Yunohama, C-Print 2004 by Asako Narahashi

Location: Chelsea, NYC
Art: Asako Narahashi: half awake and half asleep in the water
Show time: Mon thru Fri 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; through August 22
Venue: Yossi Milo Gallery
Food: Better Burger
Drink: Turks & Frogs
Miscellaneous: City Bakery

In her first solo exhibition in the U.S., photographer Asako Narahashi presents half awake and half asleep in the water, a collection of C-Prints of various coastal sites in Japan that she took while floating chest deep in the ocean with her camera half submerged. The name says it all in it’s mission to serve a burger as Better Burger uses organic, antibiotic, hormone & nitrate free meat and poultry in its quest to offer up a healthier alternative to the classic patty. A great little wine bar in Chelsea, Turks & Frogs has a menu of wine and beer from all over the world, including Turkey, while having the ambiance of being in someone’s home. A must if you’re in Chelsea, City Bakery offers one of the best chocolate chip cookies and thickest and richest hot chocolates in the city. The food is a gourmand’s delight.

Make a Statement by Adding Weight to Your Eyelashes



Who doesn't like to flirt? It's a woman's specialty. A power that we all posses.
And the most wonderful way to flirt is with our eyes. A certain look, a certain twinkle, and most certainly a bat of those lashes!

What can we do to make them work their magic? Find a great mascara.

We want our lashes to look full and long without looking thick and clumpy. So to start, we have to find a great mascara. I’ve found a fabulous product from Maybelline called The Colossal Volume Express. Why you'll love it? It creates 9X the volume instantly. It has a Patented MegaBrush plus Collagen Formula that plumps the lashes one by one to make them look dramatic. Dramatic volume with no clumps. There is no flaking and no smudging.

It lasts all day and comes off very easy with regular soap and water.

I've tried them all and I have to say that even on the hottest days, It stays perfect. From morning to night, blink after blink, wink after wink it keeps me feeling feminine and flirty!

--Meryl Hartstein

Not just a beauty writer, Meryl Hartstein also runs Re-Vamp Cosmetic and Image Counseling. For more info see her website Re-Vamp Counseling

See Central Park from 30 Stories above Central Park While You Still Can

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Event: Central Park Aeroballoon
Show time: 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM through August 22
Venue: Central Park Bethesda Terrace
Food: Island Burgers and Shakes
Drink: Smith’s Bar
Miscellaneous: Colony Music

Get a look at Central Park from another angle; 30 stories above it as helium balloon rides will be available at Central Park Conservatory thorugh August 22 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Olmsted and Vaux's design of Central Park. For a kickass burger or chicken sandwich, Island Burgers and Shakes specializes in making great burgers like the Bourbon Street Burger that’s blackened, with bacon, Jack, bayou mayo, and onion on sourdough. One cheap bar in midtown, Smith’s is a dive bar with cheap booze, friendly locals, and live music daily in the next room. Though the place is way expensive, Colony Music is a fun music store that sells albums and sheet music. You can walk around and check out the entertainment memorabilia. Whether you’re looking for an autographed guitar signed by the Rolling Stones or an autographed 8x10 of Linda Carter, they’ve got it.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Friday August 15

Location: Financial District, NYC
Band: Dirty Projectors + White Williams
Show time: 7:00 PM FREE
Venue: South Street Seaport
Food: Burritoville
Drink: Jeremy’s Ale House
Miscellaneous: Century 21

The Dirty Projectors not only take three-part harmonies to another level, but the whole song form as well, sometimes sounding like they’ve shredded up a song and pieced it back together with care. Check out Rise Above, their re-imagining of Black Flag’s album Damaged. Don’t miss White Williams open with some great electronic pop. While most people buy hot dogs and grab a beer at expensive restaurants in the Seaport mall, you’ll be smart and head over to Burritoville for inexpensive and delicious California inspired burritos, all under $10. For drinks, Jeremy’s Ale House has a lively crowd and a beer list that will get you a pint for $5 and under. If you get down to the financial district early, check out Century 21. They won’t try to sell you some property, but they have some great designer clothing on the cheap, plus the place is huge to roam.

Friday August 15

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: Nailbiters
Show time: 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM FREE
Venue: American Folk Art Museum
Food: Zip Burger
Drink: Subway Inn
Miscellaneous: Kinokuniya Bookstore

Indie-band the Nailbiters play melodic songs that are keyboard driven on record. Here, head biter, David Tucker is joined by Shilpa Ray and the Happy Hookers drummer Josh Fleischmann to make some sweet music together. At Zip Burger they offer farm-raised, organic, and grass-fed meat and poultry, letting you build your own burger with plenty of gourmet toppings. The first time I went to Subway Inn I thought it was completely strange that there was a dive bar off Lexington Avenue, especially in this neck of the woods, but somehow it works. Born in the 30s, this bar has somehow remained, and thank god, as it’s easily the cheapest place in the area for a drink. For fans of Japanese pop-culture, Kinokuniya Bookstore has a large selection of Japanese themed books, videos, CDs, magazines, comics, and stationary.

Saturday August 16

Location: Upper East Side, NYC
Band: Battles + Black Dice +Gang Gang Dance
Show time: 3:00 PM FREE
Venue: Central Park SummerStage
Food: Brother Jimmy’s Bait Shack
Drink: Cavatappo Wine Bar
Miscellaneous: Ship of Fools

Music geeks take notice, math-rock band Battles will be playing Central Park SummerStage along with Black Dice and Gang Gang Dance who both experiment with sounds combining plenty of electronics. Since it’s warm out, what better way to celebrate than with some BBQ. Jimmy’s Bait Shack is known for their BBQ’d meats, smoked in house. The menu is all Southern favorites like po boys, catfish, fried chicken, along with burgers. Though it’s small, Cavatappo Wine Bar packs a mighty punch, offering an amazing selection of wines from all over the world for under $10 a glass. With more than 40 TVs featuring sports, Ship of Fools also has darts, pool tables, and video games.

