After strolling through Lincoln Plaza all lit up this past Thursday evening, I walked into the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center (AKA the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts) to check out the “Martha Swope: In Rehearsal” exhibit currently on display. Swope is considered “the pre-eminent photographer of [New York] theater and dance from 1957 to her retirement in 1994.”# NYPL was lucky to acquire her archive in 2010, which consists of a whopping “1,520,000 images on contact sheets and corresponding negatives, 152,000 slides and 12,000 prints.”
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1 Comment | Posted on November 8, 2012 | Categories: Entertainment, Fashion, From the Blog, History
tags: Art on a Budget, fashion, FREE NYC, Renny Grinshpan
The 287 Spring gallery officially opened its doors in SoHo in September 2012. Only a month old, the gallery is generating a lot of publicity with its controversial exhibition Asylum. If this title calls to mind Erving Goffman’s famous sociological analysis of total institutions, think again.
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2 Comments | Posted on November 8, 2012 | Categories: Art, From the Blog, History, LGBTQA
tags: 287 spring street, Marina Brennan
It’s election day! Do you know your polling location? And don’t forget that because of Sandy, New Yorkers can vote at any polling station!
And perhaps more importantly, do you know where you’re going to watch the results come 7:30pm?
Head to The Bell House for drink specials like a Coke & Rumney! Plus, free admission and Korean tacos for sale.
S.O.B.s is also having a free election night party! Video games will be present. Donations for Sandy repair will also be collected.
Now that subways are back up, visit Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO to watch results come in on their giant screen! Also, election cocktails.
Riot Grrrl is hosting a party that is sure to be awesome.
For those who want a tamer, and colder, evening, Columbia University will be streaming the results on an outside jumbotron.
For further election night party suggestions, check out Time Out New York’s list!
Hey shoppers, Old Hollywood is collecting donations for Hurricane Relief- and offering a 15% store discount to those who help out!
1 Comment | Posted on November 6, 2012 | Categories: Attractions, Event-Related, From the Blog, History
tags: Barack Obama, Cocktail Puns, Decision 2012, Election 2012, free, Get out and vote!, Mitt Romney, NYC Parties, Presidential Election, Voting
Theodore Roosevelt, the only president of the United States to be born in in New York City (or the state of New York, for that matter) was inaugurated on September 14, 1901. Why was Teddy made President in the fall, instead of on a freezing January morning? For those who aren’t experts on American history, Roosevelt was President William McKinley’s Vice President. On September 6th of that year, President McKinley had been shot twice by Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo, NY. While one bullet bounced off a button, another entered his abdomen and caused him to die of gangrene at 2:15 AM on September 14th. Roosevelt had arrived in Buffalo by 1:30 PM to pay his respects, and was inaugurated by 3:30 PM. He went on to be president until 1909.
Those interested in getting an inside glimpse of our 26th president can visit his childhood home at 28 E 28th Street.
-Tanu Kumar
No Comments | Posted on September 14, 2012 | Categories: From the Blog, History
tags: Presidents, Tanu Kumar, Teddy Roosevelt, today in ny history
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
On June 27, 1959, the original “West Side Story” closed at Winter Garden Theater New York City after over 730 performances. The musical production, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, was inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet and consisted of two acts and fifteen scenes. The musical, set in the West 50s and 60s of the Upper West Side neighborhood during the mid-1950s, explores the rivalry between two teenage street gangs – the white working-class Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. When Tony, a member of the Jets, falls in love with Maria, sister of the Sharks’ leader Bernardo, chaos ensues.
Pay tribute by watching the 1961 film adaptation or check out an online exhibition of the original West Side Story,West Side Story Birth of a Classic, on the Library of Congress website.
