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NYC

Nacho Noche with Mighty Margaritas

May 5, 2011 By Ashley Nuñez Leave a Comment

*Originally Published on February 8, 2011*

A night in NYC doesn’t require high heels or a button down shirt. The best nights are the ones in your favorite jeans with great company, in your choice of foot attire because there is no dress code to comply with. If you’re looking to add a twist or a great spot to play catch up with an old friend, opt for a Nacho Night.

And well if you want to have great nachos, Mexican is definitely the way to go. So select a margarita and devour those nachos on a self-proclaimed Mighty Margarita and Nacho Noche day. 

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Don’t Know What to do This Weekend?

March 18, 2011 By Erika Fernandez Leave a Comment

Spring is sneaking it’s way back into NY and it’s about time! So break away from your indoor winter habits and explore the city during this beautiful weekend. Here are some options that you can let your fingers walk through before you decide to let your legs carry you on another New York City adventure. Even if there is a good movie to watch, DVR it and take advantage of the longer daylight hours.

Feeling like making your Friday a little more spicy? Go to Time Out – NY/ and check out what they got!

In the mood for the latest music or beats? Check out The Villagevoice events calendar’s Saturday lineup!

The party scene have you partied out? The NY1 events calendar has some great ideas.

Feeling picture perfect? NYCGO.com has some amazing showcases.

In a classical music mood? Check out what CityGuidePlanner has to offer.

Sneaker Pimps 2010 Shows Its Sole to NYC with Headliner Rick Ross

December 9, 2010 By Ashley Nuñez Leave a Comment

Sneaker addicts, sneaker collectors and Hip-Hop fans withstood the chilly winter wind in Midtown Manhattan as they lined up for the final stop on Sneaker Pimps 2010 Tour. Braving the cold were Shakiem and Dennis from Brooklyn explaining why this event was so important to NYC:

“This is like the Mecca of sneakers. [When dressing] you start with your sneakers first and then you work your way up.”

As the crowd grew in numbers, a spilt began to form between those in anticipation for Mayor’s sneaker battle and those who were there to see live performances.

The nightclub walls of the first floor were lined with sneakers. Displayed at the main attraction, Sneaker Pimps went above and beyond in their choice of sneakers.  Co-sponsor EA Sports set up a live demo for guests to play their new NBA Jam videogame. Apparel tables decorated the second floor with a variety of items that would enhance any sneakerhead look. Bryan and Bryan’s WHOAMI table was one of the freshest apparel tables at the event. Apparel for men and women, my two favorites tees were the Quiet Storm tee and the Sneaka’ Addict America runs on dunks’ tee.

Hosts Va$htie and Dave Jeff did an amazing job at keeping the crowd’s energy high. The low stage and tight space created an intimate feel for the event. It didn’t matter if you were on the second floor looking down, in the back holding up the wall, or in front braving the crowd, every spot was a good.

In the midst of all the great talent, there was a constant flood of giveaways. Sneakers, headphones, g-shock watches, and t-shirt after t-shirt were tossed into the crowd and kept the crow engaged in between performances. Kydd was the first performer to grace the stage followed by a rambunctious performance from Rocky Business. Va$htie introduced the only female performer of the night, Jasmine Solano who held it down with her single “That’s Not It.”

The crowd roared with excitement when Diggy Simmons made came out. Performing his well-known “Made You Look Freestyle,” “Great Expectations,” and “Superhero Music,” Diggy hushed the crowd when he went a capella for a freestlye. The Noise level erupted as Rick Ross stepped on stage. Performing in front of his Source Magazine cover, Rick Ross put on a show as the crowd followed him as he performed “Teflon Don,” “B.M.F.” and “Ashton Martin,” and thus sealed the night. Keeping the party going until two in the morning, Sneaker Pimps did not disappoint New York City.

Concert pictures after the jump…

Take some time and visit:
Toysldrs.com
Fearmusik.com
WHOAMIClothingBrand.com

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All Photos By: Joseph Williams

YNY TV: The Upperclass Men at the Studio at Webster Hall

December 1, 2010 By James Maxwell Leave a Comment

During their first performance at The Studio at Webster Hall, the Upperclass Men proved that they had the stage presence, charisma and lyrical savvy necessary to attract a strong following. With the musical styling of a rock-rap hybrid (a la The Roots or Rage Against the Machine) and hyper-allusive rhyme schemes, Mr. Harris, HD, RS, and the Honor Roll (or the dudes who play the instruments) just might have a future bright enough to outshine the rest of the competition in NYC’s underground hip-hop scene. Check out YNY’s interview with The Upperclass Men and give us some words on what you think.

