THE JOLLY ROGER: August in #NYC (from @RSHotel)
Posted on 03. Aug, 2011 by Birdsong in Community, Hotel
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August 3, 2011 – Issue No. 2
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On behalf of the Roger Smith Community, I’m happy to share with you the second edition of The Jolly Roger. Each month we look to share an insider’s perspective on the places and happenings in NYC + hotel news, offerings, and contests. Send us a note about your stay on Twitter or Facebook or review us on Google, TripAdvisor, or Yelp. We would <3 to hear from you.
Use this QR code or click here for 10% off our best room rate!
Sincerely,
John Birdsong, Editor @Johnbirdsong
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by Galo Romero, Sales Manager @RSHotel
Beating the heat with the help of the FDNY
Whether you’re a hard-nosed New Yorker or a thrill-seeking tourist, summer in the city can be brutal and unforgiving. Just walking a few blocks in the sweltering heat can rob you of several liters of water and raise body temperatures to dangerous levels.
Most of us will duck into the comfort and shelter of an air conditioned environment, say in a restaurant or the local shopping mall. I remember that as a teenager, in the dog days of summer, if you couldn’t get a ride to the beach or find a city pool to take a relaxing dip, the best place to find solace from the heat was the local Cineplex. It was the only place I remember shivering during the middle of summer and wishing for a sweater.
For those lacking air conditioning, the local news suggests visiting a cooling center or taking a ride in a subway to take advantage of air conditioning; it made me instantly recall an episode of Married with Children when Al couldn’t afford an air conditioner and decided to move the family into the local supermarket in the episode titled “You Better Shop Around”. Now that was drastic, but I imagine it was a relief. Suffering in the heat is no laughing matter. So what are some simple suggestions one can do to beat the heat in NYC?
#1: Stay Hydrated: This is a no-brainer: drink plenty of fluids, especially plenty of water. Sweating is the body’s cooling mechanism. You’re going to sweat a lot more as the heat index rises so the body will lose water aplenty. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol which stimulates the promotion of urine and thereby dehydration. More info here.
#2: Stay in the Shade: Park yourself under a tree or beach umbrella with a good book, bask under the oblong shadows of skyscrapers, and avoid the UV rays of the sun. It’s cooler in the shade. If you don’t believe me click here.
#3: Dress for the Summer: What’cha wearing? A tight nylon long sleeved shirt? Black wool pants? Who isn’t going to sweat and melt wearing vampire clothing that strangles your skin and absorbs nine tenths of the sun? Dark clothing absorbs the sunlight, thereby increasing your body temperature. Wearing light colors will reflect the sunlight and absorb less heat. Tight clothes…how’s that comfortable? Maybe in winter but certainly not summer. Wear it loose and let the air circulate on your skin. Choose cotton and natural light fabrics over synthetics and heavy fabrics. As for tourists, the order of the day: shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. Less is more.
#4: Take it Slow: New Yorkers should take some tips from our West Coast counterparts and slow down a bit. A laid back attitude may just be the right mental prescription one needs to beat the heat. Then when things cool down again come autumn, we can revert back to the hyper-nuttiness of our lives. For those visiting Gotham… don’t rush, don’t stress, just breathe, relax, and enjoy our marvelous city : )
#5: Take a Cold Shower: Begin the day with a refreshing shower under lukewarm to moderately cool water. Then, at the end of the day, repeat and wash off that sheen of sweat and stress to rejuvenate the body. You’re body will appreciate it. Undoubtedly you may have your own preferred methods of dealing with the heat. Definitely do what’s best for you, but most of all enjoy the summer!
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by Daniel Mowles
Executive Chef, Lily’s Restaurant + Henry’s Rooftop Bar
When life gives you lemons…make soda.
One of the most refreshing drinks during summer is a homemade soda. As more and more food trends begin to grow and reach new boundaries, homemade sodas are making their way on top menus of NYC chefs. If you want to add booze feel free, just pick your poison and add away. Use about 1 part syrup to 4 parts soda, and of course plenty of ice. Here are a few of my favorites to cool off with. Here is a link to a cool soda gun you can pick up and impress your friends.
