Something else fun to do!


"You're invited to celebrate the new fragrance Pretty Elizabeth Arden. Join us for Feel Pretty mocktails, sweet treats, and a complimentary pink polish change.

The first 50 guests who make a Pretty purchase will get a free Lucky wrap kit and $20 off any purchase of $100 or more at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas."

Thursday, May 7
5-7 PM
Elizabeth Arden Global Flagship Store
691 Fifth Avenue at 54th Street
New York City

RSVP here: http://www.luckylookout.com/luckydays_rsvp.asp?id=100

Waiter: That bread will be two dollars, thanks. And that water - gimme a buck and a quarter.
You: WHAT?
Waiter: *Waits*

The NY Post reports: "Recession-hit restaurants are helping themselves to your wallet by serving you an extra side of super sneaky charges."

This is an excellent way to drive restaurant traffic in a recession - yes?

Read in full: http://www.nypost.com/seven/04272009/news/regionalnews/check___carefully___166426.htm

This leaves me skeptical. I remember last time a major chain (COUGH QUIZNOS COUGH) promised free food, after a few hours the NYC stores revolted and stopped honoring the promotion.

Anyway, KFC has a flashy site promoting today's free grilled chicken morsel, but I'm annoyed there's no apparent link showing me (and you) what stores are genuinely participating.

If you're curious enough, Onward Chicken Soldiers!


P.S. The PR side of me is curious about the KFC "Unthink" campaign. Will Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) soon become Kentucky Chicken (KC)?

P.P.S UPDATE: Midtown Lunch reports success! Read post here: http://midtownlunch.com/2009/04/27/at-lunch-now-reminder-today-is-kfcs-free-grilled-chicken-day/

Wednesdays can be boring. Not next Wednesday! Free drinks and food for you.

Yes, yes, I know you love me for passing along the info. Now here it is:

The Restaurant: Pranna
The Deal: To celebrate the launch of their spring menu, Pranna will offer free bar snacks all night and complementary spring cocktails from 7 - 8 p.m. and from 10 - 11 p.m. on April 29th.
When: April 29, Wednesday
Where: 79 Madison Ave. between 29th and 28th, 212-696-5700.


Thanks Eater.com!

This also from Eater.com:

The Restaurant: Allegretti

The Deal: From the inbox: "Allegretti and Vins de Provence are hosting a tasting of Provence's finest rosés, complemented by the Southern French cuisine of Alain Allegretti...There is no charge for this event but RSVP is mandatory as space is limited. Please call Megan Jones (212) 206-0555 to attend."When/Where: April 23rd, 5pm-7pm; 46 W 22nd St., 212-206-0555.

Today, I have a special Recession Food Tip brought to you by Nick Vincelette, who made a name for himself as a Rhode Island College undergrad by never eating at our cafeteria, but instead travelling with "mini meals" in tupperware containers and whipping them out at the weirdest times (such as Presidential Election Class).

• One pound of raw, unsalted cashews 4.99
• One pound of unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts 2.19
• One and a half pounds of Thompson seedless raisins 2.99
• One pound of butter-toffee peanuts 3.29
• Handful of Dark Chocolate Chips
• Handful of Sesame Sticks
• Yogurt covered raisins or craisins, if you desire

Looks like "screw" is the new "it" word to describe how we should treat the recession.

Or, Gizmodo's Sean Fallon saw my rival's blog campaign, then re-used their phrasing.

To be honest, the Gizmodo article isn't even that enlightening for someone like me, who lives in an apartment. Am I really going to save money on a home security system? Wait, I don't have one. Saving money right there (I'm also on a third floor walk up, and the most valuable possession I own (to a thief) is my slow as molasses, dead, probably Conflicker-infested HP laptop.)

I guess the triple-play comment is applicable to renters, but I already knew about that (duh) and we save money by not having phone service.

But in case you can buy things like EnergyStar appliances: http://i.gizmodo.com/5220241/screw-the-recession-how-to-spend-less-and-get-more?skyline=true&s=x

And I'd still like to say, SCREW YOU, Virgin Mobile.

PR Flacks, gotta love them. (Full disclosure -- I am a PR "flack" myself.)

Anyway, I stumbled upon a blog called SCREW YOU, RECESSION which is a blog pioneered by a Virgin Mobile PR team. I feel as though my Recession Blog idea has been hijacked!! I started mine in February, and theirs seems to have come along in March.

They have some interesting posts, and collect info from across the web (like me). Not much original content or thinking (like me).

MAJOR DIFFERENCES: They post a hell of a lot more than I do. This is easily understood because, cough, they get PAID to blog, while I am doing it out of the goodness of my heart for you, New York City. XOXO. Which brings me to the other major differences: This is Canadian-slanted. And they encourage you to break laws. (Awesome PR! How about I steal Virgin Mobile cell phone service? It's ok if someone else does it first! Virgin said so themselves!)

But more or less, I've been carbon copied. By Canadians. Le sigh.

So SCREW YOU, VIRGIN MOBILE! I will press on - now I have more drive! I WILL BE BETTER AND COOLER THAN YOU COPY CATS!

NEW YORK CITY RECESSION DIARY FOREVER!

I try not to make generalized statements a habit, but I think it's safe to say we all know people who have lost their job a la the U.S. economy. You might be one of them.

If you're not, Newsweek has an informative article on how to be socially sensative to your friends who are (yes, it's a bit weird).

One of the memorbale quotes from the article: "Directly confronting a friend's job loss can be awkward, but ignoring it isn't helpful, says Dr. Joseph Cilona, a New York City psychologist who specializes in counseling executives. According to Cilona, asking about a friend's job search is one of the best ways to both help that friend and deal with your own guilt. "Most people don't have prior experience with [such] situations and no model to guide them as to what to do or say," he says. "This can sometimes result in not saying anything due to fears of being hurtful or embarrassing. Ironically, this avoidance [itself] often does cause hurt and embarrassment.""

Read the whole piece here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/193099

Free Tea? Sweet as sugar. And I'm not a huge coffee drinker, which makes this Twice as Nice.

Date: Wednesday, April 1st
Time: 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: Various
Cost: Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

In celebration of Oren's Daily Roast's one year partnership with Mighty Leaf Tea Co., all of Oren's 9 locations will be offering a complimentary 12oz. cup of tea today from noon until 4pm.

The complimentary cup of tea choices are: ML Organic Breakfast - provides a great caffeine boost, ML Tropical Green Tea - rejuvenate with this lightly caffeinated green tea with pineapple, guava, and strawberry or Organic African Nectar - a Rooibos tea with mango and vanilla.

Upper East Side:
985 Lexington Avenue (@ 71st Street)
1144 Lexington Avenue (@ 79th St.)
1574 First Avenue (bet. 81st & 82nd Sts)

Midtown:
830 Third Avenue (@ 51st St.)
Grand Central Market (in Grand Central Terminal)
*Grand Central Cafe (in Grand Central Terminal)

Upper West Side:
2882 Broadway (bet 112th & 113th Sts.)
Downtown:434 Third Avenue (bet 30th & 31st Sts)
31 Waverly Place (bet. University & Greene Sts)

Thanks to one of my friends for forwarding today!