I Heart NY

Last weekend I fell in love with New York City.  I'd been to the city a few times before and had always had a great time.  My previous trips had been brief with specific events planned: Broadway shows, a tour of Ellis Island, a visit to the New York Historical Society.  This weekend was for a wedding, but on Sunday I found myself with a few hours with nothing planned.  After dropping off my duffel bag at the hotel and praying I could check in with enough time to primp before the wedding started I began carefully finding my way around the neighborhood.  

Our hotel was in Chinatown near Little Italy (on Broome Street and Bowery).  I set out in search of breakfast and coffee, hoping I could find somewhere to sit and read for the three hours I had before I could actually check into my room.  At first I was disoriented, seeming to find only small markets and stores that sold lighting equipment.  I was tempted to sit down and eat cannoli at the first Italian café I found.  I kept going, reached Lafayette Street and saw this:

The Perfect Monday Night Out on the Town

As the end of the semester approaches, I have found myself buried under work and lacking the time to write interesting blog posts. Today's is shorter, but hopefully still informative!

My roommates and I are big fans of good deals. Though I enjoy splurging on fancy food and drinks, I also don't have the cash to do so on a regular basis. Luckily, Ann Arbor bars and restaurants have some pretty great happy hours. My roommates and I have planned out a Monday night to hit as many as we can (Monday because some deals are exclusive to that evening). I suggest you get a group together to try it out!

Here's the list, organized by start time:

4:00-6:00 PM: Vinology - Happy hour, deals on wine

4:00-7:00 PM: The Melting Pot - half-priced cheese fondues, $2 off glasses of wine

7:00-11:00 PM: Cafe Felix - Half-priced martinis (I recommend the Honey Pot or Orangini-tini. Yes, even I feel a little girly ordering an Orangini-tini, but it's delicious and has a splash of Orangina, so you can't go wrong.) *Monday night only

8:00-11:00 PM - Cafe Habana - $8 pitchers of sangria (regularly $11) (Though the best sangria in town is still at Dominick's, in my opinion)

9:00-11:00 PM - The Melting Pot - half-priced dessert fondues and $2 off glasses of wine

If you decide to forgo Cafe Felix on Monday nights, they have a deal on Wednesdays for half off bottles of wine.

Or, Thursday through Saturday, the Black Pearl has a late night menu that is $3-$4 off select martinis, including my favorite, the Nutty Alexander: Amaretto, Frangelico, Bailey's, and Kahlua with cream and nutmeg - delicious and does not taste like alcohol. Probably James Bond would make fun of me for not drinking straight vodka, but hey, I'm happy drinking super sweet martinis.

Friday and Saturdays, if you wanted to wander away from Main Street towards State Street, Red Hawk Bar and Grill also has an amazing happy hour from 10:00 PM until 1:00 AM - half off all drinks. Their well liquor is also what you have to request specially at most college bars, so it's a great deal.

There are probably other great happy hours that I don't know about - feel free to let me know! I have roughly seven more Mondays to try out the 6:00-11:00 PM Monday Happy Hour Extravaganza, so I've got my fingers crossed that I can drag some people out to try it.