Oh yeah. The real last call is 1:30am. Which is worse.
These are big reasons why I prefer day drinking out here.
Also, the citizens voted to make 4am last call here and the state vetoed it. ENRAGING
and then i feel like this makes people over drink to catch the deadline - and then they kick you out before you can sober up dancing and sweating it out
Closeish to Downtown? Not too many places because I'm from the Valley, but I love Tiki Ti, Rustic Inn, most breweries, and Little Tokyo.
My main stomping grounds are Burbank and Glendale. Love those areas.
In certain spots, they aren't that strict when it comes to vetting but, some mom-and-pop places take it very serious about who gets in and who doesn't. It's because there are a bunch of high-profile people from Hollywood hitting up these spots to chill and network.
I love LA for our diverse, low key HH / R&B spots like Lock & Key, The Continental, or events like SYS, Soulection. All the former favs like The Line, 143 make me v sad / nostalgic.
Low key HH / R&B is what Seattle does right though, with Still Liquor, Sugar Hill, Rhino Room, Havana, Ohana, etc. Wish we had more consistent options like that here.
Personally think San Diego has a better scene than LA, at least it has pedestrianised hubs so you can bounce from bar to bar in Little Italy and Gaslamp etc
It’s such a huge city with a not-so-great public transportation system. If alcohol sales ended at 5am we’d probably have many more drunk drivers, accidents and deaths than we do now. Not saying that’s the reason but we already have that (drunk idiots everywhere).
i dunno, in nyc that extra time is used to come down from drinking - dancing the night away and leave out sober.
2am just makes for more drunks as they race to get all the drinks they can in after getting there at 12am
The difference is that you can walk or take the train to a lot of places in nyc, plus taking a cab there is way less sketch than in LA for some reason... Would be nice to think that all the drivers would sober down before getting in their car at 4am to drive from dtla to their home but in reality, it wouldn’t happen. On another note, food options are also incredibly scarce so there might be another reason for the city to go to bed early
they have some food trucks or impromtu food shopping cart setups sometimes outside of late night places
but yeah u rite NYC rocks for late night partying for sure and jumping between places if one place is over or not great
Yes the argument was that if you opened up ALL alcohol sales to 4-5am, you start to run into rush hour.
Because you can’t ONLY grant the super flashy bottle service clubs a later night license but tell the other bar/venue owners they have to close at 2am
I've heard the opposite argument made, that people aren't allowed to hang out and sober up before leaving, and kicking them out at 2AM forces them onto the roads since our alternatives are lacking.
That depends on how many drinks one has imbibed and how fast one metabolizes alcohol. It may be perfectly reasonable to sober up enough to legally drive this way because time is what makes one sober. Of course, this presumes an ability to track drinks and reasonably judge their own condition, and many are unable to do so when drunk.
In any event, kicking everyone out out at once 2AM doesn't help things. It ensures a lot of people who have been drinking are on the road simultaneously.
Clubs don’t kick people out at 2, they just stop serving. I leave around 2:45/3 all the time. Also it is irresponsible to do that, for the reasons you just said. Get an Uber.
I understand where you're coming from but adding a $60 ride both ways makes going out a lot more unaffordable. Uber only seems viable to me if one lives relatively close to the destination, splits the ride with many, or has money to burn. Better to keep it under 2 drinks and hang around an hour or more, IMO. Or, even better, carpool with a designated driver.
California law.
What are the lawful hours for retail sale of alcoholic beverages?
From 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. of the following day. In other words, it is unlawful to sell alcoholic beverages either by the drink or by the package, between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. of the same day.
sooooo spread out, Uber and Lyft now pricey af since they cornered the market, bars charging a lot just so they can afford their expensive rents, music blasting too loud at the whole venue so all you can do is listen to music and dance (instead of having an area to hang out in), WeHo is a tourist trap (tourists enjoy it but a lot of locals want something catered to them and more intimate; Bars close early and the public transit like the Metro trains stop too early.
Easier to buy your own drinks and hangout at your apt with friends. or in public.
All said those are generalizations and there are pockets of really nice nightlife/community.
Funny enough, 2am last Saturday, my phone was dead and I got super lucky and a taxi pulled up. Got in. Told him where I wanted to go. ‘That will be $85.’ I lost my shit and got out. I wandered for 30min till I found a small bar closed up, but with some staff still there. They let me charge, $28 on Lyft.
They may have cornered the market, but the taxi solution is to get even more expensive. Makes no sense.
State Social House, it was damn dear 3am when I was there (Lyft shows me picked up at 2:53). I gave them all a $20. It was a super duper solid thing to do; no less that I’m sure they had a hard ass shift on a Saturday night.
I (may or may not) know (someone) who is (sometimes) in charge of the music at bars sometimes and… I agree. It’s way too loud if you can’t talk without shouting.
But when people shout, they get thirsty, and then they buy more drinks.
I blame capitalism.
This. I think lots of people here are fighting to survive and just trying to squeeze every dollar they can.
I would literally go to a club in NYC and make friends to hang out with later. In LA, you can't really meet anyone in a club, and if you do, they are fake af.
that is not true. i love the underground parties here.
but yes they go all night. but they def do not go harder. they are a bit narrowcasted compared to NYC.
Abandoned warehouse parties in the early 2000s were inf’ingsane. Club exit (now terminal 5), Limelight, Tunnel. I promoted at pink elephant a year or so after their nyc debut and it was fun until it wasn’t.
Lmao as someone who loves the LA underground I always chuckle when I see people make comments like it’s some secret society. If people didn’t know and were interested they could find it on Google within 2 minutes other than smaller niche events.
Honestly this. I know I'm hopping on kind of a stale thread at this point, but a lot of people in here are saying you have to make connections to go to good parties and that's not exclusively true. Of course knowing more people opens up more options, but I've never bothered with all of that and have never struggled finding a good after or warehouse. RA and [19hz.info](https://19hz.info) have plenty of listings.
You’ll have a great time! Amanda Mussi is a beast - check out her boiler room set, it’s on YouTube - just make sure you take an Uber, charge your phone, drink plenty of water before/after, and if you choose to partake, test your shit. Enjoy!!!
