The POV Lounge @ the W Hotel is the only venue in all of DC that takes on the role of making scenery out of DC's historic sites. First and foremost, the lounge itself caters to an older crowd; most patrons are in their mid to late 20's, or early 30's. The POV is at the penthouse level of the W Hotel in DC off of historic Constitution Avenue. The entire lounge is a massive balcony during the summer, extend the length of the W Hotel.
Interestingly, they call it the POV Lounge because it overlooks several of DC's monuments. The White House is only 2 blocks away; the backyard helicopter pad is in plain view. The Washington Monument stands towering off in the distance, while the Capitol building faces it from the opposite direction. All of these buildings are clearly visible from the POV, and in fact the POV is situated in between them. Further off in the distance, the Jefferson Memorial can be seen on the edge of the Potomac River.
The beauty of the POV is that it has all the quaint conveniences of a high-end hotel. When you walk into the lobby of the W, you will be greeted by a posh, luxe scene very different from anything else the otherwise conservative DC hotel scene has to offer. The lobby of the hotel itself is reminiscent of a classy lounge. A House DJ spins a hub-bub of upbeat music while a section of the lobby itself functions as a lounge/bar/restaurant. There are Greek columns to accentuate the vibe, and the lights are oddly bright than one would expect from both a lounge or a hotel lobby. But all of this works to accentuate the fine cuts of marble along the floor. A host personally guides guests to the elevator, and onto the elevator, and takes the ride up with you to the POV, where you will be greeted by another host which will seat you at the POV. This is a scene for DC's aristocracy, and although it is relatively new, it is likely this will overtake the rest of DC's nightlife scene in the months to come.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Flowing with the Current
Sushi bar under the sun, nightclub under the moon, Current is a mainstream venue that I spend most of my time at. The great thing about Current is that there is always a wild party going on, so you're guaranteed to have a good time here so long as you bring the right attitude to the scene. The dress code is very 'lax, and the bottle service is some of the most lenient anywhere in DC. Say you don't want to dress up, but you want to look nice, you want to out and meet some classy girls, but you don't want to feel like you're around a bunch of stiffs. Current caters to that middle-ground.
When you walk in, you're going to be surprised. Current actually has a very nice feel to it. There are two levels; I'll be honest, I haven't spent any time on the first floor, but presumably this is where the restaurant is as there are dining tables lined up against the walls. There is also a very nice bar that takes up most of the space down here. However, upstairs is where the party is.
When you go upstairs, it's going to take you a long time and several visits to truly appreciate the decor of this venue. Current is generally very crowded, and the crowd limit isn't very well regulated. I get the feeling that the Fire Marshall wouldn't approve of the crowdedness in here. But if you ever get in here exceptionally early, say... like 11:30 PM, the venue is very empty and the decor comes out at you. The floor has a glass encasement running the length of the club with an odd display that I can only explain as a sea current; a series of waves. The bar has the same glass display running its length. Running opposite the bar along the length of the wall is where the private party tables are. Current has decent bottle service, certainly fun, but not the best.
Now, last summer 2009, though I'd been very familiar with Current, they opened up an outdoor rooftop patio without making any announcement of it. It was a fresh addition to an already great venue. DC is a city that is lacking of an outdoor element; aside from a few special spots in and near Georgetown, all the clubs and parties take place indoors. Well, DC is arguably the most powerful city in the world; certainly the most powerful city in the Western hemisphere. There are various indications of this power situated throughout the city. To this date, there has only been one venue that takes advantage of DC's unique democratic heritage: The POV Lounge at the W Hotel, but that is a story for the next review.
When you walk in, you're going to be surprised. Current actually has a very nice feel to it. There are two levels; I'll be honest, I haven't spent any time on the first floor, but presumably this is where the restaurant is as there are dining tables lined up against the walls. There is also a very nice bar that takes up most of the space down here. However, upstairs is where the party is.
