VA2007 - Nightlife - Clubland

Bacchus Lounge

845 Hornby St., Vancouver, 604-608-5319
The Wedgewood hotel's top-notch bar (all gold, burgundy and cherry wood) draws as many locals as it does visiting guests. It's ground zero for the city's affluent movers and shakers, where trust-fund brats play dress-up with coiffed Botox addicts in power suits. Here's where you'll find Peter Brown (Canaccord's notorious, largerthan- life CEO) and friends striking deals over scotches in the adjoining library. The room is always slammed between 5 and 7 p.m., so plan accordingly.
Look For — Howe Street players, on-themake legal assistants, silver foxes.
Music — The pianist takes requests.
Drink — From the extensive wine list that favours B.C. bottles.
Washroom — The trek involves teetering through the hotel lobby and down a steep staircase, so go easy on the Manhattans.
Hookup Factor — Play it old-school — send a drink to her table.

George Ultra Lounge

1137 Hamilton St., Vancouver, 604-628-5555
Technically it's not a club, but this lounge is worth including because it's loud, crowded, hedonistic — a scene unto itself. Proprietors Jay Garnett (of Seattle's Best) and David Hannay and Patrick Mercer (co-owners of adjoining Brix restaurant) have created an intimate playground for local glitterati. Bar manager Nick Devine, with his mise en place of exotic ingredients, introduced the city to its current obsession with high-end cocktails, and suddenly every booze slinger in town is a "mixologist." Explore Devine's lengthy and adventurous list of traditional and original-recipe drinks and you'll see why he rules over all the chefly bartenders.
Look For — Spoiled Barbies, conceited Kens.
Music — Hed Kandi compilations (downtempo house music).
Drink — Mumbai Sling (crushed fresh ginger and coriander, mango purée, gin and soda, $10) or a Canadian Old Fashioned (orange and lemon zest, bitters, dash of maple syrup, Crown Royal, $8).
Overheard — "This is Tad. He's my hairdresser and my dog walker!"
Hookup Factor — Does hitting on yourself count?
Tip — You and five lovelies can shell out for exclusive rights to the private room out back, the "G-spot" (shudder).

Shine

364 Water St., Vancouver, 604-408-4321
Ignore the Alpha Dog-wannabes (there are a few) and focus instead on the stylish, streetwise bootyshakers (there are many) kicking it with resident DJs. Some key Shine players recently departed, and the regular lineup has been shaken up (Big Sexy Funk on Saturdays remains a classic), but as long as they keep putting on stellar shows — like last fall's MSTRKRFT (pronounced "mastercraft"), Juan McLean and A.Skillz — Shine will be just fine.
Look For — Art skids and skate kids.
Music — "It's, like, everything, but no shitty rave."
Drink — 40s of Old English 800, double vodka Red Bull.
Hookup Factor — No idle hands here — infectious beats lead to groping on the dance floor or groping in the rainbowhued vinyl banquettes.
Tip — Sign up for Shine's e-newsletter for up-to-the-minute concert announcements and advance ticket sales.

Republic

958 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-669-3266
This gorgeous space, with soaring ceilings and dramatic backlit bar, is part of the ever-expanding Donnelly Hospitality Management empire (they also own Bar None, Bimini's Tap House, Denman Street Freehouse, Granville Room and Library Square Public House). Mark Brand consults, which means that cocktails are crafted, not dispensed from a fountain gun. The main floor has table service, two full bars, retro arcade games and 10 TV screens for game nights; upstairs, DJs (like ?uestlove, drummer for The Roots) spin for the packed dancefloor. Yes, adults really can come out for late night play on Granville.
Look For — Migrating Yaletowners, night owls, anyone over 25.
Music — Top 40; live music on Mondays.
Drink — Premium vodka cocktails.
Night To Go — Any night you're feeling feisty — this was the first venue to stay open until 3 a.m., seven days a week.
Hookup Factor — The smooth transition from downstairs bar to upstairs club means equal opportunity for intimate conversation and dirty grinding.
Tip — Score a spot on the enclosed-glass patio with its bird's-eye view of Granville Street mayhem.

