Magnolia verses Buttercup

No, this is not an introduction to Strawberry Shortcake’s new movie. Magnolia Bakery, the West Village cupcake hot spot known for its butter-cream and crumbly creations has opened a second café on the Upper West Side. Already in operation, Magnolia has become somewhat of a cupcake phenomenon, selling out of their confectionary concoctions in their first days of operation.

Didn’t get enough sugary sweets? Hit up the nearby and equally popular Buttercup Bake Shop, Crumbs, or Bouchon Bakery, and see for yourself who takes the cake.

FDNY Rises to the Occasion

New York’s very own Fire Department will be trained using a new state of the art simulator aimed at battling high-rise fires. The 4-story building, housed on Randall’s Island, will include residential and office layouts along with a mock fire command station. The $4.5 M flame thrower is scheduled to be completed by next year, and will add to the FDNY Fire Academy’s artillery of top-of-the-line training techniques. Once again we come to thank the almighty protectors of our city’s fickle flames.

There's Nothing That Money Can't Buy

As New Yorker’s, we are always looking for the newest scene among the nearly endless enticing eateries. While it certainly sounds great in theory, sometimes unless you know somebody who knows somebody, getting into that scene can be harder than finding a seat on the 6 train at rush hour. Now, thanks to the creators of tablexchange.com, all of our foodie prayers are answered. Simply choose the restaurant, choose an available time, and voila – For around $25 you can buy your way up the social ladder to the top of the restaurant chain. So go on New York – impress your honey and elevate your social status by scoring the most coveted seats for the city's elite.

Lose the 'Tude Dude

Taxi drivers beware. New York may never have to deal with another rude taxi driver again – that is if the Taxi Police have anything to do with it. What began with complaints from passengers has led to an official crack down on cabbies who don’t mind their manners. Filed under “Operation Secret Rider”, these private taxi police are fining drivers up to $350 for infractions from cell phone talking to being just plain rude. If only we could initiate these rules on the mailman, deli clerk, hostess, delivery guy…

Cold as Ice

Looking for something to do this weekend in New York to take the chill off? Well, you won’t find it at the Rubin Museum of Art, where Dutchman Wim Hof (aka The Ice Man) will plunge himself into an ice tub in an attempt to break his previous record of 1 hour and 11 minutes submerged within a frosty bath. Through the ancient Tibetan practice of tumo, Wim is said to be able to control the temperature of his body through meditation. In our own show of mind over matter, we will be braving the elements to enjoy a steamy hot chocolate at the local café.

The Real 'Stars' in the City

So technically we don’t live in a gated community, although we like to consider our City a force to be reckoned with. Let’s face it – at over 8.2 million people on a mere 322 square miles, it’s no easy feat to survive, no less thrive.
Enter The Real Housewives of New York City. A Big Apple based spin-off of the Orange County series will show 5 women living (and working) in the upper-crust of New York society. My guess is that the show will fit into true Upper East Side style with lots of nanny’s chasing spoiled-rotten Upper East Side kid’s around their colossal Upper East Side brownstones while the “housewives” are downtown being fabulous (or is it out of touch?). In any case, we are staying tuned so that we too can learn how to juggle our extraordinary lives of charity balls, business ventures, Hampton house-hunting, and party planning all among Manhattan’s elite.

Move over Manhattan

A proposed $47M project to restore Harlem’s most acclaimed theater, The Apollo, is in full swing as theater officials launch a public fundraiser which aims at restoring the theater to its former glory. What can you get for $47 million dollars these days you ask?

- You could purchase an 18,000 square foot mansion situated on 25-acres in the infamous Hamptons. Rowboat for paddling around island included.

- You could have your very own, 510-acre private island off the coast of St. Thomas in the Caribbean. Viva la sol!

- The human body is said to be estimated around $45M, taking into consideration to the value of your bone marrow ($23 million), lungs ($116,400), kidney ($91,400), and heart ($57,000) to name a few.

As for the theater, $47M will provide for doubling the size of the theater lobby which will house a new grand staircase, along with repainting the walls, restoring the box seating, and replacing the columns and marble within. The icing on the cake – a bronze plaque memorial ‘Walk of Fame’ in front of the theater, idolizing such legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday and Stevie Wonder, who have all graced its stage.

New York No Longer In a Squeeze

No longer will New Yorker’s have to truly brave the elements of the all mighty public loo. The Big Apple is proud to offer the city’s first pay-per-potty at over 20 locations throughout the city. We first noticed one at Madison Square Park, just around the corner from the Shake Shack, and may we say – we will never ‘hold it’ again! The drawback? These pearly potties will be closed from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM to protect against midnight monkey business. The bottom line: At just 25 cents a visit, these high-tech self cleaning toilets offer everyone their very own 15 minutes of relief, 12 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Packers vs. Giants - Who Will Win?

525,600 Reasons to be Sad

Rent has announced that it will be closing its run on Broadway. Our hankies are at the ready because we heart this show. Originally part of New York Theatre Workshops, this little show about “la vie boheme” in the East Village went on to become the 7th longest-running show in Broadway history, win four Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Closing on June 1st, the show leaves behind a good run, touring companies all over the work and the always-necessary call to “measure your life in love.”

NYC or Bust

New York once again broke its own tourism records in 2007 with a over 46 million visitors coming to NYC. That’s up 6% from the record high tourism of 2006, and accounts for over $28 billion in spending. Mayor Bloomberg has set a goal of over 50 million annual visitors by 2015 and it appears that the city is on track to achieve that sooner than expected.

A Winning Team

Politics, Shmolitics

We’re the first to admit that there is little about the political process that we find enjoyable. And the extended campaigning and incessant to’ing and fro’ing by the candidates this year has not endeared us in any way. But, elections are important and having a voice in the process is important, so for the most part, we heart the Presidential election. But, it really makes us think that there are other things that should be voted on that are not. Such as? Well, such as the following:

A local election to nominate and elect postal service workers. We’re not saying we don’t like our postman, but is there someone we would like more? Perhaps.

A national vote to add more federal holidays. We are BIG fans of the 4 day weekend…and also honoring important people in our nation’s history. Yeah, definitely.

A national election to ban all media coverage of Britney, Paris, Lindsey and Nicole. A simple yes or no vote. Yup, it would be a dream come true.

A local election to get rid of required bottle service at clubs and lounges. We know…everyone is a VIP these days, but really?

A national election for Mike Bloomberg as President. Oh wait…that might actually happen. If only Derek Jeter could be his running mate . Now THAT’S the ticket!

Happy New Year!