nightlife

BA is home to a very relaxed lifestyle, which has its pros (obvious) and cons (people are late, everything is a process, etc). One result of the relaxed attitude is the late nightlife. We drink coffee when people in the states are preparing dinner. We eat dinner when American families are going to bed. And we get to the bar or club when bartenders in the states are calling last call.

By now I am used to taking my time. Why do I need to rush home from work to eat dinner at 6? I can get more done, relax, take my time, and ease into everything. It just makes more sense. I still can't handle the late club nights every time, but since I love dancing the night away, I make it through more often than not.

Here's a better idea of the comparison between a typical Friday night in DC and one in BA:

DC: Finish work at 5 or 6 PM. Have already been planning the night with my friends so I know exactly what I'm wearing and where I have to be at what time.

BA: Finish teaching my last class in the afternoon, have coffee around 5 or 6 PM,
and have probably finished lunch with friends not long before that.

DC: Rush home from work, jump in the shower, make a very quick dinner to eat while getting ready. Must be at X's house at 8:30PM and still have to pick up drinks along the way

BA: Discuss the night's plans with friends. It's decided we'll have the "pre"
(read: pre-game) at X's apartment around 11PM, and we have a club in mind.
In the meantime, I go home and relax.

DC: Make it to X's house late - quarter of 9 - because the metro had delays. We want to make it to the bar around 11PM, so enjoy drinks and company until then, possibly some beer pong.

BA: Cook dinner around 10PM and then get in the shower.
Make my way out of the apartment to catch the bus around 11:30PM.
Get to X's place and I'm the first one.

DC: Get on the metro around 10:30PM and arrive at the bars around 11.
They're starting to fill up and some people are lingering from happy hour.

BA: The rest of my friends start showing up to the apartment shortly after me.
Since we didn't pick up beer along the way, we just have it delivered.
A few rounds of dudo are necessary.

DC: We dance, drink, dance some more, and get kicked out of the bar after last call, around 2 or 2:30AM. Jumbo slice is calling our name, so we get pizza and eat it in the cab on the way home. Asleep by 3:30AM.

BA: At 2AM we leave the apartment to get to the club.
We need to be in by 2:30 to avoid the entrada (cover charge).
On the way we pick up empanadas porque tenemos hambre.

BA: We get to the club at 2:30AM and it's virtually empty. It starts to fill up around 3 or so. We dance, drink, dance some more.
"Que hora es?" someone asks. 4AM, it's early still.

BA: Finally, at 6AM, after our fill of nonstop dancing, we willingly leave the club. It's still packed and will be for awhile longer, but we're tired. We get in cabs and head home, maybe catching the sunrise along the way. Asleep by 7AM.

Some nights I would prefer the night out in DC, but for now... when in Rome!