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As someone who lives and walks this city daily…my blog is all about delving a little deeper, seeing what it has to offer, and capturing the true essence of New York City. Whether you live in Gotham, or just visiting…feel free to look around my blog. Bet you might find something new to do!
P.S. As of the end of April 2013 my more personal postings will now be at The Next Few Years.
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Category Archives: Entertainment
the weekend…part one
BAM harvey theater
How to explain the BAM Harvey Theater. Well, let’s start with this sentence direct from the event’s playbill distributed upon entry. “The dun palette, cracked columns, precarious lighting positions, battered brick, serpentine stairs, soaring proscenium (I had to look that word up – the area of a theater surrounding the stage opening and good for you if you knew that…) and peeling paint produce a state of carefully cultivated decrepitude.” We’ll just shorten that to WABI-SABI.
What was also so cool about this place was how nothing lined up. Built in 1904 as the Majestic Theater in Brooklyn, the workers built this place from paper blueprints so precise symmetry just doesn’t exist here. This place is full of architectural misalignment and I just fell in love with it! Now to return in the future to capture the beauty with more than just my “point and shoot,” as that camera just didn’t do this place justice.
And the reason for the “point and shoot” was because photography was prohibited for the show, Donka: A letter to Chekhov. How does one explain this show? The best I can come up with is a touch of circus, a little bit cirque du soleil combined with evocative music and surreal imagery. Two of my most favorite parts? The squirting fight in which the actors duel with water-filled enema bulbs and another scene in which the performers simply break heavy balls, plates and ornaments of ice. One of the reviews summed it up…”Strange and surreal, funny and fun, simply dazzling!” That certainly says it all! (Thank you Darial for an outstanding evening!)
Stay tuned for the weekend…part two!
icefest on the circle
Just couldn’t think of a better way to present the inaugural IceFest on the Circle than through abstract captures! The IceFest, produced in partnership with Ottawa and Ontario Canada Tourism, provided an enjoyable evening. Beautiful ice sculptures and entertainment by a New Orleans-style second line through Columbus Circle and into the Time Warner Center, compliments of Jazz at Lincoln Center. No better way to kick off the holiday season!
ballets with a twist
Playful, fresh, hip and extremely entertaining! I can definitely see why Ballets with a Twist is described as an intoxicating evening of entertainment!
On the menu…Martini, Roy Rogers, Gimlet, Mint Julep and of course the Manhattan…these cocktails are deliciously mixed, shaken and stirred and brought to the audience up close and personal in the XL Cabaret venue on 42nd street. Choreographer Marilyn Klaus brings a whole new approach to ballet!
If you’re in NYC, an additional show has just been added on the 21st of June! It’s outstanding!
men in skirts
Oh my, the madness of the Howl Festival! So what’s up with HOWL? Well it seems it all started in 2003 and inspired by the epic poem, Howl, by long time East Village resident, Allen Ginsberg. A festival in Tompkins Square Park to celebrate cutting edge art, fantasy, fun and family entertainment – all unique to the East Village and Lower East Side. How can one not be entertained by drag performers and especially the group, Men In Skirts? This is an event that will absolutely remain on the calendar for years to come!
Also posted in Festivals
Tagged Allen Ginsberg, East Village, Howl Festival, Lower East Side, Men in Skirts, Tompkins Square Park
7 Comments
a taste of howl madness
Lots to share from the Howl Festival this past weekend! Many varying performances to celebrate the local art, history, culture and everything unique to the East Village and Lower East Side. Here’s just a taste of howl madness and more to come…so stay tuned!
smalls
smalls jazz club
In the city and looking for an intimate spot to enjoy some really good jazz and have a couple of drinks? Location? Greenwich Village of course…as it is the center of New York’s jazz scene…just a block or so from the infamous Village Vanguard. Head down a flight of stairs into the basement and you’ll find yourself in a quintessential jazz dive appropriately named Smalls. Even with every nook and cranny taken there isn’t a bad seat in the house. No tables, just a bunch of chairs and a bar. Perfect for an evening of entertainment!
parade of ships in nyc
Who doesn’t love a man in uniform? Well NYC will be filled with them this week as it celebrates another year of Fleet Week to honor the sailors and marines who serve our country. Seems this year is even more special as it celebrates the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812! But in all honesty, what always captures my attention is the water show compliments of FDNY!
Last year, without realizing there was such an annual event, I just happened to stumble across the warships as they made their way up the Hudson River towards the George Washington Bridge. (See post here.) This year I was able to witness the parade of tall ships which was just as exciting! Now that I’ve researched further, next year a cruise to witness the entire event up close and personal along side the ships will be on the must-do list!
So much to see and do, so little time!
Also posted in Hudson River
Tagged FDNY, Fleet Week, George Washington Bridge, Hudson River, NYC
7 Comments
abb
Nothing like a night at the Beacon Theater listening to ABB!
Tagged ABB, Allman Brothers Band, Beacon Theatre
3 Comments
a tale of bong hits and oysters
Oh…Desnuda…I’m lusting after you…
As if you’re entering a bordello…the decor is sultry, sensual, intoxicating…intimate and small…oh yes, very small.
But behind the bar another story unfolds as this is no ordinary restaurant. There is no kitchen, just a popcorn popper, a hot plate, small fridge, toaster oven and microwave scattered throughout the work space. Oh and the bong.
Chef Christian Zammas reminds me of a street artist. He brings his performance art up close and personal for his audience.
the master (chef zammas) at desnuda in the east village
Right at the bar he prepares his bong with some kind of tea leaves and peppercorns, lights it on fire and then catches the smoke in small glasses and seals it over each individual raw oyster. While waiting a minute for the smoke to permeate the oyster…popcorn, direct from the popcorn popper, appears. Not just any popcorn. This is popcorn drizzled in truffle oil. Yes, you read it right. Drizzled in truffle oil. You lift the glass, inhale as the small stream of smoke is released and then slurp the oyster down.
Simple instructions: Inhale, shoot and enjoy.
Yes, popcorn drizzled in truffle oil. I’m still lusting over it…
This tiny cevicheria located in the East Village will entice you, seduce you and make you want more. So many ceviche dishes to come back and try…and it doesn’t hurt to have Butter Lane cupcakes on the same street especially when boxes of cupcakes are given out as they closed their doors for the night!
Then there was a stop a few blocks over at Via della Pace….but that’s a gastronomic story for another day…
Also posted in Eating, Drinking, People
Tagged Butter Lane cupcakes, Christian Zammas, Desnuda, East Village, oysters, truffle oil, Via della Pace
4 Comments
a summer night at winter’s eve in nyc
Figured you wouldn’t believe me unless I took a picture of the temperature out tonight for the Twelfth Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square.
Tonight’s festival kicked off with the neighborhood tree lighting ceremony, lots of free entertainment, and food tastings from the local restaurants here in the hood of the Upper West Side! YUMMERS!
Also posted in Events, Local sights, Weather
Tagged Lincoln Square, Twelfth Annual Winter's Eve, upper west side
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