MadParkNews.com, covering New York City's Madison Square Park & Flatiron

New York Magazine put out it’s Best of New york 2013 edition, and the Flatiron and Madison Square Park neighborhoods took home lots of awards. Here they are:

• Best Jewelry: The Bar at BaubleBar (230 Fifth Avenue, between 26th and 27th Street)
• Best Chocolate Babka: Breads Bakery (18 East 16th Street)
• Best Bang Experts: Butterfly Bang Bar (149 Fifth Avenue near 21st Street
• Best Veggie Burger: The City Bakery (3 West 18th Street)
• Best Juice: Creative Juice at Equinox
• Best Eco-Fashion: Embody at ABC Carpet & Home
• Best Korean Spicy Ramyun: Hanjan (30 West 26th Street)
• Best Jazz Den: The Jazz Gallery (1160 Broadway at 27th Street)
• Best Mocktails: The Library Bar at the Nomad (1170 Broadway at 28th Street)
• Best Grits: Maysville (17 West 26th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue)
• Best Kid’s Museum: MoMath (11 E. 26th Street between Madison and 5th Avenue)
• Best Sporting Goods Store: Nike Running Store (156 5th Avenue near 21st Street)
• Best Roast Chicken: the Nomad (1170 Broadway at 28th Street)
• Best Flower Delivery: Ode à la Rose (120 W. 28 Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue)
• Best Cutlet: Ootoya 8 West 18th Street (near 5th Avenue)
• Best Pisco Bar: Raymi (43 West 24th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue)

“No cuts. No color. Just Blowouts.” That’s the motto of the Dry Bar, which we finally had the opportunity to try over the weekend. It’s a fun treat to have someone else do your hair for a change– and at $40 a ‘do (plus gratuity), it’s also completely reasonable. We’ve certainly spent that amount on other lovely things in the neighborhood that have not lasted nearly as long (i.e. a hefty tab at Raines Law Room, the braised beef short ribs at Craft, a block of perfectly-aged cheese from Eataly, just to name a few)– and none of them came with a complimentary shampoo.

The vibe of Dry Bar is bright and casual with rom-coms playing on flat screens and upbeat music pumping throughout. Once you’ve chosen your desired style from the menu, which ranges from “simple and straight” to “lots of loose curls” and everything in-between, the only other decision you need to make is what you would like to drink (champagne or wine? coffee or tea? sparkling or fruit-infused water?) and which guilty-pleasure magazine you would like to peruse. And hey, as long as you’re treating yourself, you might as well spring $10 for the 10-minute head massage. We highly recommend it.

Located at 4 W. 16th Street (between 5th & 6th), Dry Bar also offers memberships and is available for private parties.

This just came into the MadParkNews inbox… A reader is looking for a 1-2 bedroom apartment in an elevator building to rent/sublet in the Madison Square Park area. Professional couple, work at Google, have  references, etc. They would prefer to deal directly with an owner (Not a broker). If you have a place to rent/sublet, contact [...]

An entrepreneurial new popup is open now at 303 Park Avenue South (between 23rd and 24th Street). Basically, if you are in the area and rolling around luggage or bags that you just want to set down while you finish whatever you need to do, you can drop them off at Cubby. You can then pick them up later or even have them delivered.

Not a bad idea for tourists or shoppers with heavy bags. You can leave your stuff for $5-8/bag depending on size, and delivery to your home or hotel is $10 (or you can pick it up for free). Word is that if you make a bag drop reservation through their app, you get a discount. They plan on being at that location at least until October 31st, to test the business model.

Read more about it at http://gocubby.com/howitworks.

Yelp is featuring a daycare/boarding deal for your dog at The Dog Spa (32 W 25th St between Broadway and 6th Avenue) where you buy the deal now for $29, and you get $60 worth services or goods.

It looks like services can include daycare, boarding, grooming or merchandise (not pet food). See all deal details at www.yelp.com/deals/new-york-dog-spa-and-hotel

Dog spa was featured on this season’s Apprentice.

And remember, we have a 20% off coupon for store merchandise in the MadParkNews deal section that is good until August.

Remember that Madison Square Park is supported solely through generous individual, foundation and corporate donations. If we have a nice park with good cultural programs, the whole neighborhood benefits, your home will appreciate in value, and your neighborhood office or apartment will become more desirable. If you have enjoyed the art, the music, or just sitting on the lawn or a bench on a sunny day is a safe environment, think about a donation to the Madison Square Park Conservancy. (Note: MadParkNews has no affiliation with the Conservancy, but we do appreciate their efforts). Learn more at www.madisonsquarepark.org/donate/default.aspx.