Long Live McQueen
Undoubtedly one of the most glamorous events in NYC – and possibly the world – the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s annual gala is set for Monday, May 2nd. This red carpet extravaganza never ceases to attract the biggest international stars, who show up dressed to the nines in elaborate, stunning ensembles. This year’s event kicks off the Costume Institute’s spring restrospective, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty pays homage to the prolific designer, whose untimely death in February left the fashion world reeling. Throughout his 19-year career, McQueen challenged and expanded the world’s understanding of fashion beyond simple utility to an expression of culture, politics, and identity. The exhibition will feature approximately 100 ensembles and 70 accessories designed by this remarkable artist.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty will be on display at the Met and open to the public from May 4th through July 31st.
Lights, Camera, Tribeca Action
Now entering its 10th season, this week the Tribeca Film Festival will once again transform the Triangle Below Canal Street into a celebration of film, art and culture. To participate in the fun, hop on the subway anytime from Wednesday, April 20th through Sunday, May 1st, when most of downtown Manhattan will be jam-packed with world-premiere screenings and international celebrities.
The Films
Part of the Festival’s mission is to help filmmakers reach the broadest audience possible, which is good news for members of the general public. Tickets are currently on sale, and seats range from $8 to $25; the higher price tags usually include a panel discussion with the cast and creatives behind the film. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
The Faces
Co-founded by Robert DeNiro, the Tribeca Film Festival has been a celeb-watching paradise since its first frame screened in 2002.
This year’s event includes films starring the likes of Elton John, Don Cheadle, Kathleen Turner, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Add powerhouse behind-the-scenes talent including (Tribeca resident) Edward Burns, Cameron Crowe, Bob Dylan and Kevin Spacey, and you never know what famous faces you might encounter strolling the streets or grabbing a bite at a local hot spot.
The Facts
Though this annual event guarantees excitement, it can also breed confusion. Before heading downtown, be sure that you know where you’re going, how to get there, and when you need to be there. Check out maps of the local area, or click here for the Festival’s official list of frequently asked questions and answers.
The Greatest City on Earth (Day)
In honor of next week’s Earth Day, New York’s “Be the E” campaign (inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s mandate to “be the change you see in the world”) hosts events all over the city to celebrate our planet and educate the public about environmental conservation. Join in to learn more about the cause and to help spread the message about the importance of protecting the natural world.
Earth Day in Times Square
On Friday, April 22nd, gather at the crossroads of the world, Times Square, for live entertainment, speakers and interactive exhibits. Past years’ rosters have included performances by the casts of some of Broadway’s hottest shows and speeches by prominent celebrities and politicians. Among other highlights, this year’s event will feature the CO2 E drive, a “runway show” of green transportation options.
Festivities run from 11am – 7pm.
Earth Day at Grand Central Terminal
Throughout the week, Grand Central Terminal (42nd to 45th Streets, between Lexington and Vanderbilt Avenues) will be bustling with earth-friendly activities. Visit Vanderbilt Hall, Wednesday through Friday, to view green displays and learn more about what you can do to support the cause. Outside of the station, on Thursday and Friday, be sure to check out EarthFair, which will highlight local eco-sound businesses, organic food and environmental groups.
Click here for full schedules of indoor and outdoor events.
“Be the E” event series
All month through the early morning hours of April 23rd, Old-Soulz, eARTh sTREEt & EDNY hosts Earth Day-inspired parties all over the city.
Click here for times and locations.
Walk the Walk
Last week, the Bronx Zoo Cobra sssslithered her way around the five boroughs. Follow her lead and explore NYC – on foot. These out-of-the-box walking tours shine a spotlight on the city that never ssssleeps.
Foods of New York
As of April 2010, there were over 23,000 restaurants in New York City. (Yes, 23,000!) With endless choices and new venues popping up every day, how can devoted foodies whittle down the list? The answer: Foods of New York Tours, which leads culinary and cultural tasting tours from Chelsea to Chinatown. Besides munching on fantastic food, participants learn about New York’s history and culture as they eat their way through the city’s most delicious neighborhoods.
Click here for registration, schedule and tour details.
Big Onion
With guides who have advanced degrees, teaching experience, and a knack for entertaining as they inform, it’s no surprise that Big Onion Walking Tours was named one of the world’s best city walking tours by Forbes.com in August 2010. A programming partner of the New York Historical Society, Big Onion offers an incredible variety of innovative walks around the city, like We Built New York: A Labor History and The “Official” Gangs of New York Tour. Take a few hours to see not only what New York is like now, but how it became this way.
Click here for registration, schedule and tour details.
Top Chefs Take Manhattan
Padma and Gail may have asked them to pack their knives and go, but these talented former cheftestants from Bravo TV’s hit “Top Chef” are now some of NYC’s premier chefs. You’ve swooned over their food for years, now get the chance to taste the magic for yourself at these local eateries.
The Man Who Started It All
Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle showcases his prize-winning culinary skills nightly at Perilla. Dieterle serves up a seasonal menu of flavor-packed American dishes at this Greenwich Village hot spot named for the perilla plant, a relative of mint and basil. Be sure to plan your visit ahead of time. With just 18 tables and 10 seats at the bar, Perilla can fill up quickly.
9 Jones Street (between Bleecker and West 4th Streets)
Asian-Inspired Comfort Food
Angelo Sosa’s Social Eatz has been open for just two weeks, but the buzz is already building. At this simple, fun eatery, the Top Chef All Star infuses Asian flavors into American favorites in categories ranging from App’z to Sweet’z and everything in between. This eat-in/carry-out restaurant is also socially responsible; they serve sustainable fish, all-natural meat from humanely treated animals, and certified organic produce.
