UNIQUE NY TOURS 2-hr DOWNTOWN SCAVENGER HUNT SUCCESS!!!

SEAPORT NEWS and a CONTEST from UNIQUE NY TOURS!

Cybele and Vickie with performance artist Ugo Rondinone

BUT first, Fine Art. Well actually, our first photo is more performance art. Unique NY Tours’ French and Spanish language tour guide Cybele Chaussat and Unique NY Tours friend, designer Vickie Fremont, shared a moment with Ugo Rondinone. Ugo’s performance was to sit motionless during the entire opening ceremony of the Public Art Fund’s Lightness of Being exhibition last week. Running in City Hall Park until December 13th, the varied collection did include
the pictured Olaf Breuning marble and bronze statue entitled HUMANS. It was one of his several witty contributions.
Now quickly, the contest.
Any of you in the market for electronics? Laptops? Notebooks? Cameras? Movies? How about the Miles Davis MILESTONES, on vinyl for 16.99? Or The Beatles’ YELLOW SUBMARINE on vinyl, for the same price? Unique NY Tours is launching our 2-hour Downtown Scavenger Hunt Tour. Get great deals on whatever you need by entering our contest. We’re hooking up with the J&R empire for the first tour. You get a special, hosted, discounted shopping experience, with complimentary beverages and a J&R gift bag.
Then you beat the pants off the other teams during a fun Sightseeing Tour of the (altered) South Street Seaport, Freedom Tower, Wall Street Bull, and lots more. You’ll be grouped with teammates competing for NYC prizes (by answering questions). Two hours of a Unique NYC experience: refreshments, clue list with directions, Hunt questions, photo opps, and the end party – all free.
But you have to win the tix to the contest first. Just click here and enter your name and email address on the CONTACT US page at the Unique NY Tours website: http://unique-tours.com
The contest ends August 7th, and winners of the August 22nd 2-hour Downtown Scavenger Hunt Tour will be announced August 9th. Do it now, or you know you’ll forget!

Here’s a quick view of the South Street Seaport’s new look. These folks are comfortably waiting for the free film at sunset. FRONT/ROW CINEMA will be presenting them all summer. Next up: The Muppets – Aug.3rd, Young Frankenstein – Aug. 7th, HUGO – Aug. 10 (I’ll have more listings for you soon).

NYC – DID YOU KNOW??
Joe and Rachelle Friedman, that‘s the couple who immigrated from Israel in 1971 and started the J&R Park Row electronics, music, cameras, instruments, free live jazz concerts, et al, emporium.

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and pass this blog post along to friends, and Do Visit our main website for Unique NY Tours if you’re looking for activities for yourself and out of town visitors:

Halloween & Horror Films

Happy Halloween from the Unique NY Tours crew! Luckily, many of you got to dress up and party over the weekend, but I hope Hurricane Sandy hasn’t totally ruined the fun for those of you waiting for the actual date. Many Upper East Side residents got into the Halloween spirit, as you can see from the four photos below. All were taken in the East 90’s. City officials gave the word to take all Halloween decorations down before the storm hit. Here’s hoping they’re back up again by Wednesday evening.

Halloween 2012, these Upper East Siders went all out!

Halloween 2012, same house — the coffin opens and closes

Halloween 2012 on the Upper East Side, I hope this house re-decorated after the storm

Halloween 2012 on the Upper East Side

Halloween 2012, Upper East Side Spider

The timing of the New York Women in Film & Television’s panel “WOMEN IN… HORROR FILMMAKING held at the Tribeca Film Center last Wednesday couldn’t have been better. Letitia Guillory, my friend and fellow screenwriter in the Harlem Arts Alliance screenwriting Lab at Columbia U. (2nd from the left in the photo) feels that we’re were going to see women filming horror films on a whole new level, commenting, “We’re running faster.” When moderator Ashley Havey (far left) asked the question “What are the clichés that make you groan?” all six panelists – (left to right) Emily Hagins, Jane Rose, Kimberly Magness, Cindy Sanabria, Renee Huff – weighed in. Letitia got a big laugh with her delivery of “Vampires who have guns.” Continuing, “You can have a sword, but with your strength, what do you need a gun for?” Another big laugh came after Kimberly’s list, “When they fall. Run in the wrong direction. Leave the knife where the bad guy can get it…”

