sad news

so people keep telling me i suck because i haven't updated in a while. and it's true, i do suck, but actually, a lot worse than you guys know...because...i'll be living in los angeles for the next three months. i know, i am a traitor whore. but when i come back i'll be a tanner, skinnier, peppier version of myself- just kidding, while hopefully i'll be skinnier/tanner, i'll still be as bitter as always and ready to talk shit and demand free alcohol all over manhattan once again. until then!

xx meaghan

shopping on ludlow as always

it's recently come to my attention that Ludlow is a veryyy important street in my life. my gym is on ludlow, my job is on ludlow, the drunk man who asks me creepily if he can "show me something good" every other day lives on the sidewalk of ludlow... just a lot of key aspects of my existence. not surprisingly, half of my favorite boutiques are on ludlow.

one of my recent favorite shopping destinations has been TG 170, located at 170 Ludlow.

this boutique is actually quite large on the inside, with a really gorgeous interior design theme going on. hellooo chandeliers and white on white. it sort of looks like the inside of Barbie's hamptons house, although the merchandise itself isn't nearly as overtly girly as the decoration. what first caught my eye about this place was their jewelry collection.

they have tons of new and vintage jewelry. recently i bought my friend janet a necklace here which is one of my all time favorite bday gifts i've given. i could NOT get a decent photograph, but the necklace actually has etched into it a scene of a forest and a deer (the deer is actually why i got it for her, i once told her if she were a cartoon character she would be bambi)and there are all these little cut outs where the stars are supposed to be.

it's hard to describe but its just one of the coolest pieces of jewelry i've seen in a long time.

as usual, meli left with a dress, but not before trying on several silly items such as this large festive bow.

janet on the other hand, decided to let herself be malled by the store dogs. here she is being eaten. cute cute.

moving on. The Reformation is one of the sexiest stores on the LES, in my opinion. this store actually has a los angeles predecessor, which i find surprising since i think the style is wayyyy more new york than la la land.

the whole idea behind it is that they take outdated vintage pieces and update them in their back sewing room, making every piece unique. unfortunately they were dumb and wouldn't let me take pictures in the store, but i snuck a few anyway. look at janny being super sly, ooooh lala.

i love that the clothes have a really beautiful yet simultaneously masculine, rough aesthetic. i thought that this piece was a really cool version of the everyday sweater dress.

last but not least, my ladies and i stopped into Some Odd Rubies, which has been one of my favvvvvvorite stores for a while now and i've written about before. Similar to the Reformation, Some Odd Rubies specializes in updated vintage pieces as well as items from a handful of up and coming designers from across the states.

this store might just be my favorite place to buy jewelry in NY. last time i mentioned that i bought Melissa her bday present here, but i didn't have a picture... well now i do!

i got this beautiful sword necklace here for her and literally had to force myself to actually give it to her instead of keeping it for myself.

last time i went i found this gorgeous vintage necklace and just had to take it home with me. gotta love the egyptians.i also loved this sick yet slightly silly hooded cape thing.

so go to Ludlow if you want to have a fabulous day and spend all of your hard earned cash in less than 45 minutes... because you will. just beware of any man wearing a fedora who claims he has something GOOD to show you. because really, it's nothing special.

on a side note, remember that if you go into Lola y Maria (located at 175 Rivington) and use the code "prettythings" you will get 20 percent off your entire purchase! the code is also good for use on the store's website.

TG 170 is located at 17o Ludlow

Some Odd Rubies is at 151 Ludlow

The Reformation is at 143 Ludlow

adventures in brooklyn... what? brooklyn? i know.

so i am a huge asshole and haven't written in ten and a half years due to laziness and a huge family reunion in kansas city where my grandma lives. let's all say it together, "meaghan is suchhh an asshole." okay. good.

ANYWAY.

first of all, i never go to brooklyn. i have nothing against it, and actually have a suspicion that Brooklyn's where all the sexy, unshaven, commitment-phobic thirty-something year old men that i love so much may be hiding. this is a serious theory and i have plans to investigate it shortly. but usually it's really hard to get my lazy ass over the bridge. however, november 22nd was the birthday of one of my favorite brooklyn dwelling friends...katina!

some of you might recognize her as the bitch who once told you and your friends you weren't pretty enough to come inside the Box, in which case...i apologize. but she's nice to me! so i cabbed it over the bridge and headed to Velvet Lounge to meet the birthday girl and friends.

