Results tagged “newyorkcity”

Now that the American Apparel mess is behind him, Woody Allen can get back to talking about what he loves: movies and New York City. USA Today and Tribeca Film have interviews with the director, who says he's getting priced out of Manhattan! He told them, "I wish I could afford to be here all the time, but it's a very expensive city to work in. It's gotten worse for me. It's gotten better in that they give you tax breaks. But everything (else) has gone up. I work on a very limited budget." He noted that it would cost about an extra $3 million to film in New York in comparison to overseas.

Make room, please: The outward migration of New Yorkers relocating to the exburbs has been dramatically reversed. According to recent census data, between '07 and '08 NYC had the smallest out-migration since at least 1990, and it's part of what may be a nationwide reversal of a decade-long trend, which saw major cities losing residents to cheaper housing and job opportunities in smaller communities. A Brookings Institution analysis has found that the population growth in urban areas mirrors a slowdown in migration magnets like Riverside-San Bernardino, which recorded the first migration loss since the mid-1990s.

Flip: This new create-your-own burger joint, located deep in the bowels of Bloomingdale's, is sure to be a welcome oasis for bored dudes held hostage on spousal shopping expeditions. While customers aren't literally allowed to put on an apron and get behind the grill, the clean, well-lighted space does offer almost complete autonomy over the design of one's burger. Naturally, A Hamburger Today was all over the place as soon as it opened, and found some kinks still in need of working out: "While the food at Flip wasn't bad, we can't imagine that anyone would go out of their way to eat there. After tax and tip you'll spend more than $20 per person if you want more than a burger, and we can't say it's worth the money. Then again, if you're shopping at Bloomingdale's you probably aren't looking for a bargain anyway." To be fair, the food porn shots published in the review look pretty appetizing. Mid-level of the men's lower level at Bloomingdale's, 1000 3rd Avenue, (212) 705-2993

Hey, maybe Times Square isn't so Disneyfied after all; millions of travelers on Trip Advisor have voted Hotel Carter on West 43rd Street the #1 filthiest place to stay in America. Comments on Trip Advisor range from revolting ("I don't know where to begin... Roaches, rats, mice, horrible smells, dirty sheets, horrifying bathrooms, outlets that hang out of walls... But the worst part about it was that at 4 a.m. I woke up to a bunch of guys breaking into our hotel room while we were sleeping!!") to panicked ("It's like a HORROR movie in real life, it's so bad that its just not for real. Barack Obama, please shut it down!").

         

Productivity plummeted across New York City today as people dropped everything to witness the inauguration of President Obama. Damn, it feels good to say that. Here are some photos taken by readers of some of the Obamarama action around town.

They've tried vertical cameras and even lasers but nothing beats a Russian immigrant when when it comes to counting bodies Times Square, according to this fun article in the Times, which tells you all you never wanted to know about counting crowds at the crossroads of the world. It's almost exclusively Russian immigrants who get paid $8 an hour to stand around and count. An engineer who oversees the process explains that the Times Square Alliance—which spends up to $100,000 a year for the data—formerly employed Nigerians, but "at some point we switched over to these Russians." And most of them are overqualified. 66-year-old Alexander Turin, a former French literature professor who left Russia in 1976, says he counts because "sometimes you just need to do the simplest jobs." So thanks to Turin and his comrades, we know that half a million people recently passed through Times Square in a single day.

    

There is actually quite a lot out there for tourists and locals seeking diversion in New York City today. Many Broadway shows are still performing, though at different times than usual, and TKTS in Times Square will be selling discounted theater tickets from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (The Brooklyn and South Street Seaport locations are closed.) There are also a couple performances of The Big Apple Circus scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. And the Radio City Christmas Spectacular isn't about to let a national holiday get those gams down; there are three performances today at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Times takes a look at a tradition followed by the city's 45 marshals, who take a break from evicting tenants for two weeks every year around the holidays. The unofficial "eviction moratorium" isn't sanctioned by the city, and the marshals insist it has more to do with year-end paperwork than any Christmas spirit. But one marshal, 31-year veteran Danny Weinheim, admits to having a bit of a heart: "Could you go into an apartment with a Christmas tree and evict everybody and be Scrooge? I wouldn’t do that. It’s Christmas Eve. I’m Jewish, but it’s still Christmas Eve." The article also gives an insightful peek at the makeup of the city's marshals: two have Ph.D.’s, one was an exterminator, and another was a haberdasher before taking up one of the most hated occupations. And one unnamed marshal will be breaking ranks and carrying out evictions this week (it's said he has a heart two sizes too small).

