Rounding Up New York

bREAK

What: Jaipur and Kanyakumari wall prints, JHill Design, www.jhilldesign.com, $25.

Why: Part of the Places I Have Never Been: Drawings of Imaginary Vacations collection, these cool abstract prints will bring a bit of home to your living space, sans the elephant and paisley.

When: You don’t mind if your travel plans run into a wall.

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What: Krazy! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games, at the Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, www.japansociety.org, $10 for adults.

Why: At this exhibit, experience Tokyo’s psychedelic vibe, complete with soaring architecture, life-size anime artwork, hundreds of Manga comics for your reading pleasure, and tons of video-game consoles.

When: You want to go East, without traveling Far. Hardcore fans can don their favorite anime costumes at the society’s Cosplay Party this Saturday at 5.30 pm.

pOSE

What: Unlimited Latin and Ballroom Dance Classes, Stepping Out Studios, 37 West 26th Street, call 646-742-9400, $180/ month (students get 25% off).

Why: Because you like the Merenge, Bolero, Hustle, and Quickstepper; All these for under $200, makes them even sweeter.

Note: Oliver Kolker’s Tango and Simone Assboek’s Ballroom lessons are especially good.

When: You want your Mambo at number five.

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What: She Laq Sealer by Benefit Cosmetics, Sephora.com or Henri Bendel , 712 Fifth Avenue, $30.

Why: At the end of a long session of partying, most of us are transformed into raccoons, with eye pencil smudges doing nothing to help the burgeoning dark circles. Not only does She Laq seal your eye (and if you don’t mind a slightly bitter taste) lip color, it adds a sheen of gloss to your make-up as well.

When: Rumored to be used by the perpetually-drenched cast of Lost, this tiny blue bottle will keep you looking fresh and dewy all night long, baby.

bREAD

What: Cannonau Italian and Sardinian Restaurant, 205 East 4th Street, Call (212) 677-9466.

Why: Cozy space, superior polenta, outrageous gnocchi, absinthe, no entrée over $17. Why not?

When: You’re looking for an inexpensive meal, but with truffles on top. Catch their Happy Hour, from 4pm – 7pm Tuesday through Thursday.

This Weekend in Mumbai: Exotic blends by Teacup, French Loaf Bakery, Free Films for the Soul, and home decor by Passion Fruit.

Of All the Gin Joints (and More) In This Town...

It’s close to midnight on a Tuesday night when we leave Xunta, a little dive bar with worn-out barrels for tables and non-existing lighting, for our top-secret city recce. In a pink haze of cheap sangria that buffers us against the March wind, we make our way past the East Village’s trademark seedy little joints.

Hidden beneath our oversized Oliver Peoples sunglasses and shadows of the city, we hope we run into her, knowing fully well the peril of our pursuit. And suddenly, caught in a canted camera angle, framed in high-contrast lighting, there she is – Causeway Chic, the femme fatale of Mumbai's noir shopping district, newly arrived in New York. We know her well, with her wiles and distractions of fake designer bags and over-exposed restaurants, while she hoards the city’s best secrets for herself.

Lucky for you, our trusty hobo is equipped with a fake-detector, a best-deal-finder and a new store/restaurant/club radar. We (probably) can't fight gun-toting goons from a 1950 noir flick, but we can definitely put together one kick-ass New York weekend.

Our modus operandi: before we pack the five-odd weekend recommendations into a brown paper bag, we embark on a style mission, climbing piles of cool, bringing it all down and sifting through the rubble to separate the good from the bad. The best of these you’ll receive in an email every Friday, and the rest you can read about right here on our blog.

Let us know about a product/store/restaurant/club you'd like us to bag (email us bpbnyc.info@gmail.com, or comment below), and we'll be there in a New York minute.

Until next time,

The Secret Scouters