When you go upstairs, it's going to take you a long time and several visits to truly appreciate the decor of this venue. Current is generally very crowded, and the crowd limit isn't very well regulated. I get the feeling that the Fire Marshall wouldn't approve of the crowdedness in here. But if you ever get in here exceptionally early, say... like 11:30 PM, the venue is very empty and the decor comes out at you. The floor has a glass encasement running the length of the club with an odd display that I can only explain as a sea current; a series of waves. The bar has the same glass display running its length. Running opposite the bar along the length of the wall is where the private party tables are. Current has decent bottle service, certainly fun, but not the best.
Now, last summer 2009, though I'd been very familiar with Current, they opened up an outdoor rooftop patio without making any announcement of it. It was a fresh addition to an already great venue. DC is a city that is lacking of an outdoor element; aside from a few special spots in and near Georgetown, all the clubs and parties take place indoors. Well, DC is arguably the most powerful city in the world; certainly the most powerful city in the Western hemisphere. There are various indications of this power situated throughout the city. To this date, there has only been one venue that takes advantage of DC's unique democratic heritage: The POV Lounge at the W Hotel, but that is a story for the next review.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Josephine; stay classy DC ;-)
Like all monarchs, Napoleon Bonaparte was notorious for having affairs with various mistresses. On a political mission in Warsaw, Napoleon saw a young 18 year old coquette and, immersed in her legendary beauty, remarked to his Foreign Minister Talleyrand, "Who is she?" Their acquaintanceship led to an affair that lasted several years, and in many regards solidified Napoleonic France's political ties with a struggling Polish state vying for indepedence from the sphere of influence of the Russian Empire. Napoleon even divorced his wife Josephine because she could not bear him a child. To replace her, he married an Austrian duchess to whom he attributed his political alliance with the subdued Austrian Empire. Napoleon lived as a king, but as all queens, his wife Josephine lived a life of emotional suffering as her husband practically neglected her every need.
But, alas, DC now honors Empress Josephine with a club named after her. Josephine, arguably the most classy and upscale club in all of DC, is situated along K Street in a block where several other similar clubs make their homes: Lima, Lotus, and Park.
Josephine Main Lobby: http://www.ziogiorgio.com/images/2008/josephine.jpg
Josephine is situated underground. When you first walk in, you will be greeted by a beautiful chandelier overlooking a deep staircase leading you to the basement. Once downstairs, there are two rooms with two separate DJ's. There is a small gold-themed room that plays hip-hop. The main room, however, is where the party is at. The main room has a wide bar serviced by beautiful waitresses clad in outfits reminiscent of French maids, perhaps continuing with the French theme. As though Josephine was an aristocratic ballroom, there are fancily framed mirrors hanging on the walls between and above the private party tables, which is where I've had my best experiences. The best tables are in the Pit. What is the Pit, you say? The Pit, my friends, is where the party truly gets wild.
Now the appeal of Josephine is that such a classy venue caters to an upscale crowd. The bouncers at the door are very particular about dress code, and on several occasions I've seen them turn first-timers away at the entrance for having on the wrong outfit. This stringent code makes Josephine a place for special occasions; when you go inside, you're going to feel like you are part of a DC nightlife aristocracy. Josephine is the place I go to for special occasions, which in turn makes it a venue I don't visit too frequently. In the 1 year and 7 months since my first time there, I have only been back 4 times. Every single time I've gone has been a phenomenal occasion, and a great time.
Another final appeal to Josephine is that in its young career (the club was opened in late 2007), it has garnered a reputation that extends beyond the DC Metropolitan area. There are people across the East Coast, from New Jersey, New York, and a multiplicity of other party cities, that know when they come to DC, Josephine is the place to go for the best experience. On several occasions, I've met girls from out of town, which is always refreshing, as DC natives tend to be a bit stuck up.
