Three Don’t Miss Halloween Parties

Splurged on an authentic Michael Jackson get-up but don’t have a place to show it off yet? Don’t worry! I’ve picked out three parties in the city that you can’t miss!

A Haunted Halloween Carnival at Carnival, 110 University Place

Located directly above Bowlmor Lanes, Carnival is hosting a circus themed party with stilt-walkers, clowns, and dunk tanks. Snack on corn dogs, pizza, and other carnival treats while sipping on caramel appletinis, alcohol snow cones, and cotton candy cocktails. Beats will be provided by DJ Sabrina and DJ Chris Landry, sure to make your Halloween a wild night. Doors open at 9pm on October 31st.

The Annex Presents Halloween 2009, at The Annex, 152 Orchard Street

 Usually an indie-rocker hot spot, the Annex is hosting a Halloween party in their dark mahogany-paneled tavern, making it the perfect location for the scariest night of the year. The event will include live music and reasonably priced drinks, which is a rare find! Don’t be fooled by the non-descript entrance; the party will be busy! Famous bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes have graced their narrow hallways. It starts at 10pm on October 31st.

Massacre on Madison Avenue at Pranna, at Madison between 28th and 29th streets

Pranna, a Besen Retail favorite, will be having their very own Halloween party, and costumes are madatory. With delicious Modern Southeast Asian Cuisine, the building boasts three large floors elegantly decorated with candles and comfortable group-friendly seating. The basement floor is used for the dance club, serving up to-die-for cocktails like the “Komodo Dragon,” a mix of rum, mint, absinthe, vanilla liquor, and lemon. The party starts at 9, so make sure to get your tickets first!

-Caitlin

Start Your Halloween Festivities this Weekend!

I vowed not to write about Halloween until Monday, but this weekend promises some perfect ways to kick off your Halloween festivities.

Green Halloween

Tomorrow afternoon from 3 to 5 pm, the Whole Foods in Tribeca is celebrating Autumn and the Halloween Season with their free “Green Halloween/ Oktoberfest for the Family” event. Sample warm apple cider from Red Jacket Orchards, veal schnitzel, and other Fall treats at the supermarket. Kids can decorate a free pumpkin upstairs in the cafe, as well as have their faces painted. Participants can also vote on their favorite decorated pumpkin on display throughout the store. Visit the store at 270 Greenwich Avenue, near space for lease 50 Hudson Street.

Halloween in Central Park

Celebrate among the foliage this weekend in Central Park with a park favorite, the Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail. On Sunday from 3-6pm at the Charles A Dana Discovery Center wear your scariest ensemble for the costume parade. Then bring your own 5 to 10 pound jack-o-lantern for the pumpkin sail, where pumpkins will be lit and let drift away, creating a beautiful light show.

Posh Pets Halloween Fundraiser

Hoping to make a difference this Halloween? Attend the Posh Pets Halloween Fundraiser at the Boat Basin Cafe tomorrow at 1pm. A

A devil dog... picture credit "Good Housekeeping"

costume contest for dogs, all proceeds go to Rescue Ink, which battles animal abuse and neglect. A celebrity guest judge, Amy Saks of the Daily News, and the founder of Animal Fair magazine Wendy Diamond will be in attendance. Grab some snacks and goodies for you and your pets, as well as try to win a prize in the raffle. Tickets are $30, but are worth the good cause! Plus, when will you ever get to see your pup dressed as a devil? The Boat Basin Cafe is at 79th Street and the Hudson River.

-Caitlin

 

 

 

Ashtanga Yoga Stretches Across NYC

Madonna practicing Ashtanga Yoga

Yoga has been taking over exercise routines for the past few years.  But more recently Ashtanga Yoga, otherwise known as “power yoga” is stretching to every corner of Manhattan. Celebrities like Parker Posey, Madonna, Sting, and Christy Turlington are fans of this fast paced, intense style. Ashtanga translates to “eight limbs” in Sanskirt, and is more difficult than other forms because of the constant movement from one pose to the next. Visit one of these yoga studios to try this trendy workout!

Yoga Yoga NYC, 102 W. 4th Street

Yoga Yoga sits in the West Village, near recently leased space 11 Christopher Street. A one room studio with bamboo floors, this studio gives its clients an intimate and relaxing feel even during a tough workout. Ashtanga classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm, perfect timing for some after work exercise.

