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OC EXTRAS: Cities Within the City: 
L.A.
CITY GUIDE: NO LAST
CALL! Text and photos detailing locals' bars, nightlife and activities in Huntington, Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar, CA.
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Orange County Nightclubs, Bars & Events
There's something about those Southern California beach towns. Orange County, much like the South Bay to the north, is a youthful party paradise. Located south of Los Angeles (the dividing line is roughly the 91 Freeway), it encompasses world-famous Huntington Beach, ritzy Newport Beach and up and coming Irvine, as well as being the home to the Angels baseball team, Mighty Ducks hockey team and Mickey Mouse. For some, Orange County is the happiest place on Earth.
Free Music & Dance Thru September The Flights and Sounds of Summer dance and concert series features free live music and comedy Fridays and Saturdays thru Sept. 25 at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, starting at 7 p.m. There is food and alcohol available in the Hanger Cafe. For more information click here. Catalina Flyer Stops Service Until Winter The Catalina Flyer ferry service from the Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach to Catalina has been docked until February to install new engines. Now the closest place for people to catch a ferry to the island is Long Beach's Catalina Express. This could pose a problem for people in Orange County the first weekend of October, for the ferries are sold out long in advance for Buccaneer Days. in two Harbors. The PubClubbing Scene Orange County is comprised of three main types of PubClubbers. Each has their own group of bars and rarely do they intermingle. They do have one thing in common, however. Orange County is a largely well-heeled area and its residents are known to flaunt their wealth. Girls often check a man's car keys – Mercedes, BMW or better impress the most –before engaging in conversation. The men are usually so happy to oblige that they often dangle their goods well in advance of an inquiry. Because of their wealth, Orange County residents can afford the finer fashion labels and they certainly know how to wear them. They are a good-looking crowd and Orange County runs a close second to Beverly Hills in cosmetic surgery. So what you see may not always be what you get. Here is the Orange County bar crowd breakdown. For a complete guide to Newport Beach and the Balboa Peninsula, Click Here. • Early 20s to early 30s. Looking more for fun than a good set of car keys. Goes out mainly in Newport and Huntington.
• Casual beach crowd. Doesn't care to get dressed up. Age generally ranges from mid-20s to early 40s. Lives and plays on the Balboa Peninsula and the lineup of bars on Main Street in Huntington Beach (Surf City, USA). To find out what's happening on any givn day or week, sign up for Al Freeman's OC party newsletter. It has details on parties, events and promotions. Use PubClub.com as your reference. Click here to Sign Up! Huntington Beach MAP
Originally a haven for surfers who hung out here to "shoot the pier," Huntington Beach was forever lined with surf shops and ultra-dive bars centered around PCH and Main Street. Today, it has transformed into a clean and modern street featuring bars, restaurants, surf shops and the Surfing Walk of Fame. Locals claim the downtown scene in HB rivals its Newport neighbor to the south with a more laid back crowd with less attitude. Here's where to find them hanging ten. Normally, most people like to avoid hurricanes, particulary those on the Gulf Coast and in Florida. In Huntington, however, the head right for it, for it is often the eye in the storm that is Main Street. Hurricane's is a balcony-driven bar that's known for its upbeat atmosphere. At Happy Hour, particularly on Fridays, it's no mere tropical depression, as the upstairs dcck peers directly down on Main.
Killarney Pub and Grill is another of the many stops along Main Street. It's hardly a dive, but a nice and fairly new Irish bar. A few dives from Huntington's past still exist, none more popular than. Perq's Nightclub a few doors down on Main Street refuses to bow to it's modern surroundings and stands as tribute to Huntington's past. It's HB's Best Dive. A lively old-time fashion bar, Longboard's, is part restaurant, part bar that's really a taste of old Huntington. Another local legend is Fred's Cantina, which easily reminds one who has ever been to Cabo San Lucas of Squid Roe. It's especially popular on Taco Tuesdays in the summertime. The crowd here is among the youngest in Huntington.
A local's favorite just off Main Street, Crabby's Boat House, an oyster bar with plenty of cold beer and long-time, dedicated patrons. Since it's off the beaten path it's hardly a rockin' spot but good for getting away from it all while still being near it all. On the beach, while there's no mistaking it for Waikiki Beach,Duke's in Huntington is nice and has an Aloha feeling, but here it's more of a restaurant than a bar scene and certainly, Henry Kombono won't be making any appearances singing "Duke's on Sunday." Below duke's is Savannah at the Beach. It, too, is a nicely decored restaurant but it does have a glassed-in patio bar adjacent to the bike path. It's especially inviting during the spring AVP touranment and th late-July US Open of Surfing. There's a pretty awesome old-time breakfast spot down the street, the Sugar Shack Cafe, where surfers fill up on omelets after a morning on the board. PubClubbing (early 20s to early 30s) This is crowd on the move, so finding the young and beautiful of Orange County is keeping up with them on different nights of the week. On Wednesdays, it's away from the beach at The Boogie in Anaheim. Formerly a C&W place that packed in the crowd, it's now packs 'em in to hear today's hip young tunes. One of Orange County's busiest bar nights is Thursday. The Yard House at Triangle Square (the shopping center where the 55 freeway ends and Newport Blvd. begins in Costa Mesa). The Yard accommodates the fine-looking ladies and gents by serving beers by the yard (thus the name; smaller portions available), having a full bar and lively music supplied by a hip deejay. It's highly recommended to arrive before 8 for dinner to eliminate any problems with having waiting in the long line, which starts around 8:30.