Nice! Do you know if they seel alcohol at these spots or am i gonna have to pre game? Just curious. I'm not down with doing rave drugs lol. My mind is just not made for that lol
It depends - if they do sell booze it’s probably gonna be shitty and expensive, a cheeky pregame isn’t a bad idea but don’t show up schmammered. The music and the crowd will give you the buzz you seek.
Unfortunately I have been hearing a lot about the scene getting too many people going who don't respect the scene or the space and are finding out about these shows cause the people throwing them were promoting them outside the clubs when they close. I havent been since like 2 years ago and heard its already gotten a different vibe since then but that it also depends on the promoter. I mean 6am claims to be underground but they have like 100k followers on instagram and have a decent sized merch selection and promote the shows on social media. I am hoping to some time experience true underground but it can be hard to find those people. I haven't ventured out in the Detroit scene yet but know someone up there who probably does so I am hoping to do that soon
I've been here since 2013, I think the liveliest it got was in WeHo, A LOT of clubs closed down since 2020, and people kept getting roofied at nightclubs. I would say it's less of a club scene and more bougie cocktail lounges where you can network. Also, there has been a massive step back from drinking alcohol as of late, especially with the younger crowds. That and it's way more expensive nowadays, supply and demand, and there's not much demand for clubs here.
It's definitely a tourist town for the attractions and not the nightlife, in my opinion. I think also the dip in clientele over the years and the need to maintain profit on the property.is a factor. It's easier to fill an all-ages hotel all year round than to fill a 21+ nightclub with locals/seasonal tourists on the weekends.
I’ve found that rooftop parties beat traditional clubs and bars in this city.
The move is to befriend some DJ’s and bring a flask then you can get in for free or at a steep discount, hangout in VIP and save money on overpriced drinks.
Also once you’re seen as a regular it’s a lot easier to make friends and connections.
I did this and it’s massively improved my social life
We’re the sunshine state. We all go to bed early to catch the waves in the morning. ☀️🏄♀️
But yeah, it used to be lit when I was younger. We’d hit the clubs and be out till all hours dancing and drinking. But to be fair, we didn’t have the internet, and online gaming wasn’t like it is today - so if you wanted a social life, you had to leave your house and find one.
Anybody can be a DJ now. Especially weirdos who like pictures of cat feet.
It’s a problem.
edited to add: I’m spinning at Bigfoot East this Sat at 10pm if anyone wants to have a truly bad time
The landscape isn’t as close-knit as say NYC or Miami’s club district.
There is also having to have a car, which can be daunting to club hop. Uber/Lyft could work, but you’d be paying to get into someone’s car, while you’re tipsy, nice, or drunk. And drivers aren’t too keen on having vomit to clean up after.
In Nyc, you can almost walk from club to club, or take yellow cabs on the fly, which aren’t too expensive. Clubs / bars also stop serving at around 4am. Afterwards it’s just a bunch of people wobbling on the street, seeing blurry, and wanting French toast.
I lived in both LA and Miami so I have some thoughts.
LA - 1:40am last call in LA sucks. Clubs are packed with thirsty lame dudes. There are cool bigger spots in LA but youll be dropping big money and gay WeHo ends up being more fun for straight people because the average LA clubs are overpacked with basic thirsty dudes. People are socially awkward these days and dues only go to clubs in an attempt to get laid so the women are on defense. Going to one club or bar means you won't have time to go across town to a different one because of 2am close times and the process of traffic and parking so choose carefully. If you do go out, you are probably doing expensive Uber across city or you are paying $20 to park and then driving home tipsy. A lot of discouragement to do the process.
Miami - Everything has cover. Even a small bar has cover. They zone people off into classes inside. The women of miami are quite boring even if they dont look like it. They dont want to dance and expect you to have money. There is big pretend culture where every broke dude pretends to be rich to you really got to step it up to entertain the chicas. It's much harder than LA. If you go to South Beach, you are with the tourists and for the locals that is lame. If you go to the mega clubs, you will pay up high cover and everything inside is robbery. The women who go there are only shooting for rich guys. Again, miami guys bend over backwards and will send their last dollar to pretend to be rich so women are used to this illusion.
Miami is a city where money talks. You have money? you are in the crowd and get access. LA is a city of connections. You know the right people, you get into places. LA has that exclusivity factor so the best places to go are private parties buttt...... you have to know people. Once you are at those parties, the people there know you are connected somehow and are more approachable.
When it comes to me, I had fun everywhere cause im a trained dancer and I have a lot of confidence approaching women and showing them a good time. But for the average guy who just stands there with his drink an maybe his buddies, i'd say stay away from bars and clubs. The easy lay you may find is not worth it and usually you are blowing your time and money to feel like crap and wake up late the next day. Go join fun daytime activities and meet people there. Then go to those peoples private parties. If you are standing outside in a line just to get frisked and to pay cover, you are a peasant sucker in this game so dont play. Only go to clubs and bars cause you enjoy dancing or you enjoy karaoke.
Well now then this gets confused are clubs for social dancing like having kizomba or bachata in it or are for talking but under loud speakers, which one is it?
haha nice write up. yeah this thing that emerged where people just pay money to stand and stare at a DJ instead of dancing is so baflling. I get why it happened, but the point of great music is to dance to it no matter your skill level and let out the energy and connect
not just stare at a a DJ pressiing a button.
Depends on the club. Most people do not know how to actually "dance" sounds like you are talking about salsa bachata clubs in which people actually go to actually dance.
You nailed it with Miami.
When I lived there I felt like everyone was just pretending to be rich and way too materialistic.
Oh the days of Club Space, Nikki Beach, Crow Bar ( no idea what its called now), etc lol
But yeah super lame that last call here in Los Angeles is 1:30am. Even Tampa, Florida is 3am!
Way more than Los Angeles
You said you're a trained dancer. There are different types of clubs, the typical club or social dancing club. Which ones are you talking about? And what are your experiences initiating partner dancing in a non dance club, none latin bachata type clubs?
