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Hello hot people- if you are receiving this, it is because you signed up for/attended a Drinks First event. If you’re lucky, I send this out once a month (it’s usually less lol)… Give me a chance before you choose to unsubscribe, and if you do- I’d love to know why you hate me and want to see me fail xx <3 p.s. you can pay to support my work (aka health insurance) xx
TLDR;
Upcoming Events
Musings
Events Recap
Podcast
Codes
-$PAYWALL$-
Rapid Fire Recs
Travel Recs
Discount Codes for Events
DRINKS FIRST UPCOMING EVENTS
YAPPY HOUR @ PEARL BOX + HEROES
Are you tried of going out for drinks and never talking to anyone else but your friends? Do you have the desire to meet people but it’s hard to know where to start? Are you looking to get out of your bubble or feel like NYC summer nights are empty?
Yappy Hour is our most entry level event. It could not be more low pressure. Anyone can come, just buy a ticket.
We choose to highlight some of our favorite venues in the city, and work with them to get great drink deals for the event. This time we have $5 MARTINIS at one of the coolest venues in the city- Pearl Box and Heroes in Soho.
$30 ticket includes entry, a free martini, and access to the special extended happy hour food and drink menu. Tickets at the door are $40.
SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY!
SPARK SESSIONS: ADVANTAGE TENNIS III
THIS IS YOUR FIRST CHANCE TO BUY TICKETS- We threw a tennis party a couple of weeks ago and it was such a hit that we’re doing it again.
To paint the picture:
tennis is $110 for an hour on an off peak court at Manhattan Plaza Tennis Club
We’re bringing this event to you for $75*
1.5hrs of social tennis w. pros/drills/red ball
Open bar with canned bevvies
A chance to meet new people (not just singles)!
SPARK SESSIONS: OTHERSHIP WILLIAMSBURG
Othership Williamburg is finally opening and we are a part of their soft launch week. This event is FREE and strictly invite only, you can apply to come at the following link. Very limited spots. Application does not guarantee any entry, must be approved to attend.
Scroll to the bottom of this newletter for our special Drinks First Othership codes
Musings
Jambo from Tsavo West National Park in Kenya! Yes, I’m serious lol.
I’m watching a monkey eat twigs from my tent at Finch Hattons, the first stop of my 20-day trip through Kenya and Tanzania with my family.
As I sit here, alone, looking at the hippo watering hole, I can’t help but feel eternally grateful… and slightly lonely.
When I was a kid, my parents took me and my brother to Botswana and South Africa, and after traveling to over 40 countries, it’s still one of my favorite trips ever. For the next decade, they kept reminiscing about “Africa” like it was a great lost love and dreamed of taking us back when we were “older, settled, and able to appreciate it more.”
So here we are: Older? Yes. Appreciative? Incredibly. Settled? Uhhhh…
This is a five-person trip: my mom, my dad, my brother, his wife/my sister-in-law… and me. Something’s slightly off about that lineup, right? 3 rooms, one with single occupancy. An extra chair in the jeep on game drives. 10% off couples’ spa treatments that mysteriously never apply to “me and my stuffed animal”… A trip of a lifetime with a tiny part of me wishing I could’ve filled the proverbial empty seat with someone.
Meanwhile, at home, I’m gearing up for my fourth wedding this year. Talking with my other single friends, we all agree: weddings have gotten expensive. Bachelorette parties, transportation, hotel rooms, wedding gifts. I love celebrating my friends, but my bank account does not. My sister-in-law assures me it will “come back” when it’s my turn… but girl, who knows what inflation will be like by then. By 2032, the price of a wedding bouquet might rival a month’s rent.
And that’s just the obvious stuff. The hidden costs hit harder: rent you don’t split, Raya or Hinge subscriptions, the beauty tax, the “I need a new dress for this one” tax. I am one Aperol Spritz away from financial ruin. Economists won’t admit it yet, but the single tax is real, and the rate is criminally high.
