I am nothing if not an international fly gal, so, after graduating from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, I hopped the pond to Jolly Olde England in celebration of my new designation as a Master of Science. Yep, you’ve got that right—Science. Of course, no trip to a foreign land is complete without a little reminder of home. Enter Nobu Berkeley Street, the London branch of NYC’s celeb-studded sushi joint.

Those of you who consider yourself happy castaways on the island of Manhattan needn’t avert your eyes just yet because I’m certain star chef Nobu Matsuhisa—known around the world as one of the Iron Chef trio—packs the same culinary punch whether on our island or in the British Isles.

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I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really into Blockheads. The restaurant, that is. How can you not be into a business that has sock monkeys as its mascot?

Since the weather finally reached a gorgeous, sunny springtime feel, I headed for Midtown West’s Worldwide Plaza last Friday night. And so, it seems, did the rest of Manhattan. The area was packed full of Manhattanites. More importantly, however, were the $4 fruity (and strong) frozen margaritas. Turns out, happy hour is every hour at Blockheads!

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Margaritas for $4 and 20-cent tacos? Like most New Yorkers, when I hear this kind of too-good-to-be-true deal, I’m immediately skeptical. But let me assure you, I have been to the urban dining mirage. It’s name is San Loco, the patron saint of crazy delicious.

I recently dropped by San Loco’s Williamsburg location to play a game of pool, sip on a couple margaritas and see what 20 cents gets you these days in tacos. I was sure that those 20-cent tacos would be bite size. Nope. They’re big enough that I’ll personally give anyone who can finish three of them a pat on the back.
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The city has been buzzing about the new Greek and Roman Galleries that just opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so when an art aficionado friend of mine came into town last weekend I considered it a “must-do” while she was here. Saturday morning we excitedly met up on the vast front staircase leading up to the Metropolitan Museum. Before we walked in, my friend informed me that the stairs leading up to museums symbolize the aspirations we all should have to the artists inside.

Just when I thought the guacamole couldn’t get any better than El Rio Grande, it did. My quest to discover the best guacamole and margaritas in NYC lead me to Rosa Mexicano’s Lincoln Center location. Late for a dinner date with two of my co-workers, I breezed past the handful of outdoor tables bustling with patrons enjoying the beautiful spring weather and joined the crowd of people waiting to speak to the hostess. After a quick peek at the bar and the downstairs tables, I pulled out my lifesaver, a.k.a. my cell, and dialed my friends to find out where they were. I bypassed the crowd and headed for the stairs, which have a fountain that spans the entire wall as a backdrop. A closer look reveals that there are tiny figures of cliff divers plunging from different heights.

Try as I might to avoid Coupledoom, at times I find myself suffering from the nasty side effects of a long-term relationship. These include—but are not limited to—large, unsightly butt imprints in my couch cushions, overdoses of Chinese take-out and a hefty cable bill from renting too many movies On Demand. Not one to be held down, I often make it my mission to ensure that being one half of a pair doesn’t leave my favorite sex-kitten stilettos lying in my closet collecting dust.

When I recently set out to plan a date night for my other half and me, I wanted to find the perfect middleground between nights spent on the couch watching bad TV and nights that end with me stumbling past the doorman at 4 a.m. with a bag of McDonalds in hand. After polling my crew of NYC foodies and scouring the Internet, I decided that dinner would be at the new East Village eatery Degustation. Next to buying my first pair of Choos, this was perhaps the best decision I have made in my entire adult life.
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