BY JANEL BLADOW | Chilly, quiet MLK Day in the hood. Were people actually reflecting on the Dream or hitting slopes and sales elsewhere? Hopefully there are people dreaming and someday their dreams will come true.
Celebrating Lady… January 9 saw friends gather around and wish Markie Myers a happy birthday. The fun lady and crew hoisted a few at the “clubhouse” – Meade’s, on Peck Slip and Water St. Festivities continued all week as friends and family joined her and mate Dave Richter and their little Ellis in celebrations. SR wishes lovely Markie many, many more happy birthdays!
Celebrity Sighting… Another pretty woman graced the hood two nights later. Actress Amy Carlson from the TV hit show Blue Bloods brought some friends to SamSara, 277 Water St., for fun and great food. The pert blonde actress who plays Linda Reagan on the family of cops show shared food, drinks and laughs with a group of friends.
Jam Session… While this is the quiet season when most of us are trying to keep the dopey New Year’s resolutions we made at the beginning of the month (not!), some of us still want to have fun. Check out Cowgirl Seahorse, 259 Front St., on Monday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m., for some serious foot-stomping. The Crusty Gentlemen get their swing on and play their rocking bluegrass music for a night of fun. When this quartet starts plucking, things heat up! What better way to get the chill off in January?
Write a Romance… And speaking of heat… As reported by John Bayles in Downtown Express last week, the Alliance for Downtown for New York is sponsoring a contest for the most romantic downtown love story for Valentine’s Day. Enter the Lower Manhattan Love Story contest and you and yours could win dinner for two at the lovely Wall & Water restaurant and a romantic weekend night at the posh Andaz Wall Street hotel. That’s not all; Greenwich Jewelers is adding a $250 gift certificate to its store. All you have to do is write in 500 words or less the story of how you fell in love below Chambers Street, either with your significant other or with the actual neighborhood. Deadline is February 8. Email entries to ContactUs@DowntownNY.com or mail to Downtown Alliance, Att: Lower Manhattan Love Story, 120 Broadway, Suite 3340, NY, NY 10271 by 12:59 pm Feb. 8. For more details and rules, visit www.downtownny.com.
Peace of Mind… If you are like SR and already broke most of your New Year’s resolutions, then you might want to get some free mental focusing. Every Wednesday through Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m., the Transcendental Meditation program of Lower Manhattan, 80 Broad St., offers free introductory talks about how meditation releaves stress, develops happiness and creativity and improves health and well being. Reservations required. For more info and to reserve, go to www.TM.org/nyc.
Get Your Game on… So who isn’t excited that the Giants are possible contenders for Super Bowl XLVI? Well, maybe SR who watched the Packers fold and play their worst game this season on Sunday. But, I digress. We’re moving forward and if the Gits make it, we’d be thrilled. So will almost every bar in NYC. So where will you watch the big game? If you aren’t having a party or invited to one, the best bet is to visit one of the great bars in our hood. SR took a stroll the other day to check out big screens, best seats and super snacks for Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5. Here are our favs:
Best view & brew: Vino NYC Beer & Wine, 3rd floor, Pier 17 Market, is at the end of the pier with two medium TV screens to watch the game and sweeping 180-degree views of the East River, Brooklyn and bridges. The big plus is that you have your choice of snacks from the many mall food shops – wings, dumplings, burgers and more.
Best seaside sports bar: Fish Market, 111 South St. Several TV sets line the back bar of this tiny old school dive-like pub/restaurant. Great for seafood grub like oysters, clams and calamari, and a pint.
Best for a swill time: The Paris Café, 119 South St., is a premiere place to watch sports with its horseshoe-shaped bar and multiple large screens hung overhead; Not to overlook their dynamite burger.
Best sports bar ever: Jeremy’s Ale House, 228 Front St. Okay so SR has a special place in our hearts for one of the oldest, funnest, grooviest, grimiest, craziest clubhouses in the Port. Big, boisterous and badass, Jeremy’s is a fave place to watch sports with it frat-house feel and big screens everywhere. Buckets of beer and lots of fried foods to sop up the suds – a winner for watching the home team.
