Happenings for Week of August 13th

Week of August 13th, 2007

4th Annual 2008 NYC Downtown Short Film Festival - Audience Choice Screenings (C, F)
We will be featuring some of the best short films being produced internationally as well as the work of established actors and directors.We believe these changes will better serve the needs of short film makers and the NYC audiences who want to see these new innovative, challenging and exciting films made by the freshest talent working in film today.
@ Duo Theatre
62 East 4th Street (between Bowery and 2nd Avenue)
August 13th - 15th, 2007
For more information and to buy tickets: downtown



Elvis 30th Anniversary Commemorative Celebration and Exhibition (A, C, M)
As the world celebrates Elvis' legacy on the 30th anniversary of his passing and Jelvis, The Jewish Elvis will present an evening of live performances of the King's music in styles ranging from rock to jazz, from alternative to world. Following will be a three-day exhibition featuring Elvis memorabilia in a collaborative multimedia installation by visual artists, musicians, dancers, poets and Elvis impersonators expressing their 'Inner Elvis'.
@ Ideal Glass Gallery
22 East 2nd Street (between Bowery and 2nd Avenue)
August 16th - 19th
For more information: elvis and ideal

Monday, August 13th, 2007

HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival presents: Casablanca (C, F)
This timeless masterpiece of film takes place at Rick's Cafe Americaine, the gin joint where intrigue, romance, valor and compassion collide at the edge of Europe during WWII. Humphrey Bogart sticks his neck out for nobody, except beautiful Ingrid Bergman, the love who left him years ago in Paris.
@ Bryant Park Lawn
6th Avenue between 40th - 42nd Streets
5 - 11p
The films begin at sunset (between 8-9p)
Free
For more information: film



A Public Conversation with Congressman Weiner Concerning Energy (C, E)
Join Congressman Weiner about energy independence, climate change, traffic and a host of other pertinent green subjects of local, national and global significance. Since 1998, former City Council member Anthony Weiner has represented New York's 9th District (Brooklyn and Queens) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Over the course of his tenure, Congressman Weiner has distinguished himself as an aggressive proponent of progressive energy and environmental legislation, earning a 100% League of Conservation. This year, the Congressman broke with many prominent local transportation and environmental activists by opposing the Mayor's controversial congestion pricing plan and favoring alternative approaches.
@ Stuyvesant Cove Park
FDR between East 22nd and 14th Street and Avenue C
7p
Free
For more information go to: events

Tuesday, August 14th, 2007



Times Square Kiss In (C, S)
Pucker up for peace. Join hundreds in the middle of Times Square to celebrate peace, love and hope and salute the men and women of our Armed Forces. On the anniversary of the end of World War II, the Times Square Alliance invites couples from all generations and of all types to celebrate again in Times Square, in honor of the US Armed Forces and in celebration of the universal ideals of peace, love and hope. A special invitation is extended to couples whose kisses bridge boundaries, be they religious, political, racial, national or otherwise, as well as veterans of WWII, returning veterans from the Iraq War, and couples in costumes commemorating the original 1945 kiss.
@ Times Square/Military Island
at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue (between 43rd and 44th Streets)
@ 1p
Free
For more information: timessquare

Walking Tour: Turtle Bay, Kip's Bay and Beekman Place (C, E, S)
Turtle Bay, the East Side neighborhood north of 42nd Street, is an often-quirky mixture of hotels, tenements, luxury housing, and governmental and institutional buildings. Among the landmarks we'll view will be the United Nations, the Beaux Arts Institute and Apartments, Greenacre Park, luxurious River House, and the homes of Beekman Place. We'll also view the historic Turtle Bay Gardens Houses, a house by modernist architect William Lescaze, and the recreated "historic" Amster Yard. Along the byways, we will run into the names of noted local residents such as Stephen Sondheim, Efrem Zimbalist, Batman, E. B. White, Katharine Hepburn, Walter Cronkite, Pearl Bailey, and Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Meeting Location: Outside the Chrysler Building at the NE Corner of Lexington Avenue and East 42nd Street
6:30 - 8:30p
$15, Payable on Site
For more information: newyork



Baseball Panel Discussion: The Glory Days: New York Baseball 1947 - 1957 (C, E, S)
What do we remember about baseball, and why? What preserves our memories even as the events that spurred them grow more distant? Three notable authors novelist Kevin Baker, biographer Lee Lowenfish, and New York Times sportswriter Alan Schwarz will convene with Glory Days editor and baseball historian John Thorn on the intertwined subjects of memory, history, and nostalgia. What do we remember about baseball, and why? What preserves our memories even as the events that spurred them grow more distant or we come to view them more incisively? Why does this mid-century era supply such fertile soil for literary invention?
@ Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue (@ 103rd Street)
6:30p
$9
For more information and to make reservations: mcny

Smashed Grapes: A Night of Fine Wines, Food and Art (A, D/F, E)
You are invited to a tasting of desperate house wines. Find out what happens when grapes that do not normally grow together get down together. While many of the world's classic wines are blends, these wines stand out for their daring to break rules and cross genres.
No traditions, no limits; just lots of interesting combos of grapes.
@ The Sage Theater
711 7th Avenue (@ 48th Street), 2nd floor
7 - 9p
$45 on line, $50 at the door
For more information and to buy tickets: event

