Launchpad, The

A cool bar in the even cooler downtown district, the Launchpad is a great place to go for a drink and live music. Its top-rated nightly acts and its neighbors -- a variety of other bars and dives -- make it a nightly destination for the hip and almost hip. Bands are usually local, but the occasional national tour passes through as well. The bar has a space theme, a decent dance floor, pool tables, the usual video games and a rockin' crowd.