NewYorkology

Joey Chestnut eats 68 Nathan's dogs, wins mustard belt

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:42:11 -0500

Joey Chestnut today set a new world record by eating 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win the 2009 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Runner-up Takeru Kobayashi ate a mere 64 and a half Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and buns.

The annual Independence Day contest is held at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island.

Other competitors in the International Federation of Competitive Eating-sanctioned event included Crazy Legs Conti, “Eater X” Tim Janus, Sonya Thomas, Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti, Marco “Mongo” Marquez and Micah “Wing Kong” Collins.

On Friday, the elephants won the people vs. pachyderm hot dog-bun eating contest, which was set up to promote Ringling Brothers’ Boom A Ring circus’ summer residency at Coney.

Earlier: Corned-beef champ eats 16-3/4 sandwiches in Midtown

Fourth of July guide: fireworks, freebies, webcams

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:39:29 -0500

The 33rd Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks this year moves to the Hudson River to mark the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s first voyage there.

The 26-minute SOUSA Firework shows will start at 9:20 p.m. with more than more than 40,000 shells fired from six barges in the river between 24th and 50th streets.

Tune your radio to 10101 Wins, which will broadcast the live music in sync with the fireworks. NBC will broadcast the fireworks show, along with the live performance, which will feature the New York Pops, Rob Thomas, Jewel, Karen Olivo and the cast of Broadway’s “West Side Story.”

See Macy’s suggested fireworks public viewing areas as well as the city’s street closures. The NYPD advisory notes “no large backpacks, coolers or alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the viewing area.”

Fireworks cruises
South Street Seaport’s Schooner Pioneer
World Yacht Fourth of July Dinner Cruise
Spirit of NY Fireworks Dinner Cruise
Manhattan by Sail cruise
NY Waterway - waitlist

Fireworks viewing locations
Chelsea Piers
Empire State Building
Top of the Rock
Circle Line’s Rooftop Party
Roof deck of Pier 66
Fireworks on the Hudson at Hudson Terrace

Extreme eating
Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest - July 4 noon at Coney Island

Special museum events
Declaration of Independence, in Thomas Jefferson’s hand, at the NY Public Library at Fifth and 42nd from 1 to 5 p.m.
Free admission at the New-York Historical Society if you wear red, white and blue

Whitney Museum of American Art drops admission to $4 on July 4th
Louis Armstrong House Museum open on the 4th of July, “in honor of Louis’s traditional birthday” with live jazz
Brooklyn Museum’s free America Remix events
Historic Richmond Town Independence day Events

Other 4th of July events
7th Annual Candlelight Walking Tour of Revolutionary War New York at 2 a.m.
New York Philharmonic’s Summertime Classics “Born on the Fourth of July” concert
River to River concert: Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band with Jenny Lewis
Yankees home game vs. Toronto
Statue of Liberty crown reopens
Water Taxi Beach Governors Island soft opens
Big Onion walking tour: Revolutionary New York
Staten Island Yankees home game vs. Lowell Spinners
American Stars 4th of July at Dreamland Roller Rink
AVP pro volleyball tournament at Coney Island
Adventure Course at Alley Pond Park free all day
Independence Day Pig Roast at Queens County Museum
Free Declare Independence family events at Lefferts Historic House
Free Independence Day History Hike with the Urban Park Rangers
Free Honor Our Independence walking tour of Central Park
Free History Club: The Lore of July 4 lecture on Staten Island
Free RCTA Sunset Concert: Jazz Music with Ron McClure in Riverside Park
Free Washington’s Troop on the Hill walking tour at Van Cortlandt Nature Center
Free Eagle as Icon lecture at Prospect Park
Broadway’s July 4 performance schedule changes

Eating
Eater’s 4th of July map

Drinking
Patriotic Pub Hop - July 4 from 2 p.m.
For the Fourth, The Half King will extend happy our to 10 p.m. with $4 draft beers.