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007



A Tribute to Madonna (A, C, D, M)
Dance + Sing, Get up + Do your thing. Celebrate Madonna's birthday! Madonnathon
Featuring: Madonna Classics Performed Live By: Militia, The Dazzle Dancers,Felicia Collins, Corn Mo, Cathy Cervenka, Kiki Hawkins, La'Shelle and more. Backed by The Material Boys: David Matos, Mike Pieck, Trifon Dimitrov, Guy Finley, Jim Spengler & Claudia Chopek Wear your best Madonna look + sing a song live onstage with the band.
@ BB King Blues
237 West 42nd Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
Doors open at 6p, show starts at 8p
$12 advance, $17 day of show
For more information and to buy tickets: bbking

Wine Seminar and Tasting: How Wine Evolves (C, D/F, E)
When fine wine matures it goes through a remarkable transformation increasing its complexity and depth. However, only a miniscule proportion of the wines produced are capable of benefiting from extended bottle age, so what is in the bottle that allows this extraordinary change to take place? In this seminar we will compare mature bottles with recently released bottles of the same wine, to develop an understanding of how wine successfully evolves in the bottle.
@ Le Du Wines
600 Washington Street (@ LeRoy Street)
$90
6:30 - 8p
For more information and to sign up: leduwine



Lecture: Robert Hammonds speaks about the new high line and it's history (C, E)
How did a pair of Chelsea residents with no government experience line up the City, the State, the von Furstenberg-Dillers, and a huge cast of characters to help turn the West Side's mammoth High Line railroad into a spectacular public space? You've no doubt heard about Hammond and other FHL co-founder Joshua David. Their incredible journey starts with Friends of the High Line's birth in 1999 and takes them through 100 civic and community groups, the New York State Supreme Court, former Mayor Giuliani, the Federal government, and many more allies and adversaries.
@ LGBT Community Center
208 West 13th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
Social Hour 6:30 - 7:30p, program 7:30 - 9p
$10
For more information: highline

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

Gallery Opening and Artists Reception: (A, C, D/F)
Shaftway - Windows and Doors of the Neighborhood
Photographs by Megan Burke
@ Vintage Wine
482 Broome Street (@ Wooster Street)
6 - 8p
Free
For more information: vintage



Dancing on the Plaza: (A, C, D, M)
Salsa Night with Chino Nunez & Friends Orchestra, Salute to Hector Lavoe (C, D, E, M)
Bring a friend, or find one here, for dance instruction followed by dancing to live music under the stars.
@ The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center
Inside the Park at 110th Street (between Fifth and Lenox Avenues)
6 - 8p
Free
For more information: centralpark

Movie Screening: Through the Lens Series: "We Will Not Die Like Dogs" (D, E, F)
Lisa Russell's documentary "We Will Not Die Like Dogs" profiles AIDS activists from four African countries. Providing intimately honest and provocative testimonies from individuals who are living face-to-face with the epidemic on a daily basis, the film is a unique and poignant look at how Africans are responding to one of the continent's deadliest epidemics.
@ Bluestockings
172 Allen Street (between Stanton and Rivington Streets)
7p
$5 to $10 Suggested donation
For more information: bluestockings

Friday, August 17th, 2007

Photo Exhibit: Let Your Motto Be Resistance - African American Portraits (A, C, E)
Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits explores the history of African American achievement from the mid-nineteenth century to the present through the changing roles of photographic portraiture. The photographs, many by noted photographers and portraying distinguished subjects, establish a sense of place and identity and explore both aesthetic and vernacular styles. Among the subjects are such luminaries as actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson; trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis; legendary singer Nat "King" Cole; performing artist Eartha Kitt; opera legend Marian Anderson; jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong; vocalist Sarah Vaughn; choreographer and dancer Judith Jamison; and Harlem Renaissance poet and writer Langston Hughes. The exhibition includes portraits produced by both well-known photographers such as Berenice Abbott, James VanDerZee, Edward Weston, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Carl Van Vechten, and lesser-known or anonymous photographers.
@ International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas (at 43rd Street)
$12
For more information: icp

The National with The Forms & Takka Takka perform in NYC (A, M)
Taking cues from artists like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, even Johnny Cash, these Brooklyn-based Ohians bring their Americana, bar-soaked gems to the pier for this amazing night. With The Forms and Takka Takka.
7p
Free
@ South Street Seaport, Pier 17
FDR between Beekman and Fulton Streets
For more information: river



