I love New York City for so many reasons. What’s not to love about a place where a person can move to from anywhere and literally transform themselves? Sure there’s dirt and grime, and hipsters popping up from behind you on every corner, but there’s also so much fabulousness contained in such a small area that for many, it’s too overwhelming. Every single day has the potential for containing more excitement than my friend’s from home may see in a year. Today it’s the tents at Bryant Park, a stroll down 5th avenue, and a pastry from Bouchon Bakery. Tonight, the options will be limitless…and it’s only a Wednesday.

Living here has definitely changed me. I remember the first time I ordered take out from a non-pizza establishment at 1 am and thought it was the most magical thing I had ever experienced. I thought Duane Reade was a person, had no idea how to hail a taxi, or how “Houston Street” or “Greenwich” were pronounced. My first time in Midtown surrounded by the tall buildings made me feel like I was disconnected from reality.

Jeff Bridges once stated that “There’s a certain power to naiveté. You don’t know what can be done and can’t be done. You just go for it.”

It was years ago, but I remember my first months here like a fond dream. I didn’t get the streets down for weeks because I was too busy being swept away by every corner bodega selling fresh flowers, every new smell that changed with each block, the people all so unique, and the fashion choices they picked to distinguish themselves.

Having been here now for 3 years, I am nostalgic for that period of childlike fascination and naiveness, but content on where I’ve come.

Now I know these things and so much more. Things like which floors at Barney’s are “mine”, where the best ravioli is located, (Barolo in Soho), how much money it costs to get to Tribeca from my apartment, where the best book stores are located, who Matt Drudge is, and how much the china costs at Bergdorf’s. I’ve learned that not everyone is fascinating to talk to just because they are successful in this city (as I did when I first moved here), that people are a lot of times feeding you bullshit, and even more times disinterested in you unless you have money, come from money, or are attractive (discounting the up and coming struggling artists and writers because they’re ‘hip’). I’ve also learned that in spite of all of this, there is more good than bad here, more engaging minds and open dialogues than anything I could have ever imagined. Preconceived opinions are thrown out daily as the people here continually surprise me.

When I moved to NYC I didn’t know anything outside of what I had read in books, seen in films, or absorbed via the multitude of other media outlets that people get bombarded with around the world that play a part in creating what New York means to them. For most, it comes off as sounding like an uninhibited, scum-infested, left of center, scary, lonely, curt, money-driven, romantically witty, encompassing, and captivating city all in one. Most people from home tell me that they can’t wait to “visit”, then later on throw in that they don’t know how I do it “out there” or that they couldn’t imagine living “there” for long. They honest to god make it sound like I’m living in Disney World or something-a place to visit but never stay for too long.

I find myself luckier than some, coming here from the “outside” means that I have been able to truly appreciate things about this city that natives may never get. I hope that no matter how long I’m here for, I will continue to be impressed walking into the new hip restaurant or driving across the Queensboro bridge, that I will still get excited from the sound of Cristal champagne being popped at Cipriani’s, and continue to think of my possibilities as endless-truly endless not seemingly. This may be seen as a weakness to some, but like Jeff Bridges, I think it is a tool for me. If I only KNEW about half the things I was doing, maybe I would be too scared to try them in the first place. Being naive to me means that I don’t know what “can’t be done” and so maybe I will take more risks- risks that may turn out unrewarding, but taken nonetheless….nothing good ever comes without taking risks.

So, here I am living “out there.” But to me it feels more like a “here,” and there’s no turning back…

[All Posts by Holly Golightly]

Today the MGM Mirage, Kerzner International, and Istithmar Hotels announced that they have finalized definitive agreements to develop multi-billion dollar Las Vegas Resort. MGM MIRAGE will provide the land (currently valued at $20 million an acre, they will use 40 of the 78 acres they own already on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue circled in above map), and Kerzner/Istithmar will provide the cash equity. Construction is set to commence in 2009 with a projected 2012 opening, and all involved are “very excited” about the partnership. There’s no denying that this will be a fierce trio. We wonder who the next Spears/Lohan will be five years from now that will help to ring in the opening.