Fireworks webcams
Intrepid
Wired NY’s Hudson River webcam
West Street at Canal traffic cam
Earth TV
Standard Hotel
Downtown view from Empire State Building

Hotel fireworks packages
Mandarin Oriental
Westin Times Square

Holiday closures
Staten Island Ferry suspended from 8 to 10 p.m.
High Line park closes at 3 p.m.
Other closures (NY Times list)

Image credit: Macy’s Fireworks Viewing Map provided by Macy’s

JetAmerica delays Newark debut to Aug. 14 - Jaunted

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:21:48 -0500

JetAmerica, which was scheduled to start flying July 13 from Newark with tickets from $9, has started telling passengers service will instead start Aug. 14, according to an e-mail obtained by Jaunted travel website.

From Newark, JetAmerica plans to service Toledo, Ohio; South Bend, Ind.; Lansing, Mich.; and Melbourne-Vero Beach, Fla.

JetAmerica, technically not an airline, is a public charter company contracting with Miami Air International to provide and operate its aircraft.

Image source: JetAmerica’s official website.

Earlier: JetAmerica to debut at Newark with airfares from $9

MAve hotel opens on Mad Ave with rooms from $169

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:30:18 -0500

The MAve hotel opened for business today with rooms from $169 per night, up to $509 per night for the penthouse suite.

Construction is complete on all of The MAve’s 72 rooms. The only incomplete area is half of the lobby, which will eventually house a restaurant or cafe, a hotel spokesman told NewYorkology. Room service is now offered through the Olana Restaurant.

The hotel offers free wi-fi in all rooms and public spaces, and guests are offered free breakfast as well. Rooms have 9-1/2 foot high ceilings, modern furnishings, pillow-top mattresses, H20 Aquatics bath products, 32-inch HDTVs.

Through September 7, rooms are priced from $169 to $509. The hotel’s also taking part in NYC’s third night free program. After Sept. 7, the base rate will rise to $249 per night.

The MAve is located in the Flatiron neighborhood, at 62 Madison Ave., map.

Image source: Boulevard King on The MAve’s website.

Earlier: New hotel The MAve taking July reservations from $169
New York City hotel openings scheduled for 2009

Whitney Museum drops admission to $4 for 4th of July

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:17:27 -0500

In honor of Independence Day, the Whitney Museum of American Art is dropping admission to $4 on the Fourth of July.

Regular adult admission is $15, though the museum has pay-what-you-wish admission on Friday evenings.

The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.It’s located on Madison Avenue at 75th Street.

Image credit: Jasper Johns, b. 1930, Three Flags, 1958, Encaustic on canvas, Overall: 30 7/8 × 45 1/2 × 5 in. (78.4 × 115.6 × 12.7 cm) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of the Gilman Foundation, Inc., The Lauder Foundation, A. Alfred Taubman, Laura-Lee Whittier Woods, Art © Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Broadway parody: CollegeHumor's 'Web Site Story'

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:30:40 -0500

CollegeHumor.com takes some stabs at social networking sites in a “West Side Story” parody.

The actual Broadway revival of “West Side Story” is playing the Palace Theater, located at 1554 Broadway.

Earlier: ‘West Side Story’ revival opens on Broadway
Broadway’s blogging, podcasting and map-mashing

Statue of Liberty crown tickets sold out until Labor Day

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:49:32 -0500

While the Statue of Liberty is on track to reopen her crown to the public on the Fourth of July, tickets to climb up her steps are already all-but sold out through the Labor Day weekend.

Tickets first went on sale June 13 and demand was so high that the website and telephone lines were difficult to access. (The website has been slow again this morning.)

Only 30 people per hour will be allowed to take the stairs to the crown under escort from a National Park Service ranger.

It’s important to note that currently the plan is to keep the crown open for two years only. After that, it will close again for a project to make the interior safer to visitors and hopefully allow more people to visit each day.

The crown has been closed since Sept. 11, 2001, mainly for fire safety reasons, the National Park Service has long said. The torch has been closed to the public since 1916, when Liberty’s arm was damaged by a massive rail yard explosion in nearby New Jersey. There are no plans to ever reopen the torch to the public.

You can also follow the the Statue of Liberty on Twitter (it’s an official NPS account;) or flickr; or take an eTour.

