Circle Line launching a $50,000 NYC Waterfalls tour
While several ferry companies have already announced plans for summer cruises that will get spectators close to artist Olafur Eliasson's NYC Waterfalls, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises is hoping to top them all when it comes to pure excess.
For $50,000 you can get a private Circle Line boat (with crew) to cruise aroound the waterfalls while sipping Dom Perignon, dining on a six-course meal from Chef Daniel Boulud's Feast & Fêtes catering and sharing chocolate Knipschildt's La Madeline au Truffes.
Since you probably won't be sleeping on the boat, Circle Line will also throw in a night in a presidential suite in a hotel on par with the Waldorf, Mandarin Oriental or Four Seasons, a spokesman told NewYorkology.
Eliasson's four waterfalls are currently under construction under the Brooklyn Bridge, at Governors Island, at Manhattan's Pier 35 and below the Brooklyn Promenade. They'll be in operation from late June to mid-October.
Shakespeare in the Park to give tickets away online
People with day jobs all across New York City, rejoice! Standing in line for hours and hours to maybe get free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park may be a thing of yesterday.
With the new virtual line, the Public allows individuals who are registered at the Public Theater website to log on and submit a day-of request for tickets beginning at 12 AM ET. Each individual entry is able to request up to two tickets for that day's performance. At 1 PM registered users can log on to the Public website to see if their names have been randomly selected. The day-of tickets will be held at the Delacorte box office.
However, most tickets will still be alotted to the legions who line up in Central Park the day of each show; only "a limited number" will go the online route.
Of course you can also "buy" the free tickets by donating $160 or $165 to the Public Theater.
This summer's first production is "Hamlet" -- set for May 27 through June 29 -- with Michael Stuhlbarg, Sam Waterston, Lauren Ambrose, Andre Braugher and Margaret Colin.
The second Shakespeare in the Park production for 2008 will be "Hair" -- from July 22 through August 17 -- with Jonathan Groff, Will Swenson, Patina Renea Miller and Allison Case directed by Dianne Paulus.
What OpenTable.com is to free restaurant reservations, Lifebooker.com now is to easy reservations to spa and fitness appointments.
The site lets you pick a service -- including mani/pedi, bikini wax, massage (with a male- or female- preference option,) accupuncture, cupping and men's shave. You then pick a day, time, and if you want, a neighborhood to narrow your reach. The site then reloads with all your options, including prices at each location, alternate times and types of services within the topic you've selected (such as Brazilian, landing strip, bikini updo, Bermuda Triangle basic, etc.)
You can book on the site for free, but you need to provide a credit card number to hold appointments. (But only the spa itself ends up paying Lifebooker a percentage, which is where the website makes its money.)
The site launched six months ago and currently offers appointments only in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The goal is to offer appointments at about 1,000 spas, salon and fitness providers from the tri-state area by the end of the year, a company spokesman told NewYorkology. Eventually the service will launch in other cities as well.
Companies already offering appointments inlcude Allure, Delluva Day Spa, Rita Hazan, Townhouse Spa, Paul Labrecque, Spa Chinois and White Tea Spa -- and some with special discounts for Lifebooker users.
The site also lets you read reviews written by other members who have actually booked past appointments at the spas. And you can earn reward points for future services.
Lifebooker is independently owned by 26-year-old entrepreneurs Andrew Unger and Dana Reichman.
Met Opera plans free June 20 concert in Prospect Park
The Met Opera will move to Brooklyn's Prospect Park for one night this summer -- June 20 -- for a free concert that could draw as many as 150,000 people, the Met Opera announced today.
The one night concert will replace the free series of park performances the Met Opera has offered in past summers.
"Met Summer Concert: Live in Prospect Park" will feature soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna, (who are married to each other,) singing selections from Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Massenet. Ion Marin will conduct the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
The concert will take place in Prospect Park’s nearly mile-long Long Meadow, with an over-sized stage set up at the baseball fields. Six jumbo video screens will offer extra views of the stage.
To encourage spectators from all five boroughs, Bank of America will give away 25,000 MTA MetroCards in a commemorative holder along with another card that will make them eligible for cash, a vacation package or Met Opera tickets. The cards will be available as of June 16.
The June 20 performance will also be will be broadcast live on WQXR-FM (96.3 FM), and streamed live on the Met’s website.
Koons' 'Balloon Dog' marks its territory on Met roof
Artist Jeff Koons has installed three of his never-before-on-public-display schulptures in the roof garden of the Met Museum of Art, where they'll stay through the summer.
