Last week, when New York City ordered bars, restaurants and venues to reduce their capacity by half, the self-declared “world’s smallest venue” became even smaller. It’s capacity, to begin with, was only 30. More →
There’s been a few “last nights of normal” this past week: the night the national emergency was declared, the last night of church services, and on Monday, the last night of regular bar and food service. And it was a brief one. Every bar I visited on Monday was observing the 8pm statewide closing and regulars came in for less-than-social-distanced drinks before what would’ve been the biggest drinking day of the year. More →
In Greenwich Village this week, a sex workers pop-up exhibition is attracting attention. Bondage rope draped loosely from the ceiling along with objects like high heels, dildos, and leather belts represent sex workers’ collective memory and the ritual of letting go. Three rows of red umbrellas attached to the ceiling symbolize resistance to oppression and discrimination around the world. More →
With a single-use plastic bag ban in effect as of this month, carryout bags will soon be long gone. Reusable tote bags are coming right to the rescue, which is probably a good thing: they’re environmentally friendly and fashion-forward. And unlike those 5-cent paper bags, you don’t even need to buy one, since you can get many of them via subscriptions and purchases. Whether you’re a foodie or a fashionista, we’ve got you covered with this list of fashionable freebies. More →
Good Bar grand opens tonight right at the start of Bedford Avenue on the Greenpoint/Williamsburg border. The self-described “record listening bar” hopes to add to the local DJ scene that its sister nightclub, Good Room, has been cultivating for the past seven years. More →
Everyone wants to design the most Instagrammable restaurant. But the team behind Aura Cocina & Bar wants you to put your phone down and appreciate the surroundings when visiting Aura Cocina & Bar. Tucked in the corner of a former warehouse complex, the new Cuban-Asian fusion restaurant sets out to bring a bit of vintage Havana to East Williamsburg. More →
In the past it could take 30 minutes to get a table on weekends, the queue snaking outside or crowding the entrance on winter nights. Both floors of Hall of Fame Billiards, a cavernous pool hall in Bay Ridge, would be packed. More →
The first thing you notice about South Brooklyn Weightlifting Club is the quiet. The half-dozen squatters and deadlifters work in near-silence, save only for their deep, intentional inhales and exhales. More →
Baking cakes for dogs was not Anna Scala’s initial call into the world of niche desserts. She started with erotic cookies. Her artistic passion drove her to create things that other people would not normally do and Pornolicious Cookies, the short-lived business that preceded Dog Cakes for Dogs, was the creative outlet she had been searching for. More →
Maxwell Schiano was leaving the Apple store on Fifth Avenue and 59th St. when he was struck by the glow of a food cart at 3am, with barely anyone around. “My train of thought just stopped and I had to photograph it,” he said. That moment inspired Schiano to launch his NYC Food Cart Zine project on Kickstarter. More →