For the second year in a row, I woke up WAY too early on a morning just a couple of days before Thanksgiving.  Why?  Well, it was for a good cause, of course.  Once again, LivePerson was sponsoring an event to help out Feeding NYC, an organization that supplies food to families so they can make complete Thanksgiving meals.  This year, I heard they were putting together 2008 boxes of supplies, which was something like 500 more than they did last year.

And this year, luckily there were many, many more people helping out with this worthy project.  Above, you can see my friend Susie as she starts out the day assembling boxes.

Everyone pitched in and folded the boxes and lids.

Many, many boxes and lids!

Putting together that many boxes is dusty work that dries out your hands.  Don't forget to use some hand lotion afterwords.

Finally the piles of boxes and lids had reached great heights and widths.

And thanks to all those hands, in record time, the boxes were ready to go and we started to put food into boxes.

Each box got about 15 items... turkey, cranberry sauce, corn, stuffing, rice, yams, apple juice, cookies, etc, etc.

There is an old joke that goes, "How do you spot the owner of an off-off broadway theater? He's the one taking out the trash!"  Well, in the case,"How do you spot the boss? He's the one jumping in the dumpster!"  Someone had to pack down the trash so it could be hauled away!

Linda Church from CW11 showed up to forecast the weather live from the event.

I made her stop and take a picture with me so I could send it to my friends who couldn't get out of bed in time to help. Lazy bums.

And, as the first shift of volunteers left, the full boxes were all lined up in the hallway, waiting to be loaded into trucks for delivery.

If you would like to help out Feeding NYC, they can always use donations , or you could even volunteer for next year.

That's right!  The Great and Powerful Pumpkin has spoken.  He arrived in NYC at the Union Square Farmers Market a little bit early and left his message!

This free haunt provides great fun & scares for Cornwall-on-Hudson kids and parents.

It’s the time of year for a good scare, and for the second year in a row, the Corn House of Horrors will be presented on Halloween night on Duncan Avenue in Cornwall-on-Hudson.  This FREE home haunt scared so many people last year that the masterminds behind it (Charlie Quinn and Russell J. Dreher) have written a whole new interactive script and created all new frights.  In addition the haunt has been expanded and now includes a challenge.  Should visitors survive this challenge, they will be able to visit the entire haunt.  Those who fail the challenge will be turned away from seeing the deepest parts of the haunt.  

You can also help the Corn House of Horrors win $25,000 by going to www.fear.net and voting in the “Home is Where the Haunt Is” contest.  Look for the entry listed under TGTOTU and rate it 5 stars!

Please stop by on Halloween and enjoy a good scare!

The Legend of the Corn House:

Thadeus Corn, the notorious smuggler, con-artist, and murderer, once lived in the Corn House with his family.  One Halloween, many years ago, Thadeus was thought to be holding a captive in the basement of the house.  When the house was raided, everyone inside was killed, but the captive was never found.  It is believed that the house may have had a secret dungeon, though the entrance was never uncovered.  Each year, the ghosts of Thadeus and his family return on Halloween seeking revenge, and each year many brave souls try to enter the home to stop Thadeus once and for all.

Recently, a researcher discovered a document that describes three boxes with carved skulls on them that are supposed to contain the “heart” of the house.  No one has found the boxes, but it is believed that inside one of the boxes is the heart of Rosa Corn, Thadeus’ daughter.  If a brave soul were to find the heart and return it to Thadeus, he and his family might rest peacefully forever.  If you are brave enough to enter the Corn House to attempt to put the spirits at rest, good luck to you.  You will need it.

Corn House of Horrors
Cornwall on Hudson, NY
Halloween night only during Trick or Treating hours

Lock up your kiddies and read on because Saturday was the annual Mermaid Parade at Coney Island.  This home-grown, wild and decadent event occurs every year at this time (although there is some worry about what will happen to the parade when the new upscale development of Coney Island begins this year.) 

The parade kicked off at two o'clock, but by then most of the crowd had eaten several Nathan's hotdogs and were also on their second or third 42oz tub of beer from Nathan's.  Drinking on the streets is the rule of the day!

Almost anything goes, as long as some attempt to follow the theme happens.  The parade is full of scantily clad mermaids, mermen, and lots and lots of other sea creatures. And while this guy seems to have forgotten his bottom...

... we all know that no self respecting mer-person would be caught wearing a top! 

Who knows what this couple was thinking, but a good public spanking seemed to fit right in anyway! 

