For a reunification of the cast of The Godfather, be sure not to miss the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival 2017, according to this report from ABC News’ Lara Spencer. This is just one of many events to be held at the Festival (which starts today) for the next two weeks.
Category: Entertainment
Tribeca X Award
Launched last year, the Tribeca X Award is a result of a joint partnership between AT&T and The Atlantic, presented at the annual Tribeca Film Festival. It was established in order to give today’s “finest artistic voices” a way to be honored. All story-driven works that are original which have been developed by artist-brand collaborations are considered. This includes anything used for digital, film, TV of either feature and short length, that have received funding of a brand working with artists and filmmakers.
All entries receive exposure in a special section on TheAtlantic.com and as Tribeca Enterprises CEO Andrew Essex pointed out, this makes it “the only film festival that honors the best work from these collaborations and bring them to the same stage as filmmakers and creators in the entertainment industry.”
In addition, Atlantic Re:think (which partners with The Atlantic) is providing the opportunity for people to enjoy the “best of the best across the industry,” engaging with brand storytelling. The jury will award the winners at the 16th annual Tribeca Film Festival on April 29, 2017 at the Awards Night Ceremony.
The Enigma of the East Village
How is it that while so much of New York has become somewhat pretentious, there is a little pocket that has remained true to its core? The East Village is something else and a place where you can really find old-school New Yorkness at its best.
Liz Boulter wrote on article on this recently in The Guardian, attesting to the area’s top funky bars and eateries including: Black Market (which has a killer cheeseburger and cool band guys hanging out) as well as Cabin Down Below (underneath Black Market, with the same owners and great indie music). For those who want to find some picklebacks [whiskey followed by a shot of brine from a jar of pickled cucumbers], there is Sophie’s which is a cool pool bar and then right across the street is an offering of Jamaican-style jerk chicken at Miss Lily’s.
In addition to food items, there are the old old-school record stores and great parks (such as Tompkins Square Park), vintage clothing stores, Garret East’s BYOV (where you can Bring Your Own Vinyl to ensure a perfect music selection) as well as a whole slew of theatrical performances including the weird and wonderful Snowkus Pocus at the Theater at the 14th Street Y.
East Village continues to be an enigma for those looking for some culture in NYC.
Bringing Beer to the East Village
The East Village is getting a new brewery. Peace Tree Brewing opened a second location earlier this month and is set to be a very bike-friendly space. Owned by Megan McKay, the brewery (that began in Knoxville) will have a ton of new drinks on its menu.
Since its opening in the new year, it’s been thriving. According to McKay, the East Village is a fantastic spot for the brewery. He said:
“I think people thought we were a little nuts trying to open on New Year’s Day, like everyone’s out late the night before, but we figured the people who really enjoy a good craft beer and were interested in what we were doing would just wanna show up and kind of help us ring in 2017. So we’re really excited to throw the doors open today,”
Welcoming in 2017 in New York
There is possibly no better place to bring in the New Year than New York City. And it looks like 2017 is going to follow suit. With that in mind, we take a look at what fun things happened in the Big Apple a few days ago.
First, it’s a great time to travel. CN Traveler noted that the week of New Year’s is possibly the cheapest vis-à-vis airfare, hotels and deals, as a kind of New Year’s Eve special. Remember though, it’s best to walk around as a) getting a car rental can be tough and b) traffic during the holiday season is probably not the best way to get into the festive spirit! Uber makes a good alternative.
And, if you are privy to actually be in New York, on December 31st, you simply have to be at no other place than Times Square. This year it was none other than US Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon who Dropped the Infamous Ball. And, for those who have never been in New York at this time, to miss that is inexcusable! Indeed, according to Jeff Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment and an executive producer for the annual production, “When you look at New Year’s Eve, it’s the one moment of the year where you have more than 175 million Americans all doing the same thing at the exact same time in unison as we count down those final seconds of the year with hope and optimism. But what’s amazing is they’re not watching one channel, they’re watching a multitude of channels who are all showing that magic moment.”
In the New Year itself, for the adventurous there is also Coney Island’s Polar Bear Club New Year’s Day Swim which definitely shocks the New Year’s Eve hangover out the system! For the more cultured, check out the 43rd Annual Poetry Project Marathon featuring mini readings and performances by approximately 150 poets, dancers and musicians.
When it comes to variety, there are very few competitors who could stand up against New York City.
East Village at Christmas
On December 11, between 4 and 5, the Tompkins Square Park Neighborhood Coalition and East Village Parks Conservancy will be hosting its (25th) annual holiday tree lighting. All residents of the East Village are invited. In 1992, the eight foot evergreen was planted by Albert Fabozzi in memory of Glenn Barnett, his late partner and park advocate who passed away from AIDS. Fabozz is President of the Coalition and has been an East Village resident for more than three decades.
Then there are the activities at the East Village Community School. The Cultural Share night is a really great family event but fun for those without kids too. Brief skits are done from all around the world and it’s a great community feeling as there is a lot of parental involvement in this free public school.
