San Francisco: Clubbing
While clubbing in San Francisco may not have the feverish following of other cities, the clubs that exist are encouragingly inexpensive, and you can leave your attitude at home. A recent spate of police raids has put something of a damper on the scene and forced several popular spaces to shut down. But with a population as young and hip as this city's, odds are it will be impossible to keep a good party down for long. The greatest concentration of clubs is in SoMa and, recently, the Mission . You must bring your ID to get in to all clubs; most require you to be at least 21 except for a few 18-and-over clubs. Expect to pay a cover charge ranging anywhere from $3 to $7 and up to $15 for the huge dance caverns like Ten15 .Club Townsend 177 Townsend St tel 415/974-1156. Site of long-running gay and lesbian dance parties (Club Q for women, Club Universe and Pleasuredome for men) on the first Fri of every month, Sat and Sun respectively. Call their information line for the latest events.
DNA Lounge 375 11th St tel 415/626-1409. The music changes nightly, but the young hipsters are the same. Large dance floor downstairs, comfy sofas in the mezzanine.
El Rio 3158 Mission St tel 415/282-3325. Mixed crowds gather for changing nightly entertainment and some great giveaways, like oysters on the half-shell on a Friday. The popular live salsa on summer Sun afternoons draws a predominantly female crowd.
EndUp 401 6th St at Harrison tel 415/357-0827. Long after other places close, this is where everyone ends up. Certain nights attract gay or lesbian crowds like Girl Spot (Sat) and Fag (Fri). Good for the hardcore party animal - especially the all-day, all-night Sunday T-dance beginning at 5am.
Justice League 628 Divisadero St tel 415/289-2038. Hosting top-notch hip-hop and salsa acts, in addition to regular stints by adventurous DJs and poetry slams.
The Make-Out Room 3225 22nd St at Mission tel 415/647-2888. The hipster's meeting place of choice featuring DJs just about every night. Tuesdays and Fridays are free starting at 10pm; otherwise plan on a $5-10 cover.
Nickie's 460 Haight St tel 415/621-6508. This place rocks every night. Whether it's Grateful Dead night, African, Latin or Seventies funk, Nickie's is for the very lively.
Sound Factory 525 Harrison St tel 415/979-8686. Huge multilevel 18-and-over place with three rooms for simultaneous house, hip-hop and Latin dance parties.
Ten15 1015 Folsom tel 415/385-1015. Another huge club for serious sweating: 6 rooms with different music in each, especially deep jungle house, and cool laser light shows. You may have to wait in a long line Thurs-Sat.
330 Ritch 330 Ritch St tel 415/541-9574. Low-ceilinged and crowded with slender SoMa types. Serves food until 10pm, then DJs spin funk, soul, disco and British pop music on different nights. Live jazz on Satuday and a live swing band and free swing lessons on Wednesday.
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