Urbanite

Frank's stamp: Sinatra can still deliver

2008-05-11T23:44:11Z

Ten years after his death, Hoboken’s very own Frank Sinatra is being commemorated with a new postage stamp. The 42-cent stamp’s release will be celebrated Tuesday in three places close to Sinatra’s heart. One ceremony takes place at Gotham Hall in New York, New York, where Sinatra’s daughter Nancy and son Frank Jr. will be present at the 10 a.m. dedication. The two others will be at the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas, the city where he famously ran with the Rat Pack, and another will happen across the river, in Sinatra’s hometown of Hoboken, at 3 p.m. at Pier A Park. Frank Jr. will be on hand again. If you go, check out these useful tips for a Sinatra tour of Hoboken. Kazuhiko Sano designed the stamp, which features Ol’ Blue Eyes with a big smile and iconic fedora hat circa mid 1950s. Sinatra’s signature is scrolled across the bottom. -- Kathleen Bulson

Show your veggie pride in first-ever parade next week

2008-05-11T22:01:42Z

What do you get when you cross a seven-foot peapod with an equally tall smiling carrot? Why, a veggie wedding. The nuptials of Penelo Pea Pod and PeTA’s Chris P. Carrot will cap the first U.S. Veggie Pride Parade next Sunday in Greenwich Village. The parade starts at noon in the Meatpacking District, where Ninth Avenue meets Gansevoort, Greenwich, and Little West 12th streets. It ends at Washington Square Park. “I like going through Greenwich Village because I respect it for its legacy with progressive ideas, and vegetarianism is a progressive idea,” said Pamela Rice, parade organizer and founder of the sponsoring VivaVeggie Society. Rice, inspired by a similar event in Paris, has been organizing and planning for more than 10 months. “It is really going to be bigger than I thought. Mostly it is because of Facebook, MySpace and other online social networks rallying every vegan New Yorker to be there.” ]]> MORE: Parade blog

Urban archaeology: Liquor sign, but where's the booze?

2008-05-11T18:27:00Z

Several years ago, we happened upon this great "liquor" sign in the West 20s, marveled at it and moved along, failing to make note of where it was. So we were pleasantly surprised to stumble upon it again this weekend -- still intact and still promoting a long-vanished liquor store. Indeed, nowhere in the immediate area could we find a liquor store that would be logically attached to it, which makes this orphaned sign all the more interesting and mysterious. Orphan signs are an interesting subcategory of city signage. We plan to have another post on this subject soon. In the meantime, the curious may find this sign along West 24th Street, near the southwestern corner of Sixth Avenue. -- Rolando Pujol

Never too early for a Streetfest

2008-05-11T18:08:38Z

Stone Street via Flickr I swung by the annual Stone Street Streetfest in the Financial District on Saturday for oysters and brewskies. Co-hosted by Ulysses, an everyman's Irish eatery, the festival is among the season's first chances for good times outdoors. The popped-collar crowd was out in full force, shooting oysters along Manhattan's oldest street. Stone Street, a cobblestoned beauty, turns 350 this year. — Emily Ngo

Quick Bite: Pret a Manger challenges Starwich on 38th

2008-05-10T18:37:28Z

The Starwich at West 38th Street and Sixth Avenue is facing some competition from sandwich king Pret a Manger, which is carving a new outpost across the street at the Americana Inn, home to "budget-conscious" travelers. Hiring for the new Pret is under way. -- Rolando Pujol

