SWM (Single Water Male) looking for friends, fun. Fred placed a personal ad on the back cover of the new Beverage Spectrum Magazine with hopes of kicking his social life up a notch. That’s hard to do considering he’s currently hanging out and partying 8 days a week (twice on Sunday). But that’s Fred all over. He just loves the nightlife, loves to boogie. And judging by the heroic profile shot above, he’ll have plenty of company next time he takes to the dance floor. Click here to see his full personal ad in all its glory.
Garth Marenghi: Fictional Dreamweaver. Back in the 80s, fictional horror writer Garth Marenghi created a fictional television program called Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. Truly ahead of its fictional time, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace only saw limited fictional release in Peru. Now, for the very first time since the 80s, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is available to a worldwide audience through the BBC and its future non-fictional parent company, Google/YouTube/Pfizer.
Guilty pleasures are those songs that repulse us in theory, but have us singing along in practice. They inspire equal parts joy and self-loathing and compel us to invent grandiose rationalizations, such as, “Dude, if Springsteen wrote 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' as an acoustic ballad, it would have totally made sense on side two of Nebraska.” I believe that, kind of. And yes, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is my greatest guilty pleasure. Somewhere further down my list, say #31 (with a bullet!), is "On The Dance Floor" by the Brooklyn-based Levy. In theory, I’m repulsed by the pouty-lipped, sensitive rogue James “please call me Morrisey” Levy and his musical stylings which generally amount to a vanilla knockoff of a vanilla knockoff (i.e. sounds like a safer Strokes, softer Killers or dead-on Coldplay). That said, "On The Dance Floor" could have been HUGE for the Psychedelic Furs back in the John Hughes days. And that’s not just a rationalization, it’s the truth. I’m pretty sure. posted by William E. Ocean
Top 5 NYC bars that offer more than just booze. Not that there's anything wrong with just drinking, but say perhaps you want to do a bit of internal spring cleaning or you've got a teetotaling friend in town. These are the places you won't feel tempted or guilty because there is other fun to be had.
posted by Penelope Newton
5. Barcade Centipede, Joust, Tapper and Ms. Pac-Man make you forget you never liked fruity microbrews, which this Williamsburg bar offers in abundance. Be warned: alcohol severely impairs your rapid button slapping ability for Track & Field.
4. Bowlmor Lanes Awesome for those nights when you just want to feel like you're at a junior high birthday party, except slightly cooler. Full bowling alley, regular DJ's, club lighting, tasty food and of course, a full bar. You can book private parties to make that dream birthday jam or bar mitzvah come true.
3. Union Hall Aside from pristine indoor bocce courts, Union Hall boasts cozy firesides, plush sofas, a large library, outdoor garden seating, and a downstairs performance venue. All that’s missing are the complimentary pipes and smoking jackets.
2. Hope & Anchor You could go anywhere in Japantown for karaoke and have fun, but for a unique experience head to Red Hook on weekend nights for Drag Queen Karaoke with the lovely Kay Sera. (S)he perfectly sings the Beach Boys and sells New York’s best honey fresh from her upstate apiary.
1. Bushwick Country Club While not even located in Bushwick, this joint offers a multitude of entertainment possibilities from mini-golf to barbecue to an old-school black & white photo booth. You can drink for free if you bring 15 friends for a birthday celebration, and yes, membership has its privileges - like free hotdogs.
Honorable Mention: Water Taxi Beach Beach volleyball with Manhattan views and cold beer. If the weather ever turns, this summer hotspot could give the Bushwick Country Club a run for its money.
Green between the gray. It appears that the cantankerous old man winter is slowly packing up to leave, one sock at a time. Which means that maybe, in another month or two, the thermostat will finally be somewhere above 45 degrees. Regardless, it is officially springtime in New York and everyone is now able to shed that second layer of underwear, as well as the coat that is really just a sleeping bag you can walk in. We can all breath easy knowing that there is now only a 50% chance of a blizzard.
So what's this mean? Well it means that it's time to get away from all the things that drive you insane about the city, without ever actually leaving the city. I'm, of course talking about those little green oases nestled between the concrete and glass. I'm talking about parks.
Actual park, not a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle.
Parks are the domesticated cousin of the woods. We took the wild trees and gave them good health care and room to grow without cutthroat competition and in turn they give us plenty of shade as well as a place to lose our kites and Frisbees. Other advantages parks have over their wild cousins are as follows: You will have a hard time getting lost in a park while this could easily happen in the woods. You have only a moderate chance of running into a bear at any New York green space, while in the woods there is a bear for every tree. If you get hungry in the woods you have to be an expert botanist to find something edible. Most parks have at least one naturally occurring hot dog vendor.
So now is the time to get outside and go where it's okay to run around like a little kid again. Throw a ball, toss a Frisbee or just lay in the grass. These woods are housebroken, might as well take advantage. Go find your closest green island at nycgovparks.org.