But, alas, DC now honors Empress Josephine with a club named after her. Josephine, arguably the most classy and upscale club in all of DC, is situated along K Street in a block where several other similar clubs make their homes: Lima, Lotus, and Park.
Josephine Main Lobby: http://www.ziogiorgio.com/images/2008/josephine.jpg
Josephine is situated underground. When you first walk in, you will be greeted by a beautiful chandelier overlooking a deep staircase leading you to the basement. Once downstairs, there are two rooms with two separate DJ's. There is a small gold-themed room that plays hip-hop. The main room, however, is where the party is at. The main room has a wide bar serviced by beautiful waitresses clad in outfits reminiscent of French maids, perhaps continuing with the French theme. As though Josephine was an aristocratic ballroom, there are fancily framed mirrors hanging on the walls between and above the private party tables, which is where I've had my best experiences. The best tables are in the Pit. What is the Pit, you say? The Pit, my friends, is where the party truly gets wild.
Now the appeal of Josephine is that such a classy venue caters to an upscale crowd. The bouncers at the door are very particular about dress code, and on several occasions I've seen them turn first-timers away at the entrance for having on the wrong outfit. This stringent code makes Josephine a place for special occasions; when you go inside, you're going to feel like you are part of a DC nightlife aristocracy. Josephine is the place I go to for special occasions, which in turn makes it a venue I don't visit too frequently. In the 1 year and 7 months since my first time there, I have only been back 4 times. Every single time I've gone has been a phenomenal occasion, and a great time.
Another final appeal to Josephine is that in its young career (the club was opened in late 2007), it has garnered a reputation that extends beyond the DC Metropolitan area. There are people across the East Coast, from New Jersey, New York, and a multiplicity of other party cities, that know when they come to DC, Josephine is the place to go for the best experience. On several occasions, I've met girls from out of town, which is always refreshing, as DC natives tend to be a bit stuck up.
Cafe Citron; a little taste of Miami in DC
Continuing on with the Miami theme from the last post, I decided to review a spot I've only been to once so far, about a month ago. Cafe Citron is situated in the Dupont area of Washington D.C. Now how does this fall into last week's Miami theme? Well, for starters, I've been to just about every fashionable club/lounge in DC at least once to get a feel for the scene. Cafe Citron is one of those places I'd always heard about, but never heard enough hype about it to bother to check it out. On the night that I ended up going there, it just so happened that the weather was warm and a breeze was coolly wafting through DC's avenues. It felt like only Miami could.
Cafe Citron is tucked away on a dark street, hidden between several other bars. When I say hidden, I mean hidden. If it wasn't for the bouncers and the line along the sidewalk coming out of the door, this place would hardly be noticable. Once inside, however, this place really flies right out at you. Despite being situated in the heart of DC, Cafe Citron has a fresh Latin vibe, starkly reminiscent of some of the smalltime bars along Ocean Drive in South Beach. Citron isn't too Latin though; the patrons are a diverse ethnic blend, and the DJ spins house music with subtle Latin flavors, making the scene accessible to anyone.
The club itself isn't particularly fancy; like most DC clubs, you're going to feel some overcrowding, and the setup is a bit like a wide hallway. It can get a bit humid in here, so don't wear a sweater. And in that regard, I recommend going to the airy upstairs balcony overlooking the lower-level dance floor. Unlike most clubs, Citron's second floor doesn't have a separate DJ and sound system. It literally functions only as a balcony.
Cafe Citron: first floor, http://img.clubvibes.com/listings/logos/18599.jpg
So Citron is a smaller club, but definitely a good place to come by and pre-game before walking up the street and hitting some of the better-known spots in Dupont, such as Current or Midtown. Even Josephine is right up the street, about a 5 minute drive away towards K Street. While I wouldn't recommend Citron as a place to spend your entire night, it's definitely a quaint little place to come for some shots before heading to the bigger venues, and for anybody that is open to meeting fun and classy people of international origins, Citron is a venue that will play host to the crowd that you don't see anywhere else in DC.
