Image: Jawcey (Flickr)

Get permission from the landlord.

First, you need to find out if you are allowed to host parties on the roof of your apartment building. There may be some rules about how many people can access the roof, what the roof can be used for or reserving the roof during busy times of year. While you’re getting permission from your landlord, see if your apartment building neighbors want to help put together a big deck party. It would be a great way to get to know them and all their friends.

Make sure you have enough furniture for entertaining.

If your rooftop deck is not already equipped with patio furniture or lounge chairs, it’s time to ask your neighbors to get some tables and seating together. If every outdoor-loving, sociable tenant contributes at least one piece of furniture, you should have enough space for people to sit. Maybe the landlord will let you leave the furniture on the rooftop for future events. It’s best to keep it simple, so stick with inexpensive plastic furniture or folding chairs. If you plan on hosting a fancy affair, you can always dress up the patio furniture with tablecloths (or white sheets) and chair covers with ribbon.

Check for electrical outlets and a water connection.

If you want to play music or need to have access to water for your outdoor rooftop bar, it is important to make sure that you have the essentials ahead of time. Electrical outlets are not a given on a rooftop, and neither is a water supply. Look for this stuff ahead of time so you can make a plan for running extension cords from nearby apartments or stocking up on canned or bottled drinks with ice-filled coolers.

Prepare for the weather.

The weeks leading up to this fabulous rooftop party have been filled with warm, sunny days. However, be prepared for Murphy’s Law. Rain is always a possibility, and so is unbearable, sweltering heat (you are on a rooftop, after all). It’s a good idea to have a waterproof tent or canopy set up in addition to a few strong electric fans. The temperature on the top of a roof tends to be more extreme either way. Hot, stagnant days of summer are amplified on a tar-filled roof. Contrarily, rainy wind does not have building walls to buffer the blow, so make sure that the gazebo tent is secure and does not blow off the rooftop.

Provide trash cans and recycling bins.

Not providing adequate and proper waste management is a common mistake among amateur party hosts. Be sure that people do not have to ask you, “Where should I dump this beer bottle?” Also, find out what the smoking rules are beforehand. Chances are strong that smoking will be prohibited if you are on the roof of a public apartment building. Be sure to let guests know, and post signs to reinforce this rule.

Rooftop deck parties are the perfect venue for urban apartment dwellers to enjoy the outdoors. By adding outdoorsy details such as large potted plants and flowers, your guests will have the best of both worlds –a rooftop garden party amidst an awesome view of the city’s lit skyscape.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in San Jose.

Image: RLHyde (Flickr)

Kostume Karaoke
1942 11th St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 232-6590

If you take karaoke seriously, you should check out Kostume Karaoke on 11^th Street. Drunken theatre folks adorn themselves with props and costumes (provided by the club) on an elaborate stage for full-costume karaoke. This is not the place to go if you are shy. Kostume Karaoke has a lively singing crowd that likes to take things over the top. Get there early to get your name on the list, but even if you don’t get a chance to perform, you will undoubtedly have some laughs watching the free entertainment. Who doesn’t want to see a six foot tall burly man with a blond wig in a mini skirt singing a Dolly Parton song?

The EFN Lounge & Motley Bar
1318 9th St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 341-8281

Monday night may be an inconspicuous night for karaoke, but everyone in the local area knows that this is where the party is if you want to sing. While the EFN Lounge is primarily noted as a gay bar, it is frequented by a wide variety of clientele; younger, older, business people, drag queens and college students all seem to fit in here. This edgy, funky neighborhood bar is a great choice for karaoke goers to feel comfortable in front of a crowd.

Brass Monkey
2317 18th St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 667-7800

Located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood between N. Belmont Rd. and N. Kalorama Square, the Brass Monkey is kind of a dive, but true Karaoke fans know that hole-in-the-wall bars are sometimes preferable places to let loose and sing. The drinks are cheap, and they sometimes serve free pizza for the patrons. Head straight for the basement of this bar where it is usually packed on any given night with karaoke fans. The music selection is fairly decent, and as long as you tip the DJ, he will make sure that you get on the karaoke wait list.

Café Japone
2032 P St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 223-1573

Go back to karaoke’s Japanese roots and give Café Japone a try. From sushi to ramen to agedashi tofu, the menu offers a tasty variety of Japanese cuisine. The ambiance may strike some as a bizarre, “Lost-in-Translation” kind of club with black walls and purple sofas. The karaoke is more of a free-for-all rather than a well-organized waiting list. That can be a good thing, however –especially if you know what you are doing, want to take over the club and sing songs at the top of your lungs from a huge song book.

