Happenings for Week of April 9th, 2007

Monday, April 9th, 2007

Lecture: From Sin to Self-Expression: (A, C, E, F/D)
The British and Their Possessions, 1830-1945
At what point did the British develop their mania for interiors, wallpaper, furniture, and decoration? Why have the middle classes developed such a passionate attachment to the contents of their homes? In this lecture, historian Deborah Cohen will offer a surprising and counterintuitive answer: modern consumer society had its roots in early 19th-century religious fervor. She will discuss how consumerism shed the taint of sin to become the preeminent means of expressing individuality during the Victorian era. The dictum that taste was a moral necessity transformed home decoration into a virtue, opening an entire sphere of self-fashioning in the pursuit of self-fulfillment. Dr. Cohen will also explore how the Victorians reconciled their newfound prosperity with moral good, a crucial episode in the making of modern materialism. This program will conclude with a book signing and reception.
@ Bard Graduate Center
38 West 86th St (between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West)
6 - 8p
$20
For more information and to buy tickets: bgc

Book Discussion and Signing - Suburbanization of New York (A, C)
In a series of essays, each by a New Yorker taking on a specific locale or topic (Harlem, Orchard Street, "the City of Perpetual Arrival"), this book wrestles with the question posed in the subtitle, and what it means if the answer is yes. Eric Darton's "News from Nowheresville," in which he discusses Robert Moses's Coliseum and the "vertical mall" that replaced it-the Time Warner Center-makes a telling example, rendered ineffective by glib overstatement. Bright spots do shine through, including Suzanne Wasserman's quick-and-dirty history of the disappearing neighborhood fair and the rise of street fair corporations like Mardi Gras Productions.
@ BookCourt
163 Court Street (between Pacific and Dean Streets), Brooklyn
7p
Free
For more information:
bookcourt or amazon

Kuntry Karaoke with Rob Ryan and the Brooklyn Country All-Stars (D/F, M)
C’mawn down and warble, yodel & caterwaul yer favorite Hank, Willie, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Dolly, Evis or what have you, all with a live backing band. Little ole Live Band Kuntry Karaoke was born a year ago at Hank's Saloon in honky tonk Brooklyn. Rob Ryan and his band of Brooklyn Country All Stars play their hearts out backing up all you shower singers that always wanted to get up on stage and warble your way through the best of country, southern, and classic rock.
@ Hanks Saloon
46 3rd Avenue (@ Atlantic Avenue), Brooklyn
9p
Free (including BBQ)
For more information: hanks

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007



Art Exhibit: Martín Ramírez (A, E)
He has created nearly 300 drawings of remarkable visual clarity and expressive power within the confines of DeWitt State Hospital in northern California, where he resided the last 15 years of his life. Ramírez has been codified primarily as a “schizophrenic artist”; this project promises to go beyond the boundaries of Ramírez’s diagnosis of mental illness and consider the artistic quality and merit of his artwork. In this way, Ramírez’s works will be understood and appreciated for the complex, multilayered drawings that they are.
@ American Folk Art Museum
45 West 53rd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
$9
For more information: folk

Artist Talk with Dan Graham (A, C, E)
Dan Graham will talk about his live video pieces from the 1970s. These works were created using closed-circuit cable television technology and incorporated into architectural installations using corporate building materials and design concepts. Actively engaging the viewer, Graham's first pieces were perceptual inquiries into the boundaries between private and public spaces and the audience and performer. The viewer's perception was manipulated and displaced through the use of various devices, including video, time delay, projections, surveillance and mirrors.
@ Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI)
535 West 22nd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues), 5th Floor
6:30p
Free, though RSVP, email: info@eai.org

Educational Lecture: Nature and Place (C, E)
Carol Franklin, a landscape architect, reflects on how river-based park systems serve to protect regions, cities, and neighborhoods from the worst effects of urban sprawl.
@ New York Historical Society
170 Central Park West (@ 77th Street)
6:30p
$25
For more information: nyhistory to register call: 718.817.8747