Cafe Citron is tucked away on a dark street, hidden between several other bars. When I say hidden, I mean hidden. If it wasn't for the bouncers and the line along the sidewalk coming out of the door, this place would hardly be noticable. Once inside, however, this place really flies right out at you. Despite being situated in the heart of DC, Cafe Citron has a fresh Latin vibe, starkly reminiscent of some of the smalltime bars along Ocean Drive in South Beach. Citron isn't too Latin though; the patrons are a diverse ethnic blend, and the DJ spins house music with subtle Latin flavors, making the scene accessible to anyone.
The club itself isn't particularly fancy; like most DC clubs, you're going to feel some overcrowding, and the setup is a bit like a wide hallway. It can get a bit humid in here, so don't wear a sweater. And in that regard, I recommend going to the airy upstairs balcony overlooking the lower-level dance floor. Unlike most clubs, Citron's second floor doesn't have a separate DJ and sound system. It literally functions only as a balcony.
Cafe Citron: first floor, http://img.clubvibes.com/listings/logos/18599.jpg
So Citron is a smaller club, but definitely a good place to come by and pre-game before walking up the street and hitting some of the better-known spots in Dupont, such as Current or Midtown. Even Josephine is right up the street, about a 5 minute drive away towards K Street. While I wouldn't recommend Citron as a place to spend your entire night, it's definitely a quaint little place to come for some shots before heading to the bigger venues, and for anybody that is open to meeting fun and classy people of international origins, Citron is a venue that will play host to the crowd that you don't see anywhere else in DC.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Miami Flash
For this post, I will time travel to Spring Break 2009, which I spent in South Beach, Miami. My focus for this entry will be what I believe to be the best club in Miami: Nikki Beach.
Nikki Beach is an odd name for a club; anytime I've asked someone if they have been to Nikki, they reply with "you mean South Beach?" The thing is, they think Nikki Beach is actually a beach. Well, Nikki is nestled on the shore of South Beach; the back entrance of this posh club leads to a torch-lit patio with a tribal theme. This elevated patio overlooks South Beach, and in between the torches and the lapping waves of the beach, is this scene, the backyard on the beach:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/nikki%20beach%20miami/neil_higton/eScala/Alt_Lay20Day20at20Nikki20Beach20Clu.jpg
Back inside Nikki Beach, the upper-level Pearl Lounge, VIP:
http://www.southbeach-usa.com/interview/interview1/dupoux/pearl-420.jpg
And downstairs, underneath the patio but not quite on the beach yet, the Nikki Beach lower-level lounge:
http://futureofwebapps.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/nikkibeach2.jpg
So now you know the scene, and if these pictures did any justice to Nikki Beach, you know by now how great a club Nikki is. To put it frankly, I had the most extravagent and fun night of my life at Nikki, on Sunday March 8, 2009.
The night started off with a tad bit of uncertainty. There was 6 of us in Miami; another 6 were coming the next day, so we wanted to really enjoy this first night that we would have to ourselves. We had just gotten there and to our condo from Miami International Airport about 5 hours ago, the crisp South Beach breeze was enticing us; I had never felt such amazing weather in my life. The sunlight was perfect, the day was perfect, and little did I know, but the night that I was about to experience would be perfect, too.
In Miami, Sunday nights = Nikki Beach nights. South Beach has a bustling nightlife scene, with a plethora of clubs, bars, and lounges to choose from. Forget all that. Any Miami native, hell even any Miami tourist, will tell you that on Sunday nights, you go to Nikki Beach.
We were in the right spot, with the right crowd. Nikki is located right at the beginning of Ocean Drive, before the cross streets even hit 1st, 2nd, 3rd... etc. Arriving at Nikki was a bit intimidating at first; Miami in general can be intimidating to new-comers. At the door, the bouncers let us in without much of a hassle, because we were getting a table: two bottles of Grey Goose for $800, split between 6 friends; not bad at all by Miami standards, especially for a place like Nikki, and during Spring Break.
