Street Fairs, Arts and Entertainment on the UWS
Street Fairs, Arts and Entertainment in Upper West Side
“Manhattan Valley Family Days”
A Community Celebration
Free Family Entertainment and Fun Activities for All Ages!!!
Art, music, dance, bike lessons, area info, textile and computer recycling and so much more!
On Amsterdam Avenue between W. 106-W. 110 Sts.
Sunday, May 16, 11am-5pm
Taino Nation Dancers
Pilates and Dance Classes
Bike Lessons
Bike Safety
Bike and Skateboard Lanes
Karate Lessons [by Hiraldo's Karate School]
Dominoes
Laughing Yoga [with Chander Malik of Indian Cafe and Roti Roll]
Tai Chi and Yoga
Health and Wellness [with Veronica Winsch]
Therapeutic Drum Circle
Art Lessons [by Marie Paul, Franciscan Center]
Art Project [by Angelo Romano]
Kids Art Mural
Box City for Kids
Chalk Art
Pipe Cleaner Sculptures
Face Painting
Cultural Heritage Crossword Puzzle Party
Pottery Demo [by Mugi Pottery]
Knitting and Crochet Demo [Yarntopia]
Pet Health
Pet Therapy
Neighborhood Vision Mural
”What A Neighborhood” Creates Song Lines for West Side Streets
Pigeon Flock Flight Demo [by Victor Casiano]
Live Music Performances
Sunday, May 23, 11am-5pm
Taino Nation Dancers
Ballet Hispanico
Ascension Fairies Bike Lessons
Bike Safety
Bike and Skateboard Lanes
Karate Lessons [Hiraldo's Karate School]
Dominoes
Laughing Yoga [Chander Malik of Indian Cafe and Roti Roll]
Tai Chi and Yoga
Health and Wellness [with Veronica Winsch]
Therapeutic Drum Circle
Art Project [with Angelo Romano]
Kids Art Mural
Box City for Kids Pipe Cleaner Sculptures
Face Painting [Michael Albert and W. 107 St. Block Association]
Cultural Heritage Crossword Puzzle Party
Pottery Demo [by Mugi Pottery]
Knitting and Crochet Demo [Yarntopia]
Pet Therapy [Morningside Village]
Neighborhood Vision Mural
“What A Neighborhood” Creates Song Lines for West Side Streets
Plant Repotting
Live Music Performances
Saturday, May 15 – SPRING FAIR
Teacher dunking booth, karaoke, food, flea market, more;
W. 97th S (between Amsterdam & Columbus Avenues)
12 noon-5pm.
For info 212-222-8008
Friday, May 21 – SPRING FAIR
Inflatable rides, food, music, children’s bands, face-painting;
Bloomingdale School Yard
150 W. 105th St
3pm-7pm.
For info 646-395-0990
Thursday, May 27
CONCERT by the Jamie Begian Big Band playing a blend of jazz and funk; El Taller Latino
2710 Broadway
Starts at 8pm
$15
For info 212-665-9460 or www.tallerlatino.org
Also, if you still haven’t had the chance to do so, keep an eye on the events organized by some of favorite local spots – most of them are FREE and all places are very cool and friendly!
- Crepes on Columbus
990 Col. Ave & W. 109 St
For info 212-222-0259 or www.crepesoncolumbus.com.
- L’ exquisitus
153 Manhattan Avenue @ W. 107 Street.
For info 212-280-1145 or www.lexquisituscafe.com
WiFi café and lounge;
open 7 days a week.
- Mehu Gallery
21 W. 100 Street.
Tue-Fri 12-7pm; Sat-Sun 12-6pm.
For info 212-222-3334 or mehugallery@aol.com
- Miss Mamie’s Spoonbread Too
W. 110 St. between. Columbus & Manhattan Avenues.
For info 212-866-6205 or www.spoonbreadinc.com
- SIP
998 Amsterdam Avenue.
For info 212-316-2747 or www.sipbar.com
Live DJs nightly;
live jazz Sats.;
new art exhibits 1st & 3rd Wed.;
open mic, 4th Sun,;
“Acoustic Soul Lounge” 3rd Sun. 8pm;
SIP LIT–literary readings and free tapas bar, every last Wed., 8pm.