Directions for all sodas: Place ingredients in sauce pan and reduce by 1/3rd. Strain through fine sieve and chill in refrigerator. Mix a few tablespoons of syrup with ice and club soda or seltzer water. Enjoy.
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Blueberry and Thyme Syrup
2 pints Blueberries
1 qt Sugar
2 qt club soda or seltzer
Water
5 sprigs Thyme
1 tsp Citric Acid
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Lemon and Rosemary Syrup
12 Lemons (peel and juice)
1 qt Sugar
2 qt Water
1 sprig Rosemary
1 tbsp Citric Acid
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Orange and Ginger Syrup
12 Oranges (peel and juice)
1 qt Sugar
2 qt Water
1 knob Ginger (fine dice)
1 tsp Citric Acid
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(win free stuff!)
Stunning steak at Lily’s
Win a delicious prime aged porterhouse steak for two @ Lily’s Restaurant! How to Win: ‘Like’ our FB page here and answer this question with a comment on our wall.
Question: What is a prime aged steak??
One answer per person. Winner will be picked randomly and notified via facebook before September 1, 2011. Good luck!
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by Danika Druttman, The LAB Gallery
Ryan Trecartin messes with your head – click here to view video
Inside:
Where to eat afterwards: Sage General Store
Maya Zack at The Jewish Muesum
Where to eat afterwards: Yura on Madison
Where to eat afterwards: Vero
David Lachappelle at Lever House
Where to eat afterwards: Lily’s at The Roger Smith Hotel
Outdoors:
Where to eat afterwards: Industria Argentina
The Andy Monument by Rob Pruitt at Union Square
Where to eat afterwards: The Coffee Shop
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by Ulrika Bengtsson
Director of Food & Beverage @RSHotel
Lots to do downtown…
When you’re in New York don’t miss the pulse, shopping, and great food around Union Square. From Grand Central it’s just one stop with the Express Trains (4 and 5). Great Shopping on “Women mile”, 5th Avenue between 14th & 23rd Street. Whole Foods on 14th Street between Broadway & 4th is a magnificent grocery store with a wide selection of ready to eat/take out food as well. You can bring the food with you to the park or go upstairs and enjoy the view of bustling Union Square. Filene’s basement on 14th Street, at the corner of Broadway, is an outlet where you can find great bargains. Paragon Sports on Broadway & 18th Street is my go-to store when I am looking for active wear/gear. ABC on Broadway &19th Street. AMAZING. ABC Kitchen is wonderful. My favorites are the Asparagus salad and wild mushroom pizza. Dogmatic 17th between Broadway & 5th Avenue has wonderful hotdogs.
