Tag Archives: greenwich village

National Pillow Fight Day!

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This might be the only holiday better than Halloween. Crazy folks everywhere from Istanbul to Harere, Zimabwe are participating. And New Yorkers are of course joining in–right here in Washington Square Park!

The fight starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. and lasts three hours. The ground rules:

+ Soft, feather-free pillows only!
+ Swing lightly, many people will be swinging at once.
+ Do not swing at people without pillows or with cameras.
+ Remove glasses beforehand! (I learned that one the hard way.)
+ Deposit pillows in donation boxes or take them with you.*
+ Jammies are welcome.

* Preferably the former, as the event collected over 1500 pillows for homeless shelters last year.

Lastly, don’t forget the ultimate pillow fight rule that still stands from when you were a kid: play nice!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

Take A Stroll Down Bleecker Street

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One of the most popular streets in the village, it was named after the Bleecker family, because the road ran straight through their family farm in the late 18th century. Today the chickens and horses have been replaced by perfume shops and shoe stores and pastry shops.

Amy’s Bread (#250) A fantastic bakery with a small cafe serving sandwiches and noshes. The black olive twists are to die for.

Diptyque (#377) is the first U.S. foray for this French parfumer. Check out the variety of eaux de toilette, candles, colognes and body-care products.

John’s of Bleecker Street (#278) has been dishing out yummy, brick oven pizza since 1929. On the website it’s recommended by none other than Jack Black (Tenacious D!).  Black says that the pizza is so good, “I get it plain.” High praise, indeed.

Rocco’s Pastry Shop and Espresso Cafe (#243)  Cannoli’s, my friends. Cannolis. That is all.

(Word to the wise: You can skip Magnolia Bakery at #401, made famous by the ladies of Sex & the City. There’s a reason those ladies were so skinny–the cupcakes aren’t very good.)

Bleecker Street Records (#239): Yes, you can still buy vinyl, CDs and posters on Bleecker just like back in the day.

Murray’s Cheese (# 254): The best, best, best cheese shop in the city.

(Le) Poisson Rouge (#158) The new incarnation of the famed Village Gate features reasonably priced music of all genres. Classical, gospel, hip-hop, R&B, funk…everything from electronic to Americana to a string quartet.

Plus some fancy clothes:

Jimmy Choo (#407): Shoes!

Jack Spade (#409): Men’s store by Kate’s hubby.

Ralph Lauren has several outposts on Bleecker. RRL (#381) for jeans, boots and vests. Across the street, Rugby (#390) sells more traditional, preppy Lauren gear.

And that’s a little taste of Bleecker…

 

 

Have You Been To The Ear Inn?

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Everyone knows many of the city’s oldest taverns:  McSorley’s, Fraunces, The White Horse…but few visitors may know the Ear Inn. Erected in the late 18th Century by James Brown (no, not that one), an aide to Washington during the revolution, the house now has landmark status, and is one of the few remaining examples of Federal architecture in the city.

Through the years it’s alternately been a haven for thirsty sailors, a boarding house, a speakeasy during the days of Prohibition, a smuggler’s den and a brothel. Women (clearly other than ladies of the night) were not allowed for decades.

Flash forward to 1977: the new resident-owners christened the place the “Ear Inn”. That strange name? It was chosen to bypass the Landmark Commission’s lengthy review of any new sign. (Bureaucracy is still alive and well, thankyouverymuch.) To skip the red tape, the neon “BAR” sign was simply painted over to read “EAR”.

Now, surrounded by dusty tchotchkes, you can swill a pint or sip a whiskey or a glass of wine. Then tuck into a full, reasonably priced menu–burgers, mussels, Caesar salad, chili, steaks and the like. The fun part? Your neighbor chowing down may be a biker, a teamster, a doctor or an artist or…who knows?

Plus you can hear music on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday from midnight on. (Or as the website says, 11:59.) You can find traditional blues, jazz and, my personal fave, “weirdo country music”.

Check it out!

The Ear Inn – 326 Spring St. NY, NY (212 226-9060)

 

Take A Stroll Down Christopher Street

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Everyone remembers Christopher Street as the center of the gay rights movement in the 60′s and 70′s. Many moons later it’s still a vibrant thoroughfare right in the middle of the Village full of shops and bars for gays and straights alike.