What the heck is it with people (Europeans/Latins) saying “I love America, but hate Americans”. I’m not talking about a snobbery based on a disagreement with Bush’s foreign policy, but rather a more general position towards our culture and people. A widely and closely held prejudice that “Americans” are so…well, “American”. What does this mean? It means we are unsophisticated, myopic, not well traveled, we don’t know how to have fun, and we don’t sit around at outdoor cafes all day drinking vino tinto and “smoking fags“.

So can this really be true? Well in order to digest these criticisms, you have to recognize that this is a typical strawman argument. See our critics have a very narrow definition of sophistication, which is limited to:

a) being a polyglot
b) having a sexy exotic accent
c) having a large number of stamps on your passport of countries you have visited

Based on this definition, most Americans fail miserably, and clearly don’t pass as being “sophisticated”. But therein lies the fallacy of this argument. Sophistication is not simply restricted to the imposed constraints of a few jet-setting euros. Rather, Sophistication embodies a multitude of criterium. For example, you will NEVER hear a critic say that Americans are not educated. Why, because Americans on a whole posses a massive amount of education and higher-level degrees. And our educational institutions attract our very critics in droves. No, you won’t hear anyone say that Americans aren’t intellectually sophisticated, because it is simply not defensible.

So, critics are forced to focus on the more superficial “shortcomings” of Americans. The obvious ones. The ones that they can easily sell to another undiscerning individual who will eat it up. And if you challenge the stamp they have placed on the word “sophistication”, they are likely to fire back with the loose adjective “worldly“. “Yea, well Americans just aren’t worldly”. What does this mean? We aren’t of this world, we don’t live on planet earth? Oh, wait I get it, it means we aren’t well traveled. Well unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of buying a euro rail pass and hitting 5 different closely-packed countries in 5 days.

Would we like to have another language? Of course! But, we simply aren’t required to study and be fluent in more than one language (like many other education systems around the world). Perhaps we are victims of our own success, we can function pretty darn well just by knowing English. This doesn’t mean we don’t respect or appreciate language, its just not as high a priority. And yes, we would love to have sexy accents so Gwyneth Paltrow would think we are better dinner conversationalists, but that just isn’t in the cards…

It’s (still) fashion week, which means the Russian brother/sister pair Valentine and Olga Rei are showing up on the scene everywhere.  They were the “masterminds” behind Socialrank.com, remember that shallow site that used to be available for the social girls to debut themselves?  We will be the first to admit that we miss Social Rank.  We are dying to know who the #1 girl has been this fashion week and we miss the scientific approach they used to determine such. Park Avenue Peerage has NOT done any kind of job replacing the Russians.  That site is a small glimpse at Patrick McMullan.com with some funny commentary now and then.  Also, the guy’s lazy, posting material from events that happened days prior.  We missed the Marc Jacob’s after party at the Armory last night and the neutrality of the other site’s coverage on the week are boring us.  We are becoming nostalgic for Social Rank’s no holds barred take on things and would welcome them back with open arms.

Yesterday, in the New York Times Magazine, Derek Blasberg (pictured above with Tinsley Mortimer) wrote a small article titled “Social Dynamite“.  In it he points out the non-secret fact that the term “socialite” has lost it’s exclusiveness.  Though that, as the article suggests, may not be such a bad thing.  Derek himself was last fall’s Micah Jesse, a nobody from St. Louis trying to make a name for himself in NY society.  In comes Genevieve Jones, another “nobody-turned-somebody” from Baton Rouge.  Jones’ had no pedigree (her father is a chemical engineer for Exxon Mobil), and no ivy league background (she didn’t even attend college), yet she had already become Vogue’s “It Girl” in March ‘06, and by last Septmber was on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in the article: “How ‘It Girl’ Scaled World of Fashion, One Party at a Time”. That fall she befriended Blasberg, her fellow social climber, and made him her arm candy wherever she went (pictured below the two of them with Carlos Mota in Miami last year), and the rest is history. 

