Club or Tourist Attraction?

If I am going to blog about DC Fabulous-n-Favored hot spots, I can’t go without mentioning the Park at Fourteenth. This nightclub is the mecca of nightclubs in the District. I am convinced everyone has experienced this establishment in some capacity.

For starters, The Park is in a prime location, on the corner of 14th and K St NW. It is a four-story nightclub with a covered and heated patio area. It is not uncommon to see actors and actresses, NBA players, and well-known musician on any given club night here. The Park offers a happy hour that is second to known as far as food, drink options, seating areas, and VIP treatment.

I could blog about the food alone. The food here is amazing! Some of my favorite menu items are the mac and cheese, jerk chicken wings, and sautéed spinach. But trust me, you can’t go wrong with anything on this menu.

My favorite nights for The Park is Thursday for happy hour and Friday for a night of dancing.  The Park is open from Thursday through Saturday. Thursdays’ Happy Hour is always packed, and filled with a crowd of young professionals, well-dressed, and ready to unwind. Thursdays’ Happy Hour spills into the evening for partying, but isn’t typically as fun as Friday night. Friday night, come dressed to impressed. The Park is the most popular spot, in my opinion, to party on a Friday night if you are looking for a young, attractive crowd looking to hear current hip hop music.

This is a very large establishment that opened in November of 2007. It is a spin-off from the popular nightclub “Love“, and ran by the same management. The Park was established to be a more grown and sexy nightlife destination in the city. It has a seating capacity of 250 and group capacity of 650 patrons.

Now that I have been in the city for a while, I am on a quest to find the next “The Park“. At this point to me it is a tourist attraction. For out of towners it is a must-experience club in DC. But, for locals, it’s old news! I only go there as a “plan b” option. Not to knock the club, I have just had my share of The Park nights out and I am ready for a new go-to spot.

With that said, it is a great club and if you haven’t been you should check it out! Below are some pictures of my favorite outings throughout the past 3 years at The Park. Enjoy!

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Got it Made in the Shade…Sippin a Glass of (spiked) Lemonade…

Today is the first day of the year that the temperature has hit over 80 degrees….hallelujah! Everyone is rejuvenated from the bitter cold and ready to come out from hibernation. Even though it is just April, it still feels like it’s been a long time coming. Unfortunately, even with the beautiful weather, we still have to work. But, what is a day of work without an evening of happy hour?! This is the best happy hour weather! To celebrate the wonderful climate you should check out a great OUTDOOR happy hour spot.

Washingtonian.com had a great article about suggestions for outdoor happy hours. You can find the article here. In the article they mentioned four outdoor happy hour spots that I have never heard of, actually. These are definitely spots I would like to try out; especially “Five”, the rooftop bar sounds very enticing to me.

Of course, I have a few favorites I must mention. I think the best happy hour areas are where there are little clusters of restaurants together. It gives you many options and opportunities to mingle. The following three places are areas with many little restaurants bunched up together and offer lots of outside seating. First, the Woodley Park area right off Connecticut ave. near the zoo is awesome! This area is jam-packed with tasty little restaurants with a variety of cuisines offered. It is metro accessible and a safer area to walk around and hang out. (I am also a little bias because I lived near there for a year, and loved it!) Next, you can never go wrong in Dupont Circle. There are SO many options in Dupont, for everything! This area is very diverse, affluent, and contemporary. There are many outdoor options and late night spots to hang out. Lastly, one of the most scenic areas to eat, Washington Harbour in Georgetown. This is such a great area filled with many restaurants and the added bonus of being right on the water. I want to explore this area a little more, but one great food option is Bangkok Joe’s; the food is superb.

Happy Hour is huge in this city. We all work so hard 9-5, we need a release from 5-9! Let me know your thoughts on the HH spots I have mentioned: