The 2010 UTAC Guide to New York City

The 2010 UTAC Guide to New York City

by Asad Raza & Hannah Lan

A note from the organizers This year’s guide almost did not happen.

Those of you who were on the trip with us last year may remember that the 2009 Guide was in full color with pictures of each and every sight that we talked about. The guide you are holding in your hand - the 2010 version - is both much smaller, completely in black and white and as you will see, without any real pictures.

The honest reason for this was that the coordinators, were all phenomenally busy this year and we let our deadline to make and print a full color guide pass without even realizing it.

Now our original decision was that if we couldn’t write and make a guide, the way we wanted, we would simply not make one. Why do something if you can’t do it the way you want?

And when we had already printed a more expansive and colourful guide last year, it seemed pointless to make smaller one without any pictures.

Then one morning, one of us sat stuck on the subway at Rosedale station. Luckily, the subway was stuck outside and as said organizer sat there looking out the window at the trees and the thousands of leaves, each moving in a different way, said organizer thought about what it meant to go back into the tunnel and the darkness, which was shortly going to happen.

And suddenly, it became obvious that not having pictures is no reason not to make a guide.

That was not what the guide is about. This guide was - is basically us - talking. Talking about the different places we’ve been, the places heard about or want to see so badly that we can imagine perfectly clearly in our head.

Really, no picture we could take or steal, could come close to the breathtaking experience of walking though New York City. And no picture can show how excited we are about some of these places.

Our hope is that you will find what we have to say interesting enough to want to go see these places for yourself.

The 2010 UTAC New York Trip was organized by Hannah Lan, Helen Feng and Asad Raza.

The organizers would like to thank: Regan Kirkland for facilitating the cheque and form drop offs at the AEP Office; Leo Lam and Nayeon Kim for helping build the ticket booth; Christine, Angela, Melvin, Brigitte and Amy for sitting at the booth.

We would also like to thank Annie Tse for creating the awesome back cover of this guide.

Asad would like to thank Alex Alton for not getting mad at him for reusing his article on the ‘Superhero Supply Store’ without telling him. He would also like to thank Nayeon Kim for supplying him with an incredible batch of cookies – without which this guide would probably not have been put together over a couple of late nights.

Finally, we would like to thank the wonderful and one of a kind, Professor Lora Carney for her invaluable advice and support. Even this guide can’t express how lucky we are to have her.

An Introduction to New York City

I love cities. I experience in them the same sort of sensation that one might experience in the woods – this deep connection to a vast network of life in all its nitty gritty chaotic detail.

This is how I feel about cities and in this regard I find New York to be the city of cities – perhaps the greatest of all cities in the world.

New York, far more than Paris could ever be, is the city of light. The sheer amount of activity and liveliness here is staggering. I remember the first time I visited New York; the very first day - which happened to be the middle of the week - I ended up in a subterranean jazz bar in Greenwich Village. The opening act finished playing their set at midnight and then suddenly a whole crowd of people – who did not look like tourists - appeared in the bar at 1 a.m.

– in the middle week – to hear the main act perform – who went on for another 2 hours.

I remembered stumbling back to the hotel in a state of amazement, feeling both lost and completely at home in this wonderful place.

As someone who loves cities, I am really curious – why is New York what it is?

How did it get to be what it has become? Why has so much of modern culture and history transpired on its streets? How can so many many people thrive here?

How do people afford to live here? Why do so many major companies move their headquarters here when it is so expensive?

How does the city support 8 million people in 81 fully developed neighbourhoods and still afford to provide 24 hour subways and free ferry rides to the island?

Really, how this gargantuan mass of a city forms, survives and thrives is a mystery to me. But it is a mystery I will gladly experience again and again.

I’m hooked on this city.

I hope your experience during this year’s trip is wonderful and imparts some of the sense of beautiy and mystery and excitment as I feel whenever I am here.

AR

Table of Contents Our Hostel New York City Basics Museums Art Galleries Public Art Spaces Cool Places to Hang Out Gardens and Parks Walking Tours Food Shopping Music & Performance

Our Hostel

Chelsea International Hostel 251 West 20th Street (Between 7th and 8th Avenues) New York, NY 10011-3501, United States (212) 647-0010 The Chelsea International Hostel is located in the district of Chelsea, which is noted for its thriving arts environment. The Hostel has one major advantage in that its extremely centrally located for almost anything you would want to do in Manhattan.

Chelsea has the lowest crime rate in all of Manhattan, and the hostel is located right across the street from the New York Police Department, 10th Precinct.

All of our past participants have spoken about their feeling of being very safe in the area, especially with the police station directly outside the hostel gates.

There is an attendant at the front desk of the hostel 24 hours a day, who will be able to help with any extenuating situations related to your stay. This attendant will also be able to answer any questions you may have about touring around Manhattan. As always in a large city, be cautious about your own actions and make smart choices. Don’t go looking for trouble, and you will be just fine.

The Chelsea International Hostel is the one of the few hostels in New York that is kept clean on a daily basis. Past participants agree that although it is not by any means a luxurious hotel suite, time in New York should be spent outside of the room and in the city. The hostel is merely a safe place to sleep at night.

The Chelsea International Hostel provides a bed, linens and bedding, and a pillow in each room. Please make sure you have your own towels, toiletries, and any other personal necessities.

New York City Basics Transportation Subways are the fastest for long distances. They go everywhere (714 miles of track) and many tracks are 24 hrs. A single ride on the subway or bus is $2. Put $7 or more on your MetroCard, and you get a 15% bonus (e.g., $20 + $23, or one extra trip and a dollar balance). For safety, choose middle subway cars and cars that are well occupied, and use designated waiting areas in off hours. Take cabs at night. Note that more than one subway line may run on a particular track, and there are both express and local trains to and from some stops.

Within five minutes of the hostel you can catch: 1. the A, C, and E lines at Eighth Avenue and 14th Street2.

2. the C and E lines at Eighth and 23rd3.

3. the 1, 2, 3, and 9 at Seventh Avenue and 14th Street4.

4. the 1 and 9 at Seventh and 23rd Buses are great for shorter distances and of course you can see the sights from them.

The buses have a transfer system like Toronto’s, and transfers between subway and bus are free.

Walking is one of the great pleasures in Manhattan, and it’s sometimes the quickest way to get places. A walking tip from Fielding's New York Agenda: it takes about fifteen minutes to walk ten blocks north or south. Walking ten blocks east or west takes about 45 minutes. Our hostel is a nice half hour walk from Greenwich Village, for instance. When walking, be alert, and look like you know where you’re going.

Keep your purse carefully clasped or your wallet well hidden in a front pocket, be discreet with cameras, and be especially wary of pickpockets in crowds and in tourist areas such as Times Square.

Things to avoid: Central Park at night; looking lost or confused; using lonely or badly lit streets.