Recessions
1823 L St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 296-6686

Perhaps on the dingy side of karaoke bars, Recessions is a solid local cozy bar with cheap beer and the promise of a good time. Once you get past the seedy, motel-like entrance and make yourself comfortable, Recessions offers the complete local lounge experience and has an unassuming karaoke crowd if you need to brush up on your karaoke repertoire. You will not be disappointed with its robust song list.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in Washington, D.C.

Image: Wburris (Flickr)

What: Washington D.C. St. Patrick’s Day Parade
When: Sun., March 14, noon
Where: The parade will proceed down Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets NW in our nation’s capital.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of the best-attended parades in Washington. The Parade through downtown D.C. lasts about 2.5 hours. This year’s parade theme is “The Irish That Built America.” The parade was started as an Irish community endeavor by the Irish American Club and is now held in cooperation with the National Capital Park Service. Complete with bands, public figures, dance groups and floats, this parade is for everyone. So take your family out and enjoy a well-planned event where everyone is Irish, at least for the day.

What: Leprechaun Lap
When: Sat., March 6, 1 – 9 p.m.
Where:  The annual St. Patrick’s Day bar crawl begins at Mackey’s Public House at 1823 L St. NW, Washington, D.C.

The Leprechaun Lap is a charity-sponsored pub crawl that includes food and drink specials at Rumors, Sign of the Whale, the Front Page, McFadden’s, Porter’s, the Bottom Line, Recessions and the Madhatter. Be sure to register from 1-6 p.m. at Mackey’s on March 6. The cost is $10 with two cans of food to donate to a local charity and $13 without.

What: The National Shamrock Fest
When: Sat., March 13, 1 – 9 p.m.
Where: RFK Stadium, 2400 E. Capitol St. NE Washington, DC.

Complete with live music, food, drinks and dozens of activities for all ages, this street festival is great for the entire family. The Shamrock Fest is the largest Saint Patrick’s Day party in the region, featuring more than 40 live bands performing on seven stages. Enjoy a daylong festival of rock, Irish, blues, retro and folk music.

What: The Dubliner Irish Pub
When: March 17
Where: 520 N. Capitol St. NW, Washington, DC 20001

According to many D.C. locals, this is the place to be on St. Patrick’s Day. The Dubliner features live Irish entertainment seven nights a week, and a vast selection of beers, including some of their own. The Dubliner is packed with people on St. Patrick’s Day, who watch the street below on the open-air patio that faces Massachusetts Avenue. The pub food is surprisingly good. If you get a chance, you should try the fish and chips, but do not expect them to have much food available on St. Patrick’s Day. It will be standing room only, and the beer will be flowing heavily.

What: The Red Derby Bar
When: March 17
Where: 3718 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20010

If you are looking for a great Irish dive bar, here is one with cheap beer, cute servers and greasy yet delightful food. This bar is as quaint as it gets with board games and friendly patrons who may just buy you a drink. Established as a place to hang out, there are old movies projecting on the wall and the bartenders and wait staff are likely to sit down and have a drink with you. When you first walk in, you may feel like you have trespassed and entered a private club because there is no sign for this place from the street other than a red derby that hangs above the door. Located in Columbia Heights, this bar is not in the best of neighborhoods, but it is safe, well-lit and there is always a big crowd there. If you are feeling adventurous on St. Patty’s day this year, this is one cozy bar that is cheap, friendly and charming.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in Washington, D.C.

Image: X-Ray Delta One (Flickr)

Bright lights, 24-hour attractions, crazy traffic and endless diversions. Whether you actually thrive on non-stop action or you are trying to avoid it, here are the top five U.S. cities with the most distractions:

Las Vegas

The distractions in this town are enough to paralyze the most laid back visitors. Nothing is off-limits in Sin City. If you spend any time on the strip, you will be intoxicated by the many incessant sounds of computer generated chimes, whizzes, blips and buzzes from the street. Many attention deficit visitors get easily sucked into games and can spend hours at a time hyper-focused at one table. If you are one of these people, you are inviting trouble by even thinking about Vegas. Need to stay on schedule? Well, you better keep your own time because clubs, hotels and casinos in Vegas rarely show the time. They want you to lose track of time so you’ll stay and spend more money.

