36 replies to this topic

[Rwarky]

Which city do you feel has the best nightlife and restaurant scene, Boston, D.C., or Philly?  Which city comes closest to being 24/7?

[Recchia]

Not sure bout DC, but between Boston and Philly, definitely Philly.  Boston's nightlife is hit or miss and unless you're in the North End, the restaurants are nothing to talk about.

[Cotuit]

I've never been to Philly, but I've been to DC and lived in Boston and I sure hope that Philly wins this, it can't be worse than DC or Boston.

[Jerseyman4]

Philadelphia wins this contest  

[beerbeer]

It depends on a lot of factors.  I have black friends who think DC has the best nightlife in the country.  I remember going to Boston as a college student.  That town is unreal town if you are 22 years old.  I think Philly has the most variety.   Any way you cut it New York City wins.

[Jerry2]

None of them...Tokyo rocks! But Irish bah-hopping ? Hands down Boston!

[MadVlad]

I love Philly's nightlife, there are too many bars to count that are out-of-this-world-fun...

[HartfordTycoon]

It depends what you like. Everyone I know says DC is better than Philly hands down. This is coming from black people though. The complaint is generally that there are too many bars and not enough clubs in Philly. I like both so I could probably be OK either place. One problem with the bar scene is that most bars that don't cater to blacks, don't play any music we would want to hear. So that can kind of kill your night.

[runawayjim]

HartfordTycoon, on May 16 2006, 03:05 PM, said:

It depends what you like. Everyone I know says DC is better than Philly hands down. This is coming from black people though. The complaint is generally that there are too many bars and not enough clubs in Philly. I like both so I could probably be OK either place. One problem with the bar scene is that most bars that don't cater to blacks, don't play any music we would want to hear. So that can kind of kill your night.

i find that strange considering philly has a large black population.

also, are you saying there's a certain kind of "black music"?  i'd be willing to object to that statement if that's what you're saying.  granted, i'm white, so what do i know... aside from a whole slew of black musicians who don't play what's largely considered "black music".

[HartfordTycoon]

runawayjim, on May 30 2006, 01:09 PM, said:

i find that strange considering philly has a large black population.

also, are you saying there's a certain kind of "black music"?  i'd be willing to object to that statement if that's what you're saying.  granted, i'm white, so what do i know... aside from a whole slew of black musicians who don't play what's largely considered "black music".

You got me there. I meant myself and my friends. We're not into the bar scene or live band music scene. I'm more likely to want to go to a club or a bar that plays soul, R&B, Hip Hop, and Reggae. From what I've heard DC is the city for that and Philly is lacking. They are both very black cities. As are most cities on the East Coast, so that really doesn't mean much when it comes to the entertainment scene.

Edited by HartfordTycoon, 07 June 2006 - 07:29 AM.

[dgreco]

i think providence should be on there for the restuarant scene, i think its hard to beat providence dining,but i am a boston fan.

[ctman987]

Jerry02908, on May 14 2006, 06:01 PM, said:

But Irish bah-hopping ? Hands down Boston!

If you are intrested in Irish establishments the largest Irish bar in New England just opened this past week on Pratt Street in downtown Hartford in the former Society for Savings Bank. A few doors down is Vaughn's and in the city's west end is the Half Door.

[runawayjim]

ctman987, on Jun 16 2006, 11:10 PM, said:

If you are intrested in Irish establishments the largest Irish bar in New England just opened this past week on Pratt Street in downtown Hartford in the former Society for Savings Bank. A few doors down is Vaughn's and in the city's west end is the Half Door.

how authentic is it?  a lot of these "irish bars" aren't too authentic (think the dubliner at mohegan sun)... thinking that irish means guinness and jameson.  the ones in boston are run by irish immigrants.

[ctman987]

runawayjim, on Jun 16 2006, 11:14 PM, said:

how authentic is it?  a lot of these "irish bars" aren't too authentic (think the dubliner at mohegan sun)... thinking that irish means guinness and jameson.  the ones in boston are run by irish immigrants.

I believe I read an article a few months ago that one of the owners of this new irish bar on Pratt Street hired proffesionals from Ireland to come and design the bar. Vaughns on Pratt Street I beleive is owned by a former soccer coach from Ireland which makes is making it very popular at world cup time. The home page of Vaughns Public House is at http://www.irishpubl....com/index.html ...The Half Door in the west end I have been to and serves authentic Irish food and is a neighborhood hangout with tables, outside seating and a bar area. The home page of the Half Door is located at http://www.thehalfdoor.com/main.htm

The new irish bar Joe Blacks does not have a website up yet that I know about

Edited by ctman987, 16 June 2006 - 09:50 PM.

[ctman987]

There is also McKinnon's Pub on the corner of Asylum and Trumbull Street in Downtown Hartford at 114 Asylum St

[Mike D]

I've done nightlife in Philly and Boston. Philly defintely has the most fun nightlife out of them, whether it's Delaware Avenue, South Street or Manayunk. I used to love going to these areas during my freshman and sophomore years when I was at Drexel University. One of the things I like about Philly's nightlife is that it's in various areas of the city. Boston's is pretty much concentrated to Lansdowne and Boylston Streets. On the other hand, I haven't really experienced DC's nightlife. When I visited DC last summer, I went to the U Street area. After eating at Ben's Chili Bowl, I walked up and down U. Plenty of people out and about, but I found that it wasn't quite as fun as Philly's nightlife. I need to experience DC's nightlife some more before I can really judge its nightlife, but between Philly and Boston, defintely Philly.

[tocoto]

Boston has one of the finest restaurant scenes in the US. Best nightlife is pretty subjective and definitely age dependent.

[runawayjim]

tocoto, on Jul 18 2006, 11:10 PM, said:

Boston has one of the finest restaurant scenes in the US. Best nightlife is pretty subjective and definitely age dependent.

i don't know if i'd go that far about boston... especially compared to the likes of philly.

[Jerry2]

ctman987, on Jun 16 2006, 11:10 PM, said:

If you are intrested in Irish establishments the largest Irish bar in New England just opened this past week on Pratt Street in downtown Hartford in the former Society for Savings Bank. A few doors down is Vaughn's and in the city's west end is the Half Door.

The next time I'm in Htfd. ( who knows when? ) I will definitely stop by Joe Black's. When I speak of the whole bar experience, Boston wins hand down. From Dorchester to Southie to Quincy, there are tons of them. It helps that Boston has a large Irish population which ultimately adds to the experience.

[Recchia]

As far as the whole going out thing, Boston's great for dive bars/neighborhood pubs and getting really drunk for not too much money.  Providence is great if you're a hooker in the making and like popping pills and dancing for hours in hot sweaty clubs (i.e. the Hoeplex and Diesel...).  Providence also has a larger gay scene and some amazing restaurants.  Of course nothing beats NYC for overall nightlife.  Hartford I wouldn't know cause I've never been there.  Albany is good for getting drunk cheap and staying out all night since the bars don't close til 3 or 4am.  Cabs are also really cheap there so it's easy to hop a bus downtown and then take a cab back, eliminating the need for drunk-driving.