Ashtanga Yoga Shala, 295 E 8th St.

A studio specializing in Ashtanga Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga Shala offers a free intro for beginners and allows newcomers to  watch a session before they sign up for classes. This studio believes in helping its clients in creating a yoga lifestyle, with attention to diet and health choices. The goal is to attain a state of conciousness and awareness to your body and mind.

YogaWorks, 37 W. 65th Street

Also located in several cities in California, YogaWorks offers Ashtanga classes every day of the week. The studio provides students with showers, dressing rooms, free towel services, a tea lounge, and even a boutique filled with yoga accessories, books, clothing, and music. YogaWorks aims to serve yoga-ers of all levels, making beginners feel comfortable.

-Caitlin

Weekend Food Find: Jin Sushi

Bento Box from Jin Sushi

After visiting the Apples on Orchard festival on the Lower East Side (near space for lease 75 Orchard) I turned the corner to find an amazing food find, Jin Restaurant, a sushi spot. With its bamboo and greenery decor, the dimly lit restaurant makes for a relaxing dinner or lunch destination. Manhattan is notorious for its expensive and trendy sushi restaurants, but Jin’s prices are low and the food is high quality. All week, Jin holds happy hour specials in which rolls (Salmon Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, etc.) are only $3 each. To make it even better, on weekends, the deal runs almost all day. Share four rolls between two people, and you will be more than satisfied. Also wash it down with a cup of warm green tea; it has hints of brown rice and honey. Jin is located on Broome Street, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets.

-Caitlin

More Books on Broadway

While Upper Broadway said goodbye to The Morningside Bookshop, it welcomes another independent bookstore, Book Culture. The store will sell new releases, periodicals, bestsellers, mysteries, and sale books, and is preparing for Independent Bookstore Week on November 15-21. Once called Labyrinth Books, Book Culture prides itself on having a diverse selection of topics and authors. Take a look at their blog and enjoy the store, located near space for lease 2626 Broadway.

A Rainy Weekend Plan

 

Spacelander Bicycle on display at the Brooklyn Museum

 

Friday: See a movie! The ultimate rainy day activity, watch “New York I Love You,” opening today. With a star studded cast including Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper, Orlando Bloom, Ethan Hawke, and Blake Lively, the film is an anthology of stories weaved together (ala Love, Actually) and set in New York City. If you can’t enjoy the outdoor city life, you might as well watch it. To make the movie trip extra fabulous, see it at Sunshine Cinema on the Lower East Side (near featured space 75 Orchard Street), the theater the Village Voice calls, the ”hippest theater in NYC.”

Saturday: Wishing you were in the California sunshine? Spend Saturday night at Cake Shop also on the Lower East Side, and jam out to the tunes of “Fool’s Gold,” an LA based band inspired by the beats and high-pitched vocals of the Talking Heads. A large group of eight people, Fool’s Gold uses horns, saxaphones, and world beat sampling to create their unique sound. The indie venue Cake Shop not only offers a selection of pasteries like banana cream pie, but also a large supply of coffee and beer and a huge vinyl collection. The band goes on at 8pm on Saturday October 17th.

Sunday: Take a day to spend at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, not far from recently leased space 226 Atlantic Avenue. The museum boasts a large collection of arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands, contemporary works, and Asian pieces. Visitors flock to the “spacelander bicycle,” a futuristic bike on display, as well as the “Click” exhibition, a digital photography collection. Also don’t miss the current feminist exhibition, “Reflections on the Electric Mirror,” in the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art on the 4th floor.  A donation of $10 a person is suggested, but not required.

-Caitlin

NYC not on “World’s Ugliest Buildings” list

The Longaberger Home Office in Ohio

Good News for NYC! Travel and Leisure recently published a list of the “World’s Ugliest Buildings,” and not one single New York structure made the list. Some of the buildings that made the cut? The Harold Washington Library in Chicago, The Secret Intelligence Service building in London, and the Longaberger Home office in Ohio, which is shaped like a giant basket. Do you disagree with the list? New York can’t help it if it has beautiful architecture, like featured space for lease 2626 Broadway, the Metro Theater.

