Musings: Woodstock Reminds Me that I am Aging
So I must be living under some kind of rock, but while I was at Barnes & Noble today I just realized that its the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.
I was born in 1981, so obviously I wasn’t alive when the first Woodstock took place, but I was alive 15 years ago when they had the 25th anniversary concert. I remember this because it was 7th grade. I never miss an excuse to have a party, and I had delayed the celebration of my half-birthday, which is in March (I’m certainly NOT celebrating any half-birthday’s these days!). IN order to commemorate the occasion, I had a fabulous sleep over party with all of my tweeny bopper friends, and my parents were nice enough to let us get Woodstock on Pay-per-View. We also watched My Boyfriend’s Dead which was awful, but I believe we though that Matthew McConaughey was cute and that’s why we watched it. My parents probably would not have been so keen on us watching Woodstock it if they knew that Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon was going to be exposing himself to the crowd and people were going to be crowd surfing buck naked. I imagine it going very similarly to when my Dad came home when I was 17, and my friends and I were watching Boogie Nights. I told him it was a documentary, he didn’t buy it.
Twelve was an awkward age, and I would never want to go back to it. But there’s something to be said about when your biggest problem was the fact that a boy who peaked at 13 didn’t like you, when something as simple as watching Blind Melon on Pay-per-View or watching a crappy movie made you happy. But maybe its just a reminder to simplify my life.
Or maybe its just a fantastic memory, and just not that deep.
Free/Cheap: BoCoCa Arts Festival
One of the great things about living in New York is stumbling upon something you didn’t even know was happening. That’s exactly what happened to me tonight. I went to Brooklyn (I know, I know) to accompany my friend Marci on a bar crawl of sorts to gather information for an article she’s writing for her Media Bistro writing class. While we were in Ceol Irish Pub (191 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY; 347.643.9911), we discovered that there was a play going on in the back room and live music later that night as part of the BoCoCa Arts Festival. The festival, produced by Husky Dog Productions, seeks to bring together the Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill communities through music and art. Sounds pretty good to me!
The bad news is that the festival has been going on since July 17th. The very good news, however, is that its still going on, and will be until Sunday July 26th. I am out of commission for the rest of the weekend since the New York City Triathlon is this Sunday and I will be engaging in lots of sleeping and various other activities until then, but that doesn’t mean you have to be!
Many of the live music offerings are free, but admission is required for everything everything else, and costs a uniform price of $16. When you consider how much it costs to see a Broadway play, this is essentially peanuts. Tickets can be purchased in cash at the door, or by going to the Brown Paper Tickets website.
Here’s the schedule for the rest of the week:
Friday, July 24th
5:00 pm – The Border Project ($16), KMBS (Archip Gallery Theater, 498 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 917.862.8710)
7:30 pm – One Night the Rain ($16), Slick Fillings of Aches & Cavities ($16), Jazzpolution (Deity Bar & Lounge, 368 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY; 718.222.3692)
8:00 pm – Twelfth Night (Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, 185 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 718.858 5100; $16)
9:00 pm – The Divine Will of Ryan Morgan (Archip Gallery Theater, 498 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 917.862.8710; $16)
Saturday, July 25th
1:00pm – She Stoops to Conquer (Archip Gallery Theater, 498 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 917.862.8710; $16)
4:00 pm – The Divine Will of Ryan Morgan (Archip Gallery Theater, 498 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 917.862.8710; $16)
6:00 pm - Twelfth Night (Brooklyn Heights Montessori School,185 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 718.858 5100; $16)
7:00 pm – Iris, I Oboe You Nothing Duo (Fiona & Ryan’s Art Exchange, 362 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY; 718.422-7982; $16)
8:00 pm – The Border Project ($16), Aprille Goodman (Archip Gallery Theater, 498 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 917.862.8710)
Sunday, July 26th
2:00 pm – Twelfth Night (Brooklyn Heights Montessori School,185 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 718.858 5100; $16)
4:00 pm – The Border Project ($16), PROJECT Trio (Archip Gallery Theater,498 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY; 917.862.8710)
6:00 pm – Iris, Bill Rozar (Fiona & Ryan’s Art Exchange,362 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY; 718.422-7982; $16)
7:00 pm – Festival Closing Party (Bell House, 149 7th Street; 718.643.6510; $16) – Featuring five bands: Spanish Channel, BR & Timebomb, Loud Apt, Diet Kong, and Morning Code.
Weekend Update: Authentic Restaurant Experiences, The Office, and Suburban Bliss.
