Saint Patrick’s Day is a bar goers favorite holiday. What better way to celebrate Irish tradition with a good old green beer and some corn beef and cabbage. We have listed the 10 Hotspots to celebrate this St Paddy’s Day 2010.

1. Pete’s Tavern
www.petestavern.com
129 East 18th Street
New York, NY 10003-2401
(212) 473-7676

2. Puck Fair
www.puckfairbarnyc.com
298 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 431-1200

3. McFaddens
http://mcfaddens42.aitrk6.com/
800 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(646) 461-6837

4. Bar None
http://www.barnonenyc.com/
98 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10003-5533
(212) 777-6663

5. The Slaughtered Lamb
www.slaughteredlambpub.com
182 W 4th St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 727-3350

6.  Down the Hatch
www.nycbestbar.com
179 W 4^th Street
New York, NY 10014
(212)627-9747

7. Off the Wagon
www.nycbestbar.com
109 MacDougal Street
New York, NY 10012-1201
212-533-4487

8. Village Pourhouse
www.pourhousenyc.com
64 3^rd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
212-375-1396

9. SideBar
www.sidebarnyc.com
120 E. 15^th Street
New York, NY 10003
212-677-2900

10.  TG Whitney’s
www.tgwhitneys.com
244 E 53^rd Street
New York, NY 10022

We polled our Facebook friends recently on what they thought were the MUST Visit Restaurants and Lounges in NYC. Here is the Top 10…enjoy!

1. Slate: “Offering a full service bar and restaurant Slate is the premiere events space where you can eat, drink and play in style. The two level multifaceted space offers lounge seating and a unique ambience that is welcoming and spacious. The ultimate choice for small and large events, or even just dinner and drinks.” www.slate-ny.com
2. Sofrito: “Located in Midtown, this restaurant brings a taste of the island of Puerto Rico to the heart of New York. Authentic Puerto Rican cuisine and décor from the Caribbean can be seen at Sofrito. Live entertainment everyday.” www.sofritony.com
3. Russian Tea Room: “For over eighty years, New York’s defining cultural moments have taken place at Russian Tea Room. Ever since members of the Russian Imperial Ballet founded the restaurant in 1927, it has been a second home for boldface names and the intellectual elite—an exclusive enclave where actors, writers, politicians, and businessmen planned their next deals and feted their friends’ latest Carnegie Hall performances. The lively tradition and legacy of the Russian Tea Room is alive and well!” www.russiantearoomnyc.com
4. Serendipity 3: “A popular restaurant in the Upper East Side. While the restaurant is known for its foot-long hot dogs and frozen drinks, particularly its trademark “Frrrozen Hot chocolate“, it offers a full menu. The restaurant has constantly been ranked as a favorite among Manhattanites, tourists, and celebrities.”  www.serendipity3.com
5. Ninja: Located in Tribeca, Ninja features an array of Japanese culture. The décor, food and service are all given 2 thumbs up by my followers and watch out for the ninjas! Private dining is also provided for a more intimate experience. www.ninjanewyork.com
6. Serafina: “Sit upstairs at the 79th Street location, and pretend you’re on a breezy patio in Italy as you munch on Serafina’s delectable thin-crust pizzas, stellar pastas, and inventive salads. Be sure to go early: The no-reservations policy means the lines start to get pretty long around 8 p.m.”-NY Mag www.serafinarestaurant.com
7. Honey: “Honey is a charming environment catering to the locals, foodies, and night owls. With exposed brick, warm mahogany paneling, chocolate brown leather banquettes and a 25 foot amber backlit bar, this 3000 square foot venue is set to be the Chelsea/Meatpacking district hotspot.” www.honeyny.com
8. Tao: “Tao New York, the largest and most popular Asian restaurant in NYC, was created to offer its guest a sensual trip through the cuisines of Asia. Tao is frequented by celebrities.” www.taorestaurant.com
9. Room Service: “Off a main room accommodating twelve tables are nine curtained-off rooms that range from a ten-by-ten-foot standard to the fifteen-by-twenty-foot “presidential suite”; each of these auxiliary spaces can be rented for $1,000 to $1,500 per evening and are attended by waiters dressed like bellboys who are ready to deliver a bottle, a brewski, some comfort food, or any other edible your heart desires. (Just give the concierge 24 hours to stock up.) Those who don’t think a cubicle with a DVD player, a minibar, and a drawer full of toothpaste and Snickers bars is the height of sexiness can slip out through a sliding door to the adjoining gents’ club Tens.”-NY Mag  www.roomserviceny.com
10. 230 Fifth: “New York presents a spectacular skyline that has to be seen to be believed. 230 Fifth is open 365 days a year, and no matter what the weather is like, you can still enjoy our rooftop bar. Our Rooftop Garden Bar is partially heated and you can even use our cozy fleece hooded red robes or oversized blankets if you need a little extra warmth. Of all the outdoor bars NYC has to offer, 230 Fifth is an experience you won’t forget.” www.230-fifth.com

