155 East 49th Street

05/30/2014

AIDS Walk Raises $5.1M for GMHC: NY's last AIDS Walk on May 18th raised a better-than-expected $5.1 million, according to its main beneficiary, GMHC. The $5,105,276 raised by the annual event was more than organizers had anticipated, but it was still the lowest amount raised in the past decade. A crowd of about 35,000 participants took part in the 10-kilometer walk, and with money still coming in, GMHC expects to take in a total of more than $5.2 million, our resources said. Many of the city's AIDS organizations have seen donations fall over the past several years as causes like marriage equality have drawn more attention and cash from New York's LGBT community. A GMHC spokesman also attributed the decrease to a nationwide drop in revenue from walks. This year's AIDS Walk got major support from Mayor Bill de Blasio, who spoke at the opening ceremony — the first New York mayor to participate in more than a decade.

AIDS Walk New York will take place on May 18, 2014. Register today!

05/28/2014

New Museum Exhibit to Let Visitors Try Google Glass: New Museum visitors will see art a little differently when the Triennial returns in February 2015. Through a partnership with Google Glass, the museum will launch a “visitor engagement app” using the wearable technology, our resources announced. The app and “glassware” will be available for the Triennial, a recurring exhibition that showcases international emerging artists. The partnership and the app’s development are still in the early stages, but the technology is intended to “enhance visitor engagement at the Triennial” and allow the public to share their experiences. The New Museum has explored the intersection between technology and art in past projects, including the Seven on Seven Conference on May 3, which paired leading technologists with artists. The museum also created Media Z Lounge in 2000, a dedicated space for digital art projects, but the Google Glass partnership is the museum's first effort to use technology to augment visitors’ experiences.

The New Museum is a leading destination for new art and new ideas. It is Manhattan’s only dedicated contemporary art museum and is respected internationally for the adventurousness and global scope of its curatorial program.

05/26/2014

The city's next legendary bagel: The second you utter those words in New York, get ready for opinion overload. Murray’s rules! What about Ess-A-Bagel? Are you forgetting Kossar’s? Uh, hello...Bagel Hole. Though the debate will never end, there is a strong new contender for the top spot: Black Seed Bagels. From the brains behind Mile End Deli (Noah Bernamoff) and The Smile (Matt Kliegman), the Nolita shop blends Montreal and New York techniques for preparation. The dough is rolled noticeably thinner than with the typical overstuffed variety (that’s where the Canadian influence comes in) and boiled in a vat of, we believe, honey-tinged water before getting finished off in a wood-fired oven. You can watch all the magic happen in the open kitchen, then take a seat at one of the handful of chairs to enjoy the spoils. Even if you stand by a longtime institution, there is no debating how bonkers good Black Seed is. 170 Elizabeth St. at Spring St. Stalk them on Facebook here:

Bagels

05/23/2014

Breaking: HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival’s lineup is hot and sweaty: If you like paying nothing to see sultry movies in public spaces, your day is made. We’re blessed with many outdoor film festivals in this town, but Bryant Park makes a strong case for Monday-night supremacy: It really gets the idea that heat plays a part in it. The series kicks off on June 16th with Saturday Night Fever (bring your pizza and go double-stacked), where you can expect attendees to turn the screening into a participatory, hip-swinging experience. And while you surely remember the Crane and “Sweep the leg, Johnny” from The Karate Kid (August 4), don’t forget that this is one of the great summer movies—a cruel summer, in fact. How unbearably romantic would it be if you went to see Bogie and Bacall in the hurricane-drenched romance Key Largo (July 28th), and it rained? Then again, if you’re not buying this whole hot-movies thing, there’s always The Shining on August 18th. And if you think that movie’s hot, we’re going to set up our blanket over there, thanks. http://bryantpark.org/plan-your-visit/filmfestival.html