The scent of sex in the air got to be to much and even the dogs got into the act.  Of course the crowd just cheered them on and drank more beer. 

While most people put some effort into their costumes... 

...this "gentleman" just threw on a diaper and walked the parade.  No surprisingly, no one else in the parade walked too close to him. 

We all had heard of fish heads, but this float took things to a whole new level.

And this guy appears in almost every NYC parade in the same outfit, with the same dog and parrot, and with his beard died some crazy color.  Whatever floats your boat.  It's all good.

I guess the question here is "Why bother?" 

Who knew there was an S&M community amongst the mer-people! 

In the sun, a squirt from a seahorse was a much welcome treat! 

The Grand Marshall of the parade was Reverend Billy from the Church of Stop Shopping.  He was in the parade with his followers to protest the coming development of Coney Island into expensive condos and shops.

The developer following Rev. Billy was booed by the crowd. 

I don't know if size matters with a banana, but this guy sure thought it did. 

Jellyfish and even a a sea turtle hit the streets to celebrate the day! 

Even a sea urchin or two joined in on the fun. 

The Marine Antoinettes all showed up in full costume and put on quite a show as they marched. 

When the parade ended, everyone hit the beach.  It was wall to wall people in every direction as far as the eye could see.  Just like one of those old photos you see of a beach covered in people. 

It's the number one movie in America this weekend, and women all over the USA have proven that for the right movie they can be a fiscal force to be reckoned with.  However, once again, Hollywood has proven that they can make mediocre to good quality material, but not great material, and reap huge profits.  

Still, if you were a fan of the show, you will want to catch up with your old friends.  And really, that's what Sex and the City always revolved around anyway.  Friends supporting friends through life. 

What happens when you have a bachelor or bachelorette party in NYC?  Well, you can always go to Scores for the bachelor party or Naked Boys Singing for the bachelorette party.  But those options are a little played, and now there is a new event that can cover both of those parties...The Orgy Show.

To try it out, our bachelor party of 5 attended the show the other Friday night.  Our friend, Tom (seated on the left) is getting married soon, so we took him out for a night of drinking and partying.  We kicked the evening off at the Orgy Show at Club Duvet.

This interactive show involves the audience in a couple of ways.  First you may end up on stage with some of the actors and actresses as they climb and grind all over you in various states of undress. 

We made sure our friend Tom got called on to participate.  While the show can't keep up in terms of old school NYC debauchery, it is safe clean fun for a bachelor or bachelorette who doesn't want to have to call off the wedding after a wild night out.

And if you don't want to go on stage, there are people working the room who will climb right into bed with you.  That's right, a lot of the seating is in large bed, and some of the cast work the beds throughout the night. 

Here we see one bachelorette having the night of here life.  Things are never this wild in her hometown in Jersey. 

When the show ends, the dance floor opens and the partying can continue into the night.  At least as long as you keep drinking and dancing! 

Long after we left the show, we were still running around NYC, and making sure that Tom had a night to remember.  Don't worry, he didn't get into any real trouble, and we didn't have to use the emergency bail money we brought along. 

Tuesday night the 13th, was the annual spring fundraiser for 13P, the HOT theatrical company composed of 13 playwrights.  The action happened at Joe's Pub where a pre-show cocktail hour led into a fantastic show, and finally a post-show party.  Great work was done by the volunteers (playwrights, actors, crew, staff, etc) who gave their time to help raise money to support 13P.

John Guare, Christopher Durang and Swoozie Kurtz stopped their pre-show conversation for a moment to pose for a photo. 

Playwrights Adam Rapp and Winter Miller pose with Marylouise Burke. 

Daphne Rubin-Vega gave playwright Winter Miller quite a surprise.

Jessica Hect and Marylouise Burke paled around with one of the brains and the braun behind the 13P fundraiser, Maria. 

The always funny and incredible Lisa Kron was the emcee for the evening, and kept things funny and moving right along. 

In keeping with the theme of 13P mission, unpublished works by famous playwrights were sung or read to a sold out crowd.

Swoozie Kurtz, Jessica Hect, Daphne Rubin-Vega and several other actors read a hysterical scene from a new play that Christopher Durang is currently writing.  We hope the laughter and positive reaction spur him on to finish it. 

As the evening came to a close with a live auction, the members of 13P took to the stage to express their thanks. 

Rob Handel spoke for a moment at the end of the show as the members of 13P were onstage. 

