The weather outside has been frightful, there seems to be a war (or two) looming, and even the trashiest reality show can only distract us for so long: Frankly, we all need--no, deserve--a drink and the warm companionship of good friends (or good-looking strangers). So here are the 50 BEST BARS to order one, whether you're still blessed with an expense account or searching for the city's most welcoming dive.

For many of us, a Romance with the city is amplified by a romance with alcohol. Sometimes, it’s hard to live with both. Just as often, it’s hard not to.

With kayaks dodging ferries, and sunbathers lounging on new piers (we'll show you where), the waters around New York have never been more inviting. So why can't our leaders come up with a visionary plan for the most important public space since Central Park?

Marcia Kilgore and Thierry Boué
Blissworld.com

7 (Somewhat Extravagant) Alternatives to the Cone

Cover Story: Why would Citigroup's Jack Grubman, and so many other Manhattan parents, work so hard and spend so much and pull so many strings to get their children into what are, after all, nursery schools? Hint: It's not about the kids. A frank exploration of the values and mores and rituals that drive Manhattan's private-school world.

The Towers, on Central Park West at 105th Street, has long been one of the city's spookiest ruins. But developer Dan McLean thinks that when his renovation is done, affluent New Yorkers will flock to it, as they once flocked to the Dakota. Is he crazy? Maybe, maybe not. But he is from Chicago.

The Times is more than a newspaper. To its reporters and editors, it’s a religion. And the Jayson Blair Affair is a story of a sinner (Blair), the powerful (Howell Raines), the faithful (led by Metro editor Jon Landman), and a highly unusual exorcism.

How the Jayson Blair scandal touched off a struggle for the soul of the Gray Lady.

Why Cats was Broadway’s Feline Monstre Sacré.