Tim Mihalsky: My Night With Marilyn

Living in Los Angeles, the bar scene is saturated with overpriced, watered-down drinks and unwelcoming servers. I found one bar, however, that has changed my opinion of Los Angeles nightlife: Drai's Hollywood. If you've been to Las Vegas and stumbled into the best after-hours bar, you know what I'm talking about. For the past two years, Drai's Hollywood has graced the rooftop of The W Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard.

Drai's Hollywood has a sexual vibe, beds to drink your bottles under red lights and views that many corny pick up lines could work with.

For some "reason," beaches in Los Angeles don't allow open containers and take the buzz out of going to the beach and being in the sun. Luckily, all summer long, Drai's Hollywood is open seven days a week, providing a bar that encourages beer with lunch. The pool is lined with cabanas, lounge chairs, beds and tables to accommodate any high maintenance request. The weekdays are perfect for a relaxing, mellow afternoon with drinks and lunch while the weekends are jammed pack with a pool full of people drinking (Drais' famous) Sangria.

To maintain a good time but not needing to be wheeled out, Drai's offers a food menu that is light yet filling. Since no one wants to feel like a balloon at a pool party, you need to start with the hummus and vegetables and move onto the tuna tartar tacos and sliders. The tacos are served upright, creating little mess and making patrons seem more sober than they really are. The sliders are served with a bucket of fries that will allow you to order that next round of drinks.

After the sun sets and daytime pool party-goers head home, Drai's has only just begun. Throughout the bar, go-go dancers are working it on the ledge between booths, dressed and looking like Marilyn Monroe. Or maybe that was the alcohol influencing me to get caught up in an old Hollywood scene.

If dancing, isn't for you, then head outside by the pool to be surrounded by the Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles "skyline." Now, if only the City of Los Angeles would light the Hollywood Sign.

Drai's Hollywood is the perfect combination of Hollywood swank and a laid back California vibe with a view that is unlike any other location in the city. Noon or night, Drai's will satisfy your thirst and hunger... And bring Marilyn Monroe back to life, like it did for me.

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Follow Tim Mihalsky on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TimOnAir

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