As dusk falls on Santa Monica, the cozy beach city’s nightlife awakens. After sundown, the city’s ambiance and tightly woven frame, threaded with pedestrian promenades and enclaves, provide ample ground for evening exploration.
The Penthouse, scheduled to open the first week of February, is the brand-new torch-lit bar atop the Huntley Santa Monica Beach hotel and boasts a breathtaking view spot. The Veranda, the poolside lounge of the Hotel Casa Del Mar is a nightly magnet for the Hollywood industry elite with its light-dining menu and floor-to-ceiling windows. The view of the Pacific horizon at The Lobster is also a popular sunset hangout. Outside at the Viceroy Hotel, the Cameo Bar draws music business hipsters and evokes old Hollywood with its poolside cabanas and atmosphere; inside, white wingback chairs and chaise lounges set the stage for the jet set.
New to the scene is Holly’s West on Wilshire Boulevard, which boasts a dimly lit bar and is attended by lingerie-clad waitresses and surfer-type bartenders. The Buffalo Club on Olympic Boulevard has a classic feel.
Martini madness hits full tilt at Voda, the city’s only dedicated vodka bar with 80 varieties of vodka and plenty of Beluga caviar to pique one’s palate. The dance floor at Club Twenty Twenty, at 20th Street and Wilshire Boulevard is full of energy with Friday nights featuring 80’s music. The Mor Bar on Main Street offers nightly dancing, including free Salsa lessons every Monday night. Chez Jay is proud of its reputation as a celebrity “dive,” with its red vinyl booths, nautical memorabilia and striped awnings attracting stars like Al Pacino and Sean Penn.
On weekends, pump to the beat of eager dancers at Lounge 217 located on Broadway Avenue between Second Street and the Third Street Promenade. This lush lounge, offset with candles and stark white florals, tends to draw locals on weeknights when things start to kick late into the evening. Another hot spot is Zanzibar on Fifth Street, which has built a solid reputation as one of LA’s premier nightspots. Get down on Sunday nights at the Circle Bar on Main Street, a great hideaway for the Hollywood fringe set.
Live music is a mainstay in Santa Monica. For an “unplugged” evening, step into the back room at McCabe’s Guitar Shop on Pico Boulevard. This hideaway has featured such greats as Arlo Guthrie, Ritchie Havens, the Persuasions, Elvis Costello and Ry Cooder. 14 Below at 14th Street offers a small intimate venue for up-and-coming bands to showcase their talents. For a heady mix of rhythm and blues, Harvelle’s Blues Club on Fourth Street is a top pick with a strong line-up of some of the best artists on the West Coast.
A lively line-up of artists, from reggae to country western is on tap at Rusty’s Surf Ranch. High-octane percussion, global funk, jazz, and Irish blues can be heard at the Temple Bar on various evenings. The sophisticated Santa Monica Bar and Grille is always packed with marti-ni-sipping urbanites swooning to live music or a DJ. In addition to providing safe haven for the industry elite, Casa Del Mar’s lobby and bar also offers weekly jazz ensembles on Wednesdays featuring a variety of be-bop and ballads.
For more information, call (800) 544-5319 or visit www.santamonica.com.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 29, 2006. Read the original PDF.