Zipcar is sold out. Your hedge fund boyfriend no longer has that Hampton compound (or the hedge fund for that matter). The gas prices at the pump read as high as the price tag on your Louboutin pumps. You are city-bound this Memorial Day weekend. Luckily, so is half the city, and they're going to be out and about, enjoying all the local happenings sans traffic, suitcases, soaring fuel prices, and annoying mini-clubs. Here's a short list of events approved for your day life and your nightlife.

Forget spiked egg nog, pumpkin-based drinks, and all those other seasonal libations. Don’t even think about a chilled beer or frozen concoction unless you plan on spending the night perched over your heater. Instead, head to one of the spots below where the mixologists are whipping up specialty cocktails for sun-deprived-drinkers.

Empire Hotel is finally finished with their renovations. The rooftop bar and lounge debuted this summer; last week Center Cut, Jeffery Chodorow's eco-steakhouse opened to great fanfare. The iconic Upper West Side hotel, with its signature giant red neon sign, was a hot property from the 1920s through the 1960s; proprietors hope that the renovations will help the hotel reclaim its place as a New York institution.

It's easy enough to ignore the avalanche of press releases one receives on a daily basis, but there are often gemstones among the rough. For example -- a branded "hot list" collection of summer cocktails may be refined and expanded, since it happens to include some our favorite places (and beverages) in four cities nationwide. Check it out, and chillax.

A sign (and party) for all seasons.