First up, one of the BN staffs favorites, Dashing Diva. The salon opened its first outpost in the East Village 5 years ago and now has six locations in Manhattan, 3 in Brooklyn and one set to open this year on Long Island.

Well someone at Clinton Street Baking Company must have read my mind because the entire month of February is Pancake Month at the Lower East Side eatery, voted “Best Pancakes” by New York Magazine.

Every few days a new flavor debuts, starting on February 2nd with candied blood orange and bittersweet chocolate. The month continues to offer days filled with crunchy banana with a cinnamon-chili-chocolate sauce and ends with fresh coconut pancakes with roasted pineapple and macadamia nuts.

2. Stop being lazy and when you see an advertisement for a sample sale, go! What’s better than designer clothes, that you normally only dream about, 50-80% off?

3. Don’t be afraid of your own closet. Take a few minutes and survey what you already have. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve found a dress or sweater in the back of my closet and said to myself, ‘Why haven’t I been wearing this?’ It’s a great feeling when you pull something from the back of your closet and it feels new.

From January 29th to February 1st Elizabeth Charles, whose unique one of a kind fashions including lingerie, skin care, candles and jewelry come exclusively from New Zealand and Australia based designers, is having their Annual Warehouse Sale in store as well as online with up to 90% off all merchandise and a $10 rack!

“There’s nothing like it around here ,” said McKinley. “It’s a blossoming neighborhood and I’m happy to be apart of good change. Lenox Wines isn’t a typical liquor store or a bodega, it’s a unique store for a unique area.”

So when I heard about the Lower East Side opening of the first US-based Tommy Guns salon, I did a little reconnaissance. Owner Russell Manley runs three successful shops in London (the first of which opened in 1994) and boasts celebrity clientele like Kate Moss, Jude Law and Courtney Love. The emphasis on the experience at Tommy Guns is that of a traditional barbershop feel with upscale services – and the indulgence is open to both men and women.

The show features various installations from wood and metalworking to lacquering, food and jewelry from different regions of Japan. Each work features earnestly crafted handmade pieces that shrug off modern expectations and focus on sincere tradition, making it a true testament to both the art world and Japanese traditions.

Pieces vary from reinventing past successful Japanese textiles and other items of art into tangible forms like wool shawls, carefully blown glass paperweights (from Otaru, the town of glass) that exceed all expectations and cast iron teapots constructed to perfection.

Sounds good right? You can get your own and mix up a tasty ginger martini (2 parts vodka two parts Domaine de Canton) or head to http://www.domaindecanton.com and check out over 20 cocktail recipes featuring the liqueur. If your not much of a bartender head to Sushi Samba, Buddakan, Japonais, Macondo, or P*ong and sample a signature cocktail like the Yemanja available at Sushi Samba or the Red Hot Tart at p*ong. Oh the variety. You lucky girl you.