ATTN: Female Night Owls

This is not so much a nice To-Do, as it is a nice To-Know. There is a service called Right Rides that will pick up women between 12am-3am on Saturday nights (a.k.a. Sunday morning) within certain parts of the 5 boroughs. The service is meant to get women home safely late at night.

It caters to Bed-Stuy, as well as most of the surrounding areas, so I am all about it! Click here for a full list of the areas they provide service to. But if you have a dude with you, they won't pick you up. Tell your guy to be a man and protect you as you walk home!

Free Stuff for last week of July

I have been a terrible little blogger as of recently. I am DOING fun things, just not blogging about what is to come.

Here are the remainder of my July FREE activities that I have planned for myself:

Thursday, July 24th
Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit, Movies with a View @ Brooklyn Bridge: FREE
Synopsis:

"The annual Giant Vegetable Competition is days away and Wallace & Gromit’s humane pest control service, “Anti-Pesto,” is doing big business. But who exactly is changing into the mysterious Were-Rabbit, trashing and eating all the prized veggies? Find out in this 2005 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature."

Friday, July 25th (in the wee-morning hours)
Feist performing for Good Morning America @ Bryant Park: FREE

Sunday, July 27th
MGMT and the Ting Tings @ McCarren Park Pool: FREE

Wednesday, July 30th (also other dates available)
12 Ophelia's @ McCarren Park Pool: FREE
Synopsis:

"Twelve Ophelias centers on Hamlet's Ophelia coming back to life, out of the water, to try to overcome her history and forge a new destiny for herself. She finds herself in an Appalachian Elsinore, Denmark by way of Deliverance—where Gertrude runs a brothel, Hamlet and Horatio slum it, and nothing is what it seems. In this squarely American and gritty interpretation of the Hamlet myth, Twelve Ophelias asks how it is possible to break old cycles and start afresh when the past so completely permeates your life."

Union Pool will let you do BBQ Parties?

Blog from July of last year on Union Pool's Myspace:

Birthday BBQs @ Union Pool!!!

Hey all,

All summer long Union Pool is offering up our hot grill for your party needs. All you have to do is contact us via unionpoolbooking@yahoo.com with the details of the party you'd like to hold, and we'll let you know the availability. We supply the grill and sell the booze from 3pm-7pm. You supply the people and the food. Weekend dates only, now through September.

Love, UP

I wonder if they are still doing this again in 2008? Afternoon BBQ, anyone?

Bubble Battle NYC 2008

June 21st at 6:16pm, NewMindSpace will be organizing another Bubble Battle scheduled in Manhattan. Location TBA shortly.

RSVP to the NYC Facebook Invite here.

Here is more info on the after party from the NewMindSpace email I received:

The afterparty will be at an incredible space, and if everything goes according to plan, will feature the amazing giant Lite-Brite built by Jason Eppink for our party BRITE! in Toronto last weekend (which featured New York's own AC Slater and Udachi) among many other awesome creations and chiptunes music all night long!

See photos of the Lite-Brite here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasoneppink/tags/litebrite/

BrooklynVegan and I totally think alike

I have been working on my own excel-version of a Free Events Calendar for NYC, but today BrooklynVegan released their own online-version (http://www.brooklynvegan.com/events.html) which totally kicks my ass.

Bookmark it and live by it for the summer.

Big Apple BBQ!

Ahhh! Big Apple BBQ is back in a big way on June 7th-8th in Madison Square Park. It all goes down between 12-6pm each day and it's 8 bucks a plate.

Once again, 17th Street Bar & Grill of Murphysboro, IL will be in attendance, showing the rest of them how BBQ is done. I am totally bringing my SIUC student ID with me when I go to their booth. And yes, I have still held onto my ID after all this time, thank you very much.

My Ideal City Getaway

I know this blog is supposed to highlight city events. However, I am so burnt out on NYC right now, all I can think about is escaping from it!


