Events &amp; Things To Do

Just like real estate, the price of a Christmas tree will vary significantly depending on which neighborhood you center your search. DNA Info recently conducted a reader poll to find which local tree dealers are gouging evergreen buyers and which are keeping with a more charitable holiday spirit. Pollsters zoomed in on several neighborhoods across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens and found some major price disparities even when it came to minor details like whether a vendor was set up on a street corner or just a typical stretch. Just check out the $50 price difference at two Williamsburg locales ahead...
have a closer look at their findings

Transit Museum Brings Back Its Vintage Subways and Buses for the Holidays

Via *Bitch Cakes*/Flickr

December 7, 2015

Transit Museum Brings Back Its Vintage Subways and Buses for the Holidays

Regardless of your faith, the holidays in New York City are a one-of-a-kind experience that many of us look forward to all year. For die-hard New Yorkers, it's not so much about the big attractions, but the smaller festivities that show the spirit of the city. Here at 6sqft, one of our favorites is the MTA's and New York Transit Museum's Nostalgia Trains. According to Gothamist, this year, they're rolling out eight subway cars from the 1930s to '70s and vintage buses from the 1940s to '80s, so holiday shoppers and history enthusiasts alike can revel in a little old-school charm.
Get the details

Modern Menorahs: Celebrate Hanukkah With Design in Mind

Image via Jonathan Adler

December 6, 2015

Modern Menorahs: Celebrate Hanukkah With Design in Mind

By Susan Cohen

Tonight marks the beginning of Hanukkah, and for eight nights, Jews will be celebrating by lighting menorahs of all shapes and sizes in their homes, as well as in public spaces throughout New York. While Hanukkah might not traditionally be thought of as a design-oriented holiday, in recent years menorahs have become more and more creative and diverse. From contemporary interpretations to dinosaur versions to express your inner paleontologist, there is a menorah out there for everyone. We put together a list of some of our favorites that you can buy, in addition to three must-view menorahs in New York City.
Check out this festive holiday list here

December 4, 2015

Spotlight: Phil Kline Puts a Twist on Holiday Caroling With Unsilent Night

By Susan Cohen

What started out as a simple idea for composer Phil Kline has became a beloved holiday tradition in New York. A fan of cassette tapes, Phil had been composing pieces for boomboxes when he wrote a holiday-themed piece set on four tracks to be played simultaneously on several boomboxes. In 1992, he gathered a group of New Yorkers for a modern take on caroling in which they walked down lower Fifth Avenue with boomboxes playing his piece. The performance was a resounding success and a yearly seasonal event known as Unsilent Night was set in motion. A little over two decades since that first performance, Unsilent Night has grown in magnitude and now draws a crowd of several hundred who still use a few boomboxes that are interspersed among a sea of smartphones. It has has been adopted by cities around the world, but even with this international recognition it finds its way back home each year. Phil is currently preparing for his 24th New York performance on Saturday, December 12th, so with the event a week away, 6sqft spoke to Phil to learn about his love of boomboxes, the idea behind Unsilent Night, and how one evening 23 years ago has become an annual holiday musical tradition.
6sqft's interview with Phil Kline right ahead

December 3, 2015

15 Hip Holiday Markets and Indie Pop-Up Shops in NYC

By Michelle Cohen

December's first days bring dozens of holiday gift markets whose aim is to find new homes for a wealth of shiny goodies and crafty gifts. We're all familiar with the big NYC markets, but some of the best scores–and the most fun–can be found at smaller, cooler pop-ups and local markets throughout the city. Some are only around for a weekend, others for the whole month or longer. In addition to locally-made jewelry and crafts, vintage finds, artfully curated fashions, home items and other things we didn't know we needed, these hip retail outposts offer up DJs, drinks, food, tarot readings, nail art, music, and family fun to keep shoppers' spirits bright.
Find out where to get the goods, this way

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 12/3-12/7

Luminaries via Arbuckle Industries

December 3, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 12/3-12/7

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! With half of the art world in Miami for Art Basel, this week is a good time to support the local artists and artisans who make this city great. Check out the cross stitch work of Phil Davison at FUCHS Projects. Become part of the art yourself at artist collective CHERYL's latest soiree, which welcomes all walks of life to immerse themselves in art while dancing the night away. Give your nose a treat at the interesting Museum of Feelings, a temporary museum sponsored by Glade that fuses scent with emotion. Experience a musical light show by 650 lanterns at Brookfield Place. Learn about self portraiture in photography at the Camera Club of New York. Test your limits of participation at the debut of Marina Abramovic's new project, in which the artist has created an installation and platform for listening to Igor Levit perform Goldberg. And finally, see a live performance of "A Christmas Carol" by WXQR that features actress Kathleen Turner.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

