Book lovers are in for a treat this weekend! From March 7-10, the 59th annual Antiquarian Book Fair will take place at the Park Avenue Armory.
Over 200 American and international dealers will exhibit a vast selection of rare books, maps and illuminated manuscripts.
All the books and manuscripts have been examined for bibliographic accuracy. If you’re looking for a rare book or manuscript, this is definitely the place to visit.
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and his “Lord of the Rings” series will appreciate the opportunity to visit the Morgan Library’s exhibit, “Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth.”
Now on display in the museum’s third floor gallery, this exhibit features the largest collection of Tolkien’s work and life. Featuring 115 manuscripts, watercolors, handwritten notes and drawings, this enchanting display offers a rare glimpse into the author’s writings.
“Tolkien’s Middle Earth speaks to so many of us because it is a complete world. It has geography, it has history, it has language,” says curator John McQuillen. “We are not reading isolated tales but a much richer and interwoven narrative.”
The museum also offers related activities such as mapmaking for children and a watercolor landscape painting class.
The Westminster Dog Show is a favorite NYC event. Hundreds of dog owners and all types of breeds compete for the title of Best of the Breed.
The Westminster Dog Show offers several categories in agility training. Owners of show dogs often spend thousands of dollars on training and grooming. This show offers visitors the chance to meet breeds of dogs they may have never seen before.
The Westminster Dog Show will take place on February 11 and 12th at Madison Square Garden and Piers 92/94.
The Westminster Dog Show was first held on May 7, 1877, making it over 140 years old! Make sure you stop by this not-to-be-missed NYC tradition!
Its summer, and that means biking, beaching, and, at least for many tried and New Yorkers, ice creaming! Here is a list of some of the best cold licks New York has to offer:
• Je & Jo—Every one of this lusciously decadent ice cream parlor’s flavors includes some type of cookie dough. Check out one of these: fresh mint with lemon lavender shortbread cookie dough or coffee ice cream with spicy chocolate cookie dough. Either way, you can’t go wrong. 515 West 47th St between 10th & 11th; Spring Hours: 7:30am-8:30pm, 7 days a week.
• Coolhaus—Do you love ice cream sandwiches? You know, a cookie on top and bottom and some incredible ice cream in between? At Coolhaus they offer potato chip and butterscotch cookie with molten chocolate cake ice cream. Sounds good to me!
• Chinatown Ice Cream Factory—Have you been to this Chinatown landmark yet? If not then run, don’t walk. You will see what traditional Chinese flavors, like red bean, black sesame and almond cookie can do to traditional ice cream fare. The answer is awesome. 65 Bayard St, New York, NY. Open every day from 11am to 11 pm.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream—For the connoisseurs among us Van Leeuwen does not scrimp on anything. From the basics like fresh milk and cream, cane sugar and egg yolks this specialty ice cream soars to the heights for its flavors. For example, the pistachios come from Mount Etna in Sicily; the hazelnuts are from Piedmont; and Sri Lanka is the source of the hand crushed quills of Ceylon cinnamon. Yumm! 48 E 7th St New York, NY. Open Monday – Thursday 8am to 11pm; Friday 8am to 12am; Saturday 9am to 12am and Sunday 9am to 11pm.
A Flavor for Everyone!
Times Square on New Year's Eve
The most famous place to bring in the New Year is without a doubt Times Square. This is where the famous ball descends along its path on a flagpole atop number One Times Square at exactly 11:59pm, taking 60 seconds to make its way to the bottom, when the New Year officially begins on the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Billions of people can watch this event on television or over the internet worldwide, but those who are lucky enough to be in New York for New Year’s Eve will have a real treat this year. Beginning at 4pm the usually bustling Times Square ‘bow-tie’ intersection is closed to traffic, and people begin arriving. The revelers are placed into viewing areas by the police officers, and as one area becomes full, another section begins to fill with revelers.
From 6pm until 6:03pm there is a ceremony to light and raise the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball into place. The organizers of the event, Tim Tompkins and Jeffrey Straus, together with a few representatives of the Philips Lighting Company will flip the huge switch to light the Ball and begin its rise to the top of the pole to the accompaniment of some cool pyrotechnic effects.
The rest of the evening is filled with exciting surprises and entertainment, including the distribution of tens of thousands of hats, balloons, and lip balm in preparation for the famous midnight kiss. As midnight approaches wishes are read from the “confetti wishes” which are thrown up at the arrival of the new year, while there is a constant flow of singers, dancers, speakers and pyrotechnics to make sure the crowd of revelers is having the absolutely best time possible.
At 11pm Lady Gaga will perform, and from 11:53 pm until 11:59 there will be a special performance of the song “Imagine” by an as yet unannounced performer.
At 11:59pm New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will have the honor of pressing the button which brings the New Year’s Eve Ball down the 70 foot pole in its world famous 60 second descent. As it arrive at the bottom, the ball’s lights go dark and the numerals 2012 blaze on, signaling the moment of the beginning of the New Year.
Do you love to dance? Have you ever thought about taking dance lessons? New York is literally overflowing with possibilities for anyone interested in getting into shape while also having an absolutely fantastic time.
Steven Hughes
One such place is “Stepping Out Studios, ” whose stated mission is to “introduce and spread the joy of partner dancing far and wide.” Stepping Out began in 1985, and has always been on the forefront of introducing the latest dance styles to New Yorkers; being the first to bring Argentine Tango and West Coast Swing to the Eastern Coast of the US. They have also played a key role in the exciting revival of Latin, Swing and Country Western dancing which has taken New York by storm over the last decade.