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by James Fox
Director of Sales @RSHotel
Nilaja Sun’s one woman show “No Child”
For theatre fans August is a great month: the annual Fringe NYC is in town. First, three ‘off Broadway’ plays to see before they close on August 14th: First time playwright Zach Braff (he played Dr. John Dorian on the TV series Scrubs) has penned the dark comedy ALL NEW PEOPLE. Set in a New Jersey shore beach house in the middle of January, A heartbroken Charlie (Justin Bartha) seeks solitude but is interrupted by a motley parade of misfits who show up and change his plans. Braff recently tweeted “All New People” is a pretty darn R-rated comedy … So leave the kiddies at home.” @ Second Stage Theatre, 305 West 43rd Street
Nilaja Sun’s one woman show NO CHILD…, examines the New York City Public Education system. Sun portrays the teachers, students, parents, administrators, janitors and security guards who inhabit our public schools. NO CHILD played 311 performances in 2006 and along the way won 17 awards including an Obie Award and the Outer Critic Circle Award. Tickets are priced at $40.00. @ Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow Street at 7th Avenue South in Greenwich Village. www.barrowstreettheatre.com
Academy Award nominee Danny Aiello (Do the Right Thing) stars in Susan Charlotte’s THE SHOEMAKER. The story, as audiences discover about 10 minutes into the play, unfolds on September 11, 2001. Set in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, the drama focuses on a shoemaker, an Italian Jew, who confronts yet another part of his past, present and an uncertain future. Each performance will be followed with a Q & A with Aiello. @ Acorn Theater, 410 West 42 Street
Opening August 9th for a limited run through September 9th is the U.S. premiere of British playwright Simon Stephen’s BLUEBIRD with Olivier Award-winning actor Simon Russell Beale (Spamalot). Here’s how the Atlantic Theater explains the play: “Jimmy MacNeill (Beale) is a London taxi driver who seems to draw personal stories and confessions from his passengers without even trying. Over the course of Simon Stephens’ meticulously observed and deeply compassionate play, the truth of Jimmy’s own life and secret burdens unfurls with each new fare.” @ Atlantic Theater, 330 West 16 Street. www.atlantictheater.org
The big theatre news is the Fringe NYC, celebrating it’s 15th Anniversary August 12-28, 2011, The two week festival, spread across several Manhattan downtown neighborhoods, is the largest multi-arts festival in North America with more than 200 companies from all over the world. With 200 shows at 18 venues there will be something you will want to see.
With titles like “The Brady Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady”, “Lipshtick”, “The Miss Teen Jesus Pageant”, and “Zombie Wedding” you can expect a unique theatre experience. On a serious side there is “The Rubber Room” a play about what happens when a teacher in New York City is accused of misconduct or incompetence in the classroom. They are sent to the ‘Rubber Room’ while an investigation is launched. They spend months or even years there getting full pay and doing nothing.
You can review all the shows online @ www.fringenyc.org
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by James Knowles
CEO & Artist in Residence @RSHotel
Anna Burden Sings “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (click here to watch)
Everywhere I look music is playing. This music changes me. Some is tonal, some is percussive, some is voice raised in song, the sound of the poets, the melodic line. Some are the odd sounds of a composer and a player. Someone plays the flute. Street noise, street players, street poets, and some playing musical breakfast songs on orange juice glasses, coffee mugs, cereal bowls and spoons. We see a girl playing on a cup rhythmically singing a song, her video.
“Almost every one of the 800+ videos we have produced for Roger Smith News have a musical element, if not a desire, and a playful connection between musical and visual ideas.”
I’m interested in the sounds of our music. The sounds of our environment. The risks music. The intent to be playful. There’s the development and contribution of the person who puts these musical things together which gives to us all. Some perhaps self-conscious. Some practiced and some full of themselves. Some you can appreciate in different ways, but I’m here to say that I am interested in the music.
I look at my little grandson James. He is listening to Peter and the Wolf. I listen to the crying of new little babies or the early morning singing of my local birds.
This music changes me.
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by John Birdsong
New Media Director @RSHotel, Editor, TheJollyRoger
Henry’s is named after an adorable Boston Terrier. No joke.
Henry’s Rooftop bar has been named by Frommer’s Travel Guide as one of the best new rooftop bars in NYC (article here). Amazing drinks and an innovative menu make this laid-back rooftop bar stand out from the crowd, and with a fresh summer menu focused on hot dogs + beer, Henry’s is the perfect place to unwind after work with good company. Join us! Full menu here.
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http://facebook.com/rogersmithhotel
http://youtube.com/rogersmithnews
http://flickr.com/rogersmithhotel
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mmmm…artery clogging deliciousness
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FYI: When you check-in to @RSHotel or Lily’s Restaurant on Foursquare or FB you unlock a special: Free coffee, tea, or #bacon any time of day ; )
Use this QR code or click here for 10% off our best room rate!
