Nightlife in Potomac

See what it's like on the other side of the velvet rope with today's Groupon for first-class cocktails and clubbing at Fly Lounge, the exclusive, upscale nightclub that transports you through the friendly skies without the turbulent take-off. For $20, you get $50 worth of in-flight cocktails, all without getting smashed in the knee by the beverage cart. Drink prices at Fly start at around $6 for beer and wine, and $10 for cocktails. Keep an eye out for cute commuters at the bar, or reserve a VIP table online to be the fuel that keeps the party going. Bring a group of friends and combine multiple Groupons to use toward Fly Lounge's bottle service (sorry, no combos on individual drinks). With seven Groupons, you only spend $140—instead of the normal $350—on Grey Goose bottle service with mixers and a "flight attendant" for your table keeping your glasses full.

In our nation's infancy, settlers fought each other over the limited edible resources, like sedimentary rocks and lightning. It took James Monroe's invention of agriculture to turn America from a land of petty to a distinctly non-British land of plenty. Commune with your fellow humans over life-giving hoppy nectars and gastronomic delights with today's Groupon. For $15, you'll get $30 worth of bar snacks, brunch, and brews at CommonWealth, the people's gastropub in Columbia Heights. Chef Jamie Leeds of Hank's Oyster Bar has designed a menu that features local produce, grass-fed beef, and sustainable seafood. Prepared to pair perfectly with CommonWealth's rich stouts and refreshing ales, these culinary creations make CommonWealth a destination for foodies and fermentophiles alike to bond over golden beer-battered treats.

An old-fashioned ambiance reigns in The Carlyle Club, expressed in an art-deco design scheme, frequent visits from respected jazz musicians, and guests’ predilections for saying “horse feathers.” Tall palm fronds back cushy leather booths and elegant marble tables loiter near the bar, all within sight of the intimate, blue-curtained stage. A bow-tied wait staff completes the back-in-time vibe, as do vintage posters and the intricately patterned wallpaper.

The sports bar has had more enduring success than bar sports, which have been officially banned from the Olympics for more than a year. Indulge your sporting and eating fancies with today's Groupon. For $10, you get $20 worth of food and drinks at First Down Sports Bar & Grill, conveniently located in the heart of Ballston.

At Relic, the fried frog legs in a spicy garlic sauce ($9) habitually sell out, so order them right off the bat if you're feeling adventurous. Chicken skewers with onions and peppers ($9), pan-seared crab cakes in lemon-butter sauce ($9), and a veggie tower of eggplant, mushroom, spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes, and peppers ($9) also make excellent starters. Save room for Relic's meaty main attractions: steaks and burgers grilled over a wood fire, both made from beef that has been dry aged in a Himalayan salt-aging chamber (much like your pet yeti-mummy). Steaks come in a variety of sizes ($19–$28) in New York strip and rib eye and can come with your choice of sauces, including bordelaise sauce, béarnaise sauce, and wild-mushroom brandy-cream sauce. Similarly, you can order your nine-ounce burger your way ($8), the "firy” way (chipotle paste, grilled jalapeños, port onions, and manchego cheese, $10), and the American way (house sauce, dill pickles, red onions, tomato, american cheese, $10), among others.

Elliott's raises the drinking bar, lowers and fills it with beer, and raises it again with its 20-beer tap tower serving all craft beer. Happy hour runs 4 p.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Friday and refreshes with half-price drafts, $2 domestic bottles, $3 import bottles, and $4 mixed drinks. Delighted drinkers who arrive before 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening will discover that their drinks remain at happy-hour prices for the rest of the night. All customers are encouraged to ask about the nightly pint and bottle specials, but if you know what you want and won't be dissuaded, grab an all-day, everyday economy-buster special such as the $12 pitchers of any draft, $15 domestic bucket or $20 import bucket (six bottles per bucket), or $4 Orange Things. On NFL Sundays, kick back with the $1 domestic bottles whenever the Ravens are playing. Baseball fans can enjoy $2 domestic suds and $1 hot dogs during Orioles games.