Nightlife

Countless musicians, actors, and comedians went to college or got their start in the Boston area, and it's a great place to check out rising stars and promising unknowns. You might get an early look at the next Branford Marsalis, Matt Damon, Bonnie Raitt, or Yo-Yo Ma. And you'll certainly be able to enjoy the work of many established artists.

The nightlife scene is, to put it mildly, lame. You can be home from a night on the town when your friends in New York are still drying their hair. (In fact, flying to New York after work and taking the first shuttle back the next morning isn't unheard of.) Clubs close at 2am, which means packing a lot into 4 hours or less.

For up-to-date entertainment listings, consult the "Sidekick" section in the daily Boston Globe, the "Edge" section of Friday's Boston Herald, and the Sunday arts sections of both papers. Four free publications, available at newspaper boxes around town, publish good nightlife listings: the weekly Boston Phoenix and Weekly Dig, and the biweekly Stuff@Night (a Phoenix offshoot) and Improper Bostonian. The Phoenix website (www.bostonphoenix.com) archives the paper's season-preview issues; especially before a summer or fall visit, it's a valuable planning tool.

The Bar Scene

Bostonians had some quibbles with the TV show Cheers, but no one complained that the concept of a neighborhood bar where everybody knows your name was implausible. This tends to be a fairly insular scene -- as a stranger, don't assume that you'll get a warm welcome. This is one area where you can and probably should judge a book by its cover: If you peek in and see people who look like you and your friends, give it a whirl.

Got a Light? Not So Fast! -- Massachusetts state law forbids smoking in all workplaces, including bars, nightclubs, and restaurants.

What's Happening on Lansdowne Street? -- Part of Boston's best-known nightlife destination will likely be a construction site during your visit. Two longtime Lansdowne Street nightclubs, most recently called Avalon and Axis, are gone, and a new House of Blues is in the works in the space that once held 11-36 Lansdowne St. The chain got its start in Harvard Square in 1992 and closed that location in 2003, vowing to reopen in the area; the search for a new location only took about 4 years. Visit www.hob.com to see whether the new location is open during your visit.

Hotel Bars -- Many popular nightspots are associated with hotels and restaurants; as a rule, these are the only watering holes in town where you don't have to shout to be heard. Those listed are particularly agreeable, albeit expensive, places to while away an hour or three.

Make Some Noise in a Museum -- Two proper museums become spirited nightlife destinations at least once a month. These events cater to 20- and 30-somethings with live music, cocktails, food, and mingling; a visit is an equally good couple or group activity. On the first Friday of each month -- and every Friday in the summer -- the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. (tel. 617/267-9300; www.mfa.org), schedules "mfafirstfridays" from 5:30 to 9:30pm. General admission to the museum ($15 after 5pm) includes admission to the evening event. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's "Gardner After Hours" series, from 5 to 9pm on the third Thursday of each month, includes self-guided tours and gallery talks. Admission is $12.

Coffeehouses -- As in most other American cities, you won't get far without seeing a Starbucks. I'll submit to the passive-aggressive counter routine if it ends in a frozen drink, but for coffee, tea, and hanging out, there are plenty of less generic options. Many are in the North End; other favorites are listed here. At all of them, hours are long and loitering is encouraged -- these are good places to bring your journal.

Pool & Billiards -- These establishments aren't the divey hangouts you remember from your misspent youth; they're upscale destinations with prices to match. For pool, expect to pay at least $12 an hour on weekend evenings, with weekday and daytime discounts. Bowlers can count on parting with at least $6 per person per game.

Gay & Lesbian Nightlife

Some mainstream venues schedule a weekly gay night. The particulars are current at press time, but always check ahead. Avalon Sunday, the city's biggest gay night, moved to the Estate after its namesake closed. The Estate also plays host to Glamlife (www.chrisharrisperesents.com) on Thursday; Epic Saturday is at the Roxy. Tribe (www.tribenightclub.com) is a Thursday dance party for women that moves around; at press time it's at Felt, 533 Washington St. (tel. 617/350-5555; www.feltboston.com).