Eating Out for Thanksgiving? Three NYC Family-Style Restaurants

November 22, 2010 By E.Z. Wellson 1 Comment

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Are your Thanksgivings truly happy? Do you travel out to the suburbs to visit once-a-year family members? Has your turkey ever caught fire? Do you enter into a war of words with your opinionated uncle from Nebraska who fought in Vietnam  and used to have a drinking problem? Does your aunt make a health food stuffing made of soy and some sort of low calorie bread that somehow drains all of your mouth’s natural lubricant?

For those of us who don’t want to cook or who simply just want to break some insufferable family traditions, here are three great New York City restaurants that offer a special holiday menu. So give your aunt and uncle a hug and tell your family matriarch or patriarch that you have to get out of the house and relax this Thanksgiving. They will most likely want to join you.

1. Carmine’s

With locations in both the Theatre District and on the Upper West Side, Carmine’s is one of New York City’s most adored eateries, serving family-style patters in a warm and bustling atmosphere. Their plates cascade and abound with fresh vegetables, pasta, antipasta, and a variety fish and meats; they also boast one of the city’s best wine lists.

At Carmine’s, every meal is a celebration done in the spirit of traditional Italian weddings. But for Thanksgiving, Carmine’s is featuring an Americana menu that can be enjoyed either in the restaurant or brought straight to your home. It features an 18 pound roasted turkey with giblet gravy, sausage and sage stuffing, Brussel sprouts with caramelized onions and applewood smoked bacon, sautéed string beans with julienned red pepper and toasted hazelnuts, baby carrots with fresh dill, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows and maple syrup, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, and finally, your choice of a pumpkin, apple or pecan pie. For only $195, this orgiastic feast serves up to 8-10 people.

To make reservations or put in your order, go to http://www.carminesnyc.com/

2. Petite Abeille

Usually known for its diabolical combination of great mussels, robust glasses of Belgian beer and live jazz ensembles, Petite Abeille may not be the most American choice for a Thanksgiving feast, but it’s a special one indeed. With four locations across Manhattan, the Belgian mini-chain has become a staple for its European vibes and quality food at incomparably low prices.

Although you might be tempted to eat their famous moules y frites (mussels and fries) for Thanksgiving, Petite Abeille is also featuring a traditional family-style meal that has all the American fixings done with a Belgian twist. It includes a roast turkey with chestnut and sage stuffing, Belgian Brussels sprouts, sweet potato puree, cornbread and pumpkin pie for dessert. The meal serves a family of four for only $80, which might be one of the best deals you’ll find in the city this holiday.

For more information, please see http://www.petiteabeille.com/

3. Cara Bella

For those of us who don’t want to spend our Thanksgiving meal in the busy Manhattan borough, I recommend venturing to Astoria for a holiday feast Cara Bella style. This new Italian-style restaurant offers generous portions piled with fresh ingredients that go great with a bottle of red. For authentic Italian cuisine, Cara Bella is your home away from the homeland.

Featuring a five course dining experience, the Cara Bella Thanksgiving special includes pumpkin soup, orange salad in a citrus dressing, penne pomodoro or a cheese ravioli, turkey with sweet potatoes and broccoli, and napoleon or bread pudding for dessert. All of this for only $45 a person and $15 for children under twelve – the perfect deal for families with hungry children or people who simply want an excuse to eat great pasta for their Thanksgiving holiday.

For reservations, please call 718 956-1101 or visit www.carabellarestaurant.com

See “Universes” this Saturday at El Museo del Barrio

November 18, 2010 By James Maxwell Leave a Comment

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Want see something new this weekend? Something that stimulates the eyes, ears and cerebellum alike? Check out Universes – a multitalented collective of writers, musicians and performance artists taking the stage this Sabado from 6:30 to 8:30. The show is an artful collision of poetry, politics, funk, jazz, blues and theater featuring Steven Sapp, Gamal A. Chasten, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, and Ninja. This event begins a series of poetry-infused performances hosted and curated by the award winning Latino writer and activist Emanual Xavier.

This event takes place at:

El Museo del Barrio see on a Map

1230 Fifth Ave. – at 104th St.

RSVP 1-212-831-7272

Directions: 6 to 103rd.

