Hip, hip, hooray for not-so-hip nightlife

The approaching summer means the end to, or at least the three-month break from, entertainment as we know it. Westwood and surrounding areas provide events and venues that are often free and student-oriented.

But those graduating this June may have to live without the student discounts. This means it’s time to limit movie theatergoing and focus on the old classics you’ve always meant to rent. And with no more conveniently located world-class museums like the Getty, Hammer and Fowler, it may be time to look to PBS documentaries about art.

But while smaller cities and quaint towns may not have the museums and trendy clubs of Los Angeles, and no other place will have the bars filled with UCLA students, that doesn’t mean all fun has to come to an end.

From a few recent weekend trips, I’ve discovered that suburbia can be happening in its own way, if you only change your expectations.

At a bar on the same street as a Banana Republic and a Starbucks in Santa Barbara, a jazz band of four men in their 60s and one woman in her 40s brought down the house playing songs I’d never heard of ““ only people who remembered the ’30s sang along. But next to that 80-year-old couple and beyond those middle-aged women were quite a few 20-somethings enjoying the scene just the same. It wasn’t a bar to run into and hook up with some friend of a friend from your roommate’s discussion section, but for a carefree evening with a few pals, it was remarkably fun.

Los Angeles may be hip and cool, and Westwood in particular can be familiar and friendly, but it doesn’t hold a monopoly on nightlife. In fact, clubs outside of Los Angeles can often be more fun than the pretentious sort found around Westwood.

The lack of possibilities of seeing a movie star puts every bar and club on a more equal footing. On a night out in San Diego, the only lines were due to honest overcrowding. They weren’t waiting to see if anyone better would come along. And once inside, the people were actually chatting and dancing with each other ““ they weren’t just standing around looking hip and bored and more famous than you.

However, when you are used to going to bars where most of the people are young and smart college students like yourself, you can develop a false sense of safety. In real bars, there are actual creepers, not just that weirdo in your biology class (granted there are actual creepers in Westwood bars, they just are better at mixing in).

So if you are going out to meet other similar people, you will certainly miss Westwood, but just for a fun night out with friends, you don’t have to go to the same mall where you hung out in high school. Try the local bars; you may run into your parents’ friends, ““ or worse, your grandparents’ ““ but they knew how to party once, too.

If you like to do the fox-trot with 80-year-olds, e-mail Crocker at [email protected].