Although soup dumpling season is pretty much over, Chinatown's restaurant week begins this Friday. It's nothing like the regular restaurant week, since there will only be 17 restaurants to chose from—if you eat out twice a day starting from March 9th onwards, you can hit them all! There's an easy-to-read list of the participating joints posted at Fork in the Road. more ›

Click on the images for all the details on this week's new arrivals, which include classic cocktails and haircuts at The Blind Barber, upscale pub grub at the Open Door Gastropub, porkilicious Southern food at South Houston, and mod dim sum at Red Egg. more ›

Empire Hotel Rooftop: This weekend’s a scorcher, but things should cool down enough in the evening for the opening of this swank rooftop lounge. Three terraces and an indoor bar add up to over 8,000 square feet, with views overlooking Central Park and the Upper West Side. Cocktails are fancy and expensive, but that’s to be expected considering the lofty location. And there is a pool, but you’ll need to charm a hotel guest card off one of the swells to swim in it. 44 West 63rd Street, (212) 265-7400. more ›