[Photo from New York Social Diary]

In yesterday’s piece, Derek is quick to point out that although virtually anyone can put on a dress, attend some charities, and call themselves ”social“, the girls these days have a lot of  “other things going for them too: they’re doctors, art-world professionals, actresses, publicists, fledgling filmmakers and accessories designers. Are they social? Well, sure. Would they call themselves socialites? Not if they could help it. As one of these young women commented while having her portrait taken: ‘It’s certainly not my favorite word. But you know what? I’ve been called worse.’”

That being said, here is our list of some things you should do if you so seek to be a NY Socialite:

HOW TO BECOME A NY SOCIALITE:

1.) Pretend you are someone important at all times (remember, you don’t need to actually have money to pretend you do, just look at Olivia).

2.) Sleep with Patrick McMullan (if you’re a guy-or at least become very good friends with him).

3.) Upon completion of #2, get photographed at important charity events, dinners, fashion shows, parties, and galas (remember it doesn’t matter if you actually contribute or have any affiliation to them, just get in the pictures and leave).

4.) Be seen at the Inns (Beatrice and Waverly), Socialista, and Bungalow 8 (only if there are other quality people there that night), and make sure you get to know the doormen at each.

5.) Promote yourself.  This may be done a variety of ways, some have chosen to create handbags, but you can do anything it takes (myspace, facebook, asmallworld, and the blogging world are all at your disposal).

6.) Become someone’s Muse, and/or find a Benefactor.

7.) Play up your unique traits. (Ms. Jones’ isn’t referred to as “the Black Paris Hilton” for nothing).

8.) Remain Mysterious.  (This may be the most important as the less you tell people about yourself the more interesting you will seem and the more they will want to have you around to find out about you)

After putting some effort into the above, you should have fashion designers, party promoters, and PR agents THROWING themselves at you.  Make sure to always remain a loyal promoter for their work but NEVER let yourself seem too interested.  Enjoy the ride.

MTV’s Video Music Awards have long been the joke of the Music Industry, but after last night, the joke has turned to embarrasement.  For starters, the whole Kanye West party thing in a suite at The Palms was completely contrived.  Even though the awards started at 6 PST, Kanye managed to have a party (shown intermittently from the beginning of the broadcast until the end) during the dark of night…hmmm…how is this possible if sunset in Las Vegas was at 6:58 PST last night?  Something tells me this “party” wasn’t filmed last night, and was anything but a “party”.

Some other observations:

1.) Comical overlap: The same handful of “artists” were nominated for the same handful of awards

2.) Comical overlap Part II: The same handful of “artists” were repeatedly recycled throughout the show (P. Diddy, Kanye, Rihanna, Timbaland, JT, Fall Out Boy, Chris Brown) as presenters, part of the crowd, and performers.

3.) The digital Gen-Y-esque theme used to show award nominees was impossible to visually follow and understand

4.) The camera angles (from the bottom up) were amazingly unflattering for most of the stars, take for example Alicia Key’s explosive thunder thighs.  The producers should have rigged a boom so that they could shoot either a) level with person or b) from top to bottom

5.) Acoustics of the room was painful to listen to

6.) P. Diddy needs to stop wearing Biggie Smalls shirts

7.) WTF was Jennifer Garner (Affleck) doing there?

8.) Paris’s hard-partying ways seem to finally be catching up to her looks

9.) Britney…do we even need to say anything? 

Hope you weren’t one of the many poor souls who decided to fly out there for the awards and the after parties…If they were anything like they were in New York in years past then hopefully you aren’t too pissed about dropping the coin for the trip. 

On Saturday night, around 3:30am Axl Rose casually strolled into Bungalow 8, running into no resistance from doorman Disco, who had curiously departed from his normal black garb and was wearing a pastel striped polo button down….and that’s where the story ends.  Ok, so we don’t really have too much to say about the night, or Bungalow 8, but we love Axl Rose! 

