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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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.

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Damn it, Janet, Rocky is no longer the champ. These days, a new sing-a-long sensation is slaying the nation – it’s Buffy! At the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sing-A-Long, kazoos, bubbles, streamer explosions and Fabio all add up to an unforgettable evening of homage to the show’s legendary musical episode, “Once More with Feeling.”

When I arrived at the West Village’s IFC Center at 11:20 p.m. (45 full minutes before the screening), about 25 hardcore Whedon enthusiasts were already queued up. Twenty short minutes later, Sing-A-Long Xander, a.k.a. Joshua Ziesel, was passing out (free!) blood-red gift bags with all the tools necessary to enjoy the night—kazoos for the dramatic climax, bunny pencil erasers in honor of Anya’s irrational fear, monster finger puppets, and, of course, vampire teeth.
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Spring is upon us—or so they tell me; you certainly wouldn’t know it after the current spell of cold, damp weather we’ve had. For me, the return of warm weather and sunshine signals the perfect time for sandals, skirts, sun dresses and my two favorite things: margaritas and guacamole. Who am I am kidding, really? In my book, any time is the perfect time for margs and guac, but at least the change of season allows us to enjoy them outside (eventually).

I have traveled long and hard, far and wide on this isle of Manhattan in search of the perfect salty-rimmed marg and tangy, creamy glob of guac. In honor of this search, my next few posts will feature the tastiest Mexican restaurants in the city. Instead of saving the best for last, let’s bring it up first: El Rio Grande. After a long day at work, nothing beats heading to El Rio Grande, my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant on 38th Street in Murray Hill. The spot boasts amazing food and strong (comes with a warning from the bartender), flavorful margaritas—easily the best in Manhattan.
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What do beautiful German men, fireworks, the best looking Polaroids you’ve ever seen, an open bar and three bathrooms all have in common? I gazed on them all at the stroke of midnight marking the first day of 2007. Did I mention I was on a boat?

For the past two years a couple of my friends have been adamant about spending the night of New Year’s Eve on the freezing cold water around Manhattan…and every year I outsmart them and rally everyone to seek warmer, less windy climates. I’m very clever. This year, however, with the whole global warming phenomenon, I realized that now is as good a time as any, and I threw on my new black dress, black heels and pearls for this late-December cruise.

“This winter everyone gets to be an 8-year old again, unless of course you’re a 7-year old,” encourages a banner above the newly opened Bryant Park ice skating rink on 42nd street between 5th and 6th avenues. In an anti-aging effort I evited a few friends and glamourites to take a lap around the ice slab and turn back the years on a bright Saturday morning. Surprisingly, a group of early twenty-somethings showed up at 11am sharp (excluding this glamourite) without a promise of free credit cards or kamikaze shots.