There's a lot to be said for being single this Valentine's Day. You won't need to seek out a good wax, there will be zero jitters about whether or not to wear sexy lingerie, and best of all - no expectations! So heed my advice and grab your best gal pals for a perfect Valentine's Day in the city.

Since chocolate is the overarching theme of every Valentine's day, plan to meet your girlfriends at Vosges Haut Chocolat (132 Spring St.) where you can all indulge in an exotic sampling of truffles like the Black Pearl, which has hints of wasabi in it. Once you've satisfied your sweet tooth, walk over to Soho Nail (458 West Broadway) where you'll get a fantastic manicure and pedicure for a measly $20. Talk about being a cheap date.

Once your tootsies are pampered, continue to indulge yourself at Sabon (93 Spring St.) This pricey but fabulous soap shop will let you scrub your hands in their giant sink. If you're not in the market to purchase some of their washes (roughly $30) ask for some free samples, which they'll gladly dish out. Walk around Soho with your newly purchased soap and hit up lots of the fabulous boutiques where you can continue to indulge in some shopping. Cynthia Rowley? (376 Bleecker St.) Marc by Marc Jacobs? (163 Mercer St.)

Now that you've worked up an appetite shopping, you may as well stop in to Magnolia's for another ode to your sweet tooth. Just cross your fingers that the line isn't too long. Gather up your shopping bundle and catch a great indie flick at the Angelika Theater – no girly movies allowed. You can cry over spilled hot chocolate on V-day, but not over boys. Grab a cab and cap off the night with some sushi on the west side. Try Empire Sushi Garden. Excellent service, excellent sashimi, and excellent sake! End the ladies lovefest at nearby Alice's Tea Cup where you can rehash your day over a cup of tea – and perhaps another dessert. You can never have too much dessert on Valentine's Day.

When it comes to the proliferation of cafes and coffee shops, New York may not be on the same level as cities like Seattle or Portland, but it’s still got its fair share. And although Starbucks may have taken over Manhattan to the point where independent coffee shops are an endangered species, Brooklyn and the other outer boroughs still offer a wide array of possibilities for the discriminating caffeine junkie.

One of the shining stars of the Brooklyn café scene is a chain of tea and coffee shops known as Tea Lounge. With three locations currently in operation, Tea Lounge’s popularity is growing daily. The Union Street location, in the heart of Park Slope, is the mother ship, and it offers a few things the other locations cannot. The larger space allows for live music and other performances on a regular basis, and an expanded kitchen means you’ll find more options in terms of food here. All of the locations, however, offer a delicious array of baked goods and snacks, not to mention the teas, coffees, and other beverages Tea Lounge is famous for.

Browse the extensive tea menu for your favorite blend (popular choices include Tea Lounge Chai, Yerba Maté, and the addictive, though pungent, Lapsang Souchong), or try Tea Lounge’s special blend of hot chocolate, which regulars swear is the best in the neighborhood. The coffee and espresso here are also outstanding, and a refreshing alternative to the heartburn-inducing Starbucks brew. Although Tea Lounge’s baristas have been called everything from snobby to flaky, I find that they are consistently excellent at their jobs, whipping up perfectly-crafted cappuccinos and Chai Lattes with care and attention to detail that you don’t often see these days.

Tea Lounge is great because it works equally well as a place to come by yourself or with a group, though I feel that coffee’s power to stimulate the mind makes it a perfect social lubricant. Take your friends along and order a few desserts to go with your drinks. The Fat Witch brownies are particularly addictive, although offerings also include vegan cookies and ridiculously rich cupcakes. If you’re hungry for something more than dessert, Tea Lounge serves typical, and fairly unremarkable, café fare like salads, Panini sandwiches and bagels. If you’ve had enough caffeine, fear not, for wine and beer are also on the menu, allowing the place to make a seamless transition from café to wine bar after hours.

The thing that really sets Tea Lounge apart from other cafés in the neighborhood, however, is the patrons. You’ll find your fair share of hipsters (including the baristas), but you’ll also find lots of writers and intellectuals, most of whom seem to have their noses permanently buried in their laptops. At the Union Street location, you’ll find Park Slope’s typical mix of mommies and more mommies, especially during the day, so if you don’t like your coffee with a side of breast milk, you might want to check out the Park Slope South location. Either way, Tea Lounge is well worth checking out, for the coffee, the snacks, and of course, those cute hipster baristas.

