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Nightlife

As with most everywhere, the bars and clubs that rule San Diego's roost one day may be deemed lame (at best) the next. The upside, though, is that there are enough comings and goings of hot new places in San Diego that you'll have a new place to party at on each visit. The free weekly San Diego Reader (www.sdreader.com) is readily available at bookstores and cafes and includes comprehensive listings of the goings-on around town; PartySanDiego (www.partysandiego.com) lists area concerts, parties, and special events by date.

Whatever the current hot spot, you can bet there will always be action in the Gaslamp Quarter, where it's easy enough to wander from bar to bar until you find one suited to your needs; we especially recommend The Bitter End (770 Fifth Ave.; 619/338-9300) for its all-in-one approach: you'll find an underground dance club, a main level bar with pool table, and an upstairs lounge in its three-floor setting, plus happy-hour specials. If you like to keep it simple, Whiskey Girl (600 Fifth Ave.; 619/ 236-1616) is an ultra-casual pub and sports bar serving up inexpensive mixed drinks and drafts. At the opposite end of the drinking spectrum is Stingaree (454 Sixth Ave.; 619/544-9500), a hot spot attracting A-listers and those who wish they were with three levels dedicated to the three D's – dining, drinking, and dancing – head to the rooftop for fire pits, cabana seating, and bottle service.

Nearby, the similarly-themed-but-slightly-more-relaxed Beach at the W Hotel (421 West B St.: 619/231-8220) is a fourth-floor rooftop bar with a heated sand floor, fire pit, bottle service, and three cabanas available to rent. If you prefer your bars with sandy floors to actually be at the beach, the South Mission neighborhood (near South Mission Beach) boasts the Beachcomber (2901 Mission Blvd.; 858/488-2644) complete with noisy college kids, flip-flops, surfer dudes, and the ladies who love them. But if beach bars are your thing, head to Garnet Avenue in the Pacific Beach neighborhood – some of the best beach bars in San Diego are on this strip.

See San Diego Travel Guide