Wikipages Blog

We had a big night out in the East Village. After dinner at the Yaffa Cafe, we pondered where to go. For drinks, I suggested Simone’s, a chic wine bar type place. But this was turned down by those in favor of a rowdier night. We opted for Grassroots.

With a similar feel to the Peculier Pub, Grassroots is a bar bar. It’s dirty, it’s loud, and it’s a good time. It’s not the sort of place I’d order a Cosmo (not that their cosmos are particularly bad; it just doesn’t seem to fit). I ordered a vodka tonic and found seats for our crowd at one of the wooden tables.

I’d had my share of drinks at the Yaffa Cafe. So I was feeling good. Some more friends met up with us and the party got even more merry.

Ben, who isn’t much of a drinker, opted for a chemistry experiment with a couple of his friends. They gathered various discarded beverages (and a cake) from nearby tables and combined them into one super drink. The result was a strange-looking, layered substance. A frat-rat type girl who’d been flirting with the three boys wandered over and asked, “Are you going to drink that?” To which they laughed in response. We probably could have convinced her to drink it, in her state, but resisted the temptation.

The night proved a good time. So if you’re nostalgic for sticky beer floors and a good old bar, Grassroots is your spot.

No, I’m not talking about A Christmas Story, which my sister insists on watching during its Christmas Eve marathon showing every year, despite the fact that it always makes me feel a little bit sad since he nearly does shoot his eye out. I’m talking about our work holiday party, which for the past three years has taken place at the same restaurant: Dim Sum Go Go.

Located in Chinatown, Dim Sum Go Go was the first dim sum I ever had. It’s definitely tasty (though maybe not tasty enough to warrant 3 consecutive years of holiday business parties). And they appear to have less vegetarian options than most Chinese restaurants. But the dumplings are good and so is the service.

At the holiday party, everyone enjoyed eating dumplings, drinking wine, and getting to know each other a little bit better. It’s always nice to let loose with co-workers and let them see a different side of you. When they found out that I have a small match-making hobby, I got three requests for set-ups. I’m thinking I’ll just throw one big party and invite all my single friends (a number that’s fast dwindling)!

After dinner was finished and the annual speech by the CEO given, people began to disperse and I wished good holidays to all. I’m off till after Christmas, so time to celebrate and deck the halls! Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra! Happy Holidays!

Ben and I attended a gathering for web designers at Mannahatta, a chic bar in the West Village. We planned to spread the word about Wikipages to the internet community.

We arrived early to the gathering with hopes to chat with a few folks and then go home to sleep. When we got there, not many people had yet arrived. I ordered a vodka tonic, always a good standard drink, and we explored the interior. Good lighting, ample seating on these sleek couch type benches, and interesting map art on the walls.

Then we noticed a nice spread of food, out for the gathering. Hummus, pita, veggies, bruschetta, all sorts of delicious foods that nut-allergic vegetarians can eat! Having just come from work, we were starving. We helped ourselves to hummus-coated pita as people began filling up the bar. By the time our appetites were sated, the bar was packed with web designers, bloggers, and internet entrepreneurs like ourselves.

We had planned to mingle with everyone, all of whom seemed very interesting. But, as occasionally happens on work nights, my energy just felt drained. It seemed more useful to use what little I had left to go home and add Mannahatta into Wikipages. Ben was of a like mind. So having had a good drink and tasty food, we thanked the hosts of the event and headed home.

I wandered the West Village with some friends looking for a good place for an after dinner drink. Of course, ten million such places exist in the area. But they are often 1. completely packed (sometimes with a studenty or tourist crowd) 2. extremely loud 3. don’t give seating to anyone not eating. But right near Meskerem, a tasty Ethiopian restaurant, we spotted a sub-level tiny place whose name caught my eye, the Bourgeois Pig.

The interior is dimly lit, with plush couches and fringe lamps. The menu includes fondus, chocolates, cheeses, and a long wine list. Very tasty stuff! The place is tiny, but crammed with couches which allow a surprising amount of seating.

The wine and food was delicious and the atmosphere lush. I felt the need to sit on a piano and belt La Vie En Rose. It’s a nice, hidden place for a quiet drink.

The Financial District does not consist solely of skyscrapers. There’s an oasis of beautiful old buildings, including those on and around Stone Street. George Washington spoke to his troops at one of these, and you can still get a hard drink or a tasty meal there today: The Fraunces Tavern.

The Fraunces Tavern was started by Samual Fraunces, probably one of the first middle-class African Americans, in 1762. Built in the Federalist style, the tavern is brick and simple. A friend of Samuel Fraunces, George Washington and other famous revolutionaries frequented this tavern. Legend has it that their ghosts still linger there.

Now also a museum, this place is one of the oldest operating taverns in the city. A few of us decided to have a meal there after work. We had hopes to see something supernatural occur.

The interior is split into two sections: tavern and restaurant. The restaurant requires a bit of splurging. It also lacks vegetarian entrees. But the salads and soups are plenty tasty (and cheaper than the entrees, anyway!). The decor is colonial elegance, with a warm vibe.

We saw no ghosts, unfortunately. But with the tasty food and the chatter from the tavern, the restaurant radiates a cosy vibe. Perhaps it’s the presence of the ghosts, protecting their favorite drinking hole from the chaos of the outside world.

Astoria is an awesome neighborhood to live in. I love just walking through the streets and finding new places to go. Just a couple weeks ago, Ben and I discovered this little gem: The Waltz-Astoria.

A wine bar/ coffeehouse, the Waltz-Astoria is chilled out place with an artsy vibe. It reminds me of the coffeeshops I used to frequent in the 90’s, when Starbucks was the new thing. My nostalgia for those places made this one feel familiar and friendly.

With outdoor seating, a wide beverage selection, and a cosy interior, this cafe is a great hangout. The interior has a piano, shelves of books, and paintings by a local artist. It’s perfect for Ben and I, since we’re more and more often in the mood for a quiet evening. Plus, he doesn’t drink and I really do, so the cafe has something for us both!

The cafe hosts many different events. We went there on “Board Game Night”, where they have many available games to play. We settled down to some drinks (a flavored coffee for Ben and a nice red wine for me) and a game of scrabble. Ben beat me, unfortunately. It was a wonderful way to spend a peaceful evening, just steps away from our home.

We met up with some friends after work on Friday at a bar on the Lower East Side called Sweet and Vicious. One recently ex-coworker had invited people to celebrate her moving on to another company. She explained that she’d chose the spot for its happy hour, its courtyard, and its dancing.

The bar’s entrance is a large wooden door, with only a small sign. The dimly-lit interior radiates a nice vibe with a warm feel and ample seating. The courtyard is a fairly good size (nothing like the Beer Garden, of course; this is Manhattan). The whole place is great for a party gathering.

The night proved a success. A mixture of current and ex-coworkers, everyone enjoyed venting the stress of the work week. I think of it as an end-of-week purging, which stops those thoughts from invading the rest of the weekend. After three glasses of wine on a dinnerless stomach, I felt indeed very stressfree. Weekday stress purged, fun had, I went home knowing I’ll return to that Sweet and Vicious spot.