Nightlife in Hoboken

Nestled in the heart of Times Square, Broadway Comedy Club harvests chuckles in the Big Apple with standup comedy acts, improv groups, and musical comedies. A veritable melting pot of talent, Broadway Comedy Club showcases comedians seen on shows such as NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Conan, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The club also nurtures fledgling comics into hilarious swans with open-mic nights and standup classes, which teach students how to craft original material from just their wits, construction paper, and cases of sewing bobbins. An expansive cabaret-style theater and diverse menu of bar fare and cocktails cater to large audiences ready to laugh.

Tickling funny bones since 1975, the Comic Strip Live's cabaret-style club continues to host nightly lineups of new talent and comedic all-stars, such as Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Ellen DeGeneres. Humorists take the one-person stage in the intimate space, luring out laughter with jokes and savory one-liners placed in the club's on-site bear trap. Guests can rest their elbows on wooden tables as they sip alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages, which help to escort bites of nachos or popcorn past belly laughs attempting to make a quick exit. Once laughers have exhausted their last chuckle, they can make an exit while gazing upon the venue's walls, which are spackled from floor to ceiling with framed headshots of hilarious people.

Spherical lights seem to drift in smooth bubbly spirals up toward the ceiling of Flûte Bar & Lounge’s Gramercy location. Conversation bursts effervescently off walls and artwork in a palette of rosé pinks and prosecco tans. Myriad champagnes and sparkling wines, including Perrier-Jouët gran brut and a range of cavas, form lacelike crowns of bubbles in an atmosphere that aims to blend the French art de vivre aesthetic with a dash of NYC nightclub. Patrons can select single flutes or bottles, or they can sample several flights that showcase different grapes, a single producer, or the patience of a waitress willing to help you pick out all the bubbles. Cocktails lean heavily on sparkling wines and include bellinis, a blend of prosecco and fruit puree, which pair nicely with small plates of cheese and fruit or foie gras terrine.

Flûte now operates locations in Midtown, Gramercy, and Paris. In Midtown, visitors descend a short flight of stairs before sinking into intimate booths or plush benches. The original Midtown location celebrates its speakeasy roots with fiery jazz nights every Saturday, complete with performers and guests alike dressed in period apparel.

Laughter flows from the New York Comedy Club's corridors, freshly squeezed from audiences' giggle boxes by the club's on-hand comedians, visiting performers, and enthusiastic novices. Weekly shows, such as The Clayton Fletcher Show, lure up-and-coming NYC comedians to showcase their best jokes, brandish their best impressions, and analyze government tax-code legislation. On tri-weekly open-mic nights, amateur humorists test their slapstick mettle alongside host Dan Gutin. In addition to entertaining crowds, the New York Comedy Club hosts classes in tandem with Laughing Buddha Comedy, helping aspiring comics or court jesters to improve their stage presence and perfect their knock-knock jokes.

Silvery tendrils of smoke steeped with notes of mandarin, guava, and 16 other hookah flavors uncurl across La Boheme Lounge, where silverware jingles against plates of Italian-influenced dishes. Under the discerning eye of the owner—a professional music producer—DJs spin chill, ambient, lounge, and house music that serves as a rumbling sonic backdrop on two floors. Groups perch atop velvety, merlot-hued seats around low-topped black tables laden with espresso drinks and cocktails, or migrate to the private party room to admire the aquarium or rescue friends trapped by overly chatty fish.

From an early age, Cielo owner Nicolas Matar may have been destined for a career in music. As a child, his lullabies were his parent's nonstop stream of disco, funk, and soul music. His father—a hobbyist DJ and an original member of the legendary Studio 54—even built a mini-club in the family basement, where Nicolas encountered a diverse array of music genres. Nicolas went on to DJ at top clubs across the world, eventually landing a resident position at the famous Pacha in Ibiza. After spending most of the '90s working the high-end nightclub scene, Nicolas returned home to New York to open Cielo, where he spins electronic-centric sets alongside top international DJs. Named as a top club by the likes of the International Dance Music Awards and DJ Mag, Cielo has earned worldwide renown for its unpretentious atmosphere, extraordinary sound-system, and dedication to quality dance music. Inside, guests dance to electronica, house, and techno music on a sunken dance floor beneath the glimmer of disco balls. Others recline on comfortable banquettes, cushioned by plush brown and blue cylinder pillows. The club strives to avoid the elitist attitude of other lounges, eschewing VIP rooms, velvet ropes, and restrooms guarded by hungry mountain lions.