5 Android Apps Perfect For Planning A Night Out
With the number of essential tasks you have to deal with on a daily basis, you ought to make extra effort to ensure that any free time you've got coming up is well spent. Whether you're arranging a solo adventure, a group hang with your friends, or a date night with a special someone, you can easily take steps so that your night is perfectly planned out, from the transportation you'd need to get to your chosen special event to the food and drink you plan to enjoy at some point. You can do this easily and efficiently by tapping away on your mobile phone.
If you are an Android user, there are several apps you can use to plot out your entire evening. Most of the recommendations below have high ratings in the Google Play Store and download counts in the millions-and-billions range. Apart from that, we've personally tested a vast bulk of them for this roundup and have achieved more than desirable results.
An app to look up a place to wine and dine
When you think about establishment reviews, you probably can't help but think of Yelp. If you're looking for a good restaurant to dine in, Yelp is a good place to start. You don't even need an account to use it. Enable location detection, and you'll automatically see relevant results related to the type of food or cuisine you're interested in. Since the app has a pretty high Google Play rating of 4.6 out of five with over 50 million downloads, you can rest assured that you can more or less glean a food place's desirability from simply browsing through customer reviews that often include photos. Business pages should be able to offer all the pertinent information you'd need, such as payment types accepted, outdoor seating availability, price range, operating hours, menu, parking, and more.
Another great app to use is OpenTable. Not only can you use it to find a restaurant, review its menu, and read comments from previous customers, but you can also make reservations to ensure that you have a table and can be accommodated on your chosen date. Right on the home page, you can find establishments that have same-night dinner availability, outdoor dining, happy hour, and even wine tasting, to name a few. There's also an Experiences tab that isolates nearby restaurants that have deals, tasting menus, and food-related special events in case you want to kick your dining plans up a notch. With a high rating of 4.7 out of five stars on the app store and an Editor's Choice badge, OpenTable is an app that every night-out planner should have on their Android device.
An app to find a local event to attend
With your dinner plans sorted out, the next thing you should think about is what activity your night should be centered around. A concert? A trip to a museum? A poetry reading? A basketball game? Whatever you feel like doing, the best way to find out what's happening in the city you're in is by downloading a local events app like Eventbrite. After choosing your desired location, you can immediately browse through some of the more popular events in the city. The search function lets you sort results according to date and event category and even isolate things you can attend for free.
Another popular app pick in the Google Play Store is Ticketmaster, which shouldn't be an unknown platform for anyone who loves attending concerts. What most people may not realize, though, is that the service isn't centralized on live music alone. Depending on your location, you can get listings for special rides, exhibits, musicals, magic shows, sporting events, and other unique experiences that could make your night out truly memorable.
A social media app to get night-out ideas from
People mostly use Instagram to browse content posted by people they follow, but it's also a platform for searching for places to visit and things to do for an evening. Use the app's search tab to look up your city, followed by keywords like "restaurants," "events," or "things to do," to name a few. Chances are high that you see a post featuring something interesting to check out, like a restaurant, event, or other unique experience. Also, check out the captions, as they may give you more information that'll help you decide whether it's worth including in your evening's itinerary.
Meanwhile, if there was one reason for you to start using Facebook more actively, it still has a pretty active presence of interest-based groups. Look up Facebook communities centered around a particular city's local food or event culture, join a few of them, and read through various daily posts from users sharing their experiences. Use them as guidance on what you should try or avoid on your upcoming night out. For example, Las Vegas Food Scene is an excellent and highly active public resource for great places to eat in several areas around Las Vegas. Use the search function to look up posts about a particular cuisine and parse through the many comments to see how highly recommended the establishment is. There may also be a few private Facebook groups like Vegas Tips & Tricks that you'd need to join to be privy to valuable local insight that may make or break your night out.
A navigation app that suits your preferred mode of travel
As an Android user, Google Maps may already be your preferred platform for looking up directions to get to popular destinations. Still, it may be extra beneficial to use on your night out, especially if you intend to spend a good chunk of the evening exploring by foot. The app's walking directions are actually pretty spot-on and may be a good thing to use while bar or restaurant hopping or going through a close-knit area when your vehicle is parked quite a distance away. In some cases, Google Maps can even be used to find your way inside structures or buildings, like a mall.
In most cases, Google Maps is a good enough app to provide you with real-time insight into your city's traffic situation, but if you want another one to compare to, Waze is a solid contender that may even be better in terms of navigation. Your route will automatically be updated to the quickest one available. You'll also be able to see crowdsourced on-the-road reports that can help you avoid accidents, speed traps, roadwork, and other potential bottleneck-worthy issues.
No matter which one you prefer, having a tried and tested navigation app ensures that you punctually begin your night's festivities and are able to get home safely and without additional incident.
A ridesharing app (so you don't have to drink and drive)
If your night-out itinerary is shaping up to be eventful enough to last through the wee hours of the morning, consider not even driving yourself. Instead, opt to get to and from using a ridesharing app like Uber or Lyft. You don't have to deal with sitting in standstill traffic. You don't have to go through the hassle of finding a parking spot that's convenient and affordable. You also have the freedom to stay out as late (and as inebriated) as you want without having to worry about getting behind the wheel with alcohol in your system.
These two popular ridesharing services let you request a ride from experienced drivers in the area. You can even pick the type of vehicle you prefer. Once a job is accepted, you can track your driver's location and communicate with them through the app.
In most cities that have high foot traffic, you should be able to request a ride right when you need it, but you can also schedule one in advance if you want to be sure you have a way to get home. It's also advisable to install both apps to compare prices and get an available driver quicker.