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!

Top NYC Moments of 2007

Subway Hero – Early January is always a cruel month. The hype of the holidays leads to a month filled with cold winds and drooping temperatures. Subway Hero, Wesley Autrey, revived our spirits last January when he jumped on a subway track in front of an on-coming train to cover a student who had fallen on the tracks after suffering a seizure. It was selfless and inspiring and it still makes us mist up to think about it.

Senator Hillary Clinton Announces Her Candidacy for President – The former First Lady and Senator from New York has always been a trailblazer, and as the first woman to run for President, the trail is leading her to the White House. It’s anyone’s guess who will be our President-to-be at this time next year, but it’s bound to be an adventure for Hillary.

Will Smith’s Legend Takes Over Manhattan – New Yorker’s are never ones to keep their mouths shut, and Will Smith got an earful when filming “I am Legend” in New York this past year. After tying up traffic and closing down parts of the city, he commented that, “I felt like my middle name was F.U.” Yup, that seems about right.

Bloomberg’s Mayor’s Conference – Our man, Mike Bloomberg, hosted the C40 Conference of Mayors in New York and brought sustainability and responsibility front and center for rest of the world’s big city mayors. Is this guy President yet?

Grand Central Steam Pipe Explosion – On July 19th, New Yorkers experienced a totally unnatural geyser, as a steam pipe ruptured near Grand Central. With only 1 death and minimal injuries, we should consider ourselves lucky. Con Ed? Not so much.

Gossip Girl – Ok, it’s not really a moment. It’s a TV show. But, we like Gossip, and it’s set in some of our favorite NYC haunts and we like that.

Strikers – In late November, it seems as though everyone was on strike and we were tempted to take to the streets to strike against the strikes. Thankfully, the lights of the Great White Way are shining again, but we’re not happy at the thought of a winter devoid of the Golden Globes and the Oscars if the Writer’s Guild remains on strike.

Rockefeller Christmas Tree – This city is going greener and greener as the days go by. Even our beloved Christmas Tree in Rock Center is sporting energy-conserving LED lights. That’s over 84 feet of inspiration for conservation, blazing for all to see. It's just enough to lead us into 2008 with a smile on our faces.

May your holiday season be merry and bright! Wishing all of our friends, colleagues and clients a happy, safe and prosperous New Year!

Rock Center Christmas Tree

Trolling through the internet today, we stumbled upon this great picture of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. It was erected by construction workers in 1931 shortly after the site was cleared to begin construction. Like a classic New York story, the humble beginnings of this tradition has grown into something grand and elegant, topped with something very sparkly. Enjoy!

2nd Avenue Relocates to 33rd Street

Keeping things kosher in Kips Bay, the 2nd Avenue deli has re-opened after closing last year at its famed 2nd Avenue location. New Yorkers from far and wide are rejoicing as the historic business unshutters to serve classic deli favorites, like matzoh ball soup, pastrami on rye and much, much more. Jeremy Lebewohl, the nephew of the deli's late founder, Abe Lebewohl, kicked off the reborn venture with a cutting of nickel shtikel sausages.

Just a Reminder

It is a busy time of year for everyone and NYC is in full hustle and bustle mode. While the sights and sounds of New York at the holidays are exciting and can easily draw one’s eye upward for an appreciative glance, causing one’s feet to stop moving and come to a dead halt, please know that this type of activity (or lack thereof) is not appreciated by most New Yorkers when it occurs in the middle of the sidewalk. It also is not appreciated when packs of 4-12 people do it at the same time. Just a reminder to help everyone keep the holiday spirit alive and well in the city.

Brooklyn Bridge Goes Green

Bloomberg does it again. Ok, it’s not only our super-hero mayor who is behind NYC’s newest environmental upgrades, but we like to think he had a lot to do with it. Top of the list? One of the nation's oldest suspension bridges - The Brooklyn Bridge - is getting a modern makeover and going green. The famous necklace lights on the bridge will be replaced with energy-efficient bulbs, saving over 134 tons of greenhouse gases annually. Coming soon? The city will replace 25,000 streetlights and start phasing in new hybrid police and fire vehicles. All of the upgrades are gearing the city toward its goal of a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. If anyone can us get there, it’s Bloomberg.

Greetings from New York

Happy Thanksgiving from Shackman Associates

So New York

The Sweetest Bling

New York is known for setting records of all sorts, and dessert is no exception to this. One of NYC’s famed dessert institutions, Serendipity 3, has unveiled the world’s most expensive dessert, as certified by Guinness. Partnering with a luxury jeweler, Serendipity 3 created the “Frrozen Haute Chocolate,” a blend of 28 cocoas from around the globe. The chocolate sundae is infused with edible 23-carat gold, served in a goblet lined with edible gold, and served with a side of La Madeline au Truffle from Knipschildt Chocolatier, which sells for $2,600 a pound. But, surely that’s not all, right? No, it’s not. Taking this from your average fancy-pants sweet treat to total luxury is the 18-karat gold bracelet with 1 carat of white diamonds served at the base, and the gold spoon decorated white and chocolate colored diamonds, both of which belong to the guest who orders the dessert. So, what’s the price tag for such lusciousness? A mere $25,000.

A Post- Marathon Monday

Yesterday, a record-breaking 39,085 runners lined up in Staten Island for the start of the ING New York City Marathon and New Yorkers from near and far came out in droves to support them as they ran the grueling race to the finish line in Central Park. A few of our favorite scenes from yesterday?

• Lance Armstrong striding up First Avenue in a pack of runners


• A man running in banana suit while eating a banana


• Katie Holmes cruising toward the finish line in Central Park


• Seeing runners, young and not so young, from all over the globe take to New York’s streets, running on behalf of their countries, their families, their favorite charities, and best of all, running just because they can


• Family friend Ryan Lawrence finishing his first marathon in the top 250 men’s finishers


• Paula Radcliffe’s triumphant return to marathons after a two year lapse from competition


• The buzz that takes over New York on Marathon Sunday - there’s just nothing like it anywhere