Hot Spots

BOOGIE NIGHTS O.K., so the police don't smile upon those who want to party after Bangkok's bars close at 2 a.m. And yes, shadowy mafia types have been known to order the demolition of football field-size swaths of bars while the city slumbers. But the City of Angels remains a cool place to get down, provided you know where to look and start early. Here are our quick picks:

Q Bar on Sukhumvit Soi 11, (662) 651 3537, is an old favorite for bouts of booty shaking to the best local and visiting DJs. Just down the street is the painfully hip Bed Supperclub, (662) 252 3274, where you can recline like a pasha on sprawling white sofas, with the added benefit of being able to boast to your friends about the beautiful people you were in Bed with last night. On the other side of Sukhumvit is British export Ministry of Sound, (662) 229 5850, where a regular procession of superstar international DJs and gaggles of glam young Thais keep the house rocking.

For unsurpassed people watching, try the Balcony Bar, (662) 235 5891, on Silom Soi 4. It's a sidewalk gay bar that welcomes straights, and the ensuing mix of trendsetters and goggle-eyed tourists makes for a fun night. There are at least a dozen more clubs and bars clustered in the lane, catering to most music tastes; one of the best is the funk-tastic Tapas, (662) 234 4737. Stargazers should head to the Greyhound Café in The Empori-um, which resounds with the gossipy banter of soap-opera divas, pop stars and actress-models-despite signs designating areas in which "NO BULL- SHITTING, NO BACKSTABBING, NO GOSSIPING, NO SMOKING" is allowed.

For a late-night fix of primo Italian dishes and sleaze at a safe distance, book a window table at Caffe Di Roma at 3 Soi Patpong 2, (662) 632 8250, for a fine meal accompanied by a grand view of the red-light district's notorious nightlife. It's one weird circus.