Photograph the 2006 New York City Marathon finish line by CraigsPage on flickr Marathon fans, your time is here because this weekend, there are two 26.2 mile races in the city. In addition to the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Saturday is the USA Olympic Trials for the 2008 Olympic Men's Marathon. Saturday's Olympic Trials will feature the country's best long distance runners as they contend for the first spots on the 2008......

Yesterday, a group of longboard skaters raced down Broadway from West 116th Street all the way to the bull in the Financial District for the "Broadway Bomb." Sacha Lecca took photographs of the skate, which seemed to have at least 100 skaters. Sacha tells us there were around 70 last year and 30 in 2005; according to the website, the race started in 2002. The race was postponed from Saturday to Sunday because of......

Quick! What's scarier than a ghost, ghoul, or goblin? It's Dick Cheney...hunting! Everyone around the Valley Rod & Gun Club in Dutchess County better stock up on all the orange clothing they can find because the Vice President is going to be in your back yard. The Poughkeepsie Journal first reported Thursday that Cheney is coming to upstate New York for a hunting trip. He's expected to arrive Sunday night at Stewart airport and to......

The ING New York City Marathon is just a mere 25 days away on November 4. The day before the marathon, the New York Road Runners Club is hosting the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Men's Marathon. The NYRR has created a blog with videos and commentary called Chasing Glory. Today, there's a video of Abdi Abdirahman, the three-time U.S. 10,000 champ. Of course, this past Sunday's Chicago Marathon raised a number of......

There's a group of guys, younger than Tony Hawk but older than your average skater punk, who refuse to give up their skateboards -- though admittedly they say they have nothing to rebel against anymore. Skateboarding doesn't have to be about rebelling though, sometimes it can just be about...commuting? Bikers aren't the only ones finding a better way to move around this city, turns out the skateboard is helping grown men get to work --......

The first bowling alley to open in Brooklyn in (we can't even believe this) nearly 50 years is about to open up! The Gutter is new...but the feeling old. Brought to you by two of the same people who brought you Barcade, expect a similar vibe. There's a Schlitz globe spinning over the shoe counter, vintage bowling items adorning the bar, old lamps throughout, and even some TVs with rabbit ear antennas. You won't......

The NY Times takes a look inside the ping-pong world of New York. Sure, it may not be as big as the US Open, but the Naked Ping-Pong tournament is growing bigger and better every week out of a loft in Tribeca. The tournament (which is actually fully-clothed) was started by three friends in their 30s who hope to bring table tennis to the forefront of urban sport. The Times introduces them as "Jonathan Bricklin,......

Did you excel at yo-yo and rock, scissor, paper as a kid? Well, this past weekend was the 1st ever New York State Yo-Yo Contest at the South Street Seaport. From what we hear, excelling in yo-yo is the way to get all the ladies (they dig the finger dexterity and creativity with the yo-yo). It's not just the kids that are throwing the yo-yo around either. Downtown Express tells us that Riad Nasr, the......

Competitive eating powerhouses convened in front of City Hall today to be weighed in for tomorrow's Nathan's Famous July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest. Six-time winner and current mustard belt holder Takeru Kobayashi weighed in at 154 pounds while Joey Chestnut, who broke Kobayashi's hot-dog eating record by keeping down 59.5 hot dogs at an Arizona event last month, weighed in at 215 pounds. Kobayashi had signaled his all-important jaw muscles weren't feeling that......

With Memorial Day weekend coming to a close, there's a long, hot summer ahead of us. For those who enjoy spending the season fishing, The NY Times has some tips for catching a big one at Prospect Park Lake: Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn is a terrific fishing spot. It has the highest concentration of largemouth bass in the state, aided by the Parks Department’s no-kill policy, which means that you may only catch and......

The NYC Parks Department is in in the process of replacing natural grass on many of its playing fields with artificial turf. The fake grass is plastic and laid over a rubber layer that softens the field. According to the NY Post, the Parks Department installed 74 artificial turf fields since 2002. 55 replaced natural grass and 19 were put over existing hard-top lots. Another 100 fields are planned for conversion to artificial turf over......

If getting in shape is one of your New Year’s resolutions, there is a fitness program which instead of asking you to pick one gym location, hands you free passes for what seems like just about every fitness club in NYC, for a $75 fee. The Fitness Access and Yoga PassBooks, subsidized by the American Health and Fitness Alliance, were developed to encourage people to exercise. The program operates in NYC, Chicago, and LA. While......

Brooklyn Ramblings pointed us to this great elevation map (PDF file) of the marathon route on the official marathon website. We all know that the Verrazzano Bridge is the highest point of the race, but that's early in the course. The bumps at 8 (around Fort Green where the courses combine), 16 (the Queensboro Bridge), and 24 (Central Park) are probably harder to summit. The Daily News looks at the crazy costumes worn during......

The ING New York City Marathon is just five days away, and many people are probably thinking about their viewing strategies. The marathon website has different suggestions for watching the professional marathoners and friends and family. If you're cheering someone on, the ING NYC marathon suggests:Mile 8 in Brooklyn , where the three starts converge, is a great place to catch runners looking fresh for photographs. A variety of subways can get you there:......

