Midnight Mix at the Apple Store -- Check out Mark Ronson in the DJ booth at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue on Friday for the first in a series of five Midnight Mix events featuring influential DJs. The beats go on from midnight until 2AM.
NewFest 2007: The New York LGBT Film Festival -- This NYC film festival presents films covering a wide range of illuminating topics including the treatment of transgender people in prison facilities, the intersection of homosexuality and religious beliefs, and homoerotic photography in the 1950s and 1960s. The festival runs from May 31-June 10.
H2O International Film Festival -- As the largest Hip-Hop film festival in the world, the H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] International Film Festival showcases the variety of images that depict Hip-Hop culture. This year’s movie line-up will include the premieres of Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang, I Love Hip-Hop in Morocco, Mr. Devious (South Africa), Guilty Or Innocent of Using the N Word (USA/UK), and many others. The festival runs from May 31-June 15.
Japan Day at Central Park -- Visit Central Park on Sunday for a celebration of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. Sample Japanese delicacies, learn calligraphy and origami, check out the latest in Japanese robots, and much more. Live performances will include a samurai sword demo, Japanese folk dance, the jazz piano stylings of Miki Hayama, and a karaoke fest and anime costume contest.
Do you know a great NYC teacher who deserves to be recognized? Jones New York wants to give New York's top teacher a head-to-toe makeover in their "Back to School, Back to Style" contest. The winner's school will also benefit from a complete classroom and school makeover courtesy of Jones New York, Macy's, Lowe's and Valspar.
If you know a NYC-area teacher who really makes a difference, please nominate them to win online. Trust me, a new wardrobe and classroom makeover will mean a lot more than a shiny apple. The deadline is May 31st, so nominate your favorite teacher today.
If you're not headed for the Hamptons or your country estate this Memorial Day weekend, you'll find plenty of fun things to do here on Manhattan island (and across the river in lovely Queens). With the summer weekenders away, we have Manhattan to ourselves. That means easier reservations at the best restaurants, less crowded streets and parks, and smaller crowds at all of the museums and festivals.
Hit the Beach in Queens -- Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City opens for the season on Friday. Now it's only a four-minute ride to a day at the beach, complete with hot dogs, cold beer, and live music. All of New York City's other beaches (including Orchard, Brighton, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Rockaway, and South and Midway on Staten Island) also open to the public this weekend.
Lower East Side Festival of the Arts --This three-day festival will feature film screenings, readings, live performances, and a street fair on Saturday.
Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit -- Browse through art works by famous and up-and-coming artists, photographers, sculptors, and crafters in Washington Square Park.
Five Ballerinas in Manhattan -- Enjoy a little street ballet when conceptual artist Jonathan Monk restages Daniel Buren's famous performance work, Seven Ballets in Manhattan, in seven Manhattan locations over the next week. Five ballerinas will attempt to perform Buren's choreography in the busy streets of New York City. The dance begins on Sunday from 2-4PM in Chinatown (beginning at Walker and Center Streets).
Met Holiday Monday -- Don't forget that the Metropolitan Museum of Art is open on Memorial Day as part of its Holiday Mondays program. Spend the day exploring the new Greek and Roman Gallery or chilling in the Temple of Dendur.
The rock group Cartel is getting ready to record their new album -- in a giant transparent bubble on Pier 54. The Cartel boys will eat, sleep, and record in the bubble from May 24 through June 12. You're invited to come down and play voyeur and even communicate with the band via two-way speakers and a bank-teller slot for passing notes. There will be plenty of free Dr. Pepper flowing, courtesy of the event sponsor (guess who?).
The giant bubble (that's it in the picture) houses a state-of-the-art recording studio, kitchen, dining area, bathroom, lounge, and giant sleeping pod with bunk beds. These guys are either total exhibitionists or some of the world's greatest sports.
And naturally, there will be a reality show on MTV documenting Cartel's experience in the bubble. The band's entrance into the bubble will be broacast live on MTV on Thursday night at 11PM. At 8PM on June 12, Cartel will exit the bubble and perform a free concert at Hudson River Park's Pier 54.
