Centro-Fly
This eye-popping lounge and dance hall is a geometric wonderland-black and white circles and other geometric patterns cover its interior. You'll find house music on the weekends, an enthusiastic crowd, and a refreshingly cheap ($10) cover.
Address: 52 W. 21st St., between 5th and 6th Aves.
Phone: 212/627-7770
Cheetah
One of the hot places (the 20th-anniversary party for Studio 54 was held here), Cheetah pays homage to the '70s with disco in a faux-leopard setting.
Address: 12 W. 21st St., between 5th and 6th Aves.
Phone: 222/206-7770
China Club
Further proof that the '80s are back with a vengeance, this symbol of high-living excess has relocated from its original Upper West Side location to an 8,000-square-ft bi-level space in Hell's Kitchen. The exclusionary velvet ropes are again in place, but there's also a massmarket gift shop.
Address: 268 W. 47th St., between Broadway and 8th Are.
Phone: 212/398-3800
Cream
Five rooms, two dance floors, and wildly eclectic decor (everything from Persian rugs to fake snow) induce a crowd of young proessionals to cut the rug. In this neighborhood, Cream can't be beat for dancing.
Address: S3 246 Columbus Ave., between 71st and 72nd Sts.
Phone: 2/72 2-2 666
Culture Club
From the Pac Man illustration on the outside awning to the interior murals of Adam Ant and the cast from "The Breakfast Club," if you're desperately seeking a dose of '80s nostalgia, this is your place.
Address: 179 Varick St., between Charlton and King Sts.
Phone: 212/398-3800
Float
Skinny trust-fund girls and the bankers who chase them crowd into this three-level dance hall that feels like a funhouse: A maze of VIP rooms and small lounges lead off the main dance floor.
Address: 240 W. 52nd St., between Broadway and 8th Are.
Phone: 212/581-0055
Le Bar Bat
This bamboo-encrusted, multi-tier monster fits right in with the Planet Hollywood-type places on 57th Street's theme-restaurant row, but you can have a flashy good time here.
Address: S3 311 W. 57th St., between 8th and 9th Aves.
Phone: 212/307-7228
Limelight
Located in a deconsecrated church, this classic of 1990s New York nightlife reinvented itself after a hiatus in 1998. Now, 10-ft waterfalls, video installations, and an art gallery have replaced the dancers who once shimmied in cages above the crowd.
Address: 47 W. 20th St., at 6th Ave.
Phone: 212/807-7059
Nell's
Here, in the 1990s, Nell Campbell (of Rocky Horror fame) reintroduced sophistication to nightlife. The tone in the upstairs live-music jazz salon is Victorian; downstairs you can dance to a DJ.
Address: 246 W. 14th St., near 8th Ave.
Phone: 222/675-2567
Nell's
Here, in the 1990s, Nell Campbell (of Rocky Horror fame) reintroduced sophistication to nightlife. The tone in the upstairs live-music jazz salon is Victorian; downstairs you can dance to a DJ.
Address: 246 W. 14th St., near 8th Ave.
Phone: 222/675-2567
Roxy
Most nights this huge hall is a standard bridge-and-tunnel magnet, mostly attracting those who live in other New York boroughs and in New Jersey and occasionally drawing a mixed rave crowd. Wednesday is roller-disco night. Call ahead for special events.
Address: 525 W. 18th St., between 10th and llth Aves.
Phone: 222/645-5256
Saci
Don't let the midtown address fool you. This airy dance hall draws an ultra-fashion-conscious crowd. They appreciate the minimalistic elevated bars and pulsing walls of light, which look just as good as their fellow patrons.
Address: 135 W. 41st St., between 6th Ave. and Broadway
Phone: 212/278-0988
Sound Factory
A cavernous, super-high-energy dance mecca, this club is only open on Friday and Saturday nights, though the action does continue through noon on Sunday.
Address: 618 W. 46th St., between 11th and 12th Aves.
Phone: 212/489-0001
Spa
Massage your psyche in the entrance lounge, where a waterfall cascades down behind the bar, before working out to the R&B and hip-hop beats on the dance floor. The super-fit and attractive set can be found in the exclusive alabaster banquettes of the White Room.
Address: 76 E. 13th St., between Broadway and 4th Ave.
Phone: 212/388-1060
Tunnel
. Like the Roxy this is another mega-club standard bearer; it attracts a similar crowd, though unlike the Roxy, there's never any roller skating.
Address: 220 12th Ave., at 27th St.
Phone: 212/695-4682.
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