Fashion Week NYC (2/9/08)

Anyone who knows me realizes that I'm not fashion-forward or even fashion-interested, but that doesn't mean I'm not up for Fashion Week parties! In fact, I've been looking for a break in the monotony of my usual scene and the events on the bill this week provided just that. I started things off on Wednesday at Le Royale (formerly Luke & Leroy) for the NY debut of Paris' hippest event, WADKLUB, which was hosted by street fashion magazine WAD MAG (http://www.wadmag.com), New York’s Roxy Cottontail & Karmaloop TV. I was actually put on to WAD MAG by my friend, Sami, during a trip to Paris in 2006.

So when I found out the hip-hop/electro party was headed this way I jumped at the chance to go. I had the added incentive of meeting Sami's friend and WADKLUB resident, DJ DEE NICE, and the lure of a gift bag... but hey, whatever it takes! I had a good time listening to wacky mash-ups and mixes and chatting with lots of new and interesting peeps. Scoring a Manhattan Portage bag wasn't bad either!





Next up...the opening of Mansion (the NYC outpost of the Miami nightclub) in the space that used to house Crobar on West 28th Street. I've been told the club officially opens to the public next week, but I had a chance to attend one of two soft launch parties (the first one was a Zac Posen after party on Thursday). Friday's party was hosted by Jeremy Scott and NYC hipster DJ legends, The MisShapes. The venue has been transformed from a big room, electronic music haven to a 2,120-person, bi-level bottle service "ultra lounge" run by Opium Group's Eric Milon (a former male model) and Lotus owner Mark Baker.

The vibe at Mansion is obviously a stark contrast to its predecessor which had a good run but had long since lost the interest of my crew. When you walk in the front entrance, you're greeted with multiple fireplaces and are guided directly into the former "Reed Room" which is a different path of entry than what was used by Crobar. The Phazon sound system from Crobar's main room has been moved into the smaller side room (now called The Gallery) and the room has been opened up quite a bit. On it's own the side room should provide some pretty interesting party opportunities.

The main room (The Ballroom) has a 1940s Hollywood theme, an octagon couch with a cross-shaped runway in the middle and a brand-spanking- new Funktion One sound system which the music heads should appreciate. Obviously they are still working through quite a few last minute changes but overall the room is quite beautiful and has a lot of potential. When we walked in, there was a gospel choir singing on the stage and later on we were treated to acrobats, fire guns and some serious eye candy. Oh and did I mention the waitresses are dressed as french maids? Yup. It's almost a big room version of The Box... with a DJ. Speaking of DJs, The MisShapes played their usual mix of Rock, New Wave and Pop and had me and our small crew dancing up a storm. Granted, they couldn't mix a drink but let's be honest... nobody *really* cares about mixing anyway. I couldn't even begin to list the random accessories adorned by The MisShapes faithful or the smattering of songs we thrashed to all night but let's just say this... I heard the Rocky theme song for the first time in a club! Definitely no shortage of smiles or laughs!

For all the haters out there, I'll say this: I think you need to remember how to smile and have some *good old fashioned fun*. Isn't that what it's supposed to be all about? Kudos to Jen, John, Lisa and Stacey at Flawless for their role in the opening and as always, the amazing hospitality!

PS - for once I didn't take my camera out but I've included a random photo found online. Thankfully The Ballroom is not nearly as gaudy as it appears in this pic!

San Antonio (1/31/08)

You gotta love when you get sent on a business trip to a place that a) you have friends and b) you'd probably never otherwise go. So when I started my new job in and found out I'd be headed to San Antonio, Texas this winter I was thrilled. Not much to report about the city itself unfortunately. As for the famed River Walk... well, let's just say it's an *interesting* little experiment in tourism for middle America. Fuddruckers or Hooters anyone? I did get to see the Alamo Mission which was built by the Spanish Empire in the 1740s for the education of local Native Americans after their conversion to Christianity. How nice of those Spaniards! According to Wikipedia, "after its abandonment as a mission, it was used as a fortress and was the scene of several military actions, including most notably the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, one of the pivotal battles between the forces of the Republic of Texas and Mexico during the Texas Revolution."

