Happy Happy Happy

A couple of office birthdays this week reminded each of us of just what is so great about birthdays. From the celebrations, the hugs and kisses, the sweet treats…we firmly heart birthdays. A recent poll of Team Shackman asked the question: “What was the best birthday present you’ve ever received?” Kick back and blow out the imaginary candles as you read:

• A 25th birthday trip to Paris, feted and treated by Dad


• A true eight-year old’s delight in the form of a Pink Huffy Bicycle, complete with sparkly streamers and a banana seat


• A surprise trip home to Spain to celebrate a birthday with the family after 10 years of being away - Feliz! Feliz!


• A milestone birthday was celebrated on the sand and in the sun of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands


• A puppy’s licks made a certain birthday the most memorable


• A pair of red Adidas roller skates, complete with sparkling shoe laces, were the highlight of being 10 and made growing feet a sad occasion

Congestion Question

As New Yorkers who are forced to battle for road space on daily basis, we can totally get behind Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to implement a congestion fee for Manhattan. Yes, we’re totally thinking from that special place we go to when we are stuck in midtown, rush-hour traffic in the back of a taxi with no air conditioning. So, in an effort to “say something when we see something,” we’ve come up with some alternative plans to help ease congestion. We don’t want to give away all of our secrets before we meet with the Mayor (which we’re convinced will happen any day now), but here are a couple of highlights from the list:

• Replace all taxis with hover-craft style vehicles that fly through the city


• Ban shoes on all city sidewalks, and mandate roller-skates as the city’s required footwear


• Replace the Department of Motor Vehicles with training and licensing classes on magical apparition, taught by the esteemed Professors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry


• Replace sidewalks in NYC with moving escalators, and allow NYC cops to arrest anyone who does not adhere strictly to the custom of standing on the right, passing on the left


• All drivers will vie for entrance into the city with a series of competitive challenges at checkpoints, including those blow-up sumo wrestling get-ups…those just crack us up…

Deli De-lish

If something can be as “American as Apple Pie,” perhaps other things can be as “New York as a Pastrami on Rye." If you are coming to New York and your stomach is leading the tour, there is one place that is a must-visit that will take you beyond the current culinary trends and back to a place where a bowl of assorted pickles is THE appetizer of choice. Katz’s Deli. Yup, Katz’s still rules. No ifs, ands or buts about it. It has embraced itself as a tourist destination (Yes, Harry did meet Sally there), yet maintained its NYC cred by keeping the same quintessential deli menu offerings from the day it opened. If you’re looking for the best brisket or the perfect pastrami or the choicest cheesecake, look no further than Katz’s. We’ll be there in the back, stuffing our faces.

Happy Independence Day!

Summer...Oh Yeah

Leave it to New York to do things a bit differently in the summertime. A bit more spunk. A bit more pizzazz. A bit more sumpthin’ sumpthin’. Scanning the horizons and the waterfront, it seems like hot times are in bloom in the Big Apple. Here are a few things we’ve had our eye on recently:

**We love that artist and bon vivant/man about town Julian Schnabel has created a hot pink mess in the West Village with his soaring residential tower/ode to all things rose. Of course, if we lived in the neighborhood we’d probably be horrified, but there’s something so punk about the color that we just can’t give it a thumbs down.

**When we were tiny little event planners-to-be, one of our favorite things to do was go to the pool in the summertime. Well, short of spending our hard-earned dough on a fancy-schmancy gym membership, what are we pool-lovers to do in NYC? Take it the barge! Opening in July, the Neptune Foundation’s Floating Lady will be able to accommodate almost 200 swimmers on their redesigned floating barge pool, docked in Brooklyn. Rumor has it that the Water Taxi will be docking there, which means we are so there with our goggles, floaties and flippers.

Broadway Awakening

The 61st Annual Tony Awards were presented on Sunday evening, and it was truly a night that rocked. The heavily favored anthem to youthful exploration,“Spring Awakening,” stole the night, taking home the most trophies, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Performance of a Featured Actor, Best Original Score, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestration and Best Lighting. Describing the show as “all about the hopes we feel as parents and the wounds we feel as children,” the show’s Tony Award-winning Book writer, Steven Sater was on-hand to collect one of the show’s 8 awards.

Other big winners included the Lincoln Center marathon production of “The Coast of Utopia,” and Grey Gardens, featuring the masterful Christine Ebersole The full list of Tony winners and their acceptance speeches can be found at www.tonyawards.com.

Old King Cole

So, imagine that you’re Old King Cole, hanging about in your mural in the St. Regis Hotel. It’s been about 40 years since your last tune up and things are not looking as…fresh as they once did. Well, it's nothing that a little $100,000 glam fix can’t remedy, and the St. Regis has recently unveiled the restored Maxfield Parish oil painting. As the centerpiece for the King Cole Bar & Lounge, the mural is now back in its rightful place, amongst the classic cocktails and stately elegance of this midtown gem!

All the World is a Stage

Maybe it's because the Tony's are right around the corner, but we're seeing drama everywhere! Taking the theatricality of dining one step further, the former Park Avenue Café is transforming itself seasonally in a very dramatic fashion. With plans to open and close four times a year, and restaurant-design wizkids, AvroKO (of Public and Stanton Social fame) on board, the restaurant will transform its physical space to match their customized seasonal menus. Is this the start of a new trend? As with most productions, its best to wait until the curtain is drawn to make a conclusion.

I Scream, You Scream

It is indeed that time of year: Grilled meats, chilled beer, roof decks, beach towels, and...ice cream. Above all, ice cream. Our summer is off to a banging start with the opening of another Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory in hipster-haven Greenpoint. In a building that has historically housed a Caribbean restaurant and a glass factory, the newest shop brings the same quality we've come to expect to his eight signature flavors. With the promise of a sidewalk crêpe cart in the future, we are amped to head to BK!