New York

Living or visiting the city of New York is like shopping in a busy mall two days before Christmas – only all year round. The wide variety of delicious smells (and some not so delicious) make it hard to choose a place to eat. It can be hard to sleep at night with the never-ending noises, including ambulances, honking horns, subway trains, neon signs and pedestrians in the street. As far as entertainment goes, it is a 4 a.m. town with 66 strip clubs across the five boroughs. If you are one of those ADD suffers that gets anxious in tight spaces, New York is not the place to be. Personal space is premium real estate in grocery stores and on the streets. If you need much stimulation however, you will not be at a lack for things to do or places to see.

Miami

The market-driven nightlife in Miami means that bars close whenever, dancing and smoking are accepted and happy hour is a lifestyle. The strip on South Beach is chock full of brightly colored trinkets, bars and other distractions. Some of the most beautiful people live in Miami where the culture is based on going out, seeing and being seen. Attention deficit sufferers may be overwhelmed with the glamorous, narcotic party world. If you rely on prescription medication to control your attention deficit disorder you may need to double your dose before venturing out into the Miami nightlife.

Los Angeles

Bars close at 2 a.m. in Los Angles but there is always a party after the party. If you know many people in this tinsel town, the distractions can easily add up in way of private parties and events. Even if you don’t know anyone, there are plenty of museums, art shows and attractions that make deciding what to do a hard choice. If you like to shop, L.A. is the largest retail sales market in the country. It is also the largest international trade center in the United States. Avid shoppers with ADD in Los Angeles may be asking for trouble as high end retail temptation lies around almost every corner.

Tampa

Tampa has more strip clubs than Las Vegas and the night clubs stay open until 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay area is home to the University of South Florida, bringing lots of college parties, activities and sporting events to its residents. Tampa, the largest city in Florida, has over 54 golf courses, 650 tennis courts and the largest open water estuary in Florida. If you are the type of person with an attention span that requires you to stay active, good luck choosing your outdoor activity. The city is known in the Guinness Book of World Records that has the most days of sunshine.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in Philadelphia.

Photo by: Tabooz on flickr

World Café Live

3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Located In the neighborhood of University City, World Cafe Live creates a fun and interactive live music experience for kids and parents. This is a place you’ll want to take the kids for lunch as the doors generally open at 11 a.m. with the show starting at 11:30 a.m. The Dodge Caravan Peanut Butter & Jams series is a popular Saturday morning show followed by a family friendly lunch buffet (not included in ticket price). World Café Live was voted “Best Kids Concert Series” by Philadelphia Magazine.

Hibachi Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar

Pier 19
325 North Columbus Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Kids will enjoy the fire shows from the chef’s open grill. Best of all, young gourmets can enjoy an entree of fried rice and grilled veggies with teriyaki chicken, shrimp, scallops, salmon, red snapper or steak for less than $10. Specials include early bird specials for the whole family and a wide selection of appetizers. Get ready for the show as soon as the chef arrives at the hibachi table. Your kids will get a kick out of the squirting mustard bottles prank, flaming onion volcanoes and food tossing to guests. Adults will enjoy a beautiful view of the water from Penn’s Landing.

Nifty Fifty’s
2491 Grant Avenue at Roosevelt Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19114

If you are looking for a fun, themed restaurant, check out Nifty Fifty’s, built and decorated like a classic 1950′s diner.  Complete with retro music and bright neon lights, kids will enjoy the constant action of this 50’s themed diner. The food is not too shabby either. The rich milkshakes are the restaurant’s signature item, as well as the custom soda flavors. Order any flavor of soda, including banana, bubble gum or cotton candy, and a Nifty Fifty’s server can create it for you. They have more than just burgers. For more sophisticated palates, try the Maryland Crab Cake Sandwich.

Hard Rock Café
1113-31 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

If you happen to be in the Market East neighborhood with your kids visiting Independence Hall, check out the Hard Rock Café located in the historic Reading Terminal train station. It’s fitting that this rock ‘n’ roll themed restaurant is just blocks away from the birthplace of America. Hamburgers are just one of the menu items that can be enjoyed by the kids. The adults will appreciate the wide variety of drinks available at the bar while music and videos play in the rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia-decorated restaurant.

Friendly’s
9165 Ridge Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19128

Any restaurant with a tagline like Friendly’s, “where ice cream makes the meal”, is going to please kids. Friendly’s has a kids menu that includes a kid-pleasing variety of drinks, meals and desserts.  Adults can tap into their inner child while ordering healthy options such as soups and salads, sandwich wraps and even steaks and seafood. For a fun treat at any age, order the Fribble with Butterfinger and Reeses and get the straw that changes colors when it gets cold.

April writes for Apartment Guide in Philadelphia. If you are looking for a cool place to live in Center City, check out the wide variety of apartments in Philadelphia.