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Nightlife

The nightlife in Cleveland is vibrant and varied. The downtown is compact enough that it is possible to walk from bar to bar, through different neighbourhoods. The Flats District is packed with bars, nightclubs and live music venues, most of which have a fairly mainstream atmosphere. The nearby Warehouse District has a slightly more alternative, laid-back feel. Younger crowds tend to frequent Ohio City, which is slightly further from the downtown area.

Alcohol can be legally served in Cleveland until 0200 and the minimum drinking age is 21 years. Dress at most bars and clubs is casual. Some nightclubs require jackets and will not permit jeans. Bars usually charge admission if a live band is playing and it is common to pay a fee at the door at nightclubs. Mixed drinks cost around US$4-5.

Bars: Rock Bottom Brewery, 2000 Sycamore Street, is located in a restored four-storey redbrick powerhouse and offers pool, a patio and micro-brewed beer. The Great Lakes Brewing Company, 2516 Market Avenue, is another brew-pub, with a long mahogany bar that still has bullet holes from a 1920s shoot-out. Fado, 1058 Old River Road, is an Irish pub specialising in pints of well-poured Guinness, with an authentic-looking interior put together from pieces salved from defunct pubs.

Casinos: Casinos are illegal in Cleveland.

Clubs: Mercury Lounge, 1392 West Sixth Street, is a fashionable nightclub with a trendy, loungey interior. Wish, 621 Johnson Court, is not the easiest club to find, tucked away in an alley that runs off Sixth Street, but inside there are three different levels, subdued lighting and music ranging from late 80s nostalgia to cutting-edge techno and house. Velvet Dog, 1280 West Sixth Street, is a more upmarket affair with three floors, the top one including a rooftop terrace.

Live music: As to be expected, Cleveland is home to some very good, very well-known venues for live rock and roll. Perhaps the best known among these is the gritty Euclid Tavern, 11629 Euclid Avenue, where posters and clippings hanging on the wall lend a sense of history. Peabody's Down Under, 1059 Old River Road, is similarly gritty and smoke filled and plays a steady bill of rock bands but has an outdoor patio for those needing a breath of fresh air. Jazz enthusiasts will find a clean, refined interior at 6th Street Under, 1266 West Sixth Street, where touring as well as house jazz acts regularly perform.



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