The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island has gotten stale as an un-dunked hot dog bun now that Joey Chestnut just keeps winning and winning. (His latest record, set last month: 72 dogs in 10 minutes. Yawn.) But wait, here’s a new form of competitive gorging we can get behind: Twin Suns Deli, the New Orleans-tinged deli opened in part by Montana Masback of Montana’s Trailhouse, is hosting a muffuletta eating contest in which average joes (sloppy joes?) will compete to devour the monstrous Italian deli-meat sandwich.
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Cinder Block Comedy Festival Brings Janeane Garofalo and a ‘Rainbow’ of Comics to BK
The New York Comedy Festival, which announced its Manhattan-centric lineup today, isn’t the only game in town. Over in Kings County, the Brooklyn Comedy Film Festival is happening at Nitehawk later this month. And on the weekend of September 7, the Cinder Block Comedy Festival will take over venues in Williamsburg and Bushwick.
New York Comedy Festival: Kevin Smith, Conan, 2 Dope Queens, and Podcasts Galore
2 Dope Queens.
In recent years, the New York Comedy Festival has brought us Anthony Atamanuik’s genius Trump impersonation, pre-President Show; waterworks courtesy of Nathan Fielder; and the “Oh, Hello” guys before they made it big on Broadway. So it’s no surprise that there’s plenty to look forward to during this year’s fest, set for Nov. 7 to 12.
Descendents Ended the House of Vans Summer Series With Some Major Coolidge
(Photo: Jonathan Mehring)
Take a VR Tour of the Floating Pool Proposed For the East River, Narrated By Neil Patrick Harris
Remember the floating pool that garnered a boatful of attention when it was proposed by some friends way back in 2011? Since then it has become one of those things things, like the Lowline, draws inevitable responses of: “Oh yeaaah, whatever happened to that?” Turns out the folks at +Pool are still trying to make their dream of swimming in the East River a reality, and now they’ve got the support of not just Neil Patrick Harris but also Heineken, the same folks who got behind James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem’s quixotic quest to symphonize the subway turnstiles. Together, they’ve all released a new mini doc and VR promo, with Harris as narrator, that allows you to plunge into a virtual version of the plus-shaped pool.
NYC Gets a New Rooftop Pool, at Long Island City’s Ravel Hotel
(Photo courtesy of Profundo Pool Club)
As you can see here, the pool offers of a good number of daybeds for lounging and canoodling, or just catching up on the New Yorker now that they’re throwing the word “cock” around.
The Standard’s New Phone Booth Lets You Drunk-Dial Elected Officials
Most of New York City’s remaining pay phones are just there to be pissed on, but this one is for people who are pissed off. The Standard, High Line has installed a custom phone booth that connects users with their local elected officials. Ring Your Rep, as the project is called, can now be found on the hotel’s plaza, in the Meatpacking District. That’s right, the Meatpacking District. Just imagine how many “u up?” calls Chucky Schumer is about to get.
Spanish Lobster Joint Claws Its Way Out of the Grave
Don’t pour out that sangria just yet.
Last week, we brought word that Francisco’s Centro Vasco had suddenly closed after 38 years in Chelsea, bringing down the curtains on one of the city’s remaining old-school Spanish spots. A note on the door informed customers that the closure would be permanent, and owner Javier Quintans told DNAinfo that he planned to sell the restaurant space and the building. The obligatory Jeremiah’s Vanishing eulogy followed.
The Road Movie Applies a ‘Fly on the Wall Concept’ to Russian Highway Insanity
While the United States ratcheted up sanctions on Russia, a crowd of Russians and Americans alike came together on a Williamsburg rooftop last night to participate in the most universal of pastimes: staring at highway wrecks.
At the Rooftop Films screening of The Road Movie, bartenders poured so-called Russian Road Kills. The drink was a cheeky nod to Dmitrii Kalashnikov’s film, which gathers over an hour of Russian dashboard cam footage, running the gamut from horrifying collisions to car-on-bear chases to negotiations with roadside prostitutes (no, pee play was not discussed). The footage that appears in the film had previously been posted online, so watching it strung together with minimal editing was something akin to disappearing down a YouTube wormhole on a lazy Sunday. Even the breathtaking view from the William Vale’s rooftop was no competition for the surreal landscapes on screen: apocalyptic forest fires, harrowing snowstorms, and comets shooting over sepia-toned cityscapes.
Take a Time-Traveling Ferry to Fire Island With These Photos and Films
Now that Fire Island is the subject of a TV series that’s been described, albeit lovingly, as “guilty-pleasure reality filth,” you have to wonder whether Fire Island will do for the quiet little islands what Jersey Shore did for Seaside Heights. Which is to say, bring a wave of unwanted attention. Will one still find enchantment in the Sunken Forest? Will we still experience boardwalk bliss amidst the chic Horace Gifford homes of The Pines? What about Cherry Grove’s famous tea dances? Will all the cute little deer gnawing on bamboo be scared off by double-decker tour buses? Probably not, since cars aren’t allowed on the Island– but who knows, we might be seeing double-decker Radio Flyers.
‘Cruff’ Your Face With These New Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches
(Photos: Daniel Maurer)
Ice cream sandwiches are officially a trend in the East Village. Just days after Gelarto’s opening, Stuffed Ice Cream is serving up what they call “cruffs”— a word combining ice “cream” and “stuffed.” The specialty here? Glazed donuts that are made in-house, stuffed with homemade ice cream, heated up before serving so that the donut is warm while the ice cream remains cold, and encrusted with the topping of your choice.
Panorama Fest Stranded Everyone On an Island With NIN, Tribe, Tame Impala and More
Panorama returned for its second year, bringing a massive crowd to Randall’s Island for a maze of interactive tech installations, a trippy video dome, food vendors, a pop-up record store by Rough Trade, a ball pit by Macy’s(?), and, oh yeah, an eclectic array of live music. This year’s headliners ran the gamut from soulful crooners Frank Ocean and Solange on Friday to dance-rock heavies Tame Impala on Saturday to Lollapalooza throwbacks A Tribe Called Quest and Nine Inch Nails on Sunday. In between, highlights included Alt-J with an awesome stage show, French electronic rock duo Justice with a set that blew the power out Beyonce Super Bowl-style, and the Parlor stage, which brought bone-rattling Funktion-1 sound to New York dance acts like Tim Sweeney and Mister Saturday Night.