STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

honey · Gucci

help me boost my leadership skills

Hermes

you could put together a few museum outings - like moma or the natural science museum.

dot · Marc Jacobs

running for social chair sounds really fun!

maybe you could do restaurant outings? that way you can visit different areas and not have to schlep to columbia to hang out.

chelsea galleries

also maybe some bar hopping.. i feel like this is the main social event at graduate school, no?

maybe just get a group together to go to some festivals or concerts.. like the ny'er festival or tribeca film festival.. or a concert at a smaller nyc venue.

Shello · Kenneth Cole

I lived at Columbia for a month, and our RAs were always planning these fun "different" NYC things. A lot of them were different types of food, but two that really stood out were

1) Lucky Changs - it's a Chinese restaurant with drag queens who occasionally put on shows. Kind of dirty, but really fun if you're open to that kind of thing. There's also drag queen bingo in the basement.

2) Cowgirls - it's a restaurant that features southern-type food with a twist. It's just unusual I think b/c there aren't many southern-type things in the city.

Oh also, sorry that these are all foods, but a trip to Dylan's candy store could be fun too. They have these amazing ice cream creations that are expensive ($10) but absolutely amazing. The rest of the store has some hard-to-find candies and things too, so it's pretty cool.

cc · Marc Jacobs

Do these have to be activities that a large group can do or can you come up with things that just a few people would show up for?

Maybe while the weather is still nice you can plan a Brooklyn Bridge/Grimaldi's/ice cream trip. Not sure if people would be interested in walking over the bridge but you can still enjoy a really great view from Fulton landing.

The NYer festival is a really good idea but tickets to most of the events sell out insanely fast. You really need to be sitting at your computer when they go on sale.

In October there is the Open House weekend which is free. Again, it's really popular so things get mobbed but it could be fun to go to 1 or 2 buildings.

Maybe you could combine cocktails and a museum trip. The Met is open until 9 on Friday and Saturday and has a bar on the balcony above the Grand Hall and one on the roof which has amazing views. The drinks are a bit pricey but since the Met's admission is a suggested donation you can save a bit of money. I guess that's not the best location for you though.

Last winter Bryant Park had a little pond and you could ice skate for free if you brought your own skates or you could rent them there. Not sure if they will do it again this year but it could be a good alternative to Rockefeller Center or Wollman. Around Christmas they also have a market like the ones in Grand Central and Union Square.

This would be an expensive outing but I've always wanted to go to the Carlyle for a piano bar performance. I'm still kicking myself for never going while Bobby Short was still playing but I think Woody Allen is playing there with his band soon.