I don’t make resolutions. I make personal goals to accomplish & surpass. It can take way more than 365 days to achieve a goal. So if you are like me and working on goals that have been in the horizon for longer than a year, make 2013 the year to bring them to light, let go of past mistakes, and promise yourself that you will never, ever let anyone or anything stop you from achieving them.

MG, Midtown Chap & Midtown Pups would like to wish everyone a fabulush, safe & prosperous New Year. Happy 2013 dahlings!!

New Year kissies,

On Sunday, December 16th, the ”A Better Holiday Benefit” art exhibit & concert was held for the Ali Forney Center (AFC) at the XL Nightclub at THE OUT NYC. Featuring Brazilian photographer Victor Haim who exhibited his work to over 200 supporters, half of the proceeds from his sales this holiday season will be donated to the AFC. The AFC is a center the provides support, help & shelter for the homeless LGBT youth – an amazing cause!

After the gorgeous Haim exhibit, a benefit concert took place and was hosted by Haus of Mimosa, the It Gets Better Project and TGE. Artists that performed that evening include Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies), Santino Fontana (Cinderella), Andy Mientus (Smash), Max Von Essen and Christina DeCicco (Evita), Ali Stroker and DaniShay (The Glee Project), Declan Bennett (American Idiot) & Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin. The performances were emotional, inspirational & filled the crowd with holiday spirit & hope.

Dahlings, please visit Ali Forney Center to get more information on its dedication to LGBT youth and to see how you can help the cause.

kissies,

I love making lo-cal cocktails for my dinner parties. Since, you’ve prob seen the weekly cocktail pics on my instagram, I wanted to share my fav lo-cal recipes for fabulush cocktails during the holidays. Super easy, pretty to look at and even more delish, try one of these recipes (all under 100 calories) at your next holiday soiree…

Midtown Girl Mistletoe Margarita (pictured above)

• 1.5 ounces silver tequila
• 1.5 ounces of light cranberry juice cocktail
• .5 ounces of Cointreau
• 3 slices of lime, crushed
• lime flavored sparkling water

Combine tequila, Cointreau, cranberry juice, lime with ice and shake. Pour in gorgeous glass, top with sparkling water & garnish with fresh twist of lime.

Midtown Girl Manhattan

• 1.5 ounces of Yamazaki Japanese Whisky
• 1.5 ounces diet ginger ale
• dash of bitters (or Cointreau)
• 1 slice lime

Combine Yamazaki, bitters with ice and stir. Pour in gorgeous glass, top with diet ginger ale & garnish with fresh twist of lime.

Midtown Girl Blackberry Lemonade

• 1.5 ounces vodka
• 1.5 ounces of light pink lemonade juice
• 3-5 blackberries
• lime flavored sparkling water

Combine vodka, pink lemonade juice, blackberries with ice and shake. Pour in gorgeous glass, top with sparkling water & garnish with fresh blackberries.

Dahlings, what fabulush cocktail will you be serving at your holiday party?

kissies,

The Holiday Shops at Bryant Bark

If you’re in NYC this holiday season, you must visit Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan. A perfect go-to spot for the holiday shopper, Bryant Park offers a variety of activities for New Yorkers & tourists. Their open market called the Holiday Shops hosts gifts shops selling everything from jewelry to chocolate. I shopped here last weekend as was able to find a gift for almost everyone on my list (#truth). Following your gift buys, stop by Citi Pond to get your skate on in the heart of New York City (awesome). After skating, you can visit Celsius Restaurant to warm up with their delish bites & festive cocktails (try their Polar Bear Cosmo). Check out the holiday scene in Midtown and MG’s gift buys below…

Skating at Citi Pond

Delish cocktails at Celsius!

Clockwise from top: Holiday Cards from Decko, Christmas frame ornaments from It’s Always Christmas in NY , Citrine enhancer from Vintage, Swarovski Crystal necklace from Yumi Chen, Rubr Watch from SOVL New York.

Dahlings, will you be visiting Bryant Park this holiday season?

kissies,

I am so thankful to have readers, blogger besties & social media fam who are amaze x 100. You dahlings have been there for me when I was single, in between relationships and with me now as I experience the best relationship I could have ever imagined. I seriously heart you, and without your support, comments, advice & 2am tweets, I have no idea what I would have done. Thank you for being there for me, ALWAYS.

