Farhad Heydari
The best in nightlife from Amsterdam to Hong Kong
When Martha’s Vineyard resident John Bugbee sojourned in Europe a couple of years ago, he was astounded by the scenes of conviviality and waves of well-mannered partygoers greeting him after-hours as he whistle-stopped his way from Amsterdam and Hamburg to Berlin. “It was like these cities had an entirely different dimension after dark,” says the 34-year-old town administrator of Tisbury, one of six municipalities on Martha’s Vineyard. “Whether it was public squares or private clubs, they just kept on going, most until daybreak. It was like nothing I’d ever seen.”
Bugbee isn’t alone. Every year, thousands of Americans, repressed by a slew of outdated and restrictive puritanical laws, head for Europe as well as parts of Asia and South America to partake in a bit of that Xanadu that insomniacs elsewhere take for granted. And while there are no statistics to track the numbers of hedonism-seeking travelers—be they dutiful public servants or private bankers—anecdotal evidence culled from interviews with reticent club owners and diehard night owls suggests that despite the plummeting dollar and sky-high airfares, plenty of Americans are heading overseas for the late-night bacchanalia...
The best in nightlife from Amsterdam to Hong Kong
When Martha’s Vineyard resident John Bugbee sojourned in Europe a couple of years ago, he was astounded by the scenes of conviviality and waves of well-mannered partygoers greeting him after-hours as he whistle-stopped his way from Amsterdam and Hamburg to Berlin. “It was like these cities had an entirely different dimension after dark,” says the 34-year-old town administrator of Tisbury, one of six municipalities on Martha’s Vineyard. “Whether it was public squares or private clubs, they just kept on going, most until daybreak. It was like nothing I’d ever seen.”
Bugbee isn’t alone. Every year, thousands of Americans, repressed by a slew of outdated and restrictive puritanical laws, head for Europe as well as parts of Asia and South America to partake in a bit of that Xanadu that insomniacs elsewhere take for granted. And while there are no statistics to track the numbers of hedonism-seeking travelers—be they dutiful public servants or private bankers—anecdotal evidence culled from interviews with reticent club owners and diehard night owls suggests that despite the plummeting dollar and sky-high airfares, plenty of Americans are heading overseas for the late-night bacchanalia...
Farhad Heydari The best in nightlife from Amsterdam to Hong Kong When Martha’s Vineyard resident John Bugbee sojourned in Europe a couple of years ago,... more
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1
Hong Kong
At Racks MDB, a members' club on Hong Kong's Wellington Street that's the brainchild of local DJ Drafus Chow, anyone can walk in and shoot some stick before heading to the heady assortment of nightspots concentrated around Lan Kwai Fong. They include Dragon-i and Volar, both of which feature international DJs, while Halo, a hip basement hideaway, is all the rage with the polyglot beau monde. Whatever you do, don't overlook Drop, another subterranean hot spot.
2
London
Finagle your name onto the guest list at either Cuckoo, Maddox or Amika—three of the trendiest upscale clubs— and you'll be happily kicking up your heels until 3 a.m. Afterwards, make for British Luxury Club, L'Equipe Anglaise or 50 Dover Street. Following a night out on the town, grab breakfast at Vingt-Quatre.
3
Düsseldorf
Kick up your heels at any one of the many high-octane after-hours spots that ring Media-Hafen. A reconverted 1930s warehouse, mk-2, is a cutting-edge lounge-cum-disco with a roster of topnotch resident DJs and a dedicated thirtysomething VIP clientele. Over at 3001, five areas, including a massive dance floor, keep the in-crowd content, while Harpune, features a heady mix of deep house and trance refrains for its blissed-out masses.
4
Singapore
Long derided as Asia-lite, Singapore is, in fact, a rollicking city-state with a handful of happening bars and clubs. At Zouk, one of Southeast Asia's most happening nightclubs, a subterranean labyrinth enables the young crowd to dance in a trio of interconnected venues. Almost double in size (40,000-square-feet to be exact), the bi-level Ministry of Sound is anchored by a main dance floor, from which offshoots include standalone venues for house, chillout and disco tunes while The Butter Factory, with its whimsically decorated environs, is ideal for the late-evening chillout.
5
Tokyo
With its dimly lit merlot-colored interiors and plush trappings, Crystal Lounge, which occupies the top two floors of a Roppongi high-rise is a clear favorite, as is the clubby Parisian outpost of Le Baron, a popular but hidden hangout with a strict entry policy that any good concierge can circumnavigate. Alternatively, make for the alternative pleasure palace that is SuperDeluxe, where DJs rock the house in limited-edition trainers.
6
Zürich
The former industrial quarter of Zürich West is on the rise, especially for the jeunesse doré of late-night festivities, to say nothing of top-notch food and live music and jazz earlier on. The dance floors of Rohstofflager, Labor-Bar, Toni Molkerei, Club Q and the lavishly decorated Swiss outpost of the popular Singapore-based Club Indochine, are all en vogue until the early morning when habitués, depending on weather, make for Utoquai, a popular complex of multilevel wooden sunning terraces that rise above Zürichsee, where you can dive straight into the often-chilly waters and swim to a pair of platforms 200 yards out.
7
Buenos Aires
There are few better places to kick-off a night in the Argentine capital than by joining the porteños for the Rojo Tango Show at the striking Faena Hotel. The party continues, but not before 3 a.m., at Niceto, a glossy spot where hip-hop, house and reggaeton are spun by DJs. At Milión, a tri-level Belle Époque mansion, a half-dozen nooks-and-crannies invite the lounge-lovers to nuzzle while at X Vos, a petite brick-clad nightclub with an outdoor courtyard, DJs set up their tables in a tiny space and then proceed to rock the house with a blend of Euro-inspired tunes.
8
Hamburg
Cap off a night of clubbing at China Club, Golden Cut or Club la Nuit, just three of the hottest places in the city, with a Sunday morning Fischmarkt breakfast at the Fischauktionshalle. The market, which also features food and vegetable stalls and flower dealers was a favorite stomping ground for the Beatles, who would head there following their gigs the night before.
9
Paris
The L'Avion-disembarking jet-setters maximize the non-operational métro hours between 12:45 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. by clubbing all-night. At the subterranean Le Madam, off the Champs-Élysées, guests rock to electronica while over at VIP Room, a former cinema lobby into which millions of euros were invested; floor-to-ceiling LED lights and flashing plasmas keep the crowd convivial.
10
Madrid
With a penchant for eating late, Madrileños don't wrap up dinner until nearly midnight and then head out to burn off the calories. Pacha, an iconic neon-showered institution continues to pack in the footballers and models while Reina Bruja, a willfully stylish mélange of backlit 21st-century surfaces designed by Tomas Alia that spreads across 7,500 square feet, is a favorite for artists, designers and photographers. Moma56, meanwhile, caters to the thirtysomething high-heeled set—and their sugar daddies.
[source: https://www.forbestraveler.com/luxury/insomnia-in-style-story.html ]
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