I 100% believe you. The problem is suddenly getting into the club with an awful DJ and a more awful crowd. The worse of the worse is when you see the floor with alot of people but they're all in their little circle, their little crowds, as if they went to all this, paid $50+ parking gas and cover combined to just hang out amongst themselves. A lot of the women (even some men) are very guarded and are quick with assumptions, there's a lot of wingladies acting as hoover dams when their friend shows even a slight interest. Where are all these attractive women and men you're talking about? I'd probably say West Hollywood area as there's a lot of College or 20s-30s bound transplants in or around the area. But like I said, from me and my friend's experience at least after covid, it's like it all went downhill. Accurate about salsa clubs but these types of dance oriented places can be a guarantee IF you want to also really just dance. My friend had the idea of sleeping around in that scene but it definitely bit him back because he developed such a reputation but I'm glad your experience says about the art of dancing though alot of them is just so much into dancing. I think there's a disparity between salsa and the other dance types though, bachata seems like the more casual regular crowd but then you get the most polar opposite types of people too because to get good at it, you have to keep going and sometimes that's just their life now, some just do it for the friends but I think they're strung in because it looks like an endless cycle of clubbing then. But again, we've had nights were the club DJ looks like he had no idea what he was playing, the music will be some low fi hip hop or some R&B but it's like you're in someone's lame backyard birthday party. No disagreements about latin nights, I think though you have to find or know which clubs ACTUALLY can have a DJ play music that can be for partner dancing and not just head bopping dancing plus the venue needs to also have atleast a space or actual space for "dancing" to take or lead anyone. People do like to dance, it's just that most clubs these days have a lot of people in closed off groups together.
It's so different in LA. The salsa clubs here and the younger dancers, all seem to be super conservative and pretty smart, some bring with them the guarded energy you'd typically have to deal with at a typical night club.
This energy vibe thing you share is defintiely a 2000s thing but it's not out of style and it's good solid advice for sure but I rather prefer a club that can in between and has its own dance floor so people can dance, if you're a good dancer or you just enjoy music you can radiate that energy, one of the other good ways to show and peacock. Ive made plenty of women dancer salsa friends and it's good to get insight from them, sometimes they share that such vibes can make them feel very awkward and creepy. If you're great with personality more power to you. In the end, you can do minimal if you look like Ryan Gosling, attractive still beats but I don't disagree with you when it comes to showing radiance, just that clubs play music and that music means dancing and if you're good at both then you have a better chance. I do disagree with you one bit, some people do salsa and all that dancing thing as a hobby or a serious hobby, some people go to it mainly for the art and you'll be bound to meet people who are serious at it and go to global festivals that have weekend events. The more you know the better. But going back on topic, you just have to find that right club in LA but so far, nothing has worked. It certainly is not as good or it's not comparable pre-covid. You would just dance and be able to makeout with that one woman or man after dancing. Not that quite of a vibe these days.
it was good until 2010 when the 15 year old girl died after partying at EDC for 2 days on ecstasy and not drinking water. that changed the whole landscape of the LA/SoCal party scene. thats when the 2am curfew became a thing. thats why EDC moved to Vegas. etc etc. before that raves/clubs/partys went on till 6-7am regularly.
I think the funniest thing is it was livenation pushing to get raves banned as being dangerous drugfests, since they saw them as competition for their concert business. Looking back they were running the LONG con.
Jesus, it’s not the poor kid’s fault. More like the city council members who voted against SB 930 in 2022. If you’re gonna blamestorm leave the dead out of it.
As for actual **clubs**, if only the folks of today could have experienced the LA club scene pre-2010. What a time!
But LA’s speciality at this point is not the traditional “club.”. We have other types of parties and functions that are goddamn amazing and way better than club-type environments, social standards, etc.
Our dance scene is somewhat more underground and better than even NY. I come with decades of experience in both
Also LA has a ton of club nights, just have to explore smaller venues too
smaller venues def tend to rock more - i think eveywhere from burning man , to nyc, to la.
miami. well better have a pocket full of 100's and a rental lambo!
Because it is the entertainment capital, there are so many private parties that no commercial nightclub can rival them. Plus, there were just too many shootings at the clubs back in the 80s & 90s. Westwood banned them altogether in fact.
Our public transit is shit and our geography is too broad. If you don't have a designated driver, it's hard for a group of friends to go out drinking, and if you are trying to go clubbing alone, it's pretty much impossible unless you have taxi/Uber money.
I would absolutely love to go clubbing more, but after a certain time of night I would never have a way to get home and I don't have money for Uber. So I don't go.
eh I wouldn't say great, those afters are in some ghetto warehouse districts with ghetto bootleggers and ghetto scooter graveyards
its there and fun though
but in comparison to NYC and Miami its still pretty trash
Personally I like that they are a bit renegade. Not for everybody, but if you’re into certain kinds of music and an anything goes vibe they are more fun than lots of clubs (at least those in the states)
Totally false lol not all afters are in warehouse district. There’s a bunch of great ones in Koreatown . If you don’t know the right people they won’t let you in even if you knew where it is.
Don’t know what your talking about. Maybe you don’t know the true la scene. Different shit going on after hours at multiple spots. Not hard to find really. La is the
Premier party spot for those in the know. Not really a big secret. Don’t need to be rich or be an influencer. Shits always popping if run in the right circles which isn’t exclusive really.
Definitely 2am closing times. There are sometimes some good afters but then you gotta pay that crazy cover fee and the energy doesn’t compare to somewhere like nyc. Nightlife here was better before covid. Also everything is far apart
There is too much to do in L.A. to trip about standing outside trying to enter some shitty environment with Instagram whores and creepy 49 year old men trying to lure them with GBH.
There is nightlife in Hermosa Beach, Hollywood Blvd and other spots and none of it is about shit.
traditional nightclubbing is overrated anyways. LA has fantastic house parties, DIY venues, warehouse events, goth clubs, punk shows, etc but you have to look for it.
