Meatpacking

Almost a year ago, we wrote an article asking ourselves: “Is the Upper East Side finally cool?”

Yes, the UES had scenes from Gossip Girl and several from Sex and the City filmed here. Movie trucks are parked on the street both day and night and celebrity sightings aren’t anything out of the ordinary, either.

For example, two nights ago my dog met — and sniffed — Geraldo Rivera’s own canines (Rivera didn’t seem willing to enter into a conversation) and I am pretty sure it was Candice Bergen who stopped last year to pat the same furry companion. I should have gotten him an agent; he’s really a looker.

Still, despite our affluent, sometimes celebrity-status neighbors, we often find ourselves traveling to far away places like Soho for a good bowl of pasta. This might soon change with the opening of revered chef Michael White’s Ristorante Morini. However, considering the fact that I love Marea Ristorante and hate Osteria Morini, that is left to be seen.

Having said that, I must confess that I love my Upper East Side and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.  That’s when I got the idea: Wouldn’t be nice if we had scouts on the ground in each neighborhood? Scouts who kept everyone informed about what is happening in terms of shopping? And then I thought to myself, why can’t I be that scout?

That’s precisely why I took on the role as the Upper East Side’s Stylish City Ambassador. Take that, Ms. Wintour. This is one ambassadorship you are not going to get.

So, that covers one New York neighborhood.  What about the rest of them?  Well, I need your help.  If you want to be a Stylish City Ambassador, contact me at [email protected].

Here are the “districts” — Stylish Games anyone? — we have to cover. And yes, you will receive compensation for articles written.

Downtown      
East Village, Alphabet City, Chinatown, Little Italy,  Greenwich Village, Soho, Meatpacking, Noho, Nolita, Tribeca, West Village, Huson Square

Financial District      
Battery Park City, City Hall, South Street Seaport, Wall Street

Midtown East
Midtown East, Beekman Place, Flatiron, Gramercy Park & Union Square, Kips Bay, Murray Hill, Stuyvesant Town / Peter Cooper Village, Sutton Place, Tudor City, Turtle Bay / United Nations

Midtown West
Central Park, SouthChelsea, Clinton / Hells Kitchen, Garment District & Herald Square,  Koreatown, Midtown West,  Theater District

Upper East Side
Carnegie Hill, Gracie Point, Yorkville, Lenox Hill, Roosevelt Island

UWS
Lincoln Square, Manhattan Valley, Upper West Side

WHAT: Mastercard Priceless NYC Shopping Night

WHY: A private shopping night with offers up to 30% off, gifts with purchases & VIP experiences. MasterCard Marketplace rolls out the red carpet in SoHo and the Meatpacking District with exclusive offers from top designers including Theory, LeSportsac, Emporio Armani, Helmut Lang, Nicole Miller, and Nanette Lepore. 30+ Stores in 2 of NYC’s Most Fashionable Shopping Districts – 1 Night Only. RSVP for Exclusive Access

RSVP at www.mastercardmarketplace.com/shopnyc. Limited invitations available so hurry and secure your spot on the guest list today. Certain terms and conditions apply.

WHEN: 9/23, Th (5-9)

WHERE: SoHo and the Meatpacking District

Graci to Urban Daddy for rightfully comparing the new spot at One Little West 12th, oddly called The Collective, to something the Mad Hatter might muster up. The giant warehouse space looks like someone stuck a bar at one end then sneezed out a hodgepodge of tables throughout. The Collective might have thought to call themselves “The Collection” as they appear to have “collected” random items from other city destinations like LES’ graffiti, and Urban Outfitter’s pendant lights and from Chelsea, some faux Eames chairs. (Or maybe they are real. How would I know?) But the windows are wonderful and the randomness somewhat endearing. It might be the perfect place for the city variety to gather, er…collect, for post-workday wine or a cocktail before a night on the town.

From the masterminds who brought you STK and Bagatelle (The ONE Group), The Collective is bottle-service free and serves cholesterol heavy American fare (see also: drunk food) that just might give you a heart attack. I still cannot figure out why they added soy kettle chips to a menu that has blue cheese tater tots and short rib sliders, and I gave up chips for lent, but apparently, they are amazing. The menu offers a “Taste of The Hoods” with different entrees from each city neighborhood. (The Harlem is chicken and waffles with gravy. The Upper West side is lamb shank with fruity couscous. And so on…) So you won’t emerge skinny or ready to mix with B&Ters at Meatpacking clubs; but you’ll emerge happy. And that’s all that really matters anyway.

The Collective 1 Little West 12th Street  212.255.9717

Emma Dinzebach

Last Saturday there was a queue 200 people long at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. Like the queue on their website, Saturday’s line snaked out of the park and down 23rd street on the park’s south end. Notorious for brutal lines, Shake Shack did add a “Shack Cam” to their website so you can view the horrendous line. The tag line reads “Save Time, Check the Line,” but I’m not really sure if that saves time or just deters people from going at all. Lucky for line haters, the wonderful Shake Shack expanded to Upper West Side.
Note: For those of you living underneath a rock, Shake Shack is Danny Meyer’s pet project, fast food stand that opened in Madison Square Park (right near his beloved Tabla and 11 Madison) in the steamy summer of 2003. Shake Shack salutes Meyer’s St. Louis heritage by using frozen custard rather than ice cream for their sundaes and shakes and grilling thin burgers that mimic places in St. Louis like Steak ‘n Shake and Carl’s Drive In. They also have portobello and chicken burgers, hotdogs and Pooch-Inis for you for your four legged friend.

For loyal Shackers, here’s some new news that you might already know. It might be quicker to take the subway to the Upper West Side and wait in their, always shorter, queue. In fact, it is. On Saturday afternoon when my brother and I saw the 200 person line, I hopped on the subway UWS bound to see if I could beat him. I ordered to take away and had a nice little chat with fellow patron Blake DiMarco about the whole Shake Shack expansion experience. She said, and I quote “With their pillow like potato bun and fresh ingredients, ShackBurgers do not disappoint.” Then she went on to say that the UWS staff are friendlier – probably because they don’t have to deal with sweaty, tired line-waiters. Upon her suggestion, I ended up also getting a caramel frozen custard concrete with almonds, brownie bites and other health food accessories. It was well worth the belly ache.

Then I hopped back on the subway to meet my brother, hoping our perfect timing would allow us to eat together. Um, not the case. He was still at least seven people from ordering. Moral of the food reviewer’s story: Shake Shack is so delicious that I took two subway rides to get my fix. So go on…shack up.
Note: Met’s fans can shack up at the new Shake Shack Citifield!