San Francisco nightclubs and other nightlife venues are dispersed all over the city. Music clubs, hip hop and chill art lounges are mostly located in SOMA. Marina district and Mission district are perfect for bar-hopping. San Francisco's North Beach has cool neon strip joints and hideaway bars. San Francisco music venues are pretty much all over the city. And Bimbo's 365 Club is one of them.
What began as a Depression-era hot spot has become an institution. It's one of the nicer looking ballrooms in San Francisco that makes you feel like you've gone back in time to the 1930's. This vintage ballroom with red-curtained walls, sparkly chandeliers creates a high-class feel. The stratified seating levels in back are for those who prefer cocktail service, and a woodsy lounge room on the side provides a quieter drinking place. Bimbo's is a great spot to see a band play live. Top performers of jazz, indie rock, electronica and hip-hop grace the main stage. The second stage, just to the left, is usually left covered in its glittery, cinched curtains. Touring acts are attracted to the accessible atmosphere clear sound and spacious dance floor.
Great American Music Hall is a great San Francisco music venue. With a style recalling the Gold Rush era, this San Francisco club features cutting-edge bands in an old-time setting. Open in one form or another since 1907, the Great American Music Hall was a restaurant-bordello in the Roaring '20s and a French restaurant in the 1970s. Today, it's an elegant setting for performers ranging from PJ Harvey to Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. The place boasts soaring columns, an ornate balcony and frescoed ceiling. The first floor is essentially for dancing, though sometimes the Hall gets too packed for that. The balcony is offers space for relaxing or eating a burger.
Jazz at Pearl's is another San Francisco music venue worth checking out. This club is dedicated to live music, with a rotating cast of performers playing styles ranging from bebop to Latin jazz. There are typically two shows nightly and all 100 seats have a clear view of the stage and the focus is on the performers. On top of that, white tablecloths, low lighting and barely a whisper of conversation permeate the sultry space. A few modern paintings of jazz greats create a back drop for Moroccan-styled archways and a brick-colored interior. A bar area near the entrance accommodates people who didn't pre-pay for up-close tables.
Enjoy some San Francisco music at City Nights. This two-tiered SOMA dance club turns up the volume on electronica and caters to an 18-and-up crowd. This place boasts five go-go cages, three bars and multiple dance floors typically dominated by the feverish pace. Young crowds have their pick from the large main dance arena or several smaller shimmy spots. Comfy lounge rooms offer some refreshment.
A colorful stained-glass ceiling bathes The Plush Room, an elegant Eisenhower-era nook in burnished twilight. It's like a 1920s stage show meets Moulin Rouge. Red-velvet banquettes and round tables face the small stage and provide the perfect setting for patrons to sip cocktails while listening to cabaret acts.
San Francisco music life never stops amazing audiences with its style and diversity.