This weekend was pretty low key. I stayed in on Friday night in anticipation of the BRick (a triathlon term meaning Bike, Run, legs feel like “ick”) I had to do on Saturday morning, but unfortunately never made it out of bed. I’ve been sleeping at weird hours lately, and it needs to stop. I will sleep 8 hours a night, but from like 6 am to 2 pm or something ridiculous like that. I’m missing daylight, not getting enough vitamin D, and getting zero accomplished.
Simit, Courtesy of Wikipedia
Saturday I went to the IstanbulLive Turkish music festival at Summer Stage in Central Park with Sharon. Or, I should say I attempted to go to the Turkish music festival. We showed up an hour after it started, and couldn’t get in. Who knew that Turkish music was so popular? Then again, I suppose one cannot underestimate the power of a free event in the park on a sunny Saturday. Sharon and I lingered around outside, where I was eyeing up a woman with a delicious looking simit, but then got bored and left. We finished off the night with beers at Doc Watson’s (1490 Second Avenue, between 77th and 78th), and with dinner at A La Turka (1417 Second Avenue at 74th Street). A La Turka, if not for the food, is service-wise one of the most Turkish experiences that you can have in New York City. Those of you who have beern to Turkey will understand exactly what I mean. For those of you who haven’t – think the surliest possible service ever, a non-existent bartender, and a hostess who doesn’t even write your name down while you are waiting for a table. Get it? Good. The lamb yogurt kepab and the sigara boregi (turkish feta with dill wrapped in phyllo dough and fried…can you say delicious?) were the only saving grace.
On Sunday, I went to visit my college friend Danielle in Connecticut. I try to get out there every three months to save her and her husband from the monotony of suburban life, and to make sure that their son, Brennen, actually remembers who I am. I do make an impression, but my effect on those who are under the age of three is still inconclusive.
So, what’s on the agenda for this week?
Tonight was my last travel writing class, and the entire class got together at La Nacional (239 W. 14th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues), which is an adorable low key cafe underneath the Spanish Benevolent Society. I’ve apparently been having a lot of authentic meals in this city lately, because La Nacional, too was one of the most authentic Spanish meals that I’ve had in this country. The, served in an enormous cast iron traditional skillet, was brimming with seafood of all kinds: shrimp, clams, mussels (and a little chicken snuck in there as well). All in all, we had a great time, and essentially each polished off our own pitcher of refreshing sangria. Travel writing buddies — I’ll miss you guys, and good luck on your summer adventures!
Also, this week I am on the search for an “office” where I can go during the day to do work. Last week I posed the question of which cafes I can go to in the city to do work during the day. Nobody seemed to have an answer, although two of my friends questioned why I would want to leave my apartment where I can nap and have the liberty to run about with no pants on. This is an excellent question, but the answer is basically that I cannot be trusted to get anything done while my fluffy queen sized bed is only feet away, and without pants (or at least a skirt on). When one is unemployed, one must stay busy.
Anyway, the bottom line is that I’ve realized that this is a fabulous mission. So this week I’ll be going to various locations throughout the city: cafes, Starbucks, parks, &c. in order to determine which are the best locations for getting work done.
So that’s it for now. I will continue compulsively exercising (see pic me in wetsuit), unsuccessfully teaching Mr. J to walk on a leash, and going to museums. Look out this week for my review of Vintage Irving’s 20 for $20 wine special that the Real Estate-trix and I went to last Tuesday, and of my museum of the week review of the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the Museum of Natural History which I visited last Thursday. I’ve also compiled a list of museums that have suggested admission prices, and deals on specific days, as I’ve realized that there is no such comprehensive list anywhere on the internet. There are various lists floating about, but some of them are not accurate, and few are totally comprehensive. Hopefully this will be of some use to all of you as well! Look for a post tomorrow.
That’s all for now… I’m out!
Free/Cheap: Outdoor Concerts this Weekend and Next Week (June 27-July 2)
Now I don’t want to jinx myself, but I think the weather has turned. And that means one thing — I want to ditch the inside of my shoe box apartment for the great outdoors. And while I’m in the great outdoors, I want to listen to some great music. I was riding my bike past SummerStage last night. Ziggy Marley was playing on my first loop of the park, and 45 minutes later, 311 was playing on my third. It was a small taste of what is only to come for the rest of the summer.
I don’t know about you, but I want more outdoor concerts. So here are the offerings in NYC for this weekend and next week (Saturday, June 27th – Thursday, July 2nd). All concerts are free unless otherwise noted:
- Summerstage (Rumsey Playfield, Central Park. East side between 69th and 72nd Streets)
- Saturday, June 27 – 3-7 pm - Istanbul Live: The Sounds and Colors of Turkey featuring Mazhal-Fuat-Ozkan, Painted on Water featuring Sertab Everer & Demir Demirkhan, and the NY Gypsy All-Stars with Hushru Serilendrici and Special Guests. I have been obsessed with Turkish music ever since I visited Istanbul and Central Anatolia last fall. I suspect Sharon and I might be the only people on the lawn, but that’s okay. More space for me! And there will be Turkish food and art in addition to music.
