Lucy… she’s home!
Two and a half months after closing her doors, one of the East Village’s most beloved barkeepers– Ludwika “Lucy” Mickevicius– was back in her namesake tavern on Avenue A yesterday, dusting off bottles and offering homemade deviled eggs to excited passersby. More →
Two of New York’s iconic businesses cleared their shelves last weekend as East Village’s Gem Spa had its signage removed and Little Italy’s police supplier John Jovino emptied its gun racks for good. Neither business had been expecting to close before the COVID-19 crisis started. More →
Drive-in movie theaters were briefly a light in the darkness when conventional theaters started closing in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. But when we checked in with them two months ago, many of the drive-ins mentioned in the Times and other outlets were subsequently forced to close by ever more stringent shutdown regulations. With states now reopening, outdoor theaters like the Starlight, in Atlanta, are up and running again, and our favorite New York-area drive-in, the Warwick, is finally about to join their ranks. More →
WEDNESDAY
The Cake Night Show
Wednesday, May 13 on Twitch, 10 pm: FREE (donation suggested)
Since quarantine began, it could be argued that drag queens didn’t get any less visible. After all, if you’re usually going out during Friday’s episode of Drag Race and are now stuck at home, you might as well tune in. But of course, queens aren’t the only type of drag performer out there. There are drag kings, and drag performers who constantly blur the lines of gender. They may not have a mainstream TV show, but they’re doing work that deserves to be seen. Tonight, collective The Cake Boys takes to streaming platform Twitch to give you a show that has drag, yes, but so much more. Structured as an absurd channel-surfing experience, you’ll get peeks of all kinds of creativity, from wacky fitness videos to what very well may be a Satanic version of Bob Ross. Oh, and there’ll be commercials, but not the kinds you’re used to.
More →In April 2019, New York City Council passed the Climate Mobilization Act, which, among other things, requires the placement of green roofs or solar panels on all new roofs throughout the city. With coronavirus putting a temporary pause on nonessential construction projects, effects of the legislation remain in the distant future. More →
Downtown Manhattan’s galleries and bars have started to hum again after almost two months of silence brought on by coronavirus. With most artists working from home while their dealers operate on the internet and the bars that serve them surviving on to-go drinks, the scene is figuring out its new normal along with the rest of the city. Last week I caught up with some of the people still working behind it. More →
As New York’s quarantine began in March, Piece of Cake Moving & Storage saw a spike in the number of customers requesting their services. “A lot of people were scared that the city would shut down,” recalled Voyo Popovic, the moving company’s general manager. Many clients pushed up their moving date from April to March, but the higher volume didn’t carry over into the next month. Piece of Cake completed just 758 moves in April, compared to 924 in March. To keep his business running, the company has lowered its rates, not just to be competitive in the market but also to make sure its employees keep their jobs. More →
With warm weather rescuing the city from the claws of winter, you might be tempted to stroll through a weekend street market. But this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Hester Street Fair won’t be filling Seward Park with food vendors, jewelers, artisans, designers, and indie entrepreneurs as usual. Instead, the beloved weekend fair is going virtual, and pitching its tents on the internet. More →
When New York’s restaurants were forced to close their dining rooms on March 16, many decided to keep their lights on by switching to a charity model. Over the last six weeks, dozens of restaurants have launched fundraising campaigns with the mission of feeding frontline workers while keeping their employees on payroll. The headlines are heartwarming, but how are these endeavors actually working out? More →
The Japanese dish known as Jingisukan, or Genghis Khan, takes its name from the legend that Mongol warriors cooked lamb over their helmets. At Dr. Clark, a new Hokkaido-inspired restaurant in Chinatown, the plan was for diners to cook their marinated lamb and vegetables at their tables, using cast-iron skillets resembling Genghis Khan’s helmet. But when the coronavirus shutdown scuttled the restaurant’s March 15 opening, the operators had to shelve the armored skillets and come up with another plan of attack. More →