According to legend, the Beaux Arts building that houses the Bowery Ballroom was completed just weeks before the stock market crash of 1929. It's a fitting bit of trivia for this downtown destination -- which opened in 1998, toward the tail end of the dot-com boom. Through the good and bad times since, the Bowery Ballroom has cemented its reputation as one of the most distinctive venues in the country. From its midsize main hall to its cove-like downstairs lounge, the space conveys a sense of tarnished grandeur well-suited to its crowd and environs. It's a favorite stop for garage rockers, indie strummers, jam bands and various other groups on the fringe -- but bona-fide icons have been known to stop in from time to time, seeking solace from arena tours. Those in the audience get much the same relief: sound and sightlines are clear throughout the room, you're never too far from the stage, and even sold-out shows offer room enough to breathe. -- Nate Chinen