There is beauty, beaches and boats, but there are also bars in
Newport Beach, and that is a big part of this community’s culture.
The waterfront by the
Newport Pier, which might appear to offer high-end establishments with spectacular views and prices to match, actually thrives on dives.
The Beach Ball, Blackie’s and the popular Mutt Lynch’s with its schooners of beer, are as much a part of the landscape as the yachts in the harbor.
The patrons, much like the places they frequent, are a mix of new and the well established. They are classic California casual yet can also crank up the party.
Newport Beach’s nightlife is centered on Balboa Peninsula as Newport Blvd., merges into West Balboa Blvd. Places such as
Woody’s Wharf, where captains and crew tie up to its private dock; the elegant Ten Waterfront, Rudy’s, a popular sports bar; and Sharkeez (every cool beach down in Southern California has a Sharkeez) set the scene.
They are joined by the rustic legends mentioned above, which are lined up nearly side-by-side along the beach path. Farther down the beach is Baja Cantina and the
Balboa Inn.
But
Newport also contains spots on or around Pacific Coast Highway such as the 3-Thirty-3 lounge and one of the area’s top clubs, Sutra, is actually in neighboring Costa Mesa.
In addition to the bars,
Newport Beach offers special events for the social-seeking set. Fashion Island, an upscale
shopping center, hosts two of them.
One is a summer concert series in Bloomingdale’s. courtyard.
Featuring music from jazz to classic rock ‘n roll, they are held every Wednesday at 7 o’clock in the summertime and are free to the public.
Another is the annual Taste of Newport in the middle of September which features not only plates from the some city’s
best restaurants, but also “blast from the past” bands and beer and liquor booths. Fridays have become the event’s unofficial “singles night.”
Fashion Island is also home to the area’s longest-running weekly event, Taco Tuesday at El Torito. It’s not the tacos that bring in the crowd, but the crowd itself that’s the main attraction.
And that typifies Newport Beach’s nightlife.
For specific information and more photos on Newport Beach’s nightlife, visit
PubClub.com, Newport Beach at:
http://www.pubclub.com/losangeles/newport.htm
Additional information and photos on the Taste of Newport can be found at:
http://www.pubclub.com/losangeles/octaste.htm
All photos courtesy of PubClub.com.