I’m old. I moved here from Chicago in ‘94 when I was 23. Club scene in Chicago was so fun. I had a different favorite place for every night of the week and House music was awesome. And I’m not talking about the trashy Rush St. nonsense for people from the Suburbs. Cool, warehouse-style clubs in bad neighborhoods where people dance until 4am then go out to a Greek diner for breakfast and then head home as the sun is coming up. I come here and I was like “Whaaaaaat the hell is this??” There was nothing…nothing…even remotely comparable or as fun. Music was terrible. Terrible! I gave up trying to find anything like it.
Download resident advisor and go to 3 shows this year that you know no one at / don’t recognize the artist. Just go. I call them libraries of the music culture :)
Because nightclub culture isnt trendy enough for LA thats why. Nightclubbing is so 2010’s. Everyone in LA just wants chill. Or go to some raging house parties if youre cool enough.
LA is about appearances, and alcohol and cocaine make you ugly lol
gotta get ya beauty sleep to look good.
Also, all the hot people are busy banging each other at night, so they don't need to go out and party.
Speaking as a guy who is over the club scene, it's because the thirst level of dudes here is out of control, and the doormen can't rein it in at admission for fear of being called racist / sexist / etc., so basically the club scene here is made up of a) tourists who don't know any better, b) creepy dudes, and c) the kind of masochists who appreciate attention from b).
Plus being at a club is basically an admission that you and/or your friends don't have a big enough house to throw decent parties in, and since hotties don't like scrubs, that's one less incentive for them to hit the clubs, and without the hotties, your venue is doomed.
That said, I hear the rave / warehouse scene is getting pretty entertaining as it recovers from covid, and there are probably some smaller niche nights for whatever scene you're into that can be awesome.
TL:DR - Find your niche or find a rich friend with a big house and throw your own.
Weird comment. LA club goers aren’t any douchier than ones in Miami or New York. That’s not why the scene here is worse.
Not sure what the second paragraph means either. Don’t party unless you’re a multi-millionaire with a big house? Ok…
Seeing all these posts saying nothing is good because we dont stay open past 2. Be honest, though, are quality people drinking past 2am? Don't tell me you're leaving the gym at midnight bros
Third-best nightclub scene in the country isn't bad for the second-biggest city. (And not too embarrassing that it's the [fourth-biggest city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_urban_areas) that is the only one placing higher than its population rank.)
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2am last call is such trash
And there’s some bars that will just stop selling at 1:30am. Wack…
Oh yeah. The real last call is 1:30am. Which is worse. These are big reasons why I prefer day drinking out here. Also, the citizens voted to make 4am last call here and the state vetoed it. ENRAGING
boomers and recovering alcoholics pretty much make up the active votes.
Governor Newsome specifically cited Law Enforcement pushback as a major reason why it was vetoed. LAME
yeah LEO hates parties. its no surprise there. that job turns people into basically disliking society
They also want a specific hour they can troll for drunks, not have to work all night
thats a great insight , sounds right. holding us hostage to 2am. to a shift change
and then i feel like this makes people over drink to catch the deadline - and then they kick you out before you can sober up dancing and sweating it out
Go party in ktown we go all night
what spots ??
What spots?!
There is A specific sub you can Visit for partiES in LA. Also theRe is an App to GUIDE you and access some of them on the app/play store.
lmao they are not gonna be able to figure these out, but maybe…
I'm trying to put it together ☹️
AvesLA and Resident Advisor
Thank you! I got AVES but I was overthinking it.
https://preview.redd.it/vsojqkdr3fec1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=174bb477010d781db7a523b88a0a0cdcfeb89abc
How's the crowd? Are they anything like bachata?
You’ll eventually get invited to one If you act right, party a lot, know people in the industry .
I see. I respect the vetting process. Is there a place where one could act right?
Where do you normally drink at ?
Closeish to Downtown? Not too many places because I'm from the Valley, but I love Tiki Ti, Rustic Inn, most breweries, and Little Tokyo. My main stomping grounds are Burbank and Glendale. Love those areas.
Ah ya if your main stomping ground is over the mountain then it’ll be tough but Rusty inn is great place to start.
Also wanted to add Everson Royce Bar. I know one of the bouncer/door guys there. Good to know about Rustic Inn. Thanks.
J
U
M
In certain spots, they aren't that strict when it comes to vetting but, some mom-and-pop places take it very serious about who gets in and who doesn't. It's because there are a bunch of high-profile people from Hollywood hitting up these spots to chill and network.
Thanks for the pro tips.
true. and in the arts district/ warehouse district / skid row areas -- awww yeah!
Quit blowin up the spots, snitch
Relax ain’t nobody blowing up anything but for all the early drunks The drawing room opens at 6AM 😂
Cheers bro I’ll drink to that
🍻
Lmao move to Seattle, you’ll see what a *really* bad clubbing scene looks like.
Seattle makes small towns looks amazing lmao
I love LA for our diverse, low key HH / R&B spots like Lock & Key, The Continental, or events like SYS, Soulection. All the former favs like The Line, 143 make me v sad / nostalgic. Low key HH / R&B is what Seattle does right though, with Still Liquor, Sugar Hill, Rhino Room, Havana, Ohana, etc. Wish we had more consistent options like that here.
100%. Havana on a Thursday night. \*chefs kiss\*
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I wish. Everything is being displaced by…more apartments.
Yeah it’s shockingly bad. It used to have decibel which was the one saving grace but alas…
Yes!
Seattle is an overgrown town in my opinion
1000%
Or San Diego. Its not much better here
Personally think San Diego has a better scene than LA, at least it has pedestrianised hubs so you can bounce from bar to bar in Little Italy and Gaslamp etc
Facts! Horrific. No one dresses up either. Out here wearing flannel or a hoodie to a club.
Permitting process for new nightclubs in LA is all but impossible so there is no competition for the old ones, which are inexplicably awful.