- Erin Marino
No Comments | Posted on June 27, 2012 | Categories: From the Blog, History
tags: Erin Marino, today in new york history
JUNE 26TH 1919 – First publication of New York Daily News
On June 26, 1919, The Daily News of New York began publishing. The first U.S. publication to be printed in tabloid form was founded by Joseph Medill Patterson, an American journalist and publisher. The fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the U.S., the publication has since won ten Pulitzer Prizes. It is now owned and run by Mortimer Zuckerman, a Canadian-born American businessman and current editor-in-chief of magazine U.S. News & World Report.
NY Daily News Building, 1930
JUNE 27TH 1959 – Original “West Side Story” closes on broadway
On June 27, 1959, the original “West Side Story” closed at Winter Garden Theater New York City after over 730 performances. The musical production, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, was inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet and consisted of two acts and fifteen scenes. The musical, set in the West 50s and 60s of the Upper West Side neighborhood during the mid-1950s, explores the rivalry between two teenage street gangs – the white working-class Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. When Tony, a member of the Jets, falls in love with Maria, sister of the Sharks’ leader Bernardo, chaos ensues.
Pay tribute by watching the 1961 film adaptation or check out an online exhibition of the original West Side Story, West Side Story Birth of a Classic, on the Library of Congress website: www.loc.gov/exhibits/westsidestory/introduction/.
1 Comment | Posted on June 26, 2012 | Categories: From the Blog, History
tags: Erin Marino, Today in New York
This is the second in a series of NYC walking tours from Inside New York.
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.
At 50th St, hop on the 1 to 23rd St, near which you’ll find the renowned Hotel Chelsea (222 W 23rd Street, between 7th and 8th
Ave). As the first building to be preserved by the city as a cultural landmark, it boasts a laundry
list of famous guests, including Jimi Hendrix, The Ramones, and Rufus Wainwright. Many popular songs also contain allusions to the
hotel, such as Bob Dylan’s “Sara” and Joni Mitchell’s “Chelsea Morning.”
Now take the 1 down to Christopher St– Sheridan Sq. At the corner of W 4th and Jones St you’ll see the backdrop for the cover photo of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (161 W 4th St, between 6th and 7th Ave), the album that established him as one of the greatest songwriters in history. The photo depicts Dylan and his former girlfriend Suze Rotolo huddled together, strolling down
snow-covered W 4th St just a couple of blocks away from his Greenwich Village apartment.
It’s only a short walk back uptown to Electric Lady Studios (52 West 8th St, between MacDougal St & Ave of the Americas). Behind the plain stucco walls and black-curtained windows lies one of the most famous recording studios in existence. Built in 1970 for Jimi Hendrix, it was the second personal recording facility ever constructed. Unfortunately, Hendrix died just months after its creation, but since then hundreds of artists have recorded there, including M.I.A., Lil’ Wayne, and U2.
Just down MacDougal is Café Wha? (115 Macdougal St between Bleecker and W 3rd St),
distinguished by a bright neon rainbow sign. In its six decades in the East Village, this small but significant cultural landmark has featured knockout, energy-charged performances by artists such as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and 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.”
Walk down Macdougal toward Bleeker St, then turn left on Prince St and right on Mercer St
to reach the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC (76 Mercer St, between Spring and
Broome St). Though the Hall of Fame itself is in Cleveland, the Annex houses “New York Rocks,” a section dedicated to the city’s rock history that also displays personal vestiges of rock icons like Billy Joel and John Lennon.
Now turn right onto Spring St, make another right at Bowery St, and turn left at Delancey to catch a show at the The Bowery Ballroom
(6 Delancey St, between Bowery and Christie St). This building was converted into one of New York’s smaller venues for indie groups such as The Hold Steady and The Decemberists. Its slightly cramped size creates an intimate vibe (complemented by a velvet-draped lounge and leather chairs) absent from larger venues. And with unbeatable acoustics, it still attracts wellknown performers.
