Ashton’s Alley
215 E. 50th St. (btw 2nd & 3rd)
New York, NY
Tel: 347.292.9919; Link

Ashton’s Alley is on 50th Street, it has a big sign in red letters so it’s easy to spot. It is very nice inside, dark wood but nicely lit so you can see where you are going and read the menu. The bar is on the left as you come in the door and the bartender was cute, (he flirted with me, any guy who flirts with me gets a ‘cute’ mention in my blog, it’s a rule 😉 ) It looked very elegant but not fancy, the menu was burgers and pasta! It is listed as American fare. Kasey got a burger, no bun, it had fries (the really thick kind), cole-slaw, a pickle and filled her up. I had Pasta with tomatoes, red peppers and arugula in olive oil with garlic (see picture). They also had fresh pepper and Parmesan to sprinkle on it. It was very pretty to look at and very tasty. I love this trend with the square dishes, I think they look very classy. The pasta was al dente. The service was friendly and fast but not rushed. Lunch entrées were between $10-$15.

Graceful Services
1095 2nd Ave (btw 57th and 58th)
New York, NY
Tel: (212) 593-9904; Link

After lunch we went for our massage. This place is on 2nd Avenue, the second floor and was very small. The door to the street was locked, you had to push a button and then open the door, but it wouldn’t. Fortunately someone was leaving so we were able to get in. The place is very small, there is no sauna or steam room at this location. No locker room for changing either, we were just shown into a room with a massage table/bed with a plastic bucket for clothes, and a hanger on the wall for coats, in fact there was a curtain dividing the room so two people could get massages at the same time in the same room. No wonder they were able to get me in on such short notice. Anyway, despite the spartan-like conditions, the massage was good, when the massage was over she brought in hot towels for my back and legs, they were kind of a shock at first since I wasn’t expecting them, but they felt good. I can actually move my head now, but I think my back is bruised. Kasey liked her massage, but she prefers a spa with more amenities, a steam room, a place to sit and relax after. She will definitely like Okeanos which is next on our list.

We had Groupons for both of these places, and I don’t remember how much the massage was.

Posted by on January 30, 2011 in Manhattan and tagged , , , , .

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About Belleza

I got the name Bella because my grandfather called me Suzabell. I use that as a username and my friends on the site started calling me Bella. Thus was born: Bella Foxx's Life, now known as "just a city girl" since I have made the big jump from the country and am now living in the City, UES. I like to make jewelry (check out my blog "Bella is creative" started April 17, 2008) and write. I like to do cross stitch and knit. I sew, I don't really enjoy it, but I enjoy the clothes. I like to read the Bible, books, magazines, online newspaper articles, blogs, jokes on candy wrappers, ads on the subway, billboards, backs of food boxes, lists of ingredients and recipes, cleaning directions, sayings on shirts. I post my reviews on "Just a girl, living, reading, watching, and writing", on Shelfari, Library Thing and Goodreads.. I am allergic to practically everything: grass, trees, weeds, animal dander, dust, mold, wheat, apples, nuts, fish and coconut. The fish and coconut are so serious I carry an Epi-pen and wear a Medic-Alert bracelet. And last but not least. I love the Yankees.

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