's extensive menu or feast on the lounge's own selection featuring Toasted Pork Ravioli "St.Louis Style" with Smoked Tomato Sauce, Yellow Fin Tuna Tacos, Crispy Chili Crusted Calamari, Sweet Potato Wedges with Maple Dip and more. With it's great acoustics, big band and quintet sets, reservations are necessary to get a seat. www.jazzstandard.net
A much talked about spot in Dallas, for many reasons, is Kinki Lounge. Kinki Lounge is a popular dance club that is open Thursday through Sunday from 10pm-2am; and the best part is that there is no cover charge. They play top 40’s music that’ll keep you dancing all night long, even though there isn’t much room to dance. Kinki’s is located near other hot spots in Dallas so the hype energy can be felt from miles away. Drink prices are the same as most clubs in Dallas ($4-$7). The crowd is young and sexy; the shorter and tighter the outfit, the better. Many of the goers have mixed feelings about this place calling it “the most balling place in Dallas” and “the suckiest place in Dallas,” however the club is usually packed every night. It’s the type of place that you’ll have to experience for yourself to see if it's your style.
3606B Greenville Ave, Dallas TX, (214) 874-0400
Sometimes, you just gotta dance. And sometimes, you just gotta pay rent. Which means sometimes you don't have the cash for bottle service. If you're used to throwing down for a table, or you've made a habit of avoiding the clubs all together, the prospect of mingling with the masses can be daunting. Below, we've provided some quick and dirty tips to help you stay sane and keep your body in its upright and locked position.
1) Know your limits: Yes, we're all here to get a little drunk and have some fun, but there's nothing fun about being the chick who's stumbling all over the club, breaking glasses and falling on strangers, or the doofy frat boy knocking over innocent young women left and right. There's also nothing fun about a trip to the ER to remove a spiked heel from the top of your foot. Make everyone's night--and your next morning--a little easier by sticking to around a drink an hour, or less.
2) Finish your drink at a bar, at a table, in a corner or in a smoking area: Do shots if you have to. Just don't bring a drink on the dance floor. It will spill on you, it will spill on your friends, it will spill on strangers, and it will spill on the floor. Some truly amazing clubs have an enforced no-drinks-on-the-dance-floor policy. The rest of us should learn from their wisdom.
3) If you're dancing, stick to the middle of the floor: Logic may be telling you that you're safer toward the edges--there's a bit more fresh air, and you can make a quicker getaway--but if you're worried about getting crushed to death, you're actually better off smack in the middle of the floor. Here, fewer people trying to get from Point A to Point B, leaving you with a thick safety cushion of relatively stationary bodies. Think of it as an airbag for your fist-pump-mobile.
4) If you aren't dancing: For goodness sake, get out of the club! But seriously, if you aren't dancing, don't stand in the middle of the dance floor talking to your friends. Don't wander around the room looking for a better vantage point. Instead, pick an out-of-the-way spot to enjoy your drink, and do your best not to look like a total creeper.
5) Don't be afraid to use your arms: Short of a stern lecture from Patrick Swayze a la Dirty Dancing, nothing says "This is my dance space, not your dance space," like a swift elbow to the ribs. We're not advocating physical violence, here, but there are plenty of crafty ways to use your upper appendages as a buffer. Dance with your arms up and your elbows out, and use them to gently deflect anyone who gets within grinding range. If someone just happens to fall on your elbow and hurt themselves, well, it wasn't your fault that they weren't paying attention.
6) Don't be afraid to use your arms, Part 2: If a creepy-ass dude grabs your wrist in a lame attempt to get you to talk to him, don't smile like you owe him something. Don't ask him nicely to let go. Instead twist your arm free like this and get the hell away from him. You are not anyone's property. Contact security if necessary, but whatever you do...
7) ... Don't start a fight! With obvious exceptions for when you're in real physical danger, there's no need to engage with anyone who tries to harass you. If nasty words or unwanted touches are exchanged, a few steps back, a firm request to back off and a conversation with the nearest bouncer are your best bets for staying safe--and not getting thrown out of the club on your ass.
8) Go dancing with firefighters: Seriously, these guys have made a whole career out of safely maneuvering themselves and other people through tight spaces, so they're super-well-equipped to steer you clear of any chaos. Plus, no one looks better in a button-down.
9) Befriend a staff person, especially one who's bigger than you: This works especially well at clubs that bring in live entertainment. No one's going to mess with you while you're being personally serenaded by a tall, muscular conga drummer (thanks, Curtis!).