This week Frank Bruni at the Times criticizes Corton, the new Tribeca restaurant helmed by enfant terrible chef Paul Liebrandt. Others at Time Out and NY Mag have raved, and Bruni's praise isn't exactly muted either: "At Corton [Liebrandt] calms down and wises up, accepting that an evening in a restaurant shouldn’t be like a visit to a fringe art gallery: geared to the intellect, reliant on provocation. It needn’t demand raptness. And it must, in the course of whatever else it means to accomplish, leave a person eager for the next bite and intent on the one after that." Makes sense, three stars.

      

The guys behind the smallish, always packed Dell'Anima in the West Village have expanded with L'Artusi, named after Pellegrino Artusi, the celebrated (and long dead) Italian cookbook author. Chef/owner Gabe Thompson and owner/wine director Joe Campanale have taken the sit-at-the-open-kitchen concept that's so popular at Dell'Anima and run with it, with even more seats at the L'Artusi counter to watch the sparks fly. The new 110-seat restaurant (which used to be Maremma) emphasizes seasonal Italian cuisine. And though it may be a lot bigger than Dell'Anima, you probably won't notice because all those stripes are very slimming.

A 19-year-old male model flew into a rage yesterday after a Daily News cover story sparked a media frenzy outside the Ozone Park home he shares with his 37-year-old lover, a former teacher who is suing the city for firing her over the affair. WCBS has video of the teen tantrum, which features Hugo Boss model Joshua Walter charging from the house in slippers, clapping his hands and yelling "Leave! Get the f--- outta here! Find someplace else to take pictures."

The gripping saga of the giant truffle that came to New York City from Italy with stars in its eyes has come to a modest end in the Second City. After being jerked around by just about every hot shot restaurateur in town, the massive 2.15 lbs white truffle packed its bags and set sights on Chicago, where the Four Seasons decided to give the kid a shot. Tyler Gray, the truffle's business manager, tells us he inked a contract last week for "our regular price for large truffles, $3,200 per pound." We hear the talented tuber is really making a go of it over there, and was recently spotted canoodling with Oprah Winfrey's noodles.

A tenured second grade school teacher in Queens is suing to win her job back after being fired because her boyfriend/baby daddy was a high school student at one point in their relationship.

OH: Don't expect the Times's Frank Bruni to review it—Portfolio theorizes he HATES going to Harlem—but for everyone else, this three story restaurant/bar seems worth a try. Well, maybe not everyone; the top floor is a member's only club where $500 gets you "top notch service" and discount food and drinks. ($1000 gets you "full VIP access" to the cigar terrace.) Greasy Guide has a full review and reports that the menu features mini catfish sliders, mini turkey burgers with bbq sauce, gourmet pizza, and champagne sauteed shrimp: "It was also a great place to network. I gave out all of my business cards that I brought with me and everyone was super nice and talkative. So thank God that Harlem has all of these new places…Harlem is the place to be in NYC right now." Sure, he said the N word, but he's got a point about Harlem. 458 West 145th Street

Oh, remember how this time last year Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni thought nothing of dropping $7,000 on a 1.1 pound white truffle? Those were the days. Now, with Wall Street rapidly turning into Skid Row, it's hard out there for a truffle.

      

Almost one month ago, Representative Anthony Weiner's brother Jason opened a Flatiron district outpost of Almond, his popular Hamptons restaurant. At the time, much was made of the restaurant/lounge's cursed location, which some say is still haunted by the ghosts of Borough Food & Wine, Jeffrey Chodorow’s Caviar & Banana, and Rocco DiSpirito's eponymous FAIL.

