As Maxine walked in to Joe’s Coffee Company near Lincoln Square, everything came to a halt. With her butt swinging from left to right, people took photos of her while making faces that were a mix of a pout and surprise. I couldn’t help but feel cool, knowing that the most desirable lady in the coffee shop was here to see me, no one but me. More →

The Rocakaway concessions were already gearing up this past weekend, with Caracas and the 97th Street fam (Low Tide Bar, La Cevicheria, Edible Island, and High 97, etc.) all open on the boardwalk. In addition, the folks at displaced DIY venue Shea Stadium just announced that they’re programming a summer concert series, featuring Bethlehem Steel and other bands and DJs, at everyone’s favorite burger stand, Rippers. Now, the Riis Park Beach Bazaar, over on the Fort Tilden side of the peninsula, has announced its lineup of vendors and programming. More →

The new incarnation of Essex Market was so packed during its grand opening Saturday that one could barely walk down the crowded aisles of the modern, atrium-like space. Beyond the main entrance on the corner of Delancey and Essex, we were engulfed by the line for cupcakes at Sugar Sweet Sunshine, which now has a stall there in addition to their 16-year-old store on Rivington Street. More →

Before Bad Black screened at Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn last night, there was a promo clip showing commandos dropping out of a fake, obviously green-screened helicopter and machine-gunning Katz’s Delicatessen into a ridiculously large fireball. The clip’s Lower East Side setting was bizarre given that it was a promo for the movies of gonzo director Isaac Nabwana, who has shot over 40 films in his village outside of Kampala, Uganda. Last night the film’s producer and star, Alan Hofmanis, revealed the fun story behind the Katz’s fireball. More →

It’s official: As of today, New York City’s coolest hang spot is in Queens. At the airport. The TWA Hotel opened at JFK today, bringing a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, numerous cocktail lounges, some shops, and even a 10,000-square-foot gym to the newly restored TWA Flight Center. More →

“The place that I really loved, the place we all went to, was the Cornelia Street Café,” says documentary filmmaker Karen Kramer. “We were just devastated when it closed. I almost can’t bear to go down Cornelia Street. But I have to, every day.” More →

George Bliss, who lives in the West Village and builds tricycles, was lamenting the fact that New York has changed. “It used to be much more surprising,” he said. “You never knew what you were going to see walking down the street. Everyone was an individual. Now, most people are trying to conform.” Exactly at the moment he said this, a tall, bearded man wearing a long-sleeved tiger t-shirt, red suspenders, zebra pants, and bigfoot slippers walked past. His mustache was styled into two upward curls on which it looked like you could hang a very small coat.  Gold sunglasses in the shape of hearts covered his eyes. He had a ring through his nose. Items spilled off his top hat, including a unicorn horn, bunny ears, bull horns, and one antler. On his belt loop, several tails—including a crocodile, beaver pelt, and fake felt dragon—swung from his waist, next to mug that said, “I’m famous in Bushwick.” George regarded the bearded man in bigfoot slippers. “You see,” said George. “There used to be many more like him.” More →

Though the L train (non) shutdown seems to get more and more confusing each day, north Brooklyn still remains a prime place to go out at night. Last weekend, Bushwick got a new nightclub with the opening of 444 Club on Irving Avenue, and tonight, Williamsburg restaurant and music venue Gran Torino hosts its gran(d) opening with an open bar and concert. More →

Now that SummerStage, Celebrate Brooklyn!, and Industry City’s Summer Series have announced their lineups, your summer plans are all but set. Today the missing piece of the puzzle falls into place, as Rooftop Films Summer Series has announced its slate of features. More →

I arrived yesterday at Film Forum’s Whit Stillman retrospective dressed not unlike a character in one of his films — tweed Brooks jacket, button-down shirt with gently frayed collar, a general air of the shabby genteel. I hoped he’d approve. I was about to consume three Stillman films in a single sitting — more than five marathon hours of witty, high Protestant banter — and it was an intimidating prospect; surely my most gonzo undertaking yet. More →