-Caitlin

Buy a nap

A YeloNap

Are you lagging with exhaustion? Is the bustle of NYC leaving you stressed out? Visit Yelo on W. 57th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. Yelo specializes in a combination of power naps and reflexology to energize its clients. The first portion of their services is the “YeloNap,” a sleep therapy system lasting anywhere between 20 to 40 minutes. Visitors are provided with their own sleep cabin with a zero gravity chair that elevates the legs to encourage full relaxation within minutes. No more buzzing alarm clocks; Yelo wakes its users with LED lights that imitate a gentle sunrise.

The second potion of the service is a reflexology session, a massage that was created to “relieve the tensions and pressures caused by modern living,”  and leave you feeling balanced. Pressure is applied to reflex points like the feet, hands, and ears, calming the nervous system, improving circulation, and accelerating natural healing abilities.

Yelo’s services range in cost from $40 to $185, but “Happy Hours” are also offered Monday through Friday 10am-12pm and 6:30-9pm with 15 percent off discounts. Make an appointment today, because as Yelo says, “The city that never sleeps needs a nap!”

-Caitlin

Off-beat ways to Celebrate Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus Statue in Central Park

Over a million spectators are expected to attend the 65th Annual Culumbus Day Parade on Fifth Avenue (from 44th to 79th streets) today from 11:30am-3pm. This year, Home Depot Co-founder Kenneth G. Langone will be leading the crowd as grand marshall. If you don’t feel like fighting the crowds, or parades simply aren’t your thing, I have a few other ideas for ways to celebrate the  Italian founder of our country.

Besides celebrating the man Christopher Columbus, today is also a celebration of the Italian culture and all that it has to offer. What better way to celebrate than splurging on some Italian shoes? For the best stiletto selection, head down to Soho to Sergio Rossi. Much of their Fall collection includes styles with beading, metallic details, and also classic suede. The shop also has men’s styles, with high-quality leather loafers and moccasins.

After shoe shopping, you are bound to need some sustenance. Try the new dessert hot spot of the Lower East Side, “Stuffed Artisan Cannolis.” While you may be used to the classic cream-filled treat, this shop offers a variety of flavors, including Pumpkin Pie, French Toast, Root Beer Float, Birthday Cake, and Peaches and Cream. For only $2/cannoli, you can save some money after your designer shoe splurge.

Did you know that Central Park has its own ode to Christiopher Columbus? The Chrisopher Columbus statue rests on a carved granite pedestal and was designed by architect Napoleon Le Brun, and was last refurbished in 1993. Take a walk through the greenery today and visit the statue to pay your respects. Just make sure to change your shoes first.

-Caitlin

Hillary Flowers: Unique and Chic

Boutique Owner and Designer Hillary Flowers

Hillary Flowers moved to New York City four years ago, bringing along her unique eye for fashion and her own creative designing abilities. She opened the Hillary Flowers Designers Collective in 2007 at 40 Clinton Street on the Lower East Side, not far from featured space for lease 75 Orchard Street. With a one-of-a-kind retail concept in mind, she recruits designers for her boutique in what she calls  a “rent a rack” system. The cozy shop is filled with jewelery, clothing, and accessories from as few as 5 to as many as 35 designers at a time. Right now there are 15, most of which are jewelry.  This collective idea allows designers to test the market, seeing how their items sell.

I visited Hillary Flowers today to find an ecclectic mix of wire rings, fall jackets, pendant necklaces, and cute cocktail dresses, allowing me to feel like I was shopping several shops all in one place. Perfect for a busy Besen Blogger! Hillary was on her way out to a meeting about Dina Lohan’s new shoe line “Shoe-han,” but with a friendly smile she showed me around the store and told me all about her boutique’s concept. Because she does so many fashion shows in night clubs, her best selling item has become her party dresses. Not only has she extended her business to the runway world, but stylists and designers often visit her shop to pull looks for red carpet and MTV events.

While many vintage or “rent a rack” businesses are often flea market-looking, Hillary Flowers prides herself on creating a chic appeal, much like other upscale boutiques. If you are looking for a special and unique item, Hillary Flowers Designers Collective should be the first place you check. Are you a designer looking to sell your fashions? Contact Hillary.Flowers@gmail.com, or visit the website at www.hillaryflowers.com.

-Caitlin

 

Hillary Flowers Designer Collective on the Lower East Side