Mr. Warhol - 15 Minutes on the Clock Please

Imagine if in some sort of alternative reality-TV-competition universe Iron Chef met American Idol - What would you have? Our new fave joint, Spotlight Live. Located on Broadway in the heart of Manhattan, this place has got us hooked. Serving fame with fantastic fare, this interactive dining and entertainment experience brings great dining together with great (and not so great) performances. Whether you are cutting a hit record in the private recording booths or performing "on Broadway" on the Spotlight Live Jumbo Tron, Spotlight Live is bound to unleash your inner superstar.

Here Comes The Sun...La Dee Da Da

Les Fleurs du Printemps

There are so many things to love about Spring time in New York, but the first budding tulips searching for the sun is definitely one of the most fleeting, lovely surprises to happen every year. But why limit your flower gazing to Spring only? A visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden can satisfy and pass along a little flower power. The recently renovated Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery is hosting large scale prints and drawings by Sarajevo native Tanja Softic, and it just isn’t spring without Cherry Blossoms, on display through May 6th.

Spring Is Coming

Hurry Spring Hurry!

We're Still Winners

Ok, so we didn’t pocket $370 million last night in the big lottery. It’s very sad and we’ve already had a good cry into our lattes. While it was fun to dream about our fancy new lives, post-lotto, it would be interesting to see how far the money would go in New York City. So, folks, this is just a taste of what $370 million will get you in the Big Apple:

• 370 million copies of The New York Times


• 185 million slices of pizza


• 185 million trips on the subway


• 90 million large chocolate shakes from Shake Shack


• 18.5 million visits to the Museum of Modern Art


• 15.5 million trips on the Circle line


• 3.7 million tickets to Wicked, Spamalot, or Jersey Boys

We've Got a Secret

Ok, it’s not really a "super secret" along the lines of Capone’s vault, Hoffa’s body and Cher’s plastic surgery past, but it’s still pretty fun. The Campbell Apartment is not an apartment filled with Campbell’s soup – it’s even better! It’s a true New York gem, tucked away in the heart of Grand Central Terminal. Visitors are invited to return to a time when train stations were bastions of glamour, laced with intrigue. Think Hercule Poirot stroking a glass of port before boarding the Orient Express, think Nick and Nora, sniping at each other over martinis. The Campbell Apartment has recently undergone a renovation to this fully restored and luxurious office of 30’s tycoon, John W. Campbell. This Nouveau-Deco sanctuary of velvet, brocade, gilt, leaded glass, mahogany, and marble provides the perfect tableau for an evening of cocktails.

Sunrise, Sunset

A Little Bit of Love

Listen up, potential lovers. Love of the furriest kind is in the air. The ASPCA, along with their partner animal rescue organizations, has declared February as "I Love NYC Pets" Month. Cool, right? More than 50 adoption events will be offered throughout February in all five boroughs, and city shelters will be extending their adoption hours. Perhaps it's time you you found your four-legged sidekick!

Baby It's Cold Outside

With negative temperatures outside and the cold wind whipping our backs, our mind immediately wanders to…Hawaii. But, we then jump right to a big cup of something warm and creamy. New York has no shortage of opportunities to get a cup of coffee, but sometimes you need a little sugar with your jolt. Here’s where you can find some of the city’s best cups of hot chocolate:

Max Brenner’s Chocolate by the Bald Man – trying to create a “new chocolate culture,” our good man Max Brenner serves up cocoa right in their signature “hug mugs.” (no handles) We took the hint and snuggled up to an assortment of cocoas on a recent visit.

MarieBelle – It’s hard not to feel special at MarieBelle’s Cacao Bar. While the name conjures up images of a room made out of chocolate that we can nibble on, the bar has a decidedly European feel, but their cup of hot chocolate will make you feel like you are right at home.

Vosges – Like all good things, a little bit of sugar and a little bit of spice gets the job done right. This is definitely the case with Vosges spicy hot chocolate with cinnamon and chili peppers

Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Haven – We love all things Jacques. Chocolate covered cheerios – brilliant. Chocolate covered orange peel – a citrusy bit of heaven. Chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels – yum times 10. Well, all of these pale in comparison to their house hot chocolate. We’re just…speechless.

And the winner is…

Well, another year…and no Oscar nomination. It shouldn’t be surprising, in that we’re not actors, directors, writers or producers, but still, it just…hurts. We will try to recover from our loss by remembering that we live in one of the cinema’s most beautifully filmed cities. Some favorite screen captures?

Ghostbusters (1984) – It’s one of the most revisited films based in NYC. Shot throughout the city, from Central Park West to Tribeca to some great scenes in Midtown. One of our favorites? A hysterical Rick Moranis at Tavern on the Green. It still cracks us up to think about it.

When Harry Met Sally (1989) – It’s one of those scenes that’s just unforgettable. Well, we think that Katz’s pastrami sandwiches are pretty unforgettable, and the mere mention of Meg Ryan is enough to get us salivating.

Ransom (1996) – Yes, there once was a time when Mel Gibson was known as just an actor with a movie filmed in New York. Ahhh…good times. The kidnap scene at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park is both a parent’s worst nightmare and one of the best representations of the hectic pace of Central Park.

The Interpreter (2005) – As the only film shot inside the United Nations, this film brings a level of realism to the story that had us on the edge of our seat.

Anything by Woody Allen – ‘Nuff said.

Oooooohhhh...Pretty

NYC Sunset from Top of the Rock