Velvet Lounge is a cigar lounge at 174 Broadway in Williamsburg where my good friend Heather bartends. go do shots with her, she's hilarious, looks like Norma Jean Baker and more likely than not will say something to make you blush.

the space itself is super cozy and sumptuous inside... yes i just used the word sumptuous, and i'll say it once more. SUMPTUOUS. but seriously, the place is filled with so much dark wood, leather and brick it feels like you're in some sexy british gentleman's secret smoking room. i had Uncle Dick's Martini, which was delicious and has a pervy name that makes it sort of fun to order. heather also made me smell the chocolate cigar, which smelled amazing, so if you're a cigar smoker than you should definitely check it out. the whole atmosphere of this place was great, very soothing and intimate.

after a few shots we made our way to Union Pool. now all you super fly brooklyn hipsters are gonna be like "what? you've never been to Union Pool before? everyone knows about Union Pool. you know nothing about where to go downtown. go kill yourself, meaghan." so to all of you guys... whatever. i accept your judgement. but for the rest of you who don't know Brooklyn very well, this is definitely somewhere to check out if you find yourself going over the bridge.

Union Pool used to be an A-1 Pool and Pest Supply shop back in the day, but has now been transformed into a super chill, spacious bar. the bar is quite long, and there's a huge amount of dance floor space although nobody was really dancing when i was there. there are huge, cozy half moon shaped booths to lounge in.

the best part is the outside. there's a large outdoor fireplace which a group of people were gathered around campfire style. it made me want to roast some marshmallows (which i've recently started doing over my stove in my apartment. if you don't believe me, here's a picture).

union pool also has...dun dun dun...a taco truck!

melissa had the mexican corn which she thinks is better than La Esquina's but i strongly disagree, although it was quite delicious. next time i'm getting a taco for sure.

go here if you're in the area. the crowd definitely falls into the cliche young hipster category, but that's to be expected in Williamsburg. the only offensively cheesy person was a flannel wearing man that i bumped into accidentally. when i said "I'm sorry" he turned to me with a predatory grin and said in a deep voice, "Well I'm not." he then continued to mysteriously pop up next to me for the rest of the night with what i think he considered to be a seductive smile but looked sort of like a constipated grimace to me. but if you can tell me one bar where you've never met a single creepy hipster, then let me know, because i can't.

Velvet Lounge: 174 Broadway

Union Pool: 484 Union Ave

recession proof

in this rough economic time, i know most of you are dwelling on one question; "How am I going to get drunk for free this weekend?" some of you may fall back on the tried and true method; finally accept the friendship of that slimey club promoter who sends you twenty mass texts a week and just deal with his unfortunate presence in return for free booze for a night. (never mind the even more unfortunate fact that you're probably partying at Marquee while 14 year old models hump the air around you, ewww). although this sounds fun in a mass suicide kind of way, i have another option.

Sharkmother Arts Collective is having a one day gallery called Recession Proof this Saturday, the 14th. don't worry, there will be free booze, and unlike the promoters or club owners normally providing you with it, this is run by all young artists with a good cause who won't offer your 17 year old friend coke in the bathroom at the end of the night. so, an improvement to the Marquee idea.

one of my best friends, Reed Whitney, is curating the show along with Erika Perenic. Reed is an actor, artist, and devilishly handsome young man who was once fired from a restaurant for "dancing too much while on the job." above is a picture of him as a toddler which, for whatever reasons, i think you should see.

there is a five dollar suggested donation. the gallery will show the work of 16 artists, they range from already established artists, to street artists, to brand new just graduated artists whose work SharkMother wants to promote. there will be live music, beer and wine, and the art ranges from $15 to $200. the whole idea behind the show is to provide young people with affordable art. it is a one day only gallery at the HiChristina! art space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. the gallery will be open from 10 am to midnight on the 14th, but the reception (with the booze) will be happening at 8. i've included a few snapshots of the pieces, although they (obviously) are much cooler in person. for more info, check out the facebook event page!

Recession Proof will happen Saturday, November 14th from 10am-midnight!

narnia

one of my favorite vintage stores in the lower east side area is called Narnia, on Rivington. i was on a mission to find a birthday present for a friend the other day and had to stop in here once i saw these green thigh high suede boots in the window.

narnia has great designer steals as well as the most random, obscure things you could possibly find. I once bought a pink and purple striped menswear shirt with flamingos on it here...and i love it. the girl who works here is also super sweet and helpful.

the shoes here are great! i always tell girls to go here if they're looking for awesome vintage boots. they are designer and non designer and prices range quite a bit, so there's something for everyone.

this silly party dress makes me happy.

narnia also has tons of great handbags and jewelry, so don't forget to check that out as well...i've been admiring this little bag for a while now. so fun.

narnia is located at 161 rivington between clinton and suffolk.