MG, Midtown Chap & Midtown Pups would like to wish everyone a beautiful, happy & uber fabulush Thanksgiving.

thankful kissies,

photo credit: wunderground.com

For those New Yorkers who will not be traveling this holiday, who do not feel like cooking or whose tradition is staying in the city, this list is for you. I’ve spent a few Thanksgivings eating out in resty’s, so for those who are looking for a spot to celebrate this beautiful holiday, here is MG’s list for the Best Restaurants in NYC for Thanksgiving Dinner 2012…

MIDTOWN: 

The National Bar & Dining Rooms - Contemporary American, offering a 3 Course Prix Fixe at 65.00 per person.

Madison & Vine - American, Offering a 3 Course Menu (with all the trimmings) for $45.00 per person.

Lexington Brass - American, $45 per person for 3 course Pre-Fixe Menu.

Osteria Laguna - Italian, Prix Fixe menu offers 3 course menu for $35 adults and $20 kids.

Brasserie - French, 3-Course Thanksgiving menu from 11-9pm, $49 per person.

UPTOWN:

83 1/2 - Contemporary American, will offer a special 4 course tasting menu including sides for $70. Doors will open at 3pm.

Alloro - Italian, $55 per adult & $20 per child. Al la carte dining from Autumn Menu also available. Open from 1-10.

Bar Boulud - French, will be offering a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with French accents. Dinner will be a three course prix fix, offered from 12pm to 9pm.

Bistro Chat Noir - French,  2-9:30pm Holiday Prix-fixe Menu. 4 course with 1 glass of wine pairing: $75 Adults $40 for children. RSVP required.

Ocean Grill New York - Seafood, $45 Classic Turkey Dinner Pre-Fixe will be offered on Thanksgiving, along with a la carte options, until 9:45pm. 

Dovetail - American, requires a 24 hour notice of cancellation. If you are unable to honor your reservation and it has not been cancelled you will be subject to a charge of $60.00/person.

DOWNTOWN:

DBGB - French, $55 prix-fix menu, also a la carte offering in the Bar Room.

The Harrison - American, open from 2-9pm, offering a 3 course menu for $75 per person, $45 per child.

Market Table - American, serving a 3 course prix fixe menu from 2pm until 10 pm on Thanksgiving. $75 per adult, $25 per child.

ATRIO Wine Bar | Restaurant - Mediterranean, from 12pm to 9pm for 3-Course Menu with Warm Muddled Apple Cider at $55pp adult / $20 children.

Hope you enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday at one of these fabulush restys, dahlings!!!

holiday kissies,

photo credit: newyork.seriouseats.com

This NYE, I’ll be wearing a sequined mini-dress from Asos, Valentino strappy heels & Gucci Horsebit Clutch. Totes will be sequined x 100! What will you lovelies be wearing???

And, a look back on MG Memories - just thought I’d share with you dahlings my 2009 NYE, in case you needed some bloggy date night entertainment…

So, I ended up choosing option #2: Fabulous Soiree hosted in my gf’s townhouse apartment on the UWS for New Year’s Eve, for 2 reasons:

1. I had already promised my gf I would go; &
2. She said I HAD to meet this special fellow that she invited as well.

Done.

Ok, so what did I end up wearing???

MG’s ‘New Year’s Eve’ Outfit:
Cute black silk tunic dress, Dolce & Gabbana OTK grey suede boots

 

Why boots? I have no idea…my apt was cold, I threw them on and poof - they felt right. Anywho – I had called for car service early that day bc catching a cab anytime during NYE is virtually a nightmare. Car came around 9pm and driver took me to the UWS. Did you dahlings know, the air feels 10x cleaner on the UWS than it does in Midtown? With it’s tree-lined streets and clean, wide sidewalks, it was a pleasant place to be (for the eve, not forever – eff that). 

 

When I get to gf’s townhouse, I could see that her soiree was in full celebratory mode from the gleaming lights shining through her bay window. Gf buzzed me in and as soon as I walked into her apt, I could smell her famous mint chocolate-chip mini cupcakes – if you’ve never tried, you must dammit (I had 4 that eve!). Dollface greeted me with a fabulous kissie on the cheek and handed me a flute of rose champagne.