You'll recall how excited everyone was—EVERYONE—last October when Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni bought a "perfectly round, pristine" 1.1 pound white truffle for $7,000. Child's play! Behold the 2.15 lbs white truffle that has just arrived on our shores from Alba, Italy. It's been acquired by Mikuni Wild Harvest, whose representative Tyler Gray writes:

A very excited Italian gentleman named Francesco the Forager stumbled / sprinted out of the forest mid afternoon in a haze of deliria and joy, grasping tightly to his most precious find ever...a 2LB WHITE ALBA TRUFFLE....2.15 lbs to be exact & by far the largest White Truffle to land in the USA in the last 3 years.

Continue reading "Mother of All Truffles Tours NYC in Search of $$$"

     

The Hanger Bar was a beloved dive on East Third Street with a pool table, DJ booth and a vintage clothes for sale up front. It closed some months ago, and owners Jay Schneider and Natalka Burian have given the place a serious face lift while keeping the drinking/clothing consumption combo. Bespoke men's suits will now be sold, but even more eye-catching is the antique sewing machine they've turned into a beer tap. For the curious, it's named Elsa after Italian-born fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who lived in New York during Prohibition.

Vero Midtown: The little amber-hued nook seen here is nestled inside this warm and inviting wine bar on East 53rd Street that boasts a 2,200-bottle wine cellar. This is the second Vero location, and while the uptown original emphasizes panini, this iteration has a full kitchen serving dishes such as short rib tacos, gnocchi with foie gras and truffle sauce, and pan-roasted quail. The romantic scene is set by raw wood tables, Edison bulbs encased in pewter and antique glass pendants, mid-century inspired monochromatic art-work featuring '60s and '70s film stars, and lots of natural wood-framed mirrors. Vero also has its own in-house sommelier, Storme Woode, who has attained the elite "second level" of certified sommelier status. Also, per the publicist, "She is cute! And Storme can choose a wine for you by just looking at you." 1004 2nd Avenue at 53rd Street, (212) 935-3530.

Here's a fresh, hip-level view of what it's like to pedal at top speed through New York City traffic with a flagrant disregard for traffic laws, safety and basic common sense. The people behind the video say it's "a teaser for Empire, a film about having fun on your bike in the city." Sure, it's all harmless DIY fun until your fixie's painted white and locked at the corner where you ran your last red light. But be sure to stay tuned for the 2:30 mark, when a couple of these maniacs actually wear helmets! And at 3:14, there's a taste of what it's like to merge with highway traffic on a bike.

Besides the sickening amount of mass-produced prole candy available this time of year, there's also an abundance of higher grade Halloween eating and drinking options. And so it begins; the long, downward holiday flab spiral that reaches its nadir around the first week of January when you have to start leaving the top button of your pants undone. Oh well, no use fighting it; here are some consumption opportunities we've been able to scare up:
• Through the weekend, the 2008 Vendy award-winning Treats Truck will be featuring Halloween specials including Halloween sugar cookies and Candy Corn Crispy Squares. (Keep apprised of the truck's whereabouts.)
• According to their website, "the ghouls of the cheese world" will converge at Artisanal Cheese on Halloween night. Fromager Waldemar Albrecht and wine professional Candela Prol will conduct a tasting of cheeses and wines "from remote and obscure places on a night that will be hauntingly remembered." Sure it costs $85, but freaking out about your budget is part of the Halloween fun.
• Sushi Samba's Halloween specials take their cue from the outrageous, stylized contortions of Kabuki characters, hence their "Spooky Kabooki" party on Friday at their Park and 7th Street location, with a costume contest that will send the most inventively dressed diner (out of all locations) on a weekend vacation to Las Vegas. Runners-up walk with $100 gift certificates, and special menu items include the Dracula dessert: Coca cola gelee, vanilla bean ice cream, raspberry foam and finish with berry blood drops & pop rock explosions.

