Our Town Downtown May 23, 2012 by OurTown Downtown

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NYPRESS.COM • COMMUNITY NEWS BELOW 14TH STREET • MAY 24, 2012

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NEIGHBORHOOD CHATTER Manhattan Borough Board Unanimously Passes DREAM Act On Thursday, May 17, members of the Manhattan Borough Board unanimously approved New York State DREAM legislation, a number of bills promoting higher education and civic engagement opportunities for students in New York City neighborhoods, regardless of their immigration status. New York City’s immigrant population, the largest of any U.S. city, makes up almost 40 percent of the city’s population and workforce. The support of DREAM legislation reflects broad community support of this population as well as the city’s overall economic growth. “I applaud the Manhattan Borough Board for their vote to unanimously support the DREAM Act, a long-awaited reform that is needed to provide opportunity and fairness to thousands of immigrant youth in our city and state. New York has always been a leader in giving all of its residents a chance to succeed,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

New York City Comptroller Calls for an End to Stop-and-Frisk City Comptroller John C. Liu released a statement calling for the abolishment of stop-

Governor Ends Food Stamp Finger Imaging Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the end of finger imaging for food stamp recipients. The practice was thought to prevent many hungry New Yorkers from acquiring much-needed food at a time when one-third of New York City’s children live in poverty. Arizona now remains the only state to continue this practice. “It makes no sense for children to go to bed hungry while we waste local tax dollars on a senseless program that puts food farther out of reach,” State Sen. Daniel Squadron said, applauding the governor’s decision. The reform also impacts the elderly. “Removing stigma and ensuring dignity in applying for food stamps for the elderly is critical,” said Bobbie Sackman, director of public policy for the Council of Senior Centers and Services. The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies also announced its support of the governor’s decision, praising the removal of this “needless hurdle” in a time of economic hardship. CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTO

and-frisk tactics by NYPD officers. According to Liu, there were nearly 700,000 instances of New Yorkers being stopped and frisked last year, nearly all of them targeting Black or Latino people innocent of any crime. “It’s just impossible to say stop-and-frisk is not racial profiling, and continuation of this practice not only violates the department ban against racial profiling, it raises civil rights questions,” Liu said, decrying the tactic. “It also poses a potential financial liability to the

city, as evidenced by rising claims against the NYPD and the federal judge’s ruling allowing class-action status in a stop-and-frisk lawsuit.” Supporting Liu’s claim, there were 2,241 civil rights claims filed against NYPD officers in 2011, up 23 percent from 2010. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer spoke in agreement with Liu’s assessment, but applauded Commissioner Ray Kelly’s acknowledgement that greater training and oversight is needed in current

Get the latest news and share your opinion online at nypress.com stop-and-frisk procedures after the commissioner announced changes to officer training, monitoring, supervision, transparency and accountability. Stringer also spoke in support of the “call-in” approach, a proven tool for reducing violence.

State Senate Passes Resolution to Honor Beastie Boys Founder Last Tuesday, May 15, the New York State Senate passed a resolution introduced by State Sen. Daniel Squadron honoring Brooklyn native and Beastie Boys founder Adam “MCA” Yauch for his contributions to music and political activism. Yauch and the Beastie Boys gained prominence in New York City, which is reflected in the resolution. “The Beastie Boys exemplified New York through a period in which grassroots creativity and a community of iconoclastic artists helped redefine and rejuvenate a city on the ropes, with iconic imagery from Brooklyn to Ludlow Street,” reads part of the resolution.

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Five Facilities_ManMed 5/15/12 11:06 AM Page 1

The new 390,000 sq. ft. Fiterman Hall at Borough of Manhattan Community College replaces the one lost on 9/11, with new classrooms, instructional and computer labs, an art gallery and café.

Bronx Community College’s, 98,000 sq. ft. North Instructional Building and Library, provides classrooms, a library, a café, a two-story commons, study rooms and lounges.

CUNY Law School moves to 2 Court Square, an environmentally green building in Long Island City with 260,000 sq. ft. of classrooms, library, law clinic, moot court, an auditorium and offices.

ESIGNED TO INSPIRE INQUIRY AND INNOVATION, ﬁve new, state-of-the-art education hubs — part of The City University of New York’s capital program to upgrade and build facilities to meet record

enrollments and 21st-century needs — open their doors this fall. CUNY’s construction program is a job-creating economic engine for New York, responsible for nearly 20 percent of all construction in New York City. — Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor

The New Community College at CUNY, an exciting new college opens in the center of midtown Manhattan at 50 West 40th Street, overlooking Bryant Park. The first entering class will be 300 students.

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M ay 24 , 2012 • O UR TOW N D OW NTOW N • 3

CRIME WATCH LOCkDOWN

cancel the card. Also missing were her driver’s license, a train ticket and some cash.

A 29-year-old woman was working out at a Wall Street gym when several items were stolen from her unsecured locker—she reportedly left the items in the locker even though her lock was broken. The robber made off with the woman’s purse, containing an iPhone, a driver’s license, several credit cards and some jewelry.

Making a Drive for the Border

Caffeine Fiasco A 55-year-old man was waiting in line at a major coffee shop chain for his morning caffeine fix when he noticed his laptop was missing from his bag. While in the shop, he reported, his bag never left his person. The laptop was never recovered from the incredibly sneaky thief.

Too Hungry to Notice

A Canadian visitor to New York City is temporarily stranded here after his rental car was stolen from its Tribeca parking spot on Sunday, May 6, in the early evening. Inside the stolen vehicle was a cell phone, money, a purse, a GPS, some CDs and a Canadian passport.

Calling the Fashion Police A 25-year-old woman reported her wallet was stolen from her purse in Lower Manhattan while she was en route to the PATH train. The woman’s credit card records revealed a $720 purchase at Abercrombie & Fitch by the brand-savvy thief before she managed to

A 38-year-old woman was eating at a popular lunch chain mid-afternoon on a Tuesday in the Financial District when she noticed her purse had been stolen from where she set it behind her chair. The stealthy thief made off with her iPhone, wallet, passport, credit cards and house keys.

Phoning It In A 17-year-old boy was arrested mid-day in Soho after grabbing an iPhone from the hands of a 49-year-old woman, who was texting. A witness apprehended the thief, who produced a pocket knife with

Unclean Getaway Around 3 p.m. on a recent Sunday, a store clerk at a Financial District department store observed a man shoplifting. The 57-year-old clerk pursued the man, who reacted to the chase by spraying the clerk in the eyes with an unknown substance. The thief then dropped the bag containing the stolen loot, which turned out to be just $15 worth of soap. The clerk returned the soap to the store unharmed, but the perpetrator got away. There were no other witnesses to the messy encounter. the blade exposed. The perpetrator was arrested by officers who discovered a stolen Blackberry in his possession as well. Other evidence collected included multiple cell phone chargers, two iPods, an iPod Touch, two cell phones and a Bluetooth device. In another itheft, on a Monday in Tribeca, a 63-year-old man’s company iPhone was grabbed by a young man who proceeded to run off the train they were both riding. The phone’s Find My iPhone application returned no results, and the victim decided not to pursue the matter. Additionally, a young man was enjoying himself at a nightclub in Soho on a Friday when he noticed his iPhone had been stolen out of his back pocket. He searched the club for the burglar to no avail, but his phone’s tracking system revealed a signal in the Bronx.

One Costly Dinner A 31-year-old man parked his car on the street in Soho on a Saturday and went to dinner, only to return at 2 a.m. to find a window smashed and a backpack missing. The backpack contained $1,670 in cash and a charger, a calculator and a pair of sunglasses.

An Ambitious Thief A woman was partying Thursday night at a Soho nightclub when she reached into her purse to discover various items missing, including cash, credit cards, an iPhone and makeup. American Express later called her to approve a $4,000 transaction on her account, which she denied. Compiled by AlissA FleCk

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NEWS

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City’s last horse auction mart designated landmark Preservationists, residents, politicians save 128 E. 13th St. following six-year push By Alan Krawitz

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It took six years to accomplish, but hard work and perseverance paid off for city preservationists as the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted unanimously last week to landmark 128 E. 13th St., a building once used to auction off horses. The campaign to landmark the 1903 building, whose varied uses included as the city’s last surviving horse auction mart, studio space for famed painter and sculptor Frank Stella and a World War II-era defense industry training center for women, was spearheaded by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) and had support from Council Member Rosie Mendez and the Historic Districts Council, among others. “This designation was especially gratifying, in part because it was so long in the making and in part because we came so close to losing the building,” said Andrew Berman, GVSHP executive director. In 2006, Berman’s group uncovered a plan by a new owner to tear the building down and replace it with a seven-story condo. Berman said that shortly after that discovery, his organization alerted the LPC and requested an emergency hearing to save the building. The hearing was made possible because the new owner had not yet filed demolition permits, creating a small window of opportunity to try to save the building. “128 East 13th Street’s progression from a place where horses, then manufactured goods and then great works of art were produced perfectly captures the arc of downtown’s development,” Berman said during his 2006 testimony before the LPC. While the building’s use from 1978 to 2005 as the studio of renowned artist Stella was well known, research supplied to the landmark’s commission from the GVSHP revealed it was originally built as the Van Tassel and Kearney Horse Auction Mart, a place where affluent city families, including the Vanderbilts, Delanos and Belmonts, went to inspect and select horses for purchase. Distinguishing physical traits of the building include high central halls, where horses were paraded around on rings for potential buyers to review. The GVSHP’s research also showed that although horse auction marts

128 E. 13th St., which was recently landmarked. CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTO

were at one time very common buildings in New York City, this is the last remaining intact structure of its type. Despite the fact that the LPC’s emergency hearing in 2006 prevented demolition of the building, the commission refrained from voting on designation for six years. In 2007, the building was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and in 2008, the GVSHP sent a letter signed by Borough President Scott Stringer, State Sen. Tom Duane, Mendez and Assembly Member Deborah Glick in a renewed attempt to push for landmark designation. “This is a good example of how a historic building can be adapted to new uses that benefit its community without sacrificing its historic character,” said Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, referring to the building’s current tenant, the Peridance Capezio Dance Center. “After six years of pushing for landmark status, the Village and the city can now be assured that this unique monument, which evolved from a place that produced horses to manufactured goods to great works of art, will be with us for generations to come,” Berman said in an emailed statement. “And with it,” he continued, “a steel and masonry record of New York and the Village’s dramatic evolution over the 20th century will also be preserved.”

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ON TOPIC

Collision Course in NYC

trian deaths rarely happen, about once y wife was run over by a rollerevery two or three years, White added. blader going the wrong way on “Someone with a two-ton SUV might have a bike path last Friday morning. more responsibility than a bicyclist,” White She was slammed into a puddle said. “That’s not to say a bicyclist doesn’t also and hurt, but fortunately did not suffer serihave responsibility.” ous injury. A few hours later and a few blocks The audience, though mostly civil, was not away, my father was wheeling my son in a in a mood to shift their anger from bikers to stroller toward me when he noticed a biker drivers. “They’re a menace—they’re a pest,” riding the wrong way on a different path. He said one of cyclists. was able to avoid an accident. Many want to require bikers to register their These are obviously the reasons I’m writing vehicles like drivers. White thinks it’s probabout bike and street safety—except they lematic for many reasons: the NYPD does not aren’t. I had already decided to write about want the added enforcement this the night before, at a burden, bike license plates neighborhood meeting a would be too small to have the few blocks away from the desired deterrent effect and it site of both incidents. would discourage people from The meeting, orgastarting to bike. nized by a political club The explosion of bike lanes in in Chelsea, was called the city has doubled the number “Pedestrians & Bikers: Do of riders in10 years, White said, They Have to Collide?” yet total cycling injuries have acIt’s not an easy question tually gone down, an indication to answer. You see, I have that the lanes have encouraged biked these streets on and bikers to ride safer. off for about 20 years. I’m JOSH ROGERS Reported accidents with like many New York City pedestrians, bikers and drivers riders: I often don’t wait have also been reduced on streets with bike for green lights. I have also been walking in lanes, according to the city. It could mean the city since I learned how and I’m now like overall accidents are down, but it’s hard to many city pedestrians: I often don’t wait for know for sure. Many mishaps like my wife’s green lights. don’t get reported. I also drive from time to time, and I always White, for his part, wants to see riders like wait for green lights. The city would be terrifyme get ticketed. I’m sure anti-biker readers ing if drivers violated the rules of the road as out there agree. They may never have gotten often as bikers and pedestrians do. past my admission of violations. It’s scary enough. About 150 city pedesObeying the rules and riding safely are trians a year are killed in auto accidents, important, but it’s possible to do one without as Paul Steely White, executive director of the other. Bikers are not required to slow the cycling advocacy group Transportation down if they see a cluster of pedestrians on a Alternatives, told the meeting’s attendees, sidewalk—it’s a good bet at least one walker mostly senior citizens. Bike-related pedes-

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will step in the street without looking—but it’s smart to slow down anyway. When I blow a light, I go very slowly and look every way to make sure it’s safe. I see many riders do the same thing. In all my years of riding, I have hit pedestrians twice. Both times, they were jaywalkers crossing at midblock. One woman was dodging between stalled traffic on 34th Street when she stepped in front of me. The other time, a man was looking in the wrong direction when he stepped into a bike lane and me, knocking

both of us to the ground. Fortunately, no one was hurt either time. White acknowledges there is “rampant lawlessness” among bikers and pedestrians, but he doesn’t say they do it more often than city drivers, who often go faster than 30 miles per hour. “Most New Yorkers don’t know what the speed limit is,” he said. “Can we start there?” Josh Rogers, contributing editor at Manhattan Media, is a lifelong New Yorker.

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CritiCs’ PiCks MUSEUMS Dream Weaver: Thai artist and poet Pinaree Sanpitak’s new installation and textile works, “Hanging by a Thread.” She will also have a solo show at the Chrysler Museum this October. Through June 1, Tyler Rollins Fine Art Ltd., 529 W. 20th St., 10W, 212-2299100, trfineart.com. [Valerie Gladstone]

Edited by Armond White

GALLERIES Heliontrope: A luminous exhibition of a decade’s work by one of the last great French modernists, with nearly 30 paintings and drawings by Jean Hélion (19041987), revealing his evolution from pure abstraction to figuration. Through June 30, Schroeder Romero & Shredder, 531 W. 26th St., 212-630-0722, srandsgallery.com. [John Goodrich]

New York’s Review of Culture • CityArtsNYC.com

Freudian Trip: “Lucian Freud Drawings” includes over 80 works spanning from 1940 to the present day in charcoal, pastel, conté, pen and ink, crayon, etching and watercolor. Through June 9, Acquavella Galleries, 18 E. 79th St., 212-734-6300, acquavellagalleries. com. [VG] CLASSICAL Adventures with Lang Lang: You never know what Lang Lang, the sensational young pianist, will do: lay an egg or knock you out? Always worth attending. May 29, Carnegie Hall, 212-247-7800, carnegiehall. org; 8 p.m. [Jay Nordlinger]

Kara Hayward on the lookout as Wes Anderson’s Suzy.

Binocular Vision Wes Anderson looks At life tWice in Moonrise KingdoM By Armond White

ill Wes Anderson ever return to the blunt sexuality of the Hotel Chevalier overture to The Darjeeling Limited? The mannered style of his new film, Moonrise Kingdom, suggests, perhaps, an adieu to innocence. It’s a remarkable fantasy creation at the same time that it knowingly presents a sophisticated deconstruction of prelapsarian innocence. Moonrise Kingdom is titled for the idyll shared by two New England preteens in love, Suzy (Kara Hayward) and Sam (Jared Gilman). It’s the name they give an unchristened cove previously known by its map coordinates, or the technical “Mile 3.25 Tidal Inlet.” Suzy and Sam are both 12 years old, but Anderson’s personalized vision makes their identities emerge affectionately; Suzy’s detached from her parents NYPress.com

and three brothers, Sam’s an orphan isolated from the delinquents in his foster home and his scout troop. They are typical Anderson protagonists—which means nothing about them is typical. Both Suzy and Sam’s intelligence arises from their self-conscious loneliness as part of their survival tactics; she reads books about girls in danger, he becomes an exemplary boy scout. Their shared paradise might not last into adulthood, but instead of Stand By Me’s sappy view of adolescence, Anderson offers fine insight into their specific emotional qualities. Leaning toward fantasy, Anderson studies the depths of personality. Suzy and Sam are not sexualized, like the Peter and Wendy in P.J. Hogan’s extraordinary 2003 Peter Pan. This is also a runaway’s story, like François Ozon’s Criminal Lovers, a Hansel and Gretel tale mixing Night of the Hunter and They Lived By Night, but Anderson favors a chaste view of sexual precocity. This delicate, eccentric sensibility of Anderson’s films (The Darjeeling Limited,

The Royal Tenenbaums) confuses some people, but his meticulous visualization of feeling and adolescent experience is what distinguishes his cinema. Childhood isn’t coddled in an excessive or nostalgic way, it provides a key to Anderson’s sense of basic human nature. The adults in Moonrise Kingdom— Suzy’s parents (Bill Murray, Frances McDormand), Sam’s Scout master, Ward (Edward Norton), and the local police captain, Sharp (Bruce Willis)—display an older but similar weariness and dissatisfaction. Despite the farcical tone, no one is infantilized; all are seen compassionately. Norton’s weak chin and slight lisp personify the dweeb that is Anderson’s specialty. He’s not brilliant like the nerds Jason Schwartzman plays for Anderson, rather, he’s one of Moonrise Kingdom’s mundane, unjudged innocents. Starting with Suzy’s brothers listening to Benjamin Britten’s 1946 recording The Young Person‘s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 (Themes A-F), Anderson diagrams the

