Ilirjana Alushaj is the founder of Pop Manifesto. She creates music for Apache Beat, Girl Crisis, and Typical Girls. She's a columnist for Noisey. This is her take on four places she likes, and one place she doesn't.

For a minute, people seemed to believe that Watch The Throne would actually drop over the Fourth of July weekend, as rumored, but that didn’t materialize since the album’s tracklist hasn’t been finalized yet. But last night, Jay-Z hosted an intimate listening session for the collaborative LP at The Mercer hotel on Thursday (sans Kanye West) and while we weren’t in attendance, we gathered a few details on what went down in Suite 208.

"I want it to be like Friendster," declares Socialisting founder Lawrence Lewitinn, then quickly clarifies: "The early days." We're at Socialisting's launch party. I found out about this party because I spotted it on Facebook and recognized some attendees. I found Lawrence at the party through Peter Gaston, a SPIN editor my girlfriend met through work. Friends of friends! Theme!

Hotels must offer guests not only the best hospitality money can buy, but the best technology on the market, too. Hotels shape a neighborhood -- so their Twitter accounts should interact with life beyond the lobby (and with the Twitter Universe, of course). Whether offering discounts on hotel suites, an extra hotel help-line, or party-crashing pictures, these New York-based hotel Twitter accounts are a few of our favorite follows.

Technically, Halloween festivities fired up as early as last week, but New Yorkers really get down to business tonight, extending their weekend via The Bunker Club, or The Gutter, and rolling through the weekend with 1Oak, the Boom Boom Room, and the Hudson Hotel, with some lovely Brooklyn markets and parade options thrown in the mix. Enjoy one of the best weekends in NYC, and remember: next year, Halloween will fall on a Monday.

It’s 10:30 on a Wednesday night and I’m in gym clothes crossing Union Square wondering if I’ve anything good left on TiVo when I first hear them. “Let’s just get drinks here,” a California blond squeals to her fellow interns, a group of smiley, freshly implanted college girls. “This part of the city is amazing—there are so many places to go!” Suddenly I feel refreshed, the soggy, angry heat evaporating around me. I immediately recall those same, remarkable feelings of excitement when I was new to this city: every step was one outside my comfort zone, and the possibilities were endless—the night was a mystery. Now, since I've settled into the groove of actually living in this city, the knee-jerk reaction toward their enthusiasm is a swift eye-roll at their naïveté and a silent recitation of the latest snarky blog post about this exact area going to hell in TGI Friday’s hand basket. These days, the trend is to speak about nightlife as you were attending its funeral. I’ve grown bored with the idea that there’s nothing new or provocative happening in this metropolis. Nightlife isn’t dead, it’s just different, and it’s different for everyone. It’s been a while since I first started covering nightlife as "Holly GoNightly," but my interest is once again piqued to seek out new ways to look at New York after dark. While some longingly wish for their days at Studio 54, Tunnel, or the Beatrice Inn, there are many more seeking out the new. The internet has given everyone a certain kind of access, diversifying trends and experiences. There’s something for everyone, and the only way to find out what works is to step out and try it on for size.

● Christina Ricci at the Whitney Art Party: I like Da Umberto and Il Buco for pasta, the Peking Duck House for duck. ● Leigh Lezark of Misshapes: Kenmare, they make really good gnocchi. I do like the brunch at the Tribeca Grand. ● Eva Amurri: Jumbo's Clown Room in L.A. is super fun. I also love to have a drink and get something to eat at Gjelina, which has amazing tuna crudo and really good vegetable sides and pizza.

Steven Rojas is usually so put together, people assume he's gay. He explained his appeal when he was named one of New York's Mr. Rights "Some girls see guys dressed in Thom Browne or some sort of amazing suit, and they're like, 'Wow, what's that dude's deal? Is he gay?'" Often described as a 'Man About Town," Rojas balances the late nights of a full social calendar with a demanding career as a fashion director at Archetype Showroom, always appearing dapper, fresh and awake. Here is how he does it (it's a surprisingly simple routine).

As a BBC Radio 1 presenter and DJ, Annie Mac is definitely a household name within the UK. After all, across the pond she’s considered the new voice of dance music due to her show Annie Mac’s Mash Up. Annie recently took over the legendary reins of Pete Tong’s famous Friday night slot on Radio 1 -- traditionally kicking off the weekend for those Brits to let loose. This past month, she came over to North America for a small club tour, stopping through New York City, of course. We caught up with Annie at the Tribeca Grand before her 2am DJ gig downstairs in the hotel’s subterranean dance den.

Tiffany Gong and Christina Rodriguez are fashion freelancers and jewelry designers for their line, Triskaidekaphobia (which means fear of the number 13) by day and the Six Six Sick girls by night. After hosting a Tuesday night party at New York’s Happy Ending bar, the girls started a following full of fashion panache and eccentric party-goers. Their current gigs include heading up private events and weekly parties at the Tribeca Grand and Webster Hall, BEast . They'll be throwing a Chictopia fashion week event at BEast this evening, and will have a night at Butter starting Friday, September 25th.