Spending 4h in a car with a stranger COULD be awkward, but not with Dave – he is easy company and conversation was never less than absorbing.
We got off to a great start, with an unexpected and rare (for winter) appearance by the Checker. Such a beauty, and we weren’t the only ones who thought so – passers-by would constantly stop to look and take pictures. Disconcerting at first, yet understandable and quite good fun!
As for the food, we placed ourselves in Dave’s capable hands. By continuously gaging our preferences and appetites throughout the tour, he ensured a well-rounded experience. Everything was excellent, from the beautiful Dominican drink Morir Soñando‎ (orange juice, condensed milk, vanilla and ice – it really was as good as it sounds) in Williamsburg, to the moistest and most gorgeous pastrami washed down with Cel-ray Soda at David’s Brisket House in Bed-Stuy. To the flavorsome, spicy doubles and aloo pie at Trini Gul. To the improbable Gargiullo burger (burger, hot beef, onions, cheese, the whole lot dipped in beef broth) at Brennan and Carr in Homecrest. To the chewiest think pizza at New Park Pizza in Queens. I could go on – you get the idea.
We ended the day full and happy and with a greater understanding of New York than any guidebook could give you. Thoroughly recommended, and if/when we visit New York again, we will definitely repeat it.

www.famousfatdave.com

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Is public napping performance art? It is if you're kooky, androgynous actress Tilda Swinton! She did just that in London's Serpentine Gallery in 1995, in collaboration with the artist Cornelia Parker, and now she's at it again at the MoMA. Swinton will appear unannounced six times in 2013 to publicly sleep in a clear box. But hey, maybe you'll be at the museum at the right time? You may as well check. The Museum of Modern Art is at 11 West 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

www.moma.org/
11 W 53rd St, New York, NY, United States
+1 212 708 9400
Google map: bit.ly/17o7Abq

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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Olek is a Polish crochet artist (don't call her a "yarn bomber"!) who's crocheted the Wall Street bull statue and various other items around NYC. She hasn't had an NYC exhibition since getting arrested in London a few years ago. Now she's back and crocheting skeletons, household items, people, and more. Check out her funny, subversive, and very touchable exhibition "The End Is Far" at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea's gallery district until March 23. If you go on the right day, you might see me!

www.jonathanlevinegallery.com
529 W 20th St #9, New York, NY, United States
+1 212 243 3822
Google map: bit.ly/167CfZT

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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If you treat your own shoe collection like a museum, then wait 'til you see how a real museum does it. The "Shoe Obsession" exhibit at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) showcases more than 150 pairs of haute shoes, from the good to the very good to the "Who'd try to walk in those?" (Answer: Lady Gaga.) The museum free and open every day, except for Mondays and Sundays. It's located at 7th Avenue and 27th Street, a quick walk from Penn Station.

www.fitnyc.edu/
227 W 27th St New York, NY 10001, United States
+1 212 217 7999
Google map: bit.ly/YsIlgk

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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Since the 1970s, the sculptor and conceptual artist Wolfgang Laib has been collecting pollen, pouring it in museums and galleries, and calling it art. Not that I'm skeptical — NYC's been so dreary that I think we could all use a burst of color, at the very least. "Pollen From Hazelnut" is on display in the Marron Atrium at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) until March 11. Don't forget to bring antihistamines! MoMA is at 11 West 53rd Street and is open free for all every Friday from 4-8 p.m. Check the website for more hours.

www.moma.org/
11 W 53rd St New York, NY 10019, United States
+1 212 708 940
Google map: bit.ly/XNFKyX

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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Everyone knows the best thing about heartbreak, loneliness, and unrequited love is the music. Especially the Smiths. This Valentine's Day, February 14, you can celebrate your love, or lack thereof, with The Sons & Heirs, a Smiths and Morrissey cover band at The Bell House in Brooklyn. (Check out their songs here.) Doors open at 8 pm and the show starts at 9 pm with a Smiths-inspired cabaret. You can buy tickets in advance for $12 or $15 at the door. And yes, there will be lots of alcohol and singles there! The Bell House is located on 149 7th Street off the F and G trains.

www.thebellhouseny.com/
149 7th St Brooklyn, NY 11215, United States
+1 718 643 6510
Google map: bit.ly/TNui8e

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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Single Fare just might be the most New York art exhibition of all. For starters, it's an open-call exhibition. And there's only one requirement: All art must be made on a MetroCard, the same plastic card you swipe to ride NYC subways. This year, artists of every discipline from all over the world will be part of the show. I've even submitted my own snarky homage to the inspiring — and often slow — lettered subway lines! The opening reception for Single Fare 3 is Wednesday, February 13, from 6-9 pm at RH Gallery on 137 Duane Street. You can check out the exhibition until February 22.

www.rhgallery.com/
137 Duane Street New York, NY 10013, United States
+1 646 490 6355
Google map: bit.ly/XmkujA

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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Cooperstown is a picture perfect small town in upstate New York. A world away from Manhattan but only a couple of hours by car. Cooperstown is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame - you don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy the displays. The main street is like something from a Norman Rockwell painting, especially in the fall (autumn) with the leaves turning orange, red and gold and pumpkins in front of the clapboard houses. Other nearby attractions include Glimmerlgass, with its summer music festival, and the Fenimore Art Museum, for American folk and decorative art.

www.thisiscooperstown.com/
Google map: bit.ly/VE8MmP

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They have a great tour (the night photo tour.) Very enjoyable, I learned a lot and took great pictures.

