Cocktails and The City

Confident Girls Rule this City

New York girls are a different breed. We are smart, stylish, determined, and most of all, confident. It’s no secret that you have to be a confident woman to thrive in this city and that is something that I think makes us truly unique from the rest of the world. We are able to persist through so much and still make it out better than we were yesterday.

Take this for example. There’s nothing worse than waking up in New York and feeling ill. You feel as if you’re missing out on the busyness of it all, that somehow doing what we should be, recovering at home, is wrong and a misuse of our time. Well, at least that’s my philosophy. So, the New York confident girl simply has to put on her heels and go out with her friends to feel better. And if they can’t make it out with you, then put on your best outfit and go by yourself. After all, you never know who you may meet.

Of course, every night is a social night within New York, but I like to look at my Thursdays as a perfect opportunity for a delicious dinner. Since I as feeling a little under the weather, I felt I needed a really delicious, warm, and perhaps even a little spicy, meal. Having desperately tried to convince my friends to come with me, and subsequently failing to do so, I dressed up for myself and took the train down to the West Village.

If you’re a sex and the city fan, no doubt Buddakan will not have escaped your knowledge. The dark and mysterious atmosphere offered the perfect escape and reprieve for me tonight. I was able to eat my Asian delights in peace, hidden with my book under the small candle lights around the room. The entire of the restaurant has that sexy, upper-class atmosphere that is perfect for all occasions. In a place like Buddakan, you will never feel lonely even if you are alone. But I suppose the same could be said for all of New York.

I was escorted to a table overlooking the main dining area, which gave me the perfect vantage point to people watch and observe the general society of New York’s elites on a Thursday evening. As I sat sipping my cosmopolitan, in true Carrie style, I began to wonder. Why was it that there were so many tables of one in New York? A man in business formal, a women dressed beautifully, an elderly man with a scotch, and me. Is New York really that lonely? No, I won’t believe it. New York is simply that type of place where people have the absolute confidence to do whatever they want. That doesn’t make us lonely or sad being at a restaurant or a bar by ourselves, that is what makes us powerful because we go where we want when we want, even if that means enjoying the pleasure of our own company. Besides, everyone knows you aren’t alone for that long in New York.

Having ordered the Macao Rice Noodles and waiting eagerly for my meal, one of the managers soon approached me and began asking about my reading choices… I do suppose Crime and Punishment is a little heavy for Thursday night reading. Anyways, it was nice to have some conversation. What was even nicer was when he brought complimentary Cantonese spring rolls for me to try since it was my first time here. And like I was saying, I really wasn’t alone. That small interaction really made me smile throughout my night. The spring rolls of course were delicious and followed by the noodles made it a perfect meal. With Buddakan being a hidden oasis, located right next to Chelsea Market, it really is the perfect location for any function, especially solo dates.

The next day I did something of similar sort. I had a lot of work to do this weekend for my classes next week, so I decided to take myself away from the stress filled libraries on campus, and travel downtown to Bar Pisselino, a gorgeous little Italian themed bar in the West Village, perfect for socialising or working. The day was a beautiful one so I sat outside and continued my reading, perfect for observing all the other students doing the very same thing as me. It was really peaceful actually, knowing you could be in the heart of New York but there was a little piece of Italy ready to welcome you and allow you to escape into your reading or work.

For dinner, I had reservations at a nearby jazz bar called The Nines. Now this place is an absolute must try. The elegant red décor almost has you swooning as much as the pianist and the jazz player through the back. It’s ambiance screams luxury and the people there are some of the friendliest. Whilst the martinis and other cocktails are a simply divine, the food there is also equally as intoxicating, having you swaying to the music with every bite of burger. That and also the martinis are incredibly strong! The best places in New York are often the ones that are in plains sight, just hidden behind a set of doors. That is exactly like The Nines, a place that makes you lose yourself in the music, taxi cabs and sirens long forgotten to the streets.