Case in point: a friend of a friend who works at Hinge gave me six free months of Hinge X, the most premium version at $60 a month. I thought this would change at least something. And yes, the people I see are technically “better”… but now I spend hours parsing through likes/likees like I’m reviewing resumes for a job I don’t even want. If I’d actually paid for this, I’d be paying to waste more of my time.
All of which is to say: I am actually grateful there isn’t someone in that empty seat. I’ve dated people (disclaimer: all lovely and good) that I didn’t even enjoy grocery shopping with, let alone spending two weeks in remote Africa with my entire family.
With the single tax comes something priceless: freedom. The freedom to spend my time exactly how I want, with exactly who I want, to be gloriously, selfishly autonomous.
So yes- I’ll happily pay the single tax for now. Besides, not having to share a bathroom with a man? That’s luxury in itself.
DRINKS FIRST EVENTS RECAP:
instagram saw it first.
SPARK SESSIONS with Play Advantage
We brought 85 people (of all skill levels) together to play late night tennis with an open bar. It went well. We’re doing it again Thursday, August 21th. Come.
YAPPY HOUR
We brought back our popular happy hour series- our most entry level Drinks First event. No pressure, just vibes where we highlight one of our favorite venues in the city with exclusive drink specials. Anyone can come (single, taken, etc.), just buy a ticket and make new connections.
Last event was at the elusive Temple Bar, the quintessential date and martini spot in the middle of downtown manhattan.
OPEN BAR
Invite only. With our favorite co-hosts, the supper club- When & Where. The price of admission? A bottle of wine to share. (or $25 if you forgot). We spent hours on the W&W balcony with new and old friends downing nearly 40 bottles of wine and ranking it on our very professional hot/slutty scale.
If you attended any of these events, you can find all the photos on our SWSH:
PODCAST:
Have you been listening and/or watching? Available on audio wherever you listen to podcasts and video on YouTube. We have new episodes coming out very soon to round out the season…
Reminder - you can match with our podcast guests at this form:
My Codes
things I actually care to push because I genuinely like them.
OTHERSHIP
You may already know how much we love Othership.
Use code “DRINKSFIRST” for a discount on packages.
A SPECIAL DRINKS FIRST MEMBERSHIP (2x a month for $84)
A SUMMER DAYTIME SPECIAL ($35/session for weekday mornings)
And email shannon@othership.us if you’re a first timer and want an intro 3-pack or 2 week membership!
BLADE
The other day I saw it cost over $300 to get to JFK in the rain. Skip all that- take a BLADE helicopter - use code “ARIANA” for $50 off ($145 after discount!!).
THERAPIE
Therapie Clinic for Med Spa Needs (I go for Laser Hair Removal): Code- ARIANA10
OPEN
I am NOT a woo woo wellness girly but I’mm so bought in to Open. I did a breath and sound class @op_e___n in Santa Monica / Venice in Los Angeles and it took me on a JOURNEY!
If you cant make it to their studio- im truly obsessed with their app. use my code ARIANAOPEN30 for a free 30 day trial.
KINDRED
So many people ask how I travel so much. The answer is Kindred- a members only home swapping app. If you have your own place, I highly recommended checking it out. I know it cant be nerve wrecking to host someone in your place- so use my code “ARI.NAT” for expedited review and 5 free credits.
FORA
I went on a side quest to become a travel agent earlier this year, now I do all my (and my close friends vacation bookings). It costs nothing to use a travel agent, and you get the best rates and perks. If you have something you want to book- email ariana.nathani@fora.travel or if you’re interested in the industry, check out Fora using my link ($50 off your membership).
Now… enough of all that serious talk. Paid subs- Time for my rapid fire recs, my Puglia, Italy recs, and a special discount code for an upcoming event!
These are the things, places, etc. I’m loving right now.
<3 That’s all for you freeloaders xx
Rapid Fire Recommendations
Date Night: Binx Wine Bar
Where to take your parents/out of towners: Chateau Royale
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