Britten and Brilliant: Two days after Opera in Cinema presents Benjamin Britten’s “Peter Grimes” at the Big Cinemas Manhattan Theater, Opera Moderne mounts Britten’s “Turn of the Screw,” based on Henry James’s supernatural masterpiece. SCARY! May 26, Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, 212-864-5400, symphonyspace.org; , 8 p.m., $55 advance, $45 for members & children, $60 day of show. [Judy Gelman Myers] JAZZ Now’s the Time: Brilliant pianist, composer and band leader Jonathan Batiste, co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (NJMH), present “Jazz is: NOW.” May 23, NJMH, 104 E. 126th St., 212-348-8300, jazzmuseuminharlem.org; 7 p.m., free. [VG] DANCE Names and Misnomers: A survey of international dance styles graces the Museum of Art and Design theater. Performers include Souleymane Badolo, Bridgman/Packer Dance, Claire Porter and Misnomer Dance Theater. June 1, The Theater at Museum of Art and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, 212-2997777, madmuseum.org; 7:30 p.m., $20, $12 for members. [Phyllis Workman] Women’s Whirl: Gotham Dance Festival celebrates the work of American women, among them Jane Comfort & Company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Kate Weare Company, Pam Tanowitz Dance and Monica Bill Barnes & Company, in this one-night celebration program, “Working Women.” June 5, The Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave., 212-928-6517, gothamarts.org; 7:30 p.m., $10+. [VG]

Continued on next page M ay 24 , 2012 • O UR TOW N D OW NTOW N • 9

CITYARTS MUSEUMS A “hotbed of intellectual and aesthetic adventure.” — New York Times

Surveying the Italian Scene lessons from the AccAdemiA And the met By Mario Naves

july 6 – august 19, 2012

BARDSUMMERSCAPE Bard SummerScape 2012 presents seven weeks of opera, music, theater, dance, films, and cabaret. The season’s focal point is the 23rd annual Bard Music Festival, which this year celebrates the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, whose remarkable career shaped not only the history of French music, but also the ways in which that history was transmitted and communicated to the public. SummerScape takes place in the extraordinary Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues on Bard College’s stunning Mid-Hudson Valley campus. Opera

THE KING IN SPITE OF HIMSELF (Le roi malgré lui) Music by Emmanuel Chabrier American Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Leon Botstein Directed by Thaddeus Strassberger

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COMPAGNIE FÊTES GALANTES LET MY JOY REMAIN

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link during your next visit to The Met and you’re likely to miss Bellini, Titian, and Lotto; North Italian Paintings from the Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, an exhibition snuggled almost imperceptibly into the museum’s collection of European art. As the Accademia Carrara undergoes renovation, The Met is hosting 15 of its paintings as a means to “expand [the Accademia’s] reputation internationally.” The last time The Met and the Accademia Carrera joined forces was with a revelatory exhibition of still-life paintings by local hero Evaristo Baschenis (1617-1677). The current venture doesn’t pack the same punch. The star names might lead you to believe otherwise, but the lone Titian canvas is at best a curio and—what’s that again?—an attribution. Bellini’s “Pieta With the Virgin and Saint John” (ca. 1455-60) is…well, it’s a dud. Compare it to The Met’s own “Madonna and Child” (ca. 1480) and weep. Lotto justifies marquee billing. Three altarpiece panels originally installed in the Church of San Bartolomeo evince a showman of impeccable concision, if not at the top of his powers. That distinction is earned with “Portrait of Lucina Brembati” (ca. 1518-23), wherein Lotto adroit-

Moonrise Kingdom Continued from previous page basic social unit of family in a remarkable series of lateral pans through the Bishop family frame house, then through the campsite of Sam’s Kahaki Scouts unit at Camp Ivanhoe. The idea of musical variations serves Anderson’s method of describing social groups and human relations. Each character is introduced in their private rooms, personal worlds—individuals as part of a whole. If it looks just like the animated universe of Fantastic Mr. Fox, that’s Anderson’s affectionate point. But don’t underestimate his perspicacity. These white folks retracing the Indian trails of their habitat reveal a lot more about Americans’ connection to their history than Alexander Payne’s smug The Descendants.

ly concentrates his knack for rendering finery and tapping into the psyche. The more time you spend with Ms. Brembati, the more intimate, and unnerving, the encounter. Wow, you think, the things a painting can do. The same sentiment can be applied to canvases by Giovanni Battista Moroni, a lesser-known “natural talent” whose gift for portraiture won Titian’s recommendation. Moroni’s “Portrait of a Little Girl of the Redetti Family” (ca. 1570) is a remarkable evocation (or illusion) of a child wiser than her years. But “Portrait of a Twenty-Nine-Year-Old Man” (1567) is the triumph, the sitter’s wary individuality having been distilled with no consequent loss in mystery. The remainder of Bellini, Titian and Lotto is filled out with drab talents (Bergognone), by-the-book tradesmen (Giovanni Cariani) and flashy pasticheurs (Andrea Previtali). On the slim evidence at hand, it’s difficult to know whether Vincenzo Foppa or Moretto da Brescia are more than that. Is da Brescia’s “Christ and a Devotee” (1518) a happy one-off or does it herald a minor master? The Met and the Accademia Carrara should join forces again to answer that question for the rest of us. Bellini, Titian, and Lotto; North Italian Paintings from the Accademia Carrara, Bergamo Through Sept. 3, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave., 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.

Anderson acknowledges his selfaware pageantry (and dependence upon social ritual and public ritual) in a flashback to Suzy and Sam first meeting at a church performance of Britten’s opera Noye’s Fludd. It resembles a layered, cut-out Christmas card unfolding before our eyes. A rebuke to 3-D gimmickry, it also makes imagination real in the same way of an Anderson tableau. There’s beauty when Suzy and Sam are on a misty beach with an olive-colored lantern on the left, yellow suitcase on the right, her saddle oxfords on left, a blue record player on right and a pair of binoculars in the foreground. Binoculars, a familiar image from Anderson’s debut Bottle Rocket, symbolize his gift for seeing youth and adulthood simultaneously. This double vision makes Moonrise Kingdom odd and substantive. Follow ArmondWhite on Twitter @3xchair

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JAZZ CITYARTS

Moves Like Morton

mArcus roberts sets his oWn rules By Howard Mandel

azz musicians pushing beyond the standard deviations advance the art form, and pianist Marcus Roberts stands out among many excellent current keyboard players with a thrust all his own. Performing the 1920s classics of Jelly Roll Morton faithfully yet also revised at Jazz at Lincoln Center May 11 and 12, and collaborating with banjoist Bela Fleck on record and at the Blue Note June 5 through 10, Roberts has been and will be neither strict neo-conservative nor outright populist, not representative of trends nor an outlying iconoclast. He’s his own man, creating quite freely within explicit structures, exploring new associations while asserting uncompromised individuality. Roberts’ music is odd, interesting, utterly unpredictable and fun to hear. In Western European classical music,

one knows how the music goes and takes satisfaction in its realization. In jazz, we may know what the musicians start with, but thrill to follow their improvised paths forward, unsure of how and where they’ll arrive. Jelly Roll Morton’s compositions for his Red Hot Peppers are highly specific, recalled with precision by fans. Roberts, who is blind, took transcriptions of Morton’s recordings and reharmonized them to get new, rich, coloristic blends from trumpet, trombone, two saxophones, clarinet, piano, bass and drums. That JALC-associated ’bone player Ron Westray, tenor saxist Stephen Riley and three young men who were Roberts’ students at Florida State University had startlingly different soloing styles, stretching out in ways Morton couldn’t have imagined but might well have applauded, didn’t bug their leader at all. Indeed, on “Grandpa’s Spells,” “The Chant,” “Deadman Blues,” “Dr. Jazz,” “Original Jelly Roll Blues,” “Winin’ Boy” and “The Pearls,” Roberts strived to play nothing like Morton, coming up with strategies for each of his featured episodes that seemed capricious, if not random.

The Hamptons AreTh Always e Hamptons in Season

Are Always in Season

threw down power chords and clusters in a frenzy, concentrated for a chorus on the bell-like highest notes of the piano and added contrasts and comments to his horn players’ efforts. Westray blew like a burbling brook, Riley employed a strangely hollow, hoarse tone on anarchic, late-swing era fragments of phrases, and the kids Joe Goldberg (clarinet), Alphonso Horne (trumpet) and Ricardo Pascal (tenor and soprano saxes) walked the line between Hot Peppers fidelity and their personal impulses, usually sustaining the balance. The concert I heard, the first of two, was fascinating, though the band hadn’t completely jelled. Drummer Jason Marsalis kept strict time, right on top of Roberts in duet on “King Porter Stomp”; he and bassist Rodney Jordan are Roberts’ regular partners. Piano and banjo are rarely heard together, but Bela Fleck is a rare banjoMarcus Roberts ist, and with Roberts’ trio on Across the Imaginary Divide, the combination Morton was no roughhouse blues and sounds natural. Roberts is stately at moboogie guy; he filtered 19th-century Euroments, folksy at others, delving into tango pean romanticism and bordello flourishes and blues. This may not be jazz, or it may into syncopated stride and in ensembles be an unexpected expansion of the art. Who was unfailingly supportive. Roberts, howcares? It’s fun to hear. ever, laid out right-hand-only single note lines with perverse restraint of momentum, ReachHowardMandelat jazzmandel@gmail.com

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M ay 24 , 2012 • O UR TOW N D OW NTOW N • 1 1

CITYARTS POP

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Tailored Excess Gossip And XenomAniA mAke joyful noise By Ben Kessler

rkansas-bred indie band Gossip (née The Gossip; like Facebook, they dropped the definite article) came to A Joyful Noise, their fifth studio album, having exhausted the exhortative possibilities of millennial dancepunk. Ahead of the pop culture curve, singer Beth Ditto went the distance—shorter than it seems—from subaltern militant (2006’s Standing in the Way of Control) to prophet of boho-hipster liberation (2009’s Music for Men). The band’s breakout single, “Standing in the Way of Control,” was celebrated for its punk progressivism vis-à-vis gay marriage. Just as audacious but much less straightforward, A Joyful Noise is in sync with our current conflicted—ahem, “evolved”—cultural moment. Gossip made an unequivocal break with the recent past when they decamped from producer Mark Ronson’s studio to work with Brian Higgins, founder of hitmaking outfit Xenomania. Ditto has said of Ronson, “We had all the same reference points.” Indeed, Ronson’s sampling sensibility curates pop music history according to a consistent hierarchy of “underground” values. He goes at his business with an undisguised sincere belief in the purity, the authenticity, that cultural history lends to certain sounds. Higgins has no such belief. His is a synthesizing sensibility. Higgins and his collaborators put all of pop in the hopper. In its production for acts such as Saint Etienne, Girls Aloud and Florrie, Xenomania uses eclecticism for scale. The key to the Xenomania genius lies in tailoring excess: knowing when too much is just right vs. when it really is too much. Clearly, Higgins’ philosophy is that a strong topline melody exerts discipline downward and no effect that serves to impress the melody deeper into the listener’s consciousness should be questioned. So, yes, this is the full-on pop sound that Gossip have been tending toward for the last half-decade. But it’s not a cynical assault on

the charts. When rock acts go pop, they often burrow all the way in as if to hide themselves, eliding the intermediate steps, the thought process that got them there. (Of course, that’s because, often, there is no thought process other than The Pet Shop Boys’ ironic rallying cry, “Let’s make lots of money.”) A Joyful Noise, however, retains many of the ingredients of the familiar Gossip sound. By collaborating with Xenomania, Gossip embark on a (forgive me) epistemological adventure, detaching their sound from its obvious reference points and mining their punk inheritance to discover its deepest register of truth and meaning. Tracks like “Get a Job” deviate from sentimentalized ideas about outsider authenticity. Where some might see a righteous affront to conformity, Ditto sees troubling inertia: “It was adorable when you were in your twenties/Not so cute anymore now that you’re pushing 30/Girl, you better get a job.” Much of the album flips Gossip’s previous rebel-rousing role to incite introspection rather than subcult rites of affirmation. The slow-building ballad “Casualties of War” looks beyond the political arrangement of gay love relationships to weigh serious consequences: “You lost the fight/I heard it was a good fight/The kind where no one wins and no one’s right.” The closing track, “Love in a Foreign Place,” brings the theme of xenomania (love of all things foreign) to the forefront. It’s ironic that this album, not the purest representation of the signature Higgins sound, concludes with what may prove to be the definitive Xenomania song. With a hook powered by triumphal, parallel bass and synth lines (classic Xenomania), the song fulfills the album’s title by heralding an expat state of being where there’s “so much to live for, so much to lose.” Recasting her personal history as existential narrative, Ditto exults in having overcome the limits of “life in a small town.” But “Love in a Foreign Place”—and the album as a whole—is anchored by the chastening awareness that anywhere can be a small town. A Joyful Noise drives us back to those warring personal impulses that are the true origin and final testing ground of our politics. NY Pr ess.c o m

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M ay 24 , 2012 • O UR TOW N D OW NTOW N • 1 3

GALLERIES CITYARTS

Radiant Details innerst luminAtes the lAnd By Maureen Mullarkey

ontemporary art—that subset of it that Charles Saatchi branded as “the art of our time”—disdains delectation. In the main, today’s artists consider themselves neither creators nor custodians of beauty. Eager to be greeted as standard-bearers of their time, they make self-conscious claims to disparate ideological agendas, ones that displace or disavow any aesthetic category whatever. In the words of Kelly Baum, curator of contemporary art at the Princeton Art Museum, “Art is now defined by its disidentification with the discipline of art.” Mark Innerst’s recent paintings at DC Moore clear the palate from the aftertaste of so much aggressive disidentification. He works in splendid isolation from prevailing sociopolitical or gendered “strategies.” His canvases are a luminous rebuke to squinteyed definitions of what a contemporary artist is ordained to produce.

Born in York, Pa., in 1957, Innerst earned his BFA at Kutztown University in 1980. He began his career in the early 1980s as part of the downtown New York art scene, interning at Artists Space and the Kitchen. Currently dividing his time between Philadelphia and Cape May, he is a radiant painter of urban architecture and Pennsylvania river views. A rigorous craftsman and fastidious tonalist, he has achieved a degree of critical success that is as anomalous on the contemporary scene as it is deserved. Innerst is not easily categorized. Neither his style nor his motifs fit cleanly into those stylistic pigeonholes cherished by critics and art historians. While earlier paintings were more readily categorized as landscapes or cityscapes, and some still are, the ensemble on view now is more ambiguous. Can he still be accurately be called a realist? Or is he an abstract painter seizing elements of visual reality for his own conceptual purposes? A luminist, perhaps? “Labels are the dickens,” complained John Bauer who devised the term “luminism” in a 1954 essay on what he consid-

“Be reminded why this is the greatest city in the world!” -WomanAroundTown.com

ered a neglected aspect of the realist movement in 19th-century American landscape painting. If a label is needed for Innerst’s light-drenched motifs, Bauer’s coinage serves best. Luminism is an enigmatic word that has suffered various definitions, all centered on American artists’ ongoing attention to qualities of light and atmosphere. Dan Flavin’s neon constructions and James Turrell’s lightwave scuptures enjoy the label as readily as Innerst. One of the smallest of his recent works, the incandescent “Lit Horizon” (2012), bears a family resemblance to the poetry of Turrell. Bands of fluorescence streak across a striated panel no more than eight inches square. Parallel veins of color progress in the order of the spectrum: blues melt into greens, the warmth progressing seamlessly toward white light. No tungsten lamps here, just pigment. It is a dazzling performance, repeated in varied ways on other panels. “The Tide” (2012) shrinks the already reduced waterside motif of its pendant piece, “Canal” (2012), to a narrow strip of concentrated light eclipsed at intervals by pitch black. The contrast catches and holds the eye in pure delight. His urban conundrums, particularly the imposing “Architrave” (2012) and “En Route” (2012), are magical. Views down an imaginary avenue are severely telescoped

to reveal only a slim corner of successive buildings. Light gambols from one architectural element to another, touching all the moldings, cornices, fillets and epistyles along the upper stories of the buildings that line the urban canyons. Condensed to slim horizontals, the buildings are tethered to reality by the details articulated and stressed by light. I am disappointed only by the selfconscious, camera-derived motifs in works such as “Passing Clouds” (2012). Here, a traditional landscape panorama is too obviously reliant on digital manipulation of tonal scales and Photoshop tools. Conventional photography maneuvers, sweetened with Hudson River School cloud formations, deflect attention from his strength: a lyrical quality of engagement with the visual world, however diffuse. Innerst enjoys an uncommon ability to dissolve mass into light without mechanical means. Why spoil it by waving a camera at us? He achieves compelling effects by simply paring down his motifs to a neardematerialized core without abandoning depiction altogether. His loveliest work remains tethered to palpable evidence. Mark Innerst: The Ongoing Landscape Through June 8, DC Moore Gallery, 535 W. 22nd St., 212-247-2111, dcmooregallery.com.

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NY Pr ess.c o m

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Music pg. 16 Top 10 Concerts pg. 20 Reading Summer Film pg. 22 Film pg. 24 Best June Events for Kids pg. 27 Summer TV Review pg. 28 Cultural Events & Festivals pg. 29 Hamptons Events pg. 32 Out of Town pg. 34 Summer Reading Series pg. 36 Theater pg. 39 Top Five Theater Shows pg. 42 Eats & Drinks pg. 40 Top Food of Summer pg. 41 Museums pg. 42 Outdoor pg. 44 Bike Share pg. 46 Top Bike Trails pg. 47 Summer Guide was compiled by Allen Houston, Marissa Maier, Megan Bungeroth, Adam Rathe, Robby Ritaco, Laura Shin, Armond White, Regan Hofmann, Rachel Khona, Angela Barbuti, Sean Creamer, Anam Baig, Andrew Rice, Magdalena Burnham, Doug Strassler, Max Sarinsky, Whitney Casser, Robin Elisabeth Illustration by Brian Taylor Kilmer and Andrew Bartel, Ed Johnson

Summer Guide 2012

Allen Houston Executive editor, Manhattan Media

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he cherry blossoms have bloomed, the spring showers have sprung and the beach blankets and swim trunks have been dragged down from the closet—summer is on its way. It’s still the early part of the season, the good part, when summer hours kick into effect (for the luckiest among us), before the tourist invasion starts and the city starts to heat up and emit that special odor that’s uniquely New York in August. There’s no better time to be in the city for those who love culture or the outdoors. Every street corner seems to sing with its own event or festivity, and even the most jaded New Yorker can find something to pique their interest. Those fortunate enough to live here are in the epicenter of a marathon celebration that runs all the way through the dog days of August. Inside, we’ve created a handy-dandy guide to the best live concerts, film festivals, theater openings, museum shows, outdoor events, summer reading series and more that will help you plot out the next few months of your life. So heat up the grill and pour yourself a cold one. We hope you’ll find something that will brighten your summer within these pages.

