I admit, I haven’t been to the Hudson Hotel for a minute. I rushed in and out of Good Units for an event to support fellow designer Robert McKinley when it debuted. About a year ago, I just had to attend a Carmen D'Allessio affair, but alas, it was at Hudson Terrace. I wandered around the splendor of the hotel looking for her and ignored the crowd that was partying hardy. At that time, it was a predictable working class crowd. Cloned yuppies, all wearing almost the same slacks and patterned button downs and young girls with A-line dresses from the same shops. There wasn’t a soul in sight that I recognized. I imagined it was like being in a boutique hotel in Atlanta or Chicago. I smiled and avoided knocking people over as I walked through the property, absorbing its beauty and intelligence. It was a bit like walking through a museum of hospitality design. The place is magnificent, a monumental achievement from Philippe Starck and former owner/operator Ian Schrager. Over time, the real foliage has overgrown the fake stuff and the property has become a wonderland of restaurants and watering holes. There are rooms for dining and drinking everywhere, and a couple of Gramercy Park Hotel-type roofs. One is for guests and the other is for weddings and affairs and such. All-in-all, I don’t venture up to 58th and 9th much. Until now, I had no reason to. My mind’s been changed. The cloned crowd might still be there, but new light has descended on the palace and added a high note of style and grace.

Here at BlackBook, we pay a lot of attention to where cool customers go out -- bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels, you name it. So why not flip the frame and let you see where we go out? Here's a periodically updated, exhaustive list of hotspots currently favored by everyone at BlackBook, from the mighty bosses down to the humble interns, from the charming local lounges around the corner to the jet-setting temples of luxe living.

The Brooklynization of Uncle Steve continues as I find a better product, a better meal, a better conversation and all around better attitude there. I hit Union Pool yet again, and caught Dead Stars- a fabulous band. Cousins Jaye Moore on drums and Jeff Moore on guitar are legendary in Japan, so I'm told, from their previous band, Orange Park. Jon Watterberg plays bass. They were absolutely brilliant. You know a rock band is solid when you’re hearing their set for the first time and the songs catch you. Afterward we all hung outside by the wood burning fire pit and talked rock n' roll hootchie-coo. I am so tired of the jaded haters and wannabes who have taken over the Manhattan club scene that I retreat to Brooklyn constantly to hang out with homogeneous hipsters wearing variations of the same plaid. At least there’s good conversation and an unending supply of said hipsters. Everywhere I go there is a party. I bought a Diet Coke at Union Pool and they charged me a buck. The only thing you get for a buck in a Manhattan joint is a wrapped white mint from the bathroom attendant.

The ghosts of Christmas past drive me to self-analytical frenzy, that gets mixed in with the shopping and the holiday greetings whirlwind. Then there's the, "I love her, she loves me not, she loves me, I can't stand her 75 percent of the time” pantomime. That leads into who? what? where? New Year’s Eve desperation. With work and traffic, money runs and non-stop Christmas muzak, I think I'm starting to lose it. Gonna leave you to your thing and I’ll go do mine. Before I go, I’m going to give some clubs some uncle Steve advice: What "should" each club want for Christmas?

Here at BlackBook, we pay a lot of attention to where cool customers go out -- bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels, you name it. So why not flip the frame and let you see where we go out? Here's a periodically updated, exhaustive list of hotspots currently favored by everyone at BlackBook, from the mighty bosses down to the humble interns, from the charming local lounges around the corner to the jet-setting temples of luxe living. ● Creative Director - Jason Daniels, The Odeon (NYC) -American Psychos down salmon and steak frites, but the real scene's on the sidewalk. ● Vice President, Content - Chris Mohney, Agua Dulce (NYC) - Festive outpost feels like Miami, F-L-A.

It's that time of year again. People close to me are flitting here and there, filling stockings and making wish lists. It's my busiest time, as there is so much to write about -- parties and openings and on the design end everybody is rushing to get open in time to thrive and establish crowds and their brands before the summer heat. I need interns for my BlackBook columns, and, well, everything else. I could use a wife too, but that's another column. Maybe the best way to tell you what I'm looking for is to describe the best interns I've had to date. They are Nadeska Alexis and Nathali Glanzmann. Very different folk, but both worked very well with me.

Here at BlackBook, we pay a lot of attention to where cool customers go out -- bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels, you name it. So why not flip the frame and let you see where we go out? Here's a periodically updated, exhaustive list of hotspots currently favored by everyone at BlackBook, from the mighty bosses down to the humble interns, from the charming local lounges around the corner to the jet-setting temples of luxe living.

It seems like slim pickings for a Tuesday party prowl. Perhaps many are in hangover recovery courtesy of their Friday to Monday weekend. Most are waiting it out for humpday. But as we anticipate a heatwave, these hot spots emerge. Break out of your comfort zone, put off buying that AC unit, and join the rest of the denizens of the anti-day scene.

New York City is a veritable hot zone for burning loins on a mission to be cooled. But where is one to go when craving a no-frills hook-up with no need to swap digits afterward? If you're over the romance, and have already exhausted our targeted tips for boys and girls -- here's a little something for everyone looking for a little something.

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.