Let us know what you think of The Jolly Roger. Send submissions or suggestions to
Jbirdsong@rogersmith.com or @RSHotel Have a great summer! See you in NYC : )
The Roger Smith is a hub for social media in #NYC. People. Art. Food. Wine. For 10% off our best available rooms rate: bit.ly/RSrooms
twitter: twitter.com/rshotel
fb: facebook.com/rogersmithhotel
blog: bit.ly/RSlife
web: rogersmith.com/
Summer Show at The LAB Gallery: Projected Drawings by Helen Dennis July 8-Sep 2, 2011
Posted on 06. Jul, 2011 by danikadruttman in Art at Roger Smith, Arts, Hotel, LAB Gallery, the LAB
The show Projected Drawings, will unite the notions and essence of photography into a single large scale installation, filling the entire space of The LAB Gallery.
Watch the Teaser
Dennis will be hand drawing a mirrored reflection of the intersection of 47th and Lexington Avenue, creating a distilled inversion of the urban environment onto the gallery wall.
Helen Dennis’s process typically uses urban architectural photographs projected onto tracing paper to guide the hand drawn sketches of her subjects. In then laying the ink on tracing paper drawings down on top of photographic paper and exposing it to the light, she creates a negative positive line image of her original photograph.
For Projected Drawings the end result will remain the same with a white on black linear distillation of an urban landscape, but the process will be approached from the opposite angle, using light reflective pens on a solid black surface. The lines will no longer be a bi-product as they are in Helen’s typical process, but will become the primary source of the image.
Exhibiting concurrently in the Lobby of The Roger Smith Hotel is also a series of New York-based works by Dennis.
Helen Dennis is originally from the UK and now resides in Brooklyn. Her public art installations include projects with the Downtown Alliance of New York, and NoLongerEmpty. In 2007 Dennis was a Creative Capital Strategic Planning Fellow in the Emerge 9 program at Aljira Center for Contemporary Art. Dennis has participated in various exhibitions worldwide and in the US with the support of the Queens Museum, Queens Council of the Arts, QMAD, Kent County Council, New Jersey State Council of the Arts, and South East Arts UK. She has participated in international art residencies with organizations in Beijing, Cyprus and Iceland. Dennis earned her BA (Honors) at the University for the Creative Arts in the UK and received her MFA degree from Hunter College in 2005. http://helendennis.wordpress.com/
The LAB (for installation + performance art) is a New York based, converted storefront turned fishbowl producing 20+ fast paced performance art and installation exhibitions annually. Aimed at the furious midtown foot traffic, The LAB’s programming is designed to confront modern relationships between art and audience and seeks to force an interaction between the high energy, “outrospective” exhibitions it produces and the nearly 25,000 daily passersby. The LAB is located on the North East corner of 47th and Lex and is a Roger Smith Collaboration. www.thelabgallery.com
The Roger Smith is a hub for social media in #NYC. People. Art. Food. Wine. For 10% off our best available rooms rate: bit.ly/RSrooms
twitter: twitter.com/rshotel
fb: facebook.com/rogersmithhotel
blog: bit.ly/RSlife
web: rogersmith.com/
Molly Barnes Art Discussion (Video Archive 6/16/11 and 6/17/11)
Posted on 15. Jun, 2011 by Birdsong in Arts, Community, Events, Hotel
Thursday June 16th
ULTRA VIOLET
Warhol superstar will talk about her work and her books, including “Famous for 15 Minutes: My Years with Andy Warhol”
Friday June 17th
JIM KEMPNER
Chelsea art dealer and comedian will show new excerpts from his series “The Madness of Art” about the New York art scenes.
For reservations and further information please call Molly Barnes (212) 888-3588 or (212) 755-1400
125 like attracts like!
Posted on 02. Jun, 2011 by JohnKnowles in Art at Roger Smith, Arts, Hotel
It is a beautiful day in sunny midtown.
As I stand in front of the 125 watching people passed by I am reflecting on the law of attraction.
Like attracts like!
Last week we installed a Schwinn bike in the display window on 47th St. Next thing you know in front of this window there are four beautiful motorcycles. Talk about the law of attraction.
