Yet another excuse to live “the city”, and it’s also just right across the bridge.

Today, Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park, 4-8pm, Corner of Plymouth & Main Streets, Dumbo, Brooklyn

There’s plenty of cool shit going down (including Graffiti Research Lab from Vienna) - tomorrow (10th July, 2008) at Alphabeta Shop on 70 Greenpoint Ave. (BROOKLYN) - 6PM - 1AM. One night only, that means - ONLY TOMORROW.

Be there, or be square.  :)

More info:
http://overspraymag.com/blog/?p=443

Before I get to the story, we’ve all run into this situation before. How far is too far? Eastside, Westside, Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, Queens? For me, as long as I can get there by subway, it’s not too far. The PATH is usually a stretch for me, but I’ve been known to attempt a date out in New Jersey.

During my last family visit to Long Island, I stopped by my brother’s job to meet him for lunch. After my quick stop into the ladies room to primp, this guy walked out of the men’s room at the same time and smiled at me. Turns out, it was Little Dougie from the 5th Grade. Well, not so little anymore. I’m not sure what came over me but I ran over to him, gave him this huge hug and after some small talk, I told him to give me a call the next time he was coming into the city so that we could catch up. Thinking back, I find it amusing that I didn’t even consider telling him that this city girl would meet up on the Island for a drink. God FORBID!
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NYC is where Hip-Hop was born - as if you didn’t know that already (I hope).

That being said, the immortal and revolutionary Rock Steady Crew will be celebrating their 31st Anniversary from July 24th-July 27th. The four funktastic days of festivities will include a Celebrity Benefit Basketball Challenge, B-boy/B-girl Battles, 5 on 5 Crew Battles, and live musical performances from artists like Kurtis Blow, The Beatnuts, Soul Sonik Force, and Craig G & Marly Marl.

More information and locations of the events can be found on their official site.

This is the perfect opportunity to get out from behind your semi-fancy Swedish ‘puter desk thingy and shake your ass, all while witnessing something that is way more indigenous to the 5 Boroughs than Gordon Gekko and Alex Rodriguez.

You can get seats for one of the best views of the Macy’s fireworks show from Southpoint Park.
Gates open at 5pm [fireworks start at 9].
price: $18.00 [general seating]
you can purchase online
by phone — 877-77CLICK
or at Festival gate [cash only]
check the above link for prohibited items.

For other places to view the Fourth of July fireworks, check out this article

Yes, I live on the Upper East Side, but it’s rare to find me out and about in my own ‘hood and hitting a local bar on Saturday reminded me why.

At 11pm, a friend called to let me know that she was at Mustang Grill (on 85th & 2nd) drinking a margarita and convinced me to meet up with her and a friend. I would normally say no, but I figured it would be easy enough to ignore the crowd and focus on my friends. Wrong!

As soon as I arrived, I found my friends being chatted up by a group of boys in their 20’s. OK, if they’re fun I’ll play along. Not quite. This one kid approached me and his line was… so, let’s figure out a cool drinking game to play. Ha! Drinking game? Seriously? I didn’t play them in college and I wasn’t about to start now. Of course, I mentioned this, along with some other remarks that he didn’t like so instead of giving up he thought it would be cute to try and insult me. Oh yes, THIS is what works. Calling him a “prick” didn’t get him to walk away either, so he thought he’d push me. Last straw kiddo. He finally walked away after I threatened him. Too bad someone broke up my verbal assault. I was hoping to get him to cry.

Even if you took that experience away, I can’t hang where I have to yell to hear my friends talk, where people are trying so damn hard to hook up, where boys have no respect for women that just want to be left alone, and where girls dance on the bar. Actually, if these girls could actually dance, then I probably wouldn’t mind so much.

If you happen to be in your 30’s and can’t deal with the “college like” bar scene… stay away from my ‘hood. Unless you’re up for wine. If that’s the case, I suggest you stop by Caffe Notte, Bar Vespa and my absolute FAVORITE, Pudding Stones.

If you’re like me - in your 30’s and hating the scene - most nights, all you want from a night out is a fun time spent with friends and having the ability to talk without screaming over music or getting hit on by guys.

Don’t get me wrong, I love men (big difference between guys and men) - I don’t seriously date, but I do have a love for them.

