Sure, pbpulse.com has a database of bars and clubs that provides their locations as well as their specials.

But a $1.75 Bud Light at El Cid is merely a $1.75 Bud Light at El Cid.

We at pbpulse.com know that it’s people who make Happy Hours either the start of an epic night on the town or the final experience before resignation to a “Law and Order” marathon.

This is why pbpulse.com’s bars and clubs page now features a widget that tells readers who is out and where by bringing Twitter updates labeled “#pulsebynight” to one location.

So tack “#pulsebynight” to the end of Tweets to let others know where the party’s at, and they will do the same.

Britney (top) competes in the show

Big Brother 12 began Thursday with introductions of each of this summer’s 13 house guests. One of these house guests is “the saboteur,” someone who must only make it through five weeks undetected to claim his — or her (thank you, host Julie Chen, for clarifying) — prize.

Now, rather than simply the unholy spawn of Survivor, The Real World and Wipeout, Big Brother 12 incorporates elements of The Mole.

But I doubt this will add a level of intrigue to a show that barely manages to contain what it already has: If “the saboteur” is to be a self-serving house guest who allies with one group but serves another on his – or her—way to becoming the winner, there are 12 others who will to do that without a $50,000 pay-off.

This was immediately evident when the house guests introduced themselves.
Read the full story

Off the Hookah doesn't follow the usual Clematis Street pattern of island motifs and sun-kissed servers. (Courtesy OffTheHookah.com)

More: Directions, write a review

Editor’s Note: We’ve just started a new series called “New In Town”, where newcomers to Palm Beach County check out the restaurants, bars, clubs and venues that make our home fun. Today, pbpulse.com producer Joshua Nichol-Caddy heads down to Clematis and checks out Off the Hookah. If you’ve lived in the area less than six months, and you’d like to contribute, give us a shout at pbpulse@pbpost.com.

Early this week I experienced an impromptu pub crawl down Clematis Street with a coworker.

Not having to navigate the crowds of Clematis by Night, we casually wandered in to and out of a handful of downtown bars.

Granted, it was a Tuesday and a bit early, but all were relatively low-key. And, despite efforts to distinguish themselves from one another, had the feel of most bars within walking distance of a beach: friendly sun-kissed servers, outside tables and boat or island motifs, menus favoring seafood to beef and regulars who assert the distinctions between their bar and the others.

An anomaly is Off the Hookah, 314 Clematis St. A blast of cold air upon entering confirms what one suspects: Once the room fills with the smoke from shared hookah hoses and the heat of bodies grinding (either on the dance floor or the curtained couches and beds that filled the space) under the tinted lights to the deejay, this place gets hot.
Read the full story

View Downtown Events – Fourth of July in a larger map

More: Local July 4 events

Bars on Clematis Street plan to capitalize on the crowds drawn downtown by the fireworks of Sunday’s Fourth on Flagler.

On Independence Day, Reef Road Restaurant and Rum Bar will have a dinner buffet beginning at 5 p.m. Reef Road plans to have live music after the fireworks until 1 a.m. in addition to the shots, served via ice luge, and beer, for $3, it will sell on the sidewalk outside its location at 223 Clematis St.

Roxy’s Pub, 309 Clematis St., will host their Rock Star karaoke contest finals. Eleven finalists perform three songs each with a live band at the Saloon; the winner receives $25,000. Roxy’s SKY309 “In the Biz” bartenders bash features two drinks for the price of one, a free buffet, games and contests and a live performance by The Spazmatics, a band that regularly appears at Roxy’s.

Pistache, 101 N. Clematis St., touts its location as the best place to see the fireworks and offers menu specials all day.

Off the Hookah, 314 Clematis St., has a three nights of events planned, starting Friday with DJ VH1, best known for his work with Lady Gaga. On Saturday, Off the Hookah will host a skin party where servers are clothed in outfits airbrushed on. A Bikini Beach Party occurs on Sunday; there will be a bikini contest with a $1000 prize.

