Park(ing) NYC-style

What’s hap, hap, happening on this lovely Fall Friday in NYC? Lovely that you asked. Time’s Up and Green Map, two of the city's many active environmental organizations, are sponsoring Park(ing) Day in the West Village. This one-day global event is hosted in various cities, and features a collaboration between artists, activitists and citizens to temporarily transform metered parking spots into Park(ing) spaces – temporary public parks. This year’s park is hitting the streets today in front of Birdbath Green Bakery on 7th Ave at Charles Street until 6 pm. We hear that some comfy chairs, a bit of shade and a spot of lemonade is being provided. Here's a pic of last year's park in midtown. As kids who love our city for moving toward a greener way of being, we’re all for parking it on the street for the afternoon.

Woo Hoo - It's Wednesday!

Café Carlyle

Last night Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band kicked off the 52nd Season of performances at Café Carlyle. A New York institution, Café Carlyle offers refined service, exceptional cuisine and amazing performances. Featuring some of yesterday and today’s most favorite jazz and cabaret performers, this Fall Café Carlyle will be hosting Mr. Allen’s regular Monday night gig, along with Eartha Kitt, Elaine Stritch and Judy Collins, in the intimate venue. Nothing says New York like a night a the Carlyle.

With Our Rabbit Ears, We Declare

So, after a particularly busy weekend, we were thrilled to find ourselves sacked out in front of the TV (or our best friend Ramon, as we like to call him) last night watching the Emmy Awards. While it wasn’t a particularly exciting show to watch (Ramon and I blame Ryan Seacrest), it did make us think of our deep, committed and unwavering love of television. And it also made us realize just how many of shows in our glassy-eyed past are based on New York. So, here is a listing of some of Team Shackman’s favorite NYC TV Shows, in no particular order:

Law & Order – Spawning spin-off after spin-off, and employing just about every actor at some point in their career, L&O is practically a cottage industry.

Sex and the City – It’s no secret that the strongest relationship on the show was the characters marriage to The Big Apple. NYC is quite a looker - who can blame them?

Seinfeld – Duh.

30 Rock – we heart Tina Fey. Bigtime.

Everybody Hates Chris – Ok…we don’t really watch this show. But, it represents Brooklyn, which we do heart. And Ramon likes it.

Saturday Night Live – Duh squared.

What's Hot

Keepin' It Real – Let’s be honest, K.I.R never experiences the chilly winds that come with being out of style. But, K.I.R. version 9.14 is All Brooklyn, All Bowling. The Gutter - the first bowling alley opened in BK in half a century - is a hoot. That's right - a hoot! With a Schlitz globe in the house and old school pin-setters, this new “Old as New” bowling alley is going to be paradise to Brooklyn’s many hipsters. We’ll probably even make a swing by to check it out.

Fall – Ok, go with us on this one. We realize that Fall is temperately cooler than summer, which makes it decidedly “not hot” on principle. But, we heart the way that in the Fall, people start strolling down the streets again in NYC wearing funky hats, chucky scarves and clunky shoes. It’s like people remember what it’s like to dress for fun and that is just…hot.

Zeppoles – People...The Feast of San Genero has officially started, and that means that the hot, hot, hot little balls of deep-fried, sweet goodness known as Zeppoles are back in town. Run, do not walk down to Little Itlay. There is just nothing like a stroll down Mulberry, taking in the sights and sounds of the Annual Street Festival while munching on these bad boys.

Derek Jeter – HOT. Then, Now, Forever.

Coming Attractions

Our love of all things Jennifer Garner extends well beyond her butt-kicking role in Alias (which, truthfully, may have had more to do with her co-star and love interest, Michael Vartan.) No…we have loved Jennifer from back in the day when she was our favorite hostest with the mostest at one of our much-visited Upper West Side brunch joints. Success, in this case it seems, has gone to the deserving. So, how tickled pink are we that she will be coming to Broadway in this Fall’s Cyrano de Bergerac? Very. And to add a cherry on top of our cupcake, Kevin Kline will play Cyrano to Ms. Garner’s Roxane, and the very talented Daniel Sunjata (Take Me Out) will star as Christian. Now, we will not let our Jen G. adoration cloud our remembrances of some of Broadway’s more recent star turns without sizzle (you know who you are, Julia Roberts), but, we’re hopeful. The show opens November 1st.

