Paris Nightlife

This past week I went out to two different clubs in Paris and really enjoyed myself. Both places were pretty big, had really good DJs and were very crowded. The first place that I went to was called Club 75/Social Club and it seemed to be a cool spot for the hipster crowd. Everyone was crowded around the DJ who was playing techno beats and there were green and blue lights flashing. The second place I went to was called CAB/Lelounge (apparently most clubs have two names here...). It was right beside the Louvre, and it was more upscale appearnce wise, but the crowd seemed to be more immature. The music was mainly dance and hip-hop, the type of songs you'd hear at most dance places.

Here are some things that I've noticed about the nightlife in Paris:

- As in most of Europe, the night starts and ends later (usually you don't get to a bar before 12, and you leave after 3).
- Most places have 10-20 euro cover, but you can often print a kind of coupon off the internet that gets you in for free or at a discounted rate before a certain time.
- Drinks at clubs are very expensive, at a more casual bar they usually average around 6 euros
- The average french 20 year old drinks way more than they should... I know this from the numerous stories I've heard about/from the French people at my school, and from seeing 4 people get sick outside the club I went to on Saturday
- The French are really into PDA (public displays of "affection"), there are always many couples/strangers/acquaintences being extremely friendly with one another everywhere in the club.
- It is really difficult to get a cab late at night if you are at a popular club because everyone is outside waiting for them, you have to be really patient, or find somewhere else to wait, but most cabs that drive by have their lights off meaning that they already have a passenger. The lines at the taxi stands are also huge late at night.
- They don't ID very often here, but it does happen occassionally so it's smart to always have it with you.
- The clubs are very hot, dont' wear long sleaves or anything too heavy because you will get sweaty and overheated! It's hard to stay on the dancefloor for long because the heat along with the crowd can be overpowering.