New York is a funny city. Sometimes, even just walking down the street, you can hear or see things that make you do a straight-up double take. Sites like overheardinnewyork.com do a great job of reporting the hilarious things that people overhear in the city. 

Cashier: Hi ma'am, did you find everything you wanted?

Shopper: Yeah, i guess so. Too bad you guys don't sell husbands here. 

- Bath and Body Works, Park Avenue at 23rd street.

(posted on overheardinnewyork.com, on February 28th, 2009).

What these sites miss, however, are the often ridiculous visuals that New York City has to offer. So, in honor of the homeless men carrying signs that say "need $$ for weed" and the full living room furniture sets discarded on the side of the street for garbage pickup, I'd like to welcome you to Trip or Treat's first installment of Double-Takes.

Life in New York is often portrayed as a grand thing. Even Brooklynites like the Dan Humphreys, set apart financially from the Blairs and the Serenas, live in sweeping loft-style apartments. The reality, however, is not quite so pretty. Especially considering the current recession, people have had to scale down a bit. Consider the occupant of this house, for example.  I wonder if they catch the train to work on Platform 9 and 3/4?

New York is the proverbial city that doesn't sleep. There are so many bars and clubs that it would be nearly impossible, even for an unemployed trust-fund baby with a liquor problem to visit them all. Some places have $2 draft beers and others charge $15 for a bud light, some are neighborhood pubs and some have a two year wait for admittance onto the guest list. Quite literally, there's something for everybody. House parties, as such, have often had to set themselves apart; the potential for free beer isn't always enough to get jaded New Yorkers away from the meatpacking district or from Bedford Avenue.

Theme parties are, and always will be, a fallback. Just like halloween, theme parties give people a chance to dress up as something they aren't. Tell me that you're having an 80s party, and I'll show up at your apartment ready to get my Jessie Spano on with leg warmers, teased-hair in a side ponytail, and a denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

I'm not sure that these folks, however, understand the basic tenets of the theme party. A Latino party thrown by Koreans...I wonder if they played Latin music or if people were required to wear Puerto Rican flags as shirts.

Caption: For the Latino party, call a Korean...

Location: New York, NY
Address: 182 West Fourth Street
Website: http://www.slaughteredlambpub.com

GrooveonSound's Bar Reviews
Drinks: Definitely good, but kind of pricey. Amazing beer selection.
Food: Bar food.
Price: Not cheap, not ridiculous.
Sketchy or Classy: Kind of sketchy, but pretty damn fun.

The original Slaughtered Lamb, according to the bar's website, was a pub in a small town just north of London, cursed with the bloodline of the Werewolf. The inhabitants of East Proctor would sacrifice a lamb of their flock and smear the blood over the doors as part of a ritual to ward off the evil spirit of the Werewolf. A pentangle was also erected as a sign of respect so that the Werewolf would not tresspass on the property of the bearer. These same rituals were practiced at the local town tavern and it became a standard way of life for the local people. interestingly enough, the Slaughtered Lamb became famous from its role in "An American Werewolf in London."

All that aside, however, my favorite aspect of the Slaughtered Lamb is its ability to get you good and hammered. If you're looking for a place with a huge selection of beers, year round Halloween, and waitresses that serve mixed drinks in syringes, then look no further!

Be careful though; the Slaughtered Lamb is one of those bars that leaves you (and your wallet) aching the next morning. In one night, I managed to find myself bent over the table getting spanked (I lost a drinking competition with a waitress) and spent 300 dollars on drinks alone (thankfully, I was with four other people. Although this was immediately after the Gay Pride Parade - a pretty ridiculous evening city-wide - the Slaughtered Lamb never disappoints patrons looking to share a good time with friends.

One of the highlights of the place, for me at least, is the immense beer list. Absolutely huge. Over 50 different beers. Probably over 100.

All in all, the Slaughtered Lamb makes for a spectacular evening if you're able to keep an eye on your tab. And, of course, you tend to leave looking like this.