Free WiFi.
- Village Pourhouse
982-988 Amsterdam Avenue.
For info 212-979-2337 or www.pourhousenyc.com
Trivia Weds., 8pm.
- West Side Arts Coalition
W. 96 Street & Broadway, Center Mall.
Weds. 6-8pm, Sat. & Sun. 12-6-pm.
For info 212-316-6024 or www.wsacny.org.
Exhibits: Spring Forward now thru 5/2
- Whole Foods Jazz Legend Series
808 Columbus Avenue & W. 97 Street
Fridays 5pm-7pm
Free 5/14, 28
Local jazz legend Jimmy Norman, a frequent performer at Mikell’s.
- Zanny’s Café
W. 108 Street & Columbus Avenue.
For schedule 212-316-6849 or www.zannyscafe.com
Movie Night Wednesdays.
Self Magazine “Workout in the Park” and Central Park SummerStage Lineup!
Central Park SummerStage Lineup Announced!!!
Welcome Columbus Circle Hostel Guests and every New Yorker looking forward to hear some awesome FREE music this summer in NYC! Sit back and relax because we’re bringing you tons of exciting news today.
Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield, namely home of the SummerStage (mid-park near 69th), recently started to gear up the outdoor venue for a lineup of music and entertainment this summer. Crews have been working on getting the stage ready and another proof that the lineup is about to kick off soon is that the SummerStage 2010 schedule went live this week. Boy, have you guys also been waiting for that as much as we have over here at CC Hostel?
Apart from the Rumsey events like this Saturday’s Self Magazine “Workout in the Park”, a series of FREE shows is also set to start in a few weeks. Tomorrow, for example, women get the chance to come to Central Park to experience electrifying workouts, indulgent beauty and style consultations, gourmet delights and more. The event takes place from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and includes a series of fun exercise classes like Cardio Tai Box, Urban Rebounding (using mini trampolines), and Fat Burning Pilates. The feature of the New York City event is a Yogalosophy class by celebrity yoga trainer Mandy Ingber. So go ahead ladies, head out to Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield after breakfast tomorrow (near 69th) and learn the favorite yoga moves of some of Mandy’s celebrity clients like Jennifer Aniston .Who knows, maybe you’ll stumble upon one or two celebrities in the park – they looove working out there! The $20 ticket price includes admission to any of the classes, beauty and nutrition consultations, pampering, giveaways, and a one-year subscription to Self Magazine now that’s a great deal, wouldn’t you agree?!
The official season of free SummerStage shows begins on June 1st with Melody Gardot and the New York Pops, and continues through September 26th with “A Celebration of Gypsy Music from Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Romania.”
In addition to the lineup of free shows, a series of benefit concerts is scheduled as well, each of them put on to support the free shows throughout the year.
Take a look below and you’ll see that this year’s schedule seems extremely promising and several great concerts should be highlighted already!So, the first “rock” show happens at Central Park on Saturday, June 5th with Living Colour, Ebony Bones!, Pillow Theory and CX KiDTRONiK. Baaba Maal, who just played at Irving Plaza, will be at Central Park too on Monday, June 14th. The Tinariwen show on Saturday, June 26th also features Syrian beat & mikeman Omar Souleyman. Gil Scott-Heron plays there in June and Marcus Garvey Park in August.
But hey, there’s way more to come! We’ll enjoy the sounds by El Guincho, Bostich and Fussible and others in Central Park on July 7th. The reggae legend Jimmy Cliff will play on Sunday, July 11th. Raphael Saadiq performs there Saturday, July 17 at 3pm. The Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba/Fool’s Gold show on Sunday, July 25th will also feature “West African electronica” band Burkina Electric – we can’t wait to see that!
On Wednesday, July 21st, there’ll be a Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and Friends Central Park gig hosted by Lewis Black with John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Wyatt Cenac, Adam Lowitt and Rory Albanese.
There’s also music from St. Vincent, Tune-Yards and Basia Bulat on August 1st at Central Park. The xx play with Jack Penate and Chairlift on August 8th. At the same spot whereas Public Enemy play an August 15th day show to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fear of A Black Planet, and the Specials play on August 22nd with Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears and $mall ¢hange.
But let’s not forget that the SummerStage doesn’t mean great music and concerts at Central Park! The festival is spread around the city and the borough-wide shows take off with Jay Electronica in Red Hook Park on June 1st. Also at that park is Dan Deacon on Tuesday, June 15th. White Rabbits play East River Park on August 12th.
There’s lots of great jazz too: McCoy Tyner plays with Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding and Francisco Mela as part of the CareFusion Jazz Festival on June 23rd. He also plays in the Charlie Parker Jazz Fest, which comes at the end of the summer with an incredible lineup. McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Scott, Jason Moran and the Bandwagon and Revive da Live play during the day at Marcus Garvey on Saturday, August 28th. Then the next day, James Moody, Catherine Russell, Vijay Iyer and The JD Allen Trio play at Tompkins Square Park.
One more thing we over here at CCH are particularly excited about is that the park benefit shows include John Butler Trio (sweet! they’re from Australia as you may know and Ashleigh, everybody’s favorite front desk staff member, the one and only sexy blonde is as a matter of fact from Down Under and State Radio on June 15th (tickets on sale already!), The Flaming Lips on July 26th, The Black Keys (YAY!) with the Morning Benders on July 27th and 28th, Hot Chip/Hercules & Love Affair/Holy Ghost on August 4th, Govt’ Mule on August 11th, and one of the four Pavement shows September 21-24. Not to mention the fact that there’s a “Songbook of Simon & Garfunkel” benefit on June 8th!!!
WOW, what a great summer we are going to enjoy here in New York City!!!
Click here for a complete lineup of Central Park’s SummerStage,
or check out more info on the SummerStage press release or Brooklyn Vegan.
Tuesday, June 1st: Melody Gardot and The New York Pops
Saturday, June 5th: Living Colour, Ebony Bones!, Pillow Theory and CX KiDTRONiK: 25th Anniv. of Black Rock Coalition
Sunday, June 6th: Los Van Van, Jose Conde and A DJ Tribute to Fania Records with DJ Bobbito, DJ Laylo and DJ SAKE-1
Tuesday, June 8th: Benefit Show: The 25th Anniversary SummerStage Gala
Saturday, June 12th: The 8th Annual Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil Screening Oscar Niemeyer – Life Is A Breath of Air Live Performances from Maria Gadu and Os Paralamas Do Sucesso
Monday, June 14th: Baaba Maal and Playing for Change
Tuesday, June 15th: Benefit Show: John Butler Trio and State Radio
Saturday, June 19th: NYCPride Rally featuring Me’shell Ndegeocello, Martha Wash NY Gay Men’s Chorus, Vickie Shaw, Billie Myers and Bruce Vilanch
Sunday, June 20th: Salif Keita, Tabou Combo and Lo’Jo
Wednesday, June 23rd: George Wein’s Carefusion Jazz Festival: McCoy Tyner Quartet with Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding and Francisco Mela The Stanley Clarke Band with Hiromi
Saturday, June 26th: Tinariwen, Omar Souleyman and Toubab Krewe
Sunday, June 27th: Gil Scott-Heron
Tuesday, June 29th: Definitely Poetry: Daniel Bernard Roumain with Emeline Michel, Erol Josué and the poets of Cave Canem
Wednesday, June 30th: Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Saturday, July 3rd: Istanbulive II: The Sounds of Turkey with Kenan Dogulu, mor ve otesi and Ilhan Ersahin’s Istanbul Sessions with Burhan Ocal and Tulug Tirpan, Sukriye Tutkun and DJ Salih Saka
Wednesday, July 7th: Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich and Fussible, El Guincho and Anita Tijoux
Saturday, July 10th: Profitas, Maldita Vecindad and The Pinker Tones
Sunday, July 11th: Jimmy Cliff, Trevor Hall and Victor Démé
Saturday, July 17th: Raphael Saadiq
Sunday, July 18th: Family Day featuring Ralph’s World, Bethany and Rufus and Cirquetacular
Wednesday, July 21st: Comedy Central Park The Daily Show and Friends Hosted by Lewis Black with John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Wyatt Cenac, Adam Lowitt and Rory Albanese
Friday, July 23rd and Saturday, July 24th: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Sunday, July 25th: Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba, Burkina Electric, Fool’s Gold and DJ Frank of Voodoo Funk
Monday, July 26th: Benefit Show: The Flaming Lips
Tuesday, July 27th and Wednesday, July 28th: Benefit Shows: The Black Keys and The Morning Benders
Saturday, July 31st: Jovanotti, Los Amigos Invisibles and Natalie Lafourcade
Sunday, August 1st: St. Vincent, tUnE-yArDs and Basia Bulat
Wednesday, August 4th: Benefit Show: Hot Chip, Hercules and Love Affair and Holy Ghost!