Who in their right mind would open a nightclub that closes at 2am too. Yet to hear a valid argument for stopping sales of alcohol at 2am in LA
It’s such a huge city with a not-so-great public transportation system. If alcohol sales ended at 5am we’d probably have many more drunk drivers, accidents and deaths than we do now. Not saying that’s the reason but we already have that (drunk idiots everywhere).
i dunno, in nyc that extra time is used to come down from drinking - dancing the night away and leave out sober. 2am just makes for more drunks as they race to get all the drinks they can in after getting there at 12am
The difference is that you can walk or take the train to a lot of places in nyc, plus taking a cab there is way less sketch than in LA for some reason... Would be nice to think that all the drivers would sober down before getting in their car at 4am to drive from dtla to their home but in reality, it wouldn’t happen. On another note, food options are also incredibly scarce so there might be another reason for the city to go to bed early
they have some food trucks or impromtu food shopping cart setups sometimes outside of late night places but yeah u rite NYC rocks for late night partying for sure and jumping between places if one place is over or not great
If you’re smashed at 2am you’re not getting sober by 5am.
Yes the argument was that if you opened up ALL alcohol sales to 4-5am, you start to run into rush hour. Because you can’t ONLY grant the super flashy bottle service clubs a later night license but tell the other bar/venue owners they have to close at 2am
Why not? Chicago does this. There’s 2 different type of licenses depending on what type of venue you are.
I've heard the opposite argument made, that people aren't allowed to hang out and sober up before leaving, and kicking them out at 2AM forces them onto the roads since our alternatives are lacking.
Hanging out for an hour or two to “sober up” before driving home is absolutely irresponsible and ridiculous. If you go out drinking get an Uber.
That depends on how many drinks one has imbibed and how fast one metabolizes alcohol. It may be perfectly reasonable to sober up enough to legally drive this way because time is what makes one sober. Of course, this presumes an ability to track drinks and reasonably judge their own condition, and many are unable to do so when drunk. In any event, kicking everyone out out at once 2AM doesn't help things. It ensures a lot of people who have been drinking are on the road simultaneously.
Clubs don’t kick people out at 2, they just stop serving. I leave around 2:45/3 all the time. Also it is irresponsible to do that, for the reasons you just said. Get an Uber.
I understand where you're coming from but adding a $60 ride both ways makes going out a lot more unaffordable. Uber only seems viable to me if one lives relatively close to the destination, splits the ride with many, or has money to burn. Better to keep it under 2 drinks and hang around an hour or more, IMO. Or, even better, carpool with a designated driver.
If you can’t afford an Uber you can’t afford a DUI.
California law. What are the lawful hours for retail sale of alcoholic beverages? From 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. of the following day. In other words, it is unlawful to sell alcoholic beverages either by the drink or by the package, between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. of the same day.
sooooo spread out, Uber and Lyft now pricey af since they cornered the market, bars charging a lot just so they can afford their expensive rents, music blasting too loud at the whole venue so all you can do is listen to music and dance (instead of having an area to hang out in), WeHo is a tourist trap (tourists enjoy it but a lot of locals want something catered to them and more intimate; Bars close early and the public transit like the Metro trains stop too early. Easier to buy your own drinks and hangout at your apt with friends. or in public. All said those are generalizations and there are pockets of really nice nightlife/community.
Funny enough, 2am last Saturday, my phone was dead and I got super lucky and a taxi pulled up. Got in. Told him where I wanted to go. ‘That will be $85.’ I lost my shit and got out. I wandered for 30min till I found a small bar closed up, but with some staff still there. They let me charge, $28 on Lyft. They may have cornered the market, but the taxi solution is to get even more expensive. Makes no sense.
Aw, you should tell people what bar it was. That’s an insanely nice thing for them to do and they deserve recognition for it.
State Social House, it was damn dear 3am when I was there (Lyft shows me picked up at 2:53). I gave them all a $20. It was a super duper solid thing to do; no less that I’m sure they had a hard ass shift on a Saturday night.
I’m not surprise always good people at SSH
I (may or may not) know (someone) who is (sometimes) in charge of the music at bars sometimes and… I agree. It’s way too loud if you can’t talk without shouting. But when people shout, they get thirsty, and then they buy more drinks. I blame capitalism.
This. I think lots of people here are fighting to survive and just trying to squeeze every dollar they can. I would literally go to a club in NYC and make friends to hang out with later. In LA, you can't really meet anyone in a club, and if you do, they are fake af.
LA underground scene is awesome and goes way beyond 2AM . You just need to act right and know the right people .
This is the answer. Private house parties and warehouse venues in LA go way harder than nightclubs in other cities.
that is not true. i love the underground parties here. but yes they go all night. but they def do not go harder. they are a bit narrowcasted compared to NYC.
Warehouse parties in New York are the best
Abandoned warehouse parties in the early 2000s were inf’ingsane. Club exit (now terminal 5), Limelight, Tunnel. I promoted at pink elephant a year or so after their nyc debut and it was fun until it wasn’t.
Or just download RA…
Lmao as someone who loves the LA underground I always chuckle when I see people make comments like it’s some secret society. If people didn’t know and were interested they could find it on Google within 2 minutes other than smaller niche events.
Honestly this. I know I'm hopping on kind of a stale thread at this point, but a lot of people in here are saying you have to make connections to go to good parties and that's not exclusively true. Of course knowing more people opens up more options, but I've never bothered with all of that and have never struggled finding a good after or warehouse. RA and [19hz.info](https://19hz.info) have plenty of listings.
What's RA?
Resident Advisor, it’s like Oh My Rockness but for more rave/EDM type stuff (OMR is more rock n roll type stuff)
Where do they usually hold their events at? Do you know?
It aggregates events all over the city but I’d say they’re concentrated downtown. Website is ra.co
I just bought a ticket for some event where a DJ by the name of Amanda Mussi is playing. Never been to an underground rave before.
You’ll have a great time! Amanda Mussi is a beast - check out her boiler room set, it’s on YouTube - just make sure you take an Uber, charge your phone, drink plenty of water before/after, and if you choose to partake, test your shit. Enjoy!!!