Now in its 88th year, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is really quite a staple in NYC’s holiday traditions. Tourists and locals are enjoying the Spectacular almost as much as other timeless shows like The Nutcracker. It’s not fancy though; it is just a focus on the celebration of classic holiday values like peace and love. Using a flying Santa and other cute gimmicks, this is sure to get you in the holiday spirit!
So come all, come one and celebrate Christmas in the East Village.
There is also The Radio City Christmas Spectacular celebrates its 88th year of precision dancing and high kicks this holiday season. Along with George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker from the New York City Ballet, the Spectacular has become one of NYC’s most hallowed holiday traditions, drawing tourists and locals alike. Unlike The Nutcracker, however, there’s nothing highbrow about Radio City Music Hall’s pageant of glitz. It celebrates classic holiday values—peace! Love! Consumer confidence!—by deploying a flying Santa, a massive LED screen, and the sea of legs known as the Rockettes, all kicking in fabulous unison.
Dragon Boat Family Festival
For those in Tribeca looking for a family-fun activity, a few days ago the Museum of China in America hosted the Dragon Boat Family Festival. One of the workshops – entitled Calligraphy Corner – had I-Hsuan Chao demonstrate this skill by painting festive messages on traditional rice paper. Participants were able to learn basic brushstroke techniques and how to write the word ‘boat’ with a Chinese character.
For food lovers the Sticky, Savory Snacks – Zongzi Wrapping and Tasting must have been extremely enjoyable. Also at that tasting – apart from eating – participants were able to learn why zongzi are traditionally consumed during the Dragon Boat Festival. These pyramid-shaped rice balls in bamboo leaves are a cool thing to learn how to make too.
And then of course, a Dragon Festival would not be complete without actually trying to Awaken the Dragon! A special reading of ‘Gung Ho! A Dragon Boat Story’ by Susan Hughes was enjoyed through an interactive activity.
Those activities and many more were all part of the fun at the Dragon Family Festival in Tribeca last week.
Hospital Themed Bar
Looking for a bar with a difference in New York? Something that you’ve possibly never seen before? Well, look no further than Lower East Side’s Sanatorium – a hospital-themed cocktail bar which looks a bit like “the waiting room of a debauched doctor.”
Rather than the interior being made up of typical mahogany and hanging glasses, in here you will find operating-room style lamps affixed above a marble bar. There is no ‘Saloon’ sign but instead, Venetian plaster covers the walls in a green scrub color. You don’t get your shots in classic shot glasses but rather syringes and the cocktails are prepped on operating-room trays.
But the music remains pretty conventional for a bar. With D.J. Xavier Herit, you’ll enjoy Euro house music and then once a week though – again with a taste of something different – there is a performance by chamber ensemble New Vintage Baroque. Another thing that is not typical is the fact that you actually have to make an appointment to go there. However, if the jolly bouncer is around, walk-ins are usually accepted. So enjoy a Waiting Room shot made from tequila, cherry tomato, basil, balsamic vinegar, lime and habanero elixir, topped with a slice of ibérico ham, carved from a leg hanging over the bar and you’ll want to make this place your regular.
New York: New Cocktails
New Yorkers can become their own cocktail makers. In fact, everyone who buys The Liquor Cabinet app – designed by Award-winning New York bartender James Beard – can enjoy the feeling of being their own cocktail concoctor.
The history of The Liquor Cabinet dates back a couple of years when winner of the CFDA’s first Fashion Instagrammer of the Year Award Patrick Janelle set out with his brothers to crate a creative agency with a focus on cocktails.
A recent Brooklyn project saw Britten spring a twist on the Paloma cocktail summer classic by using a somewhat unconventional ingredient – Gordy’s Fine Cocktail Brine. What resulted was a merger of that ingredient alongside Curaçao, grapefruit and watermelon, and voila, the La Capilla in Jalisco was born. Janelle explains that: the strong, heavy acid flavor of the brine seems very of the moment, as food and cocktails are not so even and well-balanced right now, but are tending toward stronger, bolder flavors,” and the drink is served with sliced watermelon on the glass, topped with zested lime and sprinkled over Maldon salt.
And now, in other good news, according to a document from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control earlier this year seven bars located on this street just got licenses to sell alcoholic beverages until 4 am. So New Yorkers really have their summer funs mapped out for them!
Lower East Side Film Fest
Now in its sixth year, the opening feature of 2016’s Lower East Side Film Fest – Art of the Prank – went off with a bang, followed by the event’s largest party. Featuring music from Shareef Keyes and the Groove, it was hard to tell what attendees enjoyed more: that, or the open beer & wine bar that was open throughout the night.
The week-long event – that was held between June 9 and June 16, included screenings ranging from ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze’ to ‘Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream.’ Shorts included: ‘Bad at Dancing,’ ‘Jolly Boy Friday,’ ‘Napoleon in Exile,’ and ‘Nuts.’
There is no attempt by this festival to “be like TriBeCa,” but what it does seek to do is “support really great independent filmmakers,” according to one of the co-founders, Roxy Hunt. Indeed, according to its website, it seeks to: “create a special experience for both filmmaker and audience through amazing events, neighborhood engagement, free industry panels, and film screenings of the best and brightest up and coming filmmaking talent.”