Real Estate is Prime in Boston's South End

Ethnic melting pot. Yuppie neighborhood. Jazz mecca. Gay neighborhood. Bohemian artists enclave. Trendy shopping and dining district. At one time or another, all of these labels have been attached to Bostons South End, a neighborhood located just south of the glitzy Back Bay and north of the working-class neighborhood of Roxbury. And theyve all been truein fact, it could be argued that few Boston neighborhoods have undergone more changes than the South End. Today, however, the neighborhood thats emerged is one of beautiful brick rowhouses and quiet tree-lined streets, anchored by some of the best thoroughfares in BostonTremont, Columbus, Harrison, Washington  for art, culture, shopping and dining. The South End has absolutely become one of the energetic focal points of the city, says Darryl Settles, who owned and operated the now-defunct restaurant/jazz club Bobs Southern Bistro in the South End for 17 years, and has seen the neighborhood develop into a jewel in Bostons cultural crown. Every year, were seeing more and more options for dining and nightlife&weve grown tremendously.

If youre in search of a prime spot for lounging with a cocktail while you listen to music, scoping out the singletons or just chilling with friends, the South End offers plenty of options. Flashs Cocktails (310 Stuart St., 617-574-8888) serves up both classic libations and cutting-edge creations. The ultra-smooth 28 Degrees (1 Appleton St., 617-728-0728) is a sleek and seductive hangout offering tasty cocktails and a diverse beer selection. Clerys (113 Dartmouth St., 617-262-9874) has a neighborhood pub feel that draws in big crowds on the weekends for food, drink and revelry. And Wallys Cafe (427 Massachusetts Ave., 617-424-1408) is one of the citys most venerable nightspots, opened back in 1947, and the last survivor of the South Ends once-impressive array of jazz clubs. Wallys proudly continues to feature live music 365 days a year, all without charging a cover.

With a thriving gay community calling the South End home, its no surprise that the neighborhood boasts a few of the citys most popular gay bars, including Club Café (209 Columbus Ave., 617-536-0966), a usually packed nightclub with a video bar, regular evenings devoted to 80s music, karaoke and dance nights, and a tasty restaurant (209 Boston) serving up grub, and Fritz Lounge (26 Chandler St., 617-482-4428), which bills itself as Bostons Gay Sports Bar, and boasts six flat screen plasma TVs, dartboards and a convivial and relaxing after-work atmosphere.

The biggest new addition to the South End nightlife scene is The Beehive (541 Tremont St., 617-423-0069), a 300-seat bar/restaurant/live music venue which opened last May. According to co-owner Settles, the Beehive (named for an early 20th century artists colony in Paris) is a place where mature audiences can come and enjoy themselves. Whatever they want to dowhether its eat dinner, come and see live music, just hang out and have a drinkthey can stay out late doing it.