To kick off the start of the summer last Friday, we joined Thrillist on June 21st for their first annual “Best Day of Your Life” event.

Thousands of people across the nation in 17 cities skipped work or feigned sick on a beautiful Friday afternoon to spend the day on a bar crawl-like schedule, stopping at various restaurants, shops, and bars hand-picked for us by Thrillist editors. #BDOYL #YOLO!

Here in NYC, the epic day started off at 8:00 am sharp with free cups of coffee at La Colombe Soho, with a detour to  Gasoline Alley for kombucha fans. For breakfast, people made pit stops at Clinton St. Baking Company, Remedy Diner, and 7A.

Of course the Best Day of Your Life couldn’t be the Best Day of Your Life without a drink before noon. Around 11, folks headed to Randolph Beer for some fine craft beer. For lunch, Jing Fong is where to go for dim sum, or Oriental Garden right next door.

After all of that food and drinking, Thrillisters walked off some extra calories by wandering the Lower East Side/East Village for some shopping. For a store with completely random, interesting things, head to The Evolution Store. For those that wish to indulge further, OK Cigars on West Broadway is there to supply. Some overachievers really went at it and started a rousing game of soccer in an LES park.

We next stop was to the Meatball Shop in LES, and/or to their newer location in Chelsea. The subs tided everyone over until we made our way to the Standard Biergarten in the Meatpacking District, where Thrillist hosted happy hour with free beer and bites! Despite already having inhaled an entire meatball sub, gluttons like me enjoyed the giant German pretzels with Dijon mustard, sausages with sauerkraut, and free-flowing beers on tap.

As an added bonus, special Thrillist fans got to enjoy a glass of bubbly with Thrillist founders Ben Lerer and Adam Rich in the Sony Lounge with a giant TV that wouldn’t even be able to fit in my apartment.

The last stop of the #BDOYL tour was to the Frying Pan. The Frying Pan is the place to be during the summertime, and this day was certainly not any different with a montrous line forming to get into the Thrillist party, just in time to watch the sun set on the longest day of the year at 8:31 pm. Due to the stress of the day, booze and bites were on hand, as well as appointments for a mini chair massage.

We certainly DID have the #BDOYL!

Yours,
Von

Photos by Melanie Trice for Thrillist and by Socially Superlative