Taxis are bright yellow if licensed (use those only) and available if the roof light is on, and allowed to carry up to four people (but there are some five-passenger cabs). It's a cheap ride for four: they cost an initial $2.50 whatever the number of passengers, plus 40 cents per fifth of a mile (4 blocks), 40 cents for every minute of waiting time, a surcharge of $1.00 from 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays, and 50 cents extra after 8 p.m. A 15 20% tip is standard.

Daily Newspapers To find events and activities in New York you can pick up the Village Voice – the city’s oldest and most venerable alternative weekly. Their music (especially jazz) listings are stellar. Another good source of info is Time Out New York which has developed a decent repertoire of arts and music listings. Finally, the Friday New York Times (see inside for their Weekender) is an excellent excellent resource for all things, art, film, broadway/ offbroadway and music related. The Thursday New York Sun also has good arts reviews.

Money As of Tuesday, May 4th, the exchange rate for CAD to USD was 1.00 USD = 1.023 CAD. It’s generally never recommended that you carry a large amount of cash with you, but it also isn’t wise to leave money at the hotel. Fortunately, most banks are on the INTERAC network, so you can use an ATM machine to withdraw US funds (which will then be charged in CAD at the exchange rate the day the bank applies he charge). There are also branches of TD Bank in New York so, you might even avoid ATM fees.

Internet There are many sources of internet access available to you during your stay. Chelsea Hostel itself, has an internet cafe for your convenience. In addition, like most cities, coffee shops / cafes like Starbucks etc. have free wireless. You may also want to consider the Apple Store (767 5th Avenue) as a place where you can pretend to buy a new Macbook Pro in lieu of getting free wireless. Finally, since I’m a big fan of recursive functions, if you are online and want to find places to go online, definitely check out www.yelp.com/list/free-wifi-manhattan-manhattan for a super comprehesive list of places with free wireless.

Cheap Tickets If you’re in the market for a Broadway or Off-Broadway show, you’d be amiss not use TKTS (226 W 47th St, 212-221-0013) located in times square. They offer steep discounts on rush and dya - off ticket purchases on a wide variety of shows.

Museums

Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET) Price: Timing: Address:

Adults $20 (suggested!), Groups of 10 or more ($10), Thursday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m, Friday and Saturday: 9:30 a.m.–9:00 pm 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, 212-535-7710

The MET. What can we say about the MET. Well, we could throw some facts – it was created in 1872, currently has an area of over 2 million sq. ft (!) and contains some 2 million works of art (!!). Its collections spans over 5000 years containing everything from original impressionist paintings (including some 37 works by Monet alone), to full scale Egyptian tombs, Chinese and Japanese art (include Hokusai’s Great Wave) and the Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture Wing.

The MET was founded as a ‘guardian of arts and culture for the public’ and throughout its history, it’s been as elitist, classical andtraditional as museums come. That said, it’s a one of a kind experience. Largely considered impossible to see in one day, some people spend their entire vacations going to the MET. We’ll leave that to you. The Met presents many special exhibitions at any one time in addition to its vast permanent collection.

Currently, you can see “The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry.” The Limbourg brothers were teenagers in 1405 when they started this amazing series of tiny narrative paintings, calendar pages, pictures of the everyday, and other wonders for the Duke of Berry.

You can also check out - the roof ! Small groups are taken by guides to climb a 15-metre high artwork, an installation made out of much, much bamboo. The piece is called “Doug and Mike Starn on the Roof: Big Bambú.”

Don’t miss it, and don’t miss the view of Central Park and Manhattan from the roof.

Guggenheim Museum (New York) Price: Timing: Address:

Adults $18, Students and Seniors (65 years +) with valid ID $15, Discount for groups of 10 or more $10 Thursday: Closed, Friday: 10 a.m.–7:45 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m 1071 5th Avenue (at 89th Street), 212 423 3500

Seeing Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum was one of my most stunning experiences in New York City. There is something profoundly moving, disorienting and unreal about this beautiful building. What’s so strange about Wright’s spiraling, peeling masterpiece is that it seems completely normal – as if it’s just supposed to be a building!

There are many museums in the world with unique architecture (just look at Leibskind’s Crystal for the ROM) but unlike the Crystal (or Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain), Wright’s Guggenheim Museum doesn’t seem to make anything of the fact that it’s an unreal structure. And thats precisely whats so remarkable about it.

To be fair, I am biased here. I love buildings, and as far as building’s go, the Guggenheim is gorgeous. But scores of curators and artists feel that the building does not work as an art gallery - that it is too much, in and of itself.

Despite that fact, there are numerous works by Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall (heart), Wasily Kandinsky and Paul Cezzanne in its permanent exhibition and currently the museum is showing “Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance”.

Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Price: Timing: Address:

Adults $20, Seniors $16, Students $12, Free on Friday 4:00 to 8:00 pm Thursday 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.– 8:00 p.m., Saturday till 5:30 p.m.

11 West 53rd Street, between 5th & 6th avenues.

OK here we go – MOMA – big, bad, too cool for you (but will let you look), has more Picassos than Picasso’s mom, MOMA. MOMA is expensive and super elite but contains works that you may have only previously seen in textbooks. Aside from having room after room of Picassos, it has original works by Marcel Duchamp (art history students, can insert smug chuckle here), Claude Monet’s Waterlillies (yeah all three) and one of my favorite paintings of all time - Van Gogh’s ‘The Postman’.

Currently, there are two incredible shows at MOMA. The first is ‘Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present” - a stunning, mesmerizing and deeply mind blowing retrospective of one of the most famous performance artists ever. The second is ‘Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century,’ - a show of 300 works by the uber-famous French photographer, who started as a Surrealist and went on to just about everything.

P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Centre Price: Timing: Address:

Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. $5.00 suggested donation; $2.00 for students (free w/ MOMA admission) 22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave, Long Island City, NY, (718) 784-2084

The P.S.1 Contemporary Arts Centre is one of New York’s most prestigious and influential art spaces. A large complex in Brooklyn that used to be an abandoned warehouse, it was converted by Alanna Heiss into a space solely dedicated to cutting edge contemporary art.

Today it is a huge collection of galleries, arts studios, spaces and music venues that is affiliated with MOMA. Its focus is on large scale, site specific work & installation arts. Every year P.S.1 hosts YAP! - The Young Architect’s Program - which commissions young architects to redesign its courtyard. P.S.1 is really a one of kind space for even a city like New York and should be high on the lists of anyone coming to New York to see great art work.

Currently showing is “Leandro Erlich: Swimming Pool”- the Argentine artist has created a wonderful illusion by constructing a full-size swimming pool in the gallery’s two-level space.

Frick Collection Price: $15 adults; $5 students Timing: Thu, Fri, Sat 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Address: 1 East 70th Street, 212-288-0700 The Frick Collection is beautiful medium sized museum that was formerly home of a ruthless multi-millionaire industrialist named Henry Clay Frick - ‘the most hated man in America’ - He earned the moniker by brutalizing workers who went on strike at his factories and it almost caused him to be assassinated by the famous anarchists Emma Goldman and Alex Berkman (who shot him three times at point blank range). The Frick mansion was built in 1914 by Thomas Hastings (who also designed the Façade for the New York Public Library) at a cost of 5 million dollars (at that time!). It was designed to house Frick’s enormous collection of art and is considered today to be one of the finest collections of major European artists such El Greco, Vermeer, Rembrandt. While Frick spent his life building a richly adorned wall between himself and his fellow man, today, for $5 (if you’re a student), you can wander through his house and see gorgeous work by Vermeer as well Holbein the Younger’s famous portrait of Sir Thomas More. Thanks death!

Neue Galerie Price: General $15, Students and seniors $10 Timing: Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Address: 1048 Fifth Avenue (at 86th Street), 212.628.6200 The Neue Galerie is pretty new – having been opened in 2001 by Ronald Lauder – the son of Estee Lauder (no less) with a specific focus on artwork by German and Austrian artists. The museum contains the one of best collections of artist Egon Schiele and its centre piece is a $135 million dollar painting by Gustav Klimt - Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer – which at the time of purchase by the museum, was the single largest amount ever paid for a painting.

Whitney Museum of American Art Price:

Timing: Address:

Adults: $15, Senior & Students with valid ID: $10, Discount for group tours (Adults $10.00, Students $6.00) Thursday 11 am–6 p.m., Friday: 1–9 p.m. (6–9 p.m. PWYC), Saturday 11 am–6 p.m.

945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street, (212) 570-3600

The Whitney Museum was started by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney – who was an artist and sculptor and just happened to be the great granddaughter of New York’s most prominent tycoon, Cornelius Vanderbilt I. Interestingly, Whitney created the museum after the MET turned down her offer of 700 works she had collected and since then, the museum has strived to represent those artists who were ignored by the mainstream museums.

Today, the museum maintains its focus on avant-garde and specifically American artists – most of whom Gertrude Whitney connected with personally to collect. It is currently the site of 2010 Whitney Bienneal.

New Museum of Contemporary Art Price:

Timing: Address:

General Admission: $12, Seniors: $10, Students: $8 , Free on Thursday 7 - 9 Thu, Fri 12-9 PM, Sat 12-6 PM 235 Bowery, 212.219.1222

The New Museum of Contemporary Art is a stunning building designed by Tokyo based architects SANAA. The museum is specifically focused in presenting the works of underrecognized artists and hosts some of most cutting edge art work in the city.

Craft and Design Museums

Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) Price:

Timing: Address:

General $15, Students/Seniors $12, Thurs. 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. (PWYC) Thurs. 11:00 am to 9:00 p.m., Friday, Saturday 11:00 am to 6:00 p.m.

2 Columbus Cirlce, 212.299.7777

The Museum of Arts and Design is New York’s preeminent collection of objects, dedicated to design in jewelry, pottery and furniture. Known as MAD – it’s interesting that the design museum itself was site of huge controversy over the design of its building. The gallery moved to its current location on 2 Columbus Circle in 2008 – moving into the site of a beautiful prexisting building by Edward Durell Stone. Shortly after moving in, the MAD directors announced their decision to take apart and alter the original building, creating a huge public outcry from architects, critics, professors and writers in New York. The directors went ahead with the alteration, replacing the original building with a modernist design by Brad Cloepfil but whatever argument they had for respecting artistic integrity went down the drain when it was revealed that they altered Mr Cloepfil’s design as well – over his objections. By connecting some of his design’s vertical strips with a line of windows they created the giant letters ‘HI’ on the façade of the building. Critics responded by claiming it’s probably Mr Stone’s ghost that was saying hello from the grave. Well, haunted exteriors aside, the museum does host a huge collection of beautiful and haunting masterpieces and showcases the works of famous designers from around the world.

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

General $15.00, Senior/ Students $10.00 Price: Timing: Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Address: 2 East 91st Street, 212.849.8400.

The other big daddy when it comes to design is The Cooper-Hewitt Musuem. Dedicated to beautiful made objects, and formerly the mansion of Andrew Carnegie, the museum contains more than 250,000 objects ranging from Han Dynasty objects to the present and also houses the National Design Library which contains 70,000 volumes. It also hosts National Design Week which draws attention to the impact of design in our daily lives.

General Interest Museums

American Museum of Natural History Price:

Timing:

Adults: $15.00 ((Suggested), Senior/Student with ID: $11.00 Thurs. 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. (PWYC) Thu, Fri, Sat: 10:00 a.m.–5:45 p.m.

Address: 79th Street and Central Park West, (212) 769-5100 Ah, the grand daddy of all North American Museums. The legendary American Museum of Natural History is one of the largest and definitely the most celebrated museums in North America. Don’t even pretend like you’ve never heard of it. The stories connected with this place are the stuff of legend. Its history full of old school archeologists running around the world collecting dinosaur bones and artifacts (their staff archaeologist - Roy Chapman Andrews, was the inspiration for Indiana Jones) and world renowned research departments (four words: staff anthropologist Margaret Mead). With collections that have inspired more movies and books than the Bible (exaggeration – sorry), the American Museum of Natural History is one of the most remarkable spaces in all of New York.

While, there, definately check out the Rose Centre for Earth and Space. Part of the museum (admission, excluding the shows, is included with admission to the museum); the Rose Centre may be one of the most beautiful planetariums in North America. Designed by James Polshek, the Rose Centre is a gorgeous six storey glass & steel cube with a planetarium that seems to float and lights up at night. The main attractions here are mind blowing space and light shows that show the Big Bang and other cosmic phenomena.

Museum of Sex Price: Adults (18+): $16.25, Students/Seniors: $15.00 Timing: Sunday – Friday: 11:00am – 6:30pm Saturday: 11:00am – 8:00pm Address: 233 5th Avenue In the mood for love? The Museum of Sex may sound like a pre-pubescent teen's gag joke of a venue, but venture forth into its risqué exhibits and we guarantee you will come out with a fresh perspective of the topic of sex. As a taboo subject matter, the museum endeavours to present its exhibitions in a more whimsical manner to engage the public in an educational setting. The current exhibition, ''Rubbers: The Life, History and Struggle of the Condom'' provides an introspective look into the invention, development and use of the protective contraception tool throughout its history of existence with pop-culture assisted themes. Quite fascinating, and surely fun.

Smaller, Awesomer Art Museums

Art in General

N/A Price: Timing: Thursday, Friday, Saturday 12-6 pm Address: 79 Walker Street #6, 212 219 0473 Of all the museums reviewed here, Art in General seems most interesting to me. Designed to be designed by the artists who are showing there at a given time, the entire gallery and space changes to meet the needs of the artist.

The Studio Museum in Harlem

Adults $7.00 (Suggested), Seniors/Students $3.00 Thursday, Friday 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Address: West 125th Street, New York, New York, 212.864.4500 Price: Timing:

The studio Museum of Harlem is a gallery focused on black artists and work inspired by ‘black’ culture. The museum has an excellent mandate towards free culture – often offering free downloads of music composed by artists on their website.

The Drawing Center

Price: N/A Timing: Thursday, Friday, 10 AM – 6 PM; Saturday, 11 AM – 6 PM Address: 35 Wooster Street, New York, 212-219-2166 Located in SOHO, The Drawing Center is an interesting museum dedicated solely to the exhibition of drawings.

High Line Park

515 West 23rd Street, (212) 243-4523 A remarkable new place in Manhattan, High Line is literally - a park in the air.

The park has been created by saving (through popular demand), a disused 1930s elevated railroad track that runs near the Hudson River for almost two kilometres.

The track was originally created to prevent accidents between freight trains and motor vehicles. The entire project was 13 miles long, eliminated 105 street-level railroad crossings and cost over $150 million in 1930 dollars — more than $2 billion today.

Unfortunately, with the advent of highway freight, the train line began to fall into disuse and the last cargo trip on the High Line was taken in 1980 (transporting a few cases of frozen turkey - which proves that the gods of urban planning have a sense of humor).

By the late 90’s / early 2000’s, citizens groups began pushing for the revitalization of this remarkable site and after many years of debate, the project got under way.

As of now, two kilometers have been transformed into a giant floating park and the trail is completely free and open to the public. Along the way, native plants that had grown up along and beside the tracks were preserved and more were added.

Today, it is gorgeous and surreal place that offers an interesting and unqiue view of the city.

Best of all, the entrance to High Line is quite near the hostel, so you know you have no excuse to miss it.

Brooklyn Museum

Price: (Suggested) $10, Students: $6 Timing: Thursday, Friday 10 am -5 pm, Saturday 11 am – 6pm Address: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, (718) 638-5000 So totally worth the trip over the bridge. The Brooklyn Museum places a heavy emphasis on education and audience engagement, and their didactic panels definitely show a greater interest in being inclusive of varying learning styles. The museum pays special attention to discussing the cultural significances that their collections hold, making the visitor experience distinctly different from traditional museum canons of communication. Among the current special exhibitions you might like to check out “Kiki Smith: Sojourn,” a site-specific installation about the lives of women artists.

Art Galleries New York City has one of most vital and thriving art gallery networks in the world.

Over the next few pages, we’ve listed some of the ones we have visited in the past or plan to visit this year.

Note, as a general rule, galleries open at 10 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. (this ain’t Wall St.), and since this ain’t Wall St., they are all almost always, free.

New York Gallery Week The inaugural New York Gallery Week begins this year from May 7th to 10th and coincides perfectly with the UTAC New York Trip, as if the heavens had planned this fortunate coincidence all along.

As a new initiative organized collectively by 50 Manhattan-based contemporary art galleries and 7 not-for-profits spanning Chelsea, SoHo, the Lower East Side/Bowery, the Upper East Side, and 57th Street, NYGW seeks to refocus the attention to the galleries and artists prior to being affected by the commercial aspects of the art world.

All participating galleries have extended hours during the weekend, and free events are scheduled throughout the four days of programming. Most of the galleries listed on the next few pages are takinng part in NYGW and a full list of the schedule and participating artists/galleries can be found at www.newyorkgalleryweek.com

(Galleries marked w/ an X are part of New York Galleries Week)

Greene Naftali X 526 West 26th Street (212) 242-5075 White Columns X 320 West 13th Street (212) 924-4212 David Zwirner Gallery X 533 West 19th Street (212) 675-0507 303 Gallery X 547 West 21st Street (212) 255-1121 Murray Guy X Ste 3S, 453 West 17th Street (212) 463-7372

Yvon Lambert Gallery 550 West 21st Street (212) 242-3611

Marian Goodman Gallery X 24 West 57th Street (212) 977-7160

Alexander Gray Associates X 526 West 26th Street (212) 399-2636

Derek Eller Gallery X 615 West 27th Street (212) 206-6411

Elizabeth Dee Gallery X 545 West 20th Street (212) 924-7545

Metro Pictures X 519 West 24th Street (212) 206-7100

(Galleries marked w/ an X are part of New York Galleries Week)

Gavin Brown's Enterprise X 620 Greenwich Street (212) 627-5258 Apex Art 291 Church Street (212) 431-5270

Location One 26 Greene Street (212) 334-3347

Participant Inc X 253 E Houston St (212) 254-4334 Rivington Arms 102 Rivington Street (646) 654-3213

Reena Spaulings Fine Art X 165 E Broadway (212) 477-5006

Haunch of Venison 1230 Avenue of the Americas (212) 259-0000

Public Art

5 Pointz

46-23 Crane St at Jackson Ave, Long Island City, Queens To see an infamous display of public art and marginalized arts, take the 7 train and watch out for 5 Pointz, the massive spray paint covered complex at the corner of Crane Street and Jackson Avenue as you emerge from the tunnel. Having undergone numerous facelifts by notorious and internationally recognized street artists throughout the years, the block sized canvas has become one of the most recognized landmarks in Queens.

Public Art Fund The Public Art Fund is New York's leading presenter of artists' projects, new commissions, and exhibitions in public spaces. For over 30 years the Public Art Fund has been committed to working with emerging and established artists to produce innovative exhibitions of contemporary art throughout New York City. By bringing artworks outside the traditional context of museums and galleries, the Public Art Fund provides a unique platform for an unparalleled public encounter with the art of our time. (taken from the website).

Two current examples of Public Art Fund projects are:

Franz West - ‘The Ego and the Id’ Doris C. Freedman Plaza in Central Park Enterance at the corner of 5th Ave & E 60th Street (5th Ave Subway Station)

Various Artists - ‘Statuesque’ City Hall Park 1 Centre St, (212) 669-8090 (Park Place Subway Station)

(Some Specific) Sites of Interest

New York Public Library

Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street Designed by Carrere and Hastings and completed in 1911, the main branch of the New York Public Library is Beux-Arts masterpiece. With marble block walls that are three feet thick, the building is a stunning example of early New York Architecture. With the seven floors of stacks – the main branch is the centre of one the largest lending library systems in North America (Toronto is THE largest - YAY). Worth visiting is the gorgeous main reading room, where some of America’s greatest writers have researched and written their books.

Rockefeller Centre

Between 48th & 51st Streets and Fifth Avenue & SeventhAvenue.

The Rockefeller Centre is a complex of 19 buildings – the largest privately held building complex in the world – that was developed by John D. Rockerfeller. Its made up of NYC’s first major modernist skyscrapers and was the first commercial property to include integrated public art (including Paul Manship’s now famous bronze sculptures and work by Isamu Noguchi). The Rockefeller Centre is the site of many famous New York Landmarks such as Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios (30 Rock) and Saturday Night Live studios (in the GE Building). The building complex is also the site of a famous art controversy when the famous Mexican artist Diego Riviera was commissioned by Rockefeller’s son to paint a mural in the main floor. Offended by the Riviera’s depiction of Lenin and Russian May Day images in the mural, Rockefeller paid the great artist and eventually tore down the paintings.