NY Women in Film & Television panel members talk Horror Filmmaking

Women were quite busy last week. Joy Hibbert received her bouquet of flowers as part of the honor of being chosen the 2012 winner of the Project Enterprise (PE) Charles B. Benenson Entrepreneur Award. PE provided Joy with a micro loan that enabled her to take her home-based baked goods company, Love Joy Sweets (www.lovejoysweettreats.com) to the next level, moving it into a commercial kitchen. Like the other eight finalists, Karen Tappen (wearing fab gold earrings) graciously described her company Karen’s Body Beautiful to the well-dressed crowd enjoying cocktails, a dynamic musical trio, and delicious hors d’oeuvres by Spoonbread catering, in the très élégant Prince George Ballroom on East 27th Street. If you own a business or want to start one, you’d be very wise to check out the PE website (www.projectenterprise.org). Besides the really low-interest loans, they provide training (as in how to write professional business plans), technical support, and good vibes. More on them another day.

Joy Hibbert, 2012 Charles B. Benenson Entrepreneur Award winner

The elegant Prince George Ballroom

The final park photos below were just too special to leave out. Paul McCarthy’s 30ft (I’m guessing) ketchup bottle totally startled me as I turned into City Hall Park the other day. Then, on my way out the park’s other end, there was Thomas Schütte’s stone man, looking like someone from Halloween central casting. A few days later I became mesmerized by the many-sided kaleidoscope light show provided by yet another humongous art object, this time on the west side of Madison Square Park at 24th Street. Couldn’t find the artist’s name in the dark.

Paul McCarthy’s “Daddies Ketchup” in all its inflated glory, the Municipal Building in the background.

Thomas Schutte’s bronze sculpture, very apropos for Halloween, but actually a year round City Hall Park resident. caption id=”attachment_278″ align=”aligncenter” width=”300″] An ever-changing 3D light show in Madison Square Park

DON’T forget, visit Unique NY Tours’ website at http://www.unique-tours.com for tour info and more. And tell your friends!

NYC- DID YOU KNOW??

Since I’m talking parks — did you know that during Prohibition there was an elegant night spot called the Casino in Central Park? Standing approximately where today’s SummerStage concerts are held, just inside and south of East 72nd Street, the original building was designed as a simple cottage by park architect Calvert Vaux in 1864; for solo women visiting the park and dining alone. But in 1926 “Gentleman Jimmy” Walker took office as mayor, and thanks to his machinations, the Metropolitan Opera’s theatrical designer Joseph Urban modernized the interior. He installed glass chandeliers which sparkled off black mirrors, which reflected tables set with maroon cloths, crystal glasses, and white napkins. Clusters of green and maroon balloons floated above Emil Coleman’s orchestra, with Eddie Duchin on grand piano. Mayor Walker’s wife was out of town, so his opening night date was beauty Betty Compton of the Ziegfeld Follies.

FALL HAPPENINGS

Get Thee To NYC Water!

Unique NY Tours’ owner Joyce & shopping associate Sue share the Hudson River with visitor Cayetana (from Spain) in high style.

Unique’s Cybele considers even cloudy days on the Hudson fun!

TIME to hit the NYC waterways everybody! The window to enjoy water travel in comfort in New York City is relatively small, please don’t miss it.

GROWING up a product of the NYC public school system, from first grade thru sixth, there were three yearly events that made sleep virtual impossible the night before – a day trip to the Bronx Zoo, a visit to the Observatory atop the Empire State Building, and a sail out to the Statue of Liberty aboard the Circle Line! I’ll wax rhapsodic about the Bronx Zoo and the City’s former tallest building in future posts. Right now I feel it’s crucial to get every individual in the five boroughs into NYC water, on a boat. Yes there are beaches and pools for swimming in our metropolis, and I also love them. But there’s something special about viewing various city neighborhoods and landmarks while moving with effortless smoothness through the water.