With more and more New Yorkers going vegetarian and vegan, you would think the city would be just bursting with restaurants catering to the herbivore crowd. Unfortunately, that is not yet the case. That isn’t to say, of course, that vegetarians should throw up their hands in defeat. If you know where to look, there are a handful of fantastic eateries scattered throughout the five boroughs that combine vegetarian eating with the comforting flavors you know and crave, and one of those is The V Spot.

Brooklyn’s Park Slope has long been a haven for healthy eating, with its many coops and natural food stores feeding the locals since the neighborhood’s gentrification. Any neighborhood known for its artists and poets is bound to play home to a vegetarian or two sooner or later, and so came the need for restaurants like The V Spot. You won’t find any plates of colorless gruel here, though; vegan food has come a long way in the last decade or so. Nowadays, you can feast upon all of your diner favorites, sans guilt. Start with an appetizer of meatless Buffalo Chicken ($9), served with spicy BBQ sauce and sesame garlic blue cheese dressing, which is, like everything else on the menu, 100% vegan. You’ll completely forget you’re not eating chicken as you toast your microbrews, feeling more like you’re at a sports bar than a vegan restaurant (if you ignore the lack of TV’s blaring sports, of course). Then take your pick from one of the restaurant’s many sandwiches, entrées and pasta dishes. My favorite is the Classic Veggie Burger ($6), which is prepared with lentils, black beans, veggies and secret seasonings (top it with soy cheese or tempeh bacon to add some flavor). Other standouts include the Sesame Seitan ($16), which beats greasy Chinese takeout any day, and the Penne with Vodka Sauce ($10), which, like many of the other pasta dishes, utilizes the restaurant’s uncanny soy-based heavy cream in its sauce.

Check out The V Spot’s website to keep abreast of wine specials and other events, and don’t forget to stop by for brunch. If vegan restaurants are rare in the city, vegan brunch is even rarer, and it would be a shame for anyone to miss a New York tradition as venerated as weekend brunch. Here you can chow down on some meatless steak and tofu scramble, and show your non-vegan friends that you don’t have to eat meat to be a foodie. See, you can win friend with salad.

Brunch is a beautiful thing – there are multiple courses, you can choose between breakfast and lunch items, and of course, you can get sloshed before noon without looking like a borderline alcoholic. New Yorkers love their brunch for these reasons and more, so it’s not hard to find a decent place in the city to get your Eggs Benedict fix. However, if you’re looking for something a little different, you might want to make a trip to Park Slope, where Sette Enoteca e Cucina serves up brunch, Italian style.

Sette is a neighborhood mainstay serving light and innovative Italian fare in an elegant but unassuming setting. The dining room is dominated by an open kitchen, while the expansive outdoor patio (which is covered during colder months) offers diners a view of bustling Seventh Avenue and Park Slope’s ongoing parade of interesting personalities. Sette’s wait staff is always helpful and friendly, and they certainly keep the drinks flowing, which is one of the reasons my friends and I return time and again. We like our mimosas and we like them filled up often.

The $16 Prix Fixe brunch menu includes an antipasti and secondi course, as well as coffee, tea, fresh bread, and of course, unlimited Bloody Marys and sparkling wine cocktails. The attention to quality ingredients and simplicity of preparation make for some phenomenal dishes here. Appetizers like Ricotta Fritters with fruit puree, and Roasted Beet Salad with hazelnuts and goat cheese, are nearly a meal in themselves, but save room for the amazing entrées. My favorite is the Egg, Fennel Sausage, and Caciocavallo Cheese Panini, but other standouts include the Uovo al Forno (an oven-baked egg over polenta, baked with tomato sauce and ricotta), and Amy’s Semolina Raisin Bread French Toast, which puts a sweet twist on a classic dish. If you are ready for something more substantial, the Secondi menu also includes such dinner favorites as Pizza al Pomodoro e Mozzarella, Baked Lasagna with Tomato and Meat Ragu, and Braised Chicken with Fried Polenta.

So if the thought of eating yet another Belgian waffle at yet another overpriced Manhattan bistro leaves you less than enthused, give Sette a try. By the third Bloody Mary, you’ll wonder why you ever went anywhere else.