December 1, 2015

Ring In the New Year at One World Observatory for $7,000

Thought that $100 New Year’s Eve cover at your favorite bar was steep? It’s nothing compared to the rates to ring in 2016 atop One World Trade Center. DNAinfo reports that the Observatory is hosting a black-tie-optional soiree for which tickets will range from $500 to $6,750, a far cry from the normal $32 rate […]

Events & Things To Do

Brooklyn’s Sketchbook Project Has a Library of 34,000 Doodles You Can Browse

It claims to be the world's largest collection of doodles, and it's located right in Williamsburg (h/t Atlas Obscura). The Sketchbook Project is a "crowd-sourced library that features 33,903 artists' books contributed by creative people from 135+ countries." Located at a storefront space in the Brooklyn Art Library, the project encourages artists (or anyone with an artistic inkling) to order one of their blank sketchbooks, fill it up with their drawings, and send it back to be added to the physical and/or digital library for creatives from all over the world to view.
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Events & Things To Do

America’s Top Thanksgiving Searches Are More ‘Tattoo Shops’ Than ‘Turkeys’

Infographic via CityLab

November 25, 2015

America’s Top Thanksgiving Searches Are More ‘Tattoo Shops’ Than ‘Turkeys’

The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line may get inundated with calls on Thanksgiving and the days leading up to the holiday, but when it comes to internet searches there are no turkeys in site. Google Maps analyzed Thanksgiving trends from the past three years to reveal some hilarious and unexpected topics. For example, the top national day-of search is "buffet restaurants," and in New York City specifically, Thanksgiving is apparently a day to find tattoo shops (matching ink for the whole family?). The folks over at CityLab compiled the data into two fun infographics that show the surprising priorities of Americans around the holiday.
More trends this way

Events & Things To Do

November 20, 2015

Spotlight: Pernell Brice Shares How FeedingNYC Delivers 3,000 Thanksgiving Dinners

By Susan Cohen

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, New Yorkers are busy perfecting their menus and preparing to do some serious supermarket shopping. But for many in the city, celebrating Thanksgiving is not a given—and this is particularly true for families living in shelters. But that's where the Dream Big Foundation's annual Thanksgiving project, FeedingNYC, steps in. Since 2001, FeedingNYC has been on a mission to help families in shelters celebrate the holiday by providing them with all of the Thanksgiving essentials. What started out as 75 meals in shelters has turned into 3,000 dinners delivered each year, for a total of 35,000 meals over the program's 14 years. And to make this happen, it takes a lot of fundraising, numerous partnerships and a wonderful group of volunteers. Pernell Brice, executive director of Dream Big Foundation, is responsible for growing and expanding this important project, and every year he makes sure it goes off without a hitch. 6sqft recently spoke with Pernell to learn more about FeedingNYC and what it takes to get all those meals out to those who need them.
6sqft's interview with Pernell this way

November 20, 2015

10 Unexpected and Affordable Host Gifts for Thanksgiving

It's always tough when your Thanksgiving host tells you not to worry about bringing anything for the meal. With stuffing and pumpkin pie out of the question, what can you bring as a token of gratitude? Forget standard run-of-the-mill host gifts like a jar of jam or Yankee candle–6sqft has rounded up some fun and affordable options that are unexpected yet surprisingly useful. From a clever wine tote made in Brooklyn to an adopted olive tree in Italy, here are our top ten hostess gift picks.
See them all

November 19, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/19-11/22

This week is heavy on the Thursday art events, so put on some comfortable shoes and go big tonight. Start by checking out SOFTlab's brand new crystalline pavilion in front of the Flatiron building before heading west to Chelsea where Ron English debuts his new quirky evolution nativity set. Hop over to the The International Print Center to see 68 new prints inspired by Dante's "Divine Comedy." Then hop south to Castor Gallery for Stacy Leigh's creepy yet sexy photos of sex dolls, and end the night by nabbing a piece of nightlife history at the Mudd Club Rummage Sale. Kick the weekend off by immersing yourself in the incredible vibrant world of Ebony G. Patterson at the Museum of Art and Design, then have a religious experience at Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, which will be transformed into a chapel of your dreams. Wrap up the weekend with a cultural experience celebrating sound art at PS 1 for Sunday Sessions.
All the best events to check out here

November 18, 2015

New York Buildings Photoshopped Into the Paris Cityscape Create a Dramatically Different Skyline

What makes Paris so enchanting is its wonderful architecture, and while many of New York's oldest buildings take inspiration from the City of Light, placing them in a Parisian context isn't quite as seamless an act as one would think. In Paris, where low-slung architecture is favored over the supertall (buildings are rarely more than five or six stories tall, and until 2010 the height limit on all new buildings was 121 feet), a new project called "Haussmanhattan" (Haussman + Manhattan) reimagines what the landscape would have looked like if the European city had joined the great skyscraper race of the early 20th century.
Check out all the eye-popping mashups here

November 17, 2015

The World’s Largest Display of Miniatures Is Coming to Times Square in 2017

Micro is all the rage in NYC right now, and currently in the works is another teensy project with designs on taking up a less-than-diminutive space in the heart of Times Square. Called Gulliver's Gate, this miniature spectacular will showcase more than 300 buildings, 1,000-plus model trains, cars and planes, and a vast collection of 3D-printed global replicas that include Times Square, Grand Central, and lower Manhattan, to become the biggest Lilliputian installation in the world at 49,000 square feet. According to Crain's, Gulliver's Gate has just signed a 15-year lease for the first and second floors of the former New York Times Building at 216 West 44th Street. The attraction, "the largest, most intricate, most technologically advanced display anywhere" according co-creator Eiran Gazit, will cost $30 million to build.
Find out more here

Craig Ward Creates Prints of Bacteria Found in NYC Subways

E. Coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and mold (the big fuzzy blobs) on the D train

November 17, 2015

Craig Ward Creates Prints of Bacteria Found in NYC Subways

Last February, 6sqft reported on a research project from Weill Cornell Medical College that mapped the DNA found on the New York City subway, which was said to include bubonic plague and anthrax. The scientists eventually reneged on their alarming findings, but little did they know that a Brooklyn-based artist was picking up where they left off. While riding the train this past summer, Craig Ward "saw a fellow photographer’s image of bacteria cultured from her son’s handprint," according to New York magazine. Fascinated by how it related to the urban myth that "when you hold on to the subway railings, you shake hands with 100 people all at once," he embarked on a project to ride all 22 subway lines, collecting bacteria samples from poles and seats. What resulted is this strangely beautiful "Subvisual Subway" print series of everything from salmonella to Staphylococcus aureus.
See more this way

November 13, 2015

Wieland Vogel’s Chandelier Expands From 20 to 80 Inches in the Blink of an Eye

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, some days, you just want to make magic happen from the comfort of your own home. If you live alone, or just happen to hold an impromptu party once in a while, have a look at this incredible expanding design. Created by Dutch designer Wieland Vogel, "Aureool a.k.a Halo" is a brilliant chandelier that contracts and expands with a simple flick of the hand.
Learn more about this clever design

November 12, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/12-11/18

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Be the first to take a pic of the giant new "YO" (or is it OY?) sculpture in Brooklyn Bridge Park which was installed this week. Take in an artist talk with Awol Erizku, who challenges the traditional idea of the male gaze, Fiona Banner as she talks language with the Public Art Fund, or head to the Fashion Institute of Technology for a panel discussion on art in the age of surveillance. Fernando Do Campo unveils a new site-specific installation in Chelsea, Kim Keever's abstract underwater pigment swirls enliven Waterhouse and Dodd, and Paul Booth revamps his goth gallery, reopening this week. After it's all said and done, chow down on hot dogs and beer at Paul Pretzer's studio while getting a sneak peak of his January solo show.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

November 10, 2015

Combine the Joys of an Adult Coloring Book With the Convenience of a Notebook

By Rebecca Paul

As adults, most of our time is spent at work, and it seems unfair that we're no longer given the opportunity to delve into our creative side as often as when we were children. However the trend of adult coloring books it helping to right this injustice, and new to its roster of titles is the "Coloring Notebook." This clever take combines all of the joys of a coloring book with the convenience of a compact notebook.
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November 6, 2015

Iconic Plastic Armchair Sells at Sotheby’s Auction for $409,000

By Rebecca Paul

At a recent Sotheby's auction in London, the Miss Blanche armchair, from the Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata, sold for a whopping £269,000 ($409,000 U.S. dollars). The iconic plastic resin chair was named after Blanche Dubois from Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire" and was created in 1988, three years before the artist's death. The production of the chair was rather complex, as it required each artificial rose to be held in place for long periods of time so the resin could harden around it. The artist also experimented with using actual roses, but the acrylic resin ruined the flowers before setting. Ultimately it was decided that "fake" materials were more appropriate because Blanch Dubois was in fact superficial.
More on the chair

November 5, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/5-11/11

If you missed out on the '90s heyday of the Tunnel nightclub, this weekend you can experience its new use as an art center and venue for the Editions/Artists Book Fair. Performa15 also comes to town, and lands in Times Square with a new Midnight Moment flick and a performance of live opera. Brookfield Place in Battery Park hosts the annual Canstruction exhibition, where food donated to City Harvest becomes innovative sculptures before becoming a hot meal. Brooklyn's Cotton Candy Machine eeks out another great event before it closes–a mini comic book festival–while around the corner an art show proves that punk rock is not dead. Lastly, iconic photographer Sandy Skoglund recreates an accidental performance that once enlivened a Little Italy window in 1979, this time touching modernity in a Chelsea art gallery window.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

November 3, 2015

The World’s Most Expensive Dollhouse Will Be On Show at Columbus Circle This Month