United Nations (Secretariat Building) 760 United Nations Plaza

The United Nations secretariat building is beautiful looking skyscraper (if you find skyscrapers beautiful – I do) designed by the late, great French architect Le Corbusier. It is interestingly, international territory and doesn’t follow New York City building codes. While you can’t gamble here (Colin Powell!), it is worth seeing - the building is a stunning example of Le Corbusier’ s work and its adjoining complex, which was designed through a collaboration between architects around the world, contains a number of artworks, including a stained glass

by Marc Chagall and a cool giant sculpture of a twisted gun by Carl Frederik.

The Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is hands down the main, main reason why I ever come to New York.

There, I said it. Who cares about all this art stuff. This... this is it. This masterpiece of design was completed in 1883 by Emily Roebling – the daughter of the original enginer John Roebling (who was killed during its construction) - and was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its completion. Since then, it inspired generations of photographers, architects and even poets such as Walt Whitman (who seeing it being completed, declared it ‘the best, most effective medicine my soul has yet partake’ and eventually wrote ‘Crossing Brooklyn Ferry about it) and Jack Kerouac (who wrote the beautiful ‘Brooklyn Bridge Blues).

In its early years, there was a rumor that the bridge was unsafe but it was quickly quelled by P. T. Barnum who ran a whole caravan of elephants overthe bridge to prove its safety (and prove how awesome his circus was). The engineers’ prescient design has proved itself over decades and the bridge remains one of the most beautiful structures in the world.

The DIA Arts Foundation The DIA Arts Foundation is one of New York City’s most interesting arts institutions.

Founded in 1974 by Heiner Friedrich and Philippa de Menil, the institute is not a gallery or a museum but an ‘office’ (on 535 W 22nd Street, just in case you want to go by and kiss them) which facilitates the creation of site-specific installations throughout the the city and its surroundign areas. The name "Dia," is taken from the Greek word meaning "through," and the idea behind the institution is that things happen ‘through’ them.

Through out its tenure, it hasd worked to create legendary installations, such as Walter de Maria’s ‘Lightening Field’ (which is now found in every first year text book on modern art.

There are number of long term installations in and around New York City which have been facilitated by DIA. All of them are free, open to the public and most of them utilize a non traditional space, such as an office, as their site.

DIA: Beacon 3 Beekman St (Metro-North Hudson Line to Beacon) Thursday-Monday 11am-6pm Closed Tuesday-Wednesday $10 general admission $7 students, seniors [65+] Walter de Maria, The Broken Mile (since 1979) 393 West Broadway The ‘Broken Mile’, is literally that - up a mile’s worth of steel rods broken up and arranged into a serene quiet installation.

Walter de Maria, The New York Earth Room, (since 1977) 141 Wooster Street ‘The Earth Room’ is an the entire floor of a room of an office building, filled with 2 feet of dirt.

Located in Beacon, about one and half hours away from New York City, Dia:Beacon, is a lesser known but equally impressive contemporary art museum.

Housed in an former Nabisco factory, Dia offers a vast collection of largerthan-life modern art—including Donald Judd’s steely monoliths and Louise Bourgeois’s sinister sculptures—which conventional museums can’t accommodate for lack of space.

Because New York is amazing like that, there is a direct train line to Beacon from Grand Central Station. It costs ~ $12 to get there and along the way, you too can pretend to be in an Alfred Hitchcock movie (that way I’m not the only one doing that).

Currently on display is also, an incredible collection drawings by the one and only Sol Lewitt

Walking Tours of New York Looking to explore New York in a structured way? Take part in a walking tour!

Walking tours can be a great way to familiarize yourself with your new surroundings.

Sure, they are a bit touristy, but its a great way to actually explore the neighbourhood and get some neato facts.

We suggest taking part in a delicious food tour through Foods of New York Tours. Prices range from $44-$65, so it is a bit steep, but think about all of the deliciousness that comes with your experience!

A walking tour of Brooklyn is also highly recommended if you are looking to head into the boroughs. Brooklyn is quite a massive area to explore, and isn’t known as much of a tourist attraction as Manhattan, therefore there aren’t as many guides for this area. We suggest getting in touch with Big Rick through A Tour Grows in Brooklyn. His name may sound shady, but we guarantee he is personable, professional and offers a fountain of knowledge about his beloved home. Big Rick charges $35 for three hours of service.

If funds are an issue for you, or if you just don’t want to pay money to walk around the city, take a free 90-minute Grand Central Tour with Justin Ferate. Not only does the acclaimed guide dissect the lore and legends of Grand Central Terminal’s history, but places them within the context of its lesser-known neighbourhood.

Foods of New York Tours.

212.209.3370 Advance purchase either by phone or web is required. The comapny offers several different tours, including: ‘Greenwich Village Tour’, ‘Chelsea Market / Meatpacking District Tour’ ‘Central Village / SoHo Tour’, ‘The Art of Sushi’, and ‘Explore Chinatown’.

A Tour Grows in Brooklyn (212) 209-3370 The tour is run by the same company that runs the Foods of New York tours so the same purchasing policy applies. You can buy online or on the phone. The group meets at Union St. and 4th Avenue, in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Grand Central Tour 212-883-2420 Meets each Friday at 12:30 pm in the sculpture court at 120 Park Avenue, located at the southwest corner of East 42nd Street and Park Avenue directly across from Grand Central Terminal.

No reservations are necessary.

Food Pizza Pizza lovers, rejoice. New York offers a smorgasbord of pizza in all styles, and pretty much on every street corner in the city. Keste Pizza & Vino, Motorino, and Co. (yes, the restaurant is literally is called ''company'') are all recommended by locals. The favourite though is Lombardi's, but beware of the longest lineup out of all of your selections. This is most recommended if you have time at 4pm or so for an early dinner/snack, and its location in SoHo makes it ideal to perhaps take in a couple of designer buys first. If you desperately need to have a slice of pizza while in Brooklyn, try Spumoni Gardens. They offer delectable Sicilian pizza in thick slices to fill all your pizza needs.

Keste Pizza & Vino 271 Bleecker St Mon-Sun 12 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Mon-Sat 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Sun 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Motorino Pizza 349 E 12th St Mon-Thu, Sun 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.

Fri-Sat 11 a.m. - 1 a.m

Co. 230 9th Ave. Mon, 5pm-11pm; Tue-Sat, 11:30am-11pm; Sun, 11am-10pm

Spumoni Gardens 2725 86th Street Open 7 days a week

Lombardi's 32 Spring St Sun-Thu 11:30am-11pm Fri-Sat 11:30am-12 Midnight

Koronet Pizzeria 2848 Broadway

Picnics!