McNulty’s Tea and Coffee Company (#109) has been selling rare coffees and teas since 1895. As a matter of fact, it feels just like you’ve been transported back to the 19th century once you walk through the doors. Caffeine junkies regularly flock here for the variety. (You need to try the chocolate covered espresso beans before you die. Really…you do.)

Propel yourself forward into the 21st century with Rag and Bone (#104). If hipster is your thing, this is the place you should go. Hipsters with money, that is. The clothes are cute, but only if you have cash to burn. Thriftier folks will make out if they wait for the sales.

Aedes de Venustas (#9) is heaven for perfume lovers. Another expensive joint, but you can also find lovely scented things for less. The parfums can run up a hefty tab, so try the bath gels and soaps…you can get that luxurious feeling without maxing out your credit card.

Il Cantuccio Bakery: Two Italian bakers opened up an American offshoot of their Tuscan cafe at #91. Pizza, biscotti, sandwiches on schiacciata (a type of foccacia) and cantucci (kind of like a biscotti but softer and made with no butter or oil) are killer.

Of course we can’t forget the Stonewall Inn (#53), the site of the legendary 1969 riots, in which patrons stood up to police that had constantly harassed them for drinking and dancing with same-sex partners. It’s still going strong seven days a week with special shows and parties catering primarily to gay folks.

Another fun joint is The Duplex (#61)–a piano bar and cabaret. Bring your pipes for sing-alongs. Straights are welcome, especially if they can belt one out!

 

Baby, It's Cold Outside…

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I really can’t stay (But, baby, it’s cold outside)
I’ve got to go ‘way (But, baby, it’s cold outside)
This evening has been (Been hoping that you’d drop in)
So very nice (I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice)

My mother will start to worry
(Beautiful words you’re humming)
And father will be pacing the floor (Listen to the fireplace roar)
So really I’d better scurry (Beautiful, please don’t hurry)
Well maybe just a half drink more (Put some records on while I pour)

The neighbors might think (But, baby, it’s bad out there)
Say, what’s in this drink? (No cabs to be had out there)
I wish I knew how (Your eyes are like starlight now)
To break the spell (I’ll take your hat, your hair looks swell)

I ought to say no, no, no sir (Mind if I move in closer?)
At least I’m gonna say that I tried (What’s the sense of hurtin’ my pride?)
I really can’t stay (Oh, baby, don’t hold out)
Ah but it’s cold outside (Baby, it’s cold outside)

I simply must go (But, baby, it’s cold outside)
The answer is no (But, baby, it’s cold outside)
The welcome has been (How cheap cialis online lucky that you dropped in)
So nice and warm (Look out that window at that storm)

Words and music by Frank Loesser. Check out the cool version by Norah Jones and Willie Nelson here.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. Stay warm and dry!

Say Cheese!

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Anyone who knows me that as much as I love my wine….I love my cheese even more. Yes, that much. And for fromage freaks like me, Sunday is a day to bow our heads, give thanks, and chow down on the creamy, the veined and the stinky. It’s National Cheese Lover’s Day, people!

So where do I go to stock up on my favorite nosh? The best place in New York is Murray’s Cheese right here in Greenwich Village.  Why? Because it’s awesome, that’s why.

The variety is incredible and the knowledgeable staff can educate you on the difference between cialis online a Roquefort and a Cabrales or a Parmigiano Reggiano and a Pecorino Romano.

They even have a shop online, with a virtual cheese counter where, under categories like “I’m Entertaining”, “I’m Cooking” and “Find My New Favorite Cheese” they list a bunch of adjectives to describe what you might be looking for in your purchase. You click on the description, and…voila!

Want a wacky cheese? That would be Up In Smoke, a smoked goat cheese.

How about an over the top ingredient for homemade mac and cheese? Use Sottocenere, a flavored cow’s milk to blow diner’s minds.

It’s so much fun–and you can discover so many new flavors, like my personal favorite under the “stinky” category: Pont-l’Eveque.

Yummy!
Have a Happy Cheese Lover’s Day!

 

Out With The New, In With The Old

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One thing I love about the Village is the fact that even though it has always welcomed change and celebrated youth (aah…the beatnik days) there is a deep reverence for the not so new. As many of you know, The Washington Square Hotel turned 110 this year. (Yeah, she’s had a little work done–but just a little. I swear.) But there are other establishments in the neighborhood that have also been around a long, long time.