1.  Reduce Stress

Planning your own event can be a stressful affair.  By hiring an event planner, you can describe your vision for an event and the event planner creates it without the stress of phone calls, emails and countless questions from vendors and guests.  Event planners are paid to be organized and focused on your event.  Where work, family, and friends are your first priority; your event is our first priority.

2.  Cost Effective

Because event planners are continually planning events, we have many strong relationships with vendors.  We provide vendors who work well with your budget, theme and needs.  Because we work with vendors that we know and trust, we can negotiate the best rate for your event.  At the same time, these vendors enjoy working with us, so their prices are dramatically lower than if a client cold-called the vendor.

3.  Creativity

It is part of an event planners job to stay on top of the latest trends in the event planning industry.  We have to brainstorm daily to create the best events for our clients.  You may have different ideas about your event in mind, but cannot find a way to create a cohesive theme.  Event planners are creative professionals who address situations like these.  Rather than get frustrated with a theme, hire an event planner to turn your ideas into a successful event.

4.  On-Site Coordination

Event planners save a lot of time and frustration during your event and days before.  After all, it is your event, you should enjoy it.  If you are planning an event in a different state or city from where you are located, the event planner is responsible for on-site event coordination with the venue.  This saves you a lot of travel time and meaningless visits to an event site.

5.  Insurance

Event planners act as insurance for your event.  Hiring an event planner is a great way to guarantee that the event will be a huge success.  We are hired to keep clients on budget, on schedule and on task.  We make sure all guests are having a great time and keep any potential event problems out of sight to you and your guests.

6.  Time Saver

Why waste your time in front of the computer searching for the best venues, centerpieces, linen rental, etc. when you could hire an event planner who has all of these connections.  Rather than over-booking your already busy schedule, event planners schedule appointments, gather directions, take notes and stay organized.  Hiring an event planner will minimize the amount of time spent on creating a spectacular event.

7.  Buffer

Planning an event can be an emotional whirlwind.  Vendors may argue, guests may be grumpy and pressure to make the event a grand success might drive you to drink.  Event planners act as a buffer to all complaints and unhappy moments.  Also, we are the willing scapegoats who accept blame for any and all instances.  Since an event planner is an unbiased party, when an agreement cannot be made, event planners step in with their professional opinion to provide a simple solution.

8.  Experience

Event planners have seen it all.  In all our years of experience, we can confidently handle anything and everything thrown our way.  We are well prepared to handle any issue that may arise.  By hiring a professional event planner, you can guarantee that your event is exactly what you envisioned.  From last minute cancellations, to over booking the guest list; event planners are prepared to solve each issue with grace and professionalism.

9.  Maintain Budget

It can be easy to go over budget when vendors know you are inexperienced with planning pricing.  An experienced event planner will maintain the budget to make sure all money is spent wisely and will create the best event possible.

10.  Contract Negotiation

Negotiating contracts can be arduous task but is very beneficial when working with a specific budget and requests.  Event planners have a lot of experience negotiating with vendors to get the best possible rate for the client.