gin at louis 649, tacos at mole

so the other day my friend stephanie told me that her absolute favorite bar in all of new york was Louis 649, on 9th between b and c. i've been really sick of hipster, scene-y places lately and she told me this place had a great, uber mellow and casual feeling to it. so i dragged my always reliable drinking buddy, Cris, all the way up to 9th. (i spend most of my days below houston, so yes, "all the way up to 9th" is accurate) but anyway, so i get to Louis and i automatically love the look and feel of it. it has great exposed brick walls, is small but has plenty of seating, and seems like the kind of place that is never empty but never overwhelmingly crowded either. the bartenders were really chill and recommended the perfecttt red wine after i described what taste i was in the mood for. i can't remember which it was, but will get back to you on that.

however, as soon as my friend Cris sat down a shot of gin was put in front of her, no questions. she looked pleasantly surprised and took the shot without hesitation. giving her a strange, confused look, the bartender refilled her shot glass. she shrugged and, again, took the shot. after that, he looked at us and said, "Um, are you two here for the Hendrick's tasting?" A moment later a man behind the bar began a lecture on the history of gin. We decided we'd raincheck on the Louis experience and left. also, gin was the first liquor i ever got drunk off of at fourteen, and then sick off of, and the taste still sends chills up my spine. at the time i told my friends "this tastes like pine trees frozen over and pissed on." ew. but we did get this adorable little booklet all about Hendrick's gin. super cute, although utterly useless in my life. but i'll definitely go back to Louis, it was classy yet casual, and apparently they have realllllly delicious cocktails.

after that we decided to get mexican food at Mole. i've wanted to try it before but was hesitant because of the huge, neon, fast food esque sign outside that makes me think of grade D meat and hairnets. but Cris swore it was delicious, so i decided to give it a try. the interior is WAY different than the outside. it's adorable; cosy, homey, brick walls with dim lighting and a warm, cheerful color scheme. and a really cute little bar.

the food was great. i got a very filling salad with shaved cheese, avocado and mixed greens. then cris and i split the steak tacos and chicken tacos. they tacos were really good, but a little blander than the ones at la esquina, barrio chino or los feliz- which are my top three favorite taco spots in manhattan. i loved all of it though, it was all super fresh and great portion sizes.

cris got the ceviche which i tasted and thought was delicious, but it was too spicy for her. look how pretty though! like an overflowing bouquet of avocado and shrimp, mmmmm.

definitely go here, the space is homey and lovely, and the food is great. come here to pregame and get the margaritas, or go for a romantic but casual dinner.

louis 649 is located at 649 E. 9th street

mole is located at 205 Allen @ East Houston

brinkley's

the last time i hung out at cleveland and broome was several months ago when Bar Martignetti was still open, and all i remember is falling over repeatedly while my friend, holding a bottle of wine, screamed "death to leelee sobieski" repeatedly. (for the record i do not wish death upon leelee, although i do find her annoying)

when my friend raquel texted me the other night saying to come check out Brinkley's, the british gastropub that just opened in Bar Mar's place, she used the one thing she thought would get me out of my apartment on a rainy evening, "There are lots of cute boys here." I responded, "Boys or men?" She immediately responded, "MEN!" so i put on my lipstick and hopped in a cab to broome. first of all, she was not lying about the men. i was pleasantly surprised by the amount of sexiness for me to stare at. the space itself is great, with black and white tiled floors, a long gorgeous bar, and church pew seating. it feels a lot like Schillers, except more dimly lit and a tad more hipster-y. the owners are the same guys who owned Bar Martignettis, which i also loved, so i'm not surprised by how much i liked it.

now to the food. i started with the pheasant caesar salad. i was a little sad about the anchovies in it, because everyone knows anchovies are gross and nobody likes them. however, as soon as i had picked the slimy little guys off, i was delighted with the salad. a little small, but really, really yummy. just remember to ask for it without the achovies, unless you're weird and like them.

i then had the artichoke soup. oh my god was this incredible. it's covered in melted parmesan cheese and full of chunks of artichoke. it was truly delicious, one of the best, most filling soups i've had in a long time.

i was lucky to run into some friends who let me steal food from them as well. adam and sam both ordered the burgers, which are quite large and appropriately messy and come with yummy little potatoes on the side instead of fries. next time i plan on ordering the bass with rustic pumpkin puree, sounds so delicious.

the winner of the night was sam when he ordered the pumpkin meringue pie. it was stupid good and i was devastated that it wasn't all mine. all in all i was sooo happy about this place, it has a great neighborhood feel to it and is exactly the low key but still sexy place that this area needed. great for dinner, or just snacking and drinking as they have tons of little "bar snacks" on the menus.

brinkley's is located at 406 Broome St