It was a freezing Friday night. I stood with my friend outside the humble façade of the Red Velvet Lounge on the Lower East Side, unaware of what it belied. Eager to be relieved of the cold, our discomfort was instantly averted by the scene that greeted us inside. This place had ambition.
And why shouldn’t it? After all, the Red Velvet Lounge has pedigree. For starters, it’s owned by the same creative minds that brought us the swanky cocktail lounge, The Eldridge. Additionally, the interior design—a modern twist on classic French Rococo style—was conceived by Steve Lewis and Marc Dizon, the same team that designed the nightlife-notables Webster Hall and Marquee.
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No Comments | Posted on January 31, 2010 | Categories: From the Blog, Lower East Side, Nightlife
tags: Aloysius Tan, bar, cocktails, cupcakes, New, Nightlife, novelty bar
It was a Sunday. It had been a very wet Sunday, and still, I trudged to the Lower East Side to one of New York’s Meccas of radical intellectual thought: Bluestockings Bookstore.
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1 Comment | Posted on January 29, 2010 | Categories: From the Blog, Lower East Side
tags: Activism, bookstore, cafe, cheap, Claudia Sosa, discussion, fair trade, free, reading
Enter The Slayer: an $18,000 espresso machine, one of only 20 in the world and the main selling point for my trek down to Tribecca for a cup of coffee at the newly opened RBC NY. Without a doubt, RBC definitely lives up to its reputation as “an exciting new ‘old world,’ tech-savvy, eco-friendly coffee house.”
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2 Comments | Posted on January 28, 2010 | Categories: From the Blog
tags: cafe, Espresso, Melissa Kravitz, pastries, snacks, Tribecca, wifi
More lively than your average coffee-shop but in no way a traditional bar, Sip proves to be the perfect choice for an upbeat but low key Monday evening. We were drawn in by the eclectic decor and the irresistible daily special that boasts half-priced food on Mondays. Sip also offers two daily happy hours (5:00-7:00pm & 2:00-4:00am), as well as other weekly specials and an abundance of unique drink options for those over 21.
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2 Comments | Posted on January 27, 2010 | Categories: Dining, From the Blog, Upper West Side
tags: bars, cafe, cheap, Columbia Corner, Deborah Stack, decor, Food, Melissa Kravitz
The Palace Hotel
Gossip girl, here: Want to put yourself in the shoes of Blair and Serena? For those addicted to the hit television show, here’s a tour that will take you through the Gossip Girl hotspots on the Upper East Side.
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No Comments | Posted on January 24, 2010 | Categories: Dining, From the Blog, Nightlife, Uncategorized, Upper East Side
tags: famous, Gossip Girl, Serena Van der Woodsen, television, tv
This city is the homeland of bebop and the herald of the Big Band (swing) period. Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and other influential icons not only performed in New York City, but also launched their careers and catapulted to fame here. New York has defined jazz as much as jazz has defined New York, and it will continue to be the birthplace of many more legends to come.
Begin at St. Nick’s Pub (773 Saint Nicholas Ave, at W 149th St), where the beat hasn’t stopped since its opening in the 1930s. Located in Harlem’s celebrated Sugar Hill district, St. Nick’s is New York’s oldest operating jazz club. In the 1940s, it was owned by Luckey Roberts, Duke Ellington’s piano player and a music legend in his own right. Over seven decades later, this historic haunt has managed to stay true to its roots—a cheek-to- cheek crowd of music lovers packs in every day of the week, especially on Monday night for the live jam session.
Head west to illustrious Lenox Avenue, now called Malcolm X Boulevard, and the former site 
of The Cotton Club (644 Malcolm X Blvd, at W 142nd St). From its establishment in 1920 to its closing in 1978, the Club hosted a veritable who’s who of jazz history, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Nat King Cole. Here Duke Ellington, who performed with the house band from 1927 to 1931, garnered widespread recognition from his radio broadcasts. However, the Club’s reflection of racist trends tarnished its reputation—the owners constructed sets reminiscent of southern plantations (hence its name) and instructed musicians to compose “jungle music.” Read the complete post »
No Comments | Posted on January 16, 2010 | Categories: Attractions, From the Blog
tags: Amar Teredesai, apollo theater, history, Jazz, music, walking-tour
The fourth in our series of NYC walking tours.
