Street Art Tuesday: World Trade Center Murals

Manhattan’s Financial District is about as concrete as this jungle gets. It’s an area of skyscrapers and steel, not exactly known for color except the green of dollah dollah bills. Well, that all changed this summer.

Ground Zero Becomes NYC’s Newest Street Art Hub

The walls hold electrical equipment and also house the entrance to the PATH train. Each one bursts with color. The NY Times has a great article where it spoke to each artist about creating art in this area. Tremendous loss looms ever-present with the single tower of One World Trade. This is a fact of the area, one that would be impossible to not consider when creating any kind of art downtown. Read that article here: Bringing a 5Pointz Vibe to Lower Manhattan. Read More

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[Guest Post] The 12 Steps to Creating Your Own Work

By Andrew Orsie

Step 1: Have the Dream

Creating your own work. It’s something everyone talks about. It’s such a freeing, exciting notion. Full control, making something that is exactly what you want it to be and is entirely yours. A New York City show producer. Sounds great, yeah?

Step 2: Face the Crushing Weight of Reality as it Bears Down on your Chest

Then you start actually seeing it as a set of logistics, and realize, oh, you have to fund it. You have to create marketing materials. Get people to show up. Cast the show. Write the show. Book a venue. Answer the emails of “Are there big names in your show?” with a polite, “Well, if by big names you mean long names one of the cast has a thirteen letter last name soooo…”

Step 3: Sit in the corner of your sofa, in the fetal position, gripping your knees to your chest, probably sobbing with snot and everything

SO INSPIRING. Read More

Weekly New York Minutes #32

Every Friday I feature some fleeting moments from my week that made me stop and think, “I’m so lucky to live in NYC!” And maybe some that made me think, “Bahaha this city is ridiculous and I love it.” Here we go for the last week of summer…

I have a new friend who has this amaaaazing view of Manhattan from the roof of her Long Island City apartment. We were hanging out up here on Friday night, savoring the weather that doesn’t quite yet demand a jacket. In addition to the great city view, rooftops also provide a great view to the inside of neighboring apartments! We started swapping stories of private moments we’ve accidentally witnessed. Then, almost as if on cue, a couple appeared across the street, in full view, with no pants on! It was so awkward, so funny, and so New York. Read More

Dinner and a (Sexy) Show at Duane Park – My Very First Time Seeing Burlesque!

Duane Park takes the classic concept of “dinner and a show” to a whole other sexy, sexy level. The venue features a full menu of delicious-sounding dishes like “Creole Spice-Dusted Nova Scotia Salmon” and “Fillet of Branzino”. But no one goes to Duane Park on Manhattan’s Lower East Side for the food. The full bar offers tantalizing cocktails and an extensive wine list. But no one goes to Duane Park for the booze. They go for the boobs.

Duane Park is New York’s classiest burlesque venue.

 

Every night of the week, a live band plays and dancers take the stage in a performance style that could have easily gone extinct with the rise of strip clubs and internet porn. Read More

Street Art Tuesday: Is It Too Soon for Eduardo Kobra’s Firefighter Mural “the braves of 9/11”?

Over the past month, the work of street artist Eduardo Kobra keeps popping up all over New York City. I was biking up 3rd Avenue this Sunday when I passed a new wall with his unmistakeable style at 49th Street. I hit the breaks. “Wow,” I thought, “Similar, yet so different than his other pieces.” I crossed the street to get a better look.

This piece was unveiled on September 11th, I learned later. Kobra has referred to it as “the braves of 9/11” and shares his thoughts about the work in Time Out New York. There’s little more I can add to his words and the work which pretty much speaks for itself. Read More

Fit in the City: 5K and Outdoor Yoga on the Long Island City Waterfront

Suddenly a 1.2 mile walk to the subway isn’t part of my daily commute. How could I possibly complain about that? Well, now I have to find new ways to get that exercise in! This can go one of two ways:

  1. I explore fun exercise options in my favorite city! Researching possible bike adventures, checking out the huge selection of fitness classes offered every hour of the week, and scoping out the most fun events in town that contain an element that’s easily considered “exercise” – like, 7AM dance parties totally count.
  2. I get too busy, “forget” to make up for this lifestyle change in any way, and turn into a schlubby sack this winter!

This weekend got me off to a great start in the direction of Option #1!

5K and Outdoor Yoga on the Long Island City Waterfront

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