As the Yard's dance floor space is limited, those looking
for more dancing head to Buzz or the swanky Sultra. The
latter is Vegas in Orange County with not one but two velvet ropes to
pass. While this can be a challenge, once inside it's evident the place
sweats with sexiness. For live music, the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa has everything from
punk to rock to garage to jazz. Beach sandals are okay in the relaxed
club. Then there's the Goat Hill Tavern. This is a sawdust-on-the-floor beer joint with video and sports games such as pop-a-shot, making it a true casual hangout. It can, however, get quite lively, especially after midnight. It's located across from The Yard on Newport Blvd. The Yard House has a sister location in the Irvine Spectrum (405 at Irvine Center Drive), a huge entertainment complex that also includes restaurants and theaters. The hot spot is the Fox Sports Grill, an upscale sports bar with tons of TVs, a mini bowling alley and golf course and club-type crowd, mostly male. For the most part, the Spectrum crowd is abundant in ethnic diversity; going there is like visiting the United Nations. • Boogie: 1721 S. Manchester Ave., Anaheim. (714) 956-1410 PubClubbing (mid-30s to late 40s) MAP One of Orange County's finest restaurants in a premier location right on the water, The Rusty Pelican, is an ideal spot to start an evening. Or, perhaps even toss out the anchor and stay a while. It features a Happy Hour Monday-Friday, from 4-7 p.m., in its upstairs lounge which overlooks Newport Harbor. On Friday and Saturday nights,, a live band plays top hits from 8:30-12:30 p.m. And they love to take take requests. Just South of Fashion Island on Pacific Coast Highway is the boutique community of Corona del Mar. This is the place to break out the best threads and polish off the platinum credit card. The bars, located within a few blocks of one another although most people motor up to the valet, are mostly for mingling (and dangling the keys to the Jag). There are only modest dance floors for the most part. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are always busy. It's an ever-changing scene and CDM seems to want to chase out bar-goers, but they refuse to go away. Here's the latest: The Quiet Woman is a small bar with live music that always has
a crowd. Everyone makes a stop here if they are out. It's across the
street from Bandera's, an upscale bar/restaurant that is active
but rarely elbow-room crowded. Carmello's is a Mexican restaurant
by day and bar by night. It's a bit more relaxed and low-key than the
other places. The place to be on Thursdays used to be Cowboy. Then it became too popular for its own good and started a $10 cover. Now it's a pretty good restaurant/bar called The Gulf Stream and the patio is still the place to hang. Many people now go to Roy's for a drink or two and good food. The Bungalow still draws a pretty good Thursday crowd and has great steaks. • Bandera's, 3201 E PCH, CDM. (949) 673-3524 Taco Tuesday and Sunday Afternoons There are a pair of places where all three groups can be spotted. One is El Torito restaurant in Fashion Island for its famous "Taco Tuesday." A mingler's delight, the place is packed
from dinner time until 9 or 10 every Tuesday with people far more interested
in talking than eating tacos. This has been an Orange County ritual
since almost the last orange grove was replaced by an upscale shopping
mall. The second is farther down the coast in Laguna Beach. Each Sunday afternoon,
as the sun begins its slow decent into the Pacific Ocean, Las Brisas restaurant comes alive. People of all ages gather on the cliff-side
patio and the sunsets here are spectacular. It's fairly quite early but
turns raucous as the afternoon wears on. People that barely gave a nod
to others earlier are toasting shots together a little later. Those who
don't have to work the next morning complete the evening by walking down
the beach a couple of blocks to The White House, which features
jazz as a backdrop to an obviously energized crowd. • Las Brisas: 361 Cliff Dr. (949) 497-5434 In Newport Beach on Balboa Peninsula, Sharkeez, Woody's Wharf, Sharkeez, Baja Cantina and Balboa Inn (when Little Jimmy is playing he brings down the roof) are popular places. For those whose ship has come in, left a couple of times, and has returned, , Billy's on the Beach is an interesting hangout. Anaheim/Downtown Disney MAP Anaheim is certainly not any great mecca of social activity but for those in the area, Downtown Disney offers some potential action.Since it's owned by Disney, it cleaner than an unused bar glass. The focal point is the ESPN SportsZone, a sports bar, restaurant and high-tech arcade. The place is really spectacular, with TV screens everywhere showing sports, sports and more sports. As such, it's peak performance is during major sporting events – and nearly every Saturday and Sunday afternoon during football season; Mondays the place is packed well before MNF kickoff and the local ABC affiliate hots live a post-game show. The area around Angels Stadium is on the move – El Torito and The Catch (which is actually a fairly upscale seafood restaurant, not a peanut-shells-on-the-floor sports dive) and two pre-game and post-game hangouts.
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• Mid-30s to mid-40s. Dresses to impress and enjoys flaunting
success. Some married at least once. Enjoys the scene in Corona del Mar an some Newport spots.
Back at gound leve. Sharkeez provides Huntington with the same thing it does in other beach cities of Manhattan, Hermosa and Newport. And that is a fun environment with big, colorful and potent drinks, good music and way-better-than-bar food, and let the people do the rest. Sharkeez is where people may go in "for one" and wind up staying until 1.
Aloha from the Aloha Grill, a cool place on the same side of the streeet at Sharkeez and up a level. The speciality here is the strong and colorful Rainbow drink, a frozen concoction that makes meeting new friends easy. The inside bar is small and the patio is not much better, but sometimes this friendly bar makes for great mingling.
