If you work downtown and you want to get away from the office and feel like you’re on a mini vacation, grab lunch at the Taft Museum of Art’s Linder Family Café. The Federal-style estate, featuring exhibits such as Drawn by New York, a collection from the New York Historical Society, is the perfect cultural break from the daily grind.  

If you associate the holidays with drinking or just need to chemically alter yourself before or after family gatherings, here are some of the best places to live it up this season. Check out Tonic on 4th, The Righteous Room, The Wine Cellar, The Blind Lemon.  

Arthur’s in Hyde Park has always been the quintessential neighborhood bar, especially for people who don’t live in the neighborhood. So when I heard it had a new winter menu, I had to check it out. We strolled in on a Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. and the place was packed with people in semi-trance states, absorbed by beer and the Bengals.  

I generally judge the authenticity of a Mexican restaurant not by decor or signage but by salsa and mole sauce. So when we got the salsa — a nice mix of tomatillos and jalapenos with a lovely cilantro aftertaste — I was pretty happy. La Mexicana indeed is one of the most authentic Mexican restaurants in the area.  

If you associate the holidays with drinking or just need to chemically alter yourself before or after family gatherings, here are details on four of the best places to live it up this season: Tonic on 4th, The Righteous Room, The Wine Cellar and the Blind Lemon.  

If you work from home, you've probably done the coffeehouse circuit. It's a reason to put on civilian clothes and cast off the tired sweats that self-employed people sometimes come to resent. So when you make the trek in your best pair of jeans, where are the best places to find peace, quiet and instant Wi-Fi? Here are some suggestions.  

If you're looking for some vegan love, check out Park and Vine's Traditional Vegan Thanksgiving with Chef Mark Stroud Nov. 14 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Registration is $36. RSVP to anna@worldpeaceyoga.com before Nov. 12.  

You won’t want to miss Nectar Restaurant’s Pumpkin, Savory and Sweet dinner on Nov. 19. At local organic Turner’s Farm, feast on pumpkins like the Connecticut Field, one of the oldest varieties of pumpkins of Native American origin, as well as winter squashes like Delicata and Acorn. Price per person is $55. Dinner starts at 7 p.m.  

Stop by the World Food Bar's "Thanksbrewing" Nov. 21 from 7-10 p.m. The hors d’oeuvres alone include Duck Confit Nachos, Truffled Parmesan Pop Corn, Mereguez Sausage Corn Dog with Beer Cheese and the Wild Mushroom Quesadilla (the veggie option). The location of the dinner club is kept secret until the day of the event.  

After this meal, we couldn't help wondering what would have happened had we treated InCahoots like a bar and just ordered sandwiches (The Reuben and the Veggie Philly sounded good). Our recommendation? If you’re going to go, stick to sandwiches, beer and wine.