What you need to know to get tickets to the Statue of Liberty’s crown:

Crown tickets can be reserved up to a year in advance through Statue Cruises, the only company licensed to ferry the public to Liberty and Ellis islands. The $3 crown fee will be on top of the regular ferry ticket, currently priced at $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 877- LADY-TIX (877-523-9849) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Eastern time.

When booking, “reserve with crown ticket” is the key phrase you’re looking for. That will get you to the crown, as well as access to the museum and pedestal. (If the crown is sold out for your trip dates, your second choice is for the “monument ticket” which at least gets you into the museum and inside the pedestal around toe level with the statue - so that you can look up at the stairs you won’t be allowed to climb. Monument tickets also sell out quickly, leaving the masses to mill about Liberty Island looking at the statue from ground level.)

When making the reservation, you will have to give the names of each person who will be using the ticket. Adults will have to provide matching identification the day of the trip. (Take that, scalpers!)

You may order up to four tickets per order. Children must be at least 4 feet tall to make the climb.

Just like before Sept. 11, 2001, the statue will close if it gets too hot. In the past, 90-degrees outside was the trigger point as the interior turns into an oven.

Statue Cruises’ online FAQ notes it’s a “strenuous journey that encompasses 354 steps.”

When crown tickets are sold out for a certain day, they sell out simultaneously for NJ and NY departures; there is not a certain amount for each location, the Statue Cruises spokesperson told NewYorkology.

When selecting your departure time, NewYorkology has advocated the first boat of the day which allows you to avoid most of the lines and allows enough time to see both Liberty and Ellis islands. (NewYorkology has crown tickets for this weekend, so watch for more information next week.)

Alternately, if that’s all too complicated, hop on the completely free Staten Island Ferry, which passes rather close to the Statue of Liberty.

Picture credit: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.

Earlier: Statue of Liberty crown tickets sold out through Aug. 11
It’s official: Statue of Liberty crown will reopen July 4

Water Taxi Beach Governors Island soft opens July 4

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:20:23 -0500

Water Taxi Beach Governors Island will make its unofficial debut this weekend, with the grand opening now set for July 11, a spokeswoman for the Harbor Experience Companies told NewYorkology.

The new Water Taxi Beach will be open this Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. “with very limited food and beverage service,” she said.

See the official Governors Island blog for the new beach awaiting its sand.

The Harbor Experience Companies already operates two other Water Taxi Beaches, in Long Island City and at the South Street Seaport, (pictured.)

The Governors Island beach fully opens July 11 with food, drink, volleyball, basketball and live music. The Beach at Governors Island concerts kick off July 11 with Grateful Dead-tribute band Dark Star Orchestra.

The full concert season:

July 12 - DJ khz at 4 p.m.(free show)
July 18 - Wheel Up! w/ DJs DRM (Bastard Jazz) + Erik The Red (Giant Step) at 2 p.m. (free show)
July 19 - Tragedy, all-metal tribute to the BeeGees at 2 p.m. (free show)
July 25 - The Beatards at 2 p.m.(free show)
July 26 - Turntables on the Hudson at 3 p.m. (free show)
Aug 4 - Erykah Badu at 8 p.m.
Aug 15 - Hip-Hop Karoke BBQ at 2 p.m. (free show)
Aug 18 - B52s at 8 p.m.
Aug 23 - Turntables on the Hudson at 3 p.m. (free show)
Sept. 6 - Turntables on the Hudson at 3 p.m. (free show)
Sept 12 - Mos Def at 9:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 - Buckethead at 8 p.m.

When there are evening concerts, New York Water Taxi will provide service during and after the shows to the Battery Maritime Building. Concert tickets include ferry transportation.

Picture credit: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.

Earlier: New Water Taxi Beach location: Governors Island

'Little Mermaid' to close on Broadway on Aug. 30

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:20:27 -0500

Disney said it will close “The Little Mermaid” on Broadway, with the final performance set for Aug. 30.

The musical about a mermaid Ariel is based on Disney’s 1989 animated film, which in turn was based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.

The musical, which probably cost $15 million just to create, likely did not recoup its initial investment in the two years it’s been on Broadway, according to Variety.

When it closes, it will have played 685 performances plus 50 previews, according to the New York Times.

