The Club & Music Scene

Luckily for those of us who rise and shine when the sun goes down, Philadelphia's nightlife scene has evolved over the years. The city offers plenty of dance clubs that invoke scenes from party-hearty reality shows, pubs for chilling out over a few pints, subdued martini lounges, and excellent DJ scenes. The minimum legal drinking age in Pennsylvania is 21. Bars may stay open until 2am; establishments that operate as private clubs can serve until 3am. Dance clubs often have rules prohibiting sneakers, but most are okay with unfaded jeans.

Jazz & Blues Clubs -- Philadelphia's legacy of jazz and blues is experiencing a bit of a historic lull. Former Philadelphia greats, from Billie Holiday to John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie to McCoy Tyner have all moved on, in one way or another. Even beloved jazz club Ortleib's has closed in recent years. Still, the Kimmel Center hosts a popular jazz series; the Philadelphia Museum of Art offers live jazz most Wednesday and Friday evenings; tiny Chris' represents in City Hall's shadow, and Temple University radio station WRTI, FM 90.1 offers an auditory fix for a general jazz jones.

Rock Clubs & Concert Venues -- The biggest concerts in town -- Gaga, the Rolling Stones, Veggie Tales on Ice -- happen in South Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, mostly. In summer, larger acts also perform across the river at Camden's Susquehanna Bank Center on the Waterfront. 

The Lay of the Land

A quick-and-dirty rundown of what's happening where, with exceptions all around.

Delaware Avenue/Columbus Boulevard -- Not the scene it used to be, this high-traffic, four-lane city strip is nonetheless dotted with popular spots -- just not enough to allow you to walk among them. There are a couple of places on the river, a pair of strip clubs (one male, one female), a dance club or two, and SugarHouse, a small, hotel-less casino.

Northern Liberties -- A few blocks north of Old City, across the Vine Street Expressway, this once dodgy neighborhood has been discovered, and then some. The nightlife corridor generally stretches along 2nd and 3rd streets, between Callowhill Street and Girard Avenue. Anchor bar Standard Tap is no longer the secret it once was, so the owners opened a second place, even farther north, called Johnny Brenda's -- and now even that place is getting gentrified. Other fun nights out: Bar Ferdinand for tapas and great, inexpensive wine, and North Bowl, a stylish bowling alley.

Old City -- By day, historic sites, boutiques, art galleries. By night, restaurants, bars, art galleries. The after-dark scene here, once packed on weekend nights, has taken a bit of a turn for the cheesy, notwithstanding the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia-owned pub. The friendliest busy night is "First Friday," the first Friday of the month, when galleries and shops stay open late, and the police try to stop art students from selling their work on the sidewalks.

Rittenhouse Square -- A slightly more refined crowd fills the shinier watering holes around this park-centric neighborhood. Although Rittenhouse Square has a dollop of bump 'n' grind -- Whisper, G Lounge -- it definitely welcomes a preening cocktail crowd -- Parc, Rouge, Ladder 15. Its many restaurant-attached bars are more couple friendly. Yet the neighborhood's edges still offer laid-back settings (like Monk's and Good Dog) for hanging out with friends.

South Street -- Center City's southern border has downtown's most diverse going-out scene, with beer bars, starter bars (for folks for whom catching a buzz is still a novelty), the city's coolest dance club, sports bars, gastropubs, and teen hangouts. A little farther south into Bella Vista has BYOBs and boutique-y bistros.

University City -- You might think there'd be a ton of watering holes in the across-the-river section of West Philly, but you'd be wrong. You can find a few popular pubs -- New Deck, the bar at the White Dog, and "Pennstitution" Smokey Joe's -- and lounges -- Marathon, the bar at Pod -- but many students go elsewhere to party, or do it in their social clubs.

Washington West -- Just east of Broad Street (before you hit Old City), this eclectic neighborhood comprises the bars and dance clubs of the "Gayborhood," the emerging 13th Street corridor (Barbuzzo, El Vez), and the city's oldest continuously operational bar (McGillin's), with a few casual taprooms, a high-end bowling alley, and a dive or two in between. It's not sceney, but it's near the convention center, and fits the bill if you're not planning an oversize pub-crawl.