Around midnight, the towers and the hutongs time-travel back a century. It is a perfect area to get lost on purpose. Bring a navigation app if you decide to venture there on foot. Completely safe.
Check out Jiang Jin Jiu Bar between Drum and Bell towers on the west side, a few doors south of the Drum and Bell). Cool bar, good music. Homey. Kind of "public living room" style.
Zhōnglóu (钟楼), the bell tower of Beijing, stands closely behind the drum tower. Together they provide an overview of central Beijing and in the ancient times they both dominated Beijing's skyline.