Saturday, August 7th: The Clark Sisters & Kierra Kiki Sheard
Sunday, August 8th: The xx, Chairlift and Jack Peñate
Tuesday, August 10th: Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Dancin’ Downtown Concert Winners
Wednesday, August 11th: Benefit Show: Gov’t Mule
Saturday, August 14th: Bachata Fest featuring Andy Andy, Luis Miguel de la Amargue, Elvis Martinez and Alexandria
Sunday, August 15th: Public Enemy with 7th Octave and Blitz the Ambassador
Saturday, August 21st: Chrisette Michele, Mario and Tamia
Sunday, August 22nd: The Specials – 30th Anniversary Tour with Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears and $mall ¢hange
Tuesday, September 21st: Benefit Show: Pavement
Sunday, September 26th: The Black Sea Roma Festival featuring Mahala Rai Banda, Técsöi Banda Selim Sesler & The NY Gypsy All-Stars and The Yuri Yunakov Ensemble
Lincoln Center GRASS ROOF opens May 21!
Great news Columbus Circle Hostel Guests and all of us living and/or working in the Upper West Side! We’ve been awaiting this for a year now, but as you can see by the picture, Lincoln Center is finally getting close to opening the sloping glass roof that will sit on top of a restaurant just off of 65th Street on the Lincoln Center campus. YAY! According to a Lincoln Center spokeswoman, the scheduled opening date is May 21.
The best part about it is that the roof will be open to the public. Of course, the oasis for the common folk sitting atop will also house a fancy little but who cares if we still get to hang out on the rooftop with a cup of Starbucks coffee or homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich, right? According to The New York Times, the restaurant, operated by chef Jonathan Benno of Per Se, is expected to open in September, coinciding with New York Fashion Week. The building will also hold a film center (AWESOME!), office space and mechanical equipment. Supposedly, the structure and its accoutrements cost $102.5 million (ouch…)
So are you looking forward to another spot opening on the Upper West Side as much as we are? It looks like with spring in full bloom we’re getting one more great place where people can lounge around and disrobe on a sunny day. We’re sure that all guys reading it are already envisioning beautiful semi-clothed ladies lounging around on the grass with their bikinis, abs and gorgeous tans… What, are we wrong??? See you on the Lincoln Center Grass Roof on May 21!
The Standpit by Sam O’Hare – awesome video of the UWS!
Local Upper West Side Artist Portrays New York in Miniature
Hi Columbus Circle Hostel Visitors and all of you Bloggers out there! We’d like to share a cool story with you today. It’s about Sam O’Hare, an extremely talented we think photographer residing in our neighborhood – the Upper West Side. At some point, we’ve all stood on the balcony of a very tall building and watched people walking on the street below, marveling at how much they look like tiny busy ants, right? 
And Sam O’Hare has been doing just that as well and he has taken tons of amazing pictures of New York from high above the street, editing his work in a style, called “tilt-shift”, that makes the city and its minions look miniature. The resulting 5 and a half minute film is made up of about 35,000 still photographs! Isn’t that something? He called the project “The Sandpit”.
The still above was captured from a building on 106th Street and Central Park West, though much of the rest of the film was shot in other parts of the city. There’s a longer explanation of the process he used to make the film here.
O’Hare, a director, visual effects artist, and photographer, came to Manhattan Valley via England two years ago. He’s an architecture graduate but evenutally moved into computer animation and film. And we’re sure glad he did if that’s what he can come up with! He’s now working primarily in commercials, and is represented by Aero Film.
So what inspired him to make this film?
“I love the look of the tilt-shift timelapse technique, and wanted to use it to explore my inspiring adopted home, New York City.”
You can check out the cool video in larger format here.