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M ay 24 , 2012 • O UR TOW N D OW NTOW N • 1 5

RANDALL’S ISLAND

CITYWIDE

This year’s version of the now-regular outdoor festival moves from its previous home on Governors Island to Randall’s Island but retains a strong lineup. Saturday has a dancey, up-tempo set of acts, including Passion Pit, Chromeo, James Murphy and indie rap stalwarts Atmosphere. Sunday slows things down with guitar soundtrack maestros Explosions in the Sky, as well as Beck and Modest Mouse, plus a plethora of other melodic, granola-pop bands. While the performers are about as middle-of-the-road as it gets in modern Indieland (look for experimentalism and risk-taking elsewhere), all of them are established acts. This one might be worth the money. June 23-24; $180 for the weekend. Randall’s Island Park, governorsballmusicfestival.com.

Started in 2008, Make Music New York is a festival that has been offering an annual feast of soundbites across the city on the first day of summer. From 10 in the morning to 10 at night in hundreds of spots throughout the city, normal sidewalk sounds will be replaced by thousands of free concerts. Some of last year’s highlights were a rendition of Xenakis’ Persephassa on Central Park Lake, in which audience and musicians alike enjoyed seating on boats. Also in Central Park were middle school jazz groups from the Bronx, and Bryant Park was the site of a rock ‘n’ roll showdown between musically inclined corporate execs. June 21; free. makemusic.org.

Catalpa Festival Kicking off its first year, the Catalpa Festival offers yet another chance to see top-tier musical acts playing outdoors within city limits. The fest will feature more than 40 performers, including blues rock superstars The Black Keys and Snoop Dogg rocking his seminal album Doggystyle in its entirety. Other highlights include NYC faves TV on the Radio, Girl Talk and hip-hop instrumental wizard AraabMUZIK. There will also be a reggae stage sponsored by High Times magazine, a “sculpture” that belches fireballs in the air and various other novelties (inflatable “sham marriage” church?) included to distract from the fact that music lineup is mostly weak, aside from the headliners. July 28-29; $140–$180 for the weekend. Randall’s Island Park, www.catalpanyc. com.

Electric Zoo This is for those who dance. A lot. It’s three days; an all-night(s) blitz of modern dance music from the likes of David Guetta, A-Trak and more. If you appreciate the contemporary offshoots of what we used to call techno, this fest will be something of great joy. A zoo—of dancing people. Aug. 31-Sept. 2; $299 for all three days. Randall’s Island Park, electriczoofestival.com.

Make Music New York

DOWNTOWN

4Knots Music Festival This annual music fest at the South Street Seaport is an indie rocker’s dream come true, with buzz bands like Bleached, Hospitality, The Drums, Crocodiles and more playing on Piers 16 and 17 along the East River. The fest benefits from the Seaport’s concentration of restaurants and bars, not to mention the food trucks that will inevitably pull up for the event—as long as you pack sunscreen and enough water to keep from daydreaming about jumping into the river, it sounds like a pretty much perfect day. July 14, 1 p.m.; free. South Street Seaport, Fulton St. at Front St., facebook. com/4knots.

Illustration by BrianTaylor

Governors Ball

DOWNTOWN

Washington Square Music Festival Consisting of four Friday night concerts in July, the Washington Square Music Festival is now in its 54th year of entertaining New Yorkers in one of our most beautiful parks. This year, the festival will include a night of music and poetry, a night of Viennese chamber music, a night of music for strings and wings and one of the West African sounds of the Deep Sahara Band. Seating is first-come, first-served, so get there early to enjoy a night of music beneath the stars—and the park’s famous arch—or at St. Joseph’s Church, where the first two concerts will take place. July 10, 17, 24 & 31, 8 p.m.; free. St. Joseph’s Church, 371 6th Ave. at Waverly Place and Washington Square Park, 5th Ave at Waverly Place, washingtonsquaremusicfestival.org.

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MIDTOWN

UPPER WEST SIDE

Beneath the canopy of Madison Square Park’s trees—and just a dash away from Shake Shack—is one of New York’s best summer-long music series, featuring performances from Grammy-nominated jazzman Gregory Porter, singer and actress Nellie McKay and a night of family music with Suzzy and Maggie Roche, Sloan Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche. Chairs aren’t welcome here, but bring a blanket and some snacks (or buy them from the Fatty Crab kiosk nearby) and set up camp for an unforgettable night. June 20-Aug. 8; free. Madison Square Park, enter park at E. 23rd St. and 5th Ave., madisonsquarepark.org.

Nine concerts over the course of the summer, from evenings of jazz to nights of Middle Eastern sounds, will grace the tennis lawn overlooking the Hudson River at West 97th Street. Kicking off with a concert from jazz bassist Ron McClure, the series will include sets from Gotham Winds, Dave Glasser, Musica Bella Orchestra, The Atwaters, Efendi, Dartmouth Boys, Los Hermanos Cintron and Steve Tarshis and his Instrumental Trio. You won’t need to bring a racquet or even be any good at sport in order to make a night at these tennis courts a win. June 10-Aug. 19, 7 p.m.; free. Riverside Clay Tennis Courts, enter Riverside Park at W. 96th St. and Riverside Dr., rcta.info.

Madison Square Park’s Oval Lawn Series

RCTA Sunset Concert Series

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A MASSIVE INDUSTRIAL GARBAGE DUMP IS PLANNED FOR RESIDENTIAL YORKILLE/EAST HARLEM DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T LET THIS INJUSTICE HAPPEN!

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COSTS Ä&#x2018;ĆŤ $!ĆŤ Ä&#x161;/ĆŤ,.% !ĆŤ0 #ĆŤ%/ĆŤ.%/%*#ĆŤ. ,% (5Ä&#x2039;ĆŤ $ 0ĆŤ /0 .0! ĆŤ 0ĆŤÄ¸Ä&#x2026;Ä&#x2020;ĆŤ)%((%+*ĆŤ%/ĆŤ*+3ĆŤ 0ĆŤa quarter of a billion dollarsĆŤ%*ĆŤ0$!ĆŤ 1..!*0ĆŤ ĆŤ 1 #!0ĆŤĆŤ ÄŁĆŤ ĆŤ 0.!)!* +1/ĆŤ )+1*0ĆŤ+"ĆŤ)+*!5ĆŤ0$ 0Ä&#x161;/ĆŤ !%*#ĆŤ0 '!*ĆŤ 3 5ĆŤ".+)ĆŤ /$ÄĄ/0. ,,! ĆŤ/ $++(/Ä&#x152;ĆŤ Ä&#x152;ĆŤ Ä&#x152;ĆŤ * ĆŤ+0$!.ĆŤ!//!*0% (ĆŤ %05ĆŤ/!.2% !/ĆŤ * ĆŤ,.+#. )/Ä&#x2039; Ä&#x2018;ĆŤ +ĆŤ !/0%* 0%+*ĆŤ$ /ĆŤ !!*ĆŤ%* !*0%"%! ĆŤ"+.ĆŤ0$!ĆŤ/+(% ĆŤ 3 /0!ĆŤ0$ 0ĆŤ3%((ĆŤ !ĆŤ 1),! ĆŤ 0ĆŤ0$%/ĆŤ*!3ĆŤ" %(%05ĆŤ * ĆŤ +1( ĆŤ !ĆŤ/$%,,! ĆŤ /ĆŤ" .ĆŤ/+10$ĆŤ /ĆŤ +10$ĆŤ .+(%* Ä&#x152;ĆŤ increasing our waste handling costsÄ&#x2039;

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+.ĆŤ)+.!ĆŤ%*"+.) 0%+*Ä&#x152;ĆŤ#+ĆŤ0+ SaneTrash.org Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @RFSTS_ORG NYPress.com

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Blue Note Jazz Festival While the Blue Note Jazz Festival is a relative newcomer on the summer concert scene it only started last year the Blue Note jazz club was started in Greenwich Village in 1986, and the record imprint of the same name has brought listeners the likes of Norah Jones debut. This year, Blue Note is once again offering an eclectic mix of sounds and artists ranging from Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), Béla Fleck and Kathleen Battle. June 4-30; prices vary. bluenotejazzfestival.com.

CENTRAL PARK

Naumburg Orchestral Concert Series CITYWIDE

New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Park The New York Philharmonic will play a series of six concerts around the five boroughs. Performing classical favorites— and in two cases conducted by superstar baton-wielder Alan Gilbert—the group will provide listeners with those only-in-NewYork evenings of music and entertainment, which we’ve found goes quite well with a picnic meal and a discreetly dispensed bottle of wine. July 11-17; free. nyphil.org.

CITYWIDE

SummerStage Founded in 1986 at the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, SummerStage expanded to venues in all five boroughs two years ago. The program—featuring everything from screenings, dance performances and concerts—has now become synonymous with

summer in the city; the best part is that the programming is largely free. This season kicks off with the SummerStage Gala June 5 honoring the music of Jimi Hendrix and featuring performances by G. Love & Special Sauce, Bebel Gilberto and The Roots. June 5-Aug. 30. summerstage.org.

CITYWIDE

The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series If ticket prices for the Met Opera are a bit too steep for your wallet, check out the Opera’s annual Summer Recital Series. The tenors and sopranos get to practice their vocal dexterity while you take in genius performances at no cost at all. You also don’t have to travel too far, as the series travels to all five boroughs throughout the summer—even Staten Island! This year will feature soprano Danielle de Niese, bass-baritone John Del Carlo and tenor Dimitri Pittas. July 25-Aug. 9; free. metoperafamily.org.

While classical music isn’t the usual top pick for summer concerts, who can pass up the opportunity to listen to classic orchestral arrangements from the likes of Wagner and Schumann outdoors in Central Park—did we mention that it’s free? Celebrating its 107th year of providing gratis concerts, the Naumburg series is sure to please in its 700-seat uptown venue. June 19-Aug. 7; free. Concert Ground at Central Park, south of Bethesda Terrace betw. 66th & 72nd Sts., naumburgconcerts.org.

UPPER EAST SIDE

Harlem Meer Performance Festival Summer is the optimal season to enjoy the sights and sounds that New York City has to offer, and there is perhaps no better program or venue for this than the Harlem Meer Performance Festival. Entering its 19th year, the festival is situated lakeside in Central Park at 110th Street. The program features a mix

of sounds, from emerging jazz musicians to Latin and gospel music. Attendees are encouraged to pack a picnic, bring a chair and relax for this free outdoor concert series. June 17-Sept. 2; free. Plaza of the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, 110th St. betw. 5th & Lenox Aves., centralparknyc.org.

MIDTOWN

Scandinavian Summer Sessions Scandinavia, especially Sweden, is known for its smart furniture, eclectic cuisine and unbelievable catchy pop music. While this summer series held at the Scandinavia House leans more to the acoustic and jazz side, the range of artists, from a Danish songstress to an Icelandic guitarist, combined with the locale, Smörgås Chef’s terrace cocktail bar, is sure to please. Dubbed an alternative to happy hour, the series runs through August and will only set you back $12. Jun. 14-Aug. 2, doors at 6 p.m., concerts start at 7; $12. 58 Park Ave., betw. 32nd & 33rd Sts., scandinaviahouse.org.

MIDTOWN

Summergarden: New Music for New York As is its tradition, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) presents its annual summertime concert series in the sculpture garden, tapping the talent of performers from The Juilliard School and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Spanning four evenings, the series offers the best in “adventurous contemporary music” with premieres each night. While the event is always free, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. July 10-31; free. The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at MoMA, enter through the Sculpture Garden gate on W. 54th St. betw. 5th & 6th Aves., moma.org.

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Ten Live Show Scorchers By Robbie Ritacco

Destroyer w/ Sophia Knapp In 2011, Destroyer (aka Daniel Bejar) released his ninth album. The understated Kaputt was a crowning achievement for Bejar, melding jazz and pop style with mournful lyrics and a rock ‘n’ roll ethos. Paired with Sophia Knapp’s eerie dream pop, (le) poisson rouge seems an appropriate locale to showcase Destroyer’s shift in style. June 19, doors at 10 p.m., show starts at 10:30; 18+; $25 advance, $30 day of. (Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com.

The Mynabirds w/ Sean Bones

The Mynabirds

Moonface w/ La Big Vic By now, most Spencer Krug fans are probably up to speed with his latest project, Moonface. Over the past decade, Krug has been at the forefront of huge indie rock acts such as Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown and several other powerhouse groups. Moonface pulls rank on most of his projects (well, maybe not Wolf Parade), and $15 is as reasonable a cover as you’re going to get for a Krug band. June 30, doors at 8 p.m., show starts at 9; 18+; $15. The Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St., boweryballroom.com.

Dan Deacon w/ John Maus

If you’ve ever wondered what Saddle Creek has to offer since the dimming of stars like Bright Eyes and Cursive, the answer is The Mynabirds. Their 2010 debut What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood filled a void left in the alt-country scene by the evolution and exodus of Rilo Kiley. Got $10 lying around? A night with The Mynabirds’ quirky pseudo-country pop songs is well worth the price. June 22, doors at 10:30 p.m. show starts at 11:30; 21+; $10 advance, $12 day of. Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St., mercuryloungenyc.com.

This might be the highlight of the season: off-kilter indie-tronica producer Dan Deacon paired with gloom-pop composer John Maus. Deacon is known for the assault on the senses caused by fast, loud, trippy electronica and his audience participation live shows. Then there’s the addition of Maus, whose 2011 album We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves received heavy praise for its similarities to Joy Division. Not a combo I would have expected, but certainly one I’m excited to see. July 12, time TBA; all ages; free. Pier 84, 12th Ave. & 44th St., riverrocksnyc.com.

Ecstatic Summer Festival

Lotus Plaza

The first-ever Ecstatic Summer festival, presented by Arts Brookfield and curated by New Amsterdam Presents, features an amalgamation of musicians across the contemporary classical and indie rock worlds. Headlining the festival are A Roomful of Teeth with Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs (June 30), A Far Cry Orchestra with Oneohtrix Point Never and David Lang (July 14) and Escort with Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society (Aug. 25). June 30, July 14, Aug. 25, 7 p.m.; all ages; free. World Financial Center Plaza, 200 Vesey St., rivertorivernyc.com.

Deerhunter can do no wrong—and that extends to their side projects, as well. Lockett Pundt, Deerhunter’s guitarist/multiinstrumentalist, released his first album as Lotus Plaza back in 2009. In April, he released his second album, Spooky Action at a Distance, which has landed itself on a slew of “best new music” lists. Get it while it’s hip. July 18, doors at 9:30 p.m., show starts at 10:30; 21+; $12 advance, $14 at the door. Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St., mercuryloungenyc.com.

Bloc Party w/ The Drums

Wild Nothings w/ Grimes & DIIV

Bloc Party’s 2012 U.S. tour, their first after a three-year hiatus, will feature a three-night engagement at Terminal 5. That alone is a big draw, but The Drums will be there to boot. These are two bands that know how to write a good hook and have no reservations about driving it home again and again. It promises to be an unabashed catchy evening of shoutalongs and fist pumps. Aug. 7-9, doors at 7 p.m., show starts at 8; all ages; $35. Terminal 5, 610 W. 56th St., terminal5nyc.com.

This perfect storm of hot-button indie artists colliding at Pier 84. Featuring the tremendously topical Wild Nothings, Grimes and DIIV (formerly DIVE), this promises to be a pretty amazing show, assuming you can handle that much hip in one place (the open air should dilute it). Aug. 9, time TBA; all ages; free. Pier 84, 12th Ave. & 44th St., riverrocksnyc.com.

!!! w/ Lenny Williams Self-proclaimed funk punkers !!! (pronounced “chik-chik-chik”) are playing a free show at the Damrosch Bandshell with none other than the legendary R&B singer Lenny Williams (Tower of Power). While one can only begin to fathom how this double bill came to be, it is certainly not one to be missed. Aug. 9. 7:30 p.m.; all ages; free. Damrosch Bandshell, Columbus Ave. & W. 62nd St., lcoutofdoors.org.

Real Estate REM-influenced Real Estate are playing Webster Hall for a mere $20. Real Estate’s most recent album, 2011’s Days, was immaculately produced but maintained a reverb-heavy glaze that presumes a lo-fi sound. In light of this, a larger performance space like Webster Hall will be a great suit for them. Beware of bouncing sound waves. Aug. 11, doors at 7 p.m., show starts at 8; 18+; $20. Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St., websterhall.com.

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M ay 24 , 2012 • O UR TOW N D OW NTOW N • 21

Summer Reading—At the Movies Taking reading and movie-watching literally Film Socialisme

By Armond White Summer used to be the time people caught up on the reading they had always meant to do. In Goodbye, Columbus, Philip Roth parodied the ritual pulling out of Tolstoy’s War and Peace around the pool or on the beach. Roth observed an ideal situation—not beach fiction but great fiction on the beach—that should inspire movie lovers as well. With the increased availability of movies in various delivery formats following their initial theatrical runs, when people simple don’t have the time to get out to theaters, summer relaxation offers the opportunity to catch up. Thanks to tablets and smart phones, this summer’s reading doesn’t have to be limited to Tolstoy, Robert Caro or those James Brown and Nile Rodgers biographies; summer reading ideal can include movies, too, especially movies where you literally need to read—the subtitles.

