LEVEL V
675 Hudson St.
212-699-2410

Unlike so many of the neighborhood’s hot spots, the lines outside this underground lounge aren’t artificially created to build hype. They’re made up of honest-to-goodness well-dressed twentysomethings in jeans and designer tops, here for the rock and hip-hop that fills the high-energy dance floor. VIPs like Derek Jeter and Shannen Doherty show up—what would the meatpacking district be without them?—but somehow, the place lacks the attitude of its neighbors. The stone interior is bathed in a flattering warm red light, and dapper promotions director Eugene Remm stands outside with the doorman for most of the evening, getting to know revelers and greeting the regulars. Who’d have thought you’d find a bar where everybody knows your name in the meatpacking district?