Miguel "Is HELLA Back" d.'s Profile

Old fashioned seafood in "America's Oldest Restaurant."

I've had better, to be honest.

So much for that.

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuper trendy and hipster chic, Urban never fails to deliver that slacker-cool vibe while imposing a pseudo-uniform to its twentysomething masses.

The clothes are a little more wallet-friendly than American Apparel but if you're going that route you should really think that choice over because that ironic t-shirt might not go so well with those skinny jeans. And that flannel top? Don't even think about it with those hi-tops.

All the apartment and toy knickknacks are all over the place, and the layout is ginormous, but either way you won't stop browsing.

Winter time thins out the tourist crowd. (And they have mighty fine clearance sales for spring inventory.) Go then. Or go online.

FUCKYEAHCOMICS!!!!

Okay, and not just comics, but DVDs, CDs, toys, tchotchkes, the works. It's like the toy and apartment section of Urban Outfitters had a baby with Tower Records and adopted by Hot Topic. Without a really heavy-handed corporate sleaziness to it, mind you, which is very important.

You always just kind of want to look at something a little more. By the time you're walking out the door you'll have bought everything. It's like some crazy voodoo magic.

Also, location-wise? Amazing.

Three solid stars. An iffy fourth. But three for sure.

We were wandering the hallowed Harvard grounds when we got struck by hunger: you know that instant when window shopping turns from looking at merchandise to looking at food? Yeah. THAT.

So we popped into Grafton Street and it felt as if we were the only people not holding business lunches there. Not to say that we felt out of place, no, but it felt like we were standing out just a tiny bit. Granted, four New Yorkers in ANY place would stand out. The place was cute, not too scene-y, and service was great. Our waiter, I felt, was a little too polite, but he gets major points for using vocabulary words with our orders. (Libations come to mind.)

The portions were generous for lunch, and at a price point that can't be beat, considering how used I am to shelling out over $30 for lunch in NYC. With a drink and all, we still managed to save some dough for the rest of our trip.

The food isn't anything fantastic to rave about, but I'd be more than willing to come back and try it again. If it's a hit, a fourth star will probably be worth giving.

I like Bryant park. No, wait, I LOVE Bryant Park.

It's right next door to the New York Public Library, and I can't resist taking pictures of Patience and Fortitude every time I see them.

There's free wi-fi. Even on cold days. For realsies.

Concerts and movie nights abound in the summer time.

You can forget that you're surrounded by gorgeous buildings.

Avoid it like the plague during Fashion Week, unless you want to take backstage sneak peeks.

The D stops right on the park (Sixth Ave side), so you have no excuses.

I came on the best night ever for taping: it was right after Tina Fey had lambasted Sarah Palin on SNL, and lo and behold, Tina was going to be the guest at Conan that night.

It was a cold, cold winter evening, but waiting inside 30Rock is always a fun experience. The NBC pages always remind me of Kenneth.

They treat their audience very well, and it's really really fun to be involved in a show that's consistently hilarious, even if only for a night. The best part? I get to relive my experience on the tv a mere eight hours later.

Conan, you will be missed!

Often I'll find that in a full dining room I'll be the youngest person there. Maybe it's the crowd that I tend to hang out with, maybe it's the places I frequent, but maybe it's because I'm really like a fifty-year-old in a twentysomething body.

I love Saul. The kitchen can turn out some amazing dishes (like scallops with seaweed), make the complicated simple (terrine de foie gras), and warm your belly (any time there's a cut of beef on the menu, go for it -- they know how to cook it).

There are missteps, for sure, but I'm willing to overlook those. This is the only place where I crave a digestivo after the main course to make room for dessert.

Service is fine, not fussy at all. The Michelin star is well deserved. They'll have to make changes if they want that number to go up, but I'm happy that they're staying put for now.

Muji organizes my life. As a photographer and an artist I have to have a fantastically well-organized filing system and Muji has all the essentials to help me out. Folders (in international standards, thank god!), papers, shelving systems, organizers, you name it. The best part is, since they're all unbranded, I can spin it so that the portfolio imprints with my images. Personalization and customization are begging to happen.

The store is great, sure, but to be honest, I only ever go if I need more filing things. It's not like a complete IKEA experience with all their products, but a very tame version of an H&M window display, if H&M made paper products.

(The one in Times Square is where it's at.)

Anita Lo scores big with Bar Q.

Two words: tuna ribs.

It's a fun place to eat and catch up with friends, although there are times when I feel like I'm the youngest person in the room surrounded by Fifth Avenue types who lost their way and ended up in the Village.

Everyone says the decor is too minimalistic and so on and so forth, but really? You eat out for the food, right, not for the interior decoration. (Understandably it's part of the whole dining experience, but come on.) On a busy night it's nice to feel like you're in your own little space.

To review: not cozy enough, but you'll lick your fingers after getting sauced.

I understand that they're closed, but man, what a scene.

Inoteca should be better!