Whatever the state of the economy or the hour they have to rise and shine the next morning, New Yorkers like going out, and that's every night of the week. Having a drink or a turn on a dance floor with friends is as much about checking out what's new in town as it is about socializing. Downtown, talented bands play back-to-back in 45-minute sets, while uptown, a cabaret singer holds her audience in rapt attention for an entire evening.

The nightlife scene is still largely downtown -- in drab-by-day East Village dives, classic jazz joints in the West Village, and TriBeCa see-and-be-seen boîtes -- but the idea of downtown now includes Brooklyn: Manhattan's neighbor is now the place for rock and roll, with new clubs in Williamsburg and Park Slope. Preppy hangouts are also still alive and well on the Upper East and Upper West sides. And all over town you can find lounges. You'll know you're in one if you see lots of crushed velvet and a zinc-top bar.

These days, night prowlers are more loyal to floating parties, DJs, even party promoters, than they are to addresses. A spot is only hot when it's hopping, and you may find the same party or bar that raged last night completely empty tonight. The other thing to remember is to dress properly, something that is easily accomplished by wearing black and leaving your sneakers at home.

There are plenty of publications in town to tell you what's hot. For the totally hip, Paper magazine's "P.M. 'Til Dawn" and bar sections have as good a listing as exists of the roving parties and the best of the fashionable crowd's hangouts. Time Out New York provides a comprehensive weekly listing of amusements by category.

The more-staid but typically sophisticated Friday New York Times "Weekend/Movies and Performing Arts" section runs "Pop and Jazz" and "Cabaret" columns that can clue you in to what's in the air, as can the Village Voice, a free weekly newspaper that probably has more club ads than any other rag in the world. Look also for that weekly's competitor, the New York Press, which has pages and pages of nightlife listings.