The euphoria of being in Miami prompted us to head out earlier than we would have liked. Arriving at a place like Nikki at 11 PM can be a bit disheartening. Aside from a group of 4 girls sitting opposite us, about 50 feet away, we were the only people in the club. A few shots later, it was midnight, and girls just started pouring out of the woodworks. It was phenomenal. The best night I've ever had, at any venue, anywhere.
Nikki Beach is an odd name for a club; anytime I've asked someone if they have been to Nikki, they reply with "you mean South Beach?" The thing is, they think Nikki Beach is actually a beach. Well, Nikki is nestled on the shore of South Beach; the back entrance of this posh club leads to a torch-lit patio with a tribal theme. This elevated patio overlooks South Beach, and in between the torches and the lapping waves of the beach, is this scene, the backyard on the beach:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/nikki%20beach%20miami/neil_higton/eScala/Alt_Lay20Day20at20Nikki20Beach20Clu.jpg
Back inside Nikki Beach, the upper-level Pearl Lounge, VIP:
http://www.southbeach-usa.com/interview/interview1/dupoux/pearl-420.jpg
And downstairs, underneath the patio but not quite on the beach yet, the Nikki Beach lower-level lounge:
http://futureofwebapps.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/nikkibeach2.jpg
So now you know the scene, and if these pictures did any justice to Nikki Beach, you know by now how great a club Nikki is. To put it frankly, I had the most extravagent and fun night of my life at Nikki, on Sunday March 8, 2009.
The night started off with a tad bit of uncertainty. There was 6 of us in Miami; another 6 were coming the next day, so we wanted to really enjoy this first night that we would have to ourselves. We had just gotten there and to our condo from Miami International Airport about 5 hours ago, the crisp South Beach breeze was enticing us; I had never felt such amazing weather in my life. The sunlight was perfect, the day was perfect, and little did I know, but the night that I was about to experience would be perfect, too.
In Miami, Sunday nights = Nikki Beach nights. South Beach has a bustling nightlife scene, with a plethora of clubs, bars, and lounges to choose from. Forget all that. Any Miami native, hell even any Miami tourist, will tell you that on Sunday nights, you go to Nikki Beach.
We were in the right spot, with the right crowd. Nikki is located right at the beginning of Ocean Drive, before the cross streets even hit 1st, 2nd, 3rd... etc. Arriving at Nikki was a bit intimidating at first; Miami in general can be intimidating to new-comers. At the door, the bouncers let us in without much of a hassle, because we were getting a table: two bottles of Grey Goose for $800, split between 6 friends; not bad at all by Miami standards, especially for a place like Nikki, and during Spring Break.
The euphoria of being in Miami prompted us to head out earlier than we would have liked. Arriving at a place like Nikki at 11 PM can be a bit disheartening. Aside from a group of 4 girls sitting opposite us, about 50 feet away, we were the only people in the club. A few shots later, it was midnight, and girls just started pouring out of the woodworks. It was phenomenal. The best night I've ever had, at any venue, anywhere.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Midtown
I just created this blog about 5 minutes ago. I'm going to be dedicating this blog to my weekly forays into the Washington D.C. nightlife, letting you guys know where the best spots are, what's new, who's spinning what music and where they're spinning it. Don't take my word for it because I have odd taste in music, I only occasionally drink alcohol, and my mother doesn't know about any of this.
