Washington DC

Sometimes there is a neighborhood bar that goes well beyond the hood, and you have Virginia and Maryland natives swarming your secret nest on a nightly basis. That's essentially what happened to Wonderland Ballroom, but the nightly debauchery will only evolve as Sneakers in the Club (one of Washington's crunk resident DJ sets) brings some Authentic Sh*t to Wonderland this Thursday at 9 pm Upstairs most certainly will be insanity as DJ's Jerome Baker III, Stereo Faith, and Trevor Martin take over the turntables. Wonderland is perhaps one of the last bars in DC to welcome sneakers and have an assortment of beer from around the world that won't break your bank (well what little bank you might have in the current recession). And everyday from 5 to 8 pm they have happy hour specials that include $3 footlong hotdogs with chili and/or cheese, $2 off all drafts, $3 rail drinks and $6 Delirium Tremens. So if you really want to live it up stop in for happy hour, stay on for Sneakers in the Club, and then crawl to work in the morning.

Photo: 

The Wonderland Ballroom is a Columbia Heights neighborhood bar/restaurant with two floors and a really "lived in" feel. The space downstairs is cluttered and homey, that is if "home" reminds you of a vintage jukebox and a noseful of cooked sausages (bratwurst, andouille, and foot long hot dogs are all featured menu items). By night the air is filled instead with funk music, and the upstairs area opens to a second bar and a sizable dance space. Here a diverse Columbia Heights crowd gets down to disco, hip-hop and funk often delivered by live DJs. The unpretentious vintage decor is welcoming to every bar-going specimen, big and small.

Photo:  Doug Sanford