We all know that having a boyfriend is embarrassing now (see the Vogue article that’s breaking the internet). But lately I’ve been wondering, (in LA) is having a nightlife just as lame?
The other night, I made the walk of shame down Abbot Kinney - from Roosterfish, to The Brig, then Owa - and I thought: this is so f**ing lame!
Going from bar to bar… for what?! I heard my mom’s voice in the back of my head: “Nothing good happens past 12 a.m.” Meanwhile, my friends were talking about some guy they’d just met, and I swear they were wearing rose-colored glasses.
My rose-colored glasses theory:
You know when you go vintage shopping and you drive 30 minutes out of your way, do a lap around the store, and find nothing? Then you do another lap, spot something sort of cute, and convince yourself it’s worth it. You bring it home, it collects dust, and a year later it’s in the donation pile.
That’s the rose-colored-glasses effect: you don’t really want it, but you put in the time, so you tell yourself you do. (For me, it was these God-awful vintage glasses I bought in Mexico City).
And nightlife is no different. You make your rounds from bar to bar, the clock strikes midnight, and you know you should go home. But, instead, those glasses keep you out all night. You talk to someone you don’t really like. You get another shot you don’t really want. And you convince yourself it was worth it because you showed up. Eventually, you realize that nightlife isn’t all that great.
And here’s where I think LA shows its superiority to other cities: in the nightlife scene. We prioritize health, wellness, and longevity. We live in the city of everlasting youth, which means decentering our social lives around alcohol (let’s pretend Halloweekend doesn’t exist- bad timing, sorry).
With the rare exception of a drunken night out, LA is pretty much over nightlife. We’ve taken off those glasses.
The rise in run clubs, hiking groups, game nights, stargazing meetups, and matchmaking events shows people want connections that don’t depend on nightlife. In a collective attempt to take off the glasses, I think we’ve put ourselves ahead of the curve. And further proving that nightlife is the new “boyfriend” in LA.
— Your Friend
