http://www.sitebits.com/usa/new-york/ New York en Copyright &copy; 1999-2008 Gromco, Inc. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:32:50 EDT Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:22:00 EDT info@sitebits.com info@sitebits.com Retractable roofs have been architects' <i>idée fixe</i> for decades. <a href="http://www.sitebits.com/people/moshe_safdie.html">Moshe Safdie</a> once wrote up an idea for entire neighborhoods shielded by such roofs during the harsh season and open to the elements when it's nice outside. <br/><br/> The path to these dreams' realization has been fraught with difficulties, from budget overruns to full-blown engineering disasters like Montreal's Olympic Stadium (after a decade of efforts to fix it, the city finally gave up and installed a fixed roof in its place. It won't be moving any time soon). <br/><br/> Nevertheless, projects like that pop up again and again. And so do the difficulties. The latest example is <a href="http://www.sitebits.com/people/santiago_calatrava.html">Santiago Calatrava</a>'s project for the Lower Manhattan Transportation Hub. Among the project's many innovative features was a retractable roof. But will there be one in the final implementation? Slavito http://www.sitebits.com/2008/calatrava_transit_hub_roof_gets_stuck.html Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:22:00 EDT The writers' strike may be over, but not everything is going well in Hollywood, I read in yesterday's <i>Corriere della Sera</i> (Milan). The latest trend of shows and movies abandoning the city for cheaper locales leaves the film industry capital increasingly isolated. And if things continue down the same path, soon nobody will be filming there (that prediction is courtesy of Carsten Lorenz who made it in an interview with the Financial Times)... Slavito http://www.sitebits.com/2008/frankie_goes_to_new_york.html Thu, 22 May 2008 01:00:00 EDT This past weekend, we're wandering around Dumbo — that neighborhood that takes place between and beneath the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and seems comprised almost entirely of organic food marts and upscale designer baby clothes boutiques. <br/><br/> I was in the mood for a hot dog and beer, which is only a healthy meal when compared to my previous idea of a meal of ultra-rich chocolate. But there were surprisingly few hot dog vendors about the place, and in stark contrast to my own neighborhood, no guys wandering around offering to sell you a Corona for a buck fifty. However, while walking up <b>Jay Street</b>, I suddenly caught a whiff of…is that…is that taco? Yes it is. And suddenly all I wanted was tacos and beer. Luckily, <b>Pedro's Spanish American Restaurant and Bar</b> was waiting on the corner of Jay and Front Street (73 Jay St., between Front and Water) to give me exactly what I wanted. Keith http://www.sitebits.com/2008/pedros-spanish-american-restaurant.html Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:00:00 EDT <img ALT="Strand" class="fullill" src="http://www.sitebits.com/images/2008/strand-inside-1.jpg"> <div class="attribution">photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/newyork808/">newyork8080</a></div> <br> I have a love and hate relationship with Strand. The "hate" part, for those interested, will be explained at the end of this posting, but let me start with the "love" one. For a hardcover-loving bibliophile rat I am, Strand is simply a great place - one of the best in the world. It's big, cavernous (they claim to offer "18 miles of books") and full of surprises... Slavito http://www.sitebits.com/2008/stranded-on-broadway.html Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:00:00 EST Somehow, I ended up celebrating the first half of St. Patty's sitting in tapas bar Las Ramblas. Nothing says Ireland quite like tapas and white berry pomegranate sangria! Keith http://www.sitebits.com/2007/st_patty_las_ramblas_tapas.html Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:15:00 EDT Last month, I got to check off one of the seemingly silly items on the list of things to do: going to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Maria http://www.sitebits.com/2007/131_westminster_kennel_club_dog_show.html Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:30:00 EDT The museum experience in New York is often overshadowed by the hard-hitters: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, The Museum of Modern Art and the Natural History Museum. A step below these museums are many other worthwhile institutions, although not as "famous." The Museum of Art and Design, across from MoMA on 53rd Street has an incredible collection of contemporary objects, innovative furniture, package design, ceramics and other design elements... Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2007/museum_art_design_2007.html Sat, 10 Mar 2007 12:35:00 EST I've always loved the Museum of Modern Art. Even during its brief hiatus in [<a href="http://www.nybits.com/queens/" target="_new">Queens</a>] (which is now PS 1 Contemporary Art Center). The powers that be behind MoMA have a way of presenting work in an exciting and original manner, and I mean, how many ways can you really present art in a museum context? And of course, I'm impressed again with MoMA's latest project by <a href="http://www.sitebits.com/people/doug_aitken.html">Doug Aitken</a> Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2007/doug_aitken_moma.html Fri, 02 Feb 2007 12:20:00 EST If you've read the New York Times recently, you can't help but notice the craziness going on at the auction houses in New York. Paintings are selling for all time highs- I'm talking hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars. Meaning, the richest jerks get to enjoy the world's finest art- all to themselves. Imagine a Picasso or a Cezanne hanging in your living room?! Unreal. Unfair! <br><br> Well, thanks to a trip to Sotheby's with my grad school class, this outsider art lover found out something I'd wish I'd known years ago... Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2007/secret_museums.html Fri, 05 Jan 2007 00:55:00 EST The Lower East Side is a great area to spend an evening, peppered with divey bars, music venues, boutiques and cafes. The West Village is home to more French Cafes, but The Pink Pony on the East side is one not to be missed... Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/pink-pony-2006.html Thu, 23 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Window dressing seems to be an art form that is taken very seriously only in New York. Bergdorf Goodman's window design department not only occupies an entire floor of their 57th Street store, but also inhabits a large warehouse across the river in Queens. <br><br> Each season, Director David Hoey's elaborate visions enliven the corner of 5th Avenue and 57th Street- adjacent to Central Park and the Plaza hotel. The windows have become more than just a place for showing off the wares for sale at Bergdorf's, but a venue for exquisite installation narrative art. Using designer clothing, antiques, original art works and other borrowed props (this Halloween features a skeleton horse!), the windows are somewhat of an art gallery on their own. I am a big supporter of art for art's sake, which seems to be less common in the United States as opposed to Europe... Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/nyc_windows.html Wed, 22 Nov 2006 12:30:00 EST When you look at a list of the world's top paddling spots, it's unlikely that you'll find Brooklyn, New York. And it's even less likely that you'll find the Gowanus Canal, a narrow sliver of water that cuts its way from Gowanus Bay through the industrial zones of Red Hook, South Brooklyn, and Park Slope. It's not exactly what you might call scenic, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. It's lined by crumbling warehouses, generating plants, shadowy factories, Coast Guard fuel depots, and even a Home Depot. It meanders beneath the Gowanus Expressway, one of the busiest highways in New York City, and has been referred to as the most polluted waterway in America. A slick, rainbow film of oil and other chemicals gives the water in the canal a colorful, shimmering candy coating that would be beautiful at sunset if it didn't smell like cold metal and gunpowder and leave a disturbing acrid taste in the air. Visibility in the water is almost zero, and any trip across it is highlighted by an overpowering fear that you might get some on you. And yet still, people put paddle to battery-scented water and get both a unique view of New York and a first-hand understanding of how a neighborhood and an ecosystem can flourish, die, and then struggle to be reborn... Keith http://www.sitebits.com/2006/drifting_through_brooklyn.html Tue, 21 Nov 2006 12:30:00 EST Thanks to Sex in the City, Magnolia Bakery in the West Village has a permanent line around the block. I'm not joking. The first time I attempted to go there, I assumed because of the line they had table service. Nope. Just a line to get cupcakes! $3.50 cupcakes. Beautiful, big, amazing cupcakes! <br/><br/> But seriously, what local would wait in an hour line for a sugar fix? OK, probably me, until I decided to seek out other sources to satisfy my sweet tooth in this town.... Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/cupcake_quest.html Sat, 18 Nov 2006 11:00:00 EST Probably one of the most famous bridges in the world, The Brooklyn Bridge totally lives up to its reputation. Many of my friends who have lived in New York for years have never journeyed over it. Tourists from around the world come and walk it, why don't we? So I decided it was my time to do the deed. I took the E to the first stop in Brooklyn, High Street, which is literally next to the entrance to the bridge. In no time, I was approaching the famous lines of cables that support the suspension. Unlike other <a href="http://www.nybits.com/manhattan/">Manhattan</a> bridges, the pedestrian walkway on the Brooklyn Bridge is in the center, rather than on the sides, providing an expansive view of the city in front of you... Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/walking_over_the_brooklyn_bridge.html Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:25:00 EST The Conservatory Garden is a great place to go with a book on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Philip http://www.sitebits.com/2006/conservatory_garden_nyc.html Fri, 10 Nov 2006 07:10:00 EST Anish Kapoor's mirror installation in Rockefeller Center. Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/sky_mirror_rockefeller_center.html Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:30:00 EST Union Square Farmer's Market is a place to shop for those who hate grocery shopping. Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/2006_union_square_market.html Mon, 30 Oct 2006 02:30:00 EST A fun, artsy park in Astoria - just across the East River from Manhattan. Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/socrates_sculpture_park.html Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:20:00 EDT A simple and outrageously successful idea: a food automat in the East Village, NYC! Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/hot_bamn.html Thu, 05 Oct 2006 01:00:00 EDT A simple, no-nonsense bar in the East Village, NYC. Philip http://www.sitebits.com/2006/grassroots_tavern_nyc.html Mon, 02 Oct 2006 01:20:00 EDT On your free weekend, why not do something touristy in Central Park - like renting a boat? Lori http://www.sitebits.com/2006/row_your_boat_gently_across_central_park.html Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:15:00 EDT <img ALT="" class="rightill" src="http://www.sitebits.com/images/2006/leaving-brooklyn-small.jpg"> Cities the world over have their lingo and New York is not an exception. Obviously. <i>Fuggedaboudit</i> is as much a NYC icon as the apple or the Yankees. Hillary http://www.sitebits.com/2006/how_to_order_cawffee.html Thu, 13 Jul 2006 01:15:00 EDT <img ALT="MoMA" class="leftill" src="http://www.sitebits.com/images/2006/moma-02.jpg"> Did you know that every Friday night at the MOMA (New York, of course) "Target" sponsors an event known as "Free Friday" from 4-8 p.m.? Yep, neither did I, when I showed up to explore the collection's new digs in midtown Manhattan, and to visit my favorites in the painting/sculpture galleries before heading out for a night on the town. <br><br> It seems as though le tout New York had the same idea, along with a few outsiders such as myself (and several thousand other tourists). As it turned out, this became more of a social visit than a serious conversation with the paintings, but it was an opportunity to see the new building in action - not just housing art, but welcoming people (and as mentioned before, it was a LOT of people). Ree http://www.sitebits.com/2006/free-for-all-at-the-moma-new-york.html Fri, 17 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST <img ALT="Museum of Arts & Design" class="fullill" src="http://www.sitebits.com/images/2006/museum_arts_design_header.jpg"> <br> The Museum of Arts and Design in New York is located directly across the street from the Museum of Modern Art, and lives completely in its shadow. You know it's a bad sign when the gift shop is more crowded than the museum. I should have known better, but went blithely ahead into the (3 count 'em 3) galleries. Red light number two was when the guard responded, upon questioning, that it might take 30 minutes tops to see everything. Ree http://www.sitebits.com/2006/museum_arts_design_beyond_why.html Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST <img alt="" class="fullill" src="http://www.sitebits.com/images/2005/halloween-band-title.jpg"> <br> No one should pass up an opportunity to take an all expenses-paid trip to New York, and I am no exception. So, when such an opportunity finally presented itself, I didn't waste any time hesitating - instead, I packed my bags and, given the timing of such luck, my Halloween costume. Irazema http://www.sitebits.com/2005/new_york_halloween_2005.html Fri, 23 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST