LIFESTYLE W Newark After Dark

hile leaving an event at Newark Express one evening, some friends asked me where there was to go at night in Newark. Before responding, I thought of Newark’s jazz club heydays when places like Cadillac Club, Sparky J’s, Key Club, Owl Club, Bridge Club, Shanique’s, Le Joc’s, Executive Suite, Paradisio, Zanzibar, and Mr. Wes were nearly city landmarks.

I also remembered the stories about all the great bands having to play successfully in Newark before moving on to the larger clubs in New York City. I thought about the story of Duke Ellington telling his band members they had to play their best because they were playing in Newark. Celeste Bateman, former Newark Supervisor of Cultural Affairs and an arts management consultant, told me, “It was a great time to be young, alive and free. [The night spots] were respites, watering holes, if you may, where people gathered to relax or talk business or to put the outside world behind us, just for a little while.”

Today, most of Newark’s night scene has changed from jazz dance clubs and big downtown party halls to restaurants, poetry hubs, art galleries or summer outdoor activities. So here, for my venturesome Newarkers, are a few trendy places where anyone, local or visiting, can have a wonderful late evening and fun night experience.

Late Night Places To Eats

■ Suite 304 Bar & Restaurant (Formerly Skippers) 304 Washington Avenue

■ Nico Kitchen + Bar at NJPAC 1 Center Street

■ Redd’s Biergarten 37 Edison Place

■ 11 Clinton (Formerly Duke’s Southern Table) 11 Clinton Street

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■ Kilkenny Alehouse 27 Central Avenue

■ Hell’s Kitchen 150 Lafayette Street

■ Spanish Tavern 103 McWhorter Street

MUSIC, POETRY AND MORE

Monday Night Movies, music, and other happenings can be found in Military Park (militarypark.com). You’ll hear great jazz at Clements (15 Washington Street) on Friday nights in June, as well as in Branch Brook Park in the North ward in July. Express Newark (expressnewarkinfo@gmail.com), 54 Halsey Street in the Hahne building, offers a variety of art and cultural programming almost any weeknight. And some nights, there’s great line dancing at the historic Newark Symphony Hall (newarksymphonyhall.org).

For a night of spoken word—sometimes called poetry—here are some suggestions.

■ The Source of Knowledge Bookstore, 867 Broad Street 3rd Fridays

Hell’s Kitchen, Lafayette St.

Gwen Moten is a former White House-appointed American Cultural Specialist and served as a U.S. cultural attaché. She is presently the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Cultural Development and Tourism for the City of Newark.

■ The CryOut Cave, 43B Bloomfield Ave Fridays, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 3rd Saturdays, and 2nd Sundays

■ Gallery Aferro, 73 Market Street

Last Wednesdays of each month

■ La Rouge Lounge, 972 Broad Street Wednesdays

■ Vivo Tapas Lounge, 167 Ferry Street

Mondays

—Gwen Moten