Looking at: Jazz - Jazz Innovators: From Bebop, to Hard Bop, to Cool and More (C, E, M)
Moderated by Jazz Educator and Author Krin Gabbard, Tribeca PAC’s new jazz film series “Looking At: Jazz” explores the history of jazz and the unforgettable musicians that gave it life. Along with the notable “Lost Jazz Shrines” and “Jazz in Progress” concerts series, Tribeca PAC continues its commitment to educate and entertain jazz audiences through a new medium, film. This is a special series brought to you by the National Video Resources, American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Arts.
@ Tribeca Performing Arts Center
199 Chambers Street (between Greenwich Street and West Side Highway)
8p
Free
For more information: bmcc

Wednesday, April 11th, 2007

Wine Tasting: Great Italian Discoveries (D/F, E)
2005 Renato Ratti Barbera d’Alba “Torriglione”, Langhe, Italy (new)
2004 Lacrima di Morro D’Alba, Marches, Italy
@ Pour
321 Amsterdam Avenue (@ 75th Street)
6 - 8p
Free
For more information: wines



Dinner and a Movie: Unknown White Male (A, C, D/F, F)
Douglas Bruce was a British expatriate living in New York City who in the early morning hours of July 3, 2003, found himself on a subway train heading toward Coney Island, with no memory of who he was, where he lived, or how he ended up on the subway. Bruce ended up asking a policeman for help, and was checked into the psychiatric ward at Coney Island Hospital. As doctors struggled to find out what had happened to him, he was admitted simply as "unknown white male." In time, a phone number in Bruce's wallet led doctors to a friend who identified him, but he himself still had absolutely no memory of his past. Rupert Murray was an old friend of Bruce's who heard about his condition and came to visit him with camera in tow and a stack of old home movies to reintroduce Bruce to his past. However, when he arrived in New York, Murray saw an old friend, but found a courteous but wary stranger looking back, and found that the "new" Douglas Bruce was in many ways a different man than the old Bruce. Murray followed Bruce as he struggled to relearn his own life, understand the history he could no longer recall, and grew into a new person with a new personality, and Unknown White Male is a documentary assembled from Murray's footage of both the new and old Dougs.
@ Zanny’s Café
975 Columbus Avenue (@ 108th Street)
7:30p
$13 Pre Fixe Cinema Special (any menu item, a glass of wine or beer and dessert)
For more information or to make a reservation: zannys

John Butler: An American Master (C, D)
The John Butler Foundation presents Richmond Ballet, artists of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Fugate/Bahiri Ballet/NY and guests Desmond Richardson and Tai Jimenez to bring the raw power of butler's work to the stage for a fresh look at his legendary contribution to the evolution of 20th Century dance. From the drama of Carmina Burana, his signature piece, to the intensity of After Eden, A Portrait of Billie, and Othello, this retrospective offers a new look with an intimate experience that celebrates Butler's choreographic genius.
@ Joyce Theater
175 8th Avenue (@ 19th Street)
7:30p
$42
For more information and to buy tickets: joyce

Thursday, April 12th, 2007

Gallery Opening and Artists Reception: Natural Circuits (A, E)
This exhibit brings together artists who employ a variety of media and technologies to create innovative aesthetic strategies for fashioning images and experiences that reflect on how we see the world around us. Each of the artists shares in employing interactive means to engage the viewer directly in the reception of the artwork. The artists rework technologies to shape an intertextual engagement with a variety of materials in artworks that change as they unfold in time and through viewer participation.
@ Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery
601 West 26th Street (@ 11th Avenue), Suite 1240
6 - 8p
Free
For more information: bryce



Slide Lecture: Synagogues and Former Synagogues of the Lower East Side (C, E)
Dr. Stuart Stritzler-Levine will show slides of Lower Manhattan’s current and former synagogues. He will focus on the changing Lower East Side and the continuing Jewish history in NYC.
@ Visitor Center and Book Shop (Lower East Side Tenement Museum)
108 Orchard Street (between Delancy and Broome Streets)
6p
Free
For more information call: 212.374.4100 ext.1