05/21/2014

Water Taxi Launches Commuter Ferry Connecting West Side to Downtown! Good news for Wall Streeters living on the Far West Side who can now get to work by boat — and there are free rides this week! New York Water Taxi launched a new rush-hour commuter ferry Monday morning, connecting Hudson River Park's Pier 84, at West 44th Street, to Brookfield Place in Battery Park City and giving residents of the West Side's new developments a water link to Downtown's offices. 3 round-trip ferries will launch from the Brookfield Place starting each weekday at 7:40am and again starting at 4:45 pm. Tickets will be $4.50 for a single ride and $8.00 for a round trip starting next Monday. The Far West Side has few transit options, though that will soon change with the opening of the 7 train extension to West 34th St. and 11th Ave. later this year. The area is home to several major new developments that will draw thousands of new residents, including Hudson Yards, which is now under construction. http://www.nywatertaxi.com/

New York Water Taxi provides the most exciting & entertaining NYC boat tour. Tour NY, all while taking in skylines, bridges & lush waterfront parks.

05/09/2014

Rare Basquiat Drawings Being Shown at Upper East Side Gallery: A new exhibit featuring artist Jean-Michel Basquiat will present some of the artist’s lesser-known works. Acquavella Galleries on East 79th Street will host an exhibit of Basquiat’s drawings, including some of his earliest works. The exhibit runs from May 1 to June 13 and includes 22 drawings and two paintings, all from the collection of Herbert and Lenore Schorr. The Schorrs were some of Basquiat’s earliest supporters. They began collecting his pieces in 1981, before the artist’s first solo New York exhibition. In addition to acquiring several paintings that are now recognized as some of Basquiat’s most important works, the Schorrs also sought out the artist’s drawings, something that set them apart from many early collectors according to the exhibit’s curator. The Acquavella exhibit marks the first time that works from the Schorrs collection will be on display. Many of the pieces have never before been seen by the public.

Exhibition page for Jean-Michel Basquiat Drawing showing at Acquavella Galleries. Includes press release, selected works, press, catalogues and associated artists.

05/07/2014

Get compensated for being bumped off a plane! Did you know that hundreds of thousands of travelers were bumped off domestic flights last year? And did you know that many of those poor forsaken souls were legally owed cash - not just drink vouchers? How much were they due? Well, according to the Code of Federal Regulations, you’re supposed to get up to $1,300 if you’re kicked off a flight because of overbooking. Here to aid in your quest for justice is AirHelp, a new website and app that bullies airlines into paying out. So next time you’re stuck at LAX after getting bumped off your 10pm red-eye, simply open the app and enter a few details about your (stupid) flight. AirHelp will then check to see if you’re eligible for reimbursement and if so, how much. If you are owed money, you’ll sign a PDF granting them power of attorney and they’ll go to bat for your compensation, which should arrive within six weeks. (It can take up to a year if they have to take the airline to court.) AirHelp gets paid only if you get paid--they keep 25% - and they give you $20 for every fellow passenger you recruit from your flight. So go ahead, start your public griping.

We flew to San Francisco with SAS in March 2013. We missed a day of our holiday because our flight was cancelled. We contacted SAS for compensation without any luck. AirHelp did an amazing job. They got the compensation we deserved. The service was fast and professional. I can warmly recommend AirHe…

05/05/2014

NYC buses are now trackable! It’s a GPS world. We’re just living in it. (Right, mayor of Water Lily Nail Spa?) And public transportation is one step closer to joining the 21st century - thanks to MTA Bus Time. A municipal program that’s been slowly rolling out over the last two years, Bus Time is finally fully realized now that every New York City route is satellite-enabled. There are a few ways to track down these suckers: You can download an app like Transit that shows nearby bus lines and a countdown of how long before each one arrives. Or once you’re at the bus stop, you can simply text the stop’s assigned number. The MTA will immediately respond with how far away the next bus is. If you’re having drinks in a neighborhood you don't know that well, it might be best to use the Transit app. Check to see when the next crosstown ride is coming and plan just the right moment to bolt. But in our opinion, texting is best for buses you take on the regular. By cutting out the app's loading time, you don’t risk any lag in communication. We’ve saved our daily stop’s number in our phone to know exactly how long we have to brush our teeth.