Conversation Piece Burt Lancaster stars in Luchino Visconti’s quasi-autobiographical story of an dying professor assessing his appetite for life when a greedy, narcissistic family invades his estate. Many of the themes Visconti explored in his film version of Mann’s Death in Venice are re-examined in this mostly interior-set film, which goes both deeper yet lighter. It‘s a wise man’s view of sexual folly unlike any other. Each close-up of each ravishing face (Lancaster, Helmut Berger, Silvana Mangano) is worth several pages of great prose. Visconti‘s 1974 masterpiece is one of the New York Film Festival premieres left out of this year’s NYFF retrospective. It’s rarely shown, but this new DVD offers it in an aspect ratio that preserves its widescreen beauty. (Raro Video)

Jean-Luc Godard turns the ends of both film and of socialism as we know it into a provocation, going into the bold cinematic and political territory of the present as no other filmmaker can. This film contains some of Godard’s most perplexing yet charming études: two parent and child sequences—one jazz, one classical—that symbolize cultural and spiritual indoctrination. Godard plays with the idea of a “readable text” by creating special subtitles in “Navajo English” that poetically fracture language into verbal codes. Simultaneously analyzing people, the world and the media between them, he teases sound and image. The visual experiments confirm Godard’s pitch-perfect compositional and color skills. An opening sequence aboard a cruise ship symbolizes the state of the world, afloat/adrift between new media and old means of conveyance. Prophetically, the ship is named Costa Concordia. (Kino Lorber)

Going Places Bertrand Blier’s debut comedy is as outrageous now as it was back in 1974. Newly released on DVD, it shames contemporary sex comedies as timid and juvenile expressions of sex and romance. Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere, at their physical peaks, portray a pair of louts who roam a small town looking for sexual release at the expense of available women (or each other, if the mood hits).This contemporary surrealist sex farce is perched between erotic daydream and pre-Viagra nightmare. Blier tests social conventions as well as the fragile if bodacious male ego—especially when the unarousable Miou-Miou achieves fulfillment the alpha male duo cannot provide. Going Places shocks, amuses and makes you think. (Kino Lorber)

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Conversation Piece.

bility. Not just for fans of Fellini but for cinema and performing arts enthusiasts, too. (Raro Video)

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos

The Clowns.

The Clowns Fellini’s examination of the circus and clown tradition pays tribute to conventions of comedy and caricature that are at the core of his “serious” films. This rarely shown documentary offers a trove of the “Felliniesque”—from outrageous faces and acrobatic movement to universal pathos. It also predates what came to be thought of as the “mockumentary,” through Fellini’s ingenious way of making his documentary investigation as absorbing and fascinating as a fully scripted drama. Instead of mocking narrative convention, Fellini expands the storytelling boundaries of filmmaking, all the time expressing his unique sensi-

For cineastes, this is the year’s worthiest documentary, a look back at the twin careers of great cinematographers Vilmos Zsigmond and Laszlo Kovacs. These Hungarian immigrants came to the U.S. in the 1960s, bringing New Wave experiments with natural lighting and mobile cameras that changed the look of American cinema. Between them, Zsigmond and Kovacs shot most of the best and important films of the 1970s’ American Renaissance period—McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Deliverance, The Long Goodbye, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Easy Rider, Paper Moon, Five Easy Pieces, Nickelodeon, Shampoo, The Deer Hunter and more. Actually, there are no subtitles to read here, but director James Chressanthis brings the cross-cultural art movie experience closer through the personalities and creativity of these major artists. (Cinema Libre Studio)

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Downtown

winning director of The Artist—as well as the cult favorite animated film Persepolis and the Truffaut classic Jules et Jim. Packing a baguette and some brie is practically mandatory. fiaf.org

Film Forum This West Village hub of art house cinema continues its quest to promote new indie and underground releases, as well as a wide array of repertory selections. It remains the only autonomous nonprofit cinema in New York City. Selections this summer will include a tribute to silent film maestro Erich von Stroheim, including his Greed, The Merry Widow, Queen Kelly and Sunset Blvd. During the month of June, Film Forum will run a tribute to spaghetti westerns programmed by Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan and Bruce Goldstein. Flicks will include Death Rides a Horse, Django, The Big Gundown and the Man with No Name trilogy. filmforum.org

IFC Center This downtown mecca for independent feature films, documentaries and short films offers several series for cinephiles this summer. Short Attention Span Cinema: Films from the New York Times’ Op-Docs will play short opinion documentaries covering events both historical and current, with a special evening screening with filmmakers and guests from the Times’ editorial staff to be scheduled for June. Additionally, the Queer/Art/Film spring/summer series, curated by Adam Baran and Ira Sachs, continues, including Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, I Could Go On Singing and Rope. Ifccenter.com

Downtown

Movie nights on the Elevated Acre A few select Monday evenings this summer, New Yorkers can climb up to the Elevated Acre to catch free outdoor films. The first screening, on June 18, is of Stella Days, a new film starring Martin Sheen as a priest in 1950s Ireland who struggles to reconcile a modernizing country with its cultural and religious traditions when he brings electricity and Hollywood to his small town. June 25, Collaborator, starring Martin Donovan and David Morse, brings two childhood pals with different lives into a violently tense hostage situation; the film is Donovan’s writing and directing debut. The final installment, July 9, is Side by Side, a documentary that follows Keanu Reeves through the history of cinema as he interview Hollywood icons like James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas and Steven Soderbergh. June 25-July 9, seating opens at 6 p.m., films begin at 8 p.m. or sunset. The Elevated Acre, 55 Water St., rivertorivernyc.com/events/film.

Rooftop Film Festival The Rooftop Film Festival kicked off its 16th year of “Underground Movies Outdoors” on May 11 with a collection of the best new short films from around the world. Be the first of your friends to see one of the many independent films that are being premiered at the festival. Venues include the Old American Can Factory in Brooklyn, Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens and Solar One, a solar-powered arts center in Kips Bay. Movies are preceded by live music and followed by a Q & A with directors and an after-party. Through Aug. 18; $12. rooftopfilms.org.

Ethan Lercher

Downtown

CItywIDE

HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival.

Downtown

Movies Under the Stars in Riverside Park As usual, Bryant Park’s summer film schedule features a slate of timeless classics. But let’s face it: That lawn is too damn crowded. Fortunately, for those who’d prefer not to trip over a dude in a bowler hat and miss the climax as we search for our blanket whenever we use the Port-a-Potty, there are a number of other city parks with outdoor films. Most notable is Pier 1 in Riverside Park, which follows up its invasion film-themed 2011 with an eclectic mix that includes Cinema Paradiso (July 11), Amélie (Aug. 1) and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (Aug. 8). Chairs await you, and you won’t need to arrive four hours early to snatch one. Wednesday evenings, July 11-Aug. 15, 8:30 p.m.; free. Pier 1, Riverside Park South, 70th St. at the Hudson River, riversidepark.org.

UPPER wESt SIDE

Film Society at Lincoln Center Getting psyched for Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s maybe-prequel to his classic 1979 space horror film, Alien? May 25-June 3, the Film Society pays tribute to the 74-year-old director with a retrospective of his versatile career. Past and Prologue: The Films of Ridley Scott will present a complete inventory of his work, including Blade Runner and the three movies that earned him Oscar nods: Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. Also, in preparation for the 50th annual New York Film Festival this fall, the

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MIDtown Society will take a look back at highlights from the first 49 years. Films include Gates of Heaven, The Last Metro, My Own Private Idaho and Hoop Dreams. Filmlinc.com.

CItywIDE

50 years of the new york Film Festival One of the world’s premier film festivals, the NYFF is leaping into its 50th year with a series of screenings showcasing the most important movies from years past, from memorable mainstream successes like 1993’s The Piano to lesser-known gems such as the 1994 flick Lamerica, about Italian con men in Albania. The 50th edition of the fest kicks off in late September, but there’s no better way to prepare yourself than with these screenings—and perhaps some afternoon sunbathing on Lincoln Center’s divine Illumination Lawn. Ongoing, locations and times vary; $13. filmlinc.com

CItywIDE

French Institute Alliance Cinema The annual Films on the Green series, celebrating French and American literature brought to the big screen, is presented by French Institute:Alliance Française and never fails to inject a bit of joie de vivre into the summer film scene. This year’s movies, screening in parks around the city beginning June 1, include OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, a spy film parody from Michel Hazanavicius—the Academy Award-

HBo Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Now in its 20th year, this film festival in the heart of Midtown will feature a fun slate of classic and more recent films that will compete with blocks of glittering skyscrapers for your attention. Kicking off with Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary Psycho, the fest will include screenings of The Wizard of Oz, Roman Holiday, Rebel Without a Cause, All About Eve and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Keep in mind that this series features some of the more competitive seating in town, so get there early and plan to be cozy with your neighbors. June 18-Aug. 20, films start at sunset. Bryant Park, enter at E. 40th St. & 5th Ave. bryantpark.org.

MIDtown

Intrepid Museum Summer Movie Series Spending a summer evening aboard the magnificent ship Intrepid is draw enough, but throw in some crowd-pleasing military-themed movies, and it becomes a must-see. On Friday, May 25, bring your aviators, decide who in your group is Maverick and who is Iceman and memorize the lyrics to “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling,” because the series kicks off with Top Gun. Subsequent screenings include SpiderMan (that one from way back in 2002), the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek, Jason Segal in The Muppets and everlastingly glorious

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classics Jurassic Park and The Goonies. Films start at sunset on the Flight Deck, but come early for prime seating. May 25-Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m.; free. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86, W. 46th St. & 12th Ave., intrepidmuseum.org.

Midtown

new York Asian Film Festival This self-described “two-week orgy of popular Asian cinema” celebrates its 11th year this summer. Highlights include the opening night screening of director Pang Ho-Cheung’s Vulgaria, a movie about movie-making that was shot in only 12 days and revolves around gangsters, lawyers, the sex film industry and all manner of sleazy fun; the director himself will be attending. Korean action director Chung ChangWha will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. His 1972 movie Five Fingers of Death, which will be shown at the festival, launched the American kung-fu obsession when it was one of the first Asian films to find Western success. June 29-July 12; $13. Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, 165 W. 65th St., and The Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., facebook.com/nyaff.

Upper eAst side

Central park Film Festival Now in its 10th year, this festival is known for pairing themed movies—past favorites have included Coal Miner’s Daughter and Dreamgirls—with live DJs for a week every August. The gates around Rumsey Playfield open at 6:30 and visitors are free to relax and frolic—no glass bottles!—until the screenings begin. The roster for this year’s fest has yet to be announced, but there’s rarely a bad pick in the bunch; with a whole summer guide’s worth of things to do, who knows how much time you’ll even have left in your schedule. Aug. 21-25; films start at 8. Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, enter at E. 69th St. & 5th Ave., centralparknyc.org.

Upper west side

Manhattan Film Festival The MFF is in its sixth year as a festival and its second year as a forum for indie filmmakers to actually make some dollar bills off their work. Fifty percent of ticket sales go right back to the filmmakers, so they can hopefully continue to make awesome independent movies instead of working at Starbucks. The lineup is still being created, but highlights from last year include Under Jakob’s Ladder, which won for best period piece and best actor, based on the true story of a chess game

Dylan Lauren, owner of Dylan’s Candy Store

What’s your favorite thing about New York in the summer? The colorful flowers along Park Avenue and in Central Park and the happy vibe when seeing New Yorkers in bright candy colors on the street.

What’s your favorite summertime activity? Going to the Hamptons and biking there. Or having a picnic outdoors in Central Park.

Your best and worst summer memory? Attending concerts on the Great Lawn or jogging around the Great Lawn as late as 8:45 p.m., as the sun is still out and the park is safe and packed! The worst is walking to work or taking a subway on 100-degree days and knowing I’m going to have to take two showers to get the sweat off, then going into an air-conditioned room.

that led years later to the captivity and torture of its victor in a Soviet detention camp. Winner for best dramatic feature, White Irish Drinkers centers on two brothers in 1975 Brooklyn who plot to rob a theater during a Rolling Stones concert. It’s safe to say you can expect some interesting on-screen scenarios again this year, plus the knowledge that your ticket is directly supporting the filmmakers. June 21–July 1. manhattanfilmfestival.org.

to market it as a “black comedy,” which may be accurate now but clearly wasn’t the intention when the film was made. It’s so excruciatingly bad that it guarantees a hilariously good time. Bring friends and be prepared to say, “Wait, are they serious?” at least 90 times during the first half-hour of the movie. $10. Sunshine Cinema, 143 E. Houston St., landmarktheatres.com.

Upper west side

Museum of Arts & design

downtown

sunshine at Midnight at Landmark sunshine Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema is a consistently cool place to see movies both underrated and wildly popular. In addition to their excellent concessions menu (vegan sweets, pizza-stuffed pretzels, Peet’s Coffee), they’re holding midnight screenings of a grab bag of favorites almost every weekend this summer. Flicks to catch include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Zoolander (which promises special guests), Rosemary’s Baby, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Duck Soup. The most amazing part of the series has to be The Room, which runs Saturday, June 2, as well as Aug. 3 & 4, when director/writer/star Tommy Wiseau will be there in the flesh. The film has become a cult classic, and Wiseau has attempted

This is the place to go for random screenings of strange movies from the ’80s, like the June 15 showing of Mother’s Day (on Father’s Day, natch), a low-budget Charles Kaufman film about a trio of ladies on a camping trip who are kidnapped by a pair of sadistic brothers led by their deranged mom. Good summer fun! Or check out Hellroller on June 22, about a serial killer confined to a wheelchair who doesn’t let his disability get in the way of his passion for slaughter. If horror isn’t to your taste, see Steven Soderbergh’s Sex, Lies, and Videotape screens on June 21 or Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story on June 28, or catch any of the curated series (like the one of “videos exploring interdimensional travel”) in July. $10. 2 Columbus Circle, madmuseum. org.

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Are you a mountains or beach person? Both. I love to hike and go to Colorado. But more often, like every weekend, I run along a vast ocean on a long beach like Montauk—my fave.

Favorite summertime restaurant? Barronda downtown on West Broadway between Broome and Spring because of its beautiful outdoor garden. Also, Cipriani downtown, on the same block. 26 • O UR TOWN DOWNTOWN • M a y 2 4, 2 0 12

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Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of ‘The View,’ Oscar winner, comedian

10 Great Events for Kids in June Whether it’s in Manhattan or the rest of the boroughs, there is more than enough to keep your children busy in the first month of summer. ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?

SUMMER AT SWINDLER [All ages] Swindler Cove Park is a natural gem in the heart of urban Harlem. Featuring a forest and one of NYC’s only saltwater marshes, families can catch up on their bird watching here. On June 2’s Family Day, the New York Restoration Project’s staff and educators will lead games, hikes and nature projects such as DIY birdhouses. Kiddos will also have the chance to meet and greet the animals that call the park home. Pick up some gardening tips while you’re there, as expert gardeners will be onsite for tutorials and questions. June 2, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; free. 10th Ave. & Dyckman St., 212-333-2552, nyrp.org.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

LOWER EAST EGG-CITEMENT [All ages] Take the family to the Egg Rolls & Egg Creams Festival, sponsored by the Museum at Eldridge Street, dedicated to celebrating the Lower East Side’s Chinese and Jewish communities. Believe it or not, these two very different cultures value their deep-rooted traditions in the same way: by keeping ancient customs present while also adopting new ones. This free fest is full of music (toe-tapping klezmer), dancing (the tricks of Chinese acrobats) and art. Be sure to snag a quick language lesson in Mandarin or Yiddish! And of course, kosher egg creams and traditional egg rolls will be available for noshing. June 10, 12-4 p.m.; free. Eldridge St. betw. Canal and Division Sts., 212-219-0888, eldridgestreet.org.

[All ages] Cobble Hill Cinemas’ Big Movies for Little Kids program is teaming up with the Children’s Museum of the Arts for their second annual student film festival. Aspiring filmmakers are welcome to view and gain inspiration from the short film submissions of their peers ages 4-18. Your kiddo can vote for their favorite, and the top three will premiere later in the month at the series’ annual Drive-In Movie Night on June 15. Children who didn’t submit will still get their directorial debut in the event’s animation booth! June 4 & 15, 4 p.m.; $7, babies are free. 265 Court St., Brooklyn, 718-596-9113, cobblehilltheatre.com.

MADISON SQUARE ROCKS

PREPARE TO BE A-MAZE-D

[All ages] Union Square Park’s free Summer in the Square series is the perfect way to spend your pre-weekend day with the family in

[All ages] Summer is the season to get wet, so head to Coney Island for the Wildlife ConNYPress.com

[All ages] This summer marks the big 1-0 for the free weekly Madison Square kids concert series. June features groovin’ groups like The Deedle Deedle Dees, Alastair Moock & Friends and Shine & The Moonbeams. We’ll be marking our calendars for Audra Rox, who promises to kick off the 10th anniversary in style. Be sure to check out the entire schedule for future performances by The Suzi Shelton Band, Recess Monkey and The Dirty Sock Funtime Band. Begins June 12, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.; free. Madison Ave. & 23rd St., 212-538-1884, madisonsquarepark.org.

SUMMER IN THE SQUARE

Photo courtesy of NYC Parks & Recreation

[Ages 6+] The Liberty Science Center kicks off summer with an illuminating new exhibit, In The Dark. Aiming to ease darkness anxiety in children, this interactive show will display how animals and organisms have adapted to cool, dim conditions for centuries. Learn about dark caves, deep forests and the unknown that is the ocean floor. In The Dark boasts interactive displays, walk-through dioramas and even a few creatures. Don’t miss the recreated nighttime forest, featuring glowing mushrooms and illuminated fungi. Through June; free with museum admission. 222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City, N.J., 201-200-1000, lsc.org.

servation Society’s newest exhibit at New York Aquarium, A-MAZE-ING Water. This unique display, running through Labor Day, honors World Oceans Day. Kiddos and their companions will magically turn into a tiny, but important, drop of water and travel through a maze of waterways. Watch out for pollutants along the way! Every drop will eventually make its way to its desired destination: the ocean. This interactive exhibit is fantastic for broods to learn about bodies of water big and small. Opens June 8; free with aquarium admission. New York Aquarium, Surf Ave. & W. 8th St., Brooklyn, 718-265-3474, nyaquarium.org.

Central Park fishing.

For more summer event picks for families, check out our family calendar at newyorkfamily.com/events.

the great outdoors. Bring baby out to the playground at 10 a.m. for Mommy & Me yoga classes hosted by Bija Kids. Children’s entertainment and activities begin at noon, ideal for picnicking. Or, take advantage of the free salsa, Zumba and hip-hop classes sponsored by the renowned Peridance Capezio Center beginning at 6 p.m. Each week winds down with a Music in the Square concert featuring rock, jazz, folk and international acts. Begins June 14, Thursdays, 10 a.m.; free. E. 14th St. & Broadway, 212-460-1200, unionsquarenyc.org.