As crews begin dismantling Olafur Eliasson's four arboricidal waterfall scaffolds, the mayor's office has released a report asserting that the economic impact of the installation was better than expected. When the waterfalls were turned on back in June, Bloomberg predicted the city would see some $55 million in revenue from the exhibition. A study commissioned by the city’s Economic Development Corporation says that the NYC Waterfalls generated an estimated $69 million for the city. According to City Room, that figure breaks down like so:

Wheee, the tabloids won't stop hammering Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz over the way he runs three non-profits that produce free Brooklyn events and promote tourism! First the Daily News got up in his grill over $680,496 in no-bid contracts he awarded to the non-profits, then the Post was all, What's up with all the loot the Atlantic Yards developer pours into your pet projects, Marty? Now the Post is insinuating that the $2.7 million (maybe more) in tax dollars the Bloomberg administration has funneled to Markowitz's non-profits is essentially a payoff for the beep's Bloomberg cheerleading. Politicians doling out tax money for favors? We're shocked, and so is Dick Dadey of the watchdog group Citizens Union: "It doesn't smell right that he's getting so much city funds for nonprofits serving his interest."

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, pictured here at last week's Atlantic Antic, is still drawing fire over the way he runs several non-profit groups that put on free Brooklyn events and promote tourism. Last month city comptroller Bill Thompson said he was "very concerned" about $680,496 in taxpayer-financed no-bid contracts Markowitz awarded to the non-profits, and the Brooklyn Paper saw a conflict in the estimated $260,000 that Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner donated to fund Markowitz's Best of Brooklyn non-profit and his concert series.

The film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's satirical novel Choke concerns a sex-addicted med-school drop-out (Sam Rockwell) who works as an Irish indentured servant in a Colonial-era theme park to help pay for his Alzheimer’s-afflicted mother's (Angelica Huston) stay in an expensive private medical hospital. The movie's creepiness gets under your skin a little bit, but it also has a lot of heart to temper all the black comedy. Rex Reed begs to differ: "I don’t know what to tell you about a dismal bucket of nauseating swill called Choke, except to warn that if you spend hard-earned money to sit through it, you deserve to do exactly what the title implies." Eh, don't listen to that square; check out our account of a funny Q&A with Palahniuk and Rockwell.

Whenever a NYC teacher calls out sick to wrestle in the WWE or attend a relative's sentencing, the Department of Education has to send in an expensive substitute from the Absent Teacher Reserve pool.

Mayor Bloomberg's not about to let a little economic turbulence down on Wall Street ruin his ambitious plans (paid for with $3 billion in bonds) for a business district at the west side Hudson Yards site.

After the Daily News raised questions about $680,496 in no-bid contracts that Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz awarded to the nonprofit he runs out of his office, a spokesperson for city comptroller Bill Thompson tells the Brooklyn Paper that he's "very concerned about the contracts, which were clearly meant to circumvent the transparency [of] the contract registration process.” Thompson and Markowitz are both possible mayoral contenders.

Are the city's borough presidents just a bunch of lazy, pampered functionaries who draw a $160,000-a-year salary to show up for photo ops and issue proclamations? After reviewing the schedules for all five presidents during the week of August 4th, the Post seems to have arrived at that conclusion. The tabloid is shocked to find that the job of borough president turns out to be largely ceremonial, with a week in the life filled with such duties as attending a Liza Minelli concert (Brooklyn's Marty Markowitz), a party for Hillary Clinton at Cipriani (the Bronx's Adolfo Carrión), and a staff meeting on replacing a disabled constituent's stolen scooter (Staten Island's James Molinaro).

Carrión spent 2½ hours having "private" time on Monday and an hour of the same on Thursday..."He can be known to disappear," said a source close to Carrión...Queens Borough President Helen Marshall also had lots of time missing from her schedule. On Aug. 5, she attended Gov. Paterson's signing of a bill about home foreclosures at 10:30 a.m., then went to a National Night Out Against Crime event at 6 p.m. Nothing was listed in between. "She could definitely do more with that position," said a Queens democratic insider.

         

More than 100,000 people have taken the free ferry over to Governors Island so far this year, up from 56,000 in 2007 and 26,000 in 2006. Today the Times takes a look at the 172-acre island's new-found popularity among everyone from crowd-surfing punks to exuberant swing dancers. If only those groups could one day share the same dance floor!