The after party and silent auction was a huge success with 13P raising even more money than they did last year!  This should help get the next production off the ground. 

A table full of gift bags was ready for guests to take at the end of the evening as they headed home.  

He's iron.  He's a man.  He's Ironman!

We are all in luck.  The summer blockbuster season is off to a strong start with Ironman.  This fun film, with Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman, fits the bill for escapist entertainment that will help us all feel better about ourselves as we battle those evil people in the middle east.  Yes, it is a bit simplistic...good, evil, period. Evil man turns life around and becomes a hero.  But that cartoonish quality also helps to make this version of Ironman a good distraction from everyday life.

Let's hope the rest of the summer movies can keep up.  Go, Speedracer, Go!

I am a huge fan of John Waters from way back.  I always liked his filthy take on the world, and I was happy for him as he found his way into mainstream movies over the years.  Let's face it, Serial Mom is brilliant.  Cry Baby, on the other hand was not his best.  But it does have some merit thanks to Johnny Depp.  Enough merit that someone decided to put it on stage as a musical.

And that's were it all fell apart. An ok story, with an ok cast, and ok music, nice sets, good choreography, and a pretty sharp set of lyrics.  But the sum of these parts only add up to ok.  It is not bad, but not great.  It is not boring, but hardly memorable as a whole.

The problem seems to lie in the casting.  Everyone is ok, no one is bad.  However, this means they can't really carry the material the way they would need to to make this show shine.  Cry Baby himself could use some more stage charisma to really pull off this part.  If the audience isn't really drawn to him, how do we believe that the other characters on stage are?  In the end, the whole cast comes off as a darned good second string cast for a show, not an original Broadway production cast.  Something about them never fully gels, and it leaves the show flat.

If you can get some good cheap seats, it's worth it for the laughs that are there.  The show will leave you smiling at the end, though you probably won't remember a single tune. 

So, Sprint screwed me over again and again when I was a loyal customer to them, and I finally left.  In December one of their employees lied to me and told me my contract was up and that I could switch carriers without problem or any penalties.  When I did just that, I got a $150 bill from them.  Then they just shrugged and said that there was nothing they could do.  I was stuck with the bill.  I spoke with the employee at the store, her manager, and his manager, and even about 20 people at their customer service.  Everyone refused to do a single thing or admit that they could have possibly made a mistake.  In fact they kept blaming the mistake on me.  (I guess they never heard that the customer is always right).  I was passed around to so many people and treated like crap, that I swore that I would never ever do business with them.

Well, when I switched carriers, I bought an iPhone.  I  wasn't sure if AT&T was any better than Sprint or not, but I knew that at least Apple would stand behind their product.  Well, today, I got a message from my iPhone that it needed a repair and that it wouldn't send or receive calls.  I walked over to the new Apple store in the meatpacking district.  The greeter at the door looked at the phone and tried a couple of tricks.  When they didn't help, he sent me up to a Mac Genius at the Genius Bar.  I had to wait about 30 minutes as I didn't have an appointment.  But the very nice concierge kept me well informed about my progress on the list, squeezed me in as soon as he could, and even pulled the chair out for me when it was my turn.  AND, no questions asked, no charge, they fixed my phone.  Sprint would never have done that.  In fact, when I went to Sprint one time with a hardware problem, they looked at me and said "Oh, you don't have they insurance."  Then they wanted to charge me just to look at the phone, which was going to cost me more than a new phone, if only I would extend my contact with them.  Sneaky, Sprint!  Apple on the other hand fixed the phone and sent me on my way for free.  They even told me to come back if anything else happened and they would fix it.  I HEART APPLE.  GOOD BYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE TO SPRINT.

Here are the links to my previous I Hate Sprint Articles if you want to read the entire history!

http://www.nycstories.blog-city.com/i_still_hate_sprint.htm

http://www.nycstories.blog-city.com/sprint_pcs_still_sucks.htm

http://www.nycstories.blog-city.com/sprint_pcs_will_nickel_and_dime_you_to_death.htm

All these years in NYC and I have never been to Jekyll and Hyde.  I am a major fan of horror and haunted houses, so you would think I would have been.  Well, I have made the journey to the Slaughtered Lamb, but never Jekyll and Hyde.  So when two friends came to town, who also happen to be fans of Halloween, it seemed like the perfect place. 

This somewhat cheesy restaurant was full of as many crazy objects on the walls as it was with teenage girls having birthday parties. 

