Bubbles, Dancing, NYC Oh My!

With a certificate I had purchased from LivingSocial, I organized a girls night yesterday at Bubble Lounge, a swanky champagne and cocktail bar in Tribeca. With drinks like the baby pear martini and kit kat martini, the place was delectable. And we were even surprised with free mini-cupcakes and a burlesque show at 11! There's something to be said about feeling all Sex and the City sometimes...

And tomorrow I will add a little culture to my swanky fun, with a dance party at the Museum of the Moving Image: the Signal to Noise event with dancing, interactive art, electronic music and so much more. Unless of course I decide on going to the No Man's Land Gypsy dance party extraordinaire. Then again, I might just go to Mehanata, the Bulgarian Bar, tonight... So much dancing, so little time.

Early November NYC Adventures

I would say my fun last week began on Wednesday, November 3, when I met up with my friend to eat dinner at DuMont in Williamsburg. With a heated backyard garden and a pan-seared scallops special, my dining experience at DuMont was truly exquisite.

(The heated backyard garden at DuMont, open and airy,
and even more romantic and alluring by night.)

Then on Thursday, November 4 was Yelle at Highline Ballroom. Although I understood only a handful of the words in Yelle's lyrics, the songs are truly infectious, with high-energy rhythms and the lilting sounds of Yelle's titillating French.



And on Friday, I had yet another lovely Williamsburg dining experience: at Dressler's, located in South Williamsburg incredibly close to me. Dressler's is easily the most upscale place I have yet dined at in Williamsburg, with its charmingly decorated interior accentuated with classy chandeliers. Although my date was unable to secure reservations (unless we wanted to eat close to 10 pm), we enjoyed dinner and drinks at the bar, accompanied by a seemingly unending stream of fresh rolls. And topped off with a fresh apple tart. I do have to warn, it's not the most vegetarian-friendly place for dinner. This just means I'll have to return soon to Dressler's to try their brunch...

(Dressler's, above)

Yum. It has been a delicious week.

And speaking of delicious, I also finally redeemed a LivingSocial special for a box of handcrafted chocolates at Bespoke Chocolates, a simple, elegant chocolaterie in the East Village. Bespoke's profile on their website reads:

"Bespoke Chocolates is an award-winning artisanal chocolaterie established in New York City in 2008. Bespoke Chocolates specializes in the production of luxury handcrafted chocolates created with the freshest ingredients. Our chocolates are of the finest quality on the market, marrying classic European techniques with modern flavor profiles. Our Bespoke Chocolate shop, located in New York City’s East Village, features an open kitchen, allowing our guests to watch and interact with our chocolatier. It also serves as a unique destination for experiencing chocolate through regular in-store classes, tastings open to the public, and private sessions with our chocolatier for groups or corporations."

With chocolate morsels such as pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels, Turkish coffee bonbons and orange-infused dark chocolate, Bespoke Chocolate's diverse array more than compensates for is small size. I may just have to find out when the next chocolate tasting is.

(Above, the Turkish coffee bonbon.
As described on BeSpoke Chocolate's website:
"Soft Caribbean dark chocolate ganache, delicately infused with cardamom and coffee.
Not exactly a trip to Istanbul, but close enough for a Tuesday afternoon.")

And last night I discovered an East Village staple, Heather's, a very inconspicuous "dive" bar on East 13th St. (Personally, I see this place as more lounge than dive bar; it is simple and clean without being pretentious.) It was so refreshingly free of 22-year-olds and loud frat-party types that I felt like I was back in Williamsburg, that is, before Williamsburg also became flooded with people from outside hoods and boroughs. Yelpers also rave about their happy hour and DJ's.

So many places to try and so many places to try again.

Rhinestone Follies Burlesque Review

Okay, LivingSocial and Rhinestone Follies, you have exceeded my expectations.

R Bar, the venue where the Rhinestone Follies burlesque troupe performs every other Friday, was deliciously decadent. With two bars, several private rooms, fabulous lighting and, of course, a stage and several stripper poles, it was truly an ideal place to see a burlesque show.

The Rhinestone Follies show was prefaced with an enthusiastic performance by a go-go dancer and supplemented with acts by other performers. Below are a few pictures of the stunning evening.







Ooh-la-la!

Rhinestone Follies Burlesque and Week in Review

So I have made a pact with myself to use all my LivingSocial and Lifebooker saved deals before I purchase more... though of course, regardless, I am still occasionally swayed by irresistible deals. In fact, I believe the two tickets I bought for tonight to see the Rhinestone Follies burlesque troupe were purchased after this decision.


But hey, I am making it a point to redeem all my pre-purchased deals, including tonight's!

Prior to tonight's upcoming show, I also indulged this week in drinks and dinner at both Nomad and WineBar in the East Village, both at 50% discounts, thanks to LivingSocial. Cheers, I can drink to that.

And then I plan on calling it a somewhat early night, as I have my second Research and Fact Checking class with NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) program on Saturday. And this will also be my last class required for me to finally obtain my Certificate in Publishing from NYU!! Now I will just have to go out and find more work... But until then, I'll be enjoying my discounted fun.

LivingSocial Deal: Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage

Oh, yeah, I did succumb to an online bargain yesterday. Only it wasn't the massage. It was a LivingSocial discount for tickets to Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage.



An off-Broadway show starring Eve Plumb, who played Jan Brady in The Brady Bunch, and Manuel Herrera, the performance is a comedy about "the story of Miss Abigail, the most sought-after relationship expert to the stars (think Dr. Ruth meets Emily Post), and her sexy sidekick Paco, as they travel the world teaching Miss Abigail’s outrageously funny 'how-to's' on dating, mating and marriage!"

Hmm, now to book the performance date and figure out who I'm going to see this comedic show with!

LivingSocial, Lifebooker and Groupon! Deals... Or Else!

Ok, so I haven't joined Groupon yet. I feel a little inundated as it is with offers from LivingSocial (Downtown, Midtown and Brooklyn!!) and Lifebooker Loot... but it is tempting. A little too tempting, because I already have several outstanding purchases to redeem from both LivingSocial and Lifebooker. And I am sooo tempted to buy Lifebooker Loot's special today, which is a 65 minute massage for only $49. But I still have two pre-purchased massages yet to redeem, one from Spa Week (ay, yet another all-too-irresistible bargain) and one from LivingSocial.

Anyway, moderation in moderation, I guess...

I've reviewed LivingSocial, Lifebooker and Groupon on Suite 101: The Online Bargain Scoop: LivingSocial, Lifebooker and Groupon. In between pampering myself, I am, after all, trying to develop a writing portfolio here!