What better way to spend those gorgeous spring days of May in New York than having some good ol' fashioned American picnic food? If you are in Times Square, 5 Napkin Burger is ridiculously good. Go there for some fancy burger fare, attend your Broadway/comedy show, then head to Junior's for all-American cheesecake. Heavy, creamy and sweet – the perfect cheesecake combo! Other burgers that rock include Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, Corner Bistro in West Village, and in the East Village is Black Iron Burger. Located conveniently inside a park, we suggest eating at Shake Shack on a sunny day, or on rainy day if you want to avoid lines. Your choice.

5 Napkin Burger 630 9th Ave Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m. - 12 a.m.

Sat-Sun 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.

Juniors West 45th St. Mon–Thurs: 6:30am–12am Fri & Sat: 6:30am–1am Sun: 6:30-11pm Shake Shack Southeast corner of Madison Square Park, at E. 23rd St. Mon-Sun 11am – 11pm

Free Food!

If free is your thing, stop by Boss Tweed’s Saloon on Friday night between 5 and 7, where the staff say that “any bum off the street can come in and eat for free.” Yes indeed, customers are served complimentary spicy chicken wings dripping with sauce at this Lower East Side barroom. To top it off, drinks are cheap enough for you to afford to pay for the liquid to wash down all that tangy meat. As if free chicken wings weren’t good enough, The Mark Bar in Brooklyn also provides free pizza and cold cuts on weekday nights as well as gratis bagels and coffee on Sundays at noon.

Boss Tweed’s Saloon 115 Essex St at Rivington St, Fri 5–7pm, free food, drinks approx. $3.

The Mark Bar 1025 Manhattan Ave at Green St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Cupcakes & Other Gorgeous Things Cupakes! Such a popularity in New York, Toronto, and probably all over the world. Perhaps these sweet little angels are overrated in popularity, but damn they are still just so satisfying.

In the West Village is the heavy-tourist trap Magnolia Bakery (thanks to Sex and the City), which actually has the best banana pudding in addition to delectable cupcakes. You might be thinking at this point, ''eww bananas!'' But seriously, it requires a definite visit. So creamy, and so awesome. Up slightly north of Magnolia's is Billy's Bakery in Chelsea, which is known by residents as a rival to Magnolia's. Same idea - also very good cupcakes and wonderful banana pudding. In the East Village is a place called Butter Lane Cupcakes. There really is only one word to describe it: Fantastic. In fact on this same street are a ton of great foods to try. You can grab a quick latin sandwich, an arepa at Caracas Arepa Bar, a purely nothing but pork sandwich at Porchetta, cupcake at Butter Lane, then go nearby to a place called Crif Dogs which have great deep fried hot dogs (just the hot dog, not the bun). Please note that waiting for tables is a prerequisite for food eating in New York‌ that, or super in advance reservations.

Magnolia Bakery 401 Bleecker St Sun-Thur 9am-11:30pm Fri-Sat 9am-12:30am Billy's Bakery 184 9th Ave Monday-Thursday: 8:30AM-11PM Friday-Saturday: 8:30AM-Midnight Sunday: 9AM-10PM Butter Lane Cupcakes 123 E 7th St Mon-Thurs 11 am to 11 pm Fri and Sat 11 am to midnight Sun 11 am to 10 pm Crif Dogs 113 St. Marks Pl Mon-Thu 12 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Fri-Sat 12 p.m. - 4 a.m.

Sun 12 p.m. - 1 a.m.

For those of you with a serious sweet tooth, the Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar is a must-have. Would you turn down an offer of milk sweetened by cereal? Organic soft-serve ice cream in experimental flavours like rosemary or zucchini bread? How about a serving of their crack pie, with a gooey butter filling enveloped in a sheath of toasted oats? Repeat visits and empty wallets may be a necessary danger of this addiction, as is sugar and cream withdrawal.

Momofuku Milk Bar, East Village 207 2nd Ave Mon – Sun 9 am – 12 am Momofuku Milk Bar, Midtown 15 W 56th St Mon – Fri 9 am – 11 pm Sat – Sun 9 am – 5 pm

Dessert lovers will also want to test out the prix fixe menu at Chikalicious. Chikalicious offers three courses of high-end sweets: an amuse bouche, a main dessert, and petits fours to finish with the option of a wine pairing for each dish. This was meant for the serious dessert connoisseur, and dessert selections must be made with great attention to the details of ones sugar fantasies.

Chikalicious 203 East 10th Street (Located between 2nd and 1st Avenues, close to the Astor Place subway station)

Drinks For the more adventurous soul, take note that inside Crif Dogs is shoddy looking telephone booth. Go through the telephone booth, and you are transported via a secret entrance into a swanky bar called PDT (Please Don't Tell). PDT provides delicious cocktail concoctions, so expect pricey but stiff glasses of happy hour fare. If you are now enticed by the idea of visiting speakeasies, another popular destination for the locals is Little Branch in the West Village. Keep in mind that you will need to call at 3pm the day of and get a reservation for the night. Spots fill up fast, so plan accordingly!

PDT 113 St. Marks Pl Mon-Fri 6 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Sat-Sun 6 p.m. - 4 a.m.

Little Branch 22 7th Avenue S (between Carmine St & Leroy St) Mon-Sat 7 p.m. - 3 a.m.

Beer Ah, beer. Better yet, biergartens. Right in the heart of the Meatpacking District at the posh Standard Hotel comes the infamous open air picnic table gatherings of fresh young faces all enjoying a pint of specialty brewed beer. Expect traditional brews such as Ayinger Weisse and Koestritzer Dark Bier, all served alongside brats, currywurst and pretzels. Everything on the menu is priced at a generally acceptable price for downtown NYC: $7.

The Standard Biergarten 848 Washington St at 13th St, entrance on Little W 12th St Mon–Thu, Sun 4pm–midnight; Fri, Sat noon–1am.

Other Foods If you are feeling peckish an hour before you see that Phantom of the Opera show at the Majestic, make sure you grab some great pad thai in Hell's Kitchen beforehand. Pam Real Thai is solid, and they make everything super spicy (but only if you ask for it!)

Pam Real Thai 404 W 49th Street (between 9th Ave & 10th Ave)

In the mood for paella? Just finished gallery hopping in Chelsea? Try Socorrat Paella Bar. Don’t let the hole in the wall aspect of the restaurant fool you – we recommend the squid ink paella that comes with the side of strong garlic butter meant to be drizzled over top. Make sure you get your names on the waiting list soon, and grab a drink or two first while waiting for your table.

Socorrat Paella Bar 259 W. 19th Street (between 7th Ave & 8th Ave) Mon-Sun 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Mon-Thu, Sun 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Fri-Sat 5 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Other General, Food Places Guss Pickles 85 Orchard St. near. Broome St., 212-334-3616 Pickles may not be an actual food to some people, but as anyone whose come to my house and opened the fridge can attest, they are to me. And as a pickle aficionado, I’m really looking forward to eating at Guss’ Pickles which has been in the business of fermenting cucumbers since 1910. Most of us grocery store types will be used to their ‘half sour’ variety – but the truly adventurous (ahem) should try the ‘full sour’ pickles which apparently has no competitor in the city.

