10 Best Party Places the United States...And Canada too!!! - Time to Get Crazy

There are not many things about which I would say I am an expert, I am pretty good with women, I have a nice jump-shot and can grill a mean steak...but other than that I am pretty just your average well traveled guy...oh, and I am a total closet nerd who loves musicals and Victorian literature..I know....it is disgusting, but BE who you ARE right!.......

That being said, I do know how to party and have had the rare honor to have had both the time and the coin to do some pretty epic stuff. So about a year ago I wrote a article on the Top 10 Party destinations on EARTH (see link below) and I had a ton of people asking to do one with just the US. So here we are. These are all places I have PERSONALLY been and I am sure that there are others and I am sure people will be pissed that their fave is not here...and for them.... write your own freaking article ;)

Criteria:

• In the United States (or Canada..whatever, same thing ;)
• Actual legit party atmosphere, not just a cool place with Bars
• Focuses on Under 40...so no Sturgis or Fantasy Fest etc (not into wrinkled-sagginess)
• OFF THE CHAIN! (Drinking, Substances, SEX and fun!)
• You don't need a boat....I know, Havasu and Lake Travis, Lake of the Woods etc. are awesome, but it is pretty hard for someone not from the immediate area to participate since you need a boat or need to know someone with one.

I know, I am going to get hate-mail about haveing NYC at #10. I get it, NYC is awesome, City never sleeps (TRUE.) BUT, I did live there so I DO know this....though there is always SOMEWHERE to go where there is a party, it is not ALWAYS a party in NYC...and some of the biggest days (New Years in Times Square) SUCK for meeting people and getting crazy (unless you want to end up in jail.) However, the City is Awesome, and there is always some something going on. My FAV time and one of the bigger party weekends is Halloween. Oct. is usually pretty decent weather and the Village (Basically find out how to get to Washington Square or take the subway down to Houston (pronounced "How-Stan" not Houston like TX) and follow all of the people! Bring a Costume and have a BLAST!

Austin is absolutely AWESOME all the time. Home to University of Texas (Longhorns) and some of the hottest women and men in the world! ANY weekend is Huge and 6th St. is the place to be. Pedestrian street closed to traffic and lines with bars and clubs. Football game weekends are crazy and Mardis Gras is AMAZING! Do be careful of doing anything in the street that you should not be (peeing, fighting etc) as the cops are out in force. But this also makes it very safe. BONUS: Make friends and try to get invited out to Lake Travis (you need someone with a boat basically.)

So Bay to Breakers has been going on for over 100 years....but something tells me it has not always been like it is today...FREAKING INSANLELY CRAZILY AWESOME! The official site says that it is a "12k footrace held every third Sunday in May with serious runners and costumed participants alike."

Well, I guess that is true, but basically it is one enormous, drunken, semi-nude crazy costume party. It is epic and one of those things that you just have to do in the US before you die (like see the Grand Canyon, the Redwoods and Burning Man.) Watch the whole video and you will get the idea of what you need to be/bring...yourself, a sweet outfit and BOOZE!

Daytona Beach....LEGENDARY! One of the greatest of party destinations for SEVERAL different parties (spring break, bike week and car races.) It has the combination of great night life, epic beaches, tons of sun and lots of people looking to really let loose! Located in a beautiful area about 2 hours South of Jacksonville. There are tons of outdoor things to do as well, but most people end up spending their time at the pool, on the beach (Drinking and drinking), going out at night and to EPIC pool parties and probably sleeping to recuperate.

When I was in college we used to go to Montreal ALL the time...mainly because the drinking age is 18 (I went to school in New Hampshire and it was only about 3 hours away.) AMAZING! Super attractive women (and dudes I guess) and some of the best night-life in North America (yes, in some cases even better than Vegas!) Montreal is a lot more European than it is Canadian (or American.) One of the things I like about it is that there are multiple different KINDS of nightlife from Strip-clubs (male and female so the ladies are not left out) to pubs to lounges to HUGE clubs where you can party till the sun comes up! Speaking French is a plus, but everyone speaks English (even if they pretend not to.)

OK! South Padre! Woooohoooo! There are three things to do at South Padre....Drink, Hook-up and Drink! Go for Spring Break (Early March through early April...Mid to late March will be PEAK time.) MAKE SURE you get hotel reservations in advance. I actually think NOT staying at the huge resorts that have the MTV type parties are better as those places usually wont allow non-residents back to the rooms (which severely limits the after hour activities.) There are tons of smaller hotels right in the middle of everything. Beach and pool during the day, clubs at night...drinking all the time!

VEGAS....that one word just about says it all. I am not going to go too much into this one as I think pretty muche veryone on earth knows about Vegas. Take a look at the video which is a pretty good guide for the nighlife sections. Here are my personal tips.

• Be friendly and say hi to strangers, the best time is had when you hav people to meet up with later
• Check out the shows, they are awesome and most people miss them
• YOU MUST GO TO THE POOL! The craziest parties are pool-side during the day and that lets you connect with people that you can meet up with later...or hook up with right there...whatever
• DO the dinner and club thing...getting into a club like Tao can be a SERIOUS headache and cost you some coin...so go there for dinner and drinks at the end of their serving time and hang out while it turns into a club.
• TIP AND TALK TO DOOR PEOPLE AND BOUNCERS! This can get you connections that will really help you out getting into after hours parties etc! Take care of them and they will take care of you!

WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL!! Miami and South beach is awesome anytime....but during this festival (usually in Feb or March) it goes off the chain! South Florida is the only part of the continental US in the tropics, so going there in the winter means 70 degrees plus, amazing beaches and a amazing time! The music festival is like the warm up for all of the DJs before they head to places like Ibiza for the summer....and it is VERY worth going to! For a bonus, check out the Virgin Islands of Bahamas while you are there which are only a couple of hours away by boat OR time a cruise to leave from or come back during the festival which can get you serious deals on hotels and flights!

Mardis Gras in New Orleans is as close as you will get to Carnival in the US....it is awesome, tons of different kinds of people, great night-life, good food and a really cool City with tons of history.

• Go with friends
• Single ladies, be safe as it can get a little rowdy out there.
• Check out the bars and clubs too
• See some of the historical stuff, especially if you like Jazz and Creole food etc.
• BUY COOL beads and the girls will come to you (plan ahead and get unique stuff!)

Ok, Burning Man MAY just be the craziest thing in the World...yes, crazier than Rio, Ibiza, Full Moon etc. I have seen most of the huge events, parties and craziness out there...they are all child's play compared to this. Money, beauty, nice cars, expensive cloths and most of the things that you usually need to do well, have fun and have success with whoever you are trying to hook up with or have fun with will NOT help you here! This is one event that may actually change your life! Check out the videos and you will get the idea. Plan in advance, go with friends or meet new ones there, bring tons of food and water and let yourself go!