Pottery Barn Turns Art Gallery

Art gallery shows can always be fun (hello free wine!), but I was intrigued by this particular event because it's hosted not by Gagosian Gallery or David Zwirner, but Pottery Barn!

Join Pottery Barn on 59th and Lexington on Saturday April 26th from 1-3 pm for schmoozing and browsing photography by Nichole Robertson. Sip free wine and take home a pillow or two if you feel so inclined. To RSVP, click here for your free tickets.

Gala Your Night Away with Katie Couric and Cure Cancer

CancerCare, the leading national organization providing free support services and information to help people manage the emotional, practical and financial challenges of cancer, is celebrating it's 70th anniversary this Wednesday 4/23 at their annual gala and you're invited!

Rub noses with Katie Couric, Gloria Steinem, David Burke, Jessye Norman, David Norman Dinkins, Philip Blake, Pamela S. Wygod, C. Hugh Hidesley, CancerCare leaders, cancer survivors and their loved ones. The event will also feature a silent auction including fine wines, exquisite dinners, luxury items, vacation getaways, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

The foundation is seeking to raise $1 million for people affected by cancer at this soiree in the heart of midtown. If you've never been to an event at Cipriani, you're in for a real treat! Make sure you try their signature Bellini!

Purchase tickets here. The event runs from 6-10 pm at Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 East 42nd Street.

Down Some Brews with Flying Dog

If you consider yourself a beer connoisseur, I'd highly recommend you check out the Flying Dog Brewery event taking place at Clinton Hall this Tuesday 4/22 from 7-10.

If you go, you will be one of the few to enjoy the incredible and rare 9.5% Barrel-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter from the Maryland brewery. It is aged 180 days in whiskey barrels, which results in vanilla notes and whiskey warmth to compliment the sweet chocolate flavor and velvety texture. You will also be one of the first to try the new 10% Amarillo Single Hop Imperial IPA. This is brewed all for the hops, with a light malt backbone showcasing the floral, spice, citrus and sharp hop bite of Amarillo!

The event is free, but pay as you eat/drink, with new specials released every half hour including:

• El Dorado Single Hop Imperial IPA - aromas of dried apricot and pineapple
• Brewhouse Rarity Mint Chocolate Stout - made with brewery-grown mint, with more cocoa and peppermint. Sweet, minty and creamy!
• GABF Gold-Medal winning Horn Dog Barleywine - 10% alcohol!
• Kujo Coffee Stout - brewed with flaked oats
• Doggie Style pale ale - in a live cask on the bar with a very special prize going to the person who taps the last glass

RSVP here to save your spot!

Broadway Recap: Realistic Joneses and Bullets Over Broadway

April is one of my most favorite months because it means I get to see many of the new Broadway shows. This Spring is shaping up to be a celebrity-filled, comparatively scandal-less season.

One new show I saw, The Realistic Joneses, starred Toni Collette and Tracy Letts as a middle aged married couple dealing with life and their new "friends" played by Michael C. Hall and Marissa Tomei who enter their lives and stir things up. The play is an interesting take on the saying 'keeping up with the Joneses' because each of these couples has more traits to be repulsed by than jealous of. But maybe that's a statement on life? The grass is always greener, right? The acting was superb, but unfortunately the story was a bit hard to follow at the end. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to see Hall out of the serial killer role or observe a particularly chipper Tomei.

(The Realistic Joneses is now open at the Lyceum Theater; 149 W. 45th Street and tickets can be purchased here).

The second show I saw was Bullets Over Broadway, starring Zac Braff in his usual goofball but surprisingly charming and intelligent role. Originally written for the screen by Woody Allen, Bullets is a revival that's all glitter. Dance number after dance number, this show shines with pure entertainment and pizzazz. The plot revolves around a playwright (Braff) who needs someone to back his next show and a mobster who needs a way to please his showgirl girlfriend. Love triangles abound and lines are crossed. The two leading ladies, Marin Mazzie and Betsy Wolfe, are shining lights who perspire talent and really steal the show away from Braff, who is fantastic to watch but owns vocal chops nowhere near as amazing. There's a lot of Tony talk buzzing around this show so get tickets before they become a hot commodity.