Here is the rundown on my fantasy weekend:


Friday:
Head upstate to the Catskill mountains
Once I have arrived at the Breathe Inn located in a small town called Lanesville, immediately flop down on the comfy bed in my Mali Studio bedroom

Saturday:
Wake up for some yummy breakfast
Go canoing or tubing on the Esopus
Maybe take a cooking class if I feel like it
Drive 20 minutes over to Woodstock, NY for a Midnight Ramble with Levon Helm

Sunday:
Sleeeeeep in
Have one more yummy breakfast
Begrudgingly head back downstate to reality




Sigh.... does it have to be a dream?

Bryant Park events announced!

Bryant Park announced their Monday movies for the summer, which makes me look forward to June even more than before! Also they announced their GMA concerts line-up, if I can get my ass outta bed early enough. Though I think Feist on July 25th might be a good enough reason for me to head to Bryant Park early on a Friday! =)

2008 HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival

The lawn opens at 5:00pm for blankets (no plastic tarps please) and picnicking. The films begin at dusk (typically between 8pm and 9pm).

June

Mon 16: Dr. No

Mon 23: Bride of Frankenstein

Mon 30: Hud

July

Mon 7: The Man Who Came to Dinner

Mon 14: Fail Safe

Mon 21: Arsenic and Old Lace

Mon 28: The Apartment

August

Mon 4: Lifeboat

Mon 11: The Candidate

Mon 18: Superman

http://bryantpark.org/

Museum Mile Festival on June 3rd

Taken from the official Museum Mile Festival website:

One day a year, for the past 29 years, nine of the country's finest museums, all ones that call Fifth Avenue home, collectively open their doors for free to New Yorkers and visitors for a mile-long block party and visual art celebration. This traffic-free, music- and art-filled celebration fills the street and sidewalks of Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 105th street, the mile now officially designated as Museum Mile. Over 50,000 visitors attend the festival annually.

This year's 30th annual festival kicks off at Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum with an opening ceremony, at 5:45pm, on the steps of its landmark building on Fifth Avenue @ 91st Street.

Plus, follow the mile with street muralist De La Vega – grab a piece of chalk and make your mark!

I think the chalk-drawing is meant for children, but screw that - I fully intend to get my chalkin' on!

Tuesday, June 3rd from 6:00-9:00pm
Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 105th street

Walton Ford

Press Release from Paul Kasmin Gallery:

With meticulous detail, Ford's work depicts animals embodying degrees of personification in the context of isolated historical events. Transient moments recalled in Ford's work comment on, in his words, "the cultural history of our relationship with animals." Ford is especially interested in the perceptions of animals by humans as evidenced by documentation. After researching specific stories, Ford offers his interpretation—sometimes exaggerating the animal's supposed humanness and in other instances, stripping the animal of imposed metaphors, and thereby restoring the candor of the animal's bestial state. The anthropomorphic nature of Ford's animals is often compared to the work of artist, John J. Audubon, one of Ford's many influences.

At Paul Kasmin Gallery (293 Tenth Ave.) until July 3rd

I <3 BBQ

First there was Hill Country on 26th Street (which I have been to with my work crew) and now there is Wildwood Barbeque on Park Ave @ 18th. Both are from the BBQ brain of "Big Lou" Elrose.

Details from UrbanDaddy:

You might be familiar with Texas-style barbecue from Hill Country, Big Lou's previous gig, but Wildwood casts a wider net. To prepare the menu, Lou went on a pilgrimage to the best barbecue joints in the country, stockpiling 500 jars of sauce and visiting pits from Raleigh to St. Louis. The result is a menu chock full of the best regional American barbecue, with pulled pork courtesy of North Carolina, baby back ribs from Memphis, pork ribs from Kansas City and lamb spare ribs from...his imagination.

Naturally, you'll want something to wash all that down, so they've stockpiled 30 different bourbons for your sipping pleasure, along with suitably refined cocktails like a spot-on Mint Julep (fortified with "Kentucky Colonel" mint).

Wildwood Barbecue, 225 Park Ave S. (at 18th), 212-533-2500

Karaoke Marathon: The Sequel

As quoted on my Facebook Event Invite:


Event Info

Name:			Karaoke Marathon: The Sequel
Tagline:			Because we didn't finish our karaoke queue last time...
Host:			Arminda
Type:			Music/Arts - Jam Session

Time and Place

Date:		Sunday, April 27, 2008
Time:		3:00pm - 8:00pm
Location:		Duet 35
Street:		53 W 35th Street (between 5th and 6th Ave)
City/Town:		New York, NY

Description
On that fateful Sunday afternoon in March when Jesse, Heidi, Bob, Billy-Bob and I went to Duet, magic happened. Party lights flashed, tambourines rang, and microphones melted. Songs have forever been altered in history due to our amazing renditions and sweet, passionate crooning. Sadly, 8pm came before we knew it and were forced to leave behind an amazing queue of songs still crying out to be sung.