10) Find an elevated surface: You may not get off on being the center of attention, but there's no better way to keep safe from the crowds than to take higher ground. Some clubs don't allow this, so make sure you know your venue. Then, find a safe place to stash your stilettos, climb up on a chair, platform, or similar and shake what your mama gave you. It may feel like everyone in the room is looking at you, but they're just jealous that you're not swimming in anyone else's sweat. Oh and, uh, unless you're on the club's payroll, keep your clothes on.
It’s Saturday morning. You had a lot of plans today. You were supposed to clean the apartment, do the laundry, tinker around with your resume so you can start applying for a new job. The weather is gorgeous, bright and sunny—the warmest it’s been in months. After a little work around the house, you were planning on exploring the city on your new bicycle, then maybe going out for dinner and drinks with your best friend a little later. Drinks? You start to gag at the thought.
Nope, none of those things are going to happen today. You feel like you’ve been pummeled with a frying pan while riding a rollercoaster all night long...before crashing face first into the bottom of a birdcage. Your mouth is dry and your tongue, toxic. Nausea makes every little noise and ray of light feel like utter torture. You moan and clamp a pillow over your head, but that’s not before you realize that you don’t see your purse anywhere near your bed, where you usually dump it before climbing into bed after a late night. It must be near the front door, right? You bolt out of bed to check. Nowhere in sight. You must have lost it last night. Scheisse.
It’s Saturday morning. You had a lot of plans today. You were supposed to clean the apartment, do the laundry, tinker around with your resume so you can start applying for a new job. The weather is gorgeous, bright and sunny—the warmest it’s been in months. After a little work around the house, you were planning on exploring the city on your new bicycle, then maybe going out for dinner and drinks with your best friend a little later. Drinks? You start to gag at the thought.
Nope, none of those things are going to happen today. You feel like you’ve been pummeled with a frying pan while riding a rollercoaster all night long...before crashing face first into the bottom of a birdcage. Your mouth is dry and your tongue, toxic. Nausea makes every little noise and ray of light feel like utter torture. You moan and clamp a pillow over your head, but that’s not before you realize that you don’t see your purse anywhere near your bed, where you usually dump it before climbing into bed after a late night. It must be near the front door, right? You bolt out of bed to check. Nowhere in sight. You must have lost it last night. Scheisse.
This past Friday at the club (almost) atop of The Standard hotel in the Meatpacking District, was another great night of dancing. There were many fashionable stand-outs and at least one random celebrity appearance; nothing uncommon in New York City.
Since its opening last summer, with a pool opened to the public, Le Bain has maintained its uber-chic appeal which allows for a downtown edge to be a part of its approach. Within the L-shaped room with its black walls, disco ball, bubble-embellished walls, and wrap-around day-glo white circular lights and rainbow flashes that make you feel you’re experiencing a space odyssey, they were three DJs that controlled the music that night, including “Beat Box” by The Sounds and ‘90s classics like “Right Here” by SWV and “Hypnotize” by The Notorious B.I.G., appropriately enough as the fourteenth anniversary of his death was on March 9.
Sometimes you just want to get away from it all: from the lines and the poseurs, from the famous and the fame whores, from the same ol’ same ol’. The night scene always gets stale after a while, whether you’re in Los Angeles or New York. But other than sit at home or go to some lame hole in the wall where no one shows up because it, well, sucks, where can you go? Is there some sort of underground nightlife that only a select few know about?
Secret L.A.—it sounds impossible, and maybe in a certain sense it always will be, because when you think about it, statistically speaking, there are bound to be at least 5,000 people in the city who share the exact same idea of what constitutes a good time, and shortly after you find your very own cool, “unknown” spot, they'll find it too, elongating the line, driving up prices, and, of course, ruining your experience. Still, there are some places that have at least the semblance of secrecy. These spots are probably a little under the radar or at least it appear to be—and in this city, one can’t really ask for more than that.
A typical Monday night may consist of cooking dinner and plopping down on the couch to watch the beginning primetime shows for the week. After all, the weekend’s just ended and there is not much to do. Local DJ’s Richie Panic, Key&Kite and Q Bar are changing this with a night they like to call "Wanted".
Thrown weekly, Wanted puts a different spin on the typical Castro night out. By incorporating self-made remixes, on-the-fly mixing and the latest in indie-dance music, Wanted has become one of the most popular nights in San Francisco, regardless of the day of the week.
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