(Bullets Over Broadway is now open at the St. James Theater; 246 W. 44th Street and tickets can be purchased here)

Before I saw Bullets, I was invited to the Lantern's Keep, a hideaway of a cocktail bar tucked into the lobby of the Iroquois Hotel, for a pre-show blogger reception. I tried their signature cocktail, The Glass Door, with gin, lemon juice, cucumber, apple and sugar. Yum! We also sampled some of their bar bites, including candied nuts, olives, pancetta wrapped white asparagus, risotto balls (seriously one of my favorite foods!), lamb carpaccio on a potato chip, peanut chicken satay, and ceviche on a cucumber. All was delicious! I'm definitely going to have to remember this place as a pre-theater time filler :)

Stay tuned for more Broadway recaps and be sure to give us your full reviews of any of these shows in the comments below!

AWESOME DEAL: $35 Dinner for 2 at Bear

If you're looking for an amazing dinner at an amazing price tonight, look no further than Bear in Astoria. In celebration of the blog We Heart Astoria's 4th anniversary, the sibling run restaurant is offering a special deal on dinner for two for $35, including 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and 1 dessert.

This offer is available to the first 20 people who print out this flyer and bring it in before May 22. Bear is cash only and offers wines by the bottle starting at $20 (talk about an affordable night out!).

Unleash Your Creativity with Simon Doonan

Who doesn't love a good Spring gala? Better yet, who doesn't love a Spring gala where you get to don Tyvek jumpsuits over colorful clothing and create a masterpiece 4 easels down from the world-famous Simon Doonan?

Benefiting the educational non-profit Publicolor, Stir, Splatter + Roll will take place Tuesday 4/22 at 6pm at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School (122 Amsterdam Avenue, just behind Lincoln Center). All proceeds go towards Publicolor's mission to engage disconnected students in their education, while teaching them strong and transferable work habits so they are prepared to be productive in both college and career.

Stir, Splatter + Roll 2014 will be co-chaired by respected architect Gene Kohn and award-winning menswear designer Jeffrey Banks and emceed by Simon Doonan. The event will celebrate, among others, Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center + Founder of the DeVos Institute for Arts Management and long time supporter of Publicolor. Benjamin Moore, Publicolor’s corporate sponsor, has donated every single drop of paint used at Publicolor and Gary DeBode of Edison Properties.

The first half of the event will feature fun-filled party where guests paint alongside some of the city’s leading artists, designers and architects while sipping cocktails. The high-energy fete takes place in a Publicolored school and will draw dynamic New Yorkers and luminaries in the worlds of business, fashion, politics, design, education, and philanthropy (anyone for swapping watercolor tips with Bloomberg?). The second half will be a sit-down dinner and awards presentation. There will also be a silent auction of limited edition tote bags created by top designers.

To purchase tickets and see photos from last year's event, check out the event website. Look out for a full Awesome In New York recap after the event!

Update: Sadly Michael Kors will no longer be attending. Sad face.

AWESOME ALERT: $50 Off Any Date for Two

When you pass the honeymoon phase in any new relationship, it's easy to get stuck in the rut of dinner and a movie, or just dinner, or take out and just the first 23 minutes of a movie before you pass out cuddled up on the couch (that's cute too, no judgments here). However, if you'd like to spice things up a bit with your significant other (or even just have fun, random adventures with a friend), I'd highly recommend HowAboutWe Couples.

From glass blowing to Yankees games and archery lessons to fancy chefs tables, this date planning concierge service has something for everyone. The best part is that all the dates are priced at a discount and are always planned for 2, so no need to figure out how to buy multiple vouchers and scheduling everything yourself. Once you're a member, you will pay $18 a month and have access to a long list of city-centric rewards and a personalized concierge who will plan a personalized date for you if nothing currently on sale strikes your fancy. With your membership you also get to choose from a list of one free date per month.

Here's where the AWESOME ALERT comes in, right now if you sign up through this link you will get $50 off any date in the online collection plus one free month of membership. Examples of currently available dates you could get at this discounted price include:

• An exclusive BYOB pottery class for 2 ($50)
• Scavenger Hunt at the Brooklyn Museum (FREE)
• Class at Scratch DJ Academy for 2 ($45)
• Jazz and Bubbly Brunch Cruise ($32)
• Cheese-inspired dinner for 2 at Lucy's Whey ($8)

Recently, my boyfriend and I snagged a pair of Yankee's tickets for less than $20 and I'm taking my mom to High Tea when she comes in next week for free! HowAboutWe Couples is great for those in relationships or those who just like adventuring in their city. It's currently available in NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle and will be launching in other cities soon. Check it out! You honestly have nothing to lose and $50 to spend. If anything, just grab the at-home DIY cheesemaking kit (free after your $50 discount!) and enjoy some quality mozzarella and ricotta made in heart-shaped cheese molds you get to keep.

Full disclosure: I will also get $50 when anyone signs up using my link so I really appreciate you going that route should you choose this as something awesome for you as well.