GONE FISHIN’ [Ages 5+] In celebration of aquatic ecology, Central Park is hosting a free family fishing celebration. This catch-and-release event takes place at the now-flourishing Harlem Meer, stocked with largemouth bass, sunfish, pickerel and carp. The New York Microscopical Society will also host a microscope activity to investigate aquatic organisms. And for all the non-fishermen of the family, fishy arts & crafts will keep hands busy, along with storytelling from the Magic Goldfish. June 23, 12-3 p.m.; free. Dana Discovery Center, 110th St. betw. 5th & Lenox Aves., 212-860-1370, centralparknyc.org.

ARTY BLOCK PARTY [All ages] The city shuts down 23 blocks of Fifth

Avenue for the 34th annual Museum Mile Festival, a summer soiree unlike any other. Rain or shine, this is your chance to check out 10 of the city’s cultural greats: El Museo del Barrio, The Jewish Museum, The Guggenheim and The Met, among others. Enjoy performances from Sammie & Tudie’s Imagination Playhouse and Silly Billy. Miniartists can partake in arts & crafts while face painting, magic shows and electrifying jugglers round out this evening of cultural fun. June 12, 6-9 p.m.; free. 5th Ave. betw. East 82nd and 105th Sts., 212-606-2296, museummilefestival.org.

A PARTY FOR THE TROOPS [All ages] Were you or your spouse absent for your child’s birthday because of active military duty? If so, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum has an epic fiesta planned just for your fam! The Military Family Birthday Party is a special way to honor families who give so much to our country. This first-time celebration will include all the traditional b-day activities: balloons, singing, arts & crafts and, of course, yummy birthday cake. Kiddos and parents alike will also have the opportunity to meet other military families and swap stories. June 21, 4-7 p.m.; reservations are required. 145 Brooklyn Ave., Brooklyn, 718-735-4400 x164, brooklynkids.org.

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Dylan Lauren, owner of Dylan’s Candy Store

Small Screen Sizzles What’s your favorite thing about New York in the summer?

The colorful flowers along Park Avenue Networks roll out new programs for the summer season and in Central Park and the happy vibe when NewBurnham Yorkers in bright candy colors nephew.on The Newsroom was created by Aaron Byseeing Magdalena the street. Sorkin (The West Wing, Sports Night) and stars Jeff Daniels (Terms of Endearment, The Squid Summer might be the time when a lot and the Whale) as a news anchor. It will go of What’s your favoriteyour television shows go away, favorite summertime behind the scenes of the cable news world; but networks are pumping out plenty activity? previews promise the signature Sorkin of interesting new shows to fill the void. Going to the Hamptons and bikingthe there. Or having a picnic dialogue his fans have become accustomed Here is a rundown of the most buzzed outdoors in Central Park. to. Premieres June 24 on HBO. about new summer programs.

Duets Duets is a reality show in which four alleged superstars search for a talented unknown artist to compete with them in a singing competition—not the most original idea a network ever tossed out. The talents involved are Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke,

Your best and worst summer memory? Dallas Attending concerts on the Great Lawn or jogging around the Great Get outas your “I Shot J.R.”p.m., T-shirts— Lawn late as 8:45 as the sun is still out and the park is safe and someone has decided to reboot that show packed! you heard about where the last season The worst is walking to work or taking a subway on 100-degree days turned out to be a dream. Patrick Duffy and I’mroots, going to have to take two showers to get the sweat returns knowing to his Dallas joined by off, thenJesse going into anfrom air-conditioned room. newcomers Metcalfe, Desper-

Dogs in the City When you start to feel exhausted by shows like The Newsroom, where you have to think and pay attention, flip over to this CBS reality show. Hopefully, it’ll be mostly footage of cute dogs; the only way it could go awry is if it gives us too much of the human star of the show, dog trainer Justin Silver. Premieres May 30 on CBS.

Anger Management

ate Housewives, and Jordana Brewster. The previews has released makeor thebeach person? Are youTNT a mountains show Both. look dead serious, but it would be I love to hike and go to Colorado. But more often, like every nice if it were cheesy fun and focused on weekend, I run along a vast ocean on a long beach like Montauk—my fave. Metcalfe’s abs. Premieres June 13 on TNT.

Exactly what Charlie Sheen’s new series on FX will be like is a bit of a mystery, since none of the trailers have included any actual footage from the show. But reports say that the show tested very well, so Sheen might just get his victorious comeback. The cast also includes Selma Blair. Premieres June 28 on FX.

Favorite summertime restaurant? The Newsroom

Barronda downtown on West Broadway between Broome This isSpring easily the most anticipated—and and because of its beautiful outdoor garden. Also, Cipriani prestigious—show of the summer, so be sure downtown, on the same block. to watch it if you want to have opinions on this year’s Emmys or talk to your pretentious

Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and John Legend. They all seem like perfectly nice people, but you’d think ABC would get a bigger variety of stars to draw a wide audience. Compared to the careful musical diversity on display in The Voice’s panel of judges, this show seems like it really only cares about the mom audience. Premieres May 24 on ABC.

Emily Mortimer and Jeff Daniels in The Newsroom. Photo by Melissa Moseley courtesy of HBO

Magdalena Burnham studied television writing at New York University. She currently resides in the East Village.

Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of ‘The View,’ Oscar winner, comedian

What’s your favorite thing about New York in the summer? New York is like a party—all kinds of music everywhere, the smells of street fairs and carnival food wafting through the city, open hydrants offering a way to cool off.

What’s your favorite summertime activity? Coney Island, Atlantic City, Central Park, Bryant Park

Are you a mountain or a beach person? I’m both.

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DOWNTOWN

herring part. Go summer! June 22, 5-8 p.m. Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, off Battery Place, bpcparks.org.

Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit

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Gay Pride Parade With the passage of gay marriage in New York last year and President Barack Obama coming out in support of samesex marriage, expect this year’s Gay Pride Parade to be one big love fest. This überfun event takes over the entire west side of Manhattan, with a parade down Fifth Avenue, parties on the pier, performers, a street fair and fireworks. June 24. Begins at 36th St. & 5th Ave., ends at Christopher & Greenwich Sts., nycpride.org.

Andrew Schwartz

Entering its 82nd season, the annual Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit is one of those New York traditions that just never gets old. The art isn’t flagrantly modern, for the most part, but it doesn’t feel tired, either. The exhibitions run the gamut; the same block may feature landscape photographs from Southeast Asia, abstract paintings of electric guitars and clocks made from scrap metal. That’s the show’s beauty, really: Despite its large cast of regulars, you still never know what you’ll find. Everything is for sale—although it may cost you an arm and a leg—but it’s well worth the trip just to browse. May 26-28, June 2-3, Sept. 1-3 & 8-9. University Place betw. 3rd & 12th Sts., wsoae.org.

DOWNTOWN

Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival

Bastille Day.

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This annual street fair, an urban version of its country counterpart, is thankfully free of carnies and scary looking rides. Stroll through the outdoor market on the Lower East Side and support local artisans selling vintage threads and baubles, original art, handcrafted jewelry and homemade jams and pickles. Munch alfresco on summertime staples from Pies ‘n’ Thighs and Luke’s Lobster, then grab a gourmet ice pop from La Newyorkina or build your own gourmet gooey s’more at S’amore. Saturdays through the summer, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Hester St. at Essex St., hesterstreetfair.com.

Union Square is the focal point every Thursday as the Union Square Partnership hosts its annual Summer in the Square, including a series of free activities and concerts in the park. “Fitness in the Square” starts at 7 a.m. and features yoga and cardio classes, while “Kids in the Square” begins at 10 a.m., offering activities for children. Starting at 6 p.m., local musicians regale listeners with everything from rock and jazz to folk and Latin music. June 14-Aug. 9. Union Square, 14th-17 Sts. betw. Broadway & Park Ave. S., unionsquarenyc.org.

Scandinavians are hot. That’s a fact. Male or female, these high-cheekboned wonders will be running rampant at the Midsummer Festival at Battery Park. The festival, starting at 5 p.m., is meant to celebrate the summer solstice, or some pagan jazz like that. For some reason, the solstice makes people want to dance around trees with wreaths on their head. We don’t know why, but who cares when you can munch on waffles and herring and pretend you’re a Viking against the backdrop of the New York Harbor? OK, we could do without the

DOWNTOWN

Indulge your inner beat at the annual HOWL! Festival. Named after Allen Ginsberg’s celebrated poem, the festival kicks off with a group reading of “Howl” on Friday night. The rest of the weekend promises plenty of musical performances and dances. Be sure to check out one of the key attractions: 140 artists in action as they transform an 8-foothigh, 900-foot-long blank canvas into a mural of art encircling the park. HOWL! is kid-friendly, too, with carnival games, face-painting and story-telling. June 1-3. Tomkins Square Park, 7th-10th Sts. betw. Aves. A & B, howlfestival.com.

Watch Colombian Harpist Edmar Castaneda perform, take a walking tour of the Brooklyn Bridge or learn how to tie a knot. Or, do all three. This Lower Manhattan performing arts festival offers an array of free events every day at venues including Castle Clinton, Governors Island, South Street Seaport Museum, Wall Street Plaza and more. Featuring music, dance, art, film and theater events, the festival began as a way to revitalize the downtown area after 9/11 and is now celebrating its 10th year. June 17-July 15. Various locations, rivertorivernyc.com.

Hester Street Fair

HOWL! Festival

Summer in the Square

Swedish Midsummer Festival

A great way to enjoy the late sunshine after work, this weekly festival brings musicians as diverse as the Portland Cello Project and Marshall Crenshaw together with a full bar and wonderful (yet affordable) wines in the courtyard behind City Winery. It’s an eclectic celebration of the melting pot of New York City. June 26-Aug. 28, Tuesday nights, 5:30 p.m. City Winery, 155 Varick St., www. citywinery.com.

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Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival Celebrate the blues with old and new

River to River Festival

Andrew Schwartz

Gay Pride Parade.

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artists at the second annual Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival at the World Financial Center Plaza. Buddy Guy, ranked in the top 30 of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, will headline the show on July 11, and Grammy-nominated singer Neko Case will perform July 12. Other performers include Charles Bradley and John Mayall. July 11-12, 6-9:30 p.m. World Financial Center, 220 Vesey St., betw. North End Ave. & West St., artsbrookfield.com.

MIDTOWN

India Day Parade

Mile Festival is the event to attend. Known as New York’s biggest block party, Fifth Avenue will be closed to traffic from 82nd Street to 105th Street, and 10 museums will open theirs doors to the public free of charge. The event will also feature live music and outdoor art activities for kids. Participating museums include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, El Museo Del Barrio, Museum of the City of New York and more. June 12. 5th Ave. betw. 82nd & 105th Sts., museummilefestival.org. Midsummer Night Swing.

UPPER EAST SIDE Celebrated to commemorate Indian independence from Britain, there is usually a Bollywood star or two in attendance at this glittery parade to which Indians from all over the tristate area come to party like it’s 1999. There’s food and goodies sprinkled along the parade route, so you can chow down on your favorite goodies like samosas and kebabs. August (date TBA). Madison Ave., from 38th to 28th St., fianynjct.org.

UPPER EAST SIDE

Museum Mile Festival For those who want to explore a few of New York City’s most famous museums for free, the 34th annual Museum

Bastille Day

If you secretly wanted to protest at Zuccotti Park but didn’t want to deal with the lack of showers and that whole sleeping outside thing, Bastille Day on 60th Street is for you—it’s like the sanitized, more fun version of protesting. After all, it was the poor French who decided they weren’t going to take it anymore from that bossy monarchy. The good news is no one is going to be guillotined at this Bastille Day. Instead, visitors can play pétanque, sip on kir royales and eat some smelly cheese. July 15, 12-5 p.m. 60th St. betw. 5th and Lexington Aves., www.bastilledayny.com.

UPPER WEST SIDE

GOVERNORS ISLAND

If you’re looking for a fun new way to dance away a hot summer’s night in New York, consider Lincoln Center’s outdoor dance party. Midsummer Night Swing offers a one-hour dance lesson followed by live music and dancing at the bandshell and elevated dance floor in Damrosch Park. Opening night features music from the ’50s and ’60s, and subsequent nights features such genres as jazz, salsa and rock ‘n’ roll. June 26-July 12, 6:30-10 p.m.; $17, passes for multiple nights are available. Damrosch Park, at 62nd St. betw. Columbus & Amsterdam Aves., www.midsummernightswing.org.

A free ferry to Governors Island lets you slip away to a Gatsby-inspired refuge. Come to the best 1920s outdoor summer party of 2012, featuring live music, a 50-foot-square real wood dance floor (with dance lessons), delightful and refreshing cocktails, fun summer foods and desserts, an oldfashioned DJ spinning records on an antique phonograph, vintage booths and so much more. June 16-17 & Aug 18-19; $15, kids are free. Governors Island, dreamlandorchestra.com.

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Dan’s Taste of Two Forks admission from 7:30-10 符The East End is home p.m. to some of the finest With the bash falling epicurean delights. On on Bastille Day, French July 14, they will all come native Vongerichten will together for the second celebrate the festivities annual Dan’s Taste of Two with true gastronomic Forks. The food and wine French flare. An awardevent of the Hamptons winning chef, legendary will showcase the best author and influential local culinary talent from restaurateur, VongerichEast End restaurants, ten has been a frequent Long Island wineries from Hamptons visitor for the Long Island Wine many years, and he is Council and several preknown worldwide for his mier local purveyors culinary prowess. This year, Dan’s Papers “I am honored to host is honored to announce that culinary legend Jean- Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. the second annual Dan’s Taste of Two Forks,” says Georges Vongerichten Vongerichten. “It is always a pleasure to be will host the event. Joining him in the fete amongst a group of gifted chefs and fine as the ambassador of taste will be Parisrestaurants.” trained apparel designer Nicole Miller, The inaugural Taste of Two Forks was a who has just been named food critic of The smashing success in 2011, as the sold-out Daily Dan. evening offered guests a first-time chance Dan’s Taste of Two Forks will be held at to experience a stellar lineup of the East Sayre Park in Bridgehampton. VIP admitEnd’s culinary masters all in one locatance will be 6:30-7:30 p.m., with general

tion. The 2012 event promises to include a similarly celebrated list of attendees across both Forks. Culinary giants Georgica, 1770 House, Luce + Hawkins, Race Lane, Nick & Toni’s, Southampton Social Club, Cittanuova, Southfork Kitchen, 75 Main, Amarelle, Beaumarchais East Hampton, Navy Beach, Rumba Rum Bar, Southampton Publick House and Smokin’ Wolf BBQ are among the participants. “There are some amazing restaurants on the East End—with access to fresh produce and seafood, the quality is always excellent,” explains Miller. “It’s wonderful to celebrate with Dan’s Taste of Two Forks the talented and diverse chefs and vineyards on the East End.” As in 2011, this year’s benefiting charity will be the Have a Heart Community Trust, a charitable organization dedicated to providing emergency relief to East Enders during times of personal or family hardship. Partnering with local not-for-profits, Have a Heart is able to give financial assistance to help people reclaim their lives with dignity, as they work with residents from Riverhead to Montauk across both Forks.

Dan’s Taste of Two Forks is produced by Manhattan Media, the owner of Dan’s Papers. Manhattan Media publishes several lifestyle magazines in the Hamptons and Manhattan, including Dan’s Papers, The Daily Dan, Avenue Magazine, New York Family and West Side Spirit. This year’s presenting sponsor is Farrell Building Company, the luxury homebuilders of the Hamptons. Other premier sponsors include Lincoln, TOWN Residential, Citarella, Hampton Jitney, Southampton Publick House, Smart Water, Dutch Petals, Design by DiMichaels and the Long Island Wine Council. www.tasteoftwoforks.com, 631-287-0188

Overview Place: Sayre Park, 154 Snake Hollow Road, Bridgehampton Date: Saturday, July 14 Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. (VIP) and 7:30-10:00 p.m. (GA) Ticket Prices: VIP $225, General Admission $150 Benefiting Charity: Have a Heart Community Trust

Wine Country It’s no secret that the East End of Long Island is an epicurean’s paradise. There is a close connection between our food and our dinner table, and quite a few tables wouldn’t be complete without a nice glass of wine. Fortunately, Long Island has that in the barrel, so to speak. The majority of our vineyards are concentrated on Long Island’s North Fork—a drive out to Orient Point showcases acres of picturesque grapes, all neatly kept and awaiting transformation into a local favorite. But the South Fork’s wineries and vineyards, set against the jaw-dropping Hamptons landscape, are equally popular among those looking to infuse an evening with Long Island flavors. The first Long Island winery was established in the early 1970s; since then, the region has gained a solid reputation for producing fine wines in virtually every variety. According to the Long Island Wine Council, East End grapes thrive because of the maritime climate, moderate temperatures, fertile soil and long growing season. The most popular reds include merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, while white wine lovers are inclined to flock toward the Long Island chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and riesling. A Long Island rosé also pairs perfectly with a hot summer night. Fortunately for the discerning wine connoisseur, the varieties and flavors of an

East End wine span a broad range of tastes and finishes. Below is a brief sampling of Long Island’s wineries and vineyards. Many offer tours and tastings. Be sure to refer to Dan’s Papers or www.danshamptons.com for more comprehensive information on Long Island’s wines and details on summer entertainment and live music schedules. Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard (631-3690100, baitinghollowfarmvineyard.com) in Baiting Hollow offers such wines as cabernet sauvignon, merlot and reisling. A selection of Baiting Hollow’s wines is devoted to the vineyard’s horse rescue efforts. Comtesse Therese (631-779-2800, comtessetherese.com) in Aquebogue’s wines include sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, rosé, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Comtesse Therese is the only vineyard restaurant on Long Island, and the Bistro serves Comtesse Therese wines and dishes created from a variety of locally-sourced ingredients. The Lenz Winery (631-734-6010, lenzwine.com) in Peconic was founded in 1978 and is one of the oldest wineries in the region. Varieties produced include chardonnay, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, gewürztraminer and merlot. Peconic Bay Winery (631-734-7361, peconicbaywinery.com) in Cutchogue produces such wines as riesling, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit and sauvignon blanc. In addition, Peconic Bay Winery’s Sono Rinata Immature Grape

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Bedell Cellars.

