San Francisco

There are few places in the world that can compare to San Francisco when it comes to getting out on the town for a good time. The city is home to some of the best live music venues in the world and the DJ club culture is hitting seven days a week. There is always something to do in this more... city.

If there is a center for nightlife of San Francisco, then it would have to be North Beach. This neighborhood has been a hotspot since the Beatnik era.

Writers and poets no longer inhabit the neighborhood, but you can still find good blues and jazz music mingling alongside seedy strip joints. North Beach is full of action and is the place to go for a wild time.

For a quieter night out, San Francisco has many great dive bars and the best dive bars are in the SOMA (for South of Market St.) and Mission districts. The Mission is also the best spot for salsa dancing and getting burritos at 2 AM.

San Francisco's Castro district is the mecca for gay culture. It is a fabulous spot for eating and shopping. Bars and clubs here cater to same-sex hookups, but most are straight-friendly and can be a blast to hang out in.

If the wildly liberal lifestyle isn't your bag, then the Marina district is probably where you want to be.

Bars here have strict dress codes and the clientele are mostly young professionals. Just up the street from the Marina is the Fillmore district where the atmosphere is a little more casual, but still mostly a young, professional crowd.

When you think San francisco, you think of hippies dropping out and turning on and although corporations like The Gap and Ben and Jerry's have moved in, the Haight district still shows signs of its free loving past in its pipe shops and retro clothing stores. The Haight doesn't have much in nightlife, but the dive bars are full of friendly people and its a great place to hang out when you're in a mellow mood.