New York Summer

FALL FALL FALL BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

Ok, we’re going to be brave. We’re going to accept that there are certain things we can’t change. Like Fall. It’s going to come. But, we’re also going to remember that Fall brings its own magic with it. Some things that have us jazzed for the upcoming months in New York?

New Show Openings: There are some serious stars coming to New York this Fall: Claire Danes (Pygmalion with Jefferson Mays); Ian “Please Call Me Sir” McKellen (King Lear at BAM); Megan Mullally (Young Frankenstein); Jennifer Garner (Cyrano De Bergerac with Kevin Kline); and Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale) – just to name a few.

Art Explosion: The Dutch are invading the Met with a major exposition, “ The Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Paintings…”; MoMA is still riding the waves of the Richard Serra exhibit through September 10, and doing a focused look at Alexander Calder’s early work; The Whitney houses Kara Walker’s first full-scale American museum survey.

America’s Next Top Model: Cycle 9, BABY!

Central Park in the Fall: ‘Nuff said.

This Moment is Brought to You by The Arch

BK Rulz

It isn't often (ever) that we venture out to Brooklyn. We're not quite sure why (we're lazy). After all we’ve heard nothing but raves about the art scene (overrun with hipsters), music scene (overrun with hipsters) and the foodie scene (overrun by stroller-wielding hipsters.) But, a recent excursion had us all excited about the Borough formerly known as Kings. From hipsters to hasidim, from pizza to picturesque vistas, Brooklyn had a bit of everything. We stopped by our favorite boxing gym to work on our jabs and punches, took in our favorite view of the Brooklyn Bridge (from right below it) and stopped by Steiner Studios to stalk some film stars (no luck.) Of course, Grimaldi’s beckoned and we couldn’t deny ourselves. But, a walk across the bridge back to Manhattan surely worked off the calories. Although, we’re pretty sure the bag of Jacques Torres chocolates is still with us.

Love to Love You, Baby

A recent night celebrating some birthdays had us trolling about the club-land known as Chelsea. Given that we’re less likely these days to shake, shake, shake our groove things, and more likely to shake, shake, shake a bowl of popcorn while sacked out on the couch, we saw some new and cool things. It’s been a while since we’ve unleashed our inner dancing queens and kings. Well, we made up for lost time, and got down on the dance floor. It reminded us of why New York is considered one of the world’s best play-lands, and made us think of some ab-fab places to get our groove on. Some favorites? Here you go:

Lotus – A personal favorite, this multi-tiered Babylon of hip is all about high style, high energy and that’s what NYC lounge living is all about. With décor done in sexy and soft shades of caramel and chocolate, Lotus keeps the MeatPacking district buzzing.

Cielo – If you are looking to really shake a tailfeather, Cielo is the place for you. The DJs are amongst the best in the city and the smaller setting makes everyone just…pop. Also, we’re all about fresh air when dancing, so the outdoor lounge is nice to catch our breath and a wink.

Pre:Post – No night of clubbing is complete without a little nosh before AND after, right? Well, Pre:Post can cater to both urges! Serving the West Cheslea crowd bistro fare in the daylight and the twilight, Pre:Post fills a very unique niche in New York…and many hungry tummies.

Welcome to the USA

Without getting all political, we can say that we’re not President Bush’s biggest fans. While we’re certainly not his least favorite, we do not wear I heart Bush t-shirts for many, many reasons. Well, the man has scored some points with us this week by signing legislation that expands the Visa Waiver Program. The expansion of the legislation will allow citizens from 39 countries (up from 27) to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa, while putting measures in place to enhance national security and improve the arrival process through customs upon entry in the U.S. The National Tour Association, a big proponent of the legislation’s expansion, notes that it will help the U.S. regain lost market share in international travel and work to improve the United States’ image abroad, and we’re definitely big fans of that.

We'd Rather Be At Work...Seriously

Hooray! A Garden for Beer

We can't tell a lie - we love sitting outdoors in the summer months, drinking beer with our friends. We heart beer. We heart summery outdoors. We heart our friends. Put these things together and you've got quite a good time. So, where does one find such good times in NYC? Taking the N train to Queens, our quest is satisfied at the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria. This old time restaurant and beer garden is a former Czech and Slovak social club and features some great Eastern European beers on tap, as well as some tried and true culinary delights. Besides being the last remaining beer garden in New York, the Boho Hall boasts a totally relaxed environment to while away weekend afternoons with a good brew. 'Nuff said.

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.