As a post dinner bar, I would strongly recommend Madeline’s Martini, located in the Lower East Side. It would be very easy to miss this bar, as it’s outward appearance does not reflect the interior. However, if you know, you know, and I am most certainly telling you to try it out. The bar has various themed martinis, all incredibly tasty and elegant. This is the perfect place to bring a date after dinner or a group of friends if you want a more quiet social scene. Or, if like me you are just a fan of Martinis and need an excuse to try and new place, then this is your next go to.

After a long day of walking from the West to East side in my pair of Gucci platforms, I was ready to call it a day. I met so many lovely people through the various places that I went, even despite only traveling with my book and my politics homework. If you can be confident enough to venture out into the big city by yourself then New York is most certainly the place for you.

However, my Saturday was anything but a day for solo dates. This Saturday was Bacchanal at Columbia University, and if you don’t know what that is, well it’s a free concert held by Columbia for all students. It is also quite possibly, one of the funnest days of the entire year. While we all may struggle to wake up for classes at 10am, there was certainly no struggle to wake up at 8am today to let the parties begin. What’s so special about Bacchanal is that most Frats and sports teams will host huge parties that will run from the crack of dawn to the early hours of the next day.

Me and my friends spent our morning traveling between all the fraternity houses throwing parties, with our homemade BORG’s in our hands. There’s nothing more American college experience than that. When the fraternity parties eventually became too much for us, we headed to the team houses…. More specifically the football team’s rooftop party. Now, we all know about my affiliation with the football team, so therefore none of us needed tickets to get in. Let’s just say I know a couple players….

Partying on a rooftop in the New York rain is a defining experience for all New York college students. It simply must be done as often as possible. We all had a brilliant time meeting next people…and perhaps drinking a little more than we should.

In the afternoon, we took a brief reprieve from the parties to attend the actual concert. Low steps had suddenly been transformed into a grand concert venue, clad with ultra sound speakers, official dancers and some of pop cultures upcoming artists; including Ravyn Lenae and Tinashe. Me and my friends managed to squeeze our way into the very front of the packed crowd and were able to get a perfect view of the artists. I watched as they performed right in front of our Alma Matter and felt a real sense of pride that I have the honor of both going to this incredible school and living in this amazing city. Call it the BORG, but part of me was getting ready sentimental.

Once the concert was over and we were sufficiently soaked through from the rain, we headed to another day party, this one hosted by the wrestling team in their dorm. Now, when you think American party you think beer kegs, early 2000’s music, strobe lights, etc… you get the vibe. Well, that is exactly what we walked into at this party. It. Was. Perfect. The contrast between the sophistication of the West Village the day before and whatever this was definitely did not go unnoticed. But a girl needs to have the best of both worlds.

Once we had exhausted the beer keg and the room started to quieten down a little, we headed to a few more dorm parties before our final destination of the evening, Amity Hall. Now usually Amity is packed on Saturdays regardless, however, tonight was particularly striking. Every person we knew was there, having just celebrated one of the craziest days in the year. And you know what that means, this is the perfect opportunity to utilize that New York confidence I had been practicing over these last few days and meet some new people.

Now I don’t quite remember how this happened, however when it became time to leave none of my friends could find me. Well, that’s because I was hidden between a wall of seven football players who I had been chatting to the entire evening. Lovely guys who I had been drinking with all night! And let me tell you something, they can seriously hold their liquor!

As we tried to leave and finally call it a night, we walked out to find the heavens had opened and the rain was pounding down on us in a catastrophic manner. Even despite being a confident New York girl we decided for once not to be brave and instead to hire a taxi. The only problem was that our taxi driver decided it would be a great idea to squeeze in four football players with us. Never have I had a more squished taxi ride in my life. But in typical New York fashion, we persisted, and the story was so worth it. I had a crazy day followed by an even crazier night.

My Sunday was neither Upper West Side glamorous, nor College crazy. It was simply a day to reflect on both parallels and realize that this is New York. A crazy mix of fun that really finds a way of giving you confidence and a way to embrace anything.