After catching up with gf for a few, I let her do her hostess thing and walked over to her unbelievable buffet spread…a foodie lovers delight! Everything was mini-fied: mini crabcake BLT’s, mini pommes frites-filled cones, mini pork loin slices on crostini’s, mini GRILLED CHEESE sandwiches with Gruyere…

For a brief moment, that Golden Girl’s epi where Sophia is at a banquet and starts dumping apps into her bamboo purse, flashed through my mind. But only for a moment, ok.

I chatted up with a few other guests, a lovely woman who was an accessoriesbuyer for Saks (my new bestie? I kid.) and another fellow who was an exec at ABC Carpet & Home (why haven’t I gone into this luscious store yet, I wonder?).

I was in mid-convo discussing the continual difficulty in finding my dreamcoffee table, when gf pulled me away to introduce me to her ‘good friend’, Tan Resty: a mid-30′s, super tan, thick salt & pepper haired, restaurateur of 2 resty’s, one in Chelsea & the other in Flatiron (still can’t believe I have not written about ‘Wharton Flatiron’ Guy – to be con’t).  

 

Tan Resty reminded me of that type who preferred to drive something in avibrant shade of a red and with a girl 15 yrs his junior sitting in the passenger seat.

GF: “This is one of my favorite people, MG.”
ME: “Aww, thank you gf. It’s very nice to meet you, TR.”
TR: “The pleasure’s mine. I can see you being one of my favorite people as well.”

Ahem.

So Tan Resty & I head over to a chaise and start chatting about…HIM. Yup, majority of the convo was revolved around him:“I am working on this…”, “I travelled here…”, “I prefer to go…”. B-LAH, B-LAH.

It’s now around 11:30pm and I officially know almost everything I need to about TR. Luckily for me though, another guest had just come over to greet TR. While they were catching up, I excused myself and headed straight to…the buffet table, of course! LOL.

I was literally inhaling the mint choc-chip cupcakes & mini grilled cheese’s (yup), when a male guest asks me:

HE: “Are you going leave any cupcakes for me?”

Oh. Damn.

ME: “I know, I look like a piglet. They are sooo delicious though!”
HE: “I’m only kidding. How do you know gf?” (the hostess)

We talk for while, at the buffet table no less and convo was pretty fantastic! A VP for a hedge fund (finance guy-I’m shocked), he was tall, w. dark-hair & eyes, dressed in a white button down shirt under a velvet blazer & in dark trousers…very attractive. And very sweet.

Sweet Hedge Guy and I end up chatting right up until the clock struck Midnight!! I didn’t even realize the time until gf kick-started the 10 second count-down…the time just flew.

SHG & I raise our glasses, toast “chin-chin” and exchange charming smiles. It occurs to me that I kinda just up & left Tan Resty, so I turn around to see if he is still in the same spot…nope!

Tan Resty has occupied a corner of the room and with a small crowd of fans surrounding him, he is motioning his arms wide apart, as if to describe something of enormous size (his ego, I would imagine). My absence has clearly not affected TR, so I continue convo with SHG.

Gf comes over to us to ask if we are enjoying her festivities – of which we totally are – and when she sees TR behind me, she shakes her head and mumbles “forever in the spotlight” then walks over to him to hear what current story he is sharing with the rest of her guests.

It’s getting late. Now 2 am, I’m tired and just want to get out of my OTK boots and into my NM slippers and call it a night. SHG asks:

HE: “How are you getting home?”
ME: “I think I’m gonna call car service bc it’s too cold to wait for a cab. Plus I prob won’t find one now anyway.”
HE: “I think I’m going to head out as well. You said you live in Midtown East, right? I live in the UES and can give you a ride if you’d like.”

I like.

ME: “Oh, you drove over here? Ok, if it’s not an inconvenience then…sure!”
HE: “Great!”

Both off us get our coats, and as SHG says his goodbyes to gf, I head over to TR and interrupt his never ending story to say goodbye…

ME: “It was great meeting you TR, Happy New Year!”
TR: “Oh definitely, let’s make plans this week!”

Let’s not.

I walk over to gf, tell her how fabulush her party was and she notices SGH waiting at the door for me…

GF: “Oh, are you guys heading out together?”
ME: “Yes, since SGH lives on the UES, he was nice enough to offer me a ride home.”
GF: “Well isn’t that sweet of him.”