With a beautiful new window and improve Facade, all I can see our beautiful people walking by. The universe is calling you to come and check out our space. There is a new welcoming energy on 47th St. The sun is shining! People are happy! It Is a good day! If you are indoors, be sure to step out and enjoy the weather. If you are in midtown come by and say hello. I will be here representing on the block! #halla@me! Panman
RS4PS: a Fundraiser for NYC Public Schools (video)
Posted on 31. May, 2011 by Birdsong in Community, Events
“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.”
-Benjamin Franklin
The Roger Smith Hotel is proud to present: roger smith for public schools – RS4PS; an innovative program to help hard working NYC Public School Parent Teachers Associations in their efforts to improve our schools.
rogersmithhotel
501 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
rogersmithlife.com
The RS4PS is a natural step in the Roger Smith Hotel’s corporate social responsibility undertakings.
Said Mr. Knowles: “I personally and the hotel are firm believers in art as a foundation for young people’s growth. Realizing that art programs are the first to be cut in difficult times, RS4PS is a way to be involved in a cause close to our hearts. Needless to say the RS4PS initiative also aims to support other essential parts of public education such as the need for assistant teachers, sports, music and much more.”
Within the framework of the RS4PS program, the Roger Smith Hotel will donate event space and event planning support for PTA’s in Fundraising and Networking events. All food and beverage will be provided by the Roger Smith Hotel without mark up.
A typical RS4PS event is a 3 hour food and beverage tasting held in one of the hotels 5 event spaces.
First event is schedule for May 12th 6-9pm. For anybody who would like to attend this event please go to http://www.rs4ps.eventbrite.com
If you would like to participate, donate or in any other way be involved please email Ulrika(at)rogersmith(dot)com
Contact: Ulrika Bengtsson
Director Food and Beverage
Phone 917 499 1836
Fax 212 838 2108
Ulrika(at)rogersmith(dot)com
Rogersmithlife.com
Facebook page: Rs4ps
New Show at The LAB: Billowing Beauty, by French Artist Anne Ferrer 05.13.11-06.03.11
Posted on 09. May, 2011 by danikadruttman in Art at Roger Smith, Arts, LAB Gallery, the LAB
The LAB (for installation + performance art) is pleased to present Paris based artist Anne Ferrer in her first exhibition in New York City. Rooted in the her experience of foreignness and the absence of an inherent sense of home, Anne’s nomadic, sensorial sculpture is an organically inspired installation that is transportable in a suitcase. Edward Rubin, the curator of Billowing Beauty, describes it as “a lush and sensuous, sensitive and bold, mysteriously animated, Parisian soufflé”. Comprised of five exuberantly colored, giant, hand-sewn modules; the installation, breathes, grows, and evolves in slow motion, to the ‘lighter than air’ music of Los Angeles based composer Carol Worthey. This ‘live ballet’ brings a continuous element of chaos, surprise and joy, like a floating bubble, or a shimmering shrine, to one of the busiest avenues in New York City.