1181

1181 Davie St., Vancouver, 604-687-3991
Cork walls, polished concrete underfoot, low-slung benches — this gaybourhood room, designed by modernist architects David Battersby and Heather Howat, is as sexy as the crowd that frequents it. The leather-bound menu offers pages and pages of expertly poured cocktails; sweet, sour and salty are the organizing principles. But beware: there's no food to temper the booze and the drinks are always a stiff pour.
Look For — Style hounds, international playboys, your hot and campy hairstylist.
Drink — 1181 Margarita, the Rio, the Caipirinha.
Washroom — A sea of beautiful blue tiles, large and fully enclosed stalls conducive to any imaginable activity — and, ladies, it's unisex.
Night To Go — Saturdays, when a rotating group of DJs set up behind the bar.
Hookup Factor — Better for eyeing potential prey to be pounced on later at a Davie strip meat market (Celebrities, Numbers).
Tip — Watch for Easysound, a.k.a. Michael White, on the decks — his eclectic and soulful music selection steers clear of tired anthems like "Can't Get You Outta My Head."

The Roxy

932 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-331-7999
Ole foxy Roxy is like a wizened, gaptoothed madam—sure, she's rough around the edges, but she knows how to get 'er done. This club is a melting pot, no matter what your style (or vintage). Jockeying for the attention of bottle-tossing bartenders: barely legal bunnies, visiting NHL teams, bewildered Euro backpackers, bridge-andtunnel meatheads and…Mom? It's a weird and wild crowd. Any veteran nightcrawler has an embarrassing story that begins, "One night at the Roxy…."
Look For — Drunk people.
Music — In-house bands bringing live rock to the DJ-dominated Granville strip. Ladies are encouraged to literally get in touch with their nasty selves (and their best friend, and the band) up on stage.
Drink — Everything; jagerbombs if you need to catch up.
Night To Go — Sundays, for country night. Two-step to a live band, unleash your inner cowpoke. Overheard "She shot me down — says she's not into married guys."
Hookup Factor — A sure thing, if you aren't picky. Check your inhibitions with your coat. Tip If you're female, you'll get hit on; if you're male, someone will want to fight you. No matter: in both cases the offender will be too plastered to stand erect.

The Odyssey

1251 Howe St., Vancouver, 604-689-5256
You're likely to find a retired backup dancer for Janet Jackson sharing the dance floor with a harnessed and leather-clad chap, and a middle-aged Asian couple doing the rhumba on the raised stage platform (as we did one recent Thursday night). Point is, everyone's welcome at the Odyssey. Ron, the longtime manager and constant presence both behind the bar and on the floor, cultivates an atmosphere of good, clean, über-gay fun, and the regulars (of which there are many) love him for it.
Look For — Boy toys, fag hags and queens of all ages.
Music — Dance-remixed Top 40, rave-style house.
Night To Go — Thursdays for Shower Power night, when go-go beefcakes strip down and lather up.
Hookup Factor — If it's a pickup joint you're after, better luck at Celebrities or Numbers. Despite the amount of skin showing, this is more of a neighbourly gathering, where everybody knows your name.
Tip — The heated outdoor smoking area in the back has its own bar.

Honey

455 Abbott St., Vancouver, 604-685-7777, lotussound lounge.com
Honey is the artsy, misunderstood sibling to owner Mark James Group's other, more jockish, properties (Dix Brewery downtown, Yaletown Brew Pub). This restolounge, turned club on weekends, has a winner with "Mod Club" on Friday nights. Think mismatched vintage furniture, plush velvet curtains and gilded chandeliers, boys in skinny jeans and Harrington jackets, girls in über-short shift dresses and boots made for walking. The crowd here prides itself on being welcoming and unpretentious, but barstars and meatheads will be given the cold shoulder.
Look For — High school geeks made good.
Music — DJ Rex spins old school hip-hop Saturday nights.
Drink — Import beers by the bottle or vodka on the rocks.
Hookup Factor — Straight up macking won't work, but carrying a Vespa helmet under your arm just might.
Tip — Close proximity to GM Place means the lineup doubles, and the crowd runs more mainstream, on game nights.

Editor's Choice: Bowlerama

You'll catch a glimpse of downtown Vancouver's art deco history at Commodore Lanes, one of the few remaining downtown bowling alleys in North America. It's a clean, well-lighted place — no newfangled, glow-in-the-dark cosmobowls here — underneath the bars and stores that line the Granville Mall, and it's been an institution since 1930. Young or old, novice or pro, you'll fit in here, though you'll find twentysomethings and ESL students dominating the lanes on weekend nights. There are pool tables, local beer is on tap, and snacks include nachos, beef jerky and — brace yourself — lasagna. Truly a night to remember.
838 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-681-1531.