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Turn your Extra Candy into Extra Cash

November 3, 2010 By Ashley Nuñez Leave a Comment
[caption id="attachment_6011" align="alignleft" width="362" caption="Photo Courtesy of Theidearoom.net"][/caption]

Now that you have handed out or collected a store aisle amount of candy, what are you going to do with it? Chocolate Kisses don’t do well lying in a bag for months, soft chew candies can sometimes turn hard, and who really wants to eat candy corn after Halloween?

Putting that left over candy in a bowl on your desk for your co-workers to indulge in can be one way to get rid of the excess cavity causing treats.  I’m sure there will be a handful of teens walking from one subway car to another, selling their collected candy for a dollar each.

Perhaps you can take the candy you, your children, or your siblings have left over and turn the cavities into cash. Dentists across the nation have signed up to participate in the Halloween Candy Buy Back program. Bring your bags of collected Halloween candy or whatever you couldn’t pass out to trick-or-treaters in to participating dentist offices and receive a dollar for every pound you turn in.

Those enlisted in the program then send the candy to Operation Gratitude, a program that sends care packages to troops serving overseas. Sending over 122,000 pounds of candy last year, the Halloween Candy Buy Back program is a great way to pay it forward and avoid a more serious reason to visit the dentist.

Visit the Halloween Candy Buy Back website and enter your zip code to locate the nearest participating dentist near you. Check out their About section and discover other needed items, such as lip balm and toiletries, that can be donated along with the bartering of your Halloween candy.

Feature: Get a Scare at These Haunted House Attractions

October 7, 2010 By Tamara Conrad Leave a Comment

Haunted house attractions are quick ways to get a scare in as Halloween approaches.  If your looking for something to do with friends or family, or want to fight the urge to pee your pants in fear, here are local venues that have gathered actors to give you a spook. These places intend to invoke fear, so if you think 8-year-old Suzie, or yourself, is a bit of a scaredy-cat, reconsider this adventure. Some places already enforce an age limit and parental restrictions on guests; however, many places offer a milder haunted experience during alternative hours. But if you think you’re that person who isn’t afraid of anything, including death, test yourself at a haunted house that makes you walk through solo. These venues offer a range of frights, so if you have the time, go to as many as you can and compare. Happy haunting.

Blood Manor

bloodmanor.com

Location

Chelsea

542 W. 27th St.

Subway

Take C or E to 6th Ave. and 23rd St. stop.

Blood Manor has been featured on the Travel Channel. At-the-door tickets must be paid for in cash. You can get free admittance on your birthday, and party guests receive a $5 discount. Get $15 knocked off at-the-door ticket purchases on Student Nights with valid photo ID: Oct. 7, 14, 17, 21, and 24.

Cost

General admission ticket: $35

Express-entry ticket: $45, increases to $50 for shows after Oct. 10

Handling fee for online purchases: $3.50

Hours

Thursdays 7:30 p.m. – 12 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m. – 2 a.m. Sundays 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. Tuesday Oct. 26 7:30 p.m. – 2 a.m. Weds. Oct. 27 and Thursday Oct. 28 7:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. Halloween Oct. 31 6 p.m. – 2 a.m.

Bayville Scream Park

bayvillescreampark.com

Location

Long Island

8 Bayville Ave.

Bayville Adventure Park was repurposed into a Halloween park in October. The park includes five haunted houses. A general ticket gives you admittance into only one park, but there are combo ticket packs available allowing you to view two, three, four or five houses at rates cheaper than individual attraction tickets. The park is open weekends only until Oct.11 and will then be open every day until Oct. 31. After Halloween, the park will be open Nov. 5, 6 and 7. On Kid’s Days, the park will feature scarier versions of two haunted attractions, a pumpkin patch and a spooky train and hay ride.

General admission ticket: $14.75

Combo ticket packs: $25.75 – $42.75

Hours:

Weekdays and Sundays 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays 6 p.m. – midnight. Haunted attractions start at 7 p.m. each night.

Kids Days: Saturdays, Sundays and Columbus Day 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Trapped in Purgatory

trappedinpurgatorynyc.com

Includes two parks in Staten Island. There’s Outbreak at 5050 Hyland Blvd. and Purgatory’s Corn Maze at 2449 Veterans Road West. The corn maze includes dead ends with horrific surprises and small, claustrophobic walkways. In addition to its regular hours, the locations will also be open Thursday Oct. 28. The last day to enjoy the thrills is Nov. 6.

