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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How could I be in the middle of Times Square yet feel like I’m prepping for a trip to South America? I sauntered into Hotel QT around 9:30 p.m. and was greeted with a caipirinha. With a nod to the bartender, I made my way to the pool. Brazilian beats hummed inside the pool area, but I wanted to contain my movements until I could flow like the water below. On the last Thursday of every month, when DJ Miller Cruz spins Música Popular Brasileira, including samba, samba rock, forró and more, it’s like a minivacation for mind, body and groove.

When you see a crowd of attractive Villagers flocking to a coffee zone sans wi-fi at all hours of the day, you must wonder how good the coffee actually is. After several visits I have to give my two thumbs up to Joe - The Art of Coffee, a Greenwich Village treat with three locations, including my favorite — located at the corner of Waverly and Gay Streets.
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For once in my Manhattan-centered life, I began to regret that I don’t live in Brooklyn. I ambled down the spookily uninhabited streets of Park Slope a few Saturdays ago, hoping to catch a glimpse of Heath, Michelle and baby Matilda. Instead, I found myself three times charmed at my new favorite outer-borough bar Loki Lounge.

Pronounced “low key,” the spacious spot does the work of three bars in one. Upon entering Loki’s door on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Second Street, night crawlers first find a pub with polished red oak bar and friendly bartenders serving several drafts on tap, including wheaty-delicious Hoegaarden. A bit farther back, playful partiers find a pool table and dart board that derive meaning from Loki’s namesake, the Norse god of mischief.
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When I moved to New York City in 2000, I started a list of things I have wanted to do. Nearly seven years have passed, and the list never stops growing. From only-in-New York stuff to touristy things that I have never had the chance to do, I am taking this moment to make a mid-year resolution: check off the list one item at a time. Number one: Sailing.

Learning to sail has been a goal of mine since I was a child. To make my dream a reality last weekend, I embarked on the Shearwater Sailing yacht, an 82-foot, double-masted schooner built in 1929. Taking advantage of the perfect, sunny 80-degree weather, I grabbed Glamourites Lauren and Tracee and headed for the horizon, with a detour at the Statue of Liberty.
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If I was able to pluck a rock star out of the ether and call him my own, Chris Cornell would be the one. I loved him in Soundgarden. I loved him in Temple of the Dog. I loved him in Audioslave. I loved him in those incredibly hot John Varvatos ads last year.

My co-worker (who went to the show with me) and I consider “Rusty Cage” the theme song of our shared office. Cornell’s voice is astounding and, if you haven’t caught on already, I find him exceptionally attractive. So when I had the chance to go to his sold out solo show at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza last week, I was beside myself.
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