New York City has played a pivotal role in sculpting both the history and future of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, The Velvet Underground, The Ramones (and many other legendary artists) lived, performed, and composed some of their most memorable songs in the neighborhoods of Manhattan. As Lennon once said, “If I’d lived in Roman times, I’d have lived in Rome. Where else? Today, America is the Roman Empire, and New York is Rome itself.”
Begin by heading to the Dakota Apartments (119-121 Central Park West at W 72nd St). Completed in 1884, this structure is not only one of Manhattan’s first apartment buildings, but also where John Lennon lived and died. Across the street in Central Park is Strawberry Fields (West Side between 71st and 74th St), a memorial to this extraordinary legend that includes a black and white mosaic along a path, detailing the word “Imagine.”
Take the B train down to 7th Ave and head around the block to the Ed Sullivan Theater (1697-1699 Broadway, between W 53rd and W 54th St). It now houses The Late Show with David Letterman but was once home to the Ed Sullivan Show. Within this 400-seat theater Elvis Presley hip-thrusted his way into the hearts of American girls, and the Beatles launched their British Invasion. Read the complete post »
No Comments | Posted on January 12, 2010 | Categories: Attractions, From the Blog
tags: Amar Teredesai, music, rock and roll, walking-tour
This is the third in our series of NYC walking tours.
You don’t have to visit Museum Mile or go gallery-hopping to see art in NYC—architectural gems, historical monuments, and eye-popping sculptures are on every block. While each neighborhood has its own collection of significant artistic sites, Brooklyn Heights and Lower Manhattan are the perfect places to begin your exploration—from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge to the palatial City Hall, from 1760s tombstones to 20th-century sculptures, here you’ll find art from any era in practically any style. And best of all, it’s completely free.
Take the 2 or 3 to Clark St and exit on Henry St. This is Brooklyn Heights, a quiet neighborhood full of 19th-century houses that sit on flower-lined, cobblestone streets. It was declared a historic district by the city in 1965. Stroll down Henry St to see three red-brick Federal-style townhouses in a row between Clark and Love St that date back to 1843. Read the complete post »
No Comments | Posted on January 6, 2010 | Categories: Attractions, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights & Dumbo, Financial District, From the Blog, Manhattan, Neighborhoods
tags: architecture, art, brooklyn, brooklyn bridge, Erica Drennan, free, landmarks, outdoors, walking-tour
Spend your New Years Day outside, with this — the second in our series of NYC walking tours.
Since the 1940s, filmmakers have frequently abandoned the easy gloss of Hollywood and set their cameras on New York to capture the energy and grandeur that can’t be matched on any studio backlot. For the traveling film buff, New York City offering a wealth of cinematic hotspots as rich and diverse as the films and television shows in which they were featured. 
Begin by taking the 1 train to 116th and Broadway, enter the Columbia University gates, and amble down the beautiful tree-lined College Walk. James Franco, currently a student in the graduate writing program, is not unfamiliar with the campus—his character in Spiderman (2002) was dropped off by his father on the steps of Low Memorial Library (to the left of College Walk). These steps are also where Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis hatched their business plan in Ghostbusters (1984).
Walking south on Broadway, you’ll pass the Columbia Bookstore (2922 Broadway at W 115th St). This is the Barnes & Noble where Kate Winslet’s character worked as a bookseller in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).
And three blocks down is Tom’s Restaurant (2880 Broadway at W 112th St), which Seinfeld fans will recognize as the exterior of Monk’s Café. Though cash only, this inexpensive diner is also a popular late-night spot for the drunk and hungry.
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No Comments | Posted on January 1, 2010 | Categories: Attractions, Central Park, From the Blog, Midtown East, Midtown West, Morningside Heights, Upper East Side, Upper West Side
tags: Andrew Wailes, film, free, midtown, Morningside Heights, movies, times square, tv, Upper West Side, walking-tour
