Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
138
Doubling as Firenze's favorite frat house,
The Fish Pub
(Piazza del Mercato
Centrale, 44R;
%
055-2654029)
certainly can't be recommended for any cultural
reason. But you can get five shots for
5, and between the
patio and the upper floor, not to mention the main bar, there's always some sort
of silliness going on.
The clientele have sworn they'd tan my hide for sharing the location of
The
Joshua Tree Pub
€
5, a pizza for another
€
5
(Via Della Scala, 37R; www.thejoshuatreepub.com),
but it's
such a fun place, I'm doing so anyway. A quirky neighborhood bar popular among
international students, gray-haired neighborhood characters, and pink-
mohawked local punks, it's certainly one of the friendliest spots in town thanks to
manager Max and his spirited staff. They welcome everyone equally, and offer
cheap drink specials (including nine beers on tap) and amateur DJs. The neigh-
borhood near the station gets a little sketchy, so bring a friend if you're planning
a late night.
DANCE CLUBS
Central Park
(Via Fosse Macinate, 2, Parco delle Cascine;
%
055-353505)
attracts
over a thousand partiers on a good night, including both locals and tourists.
It boasts four large dance areas, with all types of high-energy music. Drinks
are pricey, as is the admission (
€
16), and it's best to go late at night; the place
doesn't really get hopping until about 1am. You'll want to take a cab to and from
the club, however, because the neighborhood is a bit dicey.
Club Yab
(Via Sassetti, 5;
%
055-215160; www.yab.it)
probably qualifies as
Central Park's biggest competitor (you may remember its earlier incarnation as
Yab Yum), with three dance floors, house and dance music, and an enthusiastic
crowd of 20-somethings. It opens at 11:30pm; there is a bouncer at the front to
keep out the unstylish, so be sure to wear your club clothes.
For an alternative to typical hip-hop clubs,
Club Meccano
(Viale degli Olmi, 1;
%
055-352143)
features Latin, salsa, and some '70s retro music nights. You'll pay
€
10 cover charge, which includes a drink.
Gay/lesbian nightlife
centers in a neighborhood a little west of Santa Croce
church, where you'll find
Crisco
(Via Sant'Egidio, 43/r;
%
055-2480580),
a
swinging nightspot popular with men, while
Piccolo Café
(Borgo Santa Croce,
23/R;
%
055-241704)
and
Flamingo
(Via dei Pandolfini, 26/R;
%
055-243356)
are co-ed.
Tabasco Bar
(Piazza di Santa Cecelia, 3/r;
%
055-213000)
is Italy's old-
est gay disco but still going strong, and the
YAG b@r
(Via de Macci, 8R;
%
055-
2469022; www.yagbar.com)
is a colorful new cafe/bar/DJ space.
The ABCs of Florence
American Express
There's a currency-
exchange office (
Via Dante Alighieri,
22R;
%
055-50981; Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm),
which also provides free mail pickup and
other services for cardholders (non-card-
holders pay a fee).
Area Code
The country code for Italy is
39
. The Florence area code used to be
055, but this has now been incorporated
into the regular numbers, so dial it if you
see it.
Business Hours
Shops are usually open
from about 9:30am to noon or 1pm, then
from 3 or 3:30 to 7:30pm. Or 5pm . . . or
6pm. Or maybe the weather's nice, so
they're closed for the day. In short, hours
