I Like the Nightlife

Over the last few weeks, I've jumped into the nightlife scene of the South Jersey Shore (which could explain why I've been missing chunks of sleep as of late). I'm not too much of a partier, but, hey, when in Rome...

So here's my round up of nightlife spots I've check out, starting in Atlantic City and going south:

The Beach Bar at Trump Plaza. Atlantic City's got a beach, so of course there should be bars on it. The amazing thing about the Beach Bar is how different the crowds can be on two different nights: the Friday crowd is, on average, 15 to 20 years older than the Saturday crowd, with matching music (KC and the Sunshine band is good about once a summer, FYI). Could be because Saturday nights are packed with bachelor and bachelorette parties, which gives the whole place a festive vibe. I always said if I were a single guy, I'd hang where the bachelorette parties are. My tip: Do not, under any circumstances, wear stilettos. I kept getting my shoes stuck in the boardwalk slats. A bum laughed at me, as he should have.

Providence at the Tropicana. I was there late night after the Beach Bar, and it was mobbed. Lots of girls dancing in cages, and people imitating the dance moves on the floor. Big meat market, too, but fun to watch. My tip: Friends don't let friends get bottle service, especially at 3am.

Tomatoes. The sushi here is amazing. It might not seem like a beach bar, but my friends were doing saki bombs at the dinner table and bar. Follow it up with a night at Maynard's down the street, and you've got quite a night set up for you.

Ocean City. Just kidding. It's a dry town ;-)

The Princeton. This place never changes -- loud music, expensive beers, and where everyone goes by the end of the night. That's why I have a love/hate relationship with the place. I think texting has changed the vibe. Lots of people staring at their phones trying to meet up with people (and sometimes when they probably shouldn't be)! My tip: Ladies, wear closed toe shoes. Otherwise, you'll end up with gunk all over your feet. Also, the Circle Tavern portion is a good lunch spot in the winter.

Brown Room/Boiler Room at Congress Hall. I haven't been down to these wonderful Cape May bars in season, but if the crowds in May are any indication, they're still bumping. The Brown Room is a chill, vintage 20s setting for drinks and conversation with an occasional band. The Boiler Room, which used to be where the boiler was, has great jazz on Saturday nights.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just where I've been hanging out of late. I still want to get down to the Princeton when they do live karaoke (e.g. you sing karaoke but with a backup band); wing night at the Winddrift; and maybe, if someone can drag me out, the No Shower Happy Hour at the OD in Sea Isle -- all in the name of research, of course!

Tour de Shore for Two

On Saturday, Housemate Chris and I toured Avalon and Stone Harbor from a more breezy point of view: bikes. Our stops were marked by where we could grab a drink.

Before I get into this post, I would like to say that if you are under 21 years old, doing this is not only illegal but stupid. And shore bouncers have little patience for underage kids and/or fake IDs. So you're warned. Chris and I are well above the legal limit.

Riding right along, then: Our first stop was the Harbor Pub (261 96th Street, Stone Harbor, 609-368-8800). It's had a few names since I've been coming down the shore, including PJ Ryan's, which is what I remember it as. A few years ago, my mom and I had dinner there, and I can't see that much has changed. It's a local spot that serves good bar food, and bumps at night. The downstairs bar has a decent selection of brews, too -- can you really go wrong if you've got Blue Moon on tap? I didn't think the bartender had to ask if I wanted an orange slice, though. With Blue Moon, that should be assumed.

Then it was onto Fred's Tavern (314 96th Street, Stone Harbor, 609-368-5591), the spot Chris was looking forward to most because of the jukebox. Unfortunately, golf was on, as was the television volume, and neither one of us wanted to step in and tick off the crowd in favor of good music. It was pretty packed for a late afternoon, and most people sitting around the square bar seemed like regulars. It's a dark spot, too, and it was easy to forget that it was still daytime when we stepped out of the bar. Thank goodness I had my sunglasses.

Back on the bikes we went to the Windrift (125 80th Street, Avalon, 609-368-5175). I've been here before, once on a Sunday night when the inside bar was packed by 8 p.m. It was much earlier this evening, but the upstairs, outdoor bar area was jumping. The crowd was mixed -- people taking in an early dinner, or stopping in for a drink right off the beach. I still want to go back on a Tuesday night for wing night, which I heard is a sight, not just for the wings, but for the throngs of people who partake.

That was our last stop before heading into Avalon proper, or Avalon that's closer to the shore house we're part of. We made a quick stop at the Rockin' Chair (2409 Dune Drive, Avalon, 609-967-3300), which has excellent Quizzo on Sunday nights. But the downstairs area seemed a bit too formal for two people who'd been riding their bikes all over the island in the middle of the afternoon, so we zipped over to Circle Tavern, which is part of the recently renovated Princeton (21st Street and Dune Drive, Avalon, 609-967-3456).

I'll have a lot more to say about the Princeton in another post, but it's almost like a throwback to a college bar. Everyone starts drinking somewhere else, and ends up paying a very high cover to get in here (usually around 11 p.m.) because that's where everyone else is going. But in the evening, the Circle Tavern is a surprisingly good restaurant. I noshed on the creamy mac and cheese. Chris finally found a juke box. I'll forgive him for playing a ridiculously long Iron Maiden song because I got to play a Guster tune ("Barrel of a Gun," if you're curious).

That was the last stop on our tour of the Seven Mile Island, though Chris was good enough to cap off the evening by trying to pop a wheelie on the 21st Street Bridge. And falling spectacularly.

Apparently, Chris and I may have jumped the gun. Sunday, August 19 is the "Tour de Shore," which is essentially the same thing we did, but it starts at the Princeton at noon and involves a heck of a lot more people. Oh, and you dress in costume. Yes, our house does have a theme picked out, and, no, I'm not going to give it away yet. But I'll probably be resting up all week to prep for another bike tour of the shore.

What I'm Listening to: If You Want Blood by matt pond PA.