H Street Life

With a capacity of just under 400, this former funeral home should fill a niche for bands that could fill DC9 or the Galaxy Hut but aren't enough of a draw to headline the Black Cat. Rock and Roll Hotel's upstairs is open daily, even if the concert hall is empty, and should soon offer rehearsal spaces for bands as well as a recording studio. The club has been open for only two weeks, but with bookings that include Marky Ramone, the Presets and VHS or Beta, it looks like the Rock and Roll Hotel is checking in for an extended stay.

R&B Coffee

1359 H St. NE; 202-397-4357

Good things about R&B Coffee: fantastic espresso and cappuccino drinks; free Wi-Fi for customers; plenty of armchairs and space to spread out while checking e-mail, snacking on pastries and sipping a cup of latte. The name is short for Rhythm and Beans.

Disappointing things about R&B Coffee: Sorry, night owls, but R&B is open only until 3 p.m. during the week and 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, though that may change in the next few months. Let's hope so, because this has the potential to be a very cool little neighborhood gathering place. In the meantime, if you want to stop by and pick up a pound of the house-blend beans, you'll have to wake up earlier.

H Street Playhouse

1365 H St. NE; 202-396-2125

After use as a garage, movie theater, roller rink, furniture showroom and restaurant, this building became a versatile black-box theater in 2001. Home to the Theater Alliance and a rotating cast of smaller companies, the 100-seat venue can also be used by local artists who need a place to show their work. Adding to the sense of community, anyone who lives within five blocks gets free tickets to Theater Alliance performances. The well-reviewed " 3/4 of a Mass for St. Vivian" has been extended until Sept. 17, and a stage adaptation of Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" makes its East Coast premiere Oct. 12.

The Majestic by Gwen

1368 H St. NE; 202-388-1204

With more than two decades in the restaurant- and club-management business -- including running the hand dancing hot spot Solar Eclipse and the old Ledbetter's, which is now the Argonaut -- Gwen Reese is one of the more experienced proprietors on H Street. Her unpretentious restaurant and lounge -- known variously as Gwen's Majestic, the Majestic by Gwen and just "the Majestic" -- draws an older crowd than its neighbors, thanks to a combination of live jazz and blues performers, a full bar and Southern-style cooking. Arrive early on Fridays and Saturdays for the best tables, but beware the outdated hours and schedule of performers posted in the restaurant's window.

Rose's Dream Bar and Lounge

1370 H St. NE; 202-398-5700

Back in the late '80s, Little Benny and the Masters and E.U. were among the most popular bands on the D.C. go-go circuit, packing now-shuttered clubs such as Deno's and the Ibex. E.U., fronted by the charismatic Sugar Bear, had the genre's big national hit, "Da' Butt." That seems like a long time ago, but in Washington, old go-go stars don't just disappear -- they're still working the clubs, albeit with different bands. Every Friday at a second-story walk-up called Rose's Dream Bar and Lounge, Little Benny takes to the mike, running through old-school go-go hits, hip-hop covers and funky originals while crowds pack the makeshift dance floor or huddle around the large bar. (There's no stage, so the band sets up against the front wall.) On Thursdays, Sugar Bear and his group the Band are starting a new weekly residency. The music is more laid-back than at some go-go clubs, so the atmosphere feels closer to a party than many events do.

Club owner Danny Roberts promotes go-go concerts in the Washington area, including an upcoming Chuck Brown show at Mirrors, and he worked with Sugar Bear and Little Benny before opening this cheerful little lounge, which features some of the friendliest bartenders on the block. Stools and drink rails line the lime-green walls near the DJ booth, and flat-screen TVs (tuned to videos or sports most of the time) face every angle for maximum football viewing. In the back is a tiny little room -- more of a nook -- that can hold maybe six people comfortably.

Besides live music, entertainment includes karaoke Wednesdays and DJs spinning dance music Saturdays. So one question remains: Who is Rose? "Rose was my sister," Roberts explains. "Our family owns the Caribbean restaurant downstairs, and it was her idea to open a bar [up here]. It was to be called Rose's, but she died right before the bar opened, so it's Rose's Dream."