David Cook’s This Loud Morning is getting some great buzz…Billy Ray Cyrus is still putting out records; who knew…and so is Queensryche…Ipecac Records’ beloved Isis is out with a new live album, and Com Truise gets more love with the official release of Galactic Mel. See ya in a week or so…

Beyonce - 4

David Cook - This Loud Morning

Billy Ray Cyrus - I’m American

Curren$y – Weekend At Burnie’s CD

Selena Gomez – Otherwise

Taking Back Sunday – Taking Back Sunday

Queensryche – Dedicated to Chaos

Moon – Caduceus Chalice

Isis - Live III

Big Sean – Finally Famous CD

Com Truise - Galactic Mel

Eilen Jewell - Queen Of The Minor Key

As an outsider who makes it back to NY every couple of years, I try to shoot as much graffiti as possible when I’m in town. On a quick weekend trip I found that there were a few areas that looked cleaned up and not so graf-saturated anymore (see Midtown), but overall, the city is still crushed. From Chinatown to Coney Island graffiti of all kinds is rocking—simple marker tags and big spray painted fill-ins alike.

Being in town so briefly, I really only touched the surface on what one can see walking through Manhattan, Brooklyn, or any borough really. But from what I did catch, it was fun seeing a mix of veteran locals up alongside determined out-of-towers making a name in the Mecca of modern graffiti. Here’s to keeping things colorful and not so pristine.

Words and photos by Max Herman

Exploring an outdoor market on a Sunday is a time-honored New York tradition.  From single girls searching for the perfect vintage dress to old couples bickering lovingly over a pair of lampshades, they attract all types.  On a good day at a market, you can find almost anything.  Old photographs, back issues of your once-favorite magazine, almost unworn vintage boots & a pink rotary telephone?  It’s yours for the taking!

But if you’re sick of the same-old same-old, there’s a new stomping ground.  It’s a small stomping ground, to be sure, but it exists.  The Hester Street Fair, on the corner of Hester & Essex Streets in the Lower East Side, should definitely be added to that bulging “to do” list of yours.

Its modest size only adds to the appeal.  Instead of hundreds of stalls straining under the weight of mountains of junk, there are only a handful of vendors.  Every store is completely different & has been curated with care.  From hand-drawn coloring books to vintage jewelery & an unbelievably superb range of vintage eyeglasses, Hester Street Fair is a great market for the hard-to-impress crowd.  The ratio of vintage to handmade is probably 50/50, but there are no ugly tchotchkes here.  The range of two- & three-finger rings alone will have you reaching for your purse!

Once you’re done browsing, I strongly suggest noshing on a Hester Street Fair-sourced lunch.  The food is excellent.  Take advantage of the picnic tables in the middle of the space, & load up on cucumber & mint lemonade, insanely good pretzels, Cuban corn & empanadas, pulled pork sandwiches & exotic-flavored macaroons.  Finish up with a Guinness ice-cream sandwich or a hibiscus Mexican-style Popsicle.  Delicious!

Don’t fear the heat, either.  Despite the blistering 93° heat, the shade from the neighboring park helps keep the temperatures down — & so does the misting tent!

Hester Street Fair is open every Saturday & Sunday, from 10am-6pm, between April & December.  Keep up to date with the latest goings on at the Hester Street Fair.com.

Words by Gala Darling

This is a big part of the reason I asked Molly to show me around the remaining bit of old-school, carnie-owned boardwalk park during my recent visit to NYC. Despite it being a gray, rainy Sunday afternoon, things weren’t as doomy and decrepit as I’d been warned by numerous in-the-know friends. On the contrary, the rollercoasters were chugging, juicy corndogs were abundant, and the cotton candy sent us on the sugar-fueled adventure we hoped for.

Still, it’s hard to avoid feeling a little gutted when faced with the city’s newest erection, Luna Park. Named after one of the original, long-gone Coney Island amusement parks, Luna Park is tooth-achingly homogenous and exceedingly SFW, with shiny expensive rides, a proprietary font on every ride’s title,  and zero originality, or anything at all to reflect the spirit of Coney. A long fence separates Luna Park from Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park – this family-owned kiddie park and fun zone with 25 rides has been around for 90 years, and is far more entertaining. I had the pleasure of convincing Molly to take her first ferris wheel ride, stuffing my face with every king of junk food I could get my hands on and exploring. Turns out, there’s still more to discover and enjoy. Here’s hoping!

