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"I am a Drexel University student writing about the countless nightlife opportunities Philadelphia has to offer."  

(Landing Page Photo Credit to: Uwishunu blog @visit philly)

University City

Harvest Seasonal Bar & Grill  
While Harvest Seasonal Bar and Grill is primarily focused on dining and happy hours, on Thursday nights the place turns into a crowded attraction supported by two full-service bars and a spacious dance floor. Harvest is located at 40th and Walnut, which makes it walking distance from both Upenn and Drexel. What makes the place so special on Thursday nights? $3 Long Island iced teas. At other places, a Long Island can go from anywhere between eight to thirteen dollars, and this promotion has drawn in even crowds from Temple on a weekly basis. The set up of Harvest is unique. It has two floors with a spacious dancing area on the second level. The atmosphere has an old-fashioned feel with dim lighting, while the dance floor takes on a contemporary feel with strobe lights and a disco ball. There is an outdoor patio with chairs and fire pits that become very popular during the fall and early winter. On top of this, drinks are cheap. Aside from the Long Islands, other drinks are also very affordable. Moreover, there isn’t a cover charge, so one can actually enjoy multiple drinks for less than ten dollars. Prior to last week, Harvest’s Long Island deal only goes until midnight, but recently has changed until 1am. The dining aspect actually has strong reviews with a combination of American, Asian, and Mexican cuisines. Food costs between ten to twenty dollars. Overall, Harvest is a popular spot on Thursday nights, but doesn’t provide the same party feel on other nights. Even on Friday and Saturday nights, it is more of a relaxed dine and sip environment. The Drexel crowd that visits Harvest usually uses the setting as a pregame prior to visiting places like Cavs. Although the crowd is very diverse because of the college factor, the most patrons are twenty-one to twenty-five years old. The noise level on Thursday nights is quite high and the second floor area is not a good area to have a conversation. With all this said, Harvest does provide a fun college-bar experience. 

Cavs

Cavanaugh’s Restaurant & Sports Bar, commonly known as Cavs, is a go-to spot on Thursday nights. It is located at 39th street between Chestnut and Walnut. Cavs has one full-service bar, which is in the middle of the restaurant and is accessible from all sides. Above the bar are multiple TVs that display various sports networks. Sunday through Wednesday, the venue operates until midnight. Although Cavs is open until 2 am on Friday and Saturday nights, Thursday is the most popular because of an established college tradition. Drexel students are the predominant customers on these nights. Patrons generally arrive at midnight, after visiting nearby places like Harvest, Blarney Stone, and Tap House. Entry to Cavs is three dollars. Aside from this, drinks are cheap, where a pitcher of domestic beer will only cost seven dollars. The same goes for well drinks, and even shot prices are reduced. Thus, Cavs is great for patrons with tighter budgets. On Thursday nights, half the restaurant turns into a dance floor. The DJ plays a mix of rap, hip hop, and electronic dance music. Cavs is also known for its block parties during St. Patrick’s Day weekends. In terms of food, Cavs serves American cuisine including burgers, wings, sandwiches, pizzas, and salads. The restaurant has a strong 4.5/5 rating on Grubhub. Drink and food specials are available daily throughout the week. Cavs also provides catering service. The primary limitation to Cavs is space. Especially on Thursday nights, Cavs becomes crowded quickly. Patrons don’t have much moving space and ordering drinks can take up to twenty minutes. Because of the capacity concern, the wait outside can also be long. Another limitation is the high noise level, which can make it difficult to have a conversation. However, Cavs ultimately provides an intense college party experience.   

Blarney Stone 
Blarney Stone, more commonly known as Blarneys, is a college bar located at 39th and Sansom. Like Harvest, Blarneys is a popular place to pregame at. The bar offers a wide selection of brews as well as American cuisine, including burgers, sandwiches, and cheesesteaks. Blarneys also offer patrons pool tables and karaoke. The bar operates until 2 am throughout the week. Thursday nights tend to be the most crowded because of the well drinks for fifty cents deal. Upon paying the five dollar cover, patrons are handed a cup that should be used for the duration of the deal. The promotion ends at midnight. Even then, Blarneys pricing is on the cheaper side, with beers and standard mix drinks costing between three to six dollars. Blarneys design has a wood cabin feel to it. The bar is adjacent to the entrance, but patrons can also order drinks from the bar through an open window from the second floor as well. The dance floor is on the second level. It is spacious and the surrounding tables provide customers with another hang-out area. The music mainly consists of hip hop and EDM. The noise level is also not as high as other places, which makes it better for conversations. Overall, the capacity limit is much smaller compared to Harvest, Cavs, and Smokes. On Thursday and Friday nights, the first floor gets very crowded and the entry wait can take fifteen minutes. On these nights, it starts to get packed around ten and clears up closer to eleven thirty. The crowd is mostly college students from Drexel and Upenn with exceptions of working adults on other nights. The service is efficient when it comes to food and drinks. With all this said, Blarneys offers a cool interactive experience for college students with a tighter budget.       