All over the place are characters, statues, skeletons, and other critters that come to life and keep you amused throughout your meal. 

The number of animated characters around the place is pretty impressive, and some of them are quite grand in scale.  The Sphinx head moving up and down from floor to floor and talking to the audience is quite impressive, as is the show that happens when Frankenstein is brought to life.

In addition to serving you, the staff will stop by your table for regular laughs and abuse when they aren't busy putting on a show somewhere in the restaurant. 

While the animatronics are better than the food, the food is ok.  Unfortunately for what it is, it is a bit overpriced.  But just remember you are paying for the atmosphere and show. If you have never been, Jekyll and Hyde may be worth the visit, if you enjoy this sort of thing.  Just don't go when you are looking for an outstanding meal at a restaurant with no kids in it.

As many of you may know, the meatpacking district has changed dramatically in the past few years.  Slowly but surely, there old businesses are leaving and hip and trendy places are moving in.  The most recent loss I have heard of is, of course, Florent.  Scheduled to close on June 29th,  it will be missed.  I have to say that I do not find the new meatpacking district to be as interesting and fun as it used to be.  But change is a constant.  So here are a few pictures of the last few parts of the area that have yet to change.

Hogs and Heffers 

A few hooks still hanging and waiting to hold up prime cuts of beef. 

The outside of Florent. 

My friend Bill finishing off his Crabcake Sandwich, and my giant bowl of mussels.  Of course, we had to have the amazing French Onion soup before we overstuffed ourselves on our entrees.

The other day I had a meeting up near Radio City.  I had some time to kill and sat down by the fountain across the street.  As I sat there, two men walked out of the building and sat down.  I think there has been an invasion of some sort of cult.  Check out their pictures below.

Walking along the side streets in Chelsea, I saw an amazing sight.  Yes Spring is here.  Get out and enjoy it! 

Today I had an excellent lunch at Del Posto on 10th Ave at 16th Street.  You can check out their website by clicking here.  While not an inexpensive lunch on the go kinda place, and certainly in no rush to make you leave, Del Posto was well worth the time and price.  A three course lunch was $55, and I tried the Lamb CRUDO with Warm Mussels Mare e Monte as my appetizer.  A wonderful choice that left me wondering how they were going to impress me with my main course after the lamb.  The Rare TUNA with Bresaola, Preserved Ventresca and Pumpkin Caponatina turned out to be equally good.  And finally for dessert I tried the chocolate souffle.  While this was ok, it did not quite keep up with the rest of the meal.  Luckily by this time, about half of our party had left for meetings, and the restaurant brought over many extra desserts for us to try.  The winner turned out to be a delicious BUDINO di Cioccolato, Chocolate pudding, Chocolate Streusel, with Whipped Cream. Yum.

I know, I know.  It has been quite a while since there has been an entry into NYCStories.  I am sure you are all sitting on the edge of your chairs, waiting with baited breath, and full of anticipation.  Or not.  Well, something must have happened in NYC recently, right?

As a matter of fact, things have happened since Christmas.  I traveled to Florida for work.  I came back, and got swamped with things to do.  And the biggest time eater has been my documentary, Slingbacks and Syrup.  This film has to be in the mail very soon for a couple of festivals that I am entering it in.  Thus, I have been spending every waking moment (when I am not at work earning a few dollars), sitting at home in my easy chair with my keyboard and mouse in my lap.  I have been editing the film like a madman.  And on Friday, a work-in-progress version goes in the mail.  And then, I have to start cleaning it up and perfecting it, in case it actually gets accepted into the festivals.

SO, loyal readers (all two of you) I have been very busy.  I do hope to get back to writing NYCStories soon.  In the meantime, just pretend that I was walking the picketline as a part of the writers strike.

Help us win a contest on Blowtorch.com by going there and voting for our short film, Night of Adventure.  Shot right here in NYC, this film follows one woman's night of adventure.  You can see the trailer below. 

It has happened again.  Santa invaded NYC, paraded all over town, gave candy and toys to children, had more than a few snorts of booze, danced, sang, and spread merriment to all. Everyone loves Santa, and his presence creates a festive mood unlike any found on a typical day in the city. 

If you have never been to Santacon, click on the link to see video I created of Santacon 2006.  Below are lots of photos from Santacon 2007.  Enjoy.

Santa was a little cold on the pier, so a nip or two helped to start the day off. 

Santa's friend the angel was there to make sure no one was naughty. 