www.citifari.com
+1 262 726 1201

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This museum of early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design has a fabulous collection of art including many pieces by Egon Schiele and Klimt.
It also has two delightful cafes serving Viennese style food, wonderful cakes and gorgeous breakfasts. It's quite small and a refreshing change from some of the enormous museums in New York that can quickly exhaust you. Also it's not far from the marvellous Frick collection which is also fairly small and "do-able"

www.neuegalerie.org/
1048 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028
+1 (212) 628 6200
Google map: bit.ly/uVgiK6

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Love going to the movies, but hate the gross concession stand? The new Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn serves dinner and a movie at the same time. There are even specials in different theaters related to whatever movie's being shown. General admission is $11 and food and drinks (yes, they serve alcohol, too!) are extra. Arrive about a half-hour early, so you can find a seat and table and order your meal.

www.nitehawkcinema.com
136 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249, United States
+1 (718) 384 3980
Google map: bit.ly/ow9NVU

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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To promote the new season of Boardwalk Empire, HBO is running a restored 1920s subway train on the 2/3 lines each weekend in September. You can catch the vintage train at the 96th, 72nd, and 42nd streets. I can't wait to check out the rattan seats, ceiling fans, and old-fashioned windows!

www.fastcompany.com/1777858/mta-goes-back-in-time-for-boardwalk-empire-promo

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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I went to the MoMA (pronounced Moe-ma) website to try to figure out how to describe its latest exhibition, "Talk to Me," and I can't really figure it out. It's about design and where utility meets personal interaction and communication. It features 194 pieces. Uh, it looks cool? It really does. The museum's open every day in the summer and late on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. You can check out "Tall to Me" until November 7, and if you go to MoMA on a Friday from 4-8:30 you get in free. MoMA's located at 11 West 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/talktome/
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019-5497
+1 (212) 708-9400
Google map: bit.ly/p0S27z

Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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NYC's in the middle of a heat wave, but New Yorkers still love relaxing outdoors in the summer. The River to River Festival brings free events to local parks every day. Last Friday, I saw dancers and trapeze artists downtown near the World Trade Center site. This Friday, anyone can see "Henry V" at Battery Park or watch dance performances and an exhibit inspired by the iconic artist Jules Feiffer. Check the calendar to see what's going on near you.

www.rivertorivernyc.com/blog/welcome-2011-river-river-festival

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They say there are eight million stories in New York City. Some of the best ones are told at monthly Moth storytelling events. Moth slams are held at various venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan. At the start of slams, would-be storytellers put their names in a hat. If you're one of the 10 called, you get five minutes to share your take on the night's themes from memory. (Previous themes include Transformation and Revenge). The stories start at 7:30 and slams always sell out and have limited seating. Get in line early for a good spot.

themoth.org/events

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I'm a recovering musical theater junkie, but even the cool kids love a good Stephen Sondheim musical. On July 21 at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Bandshell, not only can you watch the classic New York City musical "West Side Story," you can sing and dance in it, too. Choreographer Lawrence Goldhuber will teach the crowd some moves and song lyrics will be displayed on a giant outdoor screen. The show starts at 8 pm, but you can get stake out a spot starting at 7 pm. Get ready to rumble!

www.nyc-arts.org/events/13879/west-side-story-dance--sing-along
Google map: bit.ly/oIdF94

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Last week, I mentioned a closing exhibition of Laurel Nakadate's "365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears." If you didn't get to play voyeur to a year's worth of pictures of the artist crying, you're in luck. There's an even bigger exhibition of Nakadate's work -- including the weepy stuff -- at MoMA PS 1 in Long Island City, Queens. PS 1 is the place for contemporary art in NYC. The quickest way to the museum is the 7 train to Queens from Times Square or Grand Central. Get off at the 45th Road-Courthouse Square stop, exit at Jackson Avenue, and walk one block to 46th Avenue. The museum's located at 22-25 Jackson Avenue and 46th Avenue and is open Thursday through Monday from noon to 6 pm.

ps1.org/exhibitions/view/321
22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
+1 (718) 784-2084
Google map: bit.ly/mmn3zk

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If you're the kind of person who tears up when someone else does, you might need to bring some tissues to Laurel Nakadate's "365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears." For a year, the artist took a photograph of herself crying - clothed, naked, at home, in public, and so on. Though some will doubt how sincere the art is, crying's personal, not to mention cathartic. The free exhibit closes on June 25. View it at the Leslie Tonkonow sixth-floor gallery at 535 West 22nd Street near 10th Avenue. It's open on Tuesday-Saturday from 10-6. While you're that far west, check out the other small galleries on 22nd Street. You'll bound to find some art to appreciate.

www.tonkonow.com/

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Last year, NYC's five boroughs were blessed with temporary public pianos as part of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" exhibition. (Yep, I know it started in London. And it was amazing!) Now the non-profit organization Sing For Hope has provided 88 new pianos for the public to play until July 2. The pianos have been decorated by local artists. The artist Olek crocheted the piano in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. Last year, I recorded my friend Paul Sahner (video link: vimeo.com/13130922) jamming in Central Park. I'm ready for take two!

pianos.singforhope.org/

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New York City loves its public art and commissions interesting works from all over the world. My favorite piece this summer is Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa's "Echo" on Madison Square Park Oval Lawn. The 44-foot statue isn't quite a bust. It's the neck and head of a daydreaming little girl. It sounds weird, but it's serene -- not an easy feat in the middle of bustling Manhattan. Until August 14, you can lie on the lawn around the statue and daydream on your own.

www.madisonsquarepark.org/things-to-do/calendar/jaume-plensa-in-madison-square-park
+1212.538.1884
Google map: bit.ly/mt2N83

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