The latest development at Stepping Out has been the addition of Steven Hughes to the studio as the new managing director. Hughes has over 20 years of experience as a business owner, theater director, choreographer, producer as well as a certified professional dance instructor.
Stepping Out offers a lot more than just dance lessons. In addition to both private and group lessons, Stepping Out can provide wedding planning, corporate programs, teacher training programs and lots more. Check it out and come down and dance!
Founder Edith O'Hara
Are you ready for something really different, and uniquely New York? Try the 13th Street Repertory Company, located at 50 West 13th Street between Fifth and the Avenue of the Americas. At this bastion of contemporary theater new artists are welcome to come and find their individual voices.
The company performs as many as seven shows each week, including theater for children in addition to its trademark “New Works Reading” series.
Especially enduring has been the play “Line,” written by Israel Horovitz and first performed at the 13th Street Repertory 32 years ago. The show is still performed weekly, making “Line” the longest running off-off-Broadway play in history.
For more information follow the link to the 13th Street Repertory Theater’s web site, or call (212) 675-6677.
We’ve all seen the movies, read the books, watched the plays. We know New York can be as romantic as any European hot spot. But how, where, when?
Here are a few suggestions to experience some of the more tender New York moments that can be had in the big, beloved apple.
South Street Seaport
South Street Seaport District- Conveniently located walking distance from Chinatown; you will enjoy people-watching, relaxing and souvenir shopping in this lovely little area. South Seaport Pier 17 is a bustling touristy place which is the old fish market converted into wonderful shops and restaurants. This is a great place to get a fantastic view of the ever-impressive Brooklyn Bridge.
Saks Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue- For many people Fifth Avenue is the heart of New York’s classy reputation. Well known as one of the premium bits of real estate anywhere in the world, taking a walk down Fifth Avenue makes you feel fabulously wealthy just by osmosis. Some of the sites to be had on Fifth Avenue are of the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library, Rockefeller Center, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum. The best of Fifth is all within about a one mile wonderful walk, from 34th Street to 59th Street, with lots of unbelievable, typically New York, shopping.
Chrysler Building
Chrysler Building– This building is a classy alternative to a visit to the Empire State Building. Its classic ArtDeco Style is an iconic symbol of New York and one of the city’s most renowned skyline features. Chrysler was the first building to reach beyond 1000 feet, but its role as the world’s tallest building was short-lived as only 11 months later the Empire State Building reached even higher towards the heavens. A visit to this gorgeous testament to 1930s architecture will not be in vain.
New York is full of surprises. Here are a few outings which are guaranteed to astound, excite or inspire, coming up this summer.
• Thrilling Fireworks- Macy’s sponsors one of the most incredible displays of fireworks anywhere in the country every 4th of July. Come to Hudson River Park on Monday night at 9pm at the conclusion of this year’s Independence Day holiday to witness in person with about 3 million spectators in addition to many millions nationwide who will watch the show on television. The largest of the nation’s fireworks shows, Macy’s will send over 40,000 blasts into the sky above the Hudson River for an unforgettable celebration of the 235th birthday of the USA.
Macy's Fireworks 2010
• Family Fun- This year’s Columbus Avenue Summer Festival will take place on Sunday, June 19th on Columbus Avenue (Duh!) between 86th and 96th Streets. Enjoy the wonderful arts, crafts, plants, antiques, games, entertainment. Get there early and have a fantastic day!
• Monkees Music- Whether or not you are old enough to remember the hit TV series “The Monkees” you will enjoy a trip down musical memory lane with this iconic pop-rock band. This rock group was artificially assembled not as musicians (although it so happens they were and are musicians) but mostly as actors to play the parts of musicians in a zany, cool and much loved late 1960s TV show. Go see them in two New York locations, part of a larger nation-wide tour, this Thursday evening, June 16 at the Beacon Theatre, and on Friday night June 17, at the Capital One Bank Theatre in Westbury, New York.
The Monkees Then
The Monkees Now
June is a great month to feast on some of New York’s special theatrical presentations. From Broadway to Central Park to some less known venues, treat yourself to some amazing performances this month.
• Fish Eye: Playwright Lucas Kavner brings to life the love story of Max (Joe Tippett) and Anna (Betty Gilpin) which is a told in a loopy, time-warped fashion, but the narrative is never disjointed. Adrienne Campbell-Holt, director, makes sure everything runs smoothly while the cast delivers natural, convincing performances. Catch “Fish Eye” until June 18th at the HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue, $18. Phone 2112-352-3101 for more information.
• All’s Well That Ends Well: Until June 11th you can bask in the wonderful New York tradition of enjoying, for free, a Shakespeare play in Central Park. One of Shakespeare’s ‘tragicomedies.’ The story tells the unlikely romance of Helena, a simple doctor’s daughter, to Count Bertram, an unwilling partner in this forced marriage, believing that he is marrying below his station. The play is full of twists and turns, one of Shakespeare’s “bed trick” plays, a case of mistaken identity during a sexual encounter. Delacorte Theater, June 11th through July 30th.
Shakespeare in the Park
• Best of Broadway 2011: Fast-paced, great songs, fabulous dancing and exciting staging and choreography will make you glad you stepped out for some great musical nostalgia. Check it out at the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City, 2831 Boardwalk, 800-843-8767