Pictures: Me and Princeton softball teammate, Michelle; The Alamo by Night; The River Walk

Craig Richards @ Love (1/26/08)

Craig disappointed big-time but luckily there was enough tomfoolery to keep me distracted and entertained. Highlights include: the double and triple takes from friends and foes when they saw the mustache, Swamy's fist fight with my marionette, The Wiz, which got him thrown out of the club (albeit temporarily), quality time with Crazy Larry, the coochie duster's new record for coochie's dusted in a single club night and being called "Gallagher" by some message board asshat. Until next time, my amigos locos!

Tantric Ice Bath (1/26/08)

Colleen called me this morning to see if I wanted to take a short walk to see some guy in tantric meditation in an ice bath in the middle of 17th Street. You know, just another day in New York City! Ha!

It turns out that Dutchman Wim Hof is the only non-Tibetan to have mastered the tantric practice of tumo, the ability to control the temperature of the body through meditation. When we arrived, he was 45 minutes into his attempt to break his own world record for immersion in an ice bath (1 hr, 11 minutes). Despite camera crews, throngs of onlookers and taxi drivers stopping right next to him to take pictures, he was able to stay in his meditative zone. I didn't stay to the end but heard he was successful in his quest for a new record. And I thought jumping in Lake Michigan for a few minutes in February was bold! The footage from today's event will actually be used as the start of a documentary film studying the medical ramifications of tumo practice which was developed by monks in order to survive the extreme conditions at 18,000 feet in the Indian Himalayas. According to the Rubin Museum of Art's website, "An attempt to study the physiological effects of tumo was made by Herbert Benson in the 1980s. Benson studied Indo-Tibetan Yogis in the Himalayas and in India and found that these subjects exhibited the capacity to increase the temperature of their fingers and toes by as much as 8.3°C." That's crazy!

Body & Soul (1/20/08)

Just when I was starting to lose some interest in the electronic music scene... along comes Body & Soul to restore my faith! Wow, wow and more wow. I haven't been in NYC for the last few years so I think I forgot just how incredible the Body & Soul vibe could be. Young, old, gay, straight, black, white, brown and everything in between - everyone there for one love. Say what you will about dark and dirty tech-house and mental afterhours madness, but there is nothing quite like a thousand people all singing a soulful song from the heart in unison.

I got to Webster Hall alone at 7pm and went straight to the dance floor to warm up from the 20° weather outside. It didn't take long as the Body & Soul triumvirate - Danny Krivit, Francois K and Joe Claussell - were already tag-teaming. Danny and Francois played well, but for me Joe Claussell absolutely stole the show. If FK is the geeky, mad scientist behind the decks than Joe is the DJ version of James Brown. I don't know that I've ever seen another DJ with as much rhythm and flare - it's like the music is flowing directly from his body. I'd go as far as to say that Joe is in my top 10 - he's *that* good.

After a few hours I was joined by my dear friend, Susan, who I haven't shared a dance floor with in a long time (love you, Shabby!). Over the course of the night I ran into 5-6 other friends but for the most part it was just me, Susan and the music. It was a perfect night - 6.5 hours of non-stop smiling and dancing. I highly recommend you NYC heads get out for the next one! A couple trainspotted highlights: Mary J. Blige "Just Fine", Rolling Stones "Miss You", Dan Hartman "Relight My Fire", Aretha Franklin "Deeper Love".

