NYC vs. OC – Round 2 (Nightlife Edition)

Last week I briefly discussed a few reasons why I have found the great city of New York to be superior to the whitebread County of Orange. But last weekend I had beers with a kid I know who is moving back behind the Orange Curtain after being in NYC for a couple of years. He turned 21 while he was here, so I had to fill him in on OC nightlife a bit. It was a pretty short conversation, but there are some important things to note about nightlife in the OC that should hopefully remind you – as if you needed it – why NYC is so amazing.

You can hate the subway system all you want, but there’s nothing like that in the OC. And you can’t hail cabs… you have to call them… and wait for them to show up (sometimes over an hour). What this means is that if you want to go out and throw a couple back, you either have to drive with some alcohol in your system (Ed note: Don’t drink and drive!), get a designated driver (but who wants to do that), rent a limo or find a home near your favorite bar so you can walk.

There are not a ton of bars in the OC… you get a random sports bar here or there (and some pretty decent lounges, but they are few and far between). And if you want to go bar hopping you are limited to Laguna, Newport or Huntington Beaches… and, if you don’t live a walk away, you will spend hours (and possibly lots of money) trying to park (and then risk the drinking and driving). And if you do live near them, you are loaded and I hate you.

In the OC, last call is at 1:30… but that’s really when the bars kick you out. Last call is more like 1-1:15. I can’t tell you how many times I was out and having a great time only to have the lights come on (ouch) and get ushered out by a douchey doorman.

Speaking of douches… there is a very high concentration of them in the OC. Blame it on Daddy’s money.

There is a plus for the OC. You can buy beer, wine and liquor at grocery stores… and you don’t have to spend your life savings to get a decent bottle of wine.

I realize that my point of view may sound very bitter. The truth is that I had some good times in the OC. But that was due to the company… not the places we were going. NYC beats the OC in nightlife options, but it’s the people you are with that make for a fun night. Awww, isn’t that sweet?

Photo Credit: thevegaseye.com