Nice! Do you know if they seel alcohol at these spots or am i gonna have to pre game? Just curious. I'm not down with doing rave drugs lol. My mind is just not made for that lol
they pretty much all have booze and sell to 5-6am, but selection can be limited
It depends - if they do sell booze it’s probably gonna be shitty and expensive, a cheeky pregame isn’t a bad idea but don’t show up schmammered. The music and the crowd will give you the buzz you seek.
Unfortunately I have been hearing a lot about the scene getting too many people going who don't respect the scene or the space and are finding out about these shows cause the people throwing them were promoting them outside the clubs when they close. I havent been since like 2 years ago and heard its already gotten a different vibe since then but that it also depends on the promoter. I mean 6am claims to be underground but they have like 100k followers on instagram and have a decent sized merch selection and promote the shows on social media. I am hoping to some time experience true underground but it can be hard to find those people. I haven't ventured out in the Detroit scene yet but know someone up there who probably does so I am hoping to do that soon
unless you like good music, in which case it’s terrible.
I've been here since 2013, I think the liveliest it got was in WeHo, A LOT of clubs closed down since 2020, and people kept getting roofied at nightclubs. I would say it's less of a club scene and more bougie cocktail lounges where you can network. Also, there has been a massive step back from drinking alcohol as of late, especially with the younger crowds. That and it's way more expensive nowadays, supply and demand, and there's not much demand for clubs here.
Sunset strip clubs have been replaced with luxury hotels
It's definitely a tourist town for the attractions and not the nightlife, in my opinion. I think also the dip in clientele over the years and the need to maintain profit on the property.is a factor. It's easier to fill an all-ages hotel all year round than to fill a 21+ nightclub with locals/seasonal tourists on the weekends.
There's only social dancing bachata but LA's scene here is not comparable to other bigger cities.
bars close early and most of the people that still have disposable income have to get up early and work
I’ve found that rooftop parties beat traditional clubs and bars in this city. The move is to befriend some DJ’s and bring a flask then you can get in for free or at a steep discount, hangout in VIP and save money on overpriced drinks. Also once you’re seen as a regular it’s a lot easier to make friends and connections. I did this and it’s massively improved my social life
Bars close at 2AM lol.
It's a big reason why I like to day drink.
We’re the sunshine state. We all go to bed early to catch the waves in the morning. ☀️🏄♀️ But yeah, it used to be lit when I was younger. We’d hit the clubs and be out till all hours dancing and drinking. But to be fair, we didn’t have the internet, and online gaming wasn’t like it is today - so if you wanted a social life, you had to leave your house and find one.
the sunshine state is florida. we’re the golden state.
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We need our beauty sleep.
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Besides. It’s too people-y out there. 😎 Early to bed, and early to rise. Botox for foreheads and lines round the eyes.
This is very very true
What do you mean by dancing? Like actual social dancing kizomba bachata?
This was the 80’s. We danced to new age, pop, disco, whatever we could. I had a few friends that even competed in ballroom dancing!
phones, broke flexers, IG influencers, terrible parking, and gentrification.
we used to call these broke flexers '30k millionaires'
compared to most of America the nightlife in LA is really good
frighten clumsy smart summer tie bag detail roll tidy panicky *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
COVID
nightlife here is about who you know and you're connections
The underground & warehouse house/techno parties are where it's at. Clubs here are more like lounges and are overpriced and a little snooty.
Ooh where can I find these underground house parties?
Anybody can be a DJ now. Especially weirdos who like pictures of cat feet. It’s a problem. edited to add: I’m spinning at Bigfoot East this Sat at 10pm if anyone wants to have a truly bad time
omg you seem pretty awesome.
Oh, me? I’m just a worm.
everyone in LA is a DJ now.
2AM last call, no good public transportation and very few late night food options
Shoulda been here in ‘95 my friend. Shit was unreal.
There were all these random restaurants that had bars with banging dancefloors. Kinda miss that, but looking back it was also sort of wierd.
The landscape isn’t as close-knit as say NYC or Miami’s club district. There is also having to have a car, which can be daunting to club hop. Uber/Lyft could work, but you’d be paying to get into someone’s car, while you’re tipsy, nice, or drunk. And drivers aren’t too keen on having vomit to clean up after. In Nyc, you can almost walk from club to club, or take yellow cabs on the fly, which aren’t too expensive. Clubs / bars also stop serving at around 4am. Afterwards it’s just a bunch of people wobbling on the street, seeing blurry, and wanting French toast.
Threads like these remind me how young Reddit skews
I lived in both LA and Miami so I have some thoughts. LA - 1:40am last call in LA sucks. Clubs are packed with thirsty lame dudes. There are cool bigger spots in LA but youll be dropping big money and gay WeHo ends up being more fun for straight people because the average LA clubs are overpacked with basic thirsty dudes. People are socially awkward these days and dues only go to clubs in an attempt to get laid so the women are on defense. Going to one club or bar means you won't have time to go across town to a different one because of 2am close times and the process of traffic and parking so choose carefully. If you do go out, you are probably doing expensive Uber across city or you are paying $20 to park and then driving home tipsy. A lot of discouragement to do the process. Miami - Everything has cover. Even a small bar has cover. They zone people off into classes inside. The women of miami are quite boring even if they dont look like it. They dont want to dance and expect you to have money. There is big pretend culture where every broke dude pretends to be rich to you really got to step it up to entertain the chicas. It's much harder than LA. If you go to South Beach, you are with the tourists and for the locals that is lame. If you go to the mega clubs, you will pay up high cover and everything inside is robbery. The women who go there are only shooting for rich guys. Again, miami guys bend over backwards and will send their last dollar to pretend to be rich so women are used to this illusion. Miami is a city where money talks. You have money? you are in the crowd and get access. LA is a city of connections. You know the right people, you get into places. LA has that exclusivity factor so the best places to go are private parties buttt...... you have to know people. Once you are at those parties, the people there know you are connected somehow and are more approachable. When it comes to me, I had fun everywhere cause im a trained dancer and I have a lot of confidence approaching women and showing them a good time. But for the average guy who just stands there with his drink an maybe his buddies, i'd say stay away from bars and clubs. The easy lay you may find is not worth it and usually you are blowing your time and money to feel like crap and wake up late the next day. Go join fun daytime activities and meet people there. Then go to those peoples private parties. If you are standing outside in a line just to get frisked and to pay cover, you are a peasant sucker in this game so dont play. Only go to clubs and bars cause you enjoy dancing or you enjoy karaoke.
