NYC Holiday Bustle

New York City is well known for its hustle and bustle, quick tawking and fast paced lifestyle. But, nothing will make you walk faster than trying to dodge pedestrians in the streets of manhattan during the holiday season.  

Feeling like frogger walking the streets, all of my senses standing at attention to watch for pick pocketing on the crowded sidewalks to trying to dodge pedestrians in a rush to catch the next train, to dribbling around the tourists with their eyes fixated on New York City skyscrapers.  Speed walking with my down puffy coat , nose in my scarf and an eye on my heavy purse I begin to feel like Kobe driving down the sidewalk ready to do a 360 move around the next person who crosses my path so I can get to my destination. Phew! Talk about being exhausted and I haven't even gotten to work yet.

Working out of Rockefeller center this past month I forgot what it feels like to be that little frog in frogger. Except instead of getting hit and smashed by a Mack truck while crossing the road, while walking down the streets of New York you have to watch out for the people, some as big as Mack trucks, walking right into you.  MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS! (::sarcasm at its finest::)

Hi De Ho Cowboy!!

From drinking a martini while playing Jenga in an underground playground, to shooting guns in Vegas, to scoping out bull riding cowboys in the middle of NYC, this lifestyle reporter has already had some pretty interesting and new experiences. So... check out the article I wrote for BeChicMag.com, that's all about this little Professional Bull Riding experience.

For you other city girls out there, it's time to get out of your comfort zone and see what all the commotion is about in good ol' down south! 

You can read my article right here, BeChicMag.com!

Bar Etiquette

We all go to school from the time we are tots to learn how to share with others, how to socialize and eventually how to portray ourselves in a professional manner when it comes to entering the "real world." Pretty much elementary through high school is a period in time where along with history and math we also learn how to avoid acting like complete assholes in society.

But, as most of you know I have been bartending for almost six years and I have met some unbelievable characters in the bar/club scene (as I'm sure you can imagine.) You've got the snob, the pervert, the obnoxious one, etc. etc. And over the years I have developed some bar scene pet peeves. For my fellow friends who also bartend I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

(FYI: I am relating my pet peeves with my experience in the nightlife atmosphere not the restaurant industry.)

WINE: Look, I enjoy a nice glass of Chianti or Pinot Noir to go along with my braised short ribs just as much as Luciano Pavarotti enjoyed the Opera. But, when you enter a club or a lounge they are not serving short ribs or homemade Pappardelle or any kind of veal so don't expect the bartender to pull out a nice bottle of Ruffino for you. Just know that if you do have to order wine, you will most likely get what's better know as the "shit" wine (you know the stuff chef's cook with but would never serve by the glass.) And, it will most likely be served in plastic cup (so classy!) But, before you protest and shout that you could never drink wine from a plastic cup, just remember where you are. Mario Batali is not in the kitchen, there aren't any white linen table cloths to be seen. You are in a bar/lounge/club (BLC.) You want to know why most BLC owners do not permit glassware?

We all know how people get when they've had a little too much to drink. Either they are too touchy, feely telling you how much they love you or... they are ready to throw punches @ the first guy who accidentally bumps into him. Before you know it, that nice glass of shit wine you're drinking turns into a weapon. So, the bottom line is if you all you can handle to drink is wine, then if you're going to a BLC try and order it as a spritzer and salute to your plastic cup.

OPEN BAR: This is my favorite. Hey, especially in a recession I enjoy happy hours and open bars as much as the next guy. I mean a cheap buzz is just as much fun as a pricey one. But... oh how I especially love the people who think nothing of starting their night out super early to take advantage of the free liquor... they drink for free all night (or at least get as many shots as they can into their system before the open bar times out) and then they don't even leave a tip.

(PAUSE) ARE YOU F@*#%&! KIDDING ME?!

All because you don't need to dig into your pockets to pay for your drink doesn't mean that frees you from tipping. Granted, tipping is supposedly "optional." Granted, if the bartender is nasty then why should you leave a tip. But, it's those people who refuse to tip simply because they wanna have a night out without spending a dime.

