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.

EDITORIAL
● Editorial Director/Editor-in-Chief - Ray Rogers, Café Mogador (NYC) - Hummus, crack-caliber coffee, and outdoor patio for primo people-judging and "novel writing."
● Creative Director - Jason Daniels, Babettes (East Hampton) - Don’t let the word “organic” turn you off .
● Executive Editor - Chris Mohney, Pegu Club (NYC) - OCD cocktail heaven. Pith helmet and ivory cane optional.
● Senior Editor - Nick Haramis, The Jane Hotel and Ballroom (NYC) - Latest smash from Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode gets all Edwardian on the WVill.

Sure, you could pay to stay and play, but why limit yourself to just one aquatic experience?

1. Delano - Getting past security may be harder than scoring a table at Casa Tua on a Saturday night, but it's well worth it. If waving to a pretend friend on the other side of the velvet rope fails, head to the bar; chances are, spenders will be welcomed. Plan your wardrobe around lounging; no one comes here for dipping.
2. The Shore Club - More modern than tropical, getting into this pool is fairly simple. No special trickery required. Put away your camera; shooting celebrities will get you kicked out.
3. The Setai - Access to this sought-after pool is doable from the outdoor restaurant by the boardwalk. Favorite among the Parisians and hip-hop moguls, Setai is "ze bomb."

It's time to break out the funny glasses, (Note: This will be the last year you'll be able to sport those super cool glasses with the double zeros in them, next year 2010 won't work so well) the poppers, the kazoos, and the champagne. Wear something sparkly and check out this NYE packages from around the country (and London):

New York
Jumeirah Essex House is hosting a dinner/dancing/brunching extravaganza that includes a fancy 5-course dinner, champagne and dancing when the ball drops, luxury digs, and brunch served in bed on January 1. Rates start at $659 a night, 2-night minimum (212) 247-0300.

Word on the street, beach, the fairs and in hotel lobby banter was that Basel 2K8, as a whole, couldn’t hold a candle to last year’s event. Even so, hordes of New Yorkers made the airborne trek on Friday for the weekend wrap-up. As if Basel-goers needed to clock in more time at the Raleigh hotel, the venue hosted the Tommy Hilfiger & Vanity Fair gala to benefit Free Arts NYC. Regrettably, the soiree can be classified a poor man’s version of the Visionaire event of the previous night (no male models, no champagne fountain).

A cluster of nearly nude baby-faced models holding one of twelve artist-designed pop-up books greeted guests entering the Krug champagne/Visionaire 55: Surprise party at the Raleigh Hotel. The celebrated boxed set of hardcover books includes designs by photog legends Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, and Steven Klein. I couldn’t help but marvel at Testino’s subject focus on male models -- how incredibly fitting.

Recession schmession. At the Art Basel events in Miami, the champagne is still flowing like Fiji water. From the rumor that UBS would not tone down their annual dinner and gala -- even amid scandal speculation -- to the abundance of caviar on hors d'ouvre trays, it all smells like decadence to me. Cartier hosted a preview of “Diamonds, Gold and Dreams,” an approximately seven-minute film by David Lynch projected inside the Cartier Dome in the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens. The transfixing film features cascading diamonds and Cartier jewels on 180 degrees of ceiling projection with an equally mesmerizing score. It played once every hour, leaving partygoers hungry for more. The Dome, built specifically for this event and film, took two weeks to construct and will be disassembled directly after Basel.