Sure we aren’t fans of his corn rows, and after waiting over a decade for Chinese Democracy to be released we’ve lost interest (ok, to be honest we’re still interested), but we love his music and, moreover, we love singing Patience at karaoke.  This guy is such a legend, I mean who else can pull off jorts like him?  And GNR is just pure Rock and Roll.  Certainly Axl’s ying is suffering from the loss of his yang Slash, but now that he is back in NYC he seems to be doing much better.  That being said, Axl, please stay out of Bungalow’s bathrooms and get the heck back into the studio and finish that album, we really want to hear it. 

We’re still spinnnnnninggggggg from last night, and it’s not because of any fashion party we attended. Sure, it was nice; attending Fashion Rocks in Rockefeller, Seeing the band Zander play at Tavern (away from their usual Gramercy Hotel spot), stopping by Alexander Wang’s after party on 37th st, and dancing at Pink Elephant.…They were all equally stimulating…But the highlight of the evening BY FAR was running into Zelda at Bungalow 8.

Lohan, Paris, Spears….all amateurs, and Amy Saaco doesn’t even come close to competing with the reign of Zelda Kaplan, New York City’s 91 year old party-girl. She’s also a socialite, humanitarian, designer, seamstress, and most reliable promoter around. From Sacco to Mulholland, everyone that’s anyone wants to have Zelda at their party. And chances are she will be there at least once during the week. Talk about an empire, this woman’s presence is downright magical. You literally have to personally experience a night around her to have any idea what we are talking about.

While the other girls are trying to get Patrick McMullan to document their birthday parties, Zelda is having hers actually THROWN by the guy (her latest one is pictured above). Village Voice editors spent one night with her and literally couldn’t keep up. She never wakes before 2am, likes younger people because they don’t complain about health, and hates when girls wear jeans out saying, “they look like such clones!”. She also never thought that she would make it past her 70’s. Well she’s definitely made it, and has done it in style while raising the bar through the roof, making 90 the new 25. Because of Zelda, now we know that life won’t be over when we “grow up” and we love her for that.

“I think one of the things that keeps me healthy is that I’m not introspective at all. The secret is being interested in things outside of oneself.”

-As quoted in NY magazine’s Profile on the Legend.

Jezebel, Gawker’s hot sister site is just trying to make lives a little bit easier each day.  For instance, just yesterday they were standing outside the tents at Bryant Park handing out barf bags.  This is awesome.  Seriously, let’s all stop being naive here…Models make themselves throw up.  A lot.  And they are not going to be stopping any time soon.  And let’s all just cut them some slack okay? I mean besides having to parade down a catwalk in front of hundreds of flashing bulbs in mammoth heels they are exhausted, underfed, and underpaid in most cases.  So…if they are going to have to puke to make a living, they might as well have a fresh bag and a box of tic tacs on us Jezebel. 

Because we can help you with that.

[Erik Wachtmeister, founder of asmallworld]

“If anyone is looking for a private island, I now have one available for purchase in Fiji.”

This was just one of the posts on the forum of asmallworld.net, the exclusive online community that we have written about in the past and that the Times did a piece on yesterday.  Titled “A Facebook for the Few“, the article is going to finally make “average” people aware of the fact that there is just one more thing in place to keep THEM in their place.  While being “just a few clicks away from Mr. (Harvey) Weinstein, a member, or boldface names like Naomi Campbell, Quentin Tarantino and Frédéric Fekkai”, certainly makes us smile, we are also aware, as the article pointed out, that time is the most valuable thing that the truly weathly seek, and they are NOT going to be spending it on an online social network talking about hot spots in Turkey, they are going to actually BE there (with girls like the one with Erik above).  So that leaves the publicists, party promoters, and the randoms that got a lucky ticket invitation.  However, even being well aware of this knowledge, we still log on about once a week…we’re getting too old to get validation out of getting into Bungalow and with this we don’t even need to leave our apartment.