Tag Archives: NYC

One of my first days on the job at my office on E.42nd Street, back in 2001, one of my co-workers saw me stuff a dollar into the jar of the “volunteer” for the United Homeless Organization that was outside our building every day, next door to Grand Central. “Hey, that’s a scam,” he confided. “Those guys rent the table …

The Manhattan tradition of viewing the inflating of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloons along Central Park West begins tomorrow at 3PM. Via Gothamist: It’s that time again—time for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And one of the fun traditions to watching the balloons being blown up the night before. This year’s Thanksgiving parade balloon inflation begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. …

Hundreds of New Yorkers gathered on the chilly Christopher Street Pier tonight to honor the memory of murdered gay teen Jorge Mercado and to call on the federal and Puerto Rican governments to charge his killer with a hate crime. A broad coalition of LGBT, Hispanic, and progressive groups were represented by numerous speakers who spoke in English and Spanish …

Thursday night’s party for Instinct Magazine’s Leading Men Of 2009 issue was a blast. Editor Mike Wood and publisher JR Pratts were genial hosts, the open bar flowed copiously and the room swelled with bold face names, much to the delight of my loyal companions Dr. Jeff and Father Tony. Jeff intro’d me to some Project Runway dude (Velvet?) and …

Friday’s final NYC Blowoff of the decade was its usual cavalcade of carousing and nonsensery. Some were worried that the word about the new venue, Tribeca’s Canal Room, had not gotten out, but the joint was beyond capacity for most of the night. The club’s lower lighting (compared to the Highline) seemed to influence DJs Bob Mould and Rich Morel, …

“It’s funny how we crave the authentic, the unspoiled, the genuine — the un-globalized and un-homogenized and un-gentrified — only to destroy them. And then, as if in remorse, attempt to create unthreatening Disney versions of the authentic, the unspoiled and the genuine. It’s funny how the rich, tired of grilled tuna or Chilean sea bass, weary of New York …

My late aunt used to say that you weren’t a real New Yorker until you saw a dead body. Therefore I almost earned my Gothamite stripes last night when a smiling young man climbed down onto the subway tracks at 68th Street, then started taking off his clothes while walking back and forth on the wooden cover over the third …

A Brooklyn resident has launched a text message and Twitter based system of finding parking spaces in Park Slope, which car-owning locals derisively call “No Park Slope.” It’s no secret. Park Slope is a parking nightmare. But what if you could join a cyber community that allows members to share available parking spot information? Well, now it’s possible with a …

Famed avant garde artist Jeanne-Claude has died in NYC from a brain aneurysm at the age of 74. In 2005, Jeanne-Claude and her artist husband Christo installed The Gates, a 23-mile pathway of orange fabric in Central Park that was viewed by millions. Christo has vowed to complete the couple’s final collaborations in Colorado and the United Arab Emirates. No …

Santa Kong and the Rockettes shared a photo-op atop the Empire State Building. This post is just an excuse to complain about the incredibly annoying earworm jingle for the Radio City Xmas Spectacular, which has been running about every three minutes on every station for the last month. (Via – Gothamist)

Years late and jillions over budget, next month the MTA will finally begin installing train arrival countdown clocks on the numbered lines. About 150 stations will get their clocks over the next 12 months, beginning with stations on the 6 line in the Bronx. The L train was the first to get the displays two years ago. They don’t make …

This Friday’s installment of Blowoff in NYC will take place in a new venue, the posh-looking Canal Room at 285 W. Broadway & Canal. Bob Mould tells me that the Highline Ballroom, host to Blowoff parties since the beer-soaked bear bacchanal came to Manhattan several years ago, has launched a new Friday nights event and is unavailable. The Canal Room …

L Train, Monday, 9:30pm Hipster Chick 1: Yeah, so it’s pretty big and the price is OK, but it’s waaay at the end of the R train.Hipster Chick 2: Totally BFE out there.Hipster Chick 1: Right? And Kristen pointed out that we hadn’t seen a single gay man the entire time.Hipster Chick 2: Like I said, beyond civilization.Hipster Chick 1: …

Via Holy Taco, a warning to the women of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I’m reminded of a similar “community warning” flier that I ripped off a telephone pole in the Castro many years ago. “Warning! Do not give money to Danny or any of his friends at XXXX 17th Street! He is a thief and a bad drug dealer!” Almost every gay …

According to the 14th annual survey by the LGBT-focused Community Marketing, Inc, New York City remains the top choice for LGBT tourists. The reports notes that the poor economy has affected gay travel to most destinations in the last year. The top five: 1) New York2) Las Vegas3) San Francisco4) Los Angeles / West Hollywood5) Chicago Overall trends included:1) Due …

Manhattan gets it first taste of mega-box retailing today with the opening of the massive East River Plaza mall on FDR Drive in East Harlem. Anchor tenant Costco’s 110,000 square foot store is open as of this morning, coming in the next few months will be the long panted-over Target, as well as other jumbo retailers at the 500,000 square …

Instinct Magazine’s Leading Men Of 2009 party takes place in NYC on November 19th at Greenhouse in Soho. Famed DJ Bill Coleman and gay pop artist Ari Gold will perform. RSVP for admittance here. This year’s “leading men” include Lt. Dan Choi, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, activist Rob Tisinai, Levi’s head Robert Hanson, activist Wayne Besen, Californians Against Hate’s Fred …

Last night Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend, Andy Towle of Towleroad, and Bil Browning of The Bilerico Project and I attended the NYC Anti-Violence Project’s Courage Awards, where we were honored for our work as “citizen journalists” – a term Pam calls “the glamour word for bloggers, don’tcha know, since we didn’t have PJs on.” We had elected Pam …