Art Lecture: Bruno Mathsson: Eager to Shape a Better Future (A, C, E)
A fifth-generation cabinetmaker, Bruno Mathsson became an architect and designer through determined self-education, and by reading periodicals and books on design borrowed from the library of the Röhsska Museum of Design and Applied Art in Göteborg. Convinced that modernism could improve the quality of life for everyone, he designed furniture suited to the body, as well as homes, schools, and exhibition halls that sensitively integrated the natural world. In this lecture, curator Hedvig Hedqvist will trace Mathsson’s career and discuss the impact on his work of international exposure, which brought him greater success, but challenged his determination to retain control over its production and distribution. Personally acquainted with Mathsson during his later years, Hedqvist will discuss the idealism and self-possession that shaped his work and the fervent interest in experimenting with materials and techniques that would influence the future of design.
Bard Graduate Center
38 West 86th Street (between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West)
6 - 8p
$20
For more information and to sign up: bard

Friday, April 13th, 2007

White Wine and Cheese Pairing (D/F)
Join Jean-Luc Le Dû and Nora Singley from Murray's Cheese as they steer us through the tricky world of wine and cheese pairings. No single wine will work with every cheese, so what does make a great wine and cheese match? What role does texture, pungency and sweetness play? Is white wine really a better match than red for cheese?
@ Le Du Wine
600 Washington Street (@ LeRoy Street)
6:30p
$30, seating is limited and reservations are required
For reservations call us on 212-924-6999
For more information: ledu



Todo Tango (C, D, M)
Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra with Arturo O'Farrill and special guest Pablo Aslan
Dancers step closer when jazz treads on South American shores. Tango crusader, composer, bassist and arranger Pablo Aslan joins the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra with Arturo O'Farrill as they explore the dynamic intersection where jazz and tango converge. Join us as we celebrate the living tradition of tango with performances including the legendary music of Astor Piazzolla, along with new works that pay tribute to the rich musical culture of Argentina.
@ Rose Theater - Time Warner Building
Broadway @ 60th Street
8p
$37.50 - $127.50
For more information and to buy tickets: jalc

The Losers Lounge: Tribute to Hall & Oates (M)
For the first time ever, The Losers Lounge will
Make-a Your Dreams Come True, with this very special night of Rock 'N Soul. For all of the Man Eaters, Rich Girls, Private Eyes and anyone looking for a little Adult Education.
@ Joes Pub
425 Lafayette Street (between Astor and 4th Street)
9:30p
$25
For more information and to buy tickets: losers

Saturday, April 14th, 2007



Whitewater Rafting on the Housatonic (S)
What better way to kick off spring than an exciting day of whitewater fun? This is the most intense whitewater to be found locally and it is only open for rafting in the month of April.
Our licensed whitewater guides will take you on an 8-mile, 3 hour ride down class IV & V rapids. Whitewater rafting the spring runoff through Bulls Bridge Gorge is not for the apprehensive. For most of the year, the Gorge is left dry due to a 2-mile bypass canal. But normal spring runoff flows into the gorge, creating Class V white water rapids, among the most difficult in New England.
Time: 7:45 - 5:30p (meet at 7:30 for check-in)
Meeting Place: 73rd Street and Broadway, NE corner (in front of Apple Bank)
Cost: $149
For more information and to sign up: outdoorbound
Save $5.00 - after signing up email: info@outdoorbound.com and let them know you found out about trip from Laura’s List.