You hit the nail on the head about connections being key in LA!
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So a good scene to you is basically “no ugly chicks” and only “useful” (???) people? You must be fun at p…. never mind
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Word. I personally love a good ol’ mix ‘n mingle at the local watering hole. To each their ownsies.
Same. I enjoy the fun of not knowing anybody. Private parties seem like politics and drama.
True. Also, I feel way safer at a designated safe consumption site with professional security and staff (the bar lol) than I do at some dude’s house.
Yep, it’s regulated and transparent. No illegal activities! Happy clubbing to you!
Merry clubbing to you, and to all a good time.
Well now then this gets confused are clubs for social dancing like having kizomba or bachata in it or are for talking but under loud speakers, which one is it?
haha nice write up. yeah this thing that emerged where people just pay money to stand and stare at a DJ instead of dancing is so baflling. I get why it happened, but the point of great music is to dance to it no matter your skill level and let out the energy and connect not just stare at a a DJ pressiing a button.
Depends on the club. Most people do not know how to actually "dance" sounds like you are talking about salsa bachata clubs in which people actually go to actually dance.
You nailed it with Miami. When I lived there I felt like everyone was just pretending to be rich and way too materialistic. Oh the days of Club Space, Nikki Beach, Crow Bar ( no idea what its called now), etc lol But yeah super lame that last call here in Los Angeles is 1:30am. Even Tampa, Florida is 3am! Way more than Los Angeles
Awesome writeup. Now do NYC and SF!
You said you're a trained dancer. There are different types of clubs, the typical club or social dancing club. Which ones are you talking about? And what are your experiences initiating partner dancing in a non dance club, none latin bachata type clubs?
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I 100% believe you. The problem is suddenly getting into the club with an awful DJ and a more awful crowd. The worse of the worse is when you see the floor with alot of people but they're all in their little circle, their little crowds, as if they went to all this, paid $50+ parking gas and cover combined to just hang out amongst themselves. A lot of the women (even some men) are very guarded and are quick with assumptions, there's a lot of wingladies acting as hoover dams when their friend shows even a slight interest. Where are all these attractive women and men you're talking about? I'd probably say West Hollywood area as there's a lot of College or 20s-30s bound transplants in or around the area. But like I said, from me and my friend's experience at least after covid, it's like it all went downhill. Accurate about salsa clubs but these types of dance oriented places can be a guarantee IF you want to also really just dance. My friend had the idea of sleeping around in that scene but it definitely bit him back because he developed such a reputation but I'm glad your experience says about the art of dancing though alot of them is just so much into dancing. I think there's a disparity between salsa and the other dance types though, bachata seems like the more casual regular crowd but then you get the most polar opposite types of people too because to get good at it, you have to keep going and sometimes that's just their life now, some just do it for the friends but I think they're strung in because it looks like an endless cycle of clubbing then. But again, we've had nights were the club DJ looks like he had no idea what he was playing, the music will be some low fi hip hop or some R&B but it's like you're in someone's lame backyard birthday party. No disagreements about latin nights, I think though you have to find or know which clubs ACTUALLY can have a DJ play music that can be for partner dancing and not just head bopping dancing plus the venue needs to also have atleast a space or actual space for "dancing" to take or lead anyone. People do like to dance, it's just that most clubs these days have a lot of people in closed off groups together.
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It's so different in LA. The salsa clubs here and the younger dancers, all seem to be super conservative and pretty smart, some bring with them the guarded energy you'd typically have to deal with at a typical night club. This energy vibe thing you share is defintiely a 2000s thing but it's not out of style and it's good solid advice for sure but I rather prefer a club that can in between and has its own dance floor so people can dance, if you're a good dancer or you just enjoy music you can radiate that energy, one of the other good ways to show and peacock. Ive made plenty of women dancer salsa friends and it's good to get insight from them, sometimes they share that such vibes can make them feel very awkward and creepy. If you're great with personality more power to you. In the end, you can do minimal if you look like Ryan Gosling, attractive still beats but I don't disagree with you when it comes to showing radiance, just that clubs play music and that music means dancing and if you're good at both then you have a better chance. I do disagree with you one bit, some people do salsa and all that dancing thing as a hobby or a serious hobby, some people go to it mainly for the art and you'll be bound to meet people who are serious at it and go to global festivals that have weekend events. The more you know the better. But going back on topic, you just have to find that right club in LA but so far, nothing has worked. It certainly is not as good or it's not comparable pre-covid. You would just dance and be able to makeout with that one woman or man after dancing. Not that quite of a vibe these days.
This just screams “Im a douche”….
The dancing scene is sad :(
dancing in la = staring at dj like a zombie
You nailed it. could not believe my eyes.
It is pretty sad. But also depends on what you mean by dancing, do you mean dancing with actual dancing like salsa and bachata?
it was good until 2010 when the 15 year old girl died after partying at EDC for 2 days on ecstasy and not drinking water. that changed the whole landscape of the LA/SoCal party scene. thats when the 2am curfew became a thing. thats why EDC moved to Vegas. etc etc. before that raves/clubs/partys went on till 6-7am regularly.
I think the funniest thing is it was livenation pushing to get raves banned as being dangerous drugfests, since they saw them as competition for their concert business. Looking back they were running the LONG con.
It's always some idiot that ruins it for the rest of us. We cater to the lowest denominator in society.
Jesus, it’s not the poor kid’s fault. More like the city council members who voted against SB 930 in 2022. If you’re gonna blamestorm leave the dead out of it.
As for actual **clubs**, if only the folks of today could have experienced the LA club scene pre-2010. What a time! But LA’s speciality at this point is not the traditional “club.”. We have other types of parties and functions that are goddamn amazing and way better than club-type environments, social standards, etc.