Brandy was the first brandy to be produced on Long Island. Roanoke Vineyards (631-727-4161, roanokevineyards.com) in Riverhead specializes in such wines as cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. This summer, check out their second tasting room on Love Lane in Mattituck. Sherwood House Vineyards (631-7792817, sherwoodhousevineyards.com) in Jamesport and Mattituck has chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot wines. The 2008 chardonnay was awarded “Best in Class” at the 2011 Los Angeles International Wine Competition Vineyard 48 (631-734-5200, vineyard48wines.com) in Cutchogue offers chardonnay, riesling, cabernet franc and merlot, among others. Be sure to check out the vineyard’s Saturday Dance Parties, which will showcase a variety of music and the vineyard’s famous frozen sangria. Too many wineries and vineyards to choose from? Check out the North Fork Trolley Co. (northforktrolley.com) for

information on winery tours. LONG ISLAND SUSTAINABLE WINEGROWING Formed on Earth Day 2012, Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing (LISW) does away with vague notions of “sustainability,” as the organization provides vineyards with official recognition for agricultural practices that are modeled after international standards of sustainable production. LISW has four founding members —Bedell Cellars, Channing Daughters Winery, Martha Clara Vineyards and Shinn Estate Vineyards—each of whom are committed to bringing a clear definition of sustainability to Long Island Wine County. LISW seeks to develop a certification program for the use of sustainable farming practices in growing grapes, as they foster a community between the vineyards, the workers and the land. A not-for-profit organization, LISW will ensure the agricultural use of these beautiful lands for many more generations. www.lisustainablewine.org NY Pr ess.c o m

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New York (Up) State of Mind The towns beyond New York City offer many reasons to escape for the weekend By Sean Creamer

Onondaga County Summer Brewfest Summer is well-known among beer connoisseurs as the time to enjoy a fresh brew, and there is no better venue for this simple pleasure than the annual Summer Brewfest. The fest is held at Clinton Square in downtown Syracuse, roughly an hour from Manhattan. In addition to the numerous local and international microbreweries, Summer Brewfest will include live music. There are a limited number of tickets, so get them while they last. June 22, 5:30 p.m.; $50, $10 for designated drivers. Syracuse, cnysummerbrewfest.com. NY State Blues Festival Clinton Square in Syracuse is home to many events, but the New York State Blues Fest boasts one of the longest performer rosters and attracts some of the biggest crowds. The three-day-long festival offers everything from local talent, such as Soul of Syracuse, to internationally acclaimed blues bands like River City Junction. A three-day pass costs $25, but a VIP one, with access to food, drinks and a club crawl, will set you back $150. July 13-15; $25, $150 for VIP passes. Syracuse, nysbluesfest.com. Middle Eastern Cultural Festival Middle Eastern communities are present in all four corners of the country, and upstate New York is no exception. With this festival, Middle Eastern New Yorkers celebrate Saint Elias, the patron saint of the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Syracuse. The event originated in 1937, becoming the social event of the year for the Arabic-speaking community of central New York. The church grounds are converted into a Middle Eastern food haven, chock full of shish kebab, grape leaves, spinach pies, hummus, pastries and Arabic coffee. In addition, the church sets up a souk, marketplace, selling jewelry, gifts and rugs, and visitors will be entertained by live Arabic music and dances. July 20-22; free. Syracuse, sainteliasny.com. Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival

Those who appreciate the simple pleasures in life—a nice glass of merlot and some Miles Davis—should head to the Northeast Jazz and Wine festival this summer. Admission to the event is free and includes wine tastings from local and international wineries, coupled with 22 hours of performances. One perk of this event is the air-conditioned wine pavilion. July 27-29; free. Syracuse, cnyjazz.org. The Great New York State Fair Arguably one of the biggest summer fests in the state, The Great New York State Fair spans over 12 days and includes entertainment and a number of competitions, from best antique automobile to prettiest rose. The fair is an out-and-out traditional American festival, complete with two 4-H competitions: 4-H Youth Building Exhibits and 4-H Youth Livestock. Aug. 23-Sept. 3; $6 advance, $10 day of. Syracuse, nysfair.org/home. Jazzfest If you walk down St. Mark’s Place in the East Village, you might pass by a few notable jazz clubs; if you are looking for an all day jazz fête, head to the 30th year of Jazzfest in Jamesville. The icing on the cake? Admission is free. Gas up the car or get on a bus and amp up during the four-hour ride. Acts include Cyrille Aimee and Mingo Fishtrap. On Friday, Kenny G will be the headlining performance, and on Saturday, Average White Band and Donovan with Troubadour will lay down the beat. June 22-23; free. Jamesville, syracusejazzfest.com.

Oswego County Harborfest Each year, the city of Oswego hosts its annual Harborfest. This will be the 25th year of the festival, and to kick it off, Kenny Loggins will be playing along with a trove of cover bands such as BIG SHOT, which pays homage to Billy Joel, and The Mayor of Margaritaville, a wink and a nod to their inspiration, Jimmy Buffett. For those who need a break from the vintage tunes, head to the juried arts and crafts fair or the numerous food tents selling fair favorites like fried dough and turkey legs. July 26-29; free. Oswego, www.oswegoharborfest.com.

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Day Trip To Columbia CounTy If Saratoga is a worth a trip, citygoers will definitely want to check out Columbia County, which is the perfect location for a quick jaunt. From musicals to film screenings and blueberry festivals, there is plenty to be found here. The Mac-Haydn Theater, in Chatham, will have a packed schedule this summer, from Barry Manilow’s CopaCabana to a production of Beauty and the Beast. For more info, go to www.machaydntheatre.org or call 518-392-9292. Head over to picturesque Hudson, where the Time and Space Limited Theatre Company will show HD broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, featuring performances like Le Comte Ory by Rossini. In mid-June, Hudson will play host to its annual gay pride parade, organized by the Hudson Pride Foundation. Food-inclined New Yorkers should pay special attention to the annual Austerlitz Historical Society Blueberry Festival at the end of July in Austerlitz. After taking in the early-morning blueberry pancake breakfast, check out 19th-century craft demonstrations, live music and vendors selling a variety of food and antiques. One event that always seems to close out the summer season in the county is the Hudson Music Fest in Hudson. Last year saw over 130 musicians, and this year promises to be just as good. For more info, visit hudsonmusicfest.com.

SaraToga SpringS: an arTiSTiC meCCa Saratoga Springs is home to everything from the Yaddo artists community to the Saratoga Race Track; with a multitude of performances and shows on the horizon, this town is the perfect place to escape the buzz of metropolitan life. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center, only four hours from Manhattan, has a diverse summer schedule ranging from the rapper Drake to the musical styling of the Zac Brown Band. While the program starts in June, Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will kick off the month on July 1 and will be followed by a weekend of Phish concerts. If jazz and rock aren’t your deal, take in the New York Ballet and Opera Saratoga in mid-July. There are many more events to be found at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center; for more information, call the SPAC box office at 518-587-3330.

Saratoga County 40th Annual Round Lake Antiques Festival While it isn’t too difficult to find a roughed-up antique on the side of the road on trash day in New York City, connoisseurs who don’t want to risk the possibility of bed bugs and are looking for a truly good find can trek to the 40th annual Round Lake Antiques Festival. In close proximity to the town of Saratoga Springs, the weekend festival features 250 vendors and draws close to 20,000 people each year. June 23-24, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; free. Round Lake, greatamericanantiquefest.com/antique_shows/ round_lake.htm

Cayuga County Sterling Renaissance Festival Travel back to the year 1585 this summer at the Sterling Renaissance Festival, where the Medieval Era is in full swing. Go to a wench auction, eat steak on a stake

and learn to dance like a bard. With over 100 vendors selling their unique wares and people running around in ye olde garb, this little village will surely feel like a blast to the past, without all the awful smells and diseases that plagued the Dark Ages. Saturdays and Sundays, July 7-Aug. 19; $22.95, kids 6-12 $12.95, group rates and multiday passes available. Sterling, sterlingfestival. com/festivalinformation.html.

Dutchess County Dutchess County Fair Each August, the Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck opens to the public for six days, catering to nearly half a million patrons. Only two hours from New York City, the Dutchess County Fair is the second largest in the state and serves as a showplace for agricultural marvels from across the county. Aug. 21-26; $12 advance, tickets to grandstand events sold separately. Rhinebeck, dutchessfair.com. NY Pr ess.c o m

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Summer Wordplay Picks to perk up your inner literatus By Allen Houston New York shows its literary stripes during the summer months, when every bookstore and bar seems to sweat an author or reading series from its pores. Here are our choices for some of the best events to help you get back in touch with your inner literatus.

horror and science fiction, since 1989. A bespectacled crowd gathers to pay homage to a bevy of new writers as well as such luminaries as Ursula K. Le Guin and Susana Clarke, among others. First Tuesday of every month; free ($7 donation suggested). Soho Gallery for Digital Art, 138 Sullivan St., www.nyrsf.com

The Soundtrack Series

DOWNTOWN

Fantastic Fiction at KGB Yes, this makes our yearly list and yes, we are suckers for daring speculative fiction (just don’t call it science fiction). From past luminaries such as Joyce Carol Oates and China Mievelle to upand-comers trying to burnish their geek chic cred, this monthly reading series raises a respectful glass to an underappreciated genre. Third Wednesday of every month; free. KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St., www.kgbfantasticfiction.org.

Happy Ending Music and Reading Series Nearing the decade marker, the Happy Ending series at Joe’s Pub is like an old friend you always have a great time with. Writers and musicians alike walk a lyrical tightrope, all to the tune of a monthly theme (June’s is “Advancement and Ruin”). Once a month; $15. Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., www.amandastern.com.

New York Review of Science Fiction Readings This science fiction reading series has served up heaping helpings of brave new worlds, as well as fantasy,

We can all name a song that brings back a joy (Led Zeppelin, “D’Yer Mak’er”—first kiss) or heartache (Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”—first breakup). At the Soundtrack series at (Le) poisson rouge, the worlds of writing and songs come together as host Dan Rossi invites five writers to tell stories about the songs that impacted their life. Fourth Thursday of every month; free. Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St., www.soundtrackseries.com.

LOCATIONS VARY

The Moth StorySlam The Moth is more like Mothra: It has shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It’s got an NPR show, and it just hosted a recent gala featuring Martin Scorsese. The Moth’s bread and butter is still good storytelling, though, and that’s exactly what you’ll find when you attend one of their shows. Venues and times vary. For more information, visit themoth.org.

MIDTOWN

Word for Word at Bryant Park Bring your bug spray for this summerlong festival celebrating writers at Bryant Park. The Word for Word Book Club

NYC Poetry Festival.

is reading Madame Bovary, while writers like This American Life contributor Dave Hill talks with Janeane Garofolo about his book Tasteful Nudes, comedian Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain discuss their book, America, You Sexy Bitch, and classic folkie Pete Seeger chats about his newest book, In My Own Words. Through Sept. 29. Bryant Park, 42nd St. betw. 5th & 6th Aves., www. bryantpark.org.

Half King Reading Series This weekly Chelsea institution features a plethora of new and up-and-coming writers as well as more established acts such as Bret Easton Ellis, while its semiregular magazine night offers underappreciated journalists a chance to strut their stuff. Every Monday; free. The Half King, 505 W. 23rd St., thehalfking.com.

GOVERNORS ISLAND

NYC Poetry Festival Bringing together more than 100 poets, the second year of the NYC Poetry Festival, hosted by the Poetry Society of New York, promises to be bigger and bolder. From an arts and crafts village to an open mic for newbies to a beer garden where you can discuss the merits of Coleridge over Wordsworth, this event is for the bard within us all. July 21-22; $5. Governors Island, poetrysocietyny.org.

UPPER EAST SIDE

Poetry from the Rooftops You can almost hear Walt Whitman’s “Barbaric Yawp” from the new rooftop of the Central Park Arsenal as the Academy of American Poets presents its annual summer poetry reading series. Second Thursday of every month; free. Arsenal Building at Central Park, 64th St. at 5th Ave., poets.org.

CityArts — Now every week inside Our Town Downtown 36 • O UR TOWN DOWNTOWN • M a y 2 4, 2 0 12

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Catch The Wave Not The Traffic

Michael Ian Black, comedian, actor, author, gadfly, man about town

What’s your favorite thing about New York in the summer?

I love how many New Yorkers leave. They disappear for beaches, where they will sunburn surrounded by their friends and grouse about how much they hate the beach.

What’s your favorite summertime activity?

Michael Ian Black, comedian, actor, author, gadfly, man about town

What’s your favorite summertime activity? Hammocking, my made-up verb for falling asleep in a hammock with a book splayed on my chest.

Your best and worst summer memory?

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Hammocking, my made-up verb for falling asleep in a hammock with a book splayed on my chest.

Your best and worst summer memory?

Best New York summer memory: getting dropped off at NYU my first day of college in August, 1988. It seemed to me like my life was beginning on that day. Worst New York summer memory: Getting caught shoplifting at Tower Records the summer after my sophomore year. People like me are the reason Tower went out of business (back then it was shoplifting—now it’s called pirating).

Best New York summer memory: getting dropped off at NYU Minutes FrominManhattan my40 first day of college August, 1988. It seemed to me like my life was beginning on that day. Worst New York summer memory: Getting caught shoplifting New Restaurant Olympic Size Swimming Pool at• Tower Records the summer after my • sophomore year. People • New Beach Barthen it like me are and the reason went out of business (back • Cabana Locker Tower Rentals was shoplifting—now it’s called pirating). • Valet Parking • Full Cabana Services

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The Summer’s Five Hottest Shows

Harvey Hot on the heels of last year’s debut in The Normal Heart, two-time Emmy winner Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) returns to the stage in this revival of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prizewinning classic. Parsons is Elwood P. Dowd, the role immortalized on screen by James Stewart, a middle-aged man whose best friend is a 6-foot-tall rabbit. Is Harvey real or a figment of Elwood’s imagination? You’ll have to head over to the Studio 54 Theater to find out. Co-stars include Larry Bryggman (Doubt), Tracee Chimo (Circle Mirror Transformation), Jessica Hecht (A View from the Bridge), Carol Kane (Wicked), Charles Kimbrough (TV’s Murphy Brown) and Rich Sommer (TV’s Mad Men). In previews now, runs June 14Aug. 5; $37+. Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St., roundabouttheatre.org

Uncle vanya Some of New York’s finest actors have signed on to this world premiere reimagining of the Chekhov classic about a visiting professor and his alluring younger wife at Soho Rep. The winning team of director Sam Gold and writer Annie Baker (The Aliens, Circle Mirror Transformation) have recruited a top-notch ensemble

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that includes Reed Birney, Maria Dizzia, Georgia Engel, Peter Friedman, Matthew Maher, Rebecca Schull, Michael Shannon, Paul Thureen and Merritt Wever. Take note: a June 19 benefit performance will include a post-show vodka reception with the cast and creative team. Opens June 7; $0.99-$40. Soho Rep Theatre, 46 Walker St., sohorep.org.

Sovereign The conclusion to Mac Rogers’ Honeycomb trilogy is off-off-Broadway’s answer to The Return of the King, and not just because of the similarities in the title. This play, part of Gideon Productions in collaboration with the BFG Collective at the Secret Theater, will confirm the fates of the characters we’ve come to love in Advance Man and Blast Radius, particularly Ronnie (Becky Byers), now a hardened governor lording over a slowly rebuilding human race and her defiant brother Abbie (David Rosenblatt). Rogers’ trilogy, directed by Jordana Williams, has offered so many surprising turns, it’s hard to predict where this tale will end—but incredibly exciting at the same time. It’s safe to say that by now, the Secret is out. June 14-July 1; $15-$25. The Secret Theatre, 44-02 23rd St., Long Island City, bfgcollective.com.

Healhty Manhattan

School may be out, but the hardworking kids in the New York theater scene still have homework to do this summer. Below, a list of the five most anticipated events of the 2012 summer season.

Democracy This June-long event, running at Williamsburg’s Brick Theater, is dedicated to the idea of putting on a summer theater festival of the people, by the people and for the people in this election year. Eight candidates will campaign against each other in a series of public appearances for the title of “President of the Brick.” The elected official will be given reign over The Brick for two weeks next January and will be entrusted with curating all Brick programming during this time period. Shows include works from Matthew Freeman, Eric John Meyer, Jeremey Catterton, Zack Calhoun and Roger Nasser. Attendance is mandatory, as all voters must cast their ballot in person. May 31-July 1; $15. The Brick Theater, 575 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, bricktheater.com.

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By Doug Strassler

Harvey

into tHe WooDS The second of this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park entries (following As You Like It) is this James Lapine-Stephen Sondheim favorite, in a production based on the acclaimed 2010 staging at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park, London. Woods was just mentioned this week on Glee as the most vocally demanding of Sondheim’s canon—so why revive this tale of what happens to fairy tale characters after their happy ending? With three-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams onboard as the Baker’s Wife, two-time Tony-winner Donna Murphy to play the Witch and current Tony nominee Jessie Mueller (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) playing Cinderella, why wouldn’t you? July 23-Aug. 25; free. Delacorte Theater in Central Park, accessible via 81st St. & Central Park West or 79th St. & 5th Ave., shakespeareinthepark.org.

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Tired of waiting in the stifling heat for Shakespeare in the Park to no avail? Fear not; there’s another free outdoor option to view the Bard’s work. The Drilling Company’s LES staple, taking place in the municipal parking lot at the corner of Broome and Ludlow streets, will present The Merry Wives of Windsor in July, followed by Coriolanus in August. Keep in mind that these productions are prone to interruption; the action occurs around parked cars whose drivers sometimes return and drive away mid-performance. Now that’s something performers never needed to concern themselves with during the Elizabethan era! Thursdays-Saturdays, July 12-28 & Aug. 2-18, 8 p.m.; free. Broome St. at Ludlow St., shakespeareintheparkinglot.com.

