NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. Along the bustling streets of nocturnal New York City, yellow taxis filled with sequin-clad Manhattan girls and young Brooklyn art students steadily roll past groups of native New Yorkers and idealistic “New” Yorkers, all trekking down the sidewalks toward the city’s wide array of local bars, nightclubs, and restaurants.
Besides the incredible energy New York City offers its night owls, what truly make the city’s nightlife incomparable to any other are the dynamic settings and diverse individuals welcoming virtually anyone looking to meet interesting people in novel places. In the iconic East Village neighborhood in Manhattan—once the home to the late nineteenth-century waves of European immigrants, and later, the ultimate countercultural destination for hippies, writers, artists, intellectuals and underground musicians in the 1960s—restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and poetry cafés accommodate just about anyone looking for a good time.
Past East Village’s historic sites such as St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church (1840), St. Brigid’s Irish Catholic Church (1848), and Club 57 (the country’s performance art hub in the late 1970s), homey dive bars (or local pubs) offer British and Irish beers within informal old world settings, echoing the neighborhood’s cultural pride. The Winslow, a local British-inspired restaurant-bar on 243 East 14th Street, provides guests with a laid-back atmosphere, British beer on tap, lively music, and a satisfying menu with everything from traditional fish and chips to savory pigs in a blanket. Also situated in East Village is a dive bar incorporating unique cocktails and beers on tap with a nightclub atmosphere. Located on 112th Avenue, Niagara is a popular spot for 20-somethings and graduate students looking for funky music and a quirky place to dance.
Beside the bar featuring 1950s-style diner barstools and vintage decorations is a dance area complete with a disco ball and music ranging from 1950s classic rock n’ roll to contemporary hits. Putting the finishing touch on Niagara’s lightheartedly fun backdrop is a photo booth accommodating as many friends that can squeeze in. Nearby in Greenwich Village, located just minutes away from New York University on the west side of Lower Manhattan, hookah lounges and nightclubs invite a younger college crowd looking for inexpensive food and beverages, energetic atmospheres, friendly students, and contemporary rap and electronic music. Luxor Hookah Café, located on 128 MacDougal Street, provides just the right combination of amiable local college students and newcomers, inexpensive American and Moroccan cuisine, and a mix of 1990s and contemporary rap and pop music to become a great nighttime destination for young students visiting New York City.
For those looking to encounter New York City’s burgeoning artistic and musical communities and step away from Manhattan’s glamorously fast-paced environment, the Williamsburg neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn provides visitors with a highly artistic atmosphere, a community of passionate creators, and a wide selection of laid-back bars lining the animated, crowded streets. Restaurant-bars with outdoor seating pervade the area, giving visitors the perfect opportunities to absorb the fantastic energy filling the city, while enjoying unique beverages and eclectic cuisine. Favorite local bars of the young Williamsburg community include The Commodore and The Woods, which feature inexpensive food and beverages, great indie rock tracks, and friendly locals.
And for those spending the night in Williamsburg: local bands playing soft melodic tunes on their rooftops as the sun rises will become your new morning alarm.