On the first Friday of each month, the Boston chapter of Guerrilla Queer Bar (www.bostonguerrilla.com) stages a flash mob-style takeover of a straight bar just for the night. Visit the website to sign up for a notification email.

For up-to-date listings, check Bay Windows, the Improper Bostonian, and the Phoenix. Worthwhile websites include www.edgeboston.com and http://boston.lesbiannightlife.com.

Films

Free Friday Flicks at the Hatch Shell (tel. 617/787-7200) are family films shown on a large screen in the amphitheater on the Esplanade. On the lawn in front of the Hatch Shell, hundreds of people picnic until the sky grows dark and the credits roll. In the last few years, the films have tended toward recent releases (no big thrill for anyone with a Netflix subscription), but the movie is only part of the experience. Tip: Bring sweaters in case the breeze off the river grows chilly.

Revival houses -- they feature lectures and live performances in addition to foreign and classic films -- include the Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge (tel. 617/876-6837; www.brattlefilm.org; T: Red Line to Harvard), and the Coolidge Corner Movie Theater, 290 Harvard St., Brookline (tel. 617/734-2500; www.coolidge.org; T: Green Line C to Coolidge Corner). The Coolidge also schedules midnight shows. Classic and foreign films are the tip of the iceberg at the quirky Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge (tel. 617/495-4700; http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa; T: Red Line to Harvard), which also shows student films.

For first-run independent and foreign films, head to the Kendall Square Cinema, 1 Kendall Sq., Cambridge (tel. 617/499-1996; www.landmarktheatres.com; T: Red Line to Kendall/MIT). The best movie theater in the immediate Boston area, it offers discounted parking in the adjoining garage. Second-run current releases at discount prices are the usual fare at the Somerville Theater, 55 Davis Sq. (tel. 617/625-5700; www.somervilletheatreonline.com; T: Red Line to Davis), which schedules occasional concerts, too. A great place to see mainstream releases is the 19-screen AMC Loews Boston Common, 175 Tremont St. (tel. 617/423-5801; www.amctheatres.com; T: Green Line to Boylston), which has stadium seating and digital sound.

Lectures & Readings

The Thursday Globe "Sidekick" section is the best place to check for listings of lectures, readings, and talks on a wide variety of subjects, often at local colleges and libraries. Many are free or charge a small fee. Most of the bookstores reviewed sponsor author readings; check their websites or in-store displays, or surf ahead.

Late-Night Bites

To be frank, Boston's late-night scene needs to climb a couple of notches to reach pathetic, and Cambridge's wee-hour diversions are even skimpier. The only plus is that just about every cab driver out cruising knows how to reach the places that are still open. In the late evening, especially on weekends, you have it a bit easier: Hit a restaurant that keeps long hours. They include Brasserie Jo, Davio's, Jacob Wirth, Jasper White's Summer Shack, Pizzeria Regina, and the lounge at Troquet.

A number of Chinatown restaurants don't close until 3 or 4am. Asking for "cold tea" might -- might -- get you a teapot full of beer. The hottest scene is at Ginza Japanese Restaurant, 14 Hudson St. (tel. 617/338-2261). In the North End, Caffe Pompei, 280 Hanover St. (tel. 617/523-9438), draws club-hoppers and neighborhood shift workers until 3:30am. Or make like a college student and road-trip to the International House of Pancakes at 1850 Soldiers Field Rd. in Brighton (tel. 617/787-0533). It's open 24 hours daily.

Two other late-night destinations are on the edge of Chinatown, not far from South Station. The South Street Diner, 178 Kneeland St. (tel. 617/350-0028; www.southstreetdiner.com), is a '50s-style joint with a wine and beer license and a jukebox; it's open 24 hours and is a popular morning-after destination. The upscale News Restaurant & Lounge, 150 Kneeland St. (tel. 617/426-6397; www.newsboston.com), is open until 4am on weeknights, 5am on weekends.