“The Little Mermaid” plays the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, 205 W. 46th St., map. Regular tickets are priced from $51.50 to $121.50 with premium seats selling for $161.50.

Disney recommends its productions for ages 6 and up.

Two other Disney Theatrical Productions are currently on Broadway: “The Lion King” and “Mary Poppins.”

Image source: “The Little Mermaid” wallpaper on the show’s official website.

In demand: free bike program at max on weekends

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:16:33 -0500

The wheels are hitting the road through Downtown Alliance’s free summer bikes program, which has found success this season, especially on weekends.

Since Bike Around Downtown started May 13, the program has been at capacity for every weekend. A total of 2,454 reservations had been made through June 30, according to numbers provided to NewYorkology by Downtown Alliance.

The 30 free bikes are available seven days a week during three time slots: 9:30 a.m. to noon; 12:30 to 3 p.m.; and 3:30 to 6 p.m. The bicycles are provided through Bike and Roll, which also rents bikes and offers bike tours of New York.

Once you reserve online, free bikes can be picked up at the Bike and Roll’s kiosk at the South Street Seaport and returned at the same location, or at the Bike and Roll kiosks at Pier A in Battery Park, or 12th Avenue and 43rd Street, or on Governors Island when it’s open on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.

The bike share program runs through Sept. 30.

Governors Island also offers free one-hour rentals every Friday through Oct. 9

Picture credits: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.

Earlier: Free bike rental opens downtown, May 13 to Sept. 30

Jude Law coming to Broadway in 'Hamlet' in September

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:25:11 -0500

Jude Law will return to Broadway in September as Hamlet, according to the Donmar Warehouse website.

The Shakespeare tragedy, currently playing in London, earned mostly good reviews from critics.

Law made his Broadway debut in 1995 in “Indiscretions,” Variety notes.

“Hamlet” will play the Broadhurst Theatre for 12-weeks only. Previews will start Sept. 12; opening night is set for Oct. 6.

Tickets go on sale to American Express card members July 1 while the general public gets access starting July 18. Regular tickets will be priced from $25 to $116.50. Premium seats are $201.50 to $251.50. If a performance is sold out, standing-room tickets will go on sale the day of the performance for $21.50. The box office for “Hamlet” will open July 18.

The Donmar is the same troupe behind Tony-nominated “Mary Stuart,” now at the Broadhurst, as well as the Tony-nominated “Frost/Nixon” in 2007.

The Broadhurst Theatre is located at 235 W. 44th St., map.

Image source: Donmar Warehouse.

Earlier: Broadway 2009/10: ‘Spider-Man’ to ‘the vibrator play’

Live web feed from Apollo's Michael Jackson tribute

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:28:00 -0500

The transmission’s cutting in and out, but you’ll want to click over to catch the live webfeed from the Michael Jackson tribute at the Apollo Theater.

Yes, that’s Al Sharpton dancing.

The tribute continues into this evening. (Although the announcer on the stage just said the line extends up to 135th Street.)

On Wednesday night, Amateur Night will also be dedicated to Jackson.

(Link via NYC The Blog.)

Earlier: Free backstage tours at Apollo for 75th anniversary
Public invited to Apollo to say goodbye to James Brown

Jewish Museum cuts hours, adds 2-for-1 July admission

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:51 -0500

Due to budget reasons, the Jewish Museum is changing its hours starting this week, closing its doors entirely on Wednesdays, and closing other galleries on some weekdays.

The museum will keep its free Saturdays policy (from 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.,) plus for July only is offering two-for-one admission - if you have the printable flyer.

It will also add hours on Friday. Previously the museum was closed on Friday, but starting this week it will remain open until 5:45 p.m. until Oct. 16. For two Fridays — Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 — it will close at 5 p.m. Then from Nov. 6 through March 13, the Friday closing time will drop to 4 p.m.

On Thursdays, the museums will close at 5:45 pm rather than 8 p.m. In addition, the galleries to the permanent collection will close on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The change in the hours comes on top of a 10 percent staff cut through attrition and layoffs in March, which meant the loss of about 13 or 14 people, said Anne Scher, the director of communications for the museum. The recession, along with declines in the endowment and contributions, is the cause, but every effort is being made to limit the impact, Scher said.