Tabloid Tour: A jaunt down Flatbush Avenue

2008-05-10T18:25:24Z

It's hard to miss this sign -- and the store's purpose is exceedingly clear. Below, The Loews Kings, closed in 1977 and still awaiting a redevelopment plan. Barbra Streisand was an usher here once. We took a long tour the other day through the Flatbush and Midwood sections of Brooklyn, beginning with lunch at Di Fara's and ending with dinner at Picket Fence on Cortelyou Road. In between, we found lots of noteworthy stuff, including some of New York's most charming residential neighborhoods. A few of us will be dropping occasional posts on our experiences. Here's some highlights from a short stretch of Flatbush Avenue we traversed. On a late Saturday afternoon, it was teeming with vibrant street life and interesting shops and sights. Our photographic highlights continue after the jump. -- Rolando Pujol Just a perfect neighborhood stationery store sign, with plastic lettering and a corrugated metal background. ]]> A wonderful detail from the facade of the Loews King. It's still the Kings, but the "Loew" sign is long gone. From the look of this relic sign, the discounts were perhaps too deep. Windows? We don't need no stinking windows. The Cookie's department store sign is colorful and fun, and the Tudor elements on the building add a touch of the bizarre. Right off Flatbush, on Synder Avenue, lies the fantastical Crown Center Banquet Hall, which makes its rooms available to weddings, church functions, luncheons and much more. Dating to 1875, here is the seat of what was once the town of Flushing. It's also on Snyder Avenue. We were taken by the retro goodness of Diplomat Bowl on Synder Avenue. And next to the bowling alley is a sign for the Ebinger Baking Company. Back on Flatbush, the great Erasmus High School produced many a famous Brooklynite. A peek inside the courtyard at Erasmus, where the original school, which dates to the 1700s, still stands. Here's a great old plastic sign, made better by the missing letters. Old stationery stores often have generations of interesting stickers on the front window. Here's a gem from the late 1970/early 1980s for Lotto, then part of "The Empire Stakes." -- Rolando Pujol

33rd and Mad: The scaffolding's up ...

2008-05-10T17:50:08Z

One of the most interesting old-sign discoveries we ever made was at 33rd and Madison, a doomed corner with a towering future. Here's the recently erected shroud of gloom that portends the teardown, and, below, the cool signs that briefly saw the light of day, as well as -- after the jump -- a few more shots we hadn't published before of the buildings that are set to come down. -- Rolando Pujol ]]>

Giant Hello Kitty invades Park Avenue

2008-05-09T16:17:30Z

Photo by Liza Johnston More than one giant Hello Kitty figure, actually. They are the work of artist Tom Sachs, known for his eccentric artistic explorations of consumerism, and also a strange fascination with the saucer-eyed cartoon Hello Kitty cats. He even created a Hello Kitty nativity for the Barney's holiday window in 1994. These cats are part of a show at the Lever House on Park Avenue at 53rd Street, and are displayed in the open-air street-level space. There are two 10-foot fountains that appear to be crying visible to passersby in vehicles or on foot. And without further ado, a look at the Park Ave. cats:

Photos by Liza Johnston -- Lauren Johnston

You (yes YOU!) - are a walking work of art

2008-05-09T14:37:49Z

Photo from the Every Person in New York blog Artist Jason Polan is trying to draw every person in New York. He may have already drawn you. He could be drawing you right now. He's started a blog to document his progress on this behemoth of an art project, posting simple line portraits as he finishes them. It's appropriately titled "Every Person in New York." He's always drawing, according to the blog, on the subway, on the street, in museums. Everywhere. But come on, there are 8 million people in this town, so it's understandable that the guy wants some help. He wants to draw you. So if you'd like your likeness sketched, zap him a note at: art@jasonpolan.com Here is Polan's plea for subjects, and instructions on how to meet up: "If you would like to increase the chances of a portrait of YOU appearing on this blog please email me a street corner or other public place that you will be standing at for a duration of two minutes (I will be on the corner of 14th street and 8th avenue on the North-east corner of the street from 2:42-2:44pm this Thursday wearing a bright yellow jacket and navy rubber boots, for example)." Additional instructions: Give him 24 hours notice, and don't go out of your way in case he can't be there. Work those two minutes into something that's part of your normal routine -- he might not be there -- or he might be, and you just may not notice. It's a huge ambition - but if anyone can do it, we think Polan can. Our pals at Boing-Boing note he's already drawn every piece of art in the MoMA. And what better do you have to do this weekend than become part of a living work of art? -- Lauren Johnston