Here’s the thing. My standards for men’s behavior are probably beyond what most people find just acceptable and I don’t care to settle, but I really do appreciate the rare gentleman.

I guess this is the point where I should mention that 2 years ago, I lost my partner, my fiance, my everything… in a tragic accident. This once confirmed bachelorette experienced “absolute bliss” when she least expected it and now, I’m enjoying my love for the city.

Anyway… even though I don’t care to date, it doesn’t mean that I don’t like the attention of a man.

Now that the summer is officially over, we’ve been out and about enjoying the mid season weather and we’ve found that certain men can really make a regular night out into a night to remember. All while doing their thing behind the bar.
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I can’t even begin to describe my disappointment.
Last night, my friends and I headed FAR FAR west to the Boat Basin. We’ve actually been there a few times since they opened up for the season and it’s been so pleasant…. except last night.

Usually, it’s our favorite summer spot. It’s casual, inexpensive, not too crowded, good food (outdoor bbq type), low key, and as far as I’m concerned - one of the best outdoor places to be.

Last night it was a scene! I’ve been going there for years now, but I really don’t remember it being so crowded and so loud. We could barely carry on conversation without yelling. There also seemed to be more overly drunk people there than usual. I wanted to put my fist in this one guys face that decided to start shit with a friend of mine who had his bike there. Um, listen newbie - that’s the POINT of the Boat Basin. It’s CASUAL! There are strollers, dogs, roller-blades, bikes, you name it. So if you’re looking for a club scene and don’t like the casual atmosphere, get the hell out. I certainly don’t want you there.
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Last night I went to Burp Castle with a date. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re in the mood to talk softly or whisper sweet nothings.

With an extensive beer selection, comfortable seating, beautiful murals, and a classy clientele, what more can you ask for? Oh yes, you could be asked to shush every 5 minutes. There is no loud talking allowed here, only whispering.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh- drink your beer!

Burp Castle, 41 East 7th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues).

Monday night I went to the Beacon to catch Steely Dan and I have to say it was one of the more fun concerts I’ve been too recently. The ages of the audience members ranged from probably 70 all the way down to possibly 12, and SD played a nice mix of older stuff and more recent stuff, plus they messed around with the arrangement a bit which is always nice since you get to hear tunes in a slightly different way. I’m not sure what it is, but I love the Beacon. There’s something a little magical when more than 2,000 people collectively answer the question, “Is there gas in the car?”

The Beacon is an old-style theater from the 1920’s that was built to be a vaudeville and movie theater by the same designer as the much larger Radio City Music Hall. One of the great things about the Beacon is it’s intimacy, even though it holds more than 2,500 people. Even the last row of the balcony affords a view of the performers that are enjoyed by only a lucky few at larger venues. In addition, the Beacon has excellent acoustics because it’s large enough for the different frequencies to dissipate and not crash into each other, but small enough that the theater does a good job of reverberating those sounds without making them echo.

One of the best features the Beacon has is it’s ability to make New Yorkers “take a time-out” from being New Yorkers and come together for the enjoyment of a common pleasure. Unless someone is being a real ass — that definition fluctuates based on the performer everyone is there to see — people in a concert have a higher threshold than those same people probably do when walking around outside. Case in point…about two-thirds of the way through the performance some dude, who was really enjoying the music, stood up and started dancing wildly — limbs flailing, arms akimbo — in front of his seat, but he managed to do it without hitting those next to or in front of him. With the lights in the mezzanine off, and the stage lights on, he was silhouetted and looked like a bad iPod commercial, except that he was about two seconds behind the music (my date mentioned that he was probably responsible for the strong smell of a controlled substance that permeated the area earlier in the evening). Yet those people who were seated behind him did nothing when he blocked their view of the stage except to tip their heads to the side to try and peer around his gyrations. Had it been on the sidewalk during rush hour, I’m sure there would have been a few choice words exchanged, but in that setting, everyone was relaxed enough to let it slide as long as no physical contact was made.

Yes, it may have more to do with the fact that everyone is going to see a performer that everyone is interested in, but I also think that the intimacy of the Beacon makes it more difficult to get angry with your fellow show-goers. Or maybe it’s just the nice padded seats?