Guidespot: Guides by aliciak

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aliciak

Down to earth Martha Stewart-type with serious hustling skills

Neighborhood
Tribeca
Where I'm From
Pittsburgh
Occupation
Hustler
Website

About Me

I like to: crochet, eat, read, write, go to museums, watch old movies, cook, bake, observe children, visit the library, travel, cut my own hair, explore New York, mix gin drinks, bike ride, take photographs, keep in touch with people, be crafty, swim in the ocean, make bets, and read blogs and call it "work." The word that best describes me is quixotic. This means that I am very impractical, illogical, impulsive, romantic, idealistic and don't really understand the concept of money. I make rash decisions all the time.

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Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts

By aliciak
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Updated 10/09/2008
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(2)

Category:

Jobs & Education

Smith College is a small liberal-arts school tucked into the scenic hills of Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts. Founded by a woman and with stand-out alumnae like Gloria Steinem, Julia Child, Nancy Reagan, Betty Friedan and Sylvia Plath, it's brimming with forward-thinking, intellectual females.

Be Ironic and Organize an Autumn Barbecue

By aliciak
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Updated 10/08/2008
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(1)

Category:

Eat & Drink

My friend and I have a biannual tradition: organizing barbecues in the park off-season, one in the spring and one in the fall. We weren't TRYING to be ironic or obnoxious, but in New York, everyone is running in a million different directions in the summer! (Well, always, but...) Including my friend, so Spring or Fall it was! Less competition for grills, less heat, fewer bugs and a little more creativity when it comes to the "menu" all make me conclude that I will quite possibly never have a ...

You Must Love "The Sopranos"...Or Be KILLED

Started by aliciak
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Updated 09/29/2008
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(2)

Categories:

Pop Culture; Misc.

I started watching The Sopranos a few months ago--yes, I'm extremely late to the mob game--and I find myself wanting to visit all the bridges unlucky souls are pushed off of, the pork store where someone gets killed, the gigantic Jersey houses and the occasional Manhattan restaurant. And, you know, look at New York's own Little Italy neighborhoods and try to guess who's in the modern-day mafia.

Worst Dates or Date Ideas in New York

Started by aliciak
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Updated 09/25/2008
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(2)

Category:

Dating & Relationships

Why a guide on bad dates and the ideas that may have led up to them? Well, to give us all a good laugh at your expense, and also to instruct on what NOT to do. Like that time I was taken to Bennigan's. Really? A sub-par chain restaurant in Manhattan? Thankfully, that was a while ago and they have since all gone out of business. But there are bad dates lurking around every corner...

The Football Lover's Guide To New York

Started by aliciak
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Updated 09/25/2008
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(2)

Categories:

Adventure & Sports; Eat & Drink

Forget that both of New York's football teams play in Jersey--this is a football town! But unlike many other cities, NYC is a melting pot of football fans and they show their fidelity in team jerseys on the streets, in sports bars and at home in front of the HD TV. As you can probably guess, I am one of them. My loyalty lies a state or so over, but I've been known to kick over the occasional trash can out of game-loss anger and drown my sorrows/celebrate my joy in too many pitchers of beer.

Touristy Places Worth a Visit: The New York Edition

By aliciak
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Updated 09/24/2008
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(1)

Categories:

Travel & Events; Entertainment

Sure, New York is full of overrated restaurants, stores, attractions, and sights, but some of the so-called tourist traps are actually worth a visit or two. I hate Macy's and Times Square as much as the next New Yorker, but sometimes the guide books highlight unique, unforgettable, and awe-inspiring destinations. Like the time I organized a birthday party at the Times Square Dave & Buster's, and it was actually fun! In a cheezy, too-expensive kind of way, of course.

The Cheapskate's Guide to Temporary Lodging in New York

By aliciak
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Updated 08/25/2008
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(3)

Categories:

Travel & Events; Entertainment

Living in New York will strip you of your last pennies, but have you seen the price tags on bare-minimum hotel rooms lately? We're talking $300/night for the local HoJo's! Complain all you want about that $1400/month studio apartment, because if you spend a month in hotel here, you're out $9,000. That's criminal, isn't it? I'm here to help you find alternate bed options that don't involve strutting your stuff along 42nd Street or sleeping on a park bench.

Summer Festivals in New York

By aliciak
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Updated 08/25/2008
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(1)

Category:

Entertainment

Summer is a brutal time to be stuck in the city, what with the humidity, perpetual smell of garbage and your inability, yet again, to afford that timeshare in the Hamptons. Luckily, it's festival season! New York puts on a good show in terms of summer festivals, and most of the events are either free or very cheap. As long as it's not 90 degrees, the outside factor is a good thing, and it beats your apartment and its temperamental air conditioner.

Spend that Economic Stimulus Check in New York!

By aliciak
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Updated 08/25/2008
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(1)

Categories:

Shopping; Eat & Drink

Presently, it is your civic duty to help our economy. We may be entering into a recession, so it's up to you to save all of us! By going shopping, eating out, and not doing anything silly like depositing money into a savings account or IRA. (Tongue-in-cheek, my friends) As I heard a woman say on TV, "I've been wanting to go on a shopping spree...er...for the good of the economy, you know?" Um, right, you martyr, you! Let's get stimulatin'!

Next Stop: Grand Central Terminal in New York

By aliciak
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Updated 08/25/2008
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(3)

Categories:

Travel & Events; Misc.

Grand Central Terminal is a busy hub for travelers that perfectly embodies New York, all underneath a gorgeous, albeit austere, roof. Although it is known as the place to catch a train or subway, Grand Central is packed with events, shops, a quaint market, a classy basement food court, upscale restaurants, and the mysterious "whispering gallery." Allow me to take you on a tour of one of my favorite pieces of New York architecture!

Moving Out and On in New York

By aliciak
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Updated 08/25/2008
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(4)

Category:

Dating & Relationships

Well, crap. Not only are you breaking up after 3 years, but you have the complications of a shared apartment, shared bills and shared belongings to now sort through. Let's not even get started on the emotions involved...no wait, let's! Ups and downs, highs and lows, reminiscing about the good times while still being reminded of the bad. As you gradually unwind the intertwined strings of your two lives, I hereby give you the guide to moving out (or staying put while he/she moves out), and on, ...

Moving in with the Significant Other in New York

By aliciak
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Updated 08/25/2008
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(1)

Category:

Dating & Relationships

There is no shortage of singles' and dating guides here, but what if you're one of those New Yorkers in a serious relationship? Oh noes, don't do it! Kidding. Sort of. Living with people in New York is a given if you're strapped for cash, but the beauty of living with a significant other is that you (hopefully?) CHOOSE to live with them. You get to share things! You always have a dinner partner! You have movie nights! You can walk around in your underwear at all times! Here is what y...