Pier at 46th st.

So for all you broke folks out there, this is a great idea for a lazy weekend when have nothing to do and not much money! The city has recently opened a new addition to the piers that line the West Side Highway, at 46th St. The beautifully crafted, spacious pier is a great getaway from the crowds of people that line the streets. Included is a lovely and well kept dog park, grassy area perfect for picnics, laying in the sun (in a few months when the mercury rises), stunning veiw of the Hudson and NJ, water fountains and a cute and reasonably priced bar/ cafe. So grab a friend, whether human or canine, a picnic and a book and enjoy!

Lower East Side Spanish Explosion!

The Lower East Side of Manhattan is knows for its diverse, laid back attitude. Along with this comes diverse and awesome places for twenty somethings to hide into dark corners and do whatever it is that we do at 2am on a Wednesday night. One of my favorites, Baraza. Located on Ave C between 8th and 9th, this intimate spanish flaired bar is home to a wide range of dedicated regulars from hipster to corporate, latin to preppy. Their specialty drinks include passion fruit margaritas for $5, and on Saturday nights be sure to get there early to grab a good seat and watch all the rhythmic (and somewhat buzzed) salsa dancers. Ole!!

Pool in the heart of Times Square??

Yes, it does sound too good to be true, huh.... But do not be mistaken, this hidden gem is all its cracked up to be! Hotel QT is located on 45th street between 6th and 7th ave and is home to a beautiful indoor pool and sauna area that you DO NOT need to be a guest at the hotel to enjoy! There is a full bar and cockatil service in this spa area that will gladly serve your poison of choice while enjoying a steam or a swim.... or a swim then a steam! It is, however, frequented by socialistas and corporate types so grab your designer bikini and take a dip with that dirty vodka martini. As if thats not good enough.....the sauna and steamroom are open 24 hours and the pool has an underwater sound system. Dont let the winter blues get ya down, see ya poolside!!

Christmas is just around the corner

This festive time of year brings with it some lovely activities to pass the time, and some inventive places to get all your holiday goodies. I know I get so frustrated and overwhelmed in NY trying to come up with cool, personable and creative gift ideas for my family and friends. Trying to do such withour breaking the bank can be quite a challenge, and in a city over populated with Williams Sonoma, Starbucks and the Gap it seems damn near impossible to be creative. Look no further, just head on over to one of the 3 most exciting markets in Manhattan... Bryant Park, Columbus Circle and Union Square outdoor holiday markets! After Thanksgiving, these parts of town transform into gift central where they house hundreds of private vendors all selling their cool, new and moderately priced gifts. You can find just about anything here, for anyone on your list... even if thats just a cup of warm cider and a ginerbread cookie! If heading out on the weekend, just be prepared to deal with the tight crowded quarters... but in my opinion it is all worth it!

happy shopping!!!

Chicken Anyone?

This one may sound very random but it is the most perfect inexpensive snack that this fabulous city has to offer! On the corner of 45th st and 9th ave is this tiny booth like shop called Piece of Chicken, and they serve exactly that. One scrumptious wing or leg of chicken is only $1, as well as all of their delicious side dishes. So for the same price as a subway ride, you can get a big lovely hunk of fried chicken and a big side of yummy mac and cheese. This is just what the doctor ordered! The place is just a store front, so there is no inside seating area making it ideal for a quick to go snack or meal. Enjoy :)

Free Ice Skating

Hey all, ahhh winter is almost here and the lovely city of NY opens its ice skating pond in Bryant Park today. The best part about it isnt the hot chocolate, fun times and funny spills.... its that this is completely free! Why pay the $40 or so at Rockafellar Center and deal with the hoards of annoying tourists??!! So no excuses to not enjoy the changing of the season, just head on over to Bryan Park, 42nd st and 6th ave.

And since I have never actually been ice skating, expect to see me. Ill be the one sitting on the ice laughing my ass off.

Embrace Fall!

Hey out there. Fall is my favorite season of the year and I think that it is important to take advantage of this amazing cool NYC weather before we have to all bust out the hats, scarves, gloves and parkas. One of my favorite things to do in this weather is to sit outside of outdoor cafe's enjoying a latte, cocktail and great food. The perfect place for that is Cookshop, located on 20th street and 10th ave. Cookshop's menue consists of fairly priced new american food all prepared to perfection with gourmet twists. They have a spacious outdoor seating area that the sun hits just right during mid afternoon. They also have seasonal cocktails that embrace the cool crisp wind, like the bourbon cider martini. Enjoy!

Free Reggae!!!

Hey mon... so this week my goal is to get all of you to check out the best free concert you will ever experience in NYC. Every Wednesday night Lava Gina (yes, that is the actual name of the venue) hosts Meta and the Cornerstones. This intimate lower east side venue is located on 8th street and Ave C, and houses the perfect blend of hipsters, artists, students and even young Wall Street types, all jamming out to amazing reggae from about 10:30pm till about 12:30am. There is NO COVER CHARGE, drinks are reasonably priced, and the experience is truly unsurpassed. My friends and I love to use "reggae Wednesdays" as an outlet to dance off (and sweat off) all the mid-week drama and stress. The music attracts great people, so make your way down the LES for great music, people and drinks!!!

One love-
G

Fall For Dance!

Hey out there, so as many of you college kids know, going to see good performances of anykind usually means at least a $30 ticket. Well the lovely people at City Center (56th street between 6th and 7th ave) have come up with a solution for those dance enthusiasts with less than stellar income. Fall For Dance constists of 10 performances, 28 dance companies, and all tickets are only $10!! There are also pre-show seminars that you can sign up for which are pretty damn cool as well. So, if you are in the market to see some big name companies such as ABT, New York City Ballet and Ballet Hispanico... theres no need to pay an arm and a leg! But Id hurry, last year tickets sold out within a few days, but are sometimes availible at the door.


See ya there- G

Mange et Bevi

Hey Hey Hey, so in my continued attempt to give all 20 somethings the best spots in the big apple on a low buget.... this week is the Feast of San Gennaro, and is most definately not to be missed. Ive been attening this NYC event since I was little and the experience is unsurpassed. San Gennaro was an Italian saint, and this feast was erected in his honor many many years ago. The streets of Little Italy(Mulberry St, through Grand St.) are shut down to automotive traffic, and filled with street vendors, AMAZING food, games and fun stuff to buy.... and all pretty damn cheap if ya ask me.

You can sit down at a cafe on the sidewalk and watch the mass of people swarming the streets, or you can hit the pavement and grab a broiccole sandwich and keep on walkin! This is a great place to bring out of towners, parents and even an inexpensive date. The festival closes at dusk on Sunday September 23rd so grab your eating pants and makes some moves. Take the N R W Q or 6 train to Canal St, walk west to Mulberry St... trust me you'll see it.
ps- since the area is closed for a 'private event', all joiners are allowed to drink in the streets so cheers!!

G

Sup World

Hey all you crazy kids.

Im Gina, and this blog is going to be dedicated to city living for twenty-somethings in New York City. Im gonna keep you all posted and new, fun and exciting events that are going on as well as resturaunts and bars worth checking out. Every now and then maybe even a performance or just some cool news I'd like to share. Soooo with that said, ROCK ON and I look forward to chattin at ya mad soon!

Peace be the Journey
G