2 6 S O U T H P H I L L Y R E V I E W I j u n e 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 I southphillyreview . c o m
BE ACH BO U N D floor to allow for more intimate contact with guests. Mur.mur, originally part of a $200 million casino expansion project, was modified in 2013 with a new color scheme and upgrades to its carpeting, drapery and lighting, and an elongated dance floor flanked on each end by bars and adjoined by personalized VIP table service. Visit borgatanightlife.com. The cornerstone of a $550 million expansion project completed in 2008, The Pool at Harrah’s started out as merely a first-rate luxury amenity for hotel guests (which it still is, during the day). What it later became is the setting for Atlantic City’s most unusual nightlife scene, where hundreds of primarily 20- and 30-somethings party into the night on weekends (and midweek during its Wet ‘N’ Wild Wednesdays industry night) alongside a bevy of different celebrities, showbiz sorts, special guests and renowned DJs. A 172,000 square-foot domed room has a 23,000-square-foot pool as its centerpiece. It is open 10pm-4am Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as a nightclub. Visit thepoolafterdark.com. Providence at the Tropicana shares common ownership with its namesake in New York City, which had once been the site of the Manhattan Baptist Church, and maintained much of its original architecture after it made its unlikely about-face. The A.C. version is slightly smaller but designed to replicate the 14,000-square-foot N.Y.C. site, with two large, elevated booths in which DJs man each tower and alternates spinning danceable hits with skilled synchronicity. There are three bars and multiple VIP sections with select bottle service. It is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10pm-4am. Visit providenceclubac.com. Also at the Trop, Boogie Nights nightclub will be starting its third summer in its 8,000-square-foot setting off the casino floor. Owner/ concept creator Dave Pena previously ran the ultra-popular flashbackto-the-‘70s and ‘80s club at Resorts five years previously. The décor and characters (Mr. Boogie, Roller Girl, Boogie Beaver, Basketball Jones) are all first-rate retro, and special guests from those throwback eras are common, like a Michael Jackson impersonator June 13, and former teen heart throb Corey Feldman appearing June 14. Regular hours are Friday and Saturday from 10pm, and every Thursday is ’90s night. Visit boogienightsac.com. HQ Nightclub at Revel greets guests at its entry with a sprawling, expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean and a 24-foot LED screens flanking a custom-made DJ booth. There is a suspended performance stage, multiple bars, a large dance floor and a mezzanine level with additional seating intended for a more intimate setting. Visit revelnightlife.com. Other venues with lofty nightlife credentials include Ivan Kane’s Royal Jelly Burlesque at Revel (royaljellyburlesque.com), Anthem (anthemlounge.com) and Cuba Libre (cubalibrerestaurant.com) at the Tropicana, and of course Memories of Margate, owned by Jerry “The Geator with the Heater” Blavat for the last 42 summers. Memories is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting with a 4pm Happy hour. It goes live on KOOL 98.3 radio at 5pm every Friday and 7pm Saturday. Visit geatorgigs.webs.com. n
PICTURED (FROM TOP): DUSK, HAVEN, HQ, SAMANTHA RONSON AT MUR.MUR, THE GEATOR AT MEMORIES