   


    

Smokes
Smokey Joe’s, better known as “Smokes” is a tavern located next to Harvest on 40th street between Locust and Walnut. The old-fashioned tavern focuses on beer, drinks, and Italian food including pastas as well as pizzas. “Smokes” is very popular every night from Wednesday through Saturday. The main bar is large and accessible from all sides. There is a second bar on the side that serves only beer. Cover is one dollar on most nights. However, on Wednesday nights, the cover is five dollars because of the fifty cent drinks promotional deal that lasts until midnight. There is a spacious dance floor and about fifteen tables for patrons to sit and drink at. The main bar is surrounded by high chairs that allow for conversations. In terms of pricing, “Smokes” is affordable like the other University City attractions. A highlight of the bar is service speed. Unlike neighboring places, “Smokes’” main bar has four to five bartenders. Thus, even on crowded nights, it is easy to get drinks. Furthermore, the tavern is known for not watering down drinks. The crowd mainly consists of Upenn students. The DJ plays a mixture of top-100 hits along with hip hop and rock. “Smokes” is the oldest bar on Penn’s campus – 80 years. The tavern operates until 2 am throughout the week. Weekly specials are available Sundays through Thursdays. “Smokes” also has daily events such as open-mic, live music, and quizzo. The tavern has a very happy and friendly atmosphere. The one limitation is space. “Smokes” fills up fast on Wednesday nights and on weekends. One common issue among patrons has been getting stepped on because of tight areas. Thus, having dirty shoes by the end of the night isn’t uncommon. Overall, “Smokes” provides a vibrant tavern experience, which is evident from its historic reputation.

(Photo Credit: Chris Chang)

Philly Nightclubs

Rumor Nightclub
Located at Center City between 15th and Sansom, Rumor has been the leader of Philadelphia nightclubs. The venue is underground and the club features futuristic design, spacious layout, and performances by international DJs. Examples include: Jay Hardway, Firebeatz, DeadMaus, and even rap icon 50 cent. Rumor has also been visited by many athletes from the NBA and NFL. The club has two large dance floors, where the “main room” focuses on electronic dance music and the “level” room” plays mainly hip hop. The third area of the club is a VIP vault that connects the two rooms. Four full-service bars and bottle service are available nightly. The crowd is racially diverse, but age tends to vary depending on the night. Friday nights attract a larger college base, while Saturday nights tend to have older patrons. Rumor has a strict dress code with a policy against shorts, caps, and sneakers. The club has just celebrated its fifth anniversary on September 23rd, where a new sound system was introduced. Rumor has couple of drawbacks aside from all the positives. The first is pricing. Aside from Friday guest-list nights, where patrons still have to pay ten dollars, standard entry is twenty. Mixed drinks can cost from eight to fourteen dollars, and shots generally go for ten dollars apiece. Thus, customers can expect to spend anywhere from fifty to even a hundred dollars including entry. The second limitation is ventilation. The popularity aspect of Rumor causes the place to get overcrowded. The AC system doesn’t efficiently accommodate the large number of people, which creates a stuffy environment. With all this said, Rumor has seen great success by providing patrons with an exciting experience.  

Coda Nightclub

Two blocks next to Rumor at 17th and Walnut is Coda Nightclub. Having two floors with a high ceiling design provides guests with great space and view of the stage. Unlike Rumor, there aren’t separate areas and one artist or DJ plays for the night. Coda’s specialty is that it is the only venue in the region operating until 3:30 am. International DJs like Vicetone, Cedric Gervais, and Quintino have all performed here. Coda also recently hosted a sellout event featuring rap icon Snoop Dogg. There are a total of three full service bars. The second floor area overlooks the entire club and bottle service is available on both floors. Saturday nights are the busiest. General entry ranges from five to ten dollars, where nights with ticketed events are in the fifteen and up region. Another strong aspect of Coda is diversity in demographic. Patrons are a good mixture of college students from neighboring schools, along with young working adults from different areas of the city. Coda has a wide range of music selection. Although electronic dance music and hip hop are dominant, there have been many performances from rock artists, live bands and more. Pricing is only slightly lower than rumor. The LED screen with visual effects and laser lighting gives Coda another unique angle. Coda’s main drawback is that patrons often don’t arrive until 1 to 2 am, which is always a concern for after hour venues. In terms of dress code, classy outfits are encouraged but not enforced. Overall, Coda on event nights is always a fun time and generally the go to spot after Rumor or a neighboring bar.      

