Nightlife in Floral Park

Flowing with live music, libations, and good-spirited sports, Tobacco Road eschews the pretentions of club-hopping nightlife in favor of a convivial neighborhood-bar experience. Voted Best Dive Bar by the Village Voice, Tobacco Road’s weekly schedule runs the gamut of entertainment with nightly events for sports fans, blues and show-tunes devotees, and rampaging bachelorettes. Friday and Saturday nights, dueling pianos reign with the famed Shake Rattle & Roll showcase, a raucous all-request sing-along where classic hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Piano Man,” and Beethoven’s Symphony in C Major inspire revelrous toasts, games, and shot giveaways. A motley crew of bikini-clad barmaids and friendly clientele rounds out the colorful cast at the Midtown dive, which is located a leap-frog’s jump from the Port Authority.

Rihanna, Shania Twain, Mumford & Sons, and Elton John. That's not from the playlist of an indecisive radio DJ—it's from the song list at Radio Star Karaoke, which boasts more than 28,000 English and Spanish tunes. Visitors belt out melodies from nine private rooms, the biggest of which can fit up to 40 singers. Bolder singers exercise their pipes on the stage of the ultra-modern bar area, decked out with translucent plastic chairs illuminated by multicolored, club-style lighting. Dots of laser light flit across the entire space, framing wrap-around couches and flat-screen TVs. In the front hallway, a museum of vintage microphones and RCA Victor radios is on display to inspire singers. Fueling the festivities, which on some nights can last until 4 a.m., is a menu of spirited beverages and sharable appetizers that have all been stolen from Prince’s kitchen.

A rare outlet for commercially sanctioned laughter in downtown Los Angeles, Garrett Morris’ Downtown Blues and Comedy Club helps visitors escape the stresses of the workweek with a rotating stable of top-tier standup talent every Friday and Saturday. Comic legend Garrett Morris, now seen as Earl on CBS’ 2 Broke Girls, hosts showcases of comic talent with charming wit and tales of how he outlived the original cast of Saturday Night Live. The bill remains consistently loaded with fresh-faced and seasoned funny folk, with past luminaries including George Lopez, Margaret Cho, and Wayne Brady, along with aspiring stars in the twilight before their first mismatched-marriage sitcom.

Keeping true to its name and Morris’ roots in the New Orleans music scene, the venue often punctuates its comedy shows with performances from top blues artists—including Morris himself, who has lent his soulful pipes to the Harry Belafonte Singers—that add melody to the mirth. While weekend shows feature Garrett’s hosting and harmonies along with the headlining acts, the Thursday Night Experience allows youthful burgeoning comics and musicians to hog the spotlight.

Selected by Nightclub & Bar magazine as the Nightclub of the Year in 2011 and designated a city landmark in 2008, Webster Hall's four floors hold more than 125 years of history, from the Grand Ballroom to the Balcony Lounge. The building’s iconic framework has hosted such major acts as Prince and Mick Jagger, and served as a speakeasy, a lecture hall, and a mentor to troubled teenage buildings since its construction in 1886.

Originally established in the years after World War I, McGarry’s Pub & Restaurant still evokes the charm of a bygone era. From the moment guests step through the cheery red façade and belly up to the gleaming wood bar, they are transported to a simpler time when cars couldn’t shift gears or text automatically. An equally easygoing atmosphere permeates the beer garden, where wrought-iron tables beckon beneath umbrellas. Indoors and out, a hearty menu of classic Irish pub fare sates patrons’ appetites, offering plates such as shepherd’s pie, fish 'n' chips, and burgers. Brunch is served on the weekends, and beer, wine, and cocktails can be poured whenever someone suggests a toast to their festive surroundings.

Weekend dance parties fill the twin floors at Columbus 72, soundtracked by live swing and Latin bands or DJs spinning Top 40 dance hits. Piloted by a premium-liquor-packing waitstaff, the pillar-peppered Columbus ballroom accompanies a private-lounge sidecar boasting cocktail tables, an LCD screen, and optional helmet laws. Right off the expansive boogie zone nestles a brood of plush red and black VIP booths, which seat six to eight and may be enhanced with bottle service. Meanwhile, the Broadway Bar serves a separate dance floor in a more intimate setting with its own DJ and sound system on Friday and Saturday nights. The club's strict dress code demands casual, neat wear such as collared shirts and dress sneakers, with black-tie attire required for carousing team mascots.