232 E 53rd Street (between Second and Third Avenues)
Decadent Desserts
Known for his disco dust and deep-fried decadence, Top Chef Just Desserts contestant Zac Young left viewers salivating all season long. Your taste buds will thank you when you try his treats in person at Flex Mussels, where he holds court as the Belgian eatery’s executive pastry chef. From donuts to whoopie pie, Zac’s creative confections do not disappoint. Try our personal favorite, the chocolate cream pie ‘on its side’.
Two locations: 154 West 13th Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues) and 174 East 82nd Street (between Third and Lexington Avenues)
Channel Your Inner Child
Why should kids get to have all the fun in New York City? Gotham is bursting with adult activities to bring out the child in anyone – if just for a few hours.
Way Before Wii
Don’t forget your quarters when you head to Barcade (388 Union Avenue, Williamsburg), a Brooklyn bar with over twenty beers on tap and an array of old-school video games. See if you can remember how to win at all of your favorites, including classics like the original Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong and Punch Out.
Fun and Games
Walking into Fat Cat (75 Christopher Street, at Seventh Avenue) is like being transported to the ultimate 1970’s basement. This bar/music venue has it all, from ping pong to checkers to shuffleboard. Grab a drink, gather your friends and get ready for some lighthearted fun. But leave the LPs at home – Fat Cat has live music every night. Click here for a schedule.
Sweet Spirits
Satisfy your sweet tooth at Dylan’s Candy Bar (1011 Third Avenue, at 60th Street). Though its upstairs cafe is currently under renovation, it reopens in April – with a twist. The sugary paradise will now stay open after hours as a lounge, serving candy-inspired cocktails like rock candy cosmos and gummy bear martinis.
Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day
This year, people all over the world will once again raise a glass to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. In NYC, there are tons of interesting ways to show your green pride.
250 Years and Counting…
New York City hosted the first official St. Patrick’s Day Parade back in 1762, and this year marks the 250th consecutive year that revelers have been gathering here. The parade is now the biggest of its kind in the world. Marchers meet at 44th Street and make their way up Fifth Avenue until they reach 86th Street. Festivities run from 11am until about 4:30pm.
Fully Baked
Bars all over the world serve green beer on St. Patty’s, but we don’t stop there. One of New York City’s signature foods, the bagel, gets green-ified in honor of the holiday. Get in the spirit at the famous H&H Midtown Bagels East (1551 Second Avenue, between 80th and 81st Streets), and enjoy the holiday New York style – with a shmear.
A Somber Note
Commemorate St. Patrick’s Day on a serious note at the Irish Hunger Memorial (Vesey Street and North End Avenue) in Battery Park City. This monument recognizes Ireland’s famine of the 1840s, which killed nearly a million people, as well as the hunger struggles that continue today all over the world.
Live On Stage – Hollywood’s Hottest Celebs!
You’ve watched them on screen, now see them on stage. Don’t miss your chance to glimpse some of Hollywood biggest stars as they make their marks on Broadway.
How to Succeed….
Harry Potter trades his invisibility cloak for a business suit in “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”. Daniel Radcliffe returns to the New York stage as the morally questionable J. Pierrepont Finch, starring alongside John Larroquette in this classic musical revival.
Al Hirschfeld Theater, 302 West 45th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues
Good People
Frances McDormand plays a down-on-her-luck South Boston woman in “Good People”, written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire. Tate Donovan co-stars as an old fling who has managed to escape working-class life. The play officially opened last week to rave reviews across the board.
Samuel J. Friedman Theater, 261 West 47th Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue)
That Championship Season
No other show on the Great White Way packs as much A-List power as “That Championship Season”. Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Noth, Jason Patric and Jim Gaffigan star as former high school basketball stars who reunite, along with their coach, played by Brian Cox, 20 years after they won the state championship. (Fun Fact: Patric’s father, Jason Miller, wrote this Pulitzer Prize-winning play.)
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue)
NYC Art Attack
Armory Arts Week, an annual celebration of the arts, draws artists, collectors and curators from all over the world. But even amateur art appreciators can get in on the action – and check out unique areas of the city in the process. Each night from March 3rd through March 6th spotlights a different NYC neighborhood.
March 3rd: SoHo Night
Galleries, spaces and stores all over SoHo welcome visitors with events ranging from a photography book signing to an art-inspired dinner menu.
March 4th: Long Island City Night
Just outside of Manhattan, this up-and-coming Queens neighborhood regularly draws art lovers to PS1, its MoMA offshoot. On March 4th, download a self-guided tour of the Queens Plaza subway station or enjoy an exhibit that highlights the medium of drawing.
March 5th: Chelsea Day and Brooklyn Night
On Saturday morning, get your brunch and art fixes at any number of Chelsea locales, or take a stroll on the High Line. Later on, journey over to Brooklyn for an evening of film, art-making and live music at the Brooklyn Museum, or attend a demonstration of print glasswork.
March 6th: Lower East Side/Downtown
As the week’s events come to a close, soak in the culture of downtown Manhattan. Visit the New Museum, tour a variety of galleries and artists’ studios, or learn more about the connection between art and music.
For a complete list of the week’s events, click here.
From the Silver Screen to the Big Apple
Curiouser and Curiouser
Tim Burton’s 3D version of Alice in Wonderland is up for Best Picture this year, and here in NYC, we’ve got our own version of Lewis Carroll’s famous fantasy land. Step through the doors of Alice’s Tea Cup to enter the strange and whimsical world of the epic children’s tale. Deciding between the more than 100 choices of tea on the menu may leave you mad as a hatter, but the fresh-baked scones and other edible goodies will put a Cheshire cat-sized smile on your face.
Click here for details.