Book Discussion and Signing: (C, E, L)
Jessica Bruder with Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man
It all began in when a pair of friends burned an eight-foot-tall effigy on Baker Beach in San Francisco in front of an impromptu audience of twenty. Two decades later Burning Man has evolved intoa dazzling annual extravaganza dedicated to radical self-reliance and radical self-expression, attracting nearly forty thousand people. These revelers an eclectic mix of punks, geeks, families, ravers, grad students, gearheads, hippies, and tourists turn the ancient lakebed of Nevada's Black Rock Desert into a bustling city that exists for one glorious week before disappearing in a cloud of ashes and dust. Bruder explores the unique ethos and breathtaking art installations that have shaped the event, along with Black Rock City's distinctive landmarks, pranks, lore, and gift-based economy. Burning Book is a striking tribute to an extraordinary cultural phenomenon for the legions who participate in Burning Man every year, and for those who haven't become part of this unforgettable celebration yet.
@ Barnes and Noble
4 Astor Place (between Broadway and Lafayette)
7p
Free
For more information: bn

Saturday, August 18th, 2007

Texas Exes Whitewater Dam Release Trip (S)
Join us on a ride down the thrill-packed Lehigh River Gorge during dam release. The Army Corps of Engineers frees thousands of gallons of water, and we're going to ride it. Surrounded by state park protected woodlands and mountains, you will enjoy 12 miles and 5 hours of Class III whitewater rafting and outstanding scenery.
Meeting location: 73rd Street and Broadway
9:30 (arrive at 9a to sign in) - 6:30p
$135
For more information and to sign up: outdoorbound
Save $5 - after signing up email: info@outdoorbound.com and let them know you found out about trip from Laura’s List.

Champagne Tasting Class: Gourmet Champagnes (D/F, E)
Many champagne houses offer a wine in their range that falls somewhere between their Brut non-vintage andtheir top of the line Prestife cuvee. While this is not an official designation, we have to come classify these champagnes as ‘gourmet’
@ Flute Gramercy
40 East 20th Street (between Broadway and Park Avenue South)
6 - 7p
$40
For more information and to sign up: flutebar

Home Movies (A, F)
Fragile memories, preserved (and distorted) in motion pictures. Fun, fascinating, personal and profound. Sometimes you've just got to show it like it is. Sometimes you don't want Hollywood or the TV media to filter your experiences. You want real life, straight up. You want Rooftop Films' Home Movies. Rooftop Films' Home Movies show is all about the direct approach, the personal story, the raw humor, humiliation and humanity of real life, captured on video.
@ The Yard
400 Carroll Street (Bond and Nevins Streets) - Brooklyn
8p
$8
For more information and to buy tickets: rooftopfilms

Israeli Folk Dance: Summer Marathon (Code: T-BD5FD55-01) (C, D, S)
Usher in the delights of summer with an Israeli dance marathon.
@ 92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue (at 92nd Street), May Center Gym
$15
8:45pm
For more information call the Israeli Folk Dance Hotline at 212.415.5737

Sunday, August 19th, 2007

Mountaintop Yoga, Hike and Swim (S)
Enjoy a day of hiking, yoga, and swimming. Warm breezes, sunshine, green leaves, trees, fresh oxygen imagine the benefits to your body and spirit. Start with a hike to our yoga spot where we are greeted by calming views. After practice, we hike to the lake for a leisurely lunch and refreshing swim in the lake. Return to the city a new you.
Meeting location: 8:15a Union Square, 8:30a Upper West Side
Returning: 5:00 pm
$75 per day
For more information and to sign up: yoga



Annual Singapore Chili Crab Festival (C, D, D/F, M)
chili crabs and other southeast asian festival foods headline.
Festivities include: Chinatown Young Lion Dancers, Asian Cultural Dancers, Shaolin Martial Artists, Chinese Folk Dancers, Thai Dancers
Riverview
(between 48th and 50th Avenues), Long Island City
12 - 6p
Free admission
For more information:tiger

8th Annual Blues Festival (D/F, M)
Promises to be better than ever featuring the hottest blues artists. while you enjoy the music, amazing local bbq restaurants including brother jimmy's bbq, dallas jones bar-b-que, dinosaur bar b que, hill country and mara's homemade will sell their specialties. come on down and enjoy the sights and sounds. There will be music playing starting at 230p.
@ Hudson River Park's Pier 54 (at West 14th Street)
2 - 9p
Free admission
For more information: hudson


Girlyman (M)
This band creates a rich, poignant, playful sound something like Nickel Creek meets the B-52’s that crosses genres and genders. With its mix of sincerity and humor, and its soaring three-part harmonies, the trio is charming audiences nationwide. After spending the last six years living, cooking meals, writing songs, and even attending therapy together in a cramped New York City apartment, the members of Girlyman are ready to make a change. Perhaps the title track off their new CD, Joyful Sign, says it best: Sometimes leaving is a joyful sign/Like a little child singing, “This little light of mine, gonna let it shine.” The members of Girlyman, all classically trained, trade off songwriting duties and a slew of instruments including acoustic guitar, banjo, baritone guitar, djembe and mandolin.
@ Joes Pub
425 Lafayette Street
(between Astor Place and East 4th Street)
9:30p
$18
For more information and to buy tickets: joespub

Monday, August 20th, 2007

The 26th Annual Downtown Dance Festival (A, C, D)
Battery Dance Company presents a wide range of styles and companies from New York and around the world for the city's longest running free dance festival.
@ Chase Plaza, Nassau Street (between Liberty and Pine Streets)
12p
Free
For more information: river


Key to Activities

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