New York City is the place to be if you are seeking around the clock entertainment because it has some of the richest nightlife you will find on the East Coast. There is truly something for everyone in this sleepless city from the Rooftop and Waterfront bars, to nightclubs and open mic attractions. With such a wide variety of nightlife, you can never get bored or run out of things to do in New York City.

Many night time attractions, such as the Chelsea Brewing Company near 18th street, offer a little something for everyone; from an indoor bar that attracts nearby golfers, to an outdoor area that attracts socialites from the nearby marina. If a cigar lounge is more your style, just head upstairs where you will find captivating views of the river. Don't forget to try one of the 20 different brews made on site at the brewery while you are here.

If comedy is more your style, one can always find a good laugh at the many comedy clubs, like Pianos on the Lower East Side, or Rififi/Cinema Classics in the East Village. Depending on the night of the week, you can find a free horror movie, comedy entertainers, or burlesque acts. If you are in the West Village, you may want to check out Pisces, which offers karaoke, live music, a DJ, or guest performances depending on when you visit.

For a more romantic night out there are hundreds of gathering spots, such as Punch and Judy on the Lower east side. If you have not found that special someone, there are several meeting places such as the funky Bar Below in Brooklyn. Best of all, with dozens of after hour's attractions, the party does not have to stop even after most other places close.

New York City has something for everyone. It does not matter what your interests, location, age, preference of atmosphere or scene are, you will never be bored in this city. With so much to chose from, you can experience a new environment any time you chose to go out.

With a population of over 8.2 million people, New York City is one of the best places to find a date. However, many people are intimidated by the number of people and the impersonal nature of the city and can feel more alone in a city of millions than they would in a small town. But if you are willing to make a little effort, New York can be a single’s dream destination.

It does not matter what type of person you are looking for, there is bound to be someone in the city of New York that meets your description. Despite its relatively small size, New York City is very densely populated and there are literally people everywhere that could serve as potential partners.

New York City has a very active personals scene. There are hundreds of websites that carry personal ads as well as most of the city’s many newspapers. Speed dating events happen many times a week. Several of these speed dating events cater to certain groups of people, such as Jewish singles or gay men.

New York City also is very ethnically diverse which is beneficial if you are seeking a mate that matches your own background. There is an active gay and lesbian community in New York which often hosts events designed to bring singles together.

Dating in New York can be fun and easy if you take the time to meet new people. The large number of planned social events makes this easy. In a city of over eight million people, chances are you can find someone who is right for you.

There is perhaps no other city in the United States as beloved as New York City. It has served as the nation's capital and continues to serve as the center of commerce, entertainment and nightlife.

New York City is the largest city in the United States. It is only 321 square miles, but it is has a population of over 8.2 million. New York is nicknamed ”The Big Apple" and also referred to as "The City That Never Sleeps" because no matter what time it is, you can always find people out and about enjoying themselves.

New York City is made up of five boroughs, although there are many smaller neighborhoods within the boroughs. Manhattan is the borough that most people think of when they think of New York City. It is where all the large skyscrapers are located and contains famous landmarks such as Time Square. Manhattan, which is actually an island, serves as the business area in New York.

The Bronx is known for its hip-hop influences. It is the only borough that is actually part of the mainland United States. More people live in Brooklyn than any other borough. Coney Island, one of the earliest amusement parks, is located in Brooklyn. Queens is the most ethnically diverse county in the entire United States and is the largest of the five boroughs. Staten Island has traditionally been more suburban, but has become more urban over time.

New York is a great place to visit and to live as there is never a shortage of things to do and people to meet.

When it comes to finding things to do in New York City, the possibilities are endless. In addition to boasting one of the best nightlife scenes in the country, there is also a plethora of activities to do in New York during the day.

New York is home to some of the most well-known skyscrapers in the world. Visitors can take a ride to the observation deck of the Empire State Building for a magnificent view of the city.

Times Square

One of the most popular places to visit in New York City is Times Square. Home to the yearly New Year's Eve celebration, Time Square is filled with shops, restaurants, and neon lights. While visiting Times Square, be sure to check out the Toys R' Us store. It has a working Ferris wheel inside of the store as well as almost every toy you can imagine.

The large Virgin Records store is located nearby. Not only does it include an impressive collection of CDs, but many celebrity meet and greets take place here. Also in Times Square is the ABC television studio where Good Morning America is filmed each morning. For theater lovers, there is no better place than Broadway to quench your thirst for the performing arts.

