My Urban Sherpa

Farm Sanctuary Gala - Saturday May 17, 2008

Farm Sanctuary, who provides a loving and bucolic home to hundreds of animals who had a rough start in the assembly line of food production, is ready to party in New York.

Saturday May 17th at Cipriani Wall Street, Heather Mills and Melissa Rivers will host a Gala in celebration of all things Vegan. A music performance by Shawn Colvin, awards for Sharon Gannon and David Life, a gourmet vegan meal, and an auction await ticket holders.

A Film Festival Grows in Brooklyn

Popcorn munchers will soon be flocking to the People’s Republic of Brooklyn for the 42nd Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival—celebrated in a variety of venues from April 29 to May 9. The festival’s offerings run the gamut from experimental to youthful. Running concurrently with the cinematic magic are workshops and panels and New Media Installations.

 

P.S. When in Brooklyn, you might wanna check out a piece of American history which may soon become…history.

 

(Mickey can be found here)

 

Squash fans rejoice!

3 International Single Courts and One Hardball Doubles Court have joined the few and far between Squash courts available in Manhattan.  City View Racquet Club, a members only club in Long Island City, is now accepting applications for the club, which offers luxe spa services, café and Lounge, and for Tennis fans,…

New York Tennis Fans Rejoice!

City View Racquet Club offers seven new HarTru courts in Long Island City. Along with the luxe surrounds and 80,000 square feet of space – City View offers it’s private membership the expert stringing services of Roman, spa services and amenities, a café, Lounge, and exclusivity.

Earth Day: Want some fries with your climate change?

“The one thing that still stuns me … is that almost no one in the ‘stop global warming’ camp talks about the environmental ramifications of animal production,” blogged vegan musician Moby. “To quote a U.N. article,” he added, “rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars.”

The report Moby refers to found that animal agriculture is responsible for almost 1/5 of the pollution causing global warming. “Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems,” said Henning Steinfeld of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). “Urgent action is required to remedy the situation.”

Love the Earth? Go veg…

P.S. On Earth Day: A Day on Earth

(Mickey Z. can be found here)

Kicks, punches, and all that

One of the many advantages of New York’s “melting pot” status is the astonishingly broad range of options available to those looking get some kicks. We’re talking, of course, about the martial arts. Options range from Korean Tae Kwon Do to Chinese Wing Chun (the original style of a man named Bruce Lee) to Brazilian Capoeria to Japanese Aikido to Thai Kickboxing to the latest trend: American Mixed Martial Arts.

The only downside: With so many alternatives to choose from, picking the right school or class for you can be as challenging as a night on Match.com.

(Mickey Z. can be found here)

New York Comic Con at the Javits, April 18 - 20.

Fans of the comic book, graphic novel, anime and popular culture can indulge themselves this week-end at New York Comic Con at the Jacob Javits center, April 18 through the 20th. For fans, there are opportunities to meet your heroes, preview forthcoming new film releases before they hit the big screen, and amble the exhibition booths.

And on Kid’s Day, Sunday April 20, children under 12 are admitted free. Less than a 5cent comic! Adults however pay the full and hefty fare.

If you can’t make this week-end, you can indulge you passion for the comic art, at MoCCA, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival, June 7 and 8, at The Puck.

Who put the canal in Canal Street?

Even the most cursory survey of Manhattan today provides no hint of its somewhat soupy past. Crisscrossing streams, marshlands, swamps, and ponds were all drained to make way for “progress,” and the island’s largest body of water was the Collect Pond (a name derived from the Dutch “Kalchook,” or Lime Shell Point). Situated essentially within the bounds of present-day streets Franklin, Worth, Lafayette, and Baxter, the Collect was fished out by the mid 1700s and became the site of a public works program designed to appease the restless, poverty-stricken masses in the early 19th century.

To drain the pond, a canal was built to both the east and west. This canal was later filled in and paved to become, of course, Canal Street. Say goodbye to windblown vessels and wave hello to the internal combustion engine.

(Mickey Z. can be found here)

Do your taxes still look like a pile of receipts?

If you have waited until now to get your taxes together, don’t rush yet – there is still plenty of time.  H&R estimates it won’t take more than two hours to prepare your return and offers many offices to choose from.  Work yourself  backwards from the midnight deadline, at which time you’ll need to find yourself at Farley Post Office.

And you’ll have time for quick drink or dinner.  There is a dearth of good bars in the area. One good choice is Seven.  A quick Korean dinner can be found at Kang Suh.  And the stress of all this can be washed, melted or rubbed away at Juvenex.

 

Recession tip #4

A 4th great tip for the recession is to eat out for lunch. That same meal will be served at midday for less than ½ the price of the dinner menu. And prix-fixe menus offer an enormous value for those capable of 3 courses at one time.

 

My favorite prix fixe lunch spot is Centolire at 85^th and Madison.  Though reservations are necessary for dinner, one can find space at lunch before or after the Met, Jewish Museum, Cooper Hewitt, or Neue Galerie. 

 

For dinner, I enjoy preparing at home one the many simple and delicious meals from the blog of Centolire’s chef and owner – the charming Pino Luongo.  I’ve learned several “signature dishes” from the blog, including Caesar Salad and Spaghetti alla Rustica – videos of which are also available on youtube.

 

Buon Appetito Tutto!