Saving the environment's in the bag

2008-05-08T18:54:01Z

Eco-conscious New Yorkers aren't strangers to hauling their groceries in reusable totes. Well, stores like Target have made it even easier to reduce the use of plastic and paper. This sturdy tote, made from recyclable polypropylene fabric, folds into itself to become the size of a billfold. Unfolded, it's large can hold several melons or several pairs of shoes. Plus, the design doesn't shout Target; it's kind of cute and discreet. Carry it around in your purse or pocket. I snapped mine up for 99 cents at the Atlantic Center Target. — Emily Ngo

Throwback Thursday: I Love NY (and the Citi Never Sleeps)

2008-05-08T17:13:19Z

Two longtime New York-centric campaigns were infused with new life this week. First off, New York has rolled out a revamped campaign centered around that reliable chestnut "I Love New York," a campaign that originated in 1977 at one of the low points in the city's history. Like the original set of commercials, the new campaign is aggressively promoting the state as a whole. Click here for a superb example of the original campaign, with great shots of New York in 1977 and that catchy Disco jingle penned by Steve Karmen. And click here for a nifty short documentary on the campaign's origins. Later in the week, we learned that Citigroup was bringing back its "Citi Never Sleeps" campaign. The slogan, trotted out in 1978, served the financial giant well for a good chunk of the 1980s, before being dropped for other approaches, including "When, Where and How to Succeed". Our examination of our usual sources failed to turn up an example of the original "Citi Never Sleeps" jingle, but we did find a commercial with a memorable theme and effective use of the Citicorp Building, which you couldn't miss in many of the company's ads of that vintage.Click below. -- Rolando Pujol

Breaking: Congressman Vito Fossella admits child is his

2008-05-08T15:19:39Z

AP Photo According to a statement just released:

"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a three-year-old daughter. "My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry. "While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind. "Over the coming weeks and months, I will to continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused."

Wow. Fossella was picked up drunk driving last week and told officers he was going to pick up his daughter, even though he was far from his home but near the home of Fay. What was believed to have just been a lame excuse turns out to have been technically correct. Sources tell us that reporters did the math--Faye broke up with her husband five years ago, met Fossella three years ago, wouldn't reveal who the father was, etc. etc. and pieced this one together. Fossella of course, has a lovely family on Staten Island, where he serves as a congressman, one of the few Republicans in the House in the entire northeast. Yesterday the lefty blogosphere was abuzz with the notion that due to the DWI, and likely jail time for Fossella, this was a strong opportunity to pick up a seat. We'll follow this throughout the day. In the meantime, let the Fossella deathwatch begin? ---David Freedlander

How to help cyclone victims

2008-05-08T00:00:15Z

Here are some groups through which New Yorkers can help victims of the cyclone in Myanmar, where the death toll is projected to reach 100,000: The American Red Cross at 800-RED-CROSS or redcross.org UNICEF at 800-4UNICEF or unicefusa.org/ myanmar Mercy Corps at 800-852-2100 or mercycorps.org — Emily Ngo

Woody's filming in Murray Hill

2008-05-07T20:35:44Z

The yellow sign from the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting -- or Mayor Lindsay's 1966 curse upon car owners -- is certainly a common sight, and Murray Hill saw a bunch of those just last week for the "Taking of Pelham 123". But this week, the placards are accompanied by a polite note from the locations department at Perdido Productions, informing residents of the hood -- ever so politely -- that filming for the mysterious "Woody Allen Summer Project 08" will be affecting several streets. That's right, Woody the anglophile is once again shooting in the Big Apple. He said earlier this year that New York simply isn't as interesting as it once was, except for somewhat untouched pockets like Carnegie Hill and Tudor City. Well, he's just a few blocks from Tudor City here. Some of the streets affected in Murray Hill, BTW, are quite attractive -- perfect backdrops to capture that "Woody's New York" look -- including West 38th Street between Third and Lexington avenues. Click on the photo to read the letter. -- Rolando Pujol