C.O. Bigelow Chemists:  Established in 1838, not only is it the oldest apothecary in the neighborhood, but the longest operating pharmacy in the entire country to boot. Located on 6th Avenue, near West 9th, the store sports lots of homeopathic remedies, high-end toiletries, and something I personally cherish–a knowledgeable staff. And hey! The joint has chandeliers! Have you ever seen a chandelier in Duane Reade? Nope. Didn’t think so.

White Horse Tavern: Opened in 1880 on Hudson Ave. at 11th St., the White Horse Tavern is considered to be the second oldest bar in New York. (Top honors goes to McSorley’s Ale House–Abe Lincoln supposedly took a pint at

McSorley’s)  You’ll find evidence of bar regular Welsh poet Dylan Thomas all over the place. Thomas apparently died a few days after consuming eighteen-that’s one eight–straight whiskeys at the White Horse.

Cherry Lane Theater: Originally built as a brewery, a group of theater artists (pals of Edna St. Vincent Millay) got together to convert the building into a theater in 1924. Ever since, the Commerce St. theater has been the home to plays written by everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to William Saroyan to Lanford Wilson. It’s now surely presenting works from the next generation of great scribes.

Village Vanguard: A relative youngster at 77 years old, the Vanguard is the place for serious jazz buffs. It’s not fancy, but the room has great acoustics and has hosted–and continues to host–all of the greats. John Coltrane, Art Pepper, Wynton Marsalis…the list goes on an on. And the price ($25) is extremely reasonable for the quality of music you hear.

 

 

 

 

Where Do Chefs Like To Drink?

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Our friends at Eater.com surveyed eleven celebrated chefs to find out where their favorite places to drink are in the world.  Paris, Madrid, Tokyo and San Francisco were all cited as worthy cocktail towns.  But it came as no surprise that New York City bars had more than its fair share of fans.

Graham Elliot of Graham Elliot, Chicago likes to drink at Empellon Cocina in the East Village.  He cites a drink called “Por Que No”, which consists of Pueblo Viejo Blanco tequila, pineapple, serrano ( let’s assume he means the pepper and not the ham), and cilantro. To Elliot, “It’s whimsical, creative, exciting, and most

importantly, delicious!”

Paul Qui owns East Side King in Austin and was last season’s Top Chef winner.  (I know this because I’m obsessed with the show.  Yeah, I’m a geek.  So sue me.)  Chef Qui likes the casual Randolph at Broome in Little Italy.  His fave is a mezcal with sangrita that’s laced with Stubbs liquid smoke.  (Sounds like a Top Chef concoction.)

Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy likes early in the morning at The Spotted Pig on 11th Street in the Village.  Apparently, the doors are closed and Mario Batali–he of the orange crocs–fixes up shots of Averna (a Sicilian liqueur) and beer.  Okay, so Mario has rarely–okay, never–invited me to his after hour parties, but I have been to the Spotted Pig and I can vouch that it is a cool place with yummy cocktails.

For the rest of Eater’s list, click here.

Lights For Rights

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Folks, tomorrow is World Aids Day, and our neighbors in Washington Square, along with many others around the world, are dimming the lights at 5:30 tomorrow evening (12/1) to “keep the light” on HIV and human rights.

Kenneth Cole, Liza Minnelli and

others will host the event in which the lights of the historic Washington Square Arch are turned off before turning them back on.

Other key sites in the city are following suit:  the Brooklyn Bridge, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, MOMA, the Beacon Theater, Radio City, the Apollo and forty Broadway theaters.

A nice reminder that everyone deserves fundamental rights.

Kind of a no-brainer, don’t you think?

Walking (And Drinking) Among Ghosts

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File this one under “Cool Things To Do When You’re Thirsty”:  Every Saturday at 2 p.m., starting at the 133-year-old White Horse Tavern–where Dylan Thomas, Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan once raised glasses–local actors lead groups on a walking tour of several Greenwich Village bars rich with literary history.

At each stop, you can slug down (or sip, if you’re the dainty sort) a drink while the guide regales you with stories about Allen Ginsberg or Eugene O’Neill or any of the great authors who have slugged (or sipped, if they were the dainty sort) cocktails right on that very spot.

I haven’t taken this tour so I can’t vouch for it, but it certainly sounds like fun.  Beer and books.  What’s not to

like?

Tours are every Saturday at 2pm, beginning at the White Horse Tavern, 567 Hudson Street and 11th Street.

Tickets are $20, $15  for students/seniors. (I’m guessing that the booze is extra.)  To make a reservation call (212) 613-5796.