Saturday August 16

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Band: Burn It Down with Melle Mel and the Planet Rock Crew
Show time: 9:00 PM
Venue: Southpaw
Food: Press 195
Drink: The Gate
Miscellaneous: The Chocolate Room

This show, which is a benefit, will see all proceeds go to the House of Yes, a community art space that burned down. The show will feature Melle Mel, Grandmaster Flash and members of the Furious Five, Os Crunc Tesla (members of Dragons Of Zynth), Che Grand, The Project, Nuclear Family, The Dugout, and Sankofa. Taking the pressed sandwich to the gourmet level, Press 195 offers 30 kinds of hot pressed sandwiches that make this place hard to get tired of. One of the more social bars in Park Slope, The Gate is a great bar with a wide selection of local beers on tap and an outdoor patio overlooking the park. A great little dessert and coffee shop, The Chocolate Room has a menu filled with everything made with some form of chocolate. Try the hot chocolate, you won’t regret it.

Sunday August 17

Location: Upper East Side, NYC
Band: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings + Menahan Street Band +
Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens
Show time: 3:00 PM FREE
Venue: Central Park SummerStage
Food: Jackson Hole
Drink: Metropolitan Museum of Art Balcony Bar and Roof Garden
Miscellaneous: Café Sabarsky

The queen of funk, Sharon Jones is no joke and seeing her with the Dap Kings always guarantees one of the best live shows around. Don’t miss this Daptone records show with label mates Menahan Street Band featuring several Dap members and Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens who both bring the funk and loads of soul. If you like your burgers big, Jackson Hole is where you want to bring your appetite. Home of the 7oz. burger, you can get a beef, turkey, or the veggie kind prepared in a number of ways. Try the Eastside, a bacon cheeseburger topped with ham, mushrooms, tomato and fried onions ($12.50). For drinks on top of the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Balcony Bar and Roof Garden has an amazing view of the city and some delicious cocktails. Located in the Museum of German and Austrian Art, Café Sabarsky offers a menu of traditional Austrian delights like strudel and linzertorte while it’s design is straight out of Europe’s 1920’s.

I Have Fun Everywhere I Go
Mike Edison
Faber & Faber




I Have Fun Everywhere I Go is Mike Edison's fast-paced journey along the fringes of journalism and the magazine publishing industry. It's forbidden territory, and so much of his experience deals with: pornography, illegal drug use, professional wrestling, and sleazy rock and roll.

A shameless Ivy League dropout, Edison writes with a sharp and refreshing wit, willing to risk it all by telling it all. He's been a producer for a horrible B movie; a band-aid on tours with the likes of The Ramones and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion; a spy at a religious cult meeting; a smoking buddy of Ozzy's; and, of course, a writer.

This is the perfect book for someone wanting to live on the edge but afraid of doing so. It's a seesaw ride in which one can't decide if she's more jealous of not having lived this life or thankful she hasn't.

--Christine Thelen

Everyone Loves Neil Diamond

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: Neil Diamond
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Food: Supermac
Drink: Stout
Miscellaneous: Jack’s 99 Cent Store

Though Neil Diamond’s recently released Rick Rubin produced albums are a lot more serious than you may be used to, his shows are still a blast to watch, mixing Vegas show with Neil Diamond’s energetic performances and of course, all the sing-along hits. Though small, Supermac packs a hearty punch with it’s gourmet mac & cheese’s like the Mac Cheesesteak with shaved steak, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, cremini/shitake, provolone, and white American ($8.25 mini; $10.95 mega). A great place in NYC to get a full-bodied dark beer is at Stout. With a very detailed beer list with descriptions, I’ve never had a bad pint at this bar and restaurant, plus the food menu is American and quite good. Probably the biggest 99-cent store in NYC, Jack’s is three floors of some of the finest values you can find, especially in an overpriced area like Herald Square.

Wolf Parade
At Mount Zoomer
Sub Pop






Wolf Parade’s second effort, At Mount Zoomer, is a good record. This is how I feel about it—at the moment. Their first, Apologies to the Queen Mary, was one of my favorite records of the past few years. I have listened to it literally thousands of times, and usually daydream that it is actually my record, that I made. Sadly, it isn’t. :-(

The new album is growing on me slowly. It lacks the bombast of the previous, but it’s interesting nonetheless. “Soldier’s Grin” and “Language City” are my immediate favorites, and are reminiscent of Apologies, with the more driving melodies and grand schemes, but from there the songs really form a different record. I’m having trouble putting my finger on whom they “sound like”: lots of synthy keyboards and fragmented songs. To no avail, I’ll just say that it’s a good record with ‘80s nostalgia’ that makes for a nice listen. It’s sometimes poppy, other times a little droning. If you enjoyed the first record, you’ll probably like this one—after a bit.

--David Levin





She & Him
Volume 1
Merge Records






If you haven't caught wind of She & Him by now, it's time to move out from that rock you've been living under and look into it ASAP. She & Him is comprised of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, two very recognizable names on their own merits. Their first combined effort entitled Volume One leaves us on the edge of our seats, wanting and hoping for more "Volumes" to follow. The twelve songs on the collection combine a bit of country twang with a reminiscent sprinkling of the oldies your parents grew up on. Add to that Deschanel's effortlessly dashing voice, and you've got an impressive first collaboration.

–-Patricia Scull