Under 21? You can have a night life

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Taylor Saenz

Young woman dances in crowd at City Nights in San Francisco on Saturday Sept. 6, 2014. City Nights is just one of the venues in San Francisco that offers nights for 18+ guests.

Taylor Saenz, Staff member

Bars and night clubs look so inviting on a Friday evening, but what if you’re not 21?  Where can you go? What do you do?

Some students on campus shared similar frustrations for the lack of entertainment for under-age young adults.

Gabriella Sifuentes, 20, feels college students under 21 are really limited when it comes to night life activities.

“The only really fun thing to do is cosmic bowling at Diablo Valley Bowl because they stay open until 1 a.m., that’s pretty much it,” she says.

There are options such as the mall or the movies for entertainment but as Natasha Eaton-Valdepena, 22, shares, they are just not the same as going out.

Eaton-Valdepena admits that before she turned 21, she relied on friends’ house parties for her weekend fun.

“All my friends were older, so I would just go to their parties,” she said.

San Francisco offers various clubs for the 18 and older crowd. City Nights, located on Harrison Street in San Francisco, is a premiere hip hop night club. Open on Saturday nights from 9 p.m. – 2 a.m., the club offers young adults the chance to have some fun under the city lights.

The dress code is smart casual for men and women are encouraged to dress to impress. A government-issued ID is required to attend the night club. Cost is $20 but you can save $10 by texting “citynights” to 69302 and arriving before 10 p.m.

Many students here on campus have been to City Nights and other clubs in the city and love the idea of them.

Nursing student, Sarah Endrusick, 21, who lives in Fairfield, makes trips to the city just to enjoy the nightlife.

“The club plays a lot of rap, hip-hop and dance music which is the kind of music I like, so I had fun. If you like a lot of today’s music, dancing and hanging out with friends you’ll have a good time,” she says.

If you’re not entirely into the hip-hop/dance scene then the DNA Lounge, also located in San Francisco, is another option. The lounge is a late-night, all-ages club featuring live music, burlesque shows, DJ dancing and private parties.

Multiple bars and a full service 24-hour restaurant are available for anyone 21 and older. The DNA Lounge offers different types of entertainment each night to provide options for their guests.

Incoming freshman Helena Karaglanis, 17, hasn’t been able to go clubbing yet, but says she is a little skeptical about the idea.

“Some events are fun if you’re with a group of friends, but there are a lot of creepy people and that’s the part I don’t like, but I’m willing to give it a try.” Karaglanis said it sounds fun, but it is still up in the air.