If you’re interested in more in-depth Coney Island coverage, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071002042.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR, and http://gothamist.com/tags/coney to start. And be sure to check out http://www.coneyisland.com/ for updates from an arts and advocacy group in charge of the freakshow and the famous Mermaid Day parade.

Words and photos by Zoetica Ebb

Dorks on one side of the line.  Cool kids on the other.  This high school dichotomy holds fast for much of New York nightlife, and it’s something that Seen Magazine is trying to change.  Starting with their launch party.

On July 4^th, Seen Magazine, the street wear brand Mishka, and the Comic Books Legal Defense Fund threw an epic party at Water Taxi Beach, artificial patch of sand and neon palm trees on the East River. Music by Beach Fossils and the Death Set blasted as the sun set over Manhattan.

There were taut, tan young things dousing themselves in beer.  There were beachballs and photobooths and enviably flat stomachs and freaks being gotten on galore.

But!  There were also comic geeks- including pasty pasty me.  The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (valiant free speech warriors if there ever were) had gathered us.  We had painted up Etnies sneakers and took turns on the artstage, marking up giant canvases.  Gig poster artist Brian Ewing, “pop art princess” Tara McPherson, and comics creators Nikki Cook and Khary Randolph all turned out finished paintings in under two hours.

In the end, perhaps cool kids and dorks are doomed to sit on different sides of the room.  But, for one night on the 4^th of July, Seen got them to hang together.

Words and photos by Molly Crabapple

No other hotel has as much rock ‘n’ roll history.  So, it’s not perfect — or particularly opulent.  There is no room service, some of the rooms are more “grunge” than chic, & there is a bullet hole in the door in the 5th floor corridor.  But it’s absolutely worth a visit to soak up some atmosphere.

You’ll understand why after just one night in the Chelsea’s eclectic digs.  Sometimes it seems more like a home for the bewildered than a hotel, but it all adds to the charm.  Be warned, however: this is not a place to stay if you’re feeling particularly Type A.  It’s more suited to smoking cigarettes on the balcony, last night’s eyeliner & a trench coat worn with nothing but a pair of heels.

Jack Kerouac wrote On The Road in one of the rooms.  Charles Bukowski, Edie Sedgwick, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen & Tom Waits have all spent time here.  The central staircase winds around an ornate balustrade, artists paint in the hallways & every room is unique.

For the same price as a normal-sized room in most New York hotels, you can obtain a one-bedroom suite at the Chelsea — with a lot of ambiance.  If you need a couple of days to yourself to work on some kind of masterpiece, this is surely the perfect place to do it.

Hotel Chelsea
222 West 23rd St, New York NY
http://www.hotelchelsea.com

Words by Gala Darling with photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/hal990/

The whole concept is brilliant.  They’ve taken the classic charm of an apothecary & combined it with the needs of a young, modern customer.  Daily flavor specials are blasted out across the universe courtesy of Twitter, but samples are still served on silver spoons.  In cold weather, they serve sublimely rich vegan hot chocolate with marshmallow pieces.  The staff are charming, dapper & genuine.

Lula’s house o’ sweetness has a checkered floor & cranks old-timey tunes, but the space is too small to hang out in comfortably.  Instead, take your shake or cone & walk north a couple of blocks to Tompkins Square Park.  Go & admire the enormous elm trees — one of them is the site where the Hare Krishna religion was started in America (& beat poet Allen Ginsberg was in attendance!).  The park is always littered with divine miscreants & fireflies blaze trails through the night.  A beautiful park & a tongue lashed with frosty delights is the recipe for a magical evening, n’est-ce pas?

Lula’s Sweet Apothecary
516 East 6th Street, New York NY
http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com

Words by Gala Darling with photo by  http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathyylchan/

The bumblebees murmur among the flowers, the blue skies seem endless & dog owners are out cruising other dog owners.  Yes, spring is finally here & it couldn’t have come at a better time.  Just when everyone in New York was about to hit their absolute limit with the cold weather, suddenly the sun came out, & everything seemed good again.

Sunday was beautiful: 75 degrees & clear.  I decided to go out with my camera & document what was going on.  From cherry blossoms to Italian ices & fluffy little dogs, everything & everyone seemed intent on turning on the charm.

