Nightlife then and now...

1. Nightlife Then and Now is a press release from Zandl Group. From the piece:

Backed Nightlife Hunkers Down
Trendy young adults are avoiding giant clubs in favor of small, intimate bars. Local bars are increasingly popular as young people choose laid-back neighborhood spots to hang out with friends. Our young adult panelists (sample size: 500 21-29 year olds) report that newest trends they're spotting in bars and nightlife are "easy-going bars" and "VIP lists not being worth it."

Why this is happening
Camaraderie is at a premium - young adults are increasingly looking to chill-out on the weekends in lieu of meat-market scenes. We've also detected a backlash to bottle service and $20 cocktails.

Get Your Game On
Our young adults are noticing that bars are "more centered around fun" (e.g. theme nights) and "more low-key alternatives to dance nights - like readings." Game and trivia nights are now common fixtures in local bars around the country. From Scrabble nights to spelling bees, smart is definitely cool. Neighborhood hangouts are viewed as extensions of young adults' living-rooms, with board games and beers served up by neighborhood bartenders who are probably also MySpace friends. League nights (e.g. pinball, darts, and even rock, paper scissors) and performance events (e.g. "cringe" poetry - bar-goers read from their dusty teenage diaries) are drawing crowds as well.

Extended Happy Hour
Happy hour has been taken to the next level. Traditionally known as the magical "after work/before home" hour, young adults are extending happy hour well into the evening - we hear 6-10 is now a standard weeknight happy "hour." One respondent even tells us that "really cool people don't go out on the weekends."The pourYoung adults are stocking more wine at home and ordering more glasses when out. Wine bars are a major force behind this trend - generally locally owned, they allow young adults to learn about wine in a casual environment. Young sippers looking to broaden their culinary horizons are embracing wine connoisseurship. In our travels we've noticed wine bars popping up from Brooklyn to Houston to Seattle.

(Press release via the Retail Diva Blog.)

2. Interesting discussion of the H Street vibe via Joe Englert and others in the current column by Arthur Delaney in The Hill, "It's Singles Night."

3. Also interesting is the comment by Maria Taylor in the Express: "Before it was really scary -- we'd never sleep in the city." ... DC is a big place. But she is playing at the Rock and Roll Hotel on H Street NE. Frankly, is that area better than 14th or U Streets NW? From the blog entry:

"Before, it was really scary - we'd never sleep in the city. We'd drive out," said the singer-songwriter. "It just felt real sketchy. I don't know, I'd just never been exposed to the cool parts. But it's just like any other big city, you need to know where to go. Now I have a couple friends that live there now, and I don't even know what their neighborhood is, but it's beautiful and there's a big park and it's really nice."

4. It's all about perception, familiarity, and being comfortable in places and ways of acting (such as riding buses) that you're not otherwise experienced with...