Of course, Pirate Santa was there to cause a few problems. 

 And this Santa spent the year in the slammer after getting a little to wild during the reindeer games last year.

On his way to Dreidelcon, this man got lost.  Santa is friendly to all, so he was more than welcome to join in the fun.  A few spins and we were all shouting "Gimel!"

Herr Drosselmeier made friends with Frosty, and the day was off to a great start! 

After a few snorts at The Ear and Don Hills, Santa hopped on the subway and headed uptown. 

Of course it is the New York Subway system and Santa had to be on his toes to watch out for pickpockets! 

Santa soon hit the streets and amazed the crowds in Times Square. 

Swatch always has their Christmas colors up, so Santa blended right in. 

A couple of Christmas trees joined Santa as he found his stop in Times Square. 

Connolly's was the scene of Santa's next party location. 

Santa hit the juke box and got things started with a bang. 

Mrs. Claus was a little hot so she took off her coat and had a beer. 

Blue Man Santa joined in the fun. 

And of course all the reindeer were there to help make sure Santa made it home at night.  Reindeer don't let Santa drink and drive! 

Mrs. Claus was feeling a little frisky and tried on some of her favorite dominatrix clothing. 

She also showed off her new tool belt. 

After Connelly's, Santa stopped by Grand Central to watch the light show, and then he hopped on the Six train.

At Astor Place, Santa filled the square. 

Santa even stopped to spin the cube in Astor Place. 

After all the activity, Santa was feeling hungry.  As he worked he way over to Tompkins Square Park, Santa stopped at the only automat in NYC to try some deep fried Mac and Cheese. 

Santa also picked up a slice along the way. 

Once he arrived at the park, Santa started the party with some dancing. 

Of course, Santa needs to stay warm, so Santa shares his drink with his friends. 

Cobra Kai Santa showed up and showed us that their motto still stands. "Strike first. Strike hard. Show no mercy."  Where is Ralph Macchio when you need him?

The sun came out and Santa decided to get a little tan so he could look his best on Christmas night. 

Santa took a moment to celebrate the man who started it all by singing "Happy Birthday." 

Who are Santa's helpers?  Why, "Alfs" of course! 

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Santa's known to smoke a pipe, but when he tries a cigarette he has to be careful with his beard. 

Santa shows he can appear in all shapes and sizes.  Puff ball Santa and Rasta Santa hang together. 

No one knew who was Santa! 

Even Santa has his naughty moments. 

And late in the evening, Santa was hungry again.  We learned that Santa likes "Cheap Ass Specials," even when Jesus is looking over his shoulder. 

Well, if you were not at my house on Thanksgiving, you missed a feast.  I have a few pictures of it, so you can enjoy and make your plans for next year. 

Here's a shot of the appetizers, with the pies waiting in the background. 

Tom made his appearance on one of my favorite items... a turkey tray that seems to put the head back on the Turkey.  I bought this item for $6 when I first moved to NYC at an East Village flea market.  I have never seen anything like it anywhere, but I think everyone should have one. 

Finally at the end of the meal, when we were barely able to move, out came the pies. Here you see the pumpkin, which was a big hit.  With all this abundance, I was very happy to have spent some time helping to pack meals for the less fortunate a couple of days before.  It gave a lot more meaning to the day spent with lots of food and good friends. 

Ok, last year I did the traditional NYC Thanksgiving... watched the balloons get blown up, avoided the tourists and watched the parade on TV, ate too much, drank too much, and fell asleep.  This year, I decided to give a little back after a friend asked me to help her company, LivePerson, as they worked with FeedingNYC.org to put together 1500 boxes of food for needy families this Thanksgiving season.

The first step, starting at 4am, was to put the boxes together.  This required lots of folding.  You can see Susie demonstrating how to fold a box.

Very quickly the boxed began to pile up, and soon we had 1500 of them all put together.

However, they needed lids.  Here, John and Josh fold lids like professionals!  We soon had 1500 lids done.

And 1500 lids is a lot of lids as you can see.

The boxes and lids were quickly put in the background while the food was set up along the tables.

Then it was up to the people working at each table to pack the food into the boxes.

The huge piles of cans and boxes, and of course turkeys, were quickly put into the moving boxes so they could be delivered to families that needed them..

So you would have helped if you had known about it.  Sure, sure.  Well, it's not too late for this year. How about making a donation to Feedingnyc?  And last but not least, be better prepared to assist next year!