Other bars, such as Gratify Pub at 125 Datura St., offer specials every Sunday and will not treat the Fourth of July any differently. Gratify already has a Happy Hour all day on Sundays, meaning two drinks for the price of one. Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar will also do its typical Sunday deal: $1 off of all drinks.

Editor’s Note: We’ve just started a new series called “New In Town”, where newcomers to Palm Beach County check out the restaurants, bars, clubs and venues that make our home fun. Today, pbpulse.com producer Joshua Nichol-Caddy, who’s been here all of a week, takes a trip to Jupiter’s Burt Reynolds Institute and Museum. If you’ve lived in the area less than six months, and you’d like to contribute, give us a shout at pbpulse@pbpost.com.

More: Address, phone number, directions, nearby dining

With a box of Franzia and a funnel, I can get drunk most anywhere. To fully experience South Florida, other activities must occupy my time.

Something particular to this part of the coast is the Burt Reynolds Institute and Museum. The finest mustachioed actor of the common era grew up in Jupiter, where he still has a house.

The collection of his awards, movie memorabilia and autographed photos (by legends of both sports and screen) is just worth the $5 price of admission, especially if given a personal tour by Carmen, a volunteer who must be in the top 10 (at least) of Reynolds’ fans.

The museum leaves one feeling that Reynolds has had a rather impressive career and wondering about the choice (by either the museum curator or Reynolds himself) to display multiple works (mostly oil paintings) of the actor as a half-dressed cowboy.

Donavon Frankenreiter will play two nights at Fort Lauderdale's Culture Room -- June 30 and July 1. (Michael Muller / courtesy myspace.com/donavonfrankenreiter)

More: Directions, nearby dining, bars

Donavon Frankenreiter sits in the quiet of his car watching his sons skateboard, occasionally halting the phone interview to issue warnings or settle disputes.

After years on the road as a surfer and now musician, Frankenreiter relishes moments like these at home.

“In Hawaii I’m close to the things I love: music, family, the ocean,” he said.

Little wonder, then, that he evokes Hawaii in his latest album, Revisited, a reinterpretation of his self-titled debut album. Frankenreiter said Revisited gives listeners a “sense of being in the islands.”

Fans can hear Frankenreiter live at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday and Thursday.
Read the full story

Editor’s Note: Today, we’re starting a new series called “New In Town”, where newcomers to Palm Beach County check out the restaurants, bars, clubs and venues that make our home fun. Today, pbpulse.com producer Joshua Nichol-Caddy, who’s been here all of a week, checks out Clematis Street. If you’ve lived in the area less than six months, and you’d like to contribute, give us a shout at pbpulse@pbpost.com.

New to West Palm, I dipped my toes into South Florida night life with the obligatory Clematis by Night.

I met a friend outside Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar. We drank 16-oz. PBRs, each costing less than a Snickers bar at a nearby convenience store, and listened to a band cover most, though not all, of the greatest hits of the 1990s.

Friends of friends (eventually known as new friends) arrived in singles and pairs as we headed back to Rocco’s for dinner and drinks.

As promised by our waiter, the night’s special was filling and delicious. Most importantly, I didn’t mind the price by the time the best mojito I’ve ever had worked its subtle magic.

What would be for many locals an average night on the town was for me a great experience — diminished slightly by the fact that, when the check came, our large group had to split it ourselves (and we, equipped only with calculators on our cell phones and memories of our elementary-school lessons in long division, did not have an easy time of it).

Hands Across the Sand, an group that just organized a protest in February against the state’s consideration of lifting offshore drilling bans, will be out in force again Saturday.

Sixty-seven days after the oil began spilling from a drilling operation off the coast of Louisiana, the group will hold hands on Florida beaches to reemphasize their message of: No to Offshore Oil Drilling; Yes to Clean Energy.

Hands Across the Sand asks participants to go to their beaches on June 26 at 11 a.m. local time, form lines and join hands at noon.

Participating local beaches include Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Juno Beach, Jupiter, Jensen Beach, Stuart and Fort Pierce.

View Hands Across the Sand in a larger map