Think about it, if you are going to be really taking advantage of an open bar then tip the bartender $20 for the whole open bar session. It only cost you 20 bucks for a few hours of drinking, and the bartender will make sure to take care you since you took care of them. Maybe even pour a little more vodka in that drink.

However, if you're not the heavy drinking type then leave a 5 for your first and last round of drinks. $5 is usually cheaper than one drink in New York and $5 is more than appreciated for a round of 2-3 drinks. So, come on! Don't be the cheap bastard who drinks all night for free and then can't even layout $5 as a token of appreciation. After all...most bartenders work off tips and only make $4.25 an hour from their boss.

BOTTLED H2O: I think this is something that needs to get cleared up.

I know, I know... you go to a nightclub and order a bottle of water and they charge you anywhere between 4 and 8 bucks for it. I agree it is expensive. Restaurants and most bars have no problem giving you a drink of water for free. But, in a nightclub it is a different story. Bartender's are simply not allowed to give anyone water (unless of course the person is completely annihilated, then they'll give you anything to prevent you from vomitng on their bar.) Anything that goes over the bar most be paid for, and they are being watched ALL night.

Most nightclubs, especially the big ones are paying up to $30,000 that night for the DJ alone! Not to mention promoters, security, etc. So, they need to make a profit anyway and anywhere they can and this includes water. So, please don't fight the bartender about the injustice of the price or, for denying you your tap H2O and try to be a little more understanding or you will just be ignored.

PAPARAZZI: It seems as though ever since the evolution of camera phones, it's like every Tom, Dick and Harry think they're a photographer. I can't tell you how many times I'll be in the middle of concocting 4 or 5 drinks at a time and I see the little white flash in my peripheral vision from some jerk off's camera phone on the other side of the bar. WTF?!?!

I didn't realize I was such a celebrity with paparazzi in my presence. If that's the case then what the hell am I doing behind a bar and not chilling by my pool on some remote island? I can see how someone trying to take my picture could be considered a compliment but, I think it's just rude and obnoxious. So cut the shit, order your drink and save your pictures for people who you actually know, and not complete strangers behind the bar.

=)

THE UPPER EAST SIDE

I was always a grateful person but I have never felt more appreciative and grateful than I do at this moment. Perhaps it's due to a flashback or a stroll down memory lane. Whatever you like to call it, whatever it is it has induced this feeling of giddiness…of innocence.

I remember walking down the same steep street, glancing at the same reflective window except the reflection I see is not the same girl from my remembrance. For the first time ever I can say I feel like a grown-up, like a woman… I know it sounds cliché but no other phrase could describe this overwhelmingly, breath-taking aura of peace and appreciation that's been infused in me. It doesn't bring tears to my eyes, it's is just gratitude at its rawest form.

The Upper East Side, a sweet clean city in such a highly polluted part of our country, The Upper East Side, an area where some of my greatest and worst memories were created, The Upper East Side, an area full of sombody's and wanna-be sombody's, the Upper East Side, an area composed of the "haves" and the "have-nots."

It's an area whose contents juxtapose each other more than Jekyll & Hyde. The Upper East Side was where I went to High School, where my intelligence was fed in and outside of the classroom. They say New York City is the best school you could go to and they couldn't be more right about that. However, I couldn't comprehend that until now.

A flashback of morning running matches repeat in my mind, except the running wasn't for fitness and my competitor wasn't a tangible object. The running matches every morning were with time… praying and hoping not to land another detention for…"tardiness." And time to this day still continues to be my biggest competitor.

I'm such a different person today than I was then and now not only can I see it, I can feel it...feel the difference. This overwhelming giddiness and feeling of innocence and naivete's has come from my soul's recognition of an adult with a re-introduction to my inner youth. A balance.

You can't be too grown-up, you can't stop from growing up at all, you can't be too nice but you can't be too mean, you can't take too much, but you can't give too much either. My relief derives from my soul's discovery of an equilibrium and all because of a literal stroll down memory lane, the Upper East Side, a landmark full of juxtapositions.