I’m not sure if the sarcasm I sensed from her was real or just the rose champagne taking it’s effect, so I gave gf a hug and told her I would call her the next day.

GF: “Call me when you get home.”

Uhm, okay. Sheesh!?

SHG & I get into his car and during the quick ride back to my apt we speak about things that we love to do in the city and hopes for the new year.

We get to my apt and as I say goodnight to SHG I see a text from gf. I’m about to read the text when SHG says, “can I see your cell for a second?” and takes my phone.

He starts to dial a number (wtf?) and then his cell starts to ring. Ohhh, I get it.

HE: “I just wanted to see if my cell still works.” (Smiles)
ME: “Uh, huh. Very smooth!”

It was cheesy, but at the same time still cute, so whatevz…

I get out of the car and as I head up to my apt I read & respond to gf’s text -

GF: Where are you?
ME: I’m home, why?
GF: Where is SHG?
ME: I’m assuming he’s on his way home, he just dropped me off. Is everything ok??? What’s wrong chickie??
GF: Oh ok. SHG told you he was ENGAGED, right?

No, actually…he didn’t.

Happy New Year to all of you fabulush dolls & see you next year! <3

New Year kissies,

source

This pic represents everything I do not want to experience on NYE. And trust me, I have been there (a few times, sigh).

NYE is almost here and if you’re like me, you’re figuring out which of your dresses is sequin-ey enough to wear, which pair of heels will survive a 5 hr eve of dancing & whether or not you should book a car this far in advance bc hailing a cab on NYE in NYC is…brutal.

Anywho, this eve I’ll be with my fav dahling Midtown Chap, BUT celebrating NYE for the last 5 yrs as a single girl (remember this fabulushly ridic NYE eve story), has made me think about what I would do differently if I were still single. Here’s what I came up with…

5 New Year’s Eve Tips For My Single Girls

1. Friends: Make sure you head out to a party with a girlfriend/gay hubs who is truly with you to celebrate a fabulush eve. The last person you want to spend a long, celebratory evening with is someone who is obsessed with finding a cute guy to talk to or is upset that he/she is still single on NYE.

2. Outfit: Dress like you would for a first date –  ever walk out of your apt and see a group of girls ready for a night out in the city dressed like it’s fleet week? No matter what the occasion is, dress to impress bc you never know who you might meet.

3. Outerwear: Wear a gorgeous coat. I know this sounds obvious, but if you saw the nightmare that was #SantaCon, then you totes know what I mean. It’s cold outside. Wear a damn coat.

4. Cell Block: For the guys you have on your “call only when it’s an absolute emergency” list, trust me NYE is not “an emergency”. Change the names of these guys to numbers or letters bc who remembers phone numbers right? This way you’ll bypass that shitty morning after feeling of calling a loser after the clock struck 12.

5. Social Media Sanity: Sharing “Happy New Year’s” on twitter is sweet. Sharing “Looking forward to another year of shitty dates and douchebags” however, is not. After the 3rd (or 4th) glass of bubbly, take a break from the social media world and leave the updating of your fabulous resolutions for New Year’s Day.

Any tips that need to be added to this list? Please feel free to add in the comments below, my lovelies! <3

Former single girl kissies,

When I look back at my Christmas posts on MG, all I can say is that I am SO thankful for having such amazing people around me (both online & offline). This year, the holiday season is extra special because I get to spend it with my fam and enjoy a wonderful weekend full of Christmas fun!

Sending love to all my readers, blogger besties & social media fam – hope you dahlings have a fabulush holiday!!!

Christmas kissies,

This holiday season, the Rink at Rockefeller Center celebrates it’s 75th Anny! One of NYC’s most beloved landmarks, the Rink first opened on Christmas Day in 1936, as the premier artificial outdoor skating pond in the city. To celebrate the occasion, the Rink featured  a skating performance by Ice Theatre of New York & a cake cutting with the Rockettes and Patina Restaurant Group, CEO Nick Valenti.

Cake cutting with the Rockettes and Patina Restaurant Group CEO, Nick Valenti

A wonderful day to celebrate a momentous occasion, the Rink at Rockefeller Center is must-see during the holiday season!

Dahlings, when was the last time you skated at Rockefeller Center? It’s a NYC must!!

kissies,