Joe Claussell Playing Dan Hartman's 70s Disco Classic "Relight My Fire"


Danny Krivit Playing "Deeper Love"


More Joe Claussell





Full album:

2008_01_20 (Body & Soul @ Webster Hall)

Saints & Spinners (1/18/08)

24 hours. 100 spin bikes. 1 Guinness World Record. Go.
Well actually for me it was more like: 1 hour. 1 spin bike. No Guinness World Record. Pain. At 2am on Friday night/Saturday morning I trekked up to Grand Central Station to participate in Saints & Spinners, a 24-hour spin party and benefit to raise money to fight teen obesity. This time last year I was jumping into Lake Michigan for charity (click here if you missed that moment of stupidity...) so I didn't hesitate when given the chance to do something good that didn't involve the loss of feeling in my extremities.

Somehow I managed to find ONE partner in crime for this event - an old buddy from Princeton. Christine and I were both a bit grouchy to start the ride since we had napped beforehand; however, we quickly woke up once the burn set in and were all smiles at the end knowing we had done a body and a charity some good! In addition to all of the normal participants, there were also a few guys riding the entire time trying to set a world record (which they already done by the time we arrived!). Gotta love their effort and enthusiasm but I'm not so sure sitting on a bike that long is good for the... ummm...

In any case... good times, good times! Can't wait for the next random-middle-of-the-night-NYC-event!

Birthday Explosion: Dill, Heather, Sleepy + Boo, Taimur + Fahad, Ryan Elliot

After staying in and reading three books during the last few weeks, I finally decided to end my hibernation and head out to celebrate the birthdays of good friends, Dill & Taimur, and the return of Sami (that dirty mo*fo wabbit from Paris)!

The night started out with an incredible meal in honor of Dill at Cantina, the Latin-tapas hot spot in the East Village owned by the infamous Jason Swamy of Le Souk and Movida. Cantina's cozy vibe is reminiscent of Old Havana with a decor that New York Mag calls, "Alphabet City yard sale meets the Buena Vista Social Club." Jason (that's what we laughingly called him while in restaurateur mode) treated us to an immaculate sampling of the menu which was developed by consulting chef Jason Neroni (Porchetta, 71 Clinton). I know my foodie friends love to hear the details so here's what we had: warm Spanish olives; warm sheep's milk cheese with mint, piquillo peppers and green olives; radichio salad with manchego and pickle and oliver relish; papas bravas with a pickled jalapeño aioli; beef and pork meatballs with green beans, hard boiled eggs and almonds; pork shoulder dulce le leche; shrimp in salsa verde with potato; curry ice cream with guava and cream cheese pasteles and churros with saffron chocolate. Ummm, yum! Major kudos to Swamy for what he's done with Cantina. I will definitely be going back soon! Here's the website for those who are interested: www.CantinaNYC.com.

After dinner we grabbed cabs to Sullivan Room to hear Dill and DJ Heather, but not before I walked to Houston Street to buy a 1 gallon jar of kosher dills for Mr. Pickle himself. Last time I went pickle shopping all it took was a little Arabic and a smile to get them for a good price (for more background on the pickles...). This time around, I had to use my Spanish and brave a GHETTO bodega between Avenues B and C. The place was full of SKETCHY characters, almost none of which were actually buying anything. The only guy at the counter was buying beer (of course), only had one eye open and at most four teeth. I could feel his one eye and everyone else's weighing on me so I got out of dodge real quick. Despite the circumstances, I maintained my composure long enough to negotiate down the retail price. I'm 2 for 2! Looks like that MBA is really starting to pay dividends.

Ok, now back the story... in the cab and off to Sullivan Room where we were kindly greeted by doorman, AK, before marching down to the basement with the big 'ole jar of pickles in hand. I stormed the booth to celebrate with Dill and then joined Karen on the dance floor to dance around our pickle offering to the gods. Dill dropped some fun thumpity thumpin house music before handing the controls over to Heather who played her vintage style. I stuck around bs-ing with friends until around 2:30am when I had to depart for Bar 13. Before I left I instructed Dill to make sure there was "no pickle left behind" but somehow I got a late night text indicating that there had been POWs. So if anyone has any information on the whereabouts of jar #2, please send me a message asap! Thanks to Mike & Begona for a fun night!