Walk back uptown on Bowery to the former site of the iconic club CBGB & OMFUG (315 Bowery at Bleecker St), often regarded as the birthplace of punk rock. Here, The Ramones and other bands drilled out the melodies that
instigated an entire counter-culture in the 1970s. Recently, however, contemporary designer John Varvatos has converted the club into a highend clothing store, preserving a section of the original wall under glass as a tribute to its former
tenants. Visit for the history—a Varvatos t-shirt runs upwards of $60.
Finish by turning right on 2nd St and then left on 2nd Ave to reach another gentrified former
venue, The Fillmore East (105 2nd Ave, at 6th St). Though now a bank, during the three years it was open as a music venue it was a favorite performance spot of classic rock bands including CCR, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and The Who. Dozens of live albums were recorded here, such as Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys (1970).
No Comments | Categories: Attractions, Entertainment, From the Book, History, Walking Tour
tags: rock and roll
Louis Capone and Emanuel Weiss
On March 4, 1944, New York crime boss Louis Capone was executed by electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, NY. Capone was buried in Flatbush, Brooklyn, at the Holy Cross Cemetery.
Born in 1896 in Naples Italy, Louis Capone (no relation to Al) moved to the United States with his family and grew up in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, later moving to Brownsville as an adult. While working at his Brooklyn pasticceria, an Italian cafe, Capone built relationships with the locals, including future gang leaders. Aside from serving up coffee and pastries, Capone operated loan-shark operations, was involved in labor racketeering, and had close connections with Detroit Michigan’s Purple Gang and infamous mobster Joe Adonis (1902-1971).
Because of his friendships with gang leaders and mobsters that frequented his cafe, and his Italian background, Capone was recruited to be part of Murder, Inc., a network of Jewish and Italian contract killers, directed by crime figures Louis “Lepke” Buchalter and Albert “Mad Hatter” Anastasia. After many years as a feared hitman, Capone was convicted in 1939 of the first degree murder of business owner Joseph Rosen, a potential witness of another hit. In 1941, after years of legal appeals, he was found guilty and sentenced to the death penalty along with his two accomplices, director Buchalter and Emanuel Weiss.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
- Erin Marino
No Comments | Posted on March 4, 2012 | Categories: From the Blog, History
tags: Erin Marino, mobsters, today in new york history
A view of the Martha Washington.
On March 2, 1903, the first hotel exclusively for women opened in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. The Martha Washington Hotel, at 30 East 30th Street between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue, had various notable residents in its years, including poet Sara Teasdale and actress Veronica Lake. Although the 400-plus rooms spread among 12 floors were exclusively for women, men were allowed to eat and mingle with female guests in the hotel’s restaurant and tea room. One man lived in the building full-time, Arthur M. Eager, the hotel’s proprietor, although with his wife, daughter and mother-in-law. The room rates started at $1.50 per day for a single. The building has since been home to other hotels, including the current Hotel LOLA.
Image courtesy of 14to42.net
-Erin Marino
No Comments | Posted on March 2, 2012 | Categories: From the Blog, History
tags: Erin Marino, Hotel
Courtesy of wikipedia.org
On February 26, 1866, the New York State Legislature expanded and consequently empowered New York City’s Board of Health by reserving board seats for physicians and scientists. The New York City Metropolitan Board of Health became the first modern public health authority in the U.S.
The expansion of the Board was pioneered by Doctor Stephen Smith, an American surgeon, and the New York Academy of Medicine, a group of leading NYC physicians. Appalled by the city’s unsanitary conditions, especially common in tenements, Smith led a campaign to reform public health. Prior to the campaign, the Board was undermined by political corruption – workers were paid under minimum wage and forced to sign over paychecks to the City Inspector – and landlords of tenements felt little pressure to maintain sanitation in buildings. Today, an 11-member board of experts in health care and medical disciplines serve without pay. Dr. Smith later founded the American Public Health Association in 1872.
- Erin Marino
No Comments | Posted on February 26, 2012 | Categories: From the Blog, History
tags: Erin Marino, nyc history, public health, Stephen Smith
