Why doesn't anyone launch a startup in a dive bar? Is every startup really best represented by a fancy hotel bar? Granted, Fortnighter -- a place to order custom-written travel itineraries for $100 and up -- is best represented by a fancy hotel bar. In this case, it's Above Allen at the Thompson LES hotel. I double-checked whether it really cost a hundred dollars to get anything from this site. It does.

Steve Lewis has it right: these are the good ol' days. They're good because there's something for everyone, and you can change your something on any given night. Take Kristina Marino. Her blog, The Downtown Diaries, chronicles all things nocturnal in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn—her own weekly imbiberies are chameleon-like, but they're also true to herself. She likes a nice local bar where everyone knows her name, she takes chances with new parties, and she doesn't judge a restaurant by its dress code. Here, her weekly spots to be scene and be sceney.

● Boom Boom Room (Meatpacking District) - Eighteen floors above the Thigh Line, Eyeful Tower’s Boom Boom Room layers on even more sexual innuendo. Sex, too: nothing like floor to ceiling windows revealing the glittering city at your feet for getting you in the mood. Most now spot in town. (For now.) ● Jane Hotel and Ballroom (West Village) Latest smash from Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode gets all Edwardian on the WVill. Nights can run a little wild out this way, but that’s copacetic with the kinds of guests that the Jane Hotel attracts. ● Above Allen (Lower East Side) - Lush Life, indeed. Lofty Thompson LES rooftop heated up fast. Stephen Sprouse prints harken to downtown ghosts, while shmancy $15 cocktails shout out to hood’s posher present.

The town is going goo ga ga over The Standard Hotel's Boom Boom Room and, of course, that not a drag at all queen, Lady Gaga. Word comes to me from multiple (usually reliable) sources that the upper tiers of The Standard will have club legends, Nur Khan and Paul Sevigny on board after a few T's are crossed. I think it's two different spaces, but hey, it's only one cab ride. I could call them both and get a denial...so I'll wait for their phone calls and find the truth in their protests—although it does really makes sense as all parties involved would benefit from the fit. Paul has been looking for a place to hang his hat since The Beatrice took a beating and Nur just loves to be on top of the world. Paul has had marvelous success with his Tuesdays and Thursdays at Avenue so it seems he and Nur are at the top of their game right now. The Standard's excellent location and sublime views combined with the smart looks and staffing seems ideal.

Just heard a very realistic rumor that East Village hipster standby The Annex has been sold and will become, of all things, a sports bar. In honor of the decline of yet another club kid landmark, the infamous electro-nu-rave Ruff Club party will be throwing a final hurrah for the sweat den it made popular on September 11, bringing out some underground all-stars: the Misshapes, Spencer Product, and the Ruff Kids. Another fond farewell to a Friday night hotspot that many called home.

Dining might be the new nightlife, so then where does that leave nightlife? Could nightlife be the new shopping? Could it be still alive and well, and hiding behind a bandolier of dusty velvet ropes? Our dear Foster's existential breakdown and subsequent pocketbook damage got me to thinking about what everyone else (re: people with jobs other than chronicling New York nightlife) is doing with their free time in Manhattan. I cornered a Wall Street Dude, a New York Newbie, a Hipster DJ, a girl-about-town Socialite, a Fashion Intern, and a Lawyer to see what's going on behind our editorial backs. Turns out actually going someplace isn't a precursor for strong opinions, pro or con. For example:

A game of musical chairs is being played by most of the major promotional entities as the summer roof season is upon us. While the highly successful 230 Fifth will still dominate this market just as the Empire State Building dominates its incredible view, some places remain unsettled or don't have a clear opening date due to a myriad of problems. Highbar is getting a quick polish, while the roof at the Stay Hotel is still under construction. Mixed reports come from Cabanas and The Park, and the highly-touted Above Allen will finally get to open its windows amidst hopes that the sound spill doesn't disturb too many hotel guests and nearby residents. Daemon O'Neil, Rose Bar's patient, sweet, and very good-looking door guru (not to be confused with Damion Luaiye), is packing his clipboard and heading over to the Bazaar Bar at the upcoming Trump Soho hotel. The economic downturn, a weak dollar, and a laundry list of safety issues make travel abroad a lot less attractive this season. I hear reports that Hamptons summer rentals are sluggish, yet the Surf Lodge in Montauk is riding high.

I DJed at the Hudson Rise Picnic last night, an amazing benefit proposed to help prevent the construction of a hideous 14-story sanitation facility that’s been approved for construction as early as June 2009 down on Spring and Canal streets, near the river. The city is pushing to construct the building, which will contain garbage trucks, a mountain of salt, garbage fuel, and lots of other stinky stuff that doesn’t seem right next to the water and the Holland Tunnel. The reason I volunteered to DJ for free at this gala was that unlike most groups who gripe about things, these folks are actually offering an intelligent, cheaper, and indeed economically cleaner solution -- Hudson Rise Park, which would connect to the river, cost about $200 million less than the city’s current plan, and still accommodate local garbage facilities. Another reason I DJed was to check out the celebs who were on the invite.

Thompson Hotels' director of promotions and entertainment Med Abrous, on his once-in-a-lifetime guest performance with Prince, bringing movie night to clubs and the bright side of the bottle-service decline.

Last night was the first time I've ventured out this week because the flu has kept me home alone. I was booked to DJ at the Wednesday night party at Above Allen, the cool, cool lounge in the new Thompson LES Hotel. The cool, cool lounge was actually very cool, especially since they haven't had their HVAC (heat) sorted out. I really like this place. The Wednesday party, which features resident DJ Neil Aline, is a smash. It's promoted by Janelle Lee and Sean Tao, who are both (coincidentally) a couple of hospitality designers that I've been courting on and off for my design business. Sean, a former David Rockwell staffer, brought a young and fabulous crowd, while the rest of the scene was very adult and very sexy. Julie Park manages the joint and is building it nicely. They wanted music not typically played in New York clubs, and that's certainly my style. I was amused by Guest of a Guest photographer J.T., who didn't know a Sly Stone from a James Brown. Indeed, he couldn't get one track right all night.