t's time to present our inaugral list of the lounges, bars and clubs that have the most clout in the city. The roll-call of influential names – from local hipster dives to full-on power clubs. Sure, we in the Montreal area are blessed with a cornucopia of hot spots featuring all the latest musical and alcoholical treats – but sometimes you just want to party outside the box and head somewhere new. Here is a selection of the best of 2006.

Altitude 737
The best way to feel like a big man: look down on the plebs from on high. Just ask Manute Bol, Tenzing Norgay, or David Koresh. Altitude 737 (737 feet from the ground), a three-floored club in Montreal's tallest building,

You could sit in your basement and drink, but that's just sad

condescends to the rest of the city's passé, ground-level joints. 737 boasts two summer-only terraces, a selection of drinks you can only afford if you own at least four suits, and prohibition on vertigo sufferers. In the summer, 737 flaunts two terraces and, occasionally, Wesley Snipes. Resist your urge to kill pedestrians with dropped pennies, Patrick Bateman. 1 Place Ville Marie-Niveau, Montreal, QC Full Story



L'Assommoir
Emile Zola's L'Assommoir follows a couple's poverty, strife, and decent into alcoholism. But don't worry about them. Zola took the title from a French term for alcohol shop. Make sense now? The Montreal bar, L'Assommoir, doesn't want you to become a 19th Century, Parisian alcoholic. That would be absurd. They do, however, want you to imbibe selections from their extensive (vast, epic) cocktail list. With a semi-sylvan, industrial-revolution, Euro vibe, L'Assommoir caters to the well-lint-brushed, crisp, and one-day philandering set of apologetic drink spillers. 112 Bernard Street West, Montreal, QC Full Story




Aria
Does getting lit and singing a solo, a cappella, almost inaudible, version of "When Doves Cry" count as an aria? No? Too bad. Located in an old movie-theatre, the spacious-though-sweaty Aria mashes a sometimes-eclectic crowd into a shrinking space, enticing and placating them with blip, scratch, and 4/4 beats. Expect neither Opera nor Prince (unless you catch me singing in the stall), but copious forehead perspiration and water-need. 1280 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC Full Story



B-Side
You don't care about the single, you like what's under it: records weren't always for Urban-Outfitter-inspired wall decorations. Straying McGill students and other scruff-and-meander Montrealers fill this rock-ish lounge on a nightly basis. Expect a deep-beat-less shrug, loud-strum, and pick vibe. In the summertime, find a spot on the view-heavy roof-top terrace where you can discuss the ascent of the proletariat, Boomer failings or subversive pint-selection; because A-Sides are for sloths and philistines. 3616 Boulevard St. Laurent, Montreal, QC Full Story