LOCATION: Firenze, Italia
ADDRESS: Piazza del Carmine 6/r
WEBSITE: http://www.dolcevitaflorence.com/

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Spaesata's Bar Reviews
Drinks: Great selection, can order on- or off-menu.
Price: €7-9 per drink on average
Sketchy or Classy?: Classy, but not formal (ie, no dress code)

Comments: Ah, La Dolce Vita - my neighborhood bar when I was an NYU student in Firenze. I consider myself lucky. It's situated in the Oltrarno (the name for the mass of land in Florence on the "other side" of the Arno), a neighborhood that attracts younger, more stylish Fiorentini. As a result, Dolce Vita is filled with well-dressed twenty-somethings in black, rather than greasy men hitting on drunk, American students. It's definitely a change to know that you can get plastered without having to watch yourself.

The drinks are upscale standard, by which I mean they have a good drink menu, and the cocktails are always exotic looking and brightly colored, but they seem to be nothing out of the ordinary in the better bars in Florence. (Or maybe I'm just a snob by now.) Italian bars put more alcohol in their drinks than American bars do, so you'll get drunk quicker without having to spend more. On busy nights, you put your order in to the bartender at the cashier, pay, and then pass the order along to the bartender, so make sure you keep your eye out for free bartenders, and make sure you're tracking who's mixing your drink. Other than that, not to worry: the horror story told to all study abroad students about bars that spike your drinks or use unfiltered water does not apply here.

Our last night in the back rooms (I'm second from the right, under Marissa and on top of Mark)

Although it looks small, there are a number of places to sit in Dolce Vita, which is a blessing on their more popular nights. There is an outdoor patio (where, unlike in America, you can actually drink while standing up!), reasonable space around the bar, and two back rooms connected to the bar area by large awnings. My friends and I preferred the room to the left, where the walls were striped like strawberry candy canes and artistic photographs of naked women often lined the walls. This is the bigger of the two rooms and has tables and couches, so it can accomodate big groups (another nice surprise, as most places in Italy don't realize that parties of over 4 people do exist). The bartenders weren't that friendly to us, but only half of us spoke Italian anyway, and they were attractive so it made up for it. All in all, I'd say Dolce Vita is a great neighborhood bar if you're looking to sit down with a group of friends and enjoy each other's company with a few drinks in hand. (However, if you're looking for poisoned livers and bad decisions, I'd recommend Friends Pub on Via San'Iacopo, as that's what it seems to be built for.)

top picture from http://www.dolcevitaflorence.com

Location: New York, NY
Address: 41-43 East 22nd Street (bw Park Avenue South and Broadway)
Website: http://www.tamarinde22.com

GrooveonSound's reviews (out of five)
Food: +++++
Atmosphere: +++++
Service: +++++
Price: $$$$

While many restaurants experience a lull in patronage during the weekdays of winter, Tamarind remains exceptionally busy. The space is elegant and inviting and the food blends the flavors of India with the comfort of America. Such lavish dishes as Lobster Masala and Goat served in a cardamom sauce have made the restaurant extremely successful.

According to Time Out New York, "Chef Raji Jallepalli Reiss, who owns the renowned Raji's in Memphis, offers a menu that renews our sense of discovery without relying on misguided fusions...Traditional in its allegiances but distinctly Manhattan in its style, Tamarind has hit the sweet spot that eludes many of its competitors."

Indeed, Tamarind has been so successful that the owner, Avtar Walia, is opening another restaurant (same name) in Tribeca. According to Walia, the new restaurant will be larger by about 2,000 square feet in order to accommodate all of his guests.

My suggestions: Start with the Cauliflour appetizer (served in a thin tomato and garlic crust), which is almost always available despite technically being a special and continue with the Lamb Pasanda  (Apricot-filled grilled lamb in a cashew nut and saffron sauce). Top it off with a fresh mango cosmopolitan!

