SceneTracker

Quality time with the girls is something we all need. Our schedules may be incredibly tight leading up to the summer months, but with warmer weather and spring in the air, a girls' weekend getaway is a great opportunity to relax, unwind, and sip a cocktail or two. Here are ten affordable and fun for everyone ideas for planning your next girls’ trip.

Catch Rays at the Shore: Pack your bathing suit and head down the shore for some R&R with the girls. Sip a cocktail on the sand and catch some rays, while dishing the dirt. At night, hit up a nightclub or local bar for some socializing and dancing.

Book a Spa Treatment: Book a luxe spa retreat or spa day full of massages, facials, manis, and pedis. Treat your body and mind, while clocking quality girl time.

Visit a Winery: Tour a vineyard and explore a wide array of wines. The experience of being in the outdoors and sampling new wines with your girlfriends is great bonding, not to mention you’ll be able to expand your repertoire of wines.

On St. Patty’s Day we’re all Irish and on Cinco de Mayo we’re all Mexican. It’s that time of year to be Mexican again. Are you ready for tequilas, cervezas, fish tacos, and sombreros? Joonbug loves a well-made tequila cocktail and also loves sipping on some good tequilas. You can't beat a day of Mexican food, drinks, and culture as I’m sure many of you embrace on this festive day. Cinco de Mayo started with Mexican-Americans on the west coast celebrating democracy and freedom at the start of the American Civil War. So how do we survive celebrating the holiday? Well Joonbug doesn’t want you to just survive. We want you to relish. So here are some tips on what to include in your celebrations:

We were tipped off about a weekly comedy show at Goose Island. For readers in other cities Goose Island is Chicago's most famous local craft brewery. Going here gives you the benefit of having a diverse selection of quality brewed craft beers such as Green Line Pale Ale and Nut Brown Ale as well as a terrific food menu.

The comedy show is produced by a group called Duck Duck Comedy, and admission is just $5. If that perturbs anyone, we want to stress you're not paying to see an open mic. The producers of the show are very selective and make sure every comedian performing is a seasoned veteran of the Chicago comedy scene. All comedians have rather impressive resumes including sets at Comicon, Second City, etc. Remember the next Zach Galifianakis is out there performing somewhere, and it's always great to be able to say, “Yeah I liked him before he was famous.” Not only are there standup sets by comedians but each show is concluded by a musical act for a touch of variety.

Thursday, May 2nd is shaping up to be one heck of a night as The Sindicate Entertainment Group presents First Thursday’s at Setai Wall Street, sponsored by FastMatch. From 6 pm to midnight, guests will enjoy a unique all-inclusive Wall Street entertainment experience. There will be unlimited chef inspired passed canapés, top shelf open bar for the entire event and VIP Table Service rivaling the top lounges in NYC.

As entertainment for the night there will be an exclusive private performance by 8-time Grammy nominated group Symphony Crack Orchestra and an exclusive album release performance by DJ Francisco Lozano. Along with the musical entertainment, there will be live aerial artists performing and serving champagne from silk ropes. You can purchase tickets for the event here. Joonbug readers can use exclusive promo code: wheretoparty for a 33% off discount. All tickets include open bar, food, entertainment, taxes and gratuities for the entire evening.

With tickets going quickly for this event and the high quality entertainment set for the night, this is the party to get your weekend kick started right.

The New York jazz scene is alive and well in locations all over the city. Escape the usual club atmosphere for something more sophisticated-cool by heading to any of these four jazzy eateries that either specialize in showcasing jazz performances or have a designated night dedicated to the sweet, soothing sounds of live jazz. Enjoy craft cocktails, uniquely American cuisine, and dance to the beat supplied by the rhythm and horn sections of premiere jazz ensembles. You’ll be crooning like a trumpet in no time!

When you step into L’Amant you're instantly transported directly to 1940’s Vietnam. With its vintage décor and smooth jazz this West Village French-Colonial-inspired cocktail lounge specializes in irresistible cocktails made with house made syrups, fresh juices, and exotic spirits. For example, for this weekend’s Cinco de Mayo fiesta they’ll be serving a Danza de los Viejitos made with Tequila Reposado, Gran Classico, Oloroso, and Organic Mezcal. But the real highlight of this hidden gem is their live jazz nights happening weekly on Wednesday and Thursday nights starting at 7pm. Enjoy as live French jazz band, Rie and her Musicians on Wednesdays and Rie with surprise world renowned jazz musicians on Thursdays while you drink refreshing cocktails and nosh on dishes inspired by French and Asian cuisines.

The Tribeca Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend after another successful year of premiere films, many of which will generate buzz once again during awards season. While the entire city was swarmed by A-list actors, the after-parties post film screenings were without a doubt one of the hottest places to be during the TFF. On Friday evening, deep below the crowded Ace Hotel lobby bar movie buffs, beer drinkers, and party-goers alike gathered in the green-lit Liberty Hall space to celebrate director David M. Rosenthal’s film A Single Shot. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Jeffery Wright, William H. Macy, Kelly Reilly, Jason Isaacs, and Joe Anderson and tells “a personally driven father-daughter fable” that is “an engaging and suspenseful piece of work that is indie genre at its most spirited.”

Ever find yourself getting ready to party the night away in Roselle, NJ? If you haven’t then you may want to start thinking about trying it. Roselle is only a 40 minute drive outside NYC. The other half of the Central Park building on Wood Avenue, Mister East is a New Jersey nightclub whose atmosphere and energy can rival those of NYC.

As soon as you step into Mister East you feel like you have entered a true adult playground. Perfect nightclub lighting, sexy dancers moving to the newest and hottest music, females swaying back and forth on a giant swing, and bottles sparkling like 4th of July on their way to one of the many VIP tables in the venue. This and more are just some of the things that immediately catch your attention upon first glance in Mister East.

If you thought time travel was only possible via a hot tub time machine, think again. Patrons of this past weekend's Prohibition NYC found themselves in the 1920s and all they had to go was travel to the Lower East Side. Brought to you by the chefs that hosted last year's Dine Titanic, Chef Rob McCue and Adam C. Banks payed homage to the roaring '20s and the birth of the cocktail party. Dressed to the nines in flapper attire or flap hats and suspenders, revelers approached the speakeasy and were welcomed (or unwelcomed) by both flapper girls and Prohibition picketers.

This summer people of the Tri-state area will have a sexy, trendy and fun new place to party right next to the ocean. Jump into the pool, enjoy a cocktail, catch a nice tan, party in the hot sun during the day and then party even harder at night. The place is the new HQ Beach Club at Revel Resort in Atlantic City.

Slated for a May opening, the remnant of highly successful HQ Nightclub will bring the first poolside, day-into-night party of its kind to the Northeast. Inspired by the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos, this 45,000 square foot adults-only, ocean side haven, will hold parties alongside the iconic Atlantic City boardwalk every weekend. Revelers will surely love the surroundings to which their summer days will turn into nights.

Cinco de Mayo maybe not be Mexican Independence Day and you may not know anything about purebred racing horses for The Kentucky Derby but that doesn’t mean you don’t want an excuse to head out to best spots in the city to celebrate! BarCrawls.com has spiced up the weekend so raise your margaritas and your tin-cupped mint juleps and join in on the fun with three distinct parties and a bar crawl. Check out the details below and click the party links to purchase your tickets!

Kentucky Derby Party at The Famished Frog: Tickets are $10 and allows you to celebrate the ‘greatest two minutes in sports’ on Saturday, May 4th. From 2pm until 9pm you’ll enjoy food and drink specials!