Anne Ferrer who lives and works in Paris comes from a Catalan family and has grown up in small rural town in south France. She has studied in the US, receiving her BFA from Oklahoma University and her MFA from Yale (1988). Ferrer has shown at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2002), the Centre Pompidou (2005), France, the Blue Star, San Antonio Texas (2009), the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1996), the Ho Ham Museum in Seoul, la Casa de Americas in Madrid, the French Institute in Rome and Naples, etc, and has recently built a monumental installation for the Dumbo Art Festival in Brooklyn. She has collaborated with Perfumers (International Flavors and Fragrances) as well as pastry chef Jean Paul Hevin, for her multi-sensorial sculptures. Ferrer is currently busy preparing a show for this summer at Chateau d’Avignon, France. www.anneferrer.com
Composer Carol Worthey combines elements of classical, jazz and world music into an expressive, playful mix that soars and breathes with life and color. Inspired by family friend Leonard Bernstein Carol began composing at three and a half and had a piano work performed in Carnegie Hall when she was ten. Mentored by the likes of Darius Milhaud, Vincent Persichetti, Walter Piston and Otto Luening, she won First Prize in Composition at Columbia and expanded her dimensions at a jazz/arranging school. Her award winning music has been heard in England, Italy, France, Germany, China, Japan, Mexico, Canada, and throughout the United States. She lives in Los Angeles where she is writing a book on the art of composing. www.carolworthey.com
Edward Rubin, writer, curator, and artists, lives in New York City. His writings on art, culture, and entertainment, appear regularly in such publications as ArtNexus, ArtUS, D’art International, Flash Art, Hispanic Outlook, NYArts and Sculpture Magazines, as well as online at Artes Magazine, Huma3, and NY Theatre Wire. His photographs and collages have been exhibited at the Contemporary Art Museum in Baltimore, Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and at numerous New York City galleries. Currently, his work, part of a group exhibition titled NYC/International Perspectives, has been traveling throughout Germany, Hungary, France and Russia. It opens this June at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art under the title New York – Then and Now. Rubin is on the boards of the International Association of Art Critics, and the American Theatre Critics Association. He is also a member of the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and PEN America Center. erubin5000@aol.com
The LAB (for installation + performance art) is a New York based, converted storefront turned fishbowl producing 20+ fast paced performance art and installation exhibitions annually. Aimed at the furious midtown foot traffic, The LAB’s programming is designed to confront modern relationships between art and audience and seeks to force interactions between high energy, “outrospective” exhibitions and the nearly 25,000 daily passersby. The LAB is located on the North East corner of 47th and Lex and is a Roger Smith Collaboration. http://www.thelabgallery.com
For further information, images or to schedule an interview with the artist, contact Danika Druttman on 212.339.2092 or email rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com
Why I like the “i” in Connection!
Posted on 09. May, 2011 by JohnKnowles in Arts, Community, Hotel
A conversation that I had with Nick Hifrin about the letter “i” has inspired me on a tangent. Nick, a New York artist who has been collaborating with our own Marlo Brown, was explaining to me about his creative organizational tactics with the letter “I” to represent a symbol of a connector.
He has been extracting “i”s from newspapers and using them to represent a point of connection as he builds larger systems for his music and art performances. He understands the principals of connections by building systems.
I love the logic and representation of the letter “i” as it stands out in the Roger Smith Hotel letters. As i look to connect systems and simulate the Roger Smith Hotel as a connectors network, “i” really like the metaphor.
Lets start building some connections.
If you fancy yourself a connector post a response letting me know how you connect your networks to the world.
Making further “Connections”, I am hosting an Art competition here @RShotel. I am awarding $100 to the most artistic “i” connector image that is submitted to me here on this blog. Anyone who submits will receive a $100 Rogersreward, and be part of the connector “i” series at the Roger Smith Hotel.
Simply take a picture of your “i” and send it to me in a tweet with the hashtag #makingconnections with @pancity & @rshotel. Also be sure to post a link here on the blog to be included.
Let the world know you are a connector.
Thanks for reading! Please comment, share and engage.
Molly Barnes Art Discussion and Music with Audrey Flack (Video Archive 4/22/11)
Posted on 22. Apr, 2011 by Birdsong in Arts, Events, Hotel
Audrey Flack
Painter, Banjo Player, Lyricist. Her “The History of Art
String Band” will play music dedicated to Krassner,
Sargeant, Gauguin, Pollack, and others.
Molly Barnes Art Discussion with Elaine Grove (Video Archive 4/21/11)
Posted on 21. Apr, 2011 by Birdsong in Arts, Events, Hotel
Elaine Grove
Painter and (widow of Dan Christensen) recently shown
at Spaneirman Modern and Sideshow, will talk
about her art and toys.
Molly Barnes’s Art Quiz: “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth…(video)
Posted on 20. Apr, 2011 by Birdsong in Art at Roger Smith, Arts, Events, Hotel
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-John Birdsong