- Sunday, June 28 – 3-7pm – Ledis/Esperanza Spalding and Jonathan Batiste. For the jazz lovers out there.
- Tuesday, June 30 – 5:30-10:00pm – Explosions in the Sky, the Constantines and Castanets. This is a benefit concert to support SummerStage this summer, so tickets to this event cost $25.
- Celebrate Brooklyn Concert Series (Prospect Park Bandshellm, Prospect Park W and 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY)
- Saturday, June 27 – 7pm – Dr. Dog, Phosphorescent, and these United States will be mixing up a folk, blues, indie rock, soul and bluegrass fusion. $3.
- Harlem Meer Performance Festival (Charles A. Dana Discovery Center @ 110th Street between 5th and Lenox Avenues, inside Central Park)
- Sunday, June 28 - 2-4pm - Jazz Museum in Harlem All Star Big Band. More for the jazz lovers this week!
- Madison Square Music (Madison Square Park Oval Lawn, East 24th Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway)
- Wednesday, July 1 – 6pm – Madison Square Park’s Bluegrass and Blues Night. The Claire Lynch Band, and Missy Raines & The New Hip will be rocking for the bluegrass portion. For the BBQ portion, Hill Country BBQ will have an in-park BBQ pit.
- BAM’s R&B Festival at Metrotech (Metrotech Commons, Corner of Flatbush & Myrtle Avenues, Brooklyn, NY)
- Thursday, July 2 – 12:00pm – Toshi Reagon will be performing what has been described as a blend of gospel, funk, and R&B. 12:00pm is a wonky time, but if you have a flexible schedule or are unemployed, its worth an appearance.
- Summer in the Square (Union Square Park)
- Thursday, July 2 – 6:00pm - Elissa Peimer will perform an indie pop rock fusion.
Afternoon Delight for Carnivores – Snapple Big Apple BBQ Review
It could best be described as a meat orgy. Hundreds of New Yorkers, sweating through their ironic T-Shirts together in a fountain turned off specifically for this occasion gnawed on sausage and ribs and brisket, sauce dripping down their faces and fingers. As I snapped pictures, people barely noticed my presence, more entranced in their Kansas City BBQ Ribs than in how their hair looked for their photo op. The Romans could not have created a better scene — it was pure gluttony, pure ecstasy…and fabulously of all, it was right in Madison Square Park.
Kelly and I went to the 7th Annual Snapple Big Apple BBQ on Sunday, June 14th, and it could be described as nothing short of a carnivore’s delight. We braved the lines, heat, smoke, and immediate danger to our arteries for the love of brisket and pulled pork, and let me tell you — it was worth it.
Calling all 'cue fans! (c) Alaina Morgan, 2009.
If I had to do this all over again, I would probably have gone with multiple people and ordered a BBQ Fun Pass in advance (these had to be purchased by May 31st on the website). They came with $100 pre-loaded and a special express line. All in all, however, I found most people’s advance warnings to be histrionic. Their warnings that the lines were an hour and a half long were extreme exaggerations. Kelly and I didn’t wait at all for Brisket at Hill Country BBQ, waited about 15 minutes for Pulled Pork at Blackjack BBQ, and waited about 10 minutes for a Brownie a la mode from Blue Smoke Desserts.
Our first food stop was Hill Country, located on which was serving Brisket and Cool as a Cucumber Salad, and surprisingly did not have a line in front of it. Hill Country is notorious for long waits in their NYC restaurant so it was surprising that there were no lines out front. But, this is exactly the type of situation Hill Country staff is equipped for — enormous lines of people — since that’s the way their restaurant is set up. At any rate, no complaints for me. We grabbed our Brisket ($8), which included lean and “moist” (a.k.a. fatty) selections, and walked over to our second stop, Blackjack BBQ.
The moist brisket had a bit too much fat for my taste, but the lean brisket had the perfect ratio of meat to fat with a buttery melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Complimented beautifully by Hill Country’s BBQ sauce and sweet yet vinegary cool as a cucumber salad, it was the perfect “snack” to have while waiting on line for our second meal of the day — Blackjack BBQ’s Pulled Pork and Cole Slaw.