To give you a taste of what to expect from me, I'll start by illustrating my experience at a club called Midtown located in the Dupont area of D.C. this past Friday night the 16th.
http://www.washingtonian.com/page_dbimages/13436/midtown.jpg
and at night...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/3908334096_2f25b7578a.jpg
and inside...
http://www.dcsocialite.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/midtowndc.jpg
Midtown is the epitome of a D.C. club; it's not fabulously chique, but it does the job. It's got a city vibe, oddly reminiscent of New York, a good spot to chill after school on Thursdays and Fridays. My friends and I usually head to D.C. at about 11 PM, get into the club/lounge by midnight, and party it out in that one venue until 3 AM when the place closes down for the night. We've gotten sick of this trend over the past 16 months, so we've decided the next step is to make it a goal to explore more of the city during the twilight hours right before the sun sets, pre-game at some local bars, hop around from one enclave of the city to another, and really become intimate with the city. This shift in the way we go out has gone pretty swell so far: this gives us more time to meet people, particularly girls.
Midtown is a spot that I've been to many towns throughout the past year. I have gotten to know the architecture, the bartenders, and the crowd, and I consider it a "regular" spot for me. On the 16th, all of that changed. I walked in to find that they had just opened 2 new floors on top of the old (bottom) floor, and both of these floors were much better than the one which we were familiar with. The 2nd (middle) floor was dimly lit and had a brick-wall theme and was laid out more like a bar than a club. Despite that, the energy level was high, and the DJ was definitely spinning for the dancers. The 3rd (top) floor is quaintly called "the Loft" and has a Mafioso theme; patrons inside the Loft indulge in cigar smoke in a tweed environment with soft echoes of house music in the background. Unlike the other 2 floors of Midtown, the Loft requires patrons to have on evening wear; the vibe is much more classy than your typical D.C. club; it is actually reminiscent of Josephine, another lounge named after Napoleon Bonaparte's wife, but that is another story.
Sidenote: ***
To give you a taste of what to expect from me, I'll start by illustrating my experience at a club called Midtown located in the Dupont area of D.C. this past Friday night the 16th.
http://www.washingtonian.com/page_dbimages/13436/midtown.jpg
and at night...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/3908334096_2f25b7578a.jpg
and inside...
http://www.dcsocialite.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/midtowndc.jpg
Midtown is the epitome of a D.C. club; it's not fabulously chique, but it does the job. It's got a city vibe, oddly reminiscent of New York, a good spot to chill after school on Thursdays and Fridays. My friends and I usually head to D.C. at about 11 PM, get into the club/lounge by midnight, and party it out in that one venue until 3 AM when the place closes down for the night. We've gotten sick of this trend over the past 16 months, so we've decided the next step is to make it a goal to explore more of the city during the twilight hours right before the sun sets, pre-game at some local bars, hop around from one enclave of the city to another, and really become intimate with the city. This shift in the way we go out has gone pretty swell so far: this gives us more time to meet people, particularly girls.
Midtown is a spot that I've been to many towns throughout the past year. I have gotten to know the architecture, the bartenders, and the crowd, and I consider it a "regular" spot for me. On the 16th, all of that changed. I walked in to find that they had just opened 2 new floors on top of the old (bottom) floor, and both of these floors were much better than the one which we were familiar with. The 2nd (middle) floor was dimly lit and had a brick-wall theme and was laid out more like a bar than a club. Despite that, the energy level was high, and the DJ was definitely spinning for the dancers. The 3rd (top) floor is quaintly called "the Loft" and has a Mafioso theme; patrons inside the Loft indulge in cigar smoke in a tweed environment with soft echoes of house music in the background. Unlike the other 2 floors of Midtown, the Loft requires patrons to have on evening wear; the vibe is much more classy than your typical D.C. club; it is actually reminiscent of Josephine, another lounge named after Napoleon Bonaparte's wife, but that is another story.
Sidenote: ***
Dear West Virginia, please get your shitty drivers off Virginia's roads. They go 15 miles slower than the speed limit, they don't let me pass them on 1 lane roads, they box me in on 2 lane roads, and they flick a cigarette out the window every 3 minutes. Please contact the Federal government for funding, build your own... roads in your own state, and use those from now on. Thanks.
***
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