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Monarch Pool Club
Monarch Pool Club is a rather new establishment that offers a different going-out experience. It is mainly outdoors with a medium-size pool in the center surrounded by beach chairs, a full-service bar, and VIP tables for bottle service. Next to the bar is a staircase that leads to a second floor deck that overlooks the pool club and is a popular dancing area. The DJ booth is located right next to the pool and the surround-sound system gives Monarch a concert-like feel. Operation hours are flexible, with Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday going from 11am until midnight. Fridays and Saturdays open from 10am until 2am. Thus, Monarch is very accessible throughout the week. The venue also has an indoor area with another full-service bar and restaurant focusing on Asian as well as American cuisine. The pool is open the entire duration of operation hours and there is also a locker room. Monarch is located at the edge of Penn’s Landing and is fifteen minutes away from Old city as well as Center City area. Patrons generally go to Monarch in the evening, prior to going out, although they will stay on event nights. Monarch has multiple partnerships including DNA nightlife, a well-established organization that also works with Rumor and Coda. The venue also hosted Mad Decent’s after party featuring international DJ icon Diplo. On the weekends, especially toward late afternoon, Monarch gets quite crowded, as seen from the first image below, and usually brings in a diverse mix of people. The pool also offers different accessories including inflatable sharks, water footballs and volleyballs. Monarch is a club where a person can eat, drink, party, and swim. The flipside to this energetic pool club is price and weather. Entry on guest-list nights is a discounted ten dollars, but general admission other evenings is twenty. Along with a pricey bar, one can pay up to fifty dollars for jut three drinks. The other limitation is that due to the outdoor environment, rainy days pretty much spoil the fun. Moreover, Monarch is ultimately seasonal, where spring and summer are the best time to go, with exceptions in the fall depending on the weather. The outdoor area of the club is closed during the winter. Overall, Monarch is a cool place to check out as there isn’t anything similar in the Philadelphia area. However, it is important to select which days to go. 

Noto Nightclub

Noto has been the most talked about and hyped-up venue among young club goers in Philadelphia’s recent years. Short for “Not Out of The Ordinary,” Noto looks to become the biggest nightclub in the city, with a capacity of 1,000 people by December 2016. This has been trending not only because of the promises that have been made, but more importantly, because of the interesting combination of ownership, a son and his mother. And the pair purchased the six million dollar property at the heart of Chinatown at 12th and Vine in February where construction has already begun. The inspiration behind the project is to provide Philadelphia with its first established nightclub that is similar to those in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas (Image 3: OMNIA Las Vegas). While existing clubs such as Rumor and Coda has been popular over the years, Noto will take on the role as the first ever “Power Club.” With electronic dance music being a popular genre, owners James and Micheline DeBerardine look to create a sophisticated dance venue that will include name-brand DJs from the Vegas, Amsterdam, and Ibiza circuit. Noto has also been trending over social media and has drawn heavy attention among a wide demographic of college students, young adults, and even older club goers. However, like all businesses, the nightclub industry comes with a handful of risks. Most Power Clubs in the United States don’t operate alone. Geographically, they are accompanied by a series of bars or other clubs that create an integrated area for people to go out. Noto’s location, although very close to Center City stands alone in this aspect. Noto’s biggest challenge can be categorized by crowd attraction. On one hand, the place has immense potential in attracting not only folks from the Philadelphia area, but also New Jersey because of its unique position of being the first Power Club. However, with the 1,000 person capacity, it is no doubt that the club will have a lot of space. Thus, in the event where the turnout is on the lower side, the club’s reputation can really take a hit. With all this said, Noto’s potential success has the ability to alter Philly’s clubbing scene with a type of setting that hasn’t been previously attempted before.

  

(Photo Credit: Chris Chang, DNA Nightlife, Noto Philly)