I was dragged to 18th Street Lounge this weekend and was surprised to see actual people inside. I thought they stopped being hip two years ago. Still, their has-been status is cemented with a quick glance across the street at mingling crowds waiting patiently in make-believe lines at 1223 and Play.

The $7 price-point for Absolut/Stoli drinks (as opposed to the DC club standard of $8) offers amazing savings… if of course you don’t have to pay the $10 loser cover charge. If you are going to hold your birthday party at somewhere lame, please have consideration for your guests and pick a place that at least has a guestlist.

No, it really isn’t sunny outside.

Places you should never go to:

1223 - “hey look at how much makeup i can cake on my face! hehe”
Platinum - invasion of the hairy Middle Eastern man
Steve’s Bar Room - if there is a fire, everyone will die trying to escape from that one elevator
18th St. Lounge - for people who wish they were in new york

In other news, Tequila Beach, Polly Esther’s, and Lulu’s all shut down in the same week. Good riddance. I predict that all the cheesy people who went to those places will eventually start polluting Adam’s Morgan. I won’t notice. To non-DC’ers: Adams Morgan is the place in DC where people go to get drunk and act like an idiot.

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maybe thats why i heart adams morgan

which establishments do you recommend then?

Ah…18th Street Lounge stopped being cool when I was a sophmore in college…which was um-35 years ago. ;-)

I’d argue that Sesto Senso is a worse Platinum than even Platinum.

Ruby Tuesday then?

I think people would die at Citron too! If in the basement, you are fucked, especially when crowded on non-rhythmless tourists nights. If you are on the second floor, I think you will be ok, but not if someone on the third floor jumps off onto your head. That would suck.

Can we add Local 16 to the list of horrible bars? I’d add my reasons here, but A, there are way too many, and B, you’ve already heard them all. Yep, pretty sure I’m adding that place to my list of 2006 Archenemies.

Sally-I hate Local 16…Everything about it drives me INSANE.

Sally–I am so with you on Local 16. That place is dead to me.

18th Street Lounge is a great date club, not a great pick-up club. You will know this by the fact that 75% or more of the people there clearly seem to be in couples. It’s a great date club because it has civilized clientel who won’t hit on your girlfriend like the cave men at Tom Tom or Love. It also has moody lighting, lots of comfy couches for snuggling, a good house DJ downstairs and a good jazz band upstairs. It makes for a fun and classy club experience.

Been hearing good things about Wonderland, I am trying it out soon

How I survived my early “clubbing” days without once setting foot in Platinum will always confuse me.

By many accounts, however, I am wise for it.

Seeing Local 16 become an extension of AM has been so sad. I used to love to go there and have some wine and chill with the cool staff and friendly crowd. It can still be okay during the week, but forget it on the weekends.

ESL has been a gold mine for me on dates. makeouts are inevitable after only 10 minutes under that seductive lighting and cocooned on those couches. it sets the right mood right away and if the chick snarks that ESL is not quite as cool as i let on it is, then i know i’m dealing with a trend maven airhead.

I like the music later on a Friday night, but yes, definitely a date venue.

Sudamericana-The hipsters have already fled Wonderbra for bars in Petworth. There is some polish dive bar with chandaliers or something. Can someone please explain where Petworth is?

If I had to list a club that I would never set foot in again, it would be Eyebar. Every single time I go, they make a stink about the guest list and then I can’t even get the bartender’s attention to buy a single drink.

ESL is what is. The pre-Science bar DJ lounge. Not my favorite, but it’s still a good bar with nice ambience.

I could actually go for some ESL couch time right now. Every man looks like George Clooney in that atmosphere.

Or maybe it’s just the bourbon talking. Hic!

I liked it……….Its fun with a good group to just chill and enjoy a different vibe then most other shit in DC…..but…..its fun for a few hours, after that it makes you want to go out and party on…..or if you are on a date….party in

I’d like to follow up on chicgirl’s question — where are acceptable places? I saw Wonderland as one good suggestion. Or is everyone too afraid to divulge for fear that their fave place will suddenly become “cool” and therefore crowded and full of ‘burbanites?

the promoters of tequila beach and lulus are movign their party on friday nights to a new spot in midtown called mercury. as for adams morgan, the place sucks but chloe is a standout

ESL— if you want to leave the house just to leave the house. Isn’t Lulu’s and all those other locations owned by the same national company??? They all had similar cookie cutter concepts.

Chloe is a joke. Yeah…keep that line waiting outside, so it looks like it’s full. Then you get in and there’s 30 people inside, until the bachelorette parties start to show up. And the guys are all either gay, 23, or 23 and don’t know they’re gay.

I’m not a big Adams Morgan fan in general, but some of the places there at least have a heart. And Chloe is pure plastic.

Chloe is actually one of the most embarrassing places i’ve ever been to. seriously, just embarrassing.

the girls can’t dress for shit there, the men are literally some of the grossest, revolting human beings on eart (if you can call them that)

Anyone who enjoys Chloe - with out a doubt has absolutly no idea what constitutes a grood time.

to each his own i suppose… but Chloe?? Seriously?!?

i like Madam’s Organ Blues Bar but mostly cause redheads drink 1/2 price beers ALWAYS

Jessa-Really about redheads? Hm…Note to self….

…sounds about right. Heart Adams Morgan.

I’ve only been to Local 16 for private events and both times it was fine, so now I’m kind of curious as to what it’s like when not there enjoying free drinks.

Also, who the hell still goes to Platinum?? I haven’t been there since Freshman year and only then because I could get in with my fake.

Holiday, thanks for the useful feedback. As a the huge hipster groupie I confess am, I am already using my googling skills in an attempt to find such polish bar

aha…it has to be W Domku, or as per its losely Polish translation: “in the little house”

Local 16 does suck. 18 street lounge good for dates. RCR is a douche.

Somehow I’d avoided Tom Tom until last Friday, or nine days before I’m leaving DC. If I didn’t have enough motivation to leave, then that experience would have sealed the deal. At the very least, it would have sent me apartment-hunting in Cleveland Park.

For my 2 cents, I love Chief Ike’s on a Saturday night in AM. They play the music I like and if I want a change I can go upstairs to the lounge. I think the problem with all the places mentioned is the quality of the people. I go to drink and oogle and dance.

hey, whoever made the comment about the burbanites. eff you. we’re the ones that have lived here our whole lives and are more than ready to continue our second generation dominance in washington. it’s only the nouveau yuppies that actually live in the city. aka the ones stupid enough to not care about their voting rights. so lets remember that the burbanites were the original, and you people newly in the city are here temporarily for your internships.

7-8 bucks a drink?

That’s why I wanna move to a city like Philly, where drinks are like 5 dollars. At most.

I would like to hear what places some think is cool too. (btw, for the person who wanted to know where Petworth is: http://www.petworthdc.net/petworth_history.htm)

It’s funny that people talk about what to do (and not do) in DC. It’s also funny how ‘new’ DC seems to be to some folk. Hell, I just watched several posh business open on 12th ST NE near my grandmother. It’s actually starting to look like a happening place again like it was when my grandmother was in her 30’s.

Anyway, 18th isn’t bad… ESLmusic has other places it’s quietly pushing now these days anyway.

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Hmm! looks like this club was not what I was used to in NYC or Detroit, the metro has no clue also, how can you charge a loser fee at the door based upon hwta your day has been like? 1223 is the bomb mixed crowd very pleasant i dont have to feel like i’m at work and a trvial pursuit if a young wants to talk…

haha……….Chaco says: “like the cave men at Tom Tom’s or Love”. so funny….and yet so frkin true.

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