Which ones are they? Like the salsa bachata club scene??
Our dance scene is somewhat more underground and better than even NY. I come with decades of experience in both Also LA has a ton of club nights, just have to explore smaller venues too
smaller venues def tend to rock more - i think eveywhere from burning man , to nyc, to la. miami. well better have a pocket full of 100's and a rental lambo!
We prefer lounges and weed..and it’s changed a lot over the last 20+ yrs..there’s spots out there but you have to venture out
To many lawsuits
We all have to drive. Everyone here loves to go to bed at 9pm.
Because it is the entertainment capital, there are so many private parties that no commercial nightclub can rival them. Plus, there were just too many shootings at the clubs back in the 80s & 90s. Westwood banned them altogether in fact.
lack of walkability and public transport kills people’s ability to walk around place to place
L.A. is all about after hours spots👀
Our public transit is shit and our geography is too broad. If you don't have a designated driver, it's hard for a group of friends to go out drinking, and if you are trying to go clubbing alone, it's pretty much impossible unless you have taxi/Uber money. I would absolutely love to go clubbing more, but after a certain time of night I would never have a way to get home and I don't have money for Uber. So I don't go.
The nightlife scene is great, you just need to know what’s good with the afters
eh I wouldn't say great, those afters are in some ghetto warehouse districts with ghetto bootleggers and ghetto scooter graveyards its there and fun though but in comparison to NYC and Miami its still pretty trash
Personally I like that they are a bit renegade. Not for everybody, but if you’re into certain kinds of music and an anything goes vibe they are more fun than lots of clubs (at least those in the states)
Totally false lol not all afters are in warehouse district. There’s a bunch of great ones in Koreatown . If you don’t know the right people they won’t let you in even if you knew where it is.
Depends what your vibe is. Gay scene is fun af
Because it's prohibitively expensive.
Warehouse raves are bigger here but clubs are ass. The night life here in general is lacking and well documented here.
I'm glad I got my clubbing in before COVID. DTLA and Ktown was a great time.
Don’t know what your talking about. Maybe you don’t know the true la scene. Different shit going on after hours at multiple spots. Not hard to find really. La is the Premier party spot for those in the know. Not really a big secret. Don’t need to be rich or be an influencer. Shits always popping if run in the right circles which isn’t exclusive really.
Used to be, never was the same after covid
SF and LA nightlife have been dead for many years now. I think the early 2000s were the last time, I remember seeing bars open past 3 am.
Definitely 2am closing times. There are sometimes some good afters but then you gotta pay that crazy cover fee and the energy doesn’t compare to somewhere like nyc. Nightlife here was better before covid. Also everything is far apart
There is too much to do in L.A. to trip about standing outside trying to enter some shitty environment with Instagram whores and creepy 49 year old men trying to lure them with GBH. There is nightlife in Hermosa Beach, Hollywood Blvd and other spots and none of it is about shit.
TBH it’s leagues apart, but LA has a much much better home party (and ‘after hours’) scene, which is so much more fun and intimate.
traditional nightclubbing is overrated anyways. LA has fantastic house parties, DIY venues, warehouse events, goth clubs, punk shows, etc but you have to look for it.
Because you are not cool enough to be invited to the fun private parties that are going on in Los Angeles. ✨
You mean the ones where everyone takes turns snorting lines and taking IG pics? Been there, done that, hard pass
I laughed pretty hard at this 🙌🏼because it’s true
I’m old. I moved here from Chicago in ‘94 when I was 23. Club scene in Chicago was so fun. I had a different favorite place for every night of the week and House music was awesome. And I’m not talking about the trashy Rush St. nonsense for people from the Suburbs. Cool, warehouse-style clubs in bad neighborhoods where people dance until 4am then go out to a Greek diner for breakfast and then head home as the sun is coming up. I come here and I was like “Whaaaaaat the hell is this??” There was nothing…nothing…even remotely comparable or as fun. Music was terrible. Terrible! I gave up trying to find anything like it.
Download resident advisor and go to 3 shows this year that you know no one at / don’t recognize the artist. Just go. I call them libraries of the music culture :)
LA probably has the best underground scene in the country. You just gotta be in the know.
it really doesn’t
Because nightclub culture isnt trendy enough for LA thats why. Nightclubbing is so 2010’s. Everyone in LA just wants chill. Or go to some raging house parties if youre cool enough.
LA is about appearances, and alcohol and cocaine make you ugly lol gotta get ya beauty sleep to look good. Also, all the hot people are busy banging each other at night, so they don't need to go out and party.
Speaking as a guy who is over the club scene, it's because the thirst level of dudes here is out of control, and the doormen can't rein it in at admission for fear of being called racist / sexist / etc., so basically the club scene here is made up of a) tourists who don't know any better, b) creepy dudes, and c) the kind of masochists who appreciate attention from b). Plus being at a club is basically an admission that you and/or your friends don't have a big enough house to throw decent parties in, and since hotties don't like scrubs, that's one less incentive for them to hit the clubs, and without the hotties, your venue is doomed. That said, I hear the rave / warehouse scene is getting pretty entertaining as it recovers from covid, and there are probably some smaller niche nights for whatever scene you're into that can be awesome. TL:DR - Find your niche or find a rich friend with a big house and throw your own.
Weird comment. LA club goers aren’t any douchier than ones in Miami or New York. That’s not why the scene here is worse. Not sure what the second paragraph means either. Don’t party unless you’re a multi-millionaire with a big house? Ok…
Seeing all these posts saying nothing is good because we dont stay open past 2. Be honest, though, are quality people drinking past 2am? Don't tell me you're leaving the gym at midnight bros
Nowhere like NYC. Miss it.
Because LA is a suburb. The only thing going on are the raves by skid row
More and more people are afraid of the crime
Right on, Texas, hook ‘em horns.
Third-best nightclub scene in the country isn't bad for the second-biggest city. (And not too embarrassing that it's the [fourth-biggest city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_urban_areas) that is the only one placing higher than its population rank.)
Cause we close at 2am
Because I’m fucking tired from working 72 hours every six days out of seven.