Just minutes from Waikiki in Downtown Honolulu, a revitalized neighborhood lures crowds of locals and visitors alike with its wide assortment of music entertainment.

The next time you make Waikiki your vacation base, take the short trip to explore Downtown Honolulu's newly turned quaint Chinatown. You won't be disappointed. Fronting Honolulu Harbor and bordered by Nu'uanu Stream, this cozy grid of streets is becoming stylized and gentrified, much like Brooklyn's Williamsburg or San Francisco's Mission District.

For the past five years, a sensational boom in the arts here has launched trendy new galleries and nightspots, but the neighborhood also has vibrant bistros and bars, chic design stores, the best lei shops in all of the Islands, traditional herbalists, and outstanding markets. One of the most refreshing developments of this new Chinatown its array of live music.

The historic Hawaii Theatre, built in 1922 and located on Bethel Street, is now a state-of-the-art performance space, thanks to an $11 million renovation. Architectural details on the façade have been restored. A replica of the 1936 original art deco neon marquee is now a beacon for the neighborhood.

The venue attracts the hottest Hawaiian music artists, such as Na Hoku Hanohano award-winner Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole and Grammy award-nominated singer Raiatea Helm. It also hosts troupes like the Beijing Modern Dance Company and shows like the Off Broadway-borne beat spectacle Stomp. This summer the Hawaii Theater will present the 13th Annual International Jazz Festival featuring local jazz greats Gabe Baltazar and Nathan Aweau.

Newer spots also serve as engines for growth, enabling Chinatown to blossom into the nucleus of cool in the Islands. Examples include multimedia spaces like thirtyninehotel, NextDoor, ARTS at Marks Garage, and rRed Elephant. Some function as art galleries, music venues, cafés, and cocktail lounges, all rolled into one.

The loft space thirtyninehotel took its name from its address on Hotel Street and opened its doors to the public two years ago, providing dynamic, modern-art gallery shows by day and morphing into an anything-goes music lounge come night. The atmosphere is hip with a spinning disco ball, plush couches, and a few tables set up on a 1,000-square-foot-plus outdoor lanai.

Every Saturday night is Lucky Tiger, a "full-spectrum, dance music operation," as the venue's website proclaims. Turntable artists mix everything from jazz and funk to disco and pop. Gelareh Khoie, a painter who grew up in Iran, and English producer-DJ Harvey Bassett, founded the establishment.

One-year-old Next Door is a multimedia club that, although only in its infancy, has already developed with staggering speed. The venue has hosted an eclectic mix of artists, DJs, and bands. Popular Hawai'i ska band Go Jimmy Go, local reggae bands Humble Soul and Ooklah the Moc, and cutting edge DJs King Britt, formerly of the jazzy hip-hop outfit Digable Planets, and Miguel Migs have all played here.

Operated by Sergio Goes, Chris Kahunahana, and Miguel Innis, NextDoor bills itself as a concert hall-cinema lounge (it also showcases new independent films Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights).

Opened in October 2005 by owners Paul Kreiling and Joey Wolpert, one of the most exciting additions to Chinatown is rRed Elephant (yes, it is spelled with two R's). Although you can order a fine Italian style Macchiato here and gaze at the current paintings being shown, the real secret lies through a red door in the bustling café.

On the other side of that door, awaiting performers and 100-plus crowd, is a full-blown 2,400-square-foot music venue called "LIVE" @ rRed Elephant. The 24-by-16-foot stage is equipped with a JBL concert sound system and theatrical lighting -- perfect for acoustic recording artists, talk-story groups, and poets. There is even a separate isolation booth-recording studio for the owners' label, Elepani Productions, which plans to make video productions of select performances.

Not all of Chinatown's great nightspots are brand-new. Indigo, on Nu'uanu Avenue, has drawn the young clubbing set since the mid-'90s, almost always filling up its Green Room and Opium Den & Champagne Bar and large outdoor lanai each weekend. Thumping house music, cool, ambient grooves, or disco, funk, and reggae, get everyone moving.

Although the above places have made a strong impact transforming Chinatown into an arts and cultural hotspot, it would be unfair to leave unnoted The ARTS at Marks Garage. This community project, located at 1159 Nu'uanu Avenue, has truly led the charge since 2001 with its collaborative gallery, performance space, and offices for businesses and non-profit organizations interested in the arts.

To get an up-close look at (and to enjoy an intimate listen to) this rejuvenated Chinatown, check out the hugely popular Downtown Gallery Walk and First Friday event held on the first Friday of every month. You'll get a sampling of it all, and you won't be alone.