Especially in summer, Alexandria’s upper crust lives at the Alexandria Sporting Club, a huge country club that puts your local pool and tennis courts to shame. It’s hard to miss-every tram out of Raml Station stops at it. The club offers everything from golf to polo matches; at night, play billiards, watch movies, stroll, or flirt. Non-members must pay LE5 (LEI 0 on Fit and Sun.) and must be accompanied by a member, so find someone at the door or the tram station.

Alexandria’s nightlife centers on the clubs on the corniche. In summer you’ll see wedding parties wherever you go along the corniche, and foreigners are often invited to share in the fun. Most clubs require patrons to guzzle (LE5-10 worth) but have no cover charge. Crazy Horse, in Raml Station Sq. (tel. 482 8131), is the best known and generally packed with Egyptians (open 8pm-lam). Away from the corniche, Santa Lucia Restaurant has a low-key bar that features live music every night except Sundays (open nightly 10pm-2am; cover charge LE13.75; see Food), and a nightclub is also attached to Au Prive Restaurant, 14 Al-Hurriya St. (tel. 483 8082; open until 3am). For those hungry for an expatriate atmosphere, Monty’s Bar in the Cecil Hotel (open 24 hrs.) is where General Montgomery totaled more than tea and planned the British war effort, and where Bogart nursed a cool one. Don’t count on seeing illustrious expats hanging out these days, however.