Rockefeller Plaza

Rockefeller Plaza is another great place to visit in New York. This is the location of NBC's The Today Show and a popular place for tourists to go to wave hello to their friends back home. In the winter, Rockefeller plaza is the place to be. It is the location of the huge Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree as well as the famous ice skating rink. The largest indoor theater, Radio City Music Hall, is also located in the Rockefeller Complex.

The Wax Museum

Another popular place to visit is Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Known for its strikingly accurate portrayals of celebrities and notable figures, this is a fascinating place to visit as well as a great place to take photographs with your family and friends. New exhibits are added all the time, so it is someplace you can visit again and again.

It's a fact of life: if you live in Manhattan, chances are you either have no kitchen, have a very small kitchen or quite possibly you have a bathtub IN your kitchen. But the city more than makes up for its lack of residential cooking square footage by giving you everything you could ever hope to cook just outside of your front door.

One of the best ways to approach dining out in Manhattan is to think of something that you could never dream of preparing for yourself; something that would surely leave your kitchen in too big of a mess or take too much time to prepare. Chances are there is a restaurant specializing in that. A sorted look by cuisine type on any of the popular restaurant sites is a great way to get a feel for some new or unusual exotic tastes: from A (Afghan) to V (Vietnamese).

Perhaps one of the most satisfying ways to cure your hunger in the Big Apple is to follow your nose. It is common to find restaurants in clusters and near public transportation stops. Close your eyes and you can hitch a ride on the aroma of street vendors selling roasted nuts, the garlic bouquet of a nearby Italian hideaway, or maybe the essence of fresh baked bread lulls you down the to a quaint neighborhood bakery.

Drunken Discount Shopping in the South Slope

Ah, drunken thrift store shopping. It is truly one of the sweet pleasures of life, and one that couldn’t be more attainable, especially if you happen to live in the southern part of Brooklyn’s Park Slope. Sure, there are plenty of popular secondhand stores in Manhattan and Williamsburg, and many of them are convenient to bars and lounges, but few can claim to actually charge thrift store prices like Monk Thrift Shop. Alternately, few bars can claim to reside literally next door to a secondhand store, but Buttermilk is one of them.

Although there are many popular neighborhood bars in the South Slope, Buttermilk is always one of the first ones mentioned. It’s not that it offers anything particularly unique in its décor or the crowd that congregates there, but there’s something very comfortable about the place, something that makes you want to stay for another few drinks when you only intended to stop for one. Perhaps it’s the above-average jukebox, which is stocked with a mix of indie, punk, emo, 80’s dance rock, and other hipster favorites from throughout the decades. Cheap drink specials, Bloody Mary Sundays, and ever-changing theme nights keep things interesting, and you can always rely on the bartenders for an interesting conversation. Settle into one of the mismatched chairs and booths and kick back a few $2 Yuenglings, and soon you’ll be in the proper state of mind for combing the racks of cheap dresses next door.

Monk Thrift Shop is part of a popular chain that originated in Manhattan’s East Village. Cash-strapped students and starving artists have been stocking their wardrobe with finds from the store’s handful of locations for years, and it’s not hard to understand why. When I moved to New York from Tucson, I was an art school freshman with an addiction to used clothing, and the dearth of viable shopping options in Manhattan became apparent very quickly. Stores like Andy’s Cheepees were charging sixty bucks for collared shirts, and everything was pre-sorted for irony, taking all the fun out of the hunt. Even the Salvation Army, to my horror, was charging ten dollars for a pair of pants, a far cry from the fifty cents I was used to paying back home.

Monk may charge a little more than fifty cents (items average $5-20, and there is a dollar rack of clearance items by the entrance), but the atmosphere more than makes up for it. A far cry from the depressing gloom of the Salvation Army and Goodwill, Monk comes off as a charming boutique, its front window bursting with kitschy toys and antiques. My one complaint would be that the tiny store’s changing area leaves much to be desired, but after you’ve had a few, privacy becomes less of an issue, and I usually end up just trying things on over my clothes. Best of all, when you’re checking out, the friendly staff can always be counted on to strike up a conversation, no matter how incoherent you are, without passing judgment.

So bring along all the booze-loving fashion hounds in your life, and discover the joys of intoxicated clothes hunting. You’ll never shop sober again.