Los Angeles is known around the world as a hot spot for nightclubbing. Unfortunately for some dance enthusiasts, the clubs in Los Angeles can be very expensive. It's not unheard of to pay more than $20 for a drink. You can try to save some of your hard-earned cash by visiting clubs without a cover charge. The best way to avoid paying a cover is to go clubbing midweek or avoid nights with guests DJs or bands.
The Edison Club used to be the first private power plant in Los Angeles and has built upon that theme with architectural and mechanical artifacts in order to achieve an overall steampunk effect. There's never a cover, except for special events like the Halloween party, but you have to get there very early -- sometimes before 10 p.m. -- to get in. The club features DJs and live performances, including a gymnast/contortionist who performs on the bar every hour or so. The Edison is also famous for its delicious signature cocktails; they're expensive, but secret ingredients, such as egg white, make them worth it.
The Edison
108 West 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-613-0000
edisondowntown.com
Boulevard3 is a large nightclub located in the former Hollywood Athletic Club that never has a cover. Boulevard3 is operated by Peter Famulari, who is also a partner at Skybar. The club is designed to look like an English manor house with a modern interior. Guests must enter through a large iron gate into an English courtyard that features reflecting pools and a 20-foot-tall fireplace. Boulevard3 has private rooms you can book, a library with digitally projected portraits and a main ballroom for dancing. The dance floor is situated in the former swimming pool of the Athletic Club and the club features both DJs and live performances, sometimes including circuses or film screenings. Get in line early if you want to get in.
Boulevard3
6523 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-466-2144
boulevard3.com
If you're a woman and you want to try something different, try out Le Cercle Super Club in Koreatown. Unless there is some sort of special occasion, such as a New Year's Eve party, there's never any cover at Le Cercle, but men are required to get bottle service. Le Cercle has a DJ that plays top 40, hip hop and electro music. They have private rooms, including some with karaoke. If you want to sit at a table, you'll have to get bottle service unless you come with a girls-only group, in which case you might be able to sit at one of the promo tables in the middle of the club. Le Cercle is a Korean booking club, which means that the waiters drag women patrons to tables and private rooms to entertain the men paying for them. Women drink for free, but might not like sitting with tables of strangers.
Le Cercle Super Club
721 South Western Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90005
213-384-3366
