New York University - Nightlife

This music venue is located in the Lower East Side and gets a lot of great performers throughout the year.

With a full bar and daily happy hour specials, The Bowery Electric is a great spot to check out live music and DJs.

This trendy restaurant doubles as a hot weekend hangout. Walk through the large glass doors and down the stairs to the dance floor where you can move to top 40 songs, or sit at one of the many tables that flank it. The scene is poshly dressed ladies and fine-smelling gents. Prices can get expensive after happy hour. Cover: None

Bar None is the best place to go if you’re in the mood for some good old-fashioned boozing. Beer is king at this bar, where you can get a $10 bucket of Bud Light shorties and rock out to classic ‘80s hard rock tunes. Specials offered daily. Cover: None

This hole in the wall located in the East Village offers a cheap alternative to the trendier bars. There is a pool table where one can play for only 50 cents a game and still have money for $5 pitchers of McSorley’s and $3 well drinks. Adding to the atmosphere is the indie rock jukebox and the many regulars. Cover: None

Webster Hall is an extreme spectacle. It has all kinds of features: top 40 dance hits on the main floor, salsa upstairs, hip hop downstairs, and a grand ballroom. It’s a wild place to go for dancing and drinks, with a male revue at least once a week. Usually, there is free cover for ladies 18-and-up before midnight with free drinks for ladies over 21 on Thursday nights before midnight. Cover: $10 before midnight, $25 after midnight; Saturdays $25 after 11 p.m.

Plan B is a small, crowded place to dance and meet singles, with its young group and a DJ that spins dance music. The zebra banquettes and red-painted walls give the bar a funky feel and the tight environment lets you cozy up to your neighbor. This is also a great end-of-the-night spot, as it is open till 4 a.m. Cover: None

Located right on campus, Josie Wood’s warm atmosphere, friendly bartenders, and cheap beer are a welcome invitation for NYU students. Josie’s is a notorious freshman hangout, offering lots of food and great lunch specials. Cover: None

Another campus favorite, Off the Wagon gives the feel of a frat party on a Friday night. This two-floor bar offers blasting ‘80s music, 14 different beers on tap and a wide array of snacks for the beer munchies, such as nachos, Philly cheesesteaks, and Off the Wagon’s notorious sliders. The crowd is rowdy college students and 20-somethings looking to have a good time after class or work. The foosball, darts, and cheap liquor lend themselves to an atmosphere of a big party school, without the dorm room hookups. Cover: None

Finnerty’s is a bar for cheap cocktails and beer and competitive darts. Weekends, it can get crowded, but it’s never so bad that you can’t make your way to the bar. The crowds here are usually in college/early 20s. Cover: None

Great live music venue in the heart of the West Village.

This alternative music venue is the great place to see freak shows and dance acts. The venue is small, so you can get closer to the band. The scene is very punk—lots of spiky clothing, piercings, leather and multi-colored mohawks. The mosh pit can get rough and is definitely not for the timid. Tickets: $15–30

The clientele is young (early 20s) and fun. The layout (three levels) of the place is really cool. Each level had its own vibe and decor. One thing stands out above all; there were a bunch of cute, tipsy, and aggressive women! Cover: $4–10

Being under 21 can be a tough time if you’re craving a night at a bar. Most places worth going to ID. Thankfully, in NYC, there is never a shortage of things to do for people of any age. Here are some of the more popular sports for underagers: the Bowery Poetry Club, Comedy Cellar, Cosi, Ferrara, the Garage (jazz bar), the Knitting Factory, Serendipity, Veniero’s, and and Nuyorican Poets Cafe.