The Art of Steak (D/F, E)
Learn the ‘secrets’ of a New York Steakhouse from one of the Top 10 Best Steakhouses in New York City. Students will learn how to choose the ‘right steak’ for preparing at home with Executive Steven Stamm’s easy tips for cooking like a pro in your own kitchen. Experience quick and simple sauces to accompany your steak such as cool horseradish cream and port wine and Portobello sauce. Then taste the variety of different cuts of beef served at Nicks and Stefs. For the seafood lover, there’s a delicious entrée featuring jumbo shrimp that includes stuffed shrimp with Maryland crabmeat and three citrus sauce. Recipes will be provided to take home along with a gift of Nick and Stef’s signature steak seasoning.
@ Nick and Stef’s Steakhouse
9 Penn Plaza - Madison Square Garden
33rd St. and 8th Avenue
12 - 2p
$75
For more information and to sign up: cooking

Walking Tour: Woodside, Queens (D/F, E, S)
We’ll cross continents (and overeat) as we wander through one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Queens including New York City’s ‘Little Manila’, Little Dublin and a little of Mexico, France, China, Uruguay, Thailand, Chile, Korea, Cuba, Indonesia and more.
Meet @ Vincent Daniels Square
52nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Queens
2:30p
$33
For more information and to sign up: nosh

Vodka Tasting (D/F, E)
Come down town and taste some Tuthilltown Spirits Vodka
@ Astor Wines and Spirits
399 Lafayette Street (@ 4th Street)
3 - 5p
Free
For more information: wines



Les Sans Culottes (celebrating their "Le Weekender" CD release) (C, M)
John Pinamonti, Formaldehyde BluesTrain, The shirts, and DJ Ben "the beyonder" Carlin. New York City's number one fake French band, Brooklyn's Les Sans Culottes have taken the whole faux-French-band thing pretty far-the group's live shows are superenergetic, fake-multicultural events. You might not learn anything about French culcha, but you'll probably hop around like a lunatic, just like the terrific backup singers do.
@ Southpaw
125 Fifth Avenue (between Sterling Place and St. John’s Place), Brooklyn
$12
8p doors open, 9p show starts
For more information: sounds or sansculottes

Sunday, April 15th, 2007

Piano Recital by Zoya Shuhatovich (C, M)
Zoya will perform a variety of classical works, including pieces by renowned Spanish composer, Isaac Albeniz. Presented in collaboration with the Association for Puerto Rican and Hispanic Culture.
@ Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue (at 103rd Street)
2p
Free with Museum admission, admission $9
For more information: mcny



Movie Screening: Hitchcock’s Rear Window (F)
A famous photographer is holed-up in his apartment with a leg cast. Bored, he voyeuristically starts to look across the courtyard into his neighbor’s apartments and sees an act of violence that goads him and his girlfriend into investigating what became of the victim.
@ Symphony Space, Leonard Nimoy Thalia
2537 Broadway (@ 95th Street)
3:45p
$10
For more information and to get tickets: symphony

Lecture: Walter Isaacson with Charlie Rose: On Albert Einstein (Code: T-LC5LH06-01) (C, E)
Isaacson recently completed the first full biography of Albert Einstein since all of the brilliant scientist’s papers were made available to the public, revealing new insights into Einstein’s life, times and genius. Isaacson is president of the Aspen Institute. He has been chairman and CEO of CNN and managing editor of Time magazine. Isaacson is the author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and Kissinger: A Biography.
@ 92nd Street Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall
1395 Lexington Avenue (at 92nd Street)
7:30p
$25 - $50
For more information and to buy tickets: 92y

Monday, April 16th, 2007

Speed Dating (S)
Meet as many members as you can in one evening. Speed Dating is a great way to meet many people and get your love life up and running before the summer starts. In case you've never done it. Speed Dating is a relaxed, friendly, fun way to meet several members of the opposite sex through a series of short Speed Dating "mini-dates". You will "date" each person for 5 minutes each over the course of the evening. We will have a 15 minute mingling break during the evening and the event will be approximately 2 hours.
Theme: Jewish Singles, ages 30s - 40s
Madame X: Upstairs Lounge
94 West Houston Street (Thompson and La Guardia Streets)
6:30p
$25
For more information and to sign up: reallive

Key to Activities

A Art
C Cultural
D Dance
D/F Drink/Food
F Film
E Education
L Literature
M Music
NP Non-Profit
P Party
S Sport