Costs

General admission: $18

Dual pass: $30

Day Outbreak pass: $7

Day Corn Maze pass: $5

Hours

Fridays and Saturdays 7 P.m. – 11 p.m.

Sundays 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Milder scares daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Nightmare: Superstitions

hauntedhousenyc.com

The venue is set up as an insane asylum. In order to get out of the “institution” the patient must break a superstition and accept the bad luck in their lives. Attendees will suffer the consequences in the next room of the haunted house.

Before entering the Nightmare, guests must walk through the Fun House, which features other asylum residents in a carnival-like walkway leading into the main attraction.

V.I.P. tickets give you express entry into the attraction. The Super V.I.P. tickets give you an express pass a free shirt, two drinks, a backstage tour with the director and a “good luck” gift bag. There are group and student discounts available. There are “scaredy-cat” shows and kid’s days available.

Costs

General Admission: $30 in advance, $35 at the door

V.I.P. ticket: $60

Super V.I.P.: $100

Hours

(Schedule varies slightly, so check the website)

Wednesday: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Thursday: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Friday: 6 p.m. – midnight

Saturday: 3 p.m. – midnight

Scaredy-cat days: 3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Oct. 9, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31.

Kids days: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Oct. 23 and 29

NYC Halloween Haunted House

nychalloweenhauntedhouse.com

You must be 18 to enter. You have to pass through alone. You must sign a waiver before entering. You will be touched. You will endure fear in this surreal haunted house experience. The haunted house is a 20-minute intense interactive experience, requiring guests to use a flashlight to crawl through complete darkness at times. Ticket prices vary depending on day, hour and capacity of the show. Tickets are sold by time of day and you will pass through the haunted house sometime during that hour. For example, if you buy a ticket for an 8 p.m. show, you will go through between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Costs

$30

Hours

Tuesday through Friday: 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: 5 p.m. – 11. p.m.

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Feature: Film Ignites Volunteerism

October 5, 2010 By Tamara Conrad Leave a Comment

With “Waiting for ‘Superman’” recently released in New York and gaining media attention throughout the nation, viewers want to take part in the solution to fixing the broken school system. There are many children in New York City who could use additional mentorship and tutoring so that they can face the unfavorable odds of educational success not in hope, but in knowledge, strength and support. There are youth programs throughout the city that need help in providing guidance and friendship to children. Here is a list of organizations and ways to become involved in children’s lives:

New York Cares

newyorkcares.com

New York Cares has year-round volunteer opportunities. It works with partner organizations to plan and manage 1,000 hands-on projects each month. Through the organization, volunteers can tutor and play sports with children as well as help revitalize parks and schools. There are volunteer events and longer-term projects lasting from six weeks to more than a year.

Oct.15 is New York Cares Day. The organization will have teams of 7,000 volunteer s paint classrooms and murals, organize libraries and fix playgrounds at 100 public schools throughout the boroughs. To get involved, visit newyorkcares.com.

Groundwork

groundworkinc.org

This organization serves the East New York and Bedford-Stuyvesant communities in Brooklyn. Through its various programs, the organization helps over 3,500 families annually. The organization has an early childhood program preparing toddlers for school and supporting parents. Additional programs offer after-school and summer service, which focus on literacy instruction to children in elementary and middle school. The organization also offers a four-year college prep program. Outside of these programs, there are still many additional community and family services that Groundwork provides.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City

bigsnyc.org

BBBS New York City divides its volunteer programs into different categories. Community and special priority programs include the traditional mentorship program as well as others aiding young mothers, offering friendship to disabled children and preventing youth from entering foster care. Site-based programs provide interaction with youth at school and various workplaces. Juvenile justice and special population programs help youth dealing with or facing incarceration as well as children aging out of the foster care system.

BBS also has specialized groups in the Big network, including an Asian Mentoring Committee, Latino Bigs and a Technology Committee.

iMentor

imentor.org

Even while desiring to mentor youth, many abstain from doing so because they feel their demanding schedules leave them little time to commit to a child. This common problem wanes out many potential volunteers. Well, iMentor has designed a way to add flexibility in mentorship. Created to combat lack of mentors and lack of technology literacy in under-served communities, iMentor connects professionals with youth through a combination of e-mail and in-person interactions.

For more volunteer opportunities in education, visit volunteermatch.org or nycservice.org.