"Balloon Dog (Yellow,)" is similiar to “Balloon Dog (Magenta,)” which was installed at the
Palazzo Grassi in Venice in 2006.
It shares the rooftop space with "Sacred Heart (Red/Gold,)" and the Piglet-inspired "Coloring Book."
The Met's Roof Garden Cafe will serve new cocktails by the same names as the three art works, along with the usual fare of soft drinks, beer, wine and food. It will also provide a martini bar on Friday and Saturda evenings from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
"I think everything balanced out just perfect. I don't think I've ever been happier with any artwork I've ever done," Koons this morning told media gathered for his press preview in the garden.
In recent years, the garden has hosted the work of artists including Sol LeWitt and Frank Stella. The roof draws up to 800 people an hour on sunny days in the summer, Met president Emily Rafferty said.
"Jeff Koons on the Roof" will be on display in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden from April 22 through October 26.
2008 hours for the roof garden (weather permitting) are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, plus Sundays; and 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Met Museum is closed Mondays except some holiday Mondays (including May 26 and Sept. 1.)
Canadians open Rock Center roof garden for two nights
The Canadian Tourism Commission is one-upping Open House New York by opening up access to one of the Rockefeller Center roof gardens for free and providing a wine garden, food, music -- and Canadian sophistication.
The two-night event, called The Ultimate Canadian Room-With-A-View, will be held May 14 and 15 (a Wednesday and Thursday) in the 620 Fifth Ave. loft and garden on the 7th floor, which is normally closed to the public.
The roof garden was been open for a quick walk-through during the past two Open House New York weekends, offering eye-level views with the spires of Saint Patrick's Cathedral just across the avenue.
(This year's OHNY is scheduled for the weekend of October 4 though participating locations haven't been announced.)
Image credit: Rockefeller Center roof garden during OHNY 2006. Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.
More free Met Opera tix; huge sale at Met Opera shop
All the free tickets for Friday's free Met Opera Open House dress rehearsal of Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment" are spoken for -- but there's a very good chance more will be availble at the box office after 5 p.m. this evening.
That's the cut-off time for people to show up with their confirmation numbers and pick up tickets they ordered last weekend. But if they're not there by 5 p.m. today, those tickets will be back up for grabs at the box office.
A Met Opera ticketing agent advised that you may want to start lining up before 5 p.m. for your best chance to get a pair of freebies. The box office closes at 8 p.m. tonight.
The Open House begins at 10 a.m. Friday, with the curtain rising at 11 a.m.
Also worth noting, the Met Opera's gift shop is having quite the blowout sale in advance of its April 30 closing for a major renovation. All CDs and DVDs are 40 percent off (except for new releases and the season's repretory;) librettos are 40 percent off, jewelry is all 50 percent marked down, and most other merchandise (like the Diva-branded cosmetics bags and shirts,) are also 50 percent off. The online shop has many of the same items on sale as well.
Image source: From the stage of the Met Opera at the end of the Met Opera Open House in September 2007. Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.
NY Philharmonic sets free summer park concert dates
The New York Philharmonic has announced its full free Concerts in the Parks schedule for this summer -- once again promising fireworks, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and the 1812 Overture in Central Park and elsewhere in all five boroughs.
The schedule:
June 24 - Central Park
July 5 - Governors Island
July 8 - Richmond County Bank Ballpark, Staten Island
July 9 - PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, New Jersey
July 10 - Cunningham Park, Queens
July 11 - Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx
July 12 - Heckscher State Park, East Islip, Long Island
July 14 - Prospect Park, Brooklyn
July 15 - Central Park
The orchestra plays slightly different pieces at each performance. And be warned, the shows are sometimes canceled due to rain. See the NYPhil's website for the phone number to call the day-of-show if rain threatens.
The open rehearasal is scheduled for Friday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the curtain at 11 a.m.
To get a free pair of tickets call (212) 362-6000 or sign up online. You must then be able to pick up the tickets at will call before Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Free tickets will be available to the general public (without the Facebook offer code) starting at noon Sunday.
More details about the Open House from the Met Opera:
Natalie Dessay stars in the title role, and tenor Juan Diego Flórez sings her lover, with Marco Armiliato conducting. Following the rehearsal, members of the cast and the production team will be on hand for a Q&A on the main stage. Special exhibits featuring set and costume designs will be set up around the opera house.
