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Fall Street Fairs Throughout fall, street fairs are a constant sight along New York City's streets. Occurring almost every weekend, these fairs turn wide avenues into pedestrian walkways and offer very casual browsing, shopping and eating. A few, in fact, provide an outdoor venue for artists displaying their creations. Vendors become familiar faces for those who visit various fairs throughout the season. Merchandise ranges from fast food to kitchen gadgets and from low-end apparel to plants. If you have an hour or so to spare, a little energy and a lot of curiosity, here is a list of upcoming fairs.
US Open Tennis
Roger Federer, winner of the 2004 and 2005 US Open and 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 Wimbledon is the man to watch. Is there anyone out there who can beat him? In the ladies arena Last year's winner, France's Justine Henin-Hardenne remains strong. She came close at Wimbledon. Can she bounce back at this year's open? Opened in 1997, the Arthur Ashe stadium is the largest tennis stadium in the world, holding 23,000 spectators at full capacity. The crowds are sure to be on their feet cheering this year for tennis legend Andre Agassi as he says farewell to his professional career. For more information, tickets and schedules visit www.usopen.org Metropolitan Opera in Central Park
This annual event brings opera to the masses via performances that take place in parks throughout the City's five boroughs. This summer two performances will be held in Central Park.
Performances take place on the Great Lawn which is best accessed through 81st Street and Central Park West. From there follow the path to the Great Lawn or just follow the crowd. These performances are free and no tickets are required. |
With Wimbledon, The soccer World Cup and Tour de France behind us, all eyes turn to the USTA Center in Flushing, New York for the 2006 Tennis Championships. Held this year from August 29 to September 10, the US Open brings together the world's best tennis players for two solid weeks of excitement. Top contenders battle for the largest awards in tennis totaling $17 million.
Summer in New York City is filled with fun activities and cultural events that spill into the outdoors, transforming theatrical moments into community experiences. These relaxed laid-back venues create a place to meet and speak with visitors and locals who share a common interest. One well-attended example is the Metropolitan Opera in the Parks series.|
Lizards & Snakes: Alive oh my! Squamates, land animals with scales such as lizards and snakes are often thought to comprise a small if not insignificant portion of the animal kingdom. With its live specimens, interactive stations and visual displays offering keen insights, this exhibit will have you thinking again. Curated by The American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the natural history museums of Atlanta and San Diego, Snakes & Lizards: Alive places on display sixty live examples ranging from the colorful to the camouflaged and from the venomous to the docile. These live animals are from the Amazon, the Caribbean, the Galápagos, Africa, Mexico and the United States. Also included in the exhibit are fossil specimens that help show the evolution of squamates and identify contributions made by some species to medical research. This is a great educational experience for children and adults alike.
Lincoln Center for the performing Arts is one of the world's most acclaimed and recognized performing arts centers. This sixteen-acre performing arts complex, the largest in the world, is visited by five million people each year. Today, 40 years after its construction, Lincoln Center is showing signs of physical wear and inadequacy in terms of optimum access, functionality and amenities. A massive 10-year transformation process has been announced that will aim, among other things, at modernizing some venues and improving their patron and performer amenities, providing better access, giving visible presence to some of the resident companies and improving access. Major elements of the project include: Bringing lobbies to street level, expanding Alice Tully Hall, expanding the rehearsal studios of the American Ballet School, building new restaurants, expanding and renovating The Julliard School and enhancing street presence for resident organizations along West 65th Street. To understand the magnitude of this performing arts complex consider that 400 performances are staged each year. The fact that this transformation process will take place with little performance interruption is amazing. Following years of planning, the acclaimed architectural firm of Diller Scofidio + Renfro was chosen to oversee the redevelopment. Their goal now is to marry the programming needs of the resident organizations with an esthetic appealing design that serves patrons and visitors. And now the work begins. Bravo Lincoln Center, a major fund raising campaign has been launched and is predicted to span ten years. Its purpose is to generate the non-public funds needed to financially support this transformation process and to establish a sizable endowment to help meet future financial needs. Throughout the transformation process the resident organizations will continue to operate and provide a quantity and level of performances unmatched anywhere else in the world. |
Lizards & Snakes: Alive
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts|
New York City's ever-growing restaurant scene provides ample room for competition among high quality chefs and carefully designed gastronomical environments that seek to create the ultimate dining experience. From foreign flavor fusion to tried and true traditional taste, recent newcomers represent a new twist on continental and New York's love affair with steak.  Michael Stillman, son of Alan Stillman of Smith and Wollensky fame has branched out on his own bringing yet another steak house to Manhattan's midtown area. The fruit of his labors, Quality Meats has been cleverly designed, incorporating several meat industry icons such as butcher block tiles, walnut planks reminiscent of meat lockers and ceiling light fixtures porting a steal hook motif. Surprisingly enough, the well conceived design provides an elegant atmosphere that is more likely to appeal to women than the typical stodgy steak house that we have come to expect.
Attention to an attractive presentation does not end with the decor, menu items are served with well planned garnishes that defy the ubiquitous brown sauces. The menu offers a broad variety of choices including t-bone steak, sirloin, rib eye, a gargantuan 64 ounce double cut intended for two, rack of lamb, veal chops, suckling pig and a variety of fish. Heaping flavor, however, comes at a heaping price. Café d’Alsace |
New York restaurateur Simon Oren saw his name at the center of many a fine restaurant review following the opening, three years ago, of his French bistro/brasserie, Nice Matin on Manhattan's upper west side. Now, he has cloned this successful fun and light-hearted design on the upper east side and named it Café d’Alsace. Despite the almost identical aesthetics, the regional cuisine of choice has been changed from the Riviera to Alsacian. Authentic french chef and partner in this venture, Philippe Roussel (from Brittany) has prepared an authentic Alsacian menu offering hearty dishes from this northwest region that more closely resembles german cuisine than the parisian or provençal style that you will find at most french restaurants. Hearty stews such as Baeckeoffe (lamb, oxtail and bacon braised in white wine) garnished sauerkraut, sausages, roast pork and casseroles simmered in Rieslings. For those who can find room, well prepared deserts abound.The ambiance is cheerful and the chef is commendable but if there is one stand-alone gimmick that is bringing people to café d'Alsace it's the Beer Sommelier (yes they're serious). With almost 120 brews on hand, Avriam, the restaurants beer sommelier can suggest the perfect choice for each meal, and for each individual's taste. The restaurant has become quite popular and reservations are needed for both lunch and dinner.
The Manhattan Club 200 West 56th Street New York, NY 10019 Phone 1-800-891-3570
© 2006 The Manhattan Club