Now open: Sports Museum of America

2008-05-07T18:07:32Z

Olympic track star Carl Lewis looks at a display during the opening Wednesday of the Sports Museum of America in New York. AFP/Getty Images amNY's Kyle Stack spoke with Phillip Schwalb about his quest to open this museum. Here's his file piece. Phillip Schwalb's dream began during his first visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on Sept. 10, 2001. Schwalb's thinking that day went like this: What if there were a smaller, more accessible version of the basketball hall in New York City? And what if this museum of artifacts and interactive exhibits encompassed other sports? Take an insider's video tour of the museum
The destruction in lower Manhattan the following day only emboldened the longtime sports and entertainment executive's dream of starting a sports museum. On Wednesday, the Sports Museum of America (SmA) opened at 26 Broadway, becoming "the nation's first and only all sports experience," as its Web site touts. "I thought we could build something in New York City that would be both its own museum of all sports and an endorsement to get people to visit the actual Basketball Hall of Fame," said Schwalb, SmA's 45-year-old founder and chief executive officer. (The "m" in SmA's acronym is lower-case, officials said, to call attention to the museum's claim that it offers more than a traditional, gallery-based museum.) ]]> SmA is located, appropriately, on the Canyon of Heroes ticker-tape parade route. Its collection of more than 800 artifacts, 1,100 photos, 24 interactive exhibits and 20 original films will cover more than two dozen sports. The SmA is also the new, official home of the Heisman Trophy and the Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Center. "For people to be able to come in and touch the original Heisman trophy that sat at the Downtown Athletic Club," Schwalb said, "I think that's going to be a huge draw." Visitors will be able to cast their votes for the next Heisman winner, who will be awarded the trophy at SmA every December starting this year. The Billie Jean King Center will house the Women's Sports Foundation International Women's Sports Hall of Fame, the first of its kind. The gallery will offer interactive exhibits and educational databases to inform visitors of the impact women have had on American sports. "Every single sport has women that have been involved in playing at times when they got no attention," said author and sports historian Ernestine Miller, an SmA adviser. "These women who have never been recognized in any way will now have their opportunity." That opportunity is there because of SmA's initial partnership with the Basketball Hall of Fame. Schwalb's willingness to work with one hall of fame led to partnerships with dozens more single-sport halls of fame. "I thought it would end up being five or six," Schwalb said of these partnerships, "but it's turned out to be 62. ... I just think it [SmA] would be really inferior [without the partnerships]. You can build it, but it wouldn't truly be the national museum for sports." "Done in the right way, sports should be as good a subject matter for a museum as art or science," he added. The partnerships brought in artifacts such as Jesse Owens' diary from the 1936 Olympics and letters written by basketball inventor James Naismith. SmA, which will charge visitors $20 to $27 (children under 4 get in free), has also planned several innovative features. "You'll be able to feel a lot of things that you would never feel in sports otherwise," Schwalb said. "You can put your face inside of a goalie's mask and then you're going to be seeing hockey pucks coming at you 100 miles per hour." Another feature invites visitors to feel the intensity of driving in a NASCAR race. "We specially filmed two walls," Schwalb explained. "On one wall, cars are coming at you, and on the other, they are going away from you. The sound and the motion of the floor will make you feel like you're in the middle of a NASCAR race." Schwalb wanted SmA to be a part of lower Manhattan's revitalization, so he applied for Liberty Bonds. The tax-exempt bonds, of which SmA was awarded $52 million, are meant to encourage corporations to build their headquarters in lower Manhattan. SmA was awarded the bonds after Ernst & Young conducted a study asserting that the museum had the potential, in its first year, to attract one million visitors and have a $100 million impact -- including construction costs and tourism -- on the area's economy.