Bitter End   

There are few singles scenes as rowdy, raucous and rewarding as the one you'll find on downtown San Diego's Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp. On that stretch of land running from downtown to Hillcrest, you'll find hotspot after hotspot, and none is hotter than The Bitter End. Posted on the corner to catch the action from all angles, and housed in the Gaslamp's oldest building (125 years and counting), the End boasts three floors of possibility for postmodern lovers looking to hook up, or good friends remembering lies about their glory days while knocking back the house specialty, the Black Martini. The top floor of the End hosts The Library -- a quieter affair replete with jazz soundtracking, art, tapestries and a reproduction of Michelangelo's ceiling fresco from Villa Casino Dell Aurora in Rome. The main floor is a self-described San Francisco-type watering hole with a knockout 40-foot mahogany bar. There are a few TVs spread about, but that's not the End's vibe. Here it's all about meeting people and bumping up against them on the Gaslamp Underground's dance floor. Sure, if you're a wallflower, you'll prefer the leather seats that surround the dance floor, but you really should get out there. If you're going to meet your end, this is the place to start.