Words and photos by Gala Darling

Another Thursday night in NYC, and yes, another fully-catered art event to attend – and of course, another chance to mingle with Gotham’s elite, indie and cool kid population. Sometimes us New Yorkers tend to forget how good our lives really are; not to trample on the nightlife scene of other cities, but in NYC, it’s truly an embarrassment of riches.

On this particular evening, the spot is the Red Bull event space, and the reason for the gathering is the 2nd Annual Gold Rush Awards. It’s a yearly bash thrown by the Rush Philanthropic Art Foundation, which was founded by the Simmons brother (Russell aka Mr. Def Jam, Rev Run and Danny). The award show is an event to recognize those individuals who have played major roles in progressing the foundation’s missions of opening up the art world to emerging artists and bringing the art experience to minority kids in lower income brackets.

The 2010 honorees included established journalist, critic and lecturer Elvis Mitchell and internationally renowned urban photographer Jamel Shabazz. In addition, there was a silent auction featuring over 30 upcoming talented artists. DJ Cassidy, no stranger to hip NYC affairs, held court behind the 1’s and 2’s, and the special occasion was hosted by MTV’s Sway Calloway. There were ‘nuff celebrities in the house too – guys like Dame Dash, Russell Simmons  and this weird, extremely limber  dude in a shiny, colorful fencing outfit (face concealed and everything) whose job was to dance like a crazy grasshopper the whole night. Not sure whether the last dancing guy was a celeb, but he should be – some of his dance moves were pretty sick.

The best part of the night came in the closing moments when Sway brought out Salt-N-Pepa to perform three of their top hits: “What a Man,” “Shoop,” and “Push It.” The first two songs were received well enough, but when “Push It” started, people completely flipped their wigs and danced like inebriated banshees. It was quite wild, and it was good to see that the old-school rhyming duo could still deliver the goods.

So there it was … another night of flowing liquor, delicious h’ors d’oeuvres, appealing art and good music – all for a good cause too. There’s truly no city like NYC; the days might get a little stressful, but every night, there’s always a party going down to chase the demons away.

Words by Geo Hagan

Ace Hotel is definitely the place to stay if you ever find yourself in Portland, Seattle, Palm Springs or New York City. Their offbeat, nouveau-bohemian interior design has been attracting artists, designers, geeks with style & international jet setters — you know, people just like you — since 1999.

 The New York City location has morphed into something beyond just a place to rest your head.

On any given day, you’ll find the lobby teeming with the meticulously disheveled, sunken into plush armchairs with cups of Stumptown coffee or staring seriously into glowing MacBooks. In addition to Stumptown Coffee Roasters, there’s a restaurant by the owners of The Spotted Pig called The Breslin which serves incredible British-inspired cuisine. And soon there will be an Opening Ceremony boutique to satisfy all your shopping urges. Talk about a one-stop shop!

 With a sprawling, 8-level boutique in Tokyo’s Shibuya district as well as a rabbit warren-esque location in Los Angeles, Opening Ceremony has made a name for itself as a painstakingly-curated store for the style obsessed.

They collaborate with designers to create individual shops within the store, which gives each label the ability to differentiate & brand themselves however they wish. In addition to hosting designers such as Alexander Wang & The Row, Opening Ceremony has also conjured up collaborations with Pendleton, indie style icon Chloë Sevigny & industry darling Rodarte. While Opening Ceremony already has a location in New York City, this one will be very different.  Owners Humberto Leon & Carol Lim said that they tried to think of what they would want on hand if they lived in a hotel, & plan to stock the boutique accordingly.

What does this mean for the discerning traveler? It means that in addition to a selection of the very best & most stylish clothing (Hussein Chalayan & Christopher Kane, anyone?), you’ll also be able to buy condoms by Proper Attire, fantastic toothpaste, toiletries by Proenza Schouler and a range of snacks, including imported potato chips & “the best gummies from France.” The Leons said they plan on installing a McSweeney’s bookshop, too — which means you no longer need to resort to the Gideon Bible for bathtub reading. Very thoughtful!

 Opening Ceremony is set to open in Ace Hotel’s New York City location in February 2010. We can’t wait.

Words by Gala Darling