Omg, I had so much fun last night. I DJed at the latest and greatest BlackBook party - it was an easy gig to get because I have an “in” there. The gala was at GunBar, a space in a place that was something else, which isn’t worth talking about. I mean—everything in Meatpacking was something else. They used to hang cow carcasses where swells now sip $1,000 bottles of champagne. In time it all gets washed away, and now it’s a playground for jet-setters and raucous revelers. GunBar is different and not just for the sake of it. It’s rock ‘n roll purity in a most unlikely place.

With Spring comes a veritable shift in nightlife. Not only are rooftops reopening and patios getting their shine on, but people start feeling inspired to jumpstart their social life and there are plenty of new offerings vying to be the jumper cables. Simonez makes a jump to Pravda on Wednesday nights (an attendees sardonic review: "Like the Vanity Fair Oscar party combined with being backstage at Woodstock"), and Mike has started using his Apartment to shoot rap videos. Meanwhile, all wait with baited breath to see what will become of the old Nells/new Scott and Richie spot, which is set to open next month.

Lowdown: This is Manhattanites' Friday night. Whipped has moved to Baddies, the hipster alcoholics moving closer to their hipster roots. Hot Now: ● CV (Lower East Side) - Something has finally been done with the over-saturated spot formerly known as 105 Rivington. Let's see how long this minor revamp will last. ● BEast(Chinatown) - Main Man, Ryan McGinley's night of debauchery, is still in swing. Expect a Misshape or two, Sophia Lamar, and a band of insiders. ● Coffee Shop (Union Square) - One of the true day clubs, chocked full of promoters networking via text message; the basement named USL will be making random appearances throughout the week. Avenue, Boom Boom Room and 1Oak are still great standbys for good times, while the down-belows like Macao's basement opium den, is also great. ● Baddies (West Village) - The former Butter party was screwed with until it finally flew the coop to the basement bar of Kingswood. Resident hipster DJs Matt & Maia draw out big name fashion folks like Alexander Wang and the Ronsons.

Well that was fast. Mardi Gras is fin, and most New Yorkers were too distracted or bleary-eyed from the long weekend to get truly fat on Fat Tuesday. Now Lent is here and people have rushed into giving things up and fasting and otherwise resorting to being good and decent people for the next 40 days. What does this mean for New York nightlife? Judging from the long lists of places to-go and people to-see, I'd say not much. This week we've got Brooklynites saying Bryant Park what? as they host a fashion week(end) of their own, while Oak takes it upon itself to get its own magazine credits by releasing another issue of their popular Oak.a.zine fashion rag. Hotel Rivington tries out a new party with the old dogs from Stereo, people flood Rose Bar to see if they can't shmooze their way into Nur Khan's new Kenmare, StyleCaster hits up Goldbar and free booze tries its damnedest to revive Happy Endings.

"We're trying to keep it beachy but not too homeless-looking," stylist Dennis Lanni said about the hair at Lacoste during last February's Fall Fashion Week. As Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2010 kicks off today, alongside Blizzard Week 2010, the fashionistas descending upon Bryant Park can only hope to walk that fine line themselves. You may end up on the side of homeless-looking, lest you have your own personal umbrella holder, Jimmy Choo buffer and car service to the tents, but that doesn't mean you should stay away. Stuff your feet into your LL Bean waterproof blizzard-booties and hit up the after parties. Because who needs the shows when you have free booze? If you're the fashion-y type, but not exactly the fashion show type, the Barneys Warehouse sale starts this week. If you couldn't give a hoot about fashion week, free booze or warehouse sales, there are a few good shows to snow-shoe your way to. For shows of a different kind, head up to Bryan Park and watch show-goers slip and eat it in their couture. Lord knows I might be one of them.

Socials and fashionistas might be fasting in prep for Fashion Week, but we take the side of Ernest Hemingway, who said “Drinking is a way of ending the day." This week, with the Superbowl taking over pubs, Steve Lewis is taking over Lit for birthday party and drinkers taking over the MoMa for First Thursdays, there are plenty of ways to end the day well. If you aren't in the mood for hooch, there are events for talking about alcohol, a giant Sleepover party and cozy cupcake affairs.

Club owners answering notices to appear at court about smoking in their establishments were shocked to find out that a $200 or $2000 dollar fine wasn't on the agenda. As reported in the Daily News a revocation of their food and beverage permit was the order of the day. This doomsday approach to the smoking ban has sent ripples through clubland, which was probably the idea. I received calls from owner/management types looking for an attorney with experience with the health department. Others called to see if a class action suit could be organized to stop the constant harassment of nightspots by the city. The clubs in big trouble are M2 ultra lounge, The Box, Lit, Southside, and the Imperial.

Timothy Seldon was a frequent face and long, lean figure in nightlife just a short while ago. He lived in my neighborhood and I’d often catch him in the nearby deli on the way home. There was rarely any small talk, just good conversation about what was up our lives and the world at large. Mostly I’d just be admiring his outfit because it was always swanky. At 6’5” he loomed large as the doorman of Southside. I would always chat him up on the way to GoldBar or on the way back home. Often he'd pop me inside to see the Southside scene. In an incident that was over-reported and little understood, Timothy and Southside went their separate ways. It turns out that my ever clever friend went south, way south. We always talked about exit strategies for nightlife workers. Too many of us get trapped in the trappings of the life and have little to show for it. Timothy was determined to use the connections he made at the door to build a better life for himself. He seems to have succeeded. I received this email from him yesterday and I’m going to run it warts and all.

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?

Nick Cohen is one of those brash mash-up, open-format DJs that has the gals swooning and the guys drooling over his skills. He punches the club clock every Thursday night at after-dark mecca Southside, often spinning for the downtown celebrity crowd-- shirtless of course.