30 to Midnight

Reader Says: Hill Cafe, Clinton Hill

Thanks to Shpendi in Brooklyn for writing in to tell us that Hill Cafe (17 Putnam Ave., Clinton Hill) is a Cool local spot! Cool = Age Appropriate, obviously.

Know something we don't? Leave a comment and let us know.

Reader Says: Star Lounge at the Ritz Carlton, when Norman's working

Thanks to Steve Skulnik for writing in...

I have just found your site. I have been age appropriate since 1989.
You do have one glaring error. You do not cover Norman (Bukofzer, head bartender at the Ritz-Carlton's Star Lounge). Martinis and Manhattans his specialty. But the experience is much better than the booze.
Norman does not work on Fridays and Saturdays and some Mondays. It's a completely different experience when he's not there.

Star Lounge
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, New York, Central Park
50 Central Park South (6th Ave.), Manhattan
11:30am toMidnight

Reader Says: What are u putting in there?

A reader just informed me that 30toMidnight is blocked at her workplace because of an error message that reads something like: the website you have attempted has been ID’d as containing content that could pose a risk to the firm and its policies. You know you're someone when you're being banned.

Black Door, Chelsea: Reader Says

Tuesday, 8pm

Black Door
127 W. 26th St. (6th Ave.), Manhattan

Thanks to David J for this review (a conversation that went like this):

Sara gets a text from a nameless number: Black door?
Sara, not recognizing the number, her second nameless of the day, responds: Blue pill
Nameless Number: I feel the same! But I meant Black Door the bar
Sara: Who is you?
Nameless Number: So sad! David J!
Sara. Ha ha. You recommending or asking?
David J: Both. Good bar. Happy hour too crowded. Settled down nicely. Good wine.

This does not mean Sara's number is out there free for anyone to use. In fact, it's pretty well known that she does not pick up her phone. It also does not mean she has a Blackberry (as the picture implies). It does mean that sometimes her contacts get, um, edited. Not sure how (hence the "um"). The point being: Please send in more of your own suggestions and comments.

Trust everyone over 30, says Max J. Dickstein. Note: over 30.

Hee Hee. Mr. Dickstein, who turned 30 yesterday, actually seems reluctant to join our wonderful club. His real statement, the 30th in a list of 30 that ran in today's amNewYork, was: Never trust anyone over 30. Note: over 30. We'll cure him of that thought.

In the meantime, here is 30% of his list: 30 beliefs for 30 years
1. Have some respect for teams you hate. Despising does no one any good.
3. With nine pro teams, New York should never be said to have a title drought.
6. Any sport can be interesting if you rechannel your ignorance as curiosity.
8. College prepares you for fond college memories.
10. No professional athlete “sucks.”
13. You should be able to beat someone at a parlor game (e.g., Ping-Pong, pool).
20. LeBron James is not coming to New York.
22. It is more than OK to wear a jacket, tie and fedora in the press box.
23. There are no women’s sports. Just sports.
24. I am now older than most athletes I interview.
Max J. Dickstein is amNewYork’s sports editor.

We have the pdf of the whole story but sometimes that doesn't work out so well. 

Long Island City's Best Bars For People Over 30, Reader Says

Remember when we actually posted the suggestions and emails we receive? Well, we're doing it again. This advice is thanks to Tom in LIC:

1) Domaine Wine Bar
Great french wine bar in LIC on Vernon Blvd, immediately off the 7 at Vernon-Jackson Stop (one stop from Grand Central). The bar is owned by same owner of Tournesol (zagat rated) restaurant next door to it.

2) Testaccio
Just opened (on Vernon Blvd off 7 train, one stop from G.Central) - nice authentic italian restaurant, Testaccio, with nice bar in the front.

3) Dutch Kills
Amazing custom drinks and cool ambiance in LIC.

Cougars Aren't Mythical

Because we are fair and balance here at 30toMidnight, we're offering another perspective on cougars (though we still dislike the concept, and, like others, are actually pretty skewed in our thinking).

Researchers and relationship experts say that a growing number of men and older women are dating, or at least contemplating it. The women tend to be highly educated and have been married before and are not necessarily seeking out marriage or even cohabitation.

Here's the entire piece by Sarah Kershaw: Rethinking the Older Woman-Younger Man Relationship.

Once upon a time research had suggested that women of all ages were looking for the same things in a partner, research that led to the famous Newsweek cover story in 1986 that declared a single woman over 40 had a better chance of being blown up by a terrorist than marrying.

The Mythical Cougar

We all know I'm not the only person out there who thinks the cougar concept is, er, undesirable. Here's a link a piece by a new friend of 30toMidnight, Starshine Roshell: Twenty-Something Beauhunks Aren’t Every Woman’s Dream. It's an entertaining read, and she has a book too: 

Taxi Confidential by Amy Braunschweiger

Yes that's a subway mosaic in a post about a taxi book. Wrap your head around it. Our Age Appropriate friend Amy has put together a collection of tales from NYC cabbies and passengers. We went all the way to Greenpoint to get our copy signed, and hear from some of the characters she interviewed. The book is called Taxi Confidential: Life, Death and 3 a.m. Revelations in New York City Cabs.

Check it out because reading is always Appropriate, which reminds us we've been meaning to plug another author, Mark Bauerlein, who analyzes the negatives of our turning-digital culture in The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30). Quite interesting, not to mention wonderfully titled.

Back to Amy: clearly she dragged us out to Word bookstore, lovely as it is, to encourage the taking of cabs. We give.

Reader Says: Marshall Stack, Lower East Side

Saturday, 5pm

Marshall Stack
66 Rivington St. (Allen St.), Manhattan

We haven't run a Reader Says in awhile. This one we're putting into We Say format because the reader sent a picture and a timestamp. Nice work, Daniel. And Thank You.

Daniel tells us Marshall Stack (named for a pile of amps) is AA. He likes the cool vibe and says he'd like to revisit with 30toMidnight. We may have to take him up on that, but going out with us isn't always fun. We poke around and take notes. Some people find that embarrassing.