The esteemed arts institution will offer a diverse mix of live programming, including two works—Giselle and Orpheus and Eurydice—by the Paris Opera Ballet and a 70th birthday tribute to late soul great Curtis Mayfield on July 20. Performers will include Tunde Adebimpe, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ryan Montbleau, Sinéad O’Connor and Mavis Staples. The National Theatre of Scotland will perform Macbeth, starring Tony winner Alan Cumming as the famed Thane of Cawdor. And six years after playing Hedda Gabler at BAM, Cate Blanchett and the Sydney Theater Company will revive another Chekhov classic, Uncle Vanya. Completists can check out both this version and Annie Baker’s adaptation at Soho Rep. July 5-Aug. 5. Lincoln Center, W. 62nd St. & Columbus Ave., lincolncenterfestival.com.

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

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Shakespeare in the Park

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Signature Theater In its first season in its new three-theater Midtown home, the Signature Theatre will present Athol Fugard’s My Children in Africa, Will Eno’s Title and Deed, the world premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s Medieval Deed and Sam Shepard’s Heartless, among others. In addition to the plays, the theater will offer talk-back programs with performers and playwrights as well as pre-show discussions with designers. Times and dates vary. Signature Theatre, 480 W. 42nd St., signaturetheater.org.

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Marble Collegiate Church New Work Festival Entering its second year, The Puzzle, Marble Collegiate Church’s festival of new work, brings together a host of freshly written theater pieces from New York and around the country for a three-week workshop process culminating in a week of plays, musicals and spoken word. June 25-30; free. Marble Collegiate Church, 29th St. at 5th Ave., marblechurch.org.

Brian Taylor illustration

It wouldn’t be summer without a trip (or better yet, two) to the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park, where the Public Theater presents Shakespeare in the Park. This summer, it isn’t just the Bard taking the stage, however. In addition to As You Like It, starring Oliver Platt and Lily Rabe, there will also be a run of Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical Into the Woods, featuring movie star Amy Adams and Broadway vet Donna Murphy. As You Like It opens June 5, Into the Woods opens July 2; free. The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, enter at W. 81st St. & Central Park West, shakespeareinthepark.org.

Lincoln Center Theater Festival

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Shakespeare in the Park. NYPress.com

New York Musical Theatre Festival

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Featuring live music, workshops and full productions of brand-new musicals, the NYMTF has been giving New York audiences a chance to experience exciting musical theater without Broadway price tags (or tourists) since 1994. This year’s lineup is particularly strong, with 30 musicals including A Letter To Harvey Milk, about a butcher sending a letter to Milk; Baby Case, Michael Ogborn’s take on the Lindbergh baby’s disappearance; and Prison Dancer, a show based on the Filipino prisoners who became a worldwide sensation thanks to their YouTube performances. July 9-29. Various locations, nymf.org.

Even at 16 years old, this annual marathon of offbeat, cutting-edge theater— which birthed Rent, among other memorable shows—is devoted to the new and the strange. This year’s performances will include From Busk Till Dawn: The Life of an NYC Street Performer, Love Death Brains (A Zombie Musical), Occupy the Constellations: A Collaborative Revolutionary Puppet Tale and, all the way from California, a show called What I Learned From Porn. Not everything you’ll see at the Fringe is great, but it’s always done with humor and spirit, making it more interesting—if not quite as professional—than most other festivals. Aug. 10-26. fringenyc.org.

Fringe Fest

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year, is worth a visit just to see the lengths to which some people will go for a free meal. Will Joey Chestnut take the prize again for the sixth year in a row? Will Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas still be impossibly skinny after another year on the eating circuit? Will former champ Takeru Kobayashi stage another rogue eat-off in protest of the organized event? You’ll have to show up to find out, and maybe grab a hot dog yourself from the Coney Island institution (take your time eating it, though). July 4, 3 p.m. Corner of Surf & Stillwell Aves., nathansfamous.com.

Foraging in Prospect Park

Illustration by Brian Taylor

Foraging, long the purview of the homeless and freegan hippies, has been surging in popularity thanks to locavore chefs like Rene Redzepi in Copenhagen. Join the elite by going on a foraging expedition with expert Leda Meredith, followed by a tasting at nearby restaurant Beer Table. Though you may not find enough to supplant your weekly Key Food run, it’s sure to be more fruitful than your everyday walk in the park. July 15, 2 p.m.; $30 for Slow Food members, $40 for nonmembers. Prospect Park, meet at Grand Army Plaza entrance, slowfoodnyc.org.

Chocolate Fest: A Walk-Around Tasting Have you been tempted every year to visit the Chocolate Show but ultimately turned off by the overwhelming scale and trade-show vibe? 92Y’s Chocolate Fest is a kinder, gentler (and boozier) version, featuring local favorites like The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and Liddabit Sweets providing tastings alongside prestigious international chocolatiers like Guittard. The event also features a screening of the short film Radical Chocolate, about a treeto-bar chocolate-making collective, wine and cocktail pairings and a sampling of chocolate-friendly cheeses. June 3, 7:30 p.m.; $29. 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave., 92y.org.

Big Apple BBQ Block Party In some parts of the country, BBQ competitions are an integral piece of the summer. While New York City is sadly lacking in this department, for the past 10 years, Danny Meyer, owner of Blue Smoke and the Shake Shack empire, among many others, has been trying to make it right. His Big Apple Block Party assembles pitmasters from around the country, including perennial rib champion Mike Mills and whole-hog maestro Ed Mitchell, allowing

festival-goers to sample the breadth of this country’s regional BBQ styles without ever leaving Midtown. Live music and seminars in the park provide a respite from all the smoke, should you need it. June 9-10, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; $8 per plate. Madison Square Park, babbq.com.

Eat Drink Local Week Let’s face it: Restaurant Week isn’t what it used to be. These days, it’s strictly for amateurs who don’t mind the worst tables and prix-fixe menus made up of the cheapest, least creative dishes on a restaurant’s roster. The tristate area’s Edible publications, including Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens editions, have teamed up to fill the void, presenting this annual week of special, seasonal menus at participating restaurants, tasting events and discounts at food and wine shops. Each year they choose a number of local ingredients to highlight; this year it’s spinach, eggs, goat, radishes, rosé wine, porgy, fava beans and hops. Not sure what you can make with all that, but it sounds pretty tasty. June 23-30. ediblemanhattan.com.

Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest More a cautionary tale than anything else, this legendary contest, now in its 96th

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Parked! A Food Truck Festival Food trucks in the city are often harassed for parking in metered spots, which are off-limits to vendors. This summer, they’ll get a free parking pass at the South Street Seaport, where over 30 of them will be Parked! all day long. Music, drinks and activities for kids will round out the day of fun; check the website to see just what they’ve got lined up this year. A VIP pass will get you a drink ticket, 10 free dishes from 10 of the trucks and a dedicated lineup at all of them so you don’t have to wait around with all those regular jerks. Aug. 4, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; free, VIP passes $50. South Street Seaport, meanredproductions.com.

Pig Island They take pigs (about 80 of ’em). They put them on an island. They get 20 of New York’s top chefs to cook them, add liberal doses of NY state beer and wine and set you free to drink and eat all day long. If that doesn’t sound like a wonderful dream you once had, well, you’d better be a vegetarian. Pig Island is your chance to enjoy hog-centric delights like maple-bacon sticky buns, Sriracha-glazed suckling pig and pork belly sliders all on the charmingly anachronistic Governors Island, while

benefiting Food Systems NYC and City Harvest. Sept. 1. Governors Island, pigisland.com.

86th Annual Feast of San Gennaro Until two years ago, you went to the Feast of San Gennaro to drink luridly colored frozen daiquiris, buy T-shirts emblazoned with “Fuhgeddaboudit” and avoid getting into a fight with an extra from Jersey Shore. Then, Torrisi Italian Specialties, the restaurant that has singlehandedly elevated Italian-American cuisine, opened a stall there selling slyly Chinese-inflected mozzarella sticks and roast pork sandwiches, and chefs from downtown restaurants like WD-50, L’Artusi and The Spotted Pig followed suit. No word yet on this year’s vendors, but it’s sure to be worth the risk of a fistfight or two. Sept. 13-23. Mulberry St. betw. Canal & Houston Sts., sangennaro.org.

Indonesian Food Bazaar One of the borough’s best-kept secrets is slowly coming out of the shadows, but it hasn’t outgrown its small-town feel just yet. This bazaar pops up in the parking lot of Masjid Al-Hikmah, a hub for the Queens Indonesian community, during the warmer months. All of the vendors are community members who arrive with foil trays of long-stewed rendang, charcoal grills for smoky satay skewers, fritters, dumplings and amazingly multicolored dessert drinks. Don’t miss the gado gado, for which friendly church ladies grind the salad’s sweet, garlicky peanut dressing in a mortar and pestle to order. Third Sunday of every month (roughly, check online), 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; free (donations to the mosque requested). Masjid Al-Hikmah, 48-01 31st Ave. (at 48th St.), Astoria, masjidalhikmahnewyork.org.

Smorgasburg The organizers of the Brooklyn Flea realized the dirty secret of most street fairs: People only come for the food. In response, they created the now-monstrous Smorgasburg, a food-only version of their all-purpose artisanal marketplace. If you want to shop, you can buy pickles, olive oil or cutting boards, but the real reason to visit is for the one-ofa-kind eats. Favorites include Shorty Tang & Sons’ cold sesame noodles, from the family that created the dish some 40 years ago, and Bon Chovie’s fried anchovies, last season’s unlikely snack hit. You’ll never look at a mozzarepa at a tube-sock street fair again. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; free.Williamsburg waterfront betw. N. 6th & 7th Sts., brooklynflea.com. NY Pr ess.c o m

Where’s the Beef? And Other Food Festival Questions A survival guide to summer food fests

the awkward realization that you’ve filled up on hush puppies at the first stand before you’ve even reached the main course. Recon. There’s nothing worse than having your heart set on a specific vendor or food By Regan Hofmann item, then getting to the party and realizing you can’t find it. Heavy crowds and the his past weekend, The Great landscape limitations of venues like Madison GoogaMooga, the chefs-as-rockSquare Park mean some stalls end up tucked stars food festival that had many away in a corner, signs obscured by trees or bemoaning the end of civilizahat-wearing hipsters. Most events post detion and the rise of the foodie monster, tailed vendor lists online in the week before took place in Prospect Park with some 75 the big day or provide maps at the entry; vendors and 40,000 attendees. The first don’t be ashamed to spend some time studyday of the two-day event ended with chefs, ing before you go barreling into the fray. critics and hungry parkgoers alike making If there’s no guide, take a lap of the venue. Woodstock ’99 comparisons, bemoaning Turn down every alleyway and make mental long lines, ill-prepared vendors and a Byznotes of the important spots to hit, as well as antine beer system that left people cranky essentials like and thirsty. washrooms The truth is, and drinks. though, what While you’re happened in at it, you can Brooklyn is no plot out your different from “must-eats” to what happens make sure you at every food hit all of the festival—it just highlights. took place on Water. a larger scale Seriously. It under closer sounds like the scrutiny. Lineadvice your ups? You can’t mom would get into these Big Apple BBQ Block Party food. Photo by Monica Tang give, along chefs’ brickwith use the and-mortar resbathroom before you leave the house (come taurants without waiting in line; why would to think of it, you probably should do that, a limited-edition outdoor version be any too. Outdoor venues + overindulging attenddifferent? As for scarcity, consider that they ees= porta-potties you don’t want to have to can only serve as much as they can carry into use). But trust me. Those long lines are a lot the middle of the park—no walk-in coolers, easier to wait in if you’re not dehydrating as no pantries, no back-up supplies. It comes the minutes tick by, and the sun is a lot less with the territory. sweltering. The real problem was one of expectations. Bring the biggest water bottle you can An outdoor food festival can be one of the comfortably carry with you; if it’s a closed greatest joys of the summer or an absolute venue with no outside containers admitted, hell on earth—the only difference lies in how make the drinks table your very first stop. If you’ve prepared yourself, both mentally and it’s especially crowded, get two bottles at a materially. Here are a few tips to make sure time and keep one in your back pocket. It’ll you’re never left stranded, sweaty and starvkeep you cool and keep you from having to ing surrounded by an ocean of food. interrupt the fun to go back later. Decide why you’re there. For many, the When all else fails, corn. It’s the outdoor draw of food fests is the fact that they gather food fair’s great equalizer. At the lowliest of a dozen or more top chefs/purveyors in one tube-sock fairs and the swankiest of charity convenient spot. Rather than having to trek fundraisers, somebody will be grilling corn from borough to borough (or beyond) to on the cob. It may be called elote or topped sample each, you need only walk across the with crème fraîche and caviar, but it’s always parking lot. Others, however, see the all-day the elemental essence of summer, all fresh, fest as a test of endurance, the chance to eat sweet produce and smoky fire, so messy as much as possible. This is especially true at can only be eaten outdoors. If you can’t find events where the price of entry gets unlimyour friends or the heat is getting to you, ited tastes; they are bound and determined stop, breathe deeply and find the corn—it’s to get their money’s worth. impossible to stay crabby with greasy fingers Figure out which of these camps you fall and a soot-smeared chin. into before you arrive and you’ll save yourself

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Some of the great masters from the Northern Italian Renaissance are taking up residence at The Met this summer while their home, the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Italy, undergoes renovations. Works by Bellini, Titian, Lotto and Vincenzo Foppa, who lived and worked between Venice, Milan and Bergamo during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, will be displayed in a room next to the Italian painting galleries. Bellini’s “Pietà” and Lotto’s “The Entombment” are among several of the masterpieces on display for New Yorkers to awe at and admire. Through Sept. 3, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave., metmuseum.org.

What better way to spend your summer than hanging out in a library, especially if you’re going to see the Morgan Library & Museum’s Josef Albers exhibit. Albers, the iconic 20th-century artist who died in 1976, is best known for his painting series Homage to the Square, in which he explored color relationships in concentric squares. This exhibit displays the less well-known studies and sketches for these paintings. The materials in this exhibit were never shown during Albers’ life and are rarely displayed since his death; The Morgan is the only U.S. stop for this exhibition before it heads back to Europe. July 20 – Oct. 14, The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave., themorgan.org.

Bellini, Titian and Lotto

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Crossroads of the World

Josef Albers in America: Painting on Paper

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“Strike Pickets,” 1910. Bain News Service photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

You don’t have to head south to the Carribean to the beach this summer, just take the subway up to the El Museo del Barrio. It, along with The Studio Museum in Harlem and the Queens Museum of Art, is presenting the culmination of the decadelong collaboration of research and scholarship Caribbean: Crossroads of the World, which includes more than 500 works of art spanning four centuries from the Caribbean islands and coasts. The exhibit covers topics such as politics, pop culture, language, the various cultures and history, among many others. June 12 – Jan. 6, 2013, El Museo Del Barrio, 1230 5th Ave., elmuseo.org.

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Women Work With conservative politicians intent on rehashing decades-old debates that everyone thought were long settled, it’s fitting that the National Academy Museum & School has chosen now to kick off its new exhibit, Women Work, featuring the artwork of women from the 19th century to present day. The series brings together works by Mary Cassatt, Colleen Browning and May Stevens, as well as female sculptors. Through Aug. 26, The National Academy Museum & School, 1083 5th Ave., nationalacademy.org.

An artist searching for his muse is a theme that reverberates back to Greek mythology. French artist Edouard Vuillard found inspiration in his career stretching from the 1890s to the 1940s in a variety of sources, from experimental theater to urbane domesticity. This exhibit at The Jewish Museum looks at six periods of the artist’s career and the impact his friends and patrons had on his work, from his artistic beginnings to his later portraits. Through Sept. 23, The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave., thejewishmuseum.org.

Rineke Dijkstra: A Retrospective The Guggenheim hosts this mid-career retrospective of Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra. The artist, best known for her striking portraits of humanity in transition—adolescents and new mothers have been prime subjects for her lens—has been working for more than two decades at her craft. Like all great portraitists, Dijkstra’s work captures fleeting moments and fills them with meaning. “I make normal things appear special,” she said in an interview for the book Image Makers, Image Takers. That this is not a brag but a statement of successfully fulfilled artistic intent says it all. June 29 – Oct. 3, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Ave., www. guggenheim.org.

Filmmaking identical twins the Quay Brothers—or The Brothers Quay, in their preferred nomenclature—end the summer with a major retrospective of their work at the Museum of Modern Art. Born in Philly but developed as European surrealists in the grime of London, the Quays have been conjuring up their creepy-crawly, stop-motion animated work since the late ’70s. Featuring repurposed doll heads and other unsettling motifs of mold and decay, the Brothers’ oeuvre became a major aesthetic touchstone for the burgeoning industrial goth movement of the late ’80s and ’90s. This collection promises a rare view inside their work, with neverbefore-seen images, moving works, installations and artistic output, as well as screening of their best shorts and filmic output. Aug. 12 – Jan. 8, 2013, The Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., www.moma.org.

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Edouard Vuillard: A Painter and His Muses, 1890-1940

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Quay Brothers: On Deciphering the Pharmacist’s Prescription for Lip-Reading Puppets

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Activist New York

Beer Here: Brewing New York’s History

New York City has always been a city that thrived in the midst of social change and progress. Activist New York, the new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, brings that history into focus, exploring the history of social activism in the city from the 17th century right up to the Occupy Wall Street movement. From picket lines to civil rights, the exhibition uses artifacts, photographs, audio and video to tell the history of agitation in the city. Through the summer, The Museum of the City of New York, 1220 5th Ave., mcny.org.

New York has a rich (albeit unheralded) history of brewing that stretches back to colonial times. The New-York Historical Society hopes to rectify this with its new exhibit. With artifacts and documents that showcase the city’s long-lived love of suds, Beer Here covers what the soldiers were drinking in the Revolutionary War, famous hometown brewers and the Prohibition era. When you are finished, step on over to the beer hall for a taste of New York City and state’s best local brews. May 25 – Sept. 2, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park W., nyhistory.org.

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The Parade: Nathalie Djurberg with Music by Hans Berg Bird is the word at the New Museum’s Studio 231 space as Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg, known for her nightmarish animations, and videographer Hans Berg show off five trippy animations and an unnerving menagerie of more than 80 free-standing bird sculptures. These hybrid, sometimes monstrous forms speak to the artist’s interest in physical and psychological transformation, as well as pageantry and perversion. Through Aug. 26, The New Museum, 235 Bowery, newmuseum.org.

