[Photo via NY Times]

I'm not sure if you noticed, since you may have been following a time-honored Sunday tradition of sleeping most of the day to battle a bad hangover from last night's cheap vodka cocktails (apparently the bartender DIDN'T use the Grey Goose he charged you for) but it was a gorgeous afternoon yesterday, the perfect day to escape the confines of your tiny apartment and take a leisurely stroll in the closest park, to enjoy the trees even if they don't have leaves yet. Sadly, I had to work and therefore waste an opportunity for park-strolling laziness, but I did try to squeeze in some extra walking on my way to work and passed, Rockefeller Center, which I find I can stand to be in the vicinity of once more now that the infernal Christmas tree and the throngs of camera-happy, slow-moving tourists that it brings is gone. But where the tree once stood, a replacement has found its way as the centerpiece for this corner of the city that is basically famous for having an ice-skating rink attached to the name of "old money." More»

It's a big week over at NY Mag.  Their annual "Best of New York" hits stands today.  Pick it up if you care to know where to get the best deviled egg, the best underwear, and where the best dyke night is, among other things.

I hate to say this, as I'm not personally a fan of the man, but any gun-slinging Republican during the primaries that trashed Rudy Giuliani for his stances on gun control during his mayoral tenure had clearly never lived in a metropolis like New York City. (Believed cause for never leaving non-Northeastern states: Too busy hunting varmints. But since they're "real men," we'll call those creatures they hunt "deer" to protect some deep-seated masculinity complex that causes a need to carry assault weapons.) More»

[Photo via NY Times]

I didn't know what to think of the Sunday Styles piece yesterday titled "SoHo Meets HoJo in Atlantic City" and, after sleeping on it a night, I still haven't come up with a conclusion. The article outlines the deal that is to be made tomorrow between the Chelsea, the new hotel going up in Atlantic City, and the owners of our beloved Beatrice Inn. AC and Beatrice? Probably the last two things I would imagine hearing in one sentence. Though the developer of the project Curtis Bashaw, insists it would be a match made in heaven.

“It will be SoHo House-y,” Mr. Bashaw said last week. “All on the fifth floor, you’ll have a library, a game room, an oval-shaped bar and a Stephen Starr restaurant, which connect like a big house and spill out onto an enormous pool deck.”

What about when you venture beyond the confides of the hotel? Did you forget that AC is “like Las Vegas got drunk and slept with South Jersey and this is their bastard child.” (SeanKalish). Seriously, will Chloe and her posse really want to bask in the New Jersey sun when they can be in the Hamptons? Then again, true hipsters would jump at this chance to be part of something so "uncool". Also, the one time I've been to AC (stayed in Borgota), it was a surprisingly good escape that made me appreciate all of what I had back home in civilization (Manhattan).

[Steps To Being Cool: The Chloe Playlist]

We would like to interrupt this blogcast with an obsession confession: David Friedman's blog Ironic Sans. If you haven't been, go. Named after a font that doesn't yet exist, Ironic Sans is a visual representation of the New York-based photographer's consciences --a hodgepodge of advertising and product ideas ( aspiring reality tv stars can actually purchase his pre-pixelated clothing line), crazy dictionary entries, lists ranging from the 7 habits of highly effective propagandists (1. Glittering Generalities) to a collection of terrorist logos, and loads of skilled photoshop --Mike Tyson looks absolutely stunning in his glamour mug shot. Waring: this site has major time-suck potential, mais c'est worth it. Plus, we feel our description to be highly inadequate. Just go, if you're still reading. And props to Sarah Boxer for featuring it in her excellent Ultimate Blogs compendium.

[Pianos]

While the Oper8tor whiled away his pm hours consorting with rainbow-spandexed flowers at Hugs this Friday, I headed over to Mama's Bar before happy hour's end. I heard their ginger-infused vodka's good enough to drink straight --all the better for some guilt-free shot-soaking meatloaf indulgence from Mama's Food Shop next door. Hydration and nutrition taken care of, I braved the cramped confines of Piano's concert room for the States' educated indie rock. And after? We let the wind blow us back to our place for some calming Swiss Miss and Peppermint Schnapps. Complimentary stockpiled candy canes for all who find our buzzer. Muchos besos and hope you enjoyed the woefully frigid weekend as best you could (tomorrow brings back the fifties!),
The Undergrad

[Brooklyn Weekend Itinerary]

If you’re anything like me, you sometimes just ITCH to leave the country. It’s not a pending trial or an outstanding warrant that makes me want to leave; it’s just some residual wanderlust from my college years, which unfortunately only undergrads and the truly free-spirited among us are apt to indulge. Well, the New York Times finally came to the rescue of existential wallowers like myself, sponsoring “Travel Show”. That’s right, this weekend, the public only had to go as far as the Javits Center to take advantage of travel seminars, global performances, cooking demonstrations, sweepstakes and offers, etc. Sure, it may not be the trip to Vietnam and Cambodia that you’ve been dreaming for the past ten months, but it may quell some of that restlessness for the time being. If nothing else, I am sure that it will provide fodder for ten months of pipe dreaming during workday lulls. Tour last through today and tickets are $15 a pop.

This Friday night I had the opportunity to choose between sitting at home and waiting for a guy to call me, while (of course) wallowing in self-pity, or meeting some friends at Azza, Midtown East’s resident North African-themed restaurant and lounge. What with appearances by Scarlett Johansson and, err, Lance Bass, along with chef Stephen Ferdinand, formerly of Le Cirque and Aquavit, I figured it was a respectable choice for a Friday girls’ night out. I didn’t try the food since I rolled up late-night, but the space is pretty sweet. The décor is high-quality –well-appointed and high on detail – an attribute that is lacking in more than a few similarly-themed places. Décor aside, something about it reminded me of Tunnel, which I frequented in my wayward youth, circa 1996. Maybe it was the pot smoke emanating from a dark corner over yonder; maybe it was the narrow, couch-lined space, which brought back hazy memories of the long, narrow room off the main floor at Tunnel; maybe it was the gaggle of B&T pumping fists in front of the DJ booth. Actually, they weren’t around in 1996. The world was a better place then. More»