I caught up with a seemingly suave, cool and collected hospitality designer, Robert McKinley, as he prepared for tonight's opening of Good Units, the brand new space in the Hudson Hotel basement. Publicist Steve Kasuba told me Robert was frantic finishing up, but I sensed no panic, except from Kasuba. One thing is for sure, when opening a joint, in 99.99% of the cases, no matter how much time you get to complete the task, there will be paint drying opening night. I love Robert McKinley’s designs. I loved Cain Luxe, thought Surf Lodge was a home run and GoldBar a masterpiece. Shoot, I’d go to GoldBar even if Jon Lennon wasn’t there

When cops investigate a crime, motive is at the top of their list. What motivates local police to be so anti-club sometimes? It can’t be that the patrons are having more fun then they are, can it? Most of the time cops on club details drink coffee, have a few donuts and look at the talent (the hot girls on their way to a club). They mediate little disputes. The ones on horses pose for photos with said talent. It’s all kind of cozy, with managers and security exchanging small talk with the cops, like “how ‘bout those Yankees” and “get those people on line.” Then one night all hell breaks loose and mean cops with other city agencies in tow raid the joints.

Unless you're a regular at Rick's Cabaret, you'll never be able to feast your eyes on so many drunk, carefree football players and lovers as you will in Miami this weekend. Even if you aren't a football fan, Miami is a great place to watch multiple definitions of 'action' happen. Witness Kim Kardashian and Kendra Wilkinson throw down on behalf of their football playing men, place bets on what Playmate T.O. will bag and stalk Rihanna, Timbaland, Jennifer Lopez and Usher as they host events around SoFla.

● Bar Above Cabin (East Village) - Untitled neighbor to the Cabin Down Below. Up above, oysters and burgers and drinks with multiple ingredients.

Joe Strummer of The Clash once sang these lyrics: “Tommy gun, you cant be a hero in an age of none.” I think these words apply to today’s interview with club folk hero Tommy Gunn. Tommy adds an ‘N’ to his last name, which stands for “Nothing he can’t do.” Tommy Gunn was the golden boy, the leader of the pack, the go to guy, the man about town in the 1980s, in what many consider the best age of clubs. The A-list started with him. Word came to me that my old friend was going to throw a party. There hasn’t been a “for real” Tommy Gunn party since I cared what people thought of me. The day after this party Tommy will be as much a hero to a new generation as he was to another. I caught up with him and asked him a few questions. He rambled on for days.

As approximately 400 new Yorkers are facing unemployment due to the cities World War III mentality in regards to the smoking ban, I give you Hogan Gorman. Hogan is one of the countless thousands who support themselves in bars, restaurants and clubs, as they pursue an artistic career. It’s easy for Mayor Mike not to grasp what life is like for mortals trying to create something and eek out an existence in this very tough town. He and his pals live in palaces. His people’s shoes barely touch the pavement, as fast cars and helicopters whisk them about. People are not statistics and someone has to get this man to understand that as he tries to make life better for all of us, a lot of us ants are being crushed by his bureaucracy. So much of the vibrancy of New York is being destroyed by this benevolent, but very out of touch, despot. I believe Mayor Bloomberg is a brilliant and good man. I also believe in banning cigarettes. The enforcement of laws should not fall on citizens, but on city agencies. Unfortunately these agencies are bereft of everything, save for short sightedness, because of budget restraints. Stiff fines to violating patrons given by undercover cops will soon dissuade smokers from smoking in bars. Closing down joints and putting people on unemployment and welfare seems harsh. Hogan Gorman has worked in the clubs and now has achieved one of her goals--a one woman show.

If you wanna make an omelet -- or a pisco sour for that matter -- you gotta crack a few eggs. But after what seems like a recent Health Department crackdown, bartenders who prepare drinks with raw egg are on the rocks. The victim of a recent bust, Pegu Club in SoHo, has stopped serving its MarTEAni, a drink featuring egg whites to balance out tannin-infused gin, after a health inspector issued the bar a citation and summons to court for serving the drink without checking to make sure the patron knew he was exposing himself to salmonella. The Health Department would prefer that bars use pasteurized eggs, which have been warmed up to prevent the growth of bacteria, but they leave drinks smelling like a "funky wet diaper," according to Audrey Saunders, who owns Pegu and created the MarTEAni.

The great Mark Twain once wrote, “Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.” It’s the perfect summation of the eternal struggle between a smoker and his cigarette, at once a loyal friend and two-faced bastard. But an even greater struggle that smokers face is against themselves. Do they smoke because they can’t not, or because they don’t feel like stopping? Anti-smoking products -- nicotine gum, patches, nasal spray -- are known as Nicotine Replacement Therapy, and have had varying degrees of success. They’re designed to quench your body’s thirst for nicotine, but what they can’t replicate is the pleasure of heading out for a smoke break with your coworkers, or sparking up after a stressful job interview. The physicality of smoking -- the holding of the cigarette, the puffing in and blowing out of smoke -- is half of the appeal. This means that the most effective form of NRT would be a device that could satisfy a smoker’s nic-fits, while still allowing him to look as debonair as Humphrey Bogart circa 1946. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the e-cigarette.

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.

● Izakaya Hapa (River North) - Comfy contemporary lounge serving potent sake cocktails and Japanese-style drunk munchies to match.
● Revolution Brewing (Logan Square) - Logan Square finally gets another brewery, and the neighborhood pushes forward their empty pints.