WHETHER watching at sunset in a stylish summer outfit, cocktail in hand, as a DJ or even live musicians play your favorite tunes; or keeping an eye on the kids as a tour guide shares facts about the carousel you just passed on the Brooklyn shoreline (yes there is one, Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park, DUMBO), there’s a pampered, relaxed sensation that hits you at some point. Maybe it’s just the knowing that, for the moment, you’re different from the stressed-out masses in the packed-to-the-gills buildings you pass by.

WE in the top photo above were on a Circle Line Downtown trip and Cybele cruised the Hudson with their New York Water Taxi. You can see that fun was definitely had by all. But there are sailboat trips too. Several years back while working as a journalist, I hopped aboard the Pioneer Schooner (first launched in 1885) in the middle of a ridiculously tight-scheduled day. I boarded the vessel (that’s boat talk) a Screechy Sheila and disembarked a Blissful Betty. My office mates thought I’d maybe I’d done some “ludes”. So get thee onto a NYC boat!

Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park – $2 Rides!

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NYC-Did You Know??
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Downtown Manhattan contains approximately 25% of the world’s gold bullion. That’s the gold reserves of about 80 foreign nations (over $85 billion in 2002). And it’s free to visit the 80ft. deep vaults to get a look at it! Part of the bank’s job is to get rid of old US currency, and the last time I was there, visitors to their fascinating museum received tight little packets of the shredded bills as a gift.

Classic Cars & Snow in June

Classic prop for “…Walter Mitty” film shoot

Guess where/when I saw the beauty above? In Greenwich Village last Wednesday! I Stepped out of the legendary Cherry Lane Theatre on Commerce Street into the middle of a crew setting up for an on-location shoot for the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Film crews with cameras, lights, and cables have become common sights for the average New York City resident, most rarely glance twice anymore (unless of course there’s a crew member insisting you have to go 2 blocks north and endure a 10-minute detour to get to your apartment building which is just 50 ft. beyond their setup). But occasionally there’s someone (say, Will Smith) or something that has us pointing our cell phone cameras. That bright yellow and red classic sports a Historic license plate because the Walter Mitty story is based on a 1929 James Thurber short story (his most famous) with the same title. The sight below provided a second camera opp. Guess what that is they were using to simulate snow for the winter scene being shot in June? Epsom salt – who knew?

If you happened to assume I’d been at the Cherry Lane Theatre enjoying a play. Wrong. I had been enjoying myself immensely, but instead of experiencing someone else’s literary masterpiece, under the guidance of award-winning playwright, lyricist and actress Gretchen Cryer, I was attempting to create my own. FYI all of you interested in writing, be you professional or beginner, the Cherry Lane hosts a fantastic free Master Class Series. It’s open to the public and offers an inside view of theater from masters of the craft, in a friendly intimate setting. The sessions are led by some of the most exciting, legendary and iconic artists working in theatre today. Together they hold twelve Pulitzer Prizes, thirty-five Tony awards, and twenty-one Obie awards. Not bad for free huh? Gretchen’s session was great.

By the way, if you are a theater buff, it might be of interest to know that the first production at the Cherry Lane went up in 1924, entitled Saturday Night. In 1929 it presented the play The Vegetable written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and directed by Lee Strasberg.

Epsom salt makes a good snow substitute

NYC- DID YOU KNOW??

There’s a house in Manhattan that’s only 9 & ½ feet wide! It’s at 75 1/2 Bedford St, the narrowest house in the city. Around the corner from the Cherry Lane Theatre, on the inside it measures 8 ft. 7 in. wide; at its narrowest, it’s 2 ft. wide. From the facade that you see below to the rear garden the house is a cozy 30 ft. deep. It was the actual residence of irreverent poet Edna St, Vincent Millay (1892-1950), the first woman to win a Pulitzer for poetry.

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