LOCATION: Firenze, Italia
ADDRESS: Piazza N. Sauro 25/r
WEBSITE: N/A

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Spaesata's Reviews
Gelato: Fun flavors and just creamy enough
Location: Easy to find, right across the Arno
Price: €1 for a two-flavored simple cone

Comments: According to this broke student, this little corner store is everything you could want in a gelateria. It's only as big as a walk-in closet, but its wide selection, cheap prices, and brightly-colored everything has people crammed in and lined up around the block - especially on NYU's move-out day. There are about twenty different flavors, including cioccolata all'arancia (chocolate orange), fondente (dark chocolate), stracciatella (chocolate chip), nocciola (hazelnut), and cookies (err... cookies). About 25% of the flavors are fruity sorbets, if you prefer the fruits, and there are some weird flavors I had never heard of before (read: baba al rhum) if you're feeling lucky.

The best thing about Gelateria la Carraia, though? The €1 cones. It's so hard to find anything for one euro these days that's worth the coin, but at Gelateria la Carraia, you get two flavors in this little cone and they pack on the ice cream. Seriously, you don't really need any more than what they give you for the one-euro cone. And since it's so cheap, you won't feel bad going back for a second and a third. This place was a two minute walk away from my NYU casa, and we made weekly excursions to la Carraia to fill our gelato fix.

My friend Marissa (left) and I eating gelato by the Arno on our last night. I'm sporting the one-euro cone with fondente and limone.

One last great thing about la Carraia: it's literally right across the Arno. If you're coming from the Centro Storico with the Duomo and all that, you just cross the Ponte alla Carraia (two bridges west of the Ponte Vecchio) and you're there. Half the walls are glass, so if you choose to stay inside, you have a nice view of the Arno just by turning around. My friends and I often chose to brave the outside and eat our gelato while perched on the Carraia, looking at the beautiful brown water and the bats.

It's important to remember that la Carraia is only open in the summer. It opens some time in March and closes... I don't know when. I believe it's open 11 am - 11 pm.

LOCATION: Firenze, Italia
ADDRESS: Piazza Santo Spirito 6/r (in the Oltrarno)
WEBSITE: http://www.borgoanticofirenze.com

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Spaesata's Reviews
Food: Fan-freakin'-tastic, the best in Italia
Atmosphere: Made out to look rustic, with dim lights and dusty-brown walls
Service: Give out free spumante (sparkling wine) while waiting for a table
Price: Pizze, Primi, Secondi all under €20 (if I remember correctly)

Comments: Lucky me, to have once lived right around the corner from this fantastic restaurant! On my first night in Firenze as a sophomore in college, my friends and I stumbled upon this "locale" while exploring our neighborhood. Even though we were a large group (most Italian restaurants don't accomodate groups of eight), they sat us almost instantly. Borgo Antico - or "The Borg," as we nicknamed it - sits both Italian locals and foreign tourists, so all the waitstaff speak English. Their background music was also mostly English, although I'm not sure that playing the entire Maroon 5 CD is something to brag about.

Now let's get to what really makes this place fantastic: the food. I found myself returning (and returning and returning) to order the Pizza Bianca Quattro Formaggi. This is four different kinds of cheeses that taste as though they were just created somewhere in the hills of Toscana that very day. It's extraordinarily refreshing, especially when you live in a country where "four cheese" means "four different kinds of Kraft." Even today, my mouth waters when thinking of this perfectly baked pizza. The size is about halfway between an American personal pizza and a large pie from your neighborhood hole-in-the-wall. Don't have a big stomach? That's okay. Neither do I, and I inhaled it like the 60s anyway.

If you're not a pizza fan, I'd recommend the risotto. It was on the specials list when I was last there, but the specials hadn't changed once from my first night to my last night (yes, I ate at The Borg on all special occasions). The risotto is made with parmigiana and zucchini, and it was every bit as delicious as the pizza quattro formaggi, but in very different ways.

The mascarpone, before... and after