Night crawlers

Boston closes early.

It's one of those frustrating aspects of city life here, like Tremont Street going in six directions and the Green Line being slow. It just does.

But is there really nothing to do between 2 and 6 a.m. in Boston?

The answer is ''almost nothing," according to Adam Gaffin, a Globe contributor who started a website that lists places open all night in Boston.

''It's mostly CVSs," he said, of what's on his site, www.boston-online.com/boston24

He's right -- it's a sad, short list. Still, a friend and I decided to explore what's open for night owls in Boston. We found that there are some options, from a late-night bistro in the South End to a breakfast spot by South Station where you can listen to Tone Loc at dawn.

For about five hours, there was just enough open to keep us busy.

1:15 a.m.

Franklin Cafe, 278 Shawmut Ave., 617-350-0010. www.franklincafe.com

The Franklin Cafe is one of the few places in Boston that serves food until 1:30 a.m. and drinks until 2. We stopped by at about 1:15, ordered grilled calamari, and chatted with folks at the bar. Many of them were in the restaurant industry and said they come in between 1 and 2 a.m., when they get off work, to eat and socialize. Joe Witherell, who works at No. 9 Park, stopped in for a late-night bite with friend James Singleton.

''Here, Via Matta, Jumbo in Chinatown," he said of places he can stop by after he gets off work. ''That's about it."

2:30 a.m.

Bova's Bakery, 134 Salem St., 617-523-5601. www.northendboston.com/bovabakery

We see a mixed crowd here. There are college students looking for post-bar nourishment. There are late-night snackers. While Bova's does sell calzones and pizza during the day, at this hour, it's all bakery goods, the sweet stuff. We split a cannoli. A few young men in baseball caps come in to eat. One walks straight to the counter, grabs an apple pastry, and shoves it in his mouth. He is asked for $3. He looks confused, unaware that it wasn't a free sample. Danny Amodeo, 23, who lives in the neighborhood, stops by for something with sugar. He visits Bova's every night. ''Every single night," confirms Sandra Giacomo, who works the late shift.

3:15 a.m.

We get caught in traffic. Apparently, there's gridlock after midnight. I-93 is closed from South Station to Dorchester. The roads near Chinatown are like a parking lot.

3:45 a.m.

Boston Bowl, 820 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, www.bostonbowl.com

We skip an Asian meal (yes, several Chinatown haunts are open until 4 a.m.) to bowl. In Dorchester, you can bowl into the wee hours of the morning. Usually on the weekends the expansive, 24-hour Boston Bowl has about 20 customers. There are three police officers on duty. The game room is closed, so no skeeball, but the pool room is open. The liveliest bunch in the place is from Brockton. They explain that in their hometown, businesses -- including the bowling alley -- close at 11 p.m. ''We usually break the day here," said Joe Jackson, 23, who takes his friends to IHOP when their games are done. ''It beats being bored."

4:50 a.m.

RISE, 306 Stuart St., 617-423-7473. www.riseclub.us

RISE is hopping at about 5 a.m. because it's prime time -- the private dance club is open from 1 to 7 a.m. At RISE, you have to be a member or the guest of a member to get in. And in order to become a member, you have to be sponsored by a member. It's like a country club for hip people who like electronic music and wallet chains. RISE doesn't serve alcohol, but there are vending machines. People dance with bottles of water and fruit juices. They've obviously pre-partied elsewhere. Despite the exclusive nature of the club, everyone is friendly. A man in a hat and trench coat tells us people here dance like ''there's a lot of fluffy snow on the floor," and he shows us how.

6 a.m.

South Street Diner, 178 Kneeland St., 617-350-0028. www.southstreetdiner.com

I walk over to the jukebox, too tired to make choices. A waitress behind the counter says, ''May I make a suggestion? 7807." I press 7-8-0-7, which turns out to be ''Wild Thing" by Tone Loc. We order banana bread, a bagel with lox, two orders of eggs and hash browns, and the check is less than $30. Behind us, I see our bartender from the Franklin Cafe, where we started the night. He and I recognize each other and are instantly friends. We joke that at 6 a.m., there's probably only one place open for people who have been up all night in Boston, and we're in it, which is probably why everyone looks familiar. And we decide that's OK, because really, Boston was never supposed to be the city that never sleeps; it's just supposed to be the place where everybody knows your name.

Meredith Goldstein's column on going out runs every Tuesday. E-mail her at mgoldstein@globe.com.