You know how we know it's almost winter, besides feeling the chill in the air? The fact that Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park is opening today. This year happens to be the 20th anniversary of the rink's re-opening, thanks to Donald Trump's chutzpah and swooping in to take over renovations from the city (the city had been "working" on the rink for 6 years). Admission to the rink is $9.50 weekdays/ $12 holidays/weekend......

In a little more than two weeks, the ING NYC Marathon will take place. It's a little too late to sign up to run (unless you run for a charity - more here), but there are ways to get involved. One is to volunteer at the start of the race. Since the race starts early, volunteers are needed to help out at the start of the race in Staten Island - they will "help set......

The Parks Department is announcing kayak rentals for Central Park's lake today. The Lake will have three kayaks available for $12/hour, so the Lake will be full of kayaks, rowboats, and gondolas - plus some birds hanging out. Here's the Parks Department's recreational boating map - there are kayaks for rent in three other parks, but if you have your own (you know, kayaks are convenient in your NYC-size apartment), there are kayak launches......

Basketball City, that puffy structure off the West Side Highway on West 23rd Street will need to leave tomorrow, since the city wants to get working on continuing to improve Hudson River Park. The fight to stay at Pier 63 (which the Villager called "political football" back in 2004 when its lease expired) even escalated to the point where Basketball City claimed bankruptcy in an attempt to stay, while parks advocates have been eager for......

Yesterday was the first NYC Half Marathon, which saw over 10,000 runners take over the streets of Manhattan. The course route was the loop in Central Park, and then down Seventh Avenue (through Times Square), making a left 42nd Street to head to the West Side Highway, and taking that all the way down to Battery Park. Kenyans won the men's and women's races - Thomas Nyariki finished in 1:01:22 and Catherine Ndereba's time......

With the weather so nice, it's the perfect opportunity to head to Flushing today to check out the final day of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York. Today's races have already started, but the event lasts until 6 p.m., with the last race scheduled for 5:09 (it will undoubtedly be running late). If watching various teams compete in dragon boats from the shores of Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park,......

It's nothing like what the weather will be like in November, but it's never too early to train for the NYC Marathon. Deena Kastor, who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics for the marathon and who happens to hold the American record for the women's marathon - 2:19.36 - after running this year's London Marathon, is in New York to train. And even in this gross weather, she's out running and talking to......

Two of the biggest brands in the world came together today in New York to announce a partnership for a new product. Nike and Apple - who wasn't content just with opening a store on 5th Avenue - announced the Nike+iPod - a wireless system that can track your running progress and allow you to choose a "PowerSong" to pump you up when you hit a wall. The sensor fits into a special compartment......

Last month when Gothamist was in Coney Island for opening day, we spotted a perplexing activity taking place on the beach. A few people were throwing balls at what seemed like a wooden triangle in the middle of some tubes laid out in a circle. After closer inspection (like reading the sign), we found that this bizarre game was called Trangleball. Essentially, the game involves throwing a ball off the center triangle and your......

Just two weeks ago we were telling our friend to have his birthday party at Dave & Buster's. "There is no Dave & Buster's in the city," he said. Since we had never thought to go to the place, we didn't know...we just assumed this city would have one. For those who don't know, Dave & Buster's is an adult playground. Video games, virtual reality systems, skee ball and beer. Like recess served with spiked......

As you may or may not know, we love the show How I Met Your Mother (one character even has a blog - not an entirely new idea, but we like it). Last week two of the characters on the show went to a lazer tag park and declared that the game was totally making a comeback within 2 months. So we wanted to get prepared, because we actually think lazer tag could be fun!......

Futsal, a 5 on 5 indoor soccer game, has a long history in the United States (the US Futsal Federation is celebrating its 25th year), but Nike is promoting a 3 on 3 version, Joga 3 Futsal. Futsal is played indoors or outdoors on small courts (think basketball sized) and has an emphasis on skill over power. The game's popularity grew the most in Brazil and is responsible for developing some of the best......

Yesterday while riding the subway, Gothamist spotted a guy carrying a saucer sled and thought to ourselves, "foolish man, there won't be that much snow." But low and behold, there's more than enough snow for sledding. So the natural desire is to find a nice sledding spot. Over at Palatial.com, Tracy has a map of sledding locations in NYC, which is obviously what we need in today's blizzard. GoCityKids also has a short list......

Winters are usually fun time for Gothamist for one big reason, there's snow to ski on. With this winter being a bust in our area for most of the ski season, we haven't had our mind on skiing quite too much yet. But with the weather finally cold, snow forcasted for this weekend, and the Winter Olympics starting today, we can't help but have skiing on the mind. The lack of snow has already taken......

Way out in Vernon, NJ today, the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix Series is taking place at Mountain Creek (fondly remembered by Gothamist as Vernon Valley/Great Gorge). The Grand Prix halfpipe competition takes place from 4-6:10 p.m. and will feature some of the country's best including Shaun White and Ross Powers. If that's not enough fun, Jersey's own Fountains of Wayne will be performing at 7:20. Following their performance, the 2006 U.S. Olympic team will be......

There have been a few articles about Alberto Arroyo, who is the unofficial Mayor of Central Park, but today's NY Times feature about him has an awesome slideshow with his narration. At 89, he's been been a staple around the Central Park Reservoir for years (he claims to be the first to run around the reservoir), either running or, more recently, using a walker. Arroyo used to run during his lunch hour while working at......