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Circle, and guides in the front and back of the gang bring everyone safely and at a leisurely pace through the tranquil park, hopefully by the light of the moon, if it cooperates. The total journey is about 10 miles and ends back where it started around midnight. times-up.org

CENTRAL PARK

The Park as Art Exhibit

Illustration by Brian Taylor

DOWNTOWN

Explore the High Life Everyone knows that the High Line is a wonder of modern urban greenery and should be showed off to tourists of all provenances, but not everyone knows you can score a free guided tour of the elevated park this summer. The organization Friends of the High Line runs the events, starting from the High Line on West 14th Street and wandering through the park. Guides will explain how the unique park came into existence, focusing on the design, public artworks and horticulture that make the structure into an experience, as well as the history of the High Line before it became the city gem it is today. Tours are about an hour long and are wheelchair accessible. Guides suggest paying extra attention to the weather when dressing for the tours and arriving early to guarantee a spot. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m.; free. Meet at the entrance to the High Line at W. 14th St. & 10th Ave. For questions, email karla.osorioperez@thehighline.org.

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Moonlight Ride Through the Park The environmental action group TIME’S UP has been leading cyclists through the evening glow of Central Park for 20 years, so you’re in good hands, even if you’re a newbie to nighttime riding. The first Friday of every month, weather permitting, a group of bicyclists meet at 10 p.m. at Columbus

Most residents strolling through Central Park don’t stop to ponder the very design of the place, not to mention the majestic additions of the Belvedere Castle and other landmarks. Luckily, the Central Park Conservancy offers free guided tours to enlighten oblivious observers. At various times over the summer, tours meet outside the Tavern on the Green visitor center, inside the park at 67th Street and Central Park West, and guides take groups on an eye-opening walk that shows off the park’s majestic landscapes and romantic vistas that many would miss on a hasty jog. Groups of seven or more can arrange for custom tours by calling 212-360-2726 or emailing tours@centralparknyc.org. centralparknyc.org

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Lincoln Center, Outside The famous institution known for its stately theaters takes its programming into the wilds of the West Side this summer for the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival. All events at the Damrosch Park Bandshell, Hearst Plaza and Josie Robertson Plaza are free. This year, highlights include a performance from the Chinese American Arts Council Acrobatic Group, From Chinatown with Love, family days with the Bindlestiff Cirkus and the U.S. premiere of Tangle, an interactive, audiencecreated kid-friendly show from Australian troupe Polyglot Theatre. The event concludes with the 29th annual Roots of American Music Festival Aug.11-12. July 5-Aug. 12. lcoutofdoors.org.

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The Lotus Garden It’s rare that a private garden opens its gates to the public, but every Sunday, The Lotus Garden allows people inside without a key to view its harmonious collection of fragrant blooms and even a couple of small fish ponds. Situated 20 feet above 97th Street on top of a parking garage, it’s a blissful and unexpected escape from the city. Sundays, 1-4 p.m.; free. The Lotus Garden, W. 97th St. betw. Broadway & West End Ave., thelotusgarden.org.

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UPTOWN

Who says you need a formal invitation to watch Jane and John tie the knot? The lush gardens and scenic overlooks of Fort Tryon Park serve as the perfect wedding backdrop, and come just about any weekend afternoon, you can gaze at the gowns and rings. Just stay at arm’s length from the invited guests—nobody likes a wedding crasher—and keep your cell phone on vibrate during the vows. If you get a chance, tell the bride the ceremony was lovely; such compliments are probably half the reason they wed in the park to begin with. Mazel tov!

The Inwood Canoe Club has been run since 1902 by paddling enthusiasts, mostly volunteers, who love the river and want to spread the joy of a day spent skimming the surface of the Hudson. Rivergoers should wear clothes that can get splashed (or soaked) and be able to swim. The club provides kayaks, life vests and paddles free of charge, though insurance is required. The club is at the far west end of Dyckman Street; there is a sign at the marina gate directing visitors to the red boathouse. Sundays, May 27-Sept. 2, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; free, $4 insurance required per visit or $15 for the season. Inwood Canoe Club, at the Hudson River at Dyckman St., inwoodcanoeclub.com

Wedding Watching in the Cloisters

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Traipse into New Jersey by Way of the George Washington Bridge

Free Paddling on the Hudson

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Big City, Big Fish

The East Side has the Brooklyn Bridge, but the George Washington Bridge and the Palisades beyond it beckon just as seductively from the west. We dare you to cross it. Only the south side of the bridge is open to pedestrians, which means you won’t miss out on the sight of Manhattan’s western flank. Cross at sunset and see the city bathed in gold toned hues. It does get windy up there, so you will not regret leaving your air conditioned, hermetically sealed apartment. You might even want to pack a picnic; on the other side is Fort Lee Historic Park, the forested site atop the Palisades where the Continental Army held a position over the Hudson River. Start your adventure at 177th and Cabrini, where you can access the pedestrian walkway from 6 a.m. until midnight.

New Yorkers are always looking for ways to feel like adventurers, trapped as we may be in our concrete jungle. The charter company Big City Fish lets you feel like a true captain of the high seas, if only for a day, as it guides clients to the most gigantic fish the Hudson and East Rivers have to offer up. The real captain, Craig Gantner, has been fishing since childhood, and is licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard. He champions catch-and-release, mindful of keeping fish populations plentiful for all customers, and can teach landlubbers the arts of fly and spin fishing, as well as simple pole-and-tackle conventional fishing. Gantner’s boat holds up to four people and can pick up passengers from Manhattan or the Jersey City marina. 908-963-0215, thebigcityfish.com

UPTOWN

CITYWIDE

When it comes to seeing stars, New Yorkers are more likely to see the red-carpetwalking, Oscar-statue-wielding kind than the fiery masses suspended in the cosmos. The opposite is true, however, at Inwood Hill Park, in Manhattan’s northernmost reaches. At sporadic but frequent stargazing sessions led by NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Jason Kendall, the starry-eyed will get an opportunity to see if there is a man on the moon, discover constellations and become a little more familiar with the cosmos. In a recent event, stargazers held a Jupiter and Venus conjunction party to see the two bright planets pass within two degrees of each other. moonbeam.net/inwoodastronomy

Riverside Park’s Summer on the Hudson series gives New Yorkers a chance to get groovy on the river all summer long. The park holds tons of events, from Zumba, yoga, Pilates and tai chi classes to concerts for kids to kayaking, all on a regular basis. There are also the special features of the season, including the Sing for Hope Street Pianos—real pianos are placed around the park and are available for players, both pros and tinkerers, to plunk out tunes for two weeks starting June 1. On several Friday evenings, dance troupes from Harlem will show their stuff and encourage others to join in, teaching kids dance moves as well as confidence. There are also DJ dance parties, French films, a fishing festival, and a number of sports activities and lessons. riversideparkfund.org

See the Light Side of the Moon from Inwood Hill Park

Summer Days on the River

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Photo by New York City Bike Share.

ARE YOU THE BEST WRITER OF NONFICTION ON THE EAST END?

The CitiBike Lowdown Enter the 2012 Dan’s Papers $6,000 Literary Prize for Nonfiction. For the last 25 years, Dan’s Papers has showcased artists on the cover of the publication. Now Dan’s Papers wants to similarly showcase writers. We believe this is the first literary prize ever offered on the eastern end of Long Island for nonfiction in literature. Visit Our Website for Official Rules and to Enter

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By Andrew Rice

very summer, New Yorkers emerge from their apartments and offices, soaking up the great outdoors on two wheels in New York City. This summer, with the launch of CitiBike, which promises to be the largest urban bike sharing system in North America, even more New Yorkers will get to experience the joys of cycling through the city. In anticipation of the launch, Andrew Rice explains the fundamentals of CitiBike.

What is a Bike Share Program? Bike sharing is essentially a self-serve bike rental. Members go to any one of the electronic docks to withdraw a bike and deposit at another dock when they’re done. Cycling is not only healthy, it’s often quicker than public transportation—and a lot more fun! Now, commuters can enjoy the benefits of riding a bike without having to worry about storage or maintenance.

Contest begins March 31 and ends August 1.

How many bikes are there?

First Prize $5,000 • Two Runners Up $500 each.

There will be 10,000 bicycles around the city, with over 600 docking stations to facilitate rental and return.

Winners announced at the John Drew Theater of Guild Hall in East Hampton on Saturday, August 25. Entry fee is $20.

How do I become a member? People interested in renting a bike through the program use the automated kiosks at every dock to purchase a daily or weekly pass with a credit card; they’re then given an access code. Those who’d like an annual membership sign up online and receive a special key in the mail that allows them to unlock the bikes.

How much does it cost? The base prices for membership are $9.95 for 24 hours, $25 for a week and $95 46 • O UR TOWN DOWNTOWN • M a y 2 4, 2 0 12

for an annual membership. However, the cost also includes ride charges of up to $4 for 60 minutes, $13 for 90 minutes, $25 for 120 minutes and $13 for each additional 30 minutes over two hours.

How does it work? Riders get the first 30 minutes of their ride free, while annual members get 45 minutes. Most bike trips in the city are under two miles and take less than half an hour. People who wish to take longer rides simply have to dock their bike and then rent out another one straight away.

What happens if I go over the limit? People who hold onto their bikes too long get charged an incremental fee the longer the bikes are out of the system. This is designed to prevent theft of the bicycles more than anything. If you’re nearing the end of your time and the closest dock is full, there is an option to gain an additional courtesy time to find another dock.

How will I know if there are bikes or empty docks nearby? Each kiosk will have its own map. In addition, CitiBike will also releases a smart phone app called SpotCycle, which will provide real-time bike and dock availability.

What’s to stop someone from stealing a bike? Users are supposed to leave their bikes at the docking stations when they’re finished. If they try to bring the bikes home, they’ll soon face a rather large credit card bill. The bike parts have no resale value, and each bike is equipped with a GPS. NY Pr ess.c o m

t h g i N d n a Day

Photo by Andrew Schwartz

THE

Pedal to the Pavement The best cycling spots around Manhattan and beyond

To most New Yorkers, Manhattan-based cyclists seemed to be faced with their own unique set of obstacles: screeching cabs, distracted pedestrians, drivers unexpectedly opening their car doors in the bike lane during rush hour. The island, however, is also home to some of the best cycling routes in the city, which offer some much needed respite for city-dwellers on two wheels.

Hudson River Greenway The gently sloping Hudson River Greenway is more than just the largest green space in the city, it’s also one of the busiest, attracting over 7,000 cyclists a day, according to the DOT. You might wonder what all the fuss is about until you realize that the Greenway, which is the longest in the city and extends from Battery Park to Inwood, is one of the quickest ways to get around Manhattan. While the gentle slopes make it a cinch to ride, the Greenway’s calling card is its proximity to the water and notable sights, making this a must for any city cyclist.

Harlem River Speedway Calling this a speedway seems like some sort of cruel joke. This riverside getaway connects the Hudson River and East River Greenways via two access points—at Dyckman Street and 10th Avenue and Edgecomb Avenue and 155th Street. The leisurely two-mile ride, built upon an old riverside walkway and carriage path, is one of the few Class 1 paths in the city, allowing riders a chance to relax and not worry about getting hit by an errant cab door. Swindler’s Park, located by the western access, provides an excellent location to while away those summertime afternoons. While the Speedway provides a great, if momentary escape, from city life, the lack of access points makes this one of the more difficult paths to get to. NYPress.com

Photo by Devon Balet

By Andrew Rice

Central Park Spanning over 50 city blocks, cycling is the best way to see much of Central Park in an afternoon. Park Drive, the main road, which stretches a winding six miles through the park, is about to get even friendlier to bikers, runners and skaters, as cross-park paths at 72nd and 96th streets gain an additional bike lane. Terrace Drive is also reportedly set to lose one of its car lanes in favor of a second bike lane. Tours and bike rentals of the park are available year-round. Rentals for the day, which include helmets, locks and maps, start at about $15, making Central Park a no-brainer bargain.

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A biker takes a break from peddling in Riverside Park.

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East River Greenway Comprising the eastern half of the Waterfront Greenway, this bike path runs from the Battery up to East Harlem, where it connects with the Speedway. While the cycling lane provides fantastic views of Brooklyn and Queens skylines, cyclists are warned that this path is interrupted between 37th and 63rd streets. The detour, which goes through city traffic, allows riders to bypass the United Nations.

Governors Island This is the hidden treasure trove of New York biking. While tantalizingly close to Manhattan, it is another world that offers unprecedented views of the city. Governors Island is accessible by a free, five-minute ferry ride from the Marine Battery Building, next to the Staten Island Ferry. The hidden retreat is seemingly made for biking, with five miles of car-free paths and plenty of parks and sequestered buildings. What makes Governors Island so ideal is that cyclists can either bring their bikes or rent them there from Bike and Roll. And, unlike with the new Bike Share program, you can finally ride that tandem bike you always dreamed of.

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Kelly Mullins learns what good neighbors are made of

s a 20-year-old college student from a Boston suburb, I knew I had hit the jackpot, living alone for the summer in a recently renovated Upper West Side apartment that had just been purchased by a friend’s parents. For them, it was an opportune investment in the bad housing market. For me, it was a sweet deal with a one-year lease that aligned perfectly with my final semesters of school. The two-bedroom condo was nestled right near the park on the first floor of a brownstone. In contrast to the cigarette and mildew musk that had wafted through my previous downtown abode, it had that squeaky-clean aroma of a new home. The sun gleamed through the big windows and reflected off of the shiny hardwood floors. I felt precariously mature with my private laundry, dishwasher and wrap-around patio. Everyone else residing in the building was an owner. I could sense their disapproval of this undeserving undergrad intruding on the premises in their chastising stares and standoffish hellos in the foyer. It all covered up their trepidation, however, that I would turn their sedate uptown adult home into a frat house. My friends had, in fact, been begging me to throw a party. As the oldest of three girls in an Irish Catholic family (always the examplesetter, never the rule-breaker) I wasn’t about to chance pissing off my new neighbors. My bleeding heart got the best of me, though—I couldn’t take the puppy eyes from my peers every time we packed into a Bushwick studio or stood in some ridiculous line outside a trendy club in the Meatpacking District. Finally, I bought some beer and created a Facebook event: “Let’s Get Trashed in My Gigantic Apartment, Wooo!” By 11 o’clock, it was looking like a casual soiree. As we discussed it-bags and blowouts (most of the attendees were friends I had made at a fashion internship) the doorbell rang—a girl’s boyfriend from Hoboken was apparently bringing along a few buddies. Opening my door was like emptying out a clown car of bros, all of whom looked like they had significant experience navigating a beer pong table. My party went from civilized fête to all-out rager. The uninvited Jersey Shore extras took over my laptop and turned up the house music. Most of us migrated out to the patio, so I left the front door unlocked in case more guests arrived. Back inside, the new floor was brown with dirt from people traipsing back and forth, and the granite countertop littered with empty shot glasses and beer cans. There was also a strange man standing in the middle of my kitchen. He was tall, about 45, and sported

5 0 • O UR TOWN DOWNTOWN • M AY 24, 2 012

glasses, gym shorts and a very aggravated scowl. He pointed his finger at me. “Do you live here?” I nodded and he ushered me into the living room to talk. “I’m the landlord. I’m responsible for all of this. Do you know how much noise you’re making?” he asked as he waved his arms up and down. I had never been introduced to any sort of landlord. I began apologizing profusely for my irresponsibility. No matter how much I groveled through my drunken haze, his questions and threats continued to pour out. “What is your name?” I was so nervous I didn’t think to ask his. “Where are the other tenants?” He seemed to suspect I was hiding them somewhere. “They’re home in Boston for the summer.” I answered. “Do you want to be evicted?” Oh god no, where would I live? Brooklyn? “I’ve received noise complaints from all of the other neighbors.” “Sir, it will never, ever happen again, I’m not usually like this. I beg you!” “I’m going to call the cops if this doesn’t stop in five minutes. We’re telling your parents about this tomorrow.” He slammed the door in my face. I had never had a conversation with someone so enraged and unforgiving. I frantically told everyone they had to leave. A frat boy tried to console me, but this wasn’t Phi Kappa Delta. This was the Taj Mahal of New York City apartments—at least for a kid in her twenties. I wasn’t going to let it go that easily for some laid-back-affair-turned ripper with a bunch of strangers. The next morning I sterilized everything, waiting in suspense for Mr. Landlord to come and hand me my eviction notice. He didn’t show up. I expected him to come by the next day, and the day after that. I never saw or heard from him again. When my two roommates came back at the end of August, I told them what had hap-

pened. We concluded that it made no sense for the building to have a landlord; everyone living there was an owner. I probably should have put that together much earlier and saved my naïve self a lot of anxiety, but fear had hindered my ability to think rationally. I described the man to them and their eyes widened. He sounded like the guy from the apartment down the hall. They had an awkward exchange the day before, where it was made apparent that he didn’t approve of the twentysomethings living 10 feet away from his perfect Pottery Barn split-level. After some strategic Google searching, we confirmed that it was our guy. Two days later, the building manager called to warn us of a certain man living next door with a drinking problem. If he ever threatened us, we were to lock our doors and call the police right away. Evidently, there had been other incidents. A week after that, we were having trouble with the hot water. The doorbell rang. Standing in the hallway was the landlord imposter. I froze. Was he finally here to finish what he had started? It immediately became clear that he didn’t remember our previous interaction—either that or he was trying to brush it off like nothing had ever happened. All cheery grins, he asked, “Do you happen to be having problems with your hot water, too?” Swallowing my pride, I nodded and smiled back. Still living in the same apartment almost an entire year later, the neighbor and I have only crossed paths on a handful of occasions. Every time we do, however, I can’t help but wonder which of us was more wasted that night Kelly Mullins is a writer and recent graduate of Parsons the New School for Design. She still lives on the Upper West Side but has yet to throw another party. Follow Kelly on Twitter @kellmullins or read more of her work at kellmullins.com. NY Press.co m

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