City Bakery 3 West 18th Street, footsteps from 5th Avenue. 212-366-1414.

A highly popular sweet and savory bakery – that is always packed at lunch – one of City Bakery’s most famous dishes are the Pretzel Croissant and it’s hot Chocolate (which they claim is the most drunk hot chocolate in New York since 1990).

Clinton Street Bakery Company 4 Clinton Street (btw. East Houston & Stanton), 646-602-6263 A great little bakery (only 32 seats) which also serves as full restaurant – the Clinton street Bakery serves everything from awesome muffins to some fantastic food and burgers in New York.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory 1 Water St., Brooklyn, NY The Brooklyn Ice cream factory is located just off the Brooklyn Bridge, in Brooklyn and is located inside an old rejigged fireboat house. They carry only eight flavors but each flavor is an amazing concoction, created by ice cream perfectionists (take THAT high school guidance counselor!). The sauces are all created next door and they’re such perfectionists that apparently (as of 2008), don’t carry fudge sauce - because they cant perfect it yet.

Ess-a-Bagel 359 1st Avenue, 212-260-2252 or 831 3rd Avenue, 212-980-1010 So you’re in New York and you’re (obviously) looking for bagels. Yes? Right? Bagels, like Pastrami, Ruebens, giant pretzels, pushy pedestrians and expensive real state are New York essentials and few places do them as well as Ess-a-Bagel. Definitely try the whitefish salad on a bagel or do like me and wander around the streets, working your way through a baker’s dozen of these holey delights.

Kossar Bialys 367 Grand Street, 877-4-BIALYS Kossar’s Bialy is New York’s oldest bialy store – having started in 1936 and was even the source of a book by a New York Times Food Critic. Ok. So what’s a Bialy? The pictures we saw on Google Images don’t make so much sense, but what it seems like is that bialy is bagel without the hole. Instead of a hole they have slight depression which is filled with different sort of ingredients, which is basically another way saying they’re awesome! Bialy’s are a traditional Polish Jewish food and once flourished in New York City with Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants.

Katz Delicatessan 205 E. Houston St., 212-254-2246 It may be getting redundant, but here’s another New York legend. Started in 1888, Katz’s Deli is the grandfather of New York Delis. Presidents have eaten here. Movie stars eat here. Movies are shot here (Meg Ryan’s famous bit of uhm acting in ‘Harry met Sally’ was shot here). Yet it remains an simple, old school deli with amazing hand carved smoked meat sandwiches, frankfurters and pickles. It’s moderately priced ($14 for a sandwich) but going and ordering here is a quintessential New York experience.

Eisenberg’s Coffee Shop 174 5th Ave, (Btwn 22nd & 23rd St), (212) 675-5096 Im sort of tired of saying the word legendary in this guide – but here we are – another legend. Eisenberg’s Coffee Shop serves, straight up some of the best breakfast and lunch food in the city and has been in business since the dawn of time and still with the same waitresses. Try the egg-cream (its better than its sounds) and the corned beef Rueben.

Carnegie Deli 854 Seventh Avenue, at 55th Street, (800) 334-5606 I ate at the Carnegie Deli last year and almost died. So there. If you want to go, just be forwarned. It’s not that food is bad, its fantastic. But somewhere in the middle of a 1 lb smoked meat sandwich, I began to have visions of Hiroshima. Nevetheless, Carnegie Deli is one of the most famous deli’s in the United States. Its has been frequented by reporters and comedians since 1933. Their motto is “If you can finish your meal, we’ve done something wrong”. I say, if you can finish your meal, then there’s somethign dead inside you (literally).

The Boathouse at Central Park Center of Central Park, just a short stroll from Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street.

Make your inner Blair Waldorf proud and schedule a weekend brunch visit to this infamous Central Park restaurant for the true Upper East Side experience. In addition to serving delectable food (albeit food that may be a bit pricey for a struggling student artist), the Boathouse offers fantastic panoramic views of the Lake, surrounding trees, and Manhattan skyscrapers while wining and dining with the blue bloods of the City. Afterwards, why not try renting a boat for an hour or two and row your way around the Lake to work off that extra serving of hollandaise sauce you asked for on your eggs benny? Note, its extremely extremely packed all of the time, and be ready for a 2.5 hour wait if you don't have reservations.

Egg 135 North 5th Street, Brooklyn, 718 302 5151 Even though I still don’t really get the whole Williamsburg-hipster thing (Toronto West End could totally beat it anyday!), I have to admit I liked Egg a lot when I was in the area.

Literally a hole-in-the-wall, Egg is more famous for its breakfast/brunch fare than other items. All ingredients used are fresh, local and/or organic. Paired with cheap prices, beware of the lines of wayfarer-wearing, bearded ruffians in skinny pants on weekends!

St. Mark’s Place A good street to also explore is St. Mark's Place (which is really just 8th St). Known for its alternative vibe and off-the-cuff stores with many crust-punk items for purchase, St. Mark's Place is also famous for its authentic Japanese food and is referred to by locals as a Little Tokyo. You can get great ramen at Ippudo NY, pick up a couple of striped tees and leather moto jackets a la Debbie Harry at Trash and Vaudeville, and indulge in some youthful hero-esque fantasies with the goods at St. Marks Comics. Also worthy of checking out is Yaffa Café, a popular haunt with both the NYU and goth punk crowds due to its open 24 hours policy (ie. good place to sober up at 4am after a drunken night with friends). Finally, if a lady ever finds herself with a ghastly rip in their pantyhose while perusing the vintage records at any one of the many music and collectibles stores in this area and must get an emergency pair before her date arrives to take her to the Met Ball, make sure to stop by the Sock Man – an extensively stocked store full of Lolita-punk-style socks, knee highs, pantyhose and arm and leg warmers await.

Ippudo NY 65 4th Ave Mon-Sat 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Mon-Thu 5 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Fri-Sat 5 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.

Sun 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Trash and Vaudeville 4 St Mark's Place Mon – Thur 12-8:00PM Fri 11-8:30PM Sat 11:30-9:00PM Sun 1-7:30PM St. Marks Comics 11 St. Mark's Place Mon 10:00am - 11:00 pm Tues - Sat 10:00am - 1:00am Sun 11:00am - 11:00pm Yaffa Cafe 97 St. Marks Place The Sock Man 27 Saint Marks Place

Shopping Century 21 22 Cortlandt Street (between Church and Broadway), 212-227-9092 This place keeps getting suggested to us whenever we ask about where to shop in New York and everything we read about this place seems only to confirm its popularity. This is the discount brand names store that Winners can never be (loser!). An old converted bank, with tons of aisles, apparently, this place is so packed on weekends that it’s been discouraged for claustrophobics. Everything from Armani ties to shoes, bags and dresses are for sale at up to 75% off, so um, knock yourself out (though apparently someone else will gladly do so to get that Coach handbag). To get a (hilarious) idea of what its like, check out the reviews in www.yelp.com/biz/century-21-new-york when you get home.