Get married by Cartel. If you're interested in getting married in a giant bubble on live TV, email your love story to shropshire@trueentertainment.net. The couple with the best story will be wed live on MTV by a member of Cartel.
Sample signature dishes from 50 of downtown's finest restaurants for $3-$6 each today at Dine Around Downtown.
Restaurants including Bouley, Danube, Delmonico's, and Roy's will offer their wares at Chase Manhattan Plaza between Liberty and Pine Streets and Nassau and William Streets. Stop by any time between 11AM and 3PM for lunch or a snack al fresco.
It's a beautiful day in New York City. Take a long lunch and spend some time in the park or just take a stroll around your favorite neighborhood and enjoy a bite at an outdoor cafe. Get your RDA of Vitamin D from the sun and some fresh air in those lungs before you head back to your cubicle.
Here are some ideas for your lunchtime field trip:
Take a night off from thinking deep thoughts (enough with the Descartes already) and revel in the trivial. Show off your knowledge of obscure and mostly irrelevant facts at three different trivia nights in NYC tonight.
Smartass at Pianos -- Spend your Monday night at Smartass, the weekly rock trivia night at Pianos on the Lower East Side. Demonstrate your mastery of rock minutiae and win delicious cocktails. And don't go anywhere after the trivia battle dust has cleared. Stay and warm up your pipes for some hardcore karaoke with Karaoke Killed the Cat.
The Big Quiz Thing -- This live game show at The Slipper Room presents five rounds of trivia and $250 worth of valuable prizes.
Name That Tune -- Join Sara Schaefer of The Upright Citizens' Brigade Theater for a night of musical trivia in Park Slope. Win prizes for naming that tune, naming that album cover, and more.
Summer in Little Italy Festival -- Little Italy will be celebrating summer every weekend, all weekend through September 12th. Head downtown to dine at sidewalk cafes, browse at outdoor shopping stands, and do a bit of people watching. Check the Summer in Little Italy schedule for info on special events and concerts coming up later in the summer. And there are plenty of other great street fairs this weekend if you don't feel like making the trek to Mulberry Street.
New York Toasts Italy-- This Saturday, celebrate the best Italian food and products that New York City has to offer. This day-long event features discount shopping at 40 stores and dinner with celebrated chefs including Mario Batali, Silvano Marchetto, and Todd English.
Dinosaurs Alive! at the American Museum of Natural History -- Take your favorite dinsoaur lover to this thrilling 40-minute film that follows the hunt for dinosaur remains in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. The film is narrated by Michael Douglas and a must-see for any budding or wannabe paleontologists. Tickets are $21 for adults and $12 for kids. The film will be screened every hour on the half hour on Saturday at the museum's LeFrak IMAX theater. After the film, wander over to the dinosaur hall to see the full scale of these mighty beasts.
New York Dance Parade -- Shake your money maker on Saturday at this first-ever dance parade in New York City (your drunken walks home from the club with friends don't count). The parade will feature floats and more than 8,000 dancers representing 39 dance styles from ballet to samba to break dance. The move busting will begin at 32nd Street at 1PM and continue down Broadway to Union Square, where the procession will head west and then ease on down Fifth Avenue to Washington Square Park. Inside the park, you can join a dance festival with performances on four stages from 4PM until 8PM.
The Amazing New York Race -- Think you could kick Rob and Amber's butts on The Amazing Race? Prove you've got the stuff by joining this NYC version of the adventure that's part scavenger hunt, part obstacle course, and part social experiment. You'll join a team of four (bring your own teammates or sign up to be hooked up with team members) and compete in a 3-4 hour race (sample tasks: Find the oldest dim sum restaurant in New York, go to the apartment building that Madonna called home in the 80s). The cost is $30 per person and starts at 2PM on Sunday, May 20th from the West Side Highway between Charles Street and West 10th Street. Wear comfy shoes and don't forget your digital camera.
Enjoy free concerts featuring some of today's hottest music acts every Friday morning this summer. Both the Today Show and Good Morning America sponsor summer concert series and the Summer 2007 schedule features artists including Fergie, Fallout Boy, Hilary Duff, Norah Jones, the Johns Mayer and Legend, Rihanna, and many more.