With the economy still struggling, it’s not that easy to have a social life in New York City.  We compiled a list of the top 10 things to do in New York City…and the best part is they’re absolutely FREE!

1)   Free Drinks
MyOpenBar provides an extensive listing of venues in NYC that offer free cocktails to its patrons. The website is constantly updated with new promotions and deals from local bars for the discerning drinker.  Many of the specials include certain “well” drinks (the standard ones – not top shelf) for a fixed amount of time.  These places are not your standard “hole in the wall” bars either; several of them are located in Midtown and the Lower East Side.
http://nyc.myopenbar.com/

2) Free Bar Food
Now that you know where the free drinks are, why not find out about the free bar food? GridSkipper provides a list of bars and restaurants in NYC and Brooklyn that offer cheap deals on food when you buy beer.  We would recommend the Crocodile Lounge on 325 E 14^th Street for its free pizza and skeet ball.
http://gridskipper.com/62732/nyc-free-bar-food

3)      Free Friday Cultural Events
After doing some research, I was surprised to learn how many cultural institutions offer free admission on Fridays.  The International Center for Photography, Museum of the Moving Image, and Museum of Modern Art are just a few among many of the institutions offering free admission.  A detailed list of additional places, as well as numerous other deals during the week, can be found at:
http://gonyc.about.com/cs/museums/a/museumdeals.htm

4) Free Comedy
The Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre, located at West 26^th in Chelsea provides its audience with anything that is comedy.  Comedians offer everything ranging from improv, sketch and standup to pranks, jokes, and podcasts.  They also offer improv classes for aspiring actors.
http://www.ucbtheatre.com/

5) Free Tickets to a New York TV Show
Instead of sitting home watching another episode of your favorite daytime or late night TV show, why not become part of the audience for free?  Nytix provides free tickets to tapings of your favorite TV shows that are located in NYC.  Shows range from The Colbert Report to Saturday Night Live and more.
http://www.nytix.com/Links/TV/

6)      Free Dance Classes
For an easy way to keep in shape and learn a few new dance moves, ClubFreeTime offers a listing of a wide variety of free dance classes.  From Salsa classes, to Flamenco lessons and even Irish Step dancing, there is bound to be a class that will best fit your personality.  http://www.clubfreetime.com/viewcategory.asp?view_category=dance

7)      Free Gallery Opening Tours
Not only do some galleries provide free admission to their openings, but they may also give out free drinks as well.  While this may sound great, the hardest part is finding these places. However, you’re in luck! Another feature from ClubFreeTime is a great listing of free gallery opening tours in NYC.  The listing includes the name of the gallery, as well as the time and date of the opening.
http://clubfreetime.com/new_york.asp

8) Staten Island Ferry
Once quoted in a guidebook, “One of the world’s greatest (and shortest) water voyages,” the 5 mile, 25 minute ride on the Staten Island Ferry provides a majestic view of New York Harbor and a no-hassle, even romantic, boat ride, for free! From the deck of the ferry you will have a perfect view of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  You’ll see the skyscrapers and bridges of Lower Manhattan receding as you pull away and coming into focus again as you return.

9) Big Apple Greeter
There’s no better way to explore NYC than with a true New Yorker who loves the city! Big Apple Greeter was founded in 1992 as the first “welcome visitor” program of its kind in the United States.  Today, there are roughly 300 volunteer greeters who will show you a favorite neighborhood, answer your questions, and demonstrate how easy it is to use free public transportation…all for free! This is a great program for those who are new the city and want to learn more.
http://www.bigapplegreeter.org/

10) Free clubs and gigs
Frequenting local clubs and gigs is a great way to explore different areas of the city.  However, overpriced cover charges and drinks may make this difficult, especially in this economy. In light of all this, we were able to find a terrific website, http://www.freenyc.net/, that gives a great list of upcoming performers who are playing at clubs with absolutely no cover charge!  The site provides a detailed listing of the venue, as well as the performer, with the time, date and location.