I recently got back from a month long holiday to America, and what a country it is! Had an absolute blast there, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for good nights out. For those who haven’t been to America before, I had you in mind and took many notes so I could tell y’all what it’s really like from a Nightlife Correspondent’s point of view. Despite all the American movies and television we get in Oz, they don’t really prepare you for the reality of it. Here’s what I can tell you about partying in the places I went to.
Honolulu, Hawaii
The main tourist area in Honolulu is Waikiki, which is full of shops and along the coast. It seemed to have more of a bar scene than a nightclub one; the area’s going for a laid back feel, which is what Hawaii in general is going for I guess. Perhaps so much so that drug dealers aren’t sneaky at all in asking peeps if they want some “chronic”; they blatantly walk up to you and try to sell you some. I suppose it’d make you even more chill, but I digress. I expected that to be more in mainland America, not an island 3,000km away from it! But it’s a top place that accommodates to its many tourists (especially the Japanese; a lot of places accept Yen as payment!); I even got to watch the AFL Grand Final at Legends Sports Pub.
Las Vegas, Nevada
We all know the old saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”, and that couldn’t be more true. In a city run where annoying people hand out cards promoting the city’s many strip clubs to the fact you can drink your grog out on the street and no one gives a damn, they don’t call Vegas Sin City for nothing. The casinos are rife with peeps wanting to get their freak on a la The Hangover (I for instance even stayed at Caesar’s Palace like Alan and co did!), and most bars and clubs are open 24/7 to make sure the party and the cash flow never ends. It’s truly an unique city that has to be seen to be believed.
New York City, New York
I stayed in Times Square, probably the busiest place in NYC, and surprisingly there isn’t much in the way of bars and nightclubs there. The Meatpacking District is the best place to go to for bars and clubs in Manhattan, very chic and trendy. It’s basically like an American version of Melbourne, but way bigger and better. I was in Brooklyn one night and that’s very much like Fitzroy, so plenty of bars while having that urban edge to it.
Miami, Florida
Miami is a gorgeous city, very tropical and green. With the many Cubans who migrated there over the years, the city has a huge Cuban feel to it, especially when it comes to partying. Though there are bars and clubs throughout the city, South Beach is Miami’s main partying hot spot, akin to Surfers Paradise, with all the clubs blaring mostly R&B or Cubano tunes with bright, neon lights glaring. There was also a drag queen strip show in the middle of the street, in the afternoon! I’ll shout out two bars I went to: Cleavander, a party place with a sports bar and a pool, and Mango’s Tropical Cafe, filled with Latino dancers belly dancing a la Shakira. Simply awesome, I miss these places already.
Los Angeles, California
My favourite city in the U.S., I was actually iffy about L.A. at first as I stayed near Hollywood Boulevard, and frankly, it’s a hole, filled with annoying people trying to make money off tourists, homeless bums and junkies, and other freaks. My sister spoke to a local who warned our group to be off Hollywood Boulevard by 2:30am, because that’s “R&R Time” - Rape and Rob Time! I’d say it’s like The Strip in Vegas, but Hollywood Boulevard had only a handful of bars and clubs. Most of the clubs are closer to Beverly Hills, where rich Hollywood celebrities go to party, though I unfortunately didn’t get to experience much of L.A.’s nightlife. The movie history is amazing though!
Only in America, as they say.
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