If you miss out the second time around, you are just plain dumb.

$12 All You Can Sing Karaoke Marathon from 3-8pm. We will have a private room, so you will only be embarrassing yourself in front of those that love you dearly. Besides, what happens in Duet stays in Duet.

Please RSVP on this invite by APRIL 23th so that I can reserve a room big enough to hold everyone!

And so did Heidi's.

Heidi knows what this girl likes!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Heidi Vanderlee '**************@gmail.com'
Date: Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 10:39 PM
Subject: please tell me you love both of these things
To: Arminda Klier '************@gmail.com'


http://nymag.com/nyxny
--
Heidi Vanderlee(/slice)
Tiny Mix Tapes
www.tinymixtapes.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the gist of the link Heidi sent, if you are too lazy to hover your mouse and click:
New York mag brings to you this summer,

• Indie Rock Trivia Night (with host Zach Galifianakis and musical guest Les Savy Fav, Highline Ballroom on May 21st @ 8pm, tix on sale now)
• Best Rooftop Party Ever (tix on sale June 2008)
  
• Highbrow Backyard Barbeque (tix on sale July 2008)
  
• Bad Art Auction (tix on sale November 2008)
  
• Indie Rock Karaoke Returns Again (tix on sale January 2009)
  

Chrissy's email made my day.

They all sound lovely, Christine. Now we just need to plan a time to go to all of these!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christine Huhn '***********@gmail.com'
Date: Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 7:28 PM
Subject: exhibits
To: Mindy Klier '**********@gmail.com'


1. http://www.icp.org/site/c.dnJGKJNsFqG/b.3639335/
(this one, you'd have to pay.. 8$ I think it is. so I can go it alone
if you're not interested)
-there's also the MFA show at ICP which is free

2. http://www.teamgal.com/exhibitions/131
of course! duh!

3. http://www.nrgallery.com/index1.php
pretty excited about this one.

4. http://www.bellwethergallery.com/current_01.cfm?fid=495
Tableau's! Yessss.

5. http://www.phhfineart.com/main.html
Jeff Olsen, North Woods
makes me feel like home, in PA.

6. http://www.luhringaugustine.com/index.php?mode=current#
OMG OMG!!! I LOVE Gregory Crewdson.
his lighting is unbelievable
4/5 - 5/3

7. http://www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com/exhibitions/08yoon/yoon_thumbs.htm
Finally, this will be over, so I don't think we'll get to see it.. but
it sure is awesome!!

AND, I love the ones you wanna see. Especially the horizon one.
I thought that was a good amount, otherwise I would look into some
painting exhibits.

Lastly...
NEED TO SEEEEE
http://www.blackandwhiteartgallery.com/exhibition-w.html
dioramas!!!

--
Christine Huhn
Brooklyn, NY

Mark, come back.

There is a gallery exhibit just especially for you!

PRESS RELEASE:

"Caren Golden Fine Art is pleased to present Mirror Universe, the first solo exhibition by Devorah Sperber with the gallery. Mirror Universe will feature an entirely new body of work by Sperber based on images from the television series Star Trek. The title, Mirror Universe, alludes to the 1967 Star Trek episode Mirror, Mirror in which a transporter mishap swaps the crew of the Enterprise with evil counterparts, trapping them in a “savage parallel universe.” The concept of a mirror or parallel universe is a dominant theme in the show, and, in keeping with this metaphor, many of the works incorporate mirrors to view the work. For Sperber the exhibition is an opportunity to look at the relationship between popular science and art, and how they relate to larger metaphysical issues. In particular, she is interested in how consciousness and the act of seeing create the illusion of a stable, predictable, singular world."

Word.

Mirror Universe: March 20 - April 26, 2008
539 West 23rd Street