Temporary exhibitions now on view include “Reclaimed: Paintings from the Collection of Jacques Goudstikker” and “The Danube Exodus: The Rippling Currents of the River—by Péter Forgács and The Labyrinth Project” through Aug. 2.

The Jewish Museum is located on the Upper East Side at 1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd Street, map.

Image source: Mayer Kirshenblatt from the exhibition “They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood in Poland Before the Holocaust” through Oct. 1
Purim Play: “The Kraków Wedding,” c. 1994
Acrylic on canvas
30 × 40 in. (76.2 × 101.6 cm)
Collection of Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett and Max Gimblett
Courtesy of Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett
© 2009 Mayer Kirshenblatt

Rockaway Beach summer ferry service starts Saturday

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:09:46 -0500

Weekend ferry service to Rockaway Beach starts this Saturday from Manhattan’s Pier 11 with one-way tickets priced at $6.

The trip takes 1 hour 15 minutes, with three departure daily from Pier 11 (near Wall Street on the East River.) The NY Water Taxi departs at 9:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.

Return departures are scheduled for 2:30 and 5 p.m. Most trips also include a stop at Brooklyn Army Terminal.

The Water Taxi docks at the former U.S. Coast Guard Station just north of Marine Park Bridge at 169 Street, and offers nearby access to Fort Tilden and Jacob Riis Park, (which was the scene-of-the-crime beach in this week’s Law & Order Criminal Intent with Raul Esparza.)

The subsidized summer service is offered in partnership with Gateway National Recreation Area and the NYC Economic Development Corporation.

Picture credit: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology

Car-free Summer Streets to return Aug. 8, 15 and 22

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:36 -0500

Almost 7 miles of Manhattan roads will be closed to traffic again this summer as Summer Streets will return August 8, 15 and 22 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The 6.9-mile route will give way to bikers, skaters, walkers and others from the Brooklyn Bridge, up Lafayette/Centre Streets, along 4th Avenue and Park Avenue up to 72nd streets, map.

However, main cross-town streets will remain open to vehicles crossing the car-free zone.

“This is only its second year, but Summer Streets is already a New York tradition,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said at the news conference announcing the dates.

In addition the city has creating 13 extra car-free street events in other neighborhoods in all five boroughs, ranging from one to seven blocks long. Here are the dates of the remaining dates for those events:

Image source: NYC Summer Streets website

Brooklyn
Williamsburg Walks – Bedford Avenue between North 4th and North 9th Streets
Saturday July 4 and 11th, noon to 9 p.m.

Summer Plazas, 5th Avenue between 48th and 52nd Streets
Sunday July 19, 26 and August 2, 11 a.m.to 6 p.m.

The Sunday Scene on Knickerbocker – Knickerbocker Avenue between Suydam and Starr streets
Sunday July 19, 26 and August 2, 11 a.m.to 5 p.m.

Pitkin Saturday Plazas – Pitkin Avenue between Strauss and Thomas Boyland streets
Saturday Sept. 12, 19, and 26, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Move About Myrtle – Myrtle Avenue between Clinton Street and Emerson Place
Sunday Sept. 6, 13, 20, and 27, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Montague Summer Space – Montague Street between Hicks and Clinton streets
Sunday Sept. 13, 20, and 27, 10 a.m.to 6 p.m.

Manhattan
Stanton Street Summer Sundays – Stanton Street between Allen and Orchard streets
Sunday Aug. 23 and 30 and Sept. 6 and 13, 1 p.m.to 6:30 p.m.

Queens
46th Street Weekend Walks – 46th Street between Queens Boulevard and Greenpoint Avenue, Saturdays in August, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Astoria Water Walk – Shore Boulevard between Astoria Park South and Ditmars Boulevard, Sunday Aug. 9, 16, and 23, 11 a.m.to 4 p.m.

Bronx
Bronx Summer Walks – 167th Street between Gerard and Cromwell Avenues
Saturday July 11, noon to 4 p.m.

Staten Island
Van Duzer Days – Van Duzer Street between Wright and Beach streets
Saturday Aug. 1, 8, 15 and 22, noon to 8 p.m.