05/02/2014

Spa Castle is coming to Midtown East! The spa, which could once only be found in College Point, Queens, and Texas, is bringing its colorful healing rooms and soothing pools to 115 E. 57th St. near Park Avenue, our resources reported. The spa's Manhattan outpost will go by the name Spa Castle Premier and will be decked out with plenty of indoor and outdoor amenities, including “invigorating massages” and “savory cuisines.” The Spa Castle in Queens, owned by C. Castle Group Corp., features an aqua bar, a kiddie pool, a waterfall, a color therapy sauna and a sauna lined with plates of real gold. In addition, the spa in Queens includes a food court, offering a variety of cuisines, including Asian, American and Italian. Stay posted on the opening.

?The perfect combination of traditional Asian saunas and luxurious European spas?

04/30/2014

The new app that discounts indie coffee: Fellow coffee fiends, remember the moment you first discovered the Starbucks gold card? Suddenly your wallet was no longer littered with half-punched business cards, you started receiving occasional mochas on the house and, best of all, you could pay right from your phone. Well, a similar rewards revolution is now taking over the indie-coffee-shop scene. Introducing CUPS. Here’s the deal: You download the app (from iTunes or Google Play), buy a prepaid drink package (similar to putting money on your Starbucks card) and redeem at any participating brewer around town. But rather than the occasional reward, you get serious discounts on each cup. Once your account is loaded, simply order at the counter as you normally would, choose your drink on the app and show your phone to the cashier (who will tap a code to confirm the purchase). We’ll be excited when the locations list expands. But even now, we’re sold. Download the app below:

CUPS is a mobile app that connects coffee drinkers with independent cafes. Our members purchase prepaid plans to get discounted drinks at some of New York′s best coffee shops. With the CUPS app, you can walk into any one of our cafes and use your Smartphone to get a great deal on a cup of joe.

04/28/2014

Buzzy new restaurants based on train lines: Pop quiz! What’s your subway-transfer limit? You live on the Upper East. Your friend wants to meet in Meatpacking. What do you do? What do you do? If it were up to us, we’d travel to the ends of the island - so long as we could stay on the same subway line. (You know: Hop on, grab a seat and settle in with a good Atlantic article.) Convenience is king. Check out this slideshow of the city’s newest, buzziest restaurants based on which train you take. Find your line and get ready to brag about your unreal vegan Ethiopian dinner in Bushwick below:

Buzzy new restaurants based on train lines

04/23/2014

Brooklyn Navy Yard to Host Whiskey Tasting, Photography and Performance Art starting May 18th: This spring Brooklyn Navy Yard will be a prime spot for anyone who loves whiskey, photography and futuristic plots. The Yard is opening its doors to the public for a slew of quirky tours that allow visitors to taste moonshine and bourbon from the city's oldest distillery, get access to the yard's most photogenic sites and take part in an interactive production set in the year 2020. The Whiskey Wars! tour explores the history of the Navy Yard's Marine crackdown on small whiskey distilleries in Vinegar Hill in 1869, which was later coined "Whiskey War of Brooklyn"! During the tour, visitors explore the Marine headquarters where armed troops were dispatched into the surrounding neighborhoods before tasting spirits at Kings County Distillery; The Seasonal Photography Tour covers the historic Navy Hospital Campus, the World War II-era pier and a functioning dry dock that is currently used for ship repair. And for those that crave something a little more fantastical, the Yard's visiting artists take visitors to the Yard's most emptiest spaces to invoke a time when people still had secrets and privacy. All tours start at BLDG 92 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. For more info, tickets, and a list of all the Yard's tours visit:

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