Next stop...Blk Market Membership at Bar 13! When I got there, Ryan Elliot was droppin some techno lovin so I made my way directly to the sweaty center of the room. After some searching, I finally found Sami (sans-floppy-french-fro) holding court and greeted him wabbit style. After that I went search of the Taimur's birthday buns - what's a party without a visit from the pimp hand? Sometime around 4am I walked home with Sami in an effort to be well-rested for a big Sunday (damn, I'm so lame these days!) which included brunch, the dentist, a baby shower, a visit to a pregnant friend and The L Word with the girls in Brooklyn. Jeez! I might be headed back to hibernation after this one!

Ha! (1/7/08)

Two fun photos I just had to share...

The Infamous Pliver Doin His Thang In Costa Rica



Wendy and TT on a Friday Night

New Year's Eve Weekend 2008

The pre-NYE festivities started at the Jersey shore with the first stop in West Long Branch to visit two dear friends from Princeton, Ernie & Kathleen, and to finally meet their ridiculously adorable twins, EJ and Cole. It was really fun to spend some quality time with everyone, witness two WWF wrestlers in the making and watch the NY Giants self-destruct against the Patriots.

The second stop was in Asbury Park for a small gathering of the crew which consisted of the usual - eating, drinking and extreme silliness. This time we were treated to the yummy culinary delights of Leks, Dale, Justin and Joel and got to celebrate the birthdays of Eileen and Liar. In honor of the special occasion, we broke out an infamous game created during Propapalooza 2006 in Barcelona, "Pin the Titty on the Titty." This time, instead of using *the lady* and KJ's boob inserts we used human targets and titties of all shapes and sizes hand-crafted by Saisha. We threw on some JT "Sexy Back" and the game was on! Let's just say it was good for more than a few laughs.



On NYE, 35 of us gathered at Liar's pimp pad in the Lower East Side for an immaculate dinner and party. Lloyd, Benke and Leks outdid themselves with the following menu: lavender martinis, goat cheese medallions with balsamic reduction and blueberries, butternut squash soup with a dollop of spicy red pepper sauce, of skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, salmon with a pepper glaze and green beans. The food was met literally with cheers from the attendees - which were almost as loud as the cheers that came later in the night when Tony Lee's penis made an appearance in the slide show put together by Sunny. After dinner we were treated to an intimate soirée with a soundtrack provided by friends and local DJ heroes - Stadenco, Lloyd Alvarez and Leks. Nancy tried to Hooker-stamp everyone but little did she know that a certain someone would be wearing Hooker-proof serum...ha! Foiled again!

I actually wasn't feeling my best so the night ended early for me (4:30am) but the other party soldiers marched on to a variety of after hours including Blood & Thunder II at Galapagos and Get Sullied at Sullivan Room.



Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to a healthy and adventure-filled 2008!

My Friends Rock! Vol. 4 - ASKIN MERIC (1/1/08)

On Valentine's Day 2002, I ventured out alone to a NYC night club in search of some dance floor therapy. Shortly after I arrived, I met a nice, young Turkish guy named Askin. 5 hours later we had talked, danced and bonded for life. Ahh, the power of music! In this edition of My Friends Rock! I'd like to pay homage to two things that have grown tremendously over the past four years - my friendship with Askin and his line of women's clothing, Mezza New York. His clothes are beautiful and continue to garner the attention of buyers throughout the U.S. He even outfitted me for the New Year's Eve soirée mentioned in the previous entry!

Lifted from an online retailer website: "Born in Turkey, Mezza New York designer Askin Meric grew up around the fashion industry, learning the ins and outs of fabric and design from an early age. Looking at his fabulous creations, you might say fashion’s in his blood. Meric designs his sophisticated clothes, known for modern silhouettes and natural fabrics, with an eye toward bringing out the beauty in every woman. If you have an appreciation for clean lines, elegant simplicity and high-end fabrics, look no further than Mezza New York."

Website: http://www.mezzanewyork.com/