Spruce up your personal style by combing through the treasures at the Brooklyn Flea Market.

A favourite of fashion bloggers Susie Bubble and Keiko Lynn, the Brooklyn Flea offers a trove of antique and second hand finds for the design-centered pack rat that lives deep inside of you.

With more than 150 vendors, Brooklyn Flea can occupy you for a morning or an afternoon.

Visit the Fort Greene location on Saturdays for vintage clothing and records, then fill up on lobster rolls for just under fifteen dollars from the Red Hook Lobster Pound cart.

Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Lafayette Ave between Clermont and Vanderbilt Aves, Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Uniqlo 546 Broadway, and by extension SoHo/NoLita SoHo and NoLita are definitely areas that I would go to for chic and forward looking fashion pieces to enhance your wardrobe. 5th Avenue is great for all of your big budget designer needs, but this area is brimming with fashion statements that go outside of the box and have a more contemporary design-based aesthetic. There are a lot of newly established labels that set up shop here, and the trick is to keep your eye out for the stores that may just be on the 4th floor of a brownstone with onlya hanging sign on the street to guide you. A huge 3storey Uniqlo store between Spring and Prince St. remains the Japanese brand’s sole North American location and sells great staple pieces with a quirk. Check out the in-store deals – when I was there last year jeans were 50% off in a variety of really flattering fits.

Beacon’s Closet 88 n. 11th st., btwn. Berry and Wythe, Brooklyn Beacon’s Closet in Williamsburg holds a treasure trove of vintage/designer clothing in extremely good condition. The online store alone shows a number of designer finds for the price of drinks and a meal for two at the Victory Café. The best part about the store is that it works on the concept of a clothing exchange, and regularly buy used items from your hands in exchange for 35% cash or a credit towards anything in the store or 55% of the price they will sell your item at. The popularity of the store has generated a large volume of pre-sorted clothing that is regularly donated to not for profit organizations in addition to regular cash donations to local charities.

Superhero Supply Store 372 Fifth Ave. Brooklyn NY This kitchy shop is a little far away from other notable tourist hot spots in Manhattan and its appeal tends towards a youngerdemographic or at least younger at heart. But if you ever had superhero daydreams as a child or even still harbour suchflights of fancy it might be worth checking out. They sell capes, grappling hooks, utility belts (new and vintage), masks, tights, deflector bracelets, bottles of chaos and anti-gravity, secret identity kits, and more. And the best part is that the proceeds go to a non-profit charitable organization that provides free drop-in tutoring, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications.

Printed Matter 195 10th Avenue at 22nd Street, 212 925 0325 Printed Matter is an amazing, amazing place. Run by the goddamn incredible, Toronto-born art legend AA Bronson, its the world's largest organization dedicated to the promotion of publications made by artists. I love how they state themselves as a ‘for profit’ organization – designed by artists to sell their books, zines and comics. Their library contains over 15,000 books and 5,000 zines and hosts the legendary ‘Conceptual Comics’ collections (curated by Bronson). Like most stores, they have ‘specials’, only in this case the specials are a collection of printed material curated carefully by a guest curator. One such guest curator is Thurston Moore, guitarist for SonicYouth and one-time Printed Matter employee (!)

Music & Performance Venues Nuyorican Poets Cafe 236 E 3rd St between Aves B and C, Fridays at 10pm, $10.

With over 30 years of history, the Nuyorican Poets Café has become a leading platform for literary arts and spoken word arts. Created as part of the Nuyorican Art Movement in New York during the 70s, the Café was once a gathering for poetry, music, video art, and visual art for those of Puerto Rico descent living in New York. Now it plays host to a multitude of literary and performance art initiatives from people of all backgrounds. On Friday nights, the Café becomes packed with audiences for the weekly slam poetry where lyricists from the boroughs and beyond square off, and the winner is determined by the animated and interactive audience.

Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn Founded in 1861, and housed in one of the most beautiuful buildings I’ve seen in New York, BAM is one of the city’s most eminent center for progressive and avant garde performing arts.

May 5 Exhibit Film Theatre

Younger Than I'll Be Curated by Skye Parrott Snow White (Branca de Neve) by João César Monteiro Creditors (7:30pm) by August Strindberg

Music Film

Gaida & Levantine Indulgence (9pm) God's Wedding (As Bodas de Deus) by João César Monteiro

Event

BAM Block Party + Groundbreaking (12noon—4pm) Opening ceremony and drumline battle at 12:15pm

May 7

May 8

Carnegie Hall 57th Street and Seventh Avenue The legendary Carnegie Hall, one of New York’s largest buildings built entirely of masonry (no frame) is as prestigious as a music venue as it gets.

May 5

The Performance Project @ University Settlement Neighborhood Concert: So Percussion

(184 Eldridge Street) 7:30 PM FREE

May 6

Youth Theatre Japan @Weill Recital Hall

May 7

Sones de México Ensemble

May 8

Leon Fleisher Young Artists Concert @Weill Recital Hall

8 PM $5

@Zankel Hall 10 PM $38 - $46 7:30 PM $15

Julliard School 60 Lincoln Center Plaza I love coming to the Julliard School to listen to music. One of North America’s most prestigious music and performance schools, (with a 6.44% application acceptance), some of the world’s greatest musicians have learnt and played here.

The school offers a number of free concerts and shows every day and your best option is to just show up and look around. You may catch the next great classical music superstar FOR FREE long before you have fork over $100 to hear them.

Lincoln Centre for The Performing Arts 70 Lincoln Center Plaza Oh Lincoln Centre! Why the hell is it so hard find any thing in you? I suppose, since you are a 16.3 acre complex made up 12 arts organizations (including the Julliard school above), you feel that you have a right to be obtuse - you know ... just do your own thing. Well, you’re still THE place to get one’s culture fix in New York, so I still love you.

If you are planning to go visit, be forewarned, you need quite a bit of good luck to find all the spaces – I couldn’t find a map of complex anywhere. If you’re heart set on seeing an event, go early.

Other Music Venues Issue Project Room 232 3rd St., Brooklyn, NY 11231, 718-330-0313 Roseland Ballroom 239 W. 52nd St., New York, NY 10019, 212-247-0200 Drom 85 Ave. A, New York, NY 10009,(212) 777-1157 (le) poisson rouge 158 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012,212-796-0741 The Kitchen 512 W 19th St, between Tenth and Eleventh Aves, Chelsea (212-255-5793) The Stone At the corner of avenue C and 2nd street,

2010 University of Toronto Arts Collective