Although Blackjack BBQ, which is based in Charleston, SC , had a fifteen minute wait, it was worth it for one reason — the sauce. The pulled pork ($8) was tender and salty, but could have used additional smoking. The cole slaw was crispy and fresh, but lacked flavor. But the sauce! Blackjack used their “Special Reserve” Butterscotch Bourbon sauce over the Pulled Pork which will mask anything. I am considering investing in a bottle and bringing it with me to all functions. Mother in law’s cooking is notoriously bad? Add Blackjack Butterscotch Bourbon sauce. College cafeteria on the top 100 worst places to eat in America list? Add Blackjack Butterscotch Bourbon sauce. The stuff is magic, both sweet and savory at the same time with a complex burnt sugar finish. I’m glad I waited on line for this sole reason.
We also took a trek over to the Blue Smoke Desserts tent (Blue Smoke is located at 116 East 27th Street bn Lexington and Park) where I ate a brownie covered in ice cream ($4 for the brownie, $4 for the a la mode). It was unremarkable mostly because the brownie appeared to be a grocery store brownie of some sort covered in Edy’s Ice Cream (Edy’s Slow Churned Yogurt Blends was a sponsor, so I dont see why the regular Edy’s Ice Cream cost $4 extra, but desperate times call for desperate measures). Shake Shack, if it had been open, would have been a better bet.
I unfortunately did not partake in the beer garden because I had unrealistic expectations of going for a run in Central Park after going to the Barbecue. Obviously after stuffing myself with Brisket, Pulled Pork, and half a Brownie with Ice Cream, this was nothing but a fantasy. Although I should have gone running, the only sport I engaged in was competitive napping. However, this is where the Fun Pass would have come in most handy, because the lines were the longest for beer not BBQ (go figure).
All in all, the Snapple Big Apple BBQ was a hit. Avoid at all costs if you are agoraphobic, hate big crowds, or are a vegetarian or vegan of some sort (although I did spot a woman eating sushi rice balls).
Free: For the musically inclined, outdoor concerts this week…
What’s up with New York City being the new St. John Newfoundland & Labrador (I could have just said it was the new Seattle, but I am histrionic). I have St. John on the brain because it was the random city I’d never been to that I had to write about for my travel writing class. It is apparently the rainiest city in Canada, and the average July temperature is 68 degrees Farenheit. Getting the picture now?
Anyway, despite whatever shenanigans mother nature is choosing to play on us these days, summer is almost here. And that means… music festivals! And music festivals are….FREE! Yay!
So here’s a listing of the ones that are going on this week:
- Summer favorite, Central Park Summerstage kicks off Friday, June 12 with Josh Ritter and the New York Pops playing from 8:00 – 10:00 pm. On Saturday, June 13, from 3:00 – 7:00 pm Smoky Norful, Tye Trippel & G.A., and American Idol winner Ruben Studdard ($5 suggested donation) will be performing Gospel. I actually do kind of like Gospel, probably because its pretty histrionic, until you actually listen to the words and realize that they’re just singing Jesus, Jesus, Jesus over and over again (with a line about not being able to wait to go home to Jesus).
- If you’re unemployed, freelance, or have a flexible schedule, catch a concert at BAM’s ongoing R&B Festival at Metrotech Park, held outside in Metrotech Park. New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint will be playing at 12:00 noon, tomorrow, Thursday, June 11th, and I love me some New Orleans, so I’m very sad I can’t go. Someone go and I can live vicariously through you.
- Vision Festival, an avantjazz festival, which started on Tuesday, June 9 and goes through Monday, June 15. Times start between 7:00 and 7:30 pm each night. Tomorrow night the show is on the Abrons Main Stage at 466 Grand Street. Check the website for artists and times.
- If you’re an early bird and don’t mind crowds and screaming tourists, check out the Toyota Concert Series on the Today Show, held every Friday in Rockefeller Center from 7-10am. They recommend showing up 1-2 hours early. This week, Friday, June 12th, Black Eyed Peas are performing. Although the temptation to see Fergie pee her pants is fierce, I won’t be going to this one. And this is why: this combines three things I hate: crowds, Rockefeller Center, and getting up early. I will only consider my ban for New Kids on the Block. Hear that Donnie Wahlberg? I’d get up at 4:00 am for you — that’s saying A LOT.
- This is not really a music festival per se, but there will be Blues, soul, country, and rock & roll, at the Snapple Big Apple Barbeque Block Party going on this Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13 in Madison Square Park (E. 23-26th Streets between Madison and Broadway/Fifth Avenues). The music is going to be a big part of the atmosphere of this event and I will definitely be there, in part to get my $8 plate of Hill Country and/or Dinosaur BBQ (other BBQ vendors are listed here). Admission is free to the event and the bands, you only have to pay for beverages and food. Click here for the line up. I’m going to go to this one on Sunday and I’ll post a review next week.
Well, that’s it for free concerts for this week. If anyone knows of additional concerts, feel free to post them in the comments or send me an e-mail, and I will update the post.
