Results tagged “tour”

As you may have heard by now, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo was injured in a tour bus accident in New York early yesterday morning, and the band has now canceled their remaining shows. They've updated their blog with new details, including photos from the accident. They wrote:

"At 7:18 AM EST, about 40 miles West of Albany on I-90, the Weezer tour bus carrying Rivers and his family and assistants lost control as it hit a patch of black ice. The driver employed every ounce of skill he had in fighting to keep the bus upright, as the vehicle violently fishtailed over the highway. more ›

Over the past three years, we have slowly and steadily interviewed each of the four members of the trailblazing DC band Fugazi... except one: inimitable singer and guitarist Guy Picciotto. Today we complete the set, and we're going to have to find a new goal in life. (Counting Crows, maybe?) The chance to finally to speak with Picciotto arose because he's performing twice this week in NYC with Vic Chestnutt, whose haunting and heartfelt new album At the Cut features Picciotto. more ›

Move over, Colonial Williamsburg; the tourists are now flocking to Brooklyn's 'Burg to see what all the fuss is about (what is the all fuss about again?). A tipster sends us this photo, saying, "This was a tour group that got off the subway at Driggs and North 7th. There was a person directing them and explaining where they were. The tour guide gave instructions to meet back at the subway entrance at a specific time and directed them to Bedford Avenue." Oh the things they must have seen! more ›

Just when we thought we'd have to go all the way to New Haven for the best slice of pizza pie, the 5 Borough Pizza Tour declares the best slice can be found right over in Staten Island. Salvatore of Soho (of Staten Island) came out on top; however, our resident pizza and Staten Island expert, John Kuhner, tells us "My favorite is Nunzio's, but the most famous is probably Denino's." Either way, it sounds like a good amount of our city's top slices are over there, so let's steal their recipes before selling the borough off to New Jersey. more ›

As you first venture north across the Harlem River, comfortably ensconced in a retro charter tour bus, a voice inquires, "Are you wondering where we're going? When we get there will you think—This is nice. This is new. This is old. This is urban. These are the real people. These are the other people. This is the old New York... whatever. You shouldn't think." For such a thought-provoking journey, that's a funny instruction, but it seems intended to dispel any preconceived notions about the destination, one of the five poorest congressional districts in the United States. That would be the South Bronx, and the voice is addressing you through headphones provided by the Foundry Theatre, a company with seemingly boundless inspiration and ingenuity. more ›

Would you eat something growing in Central Park? One blogger recently took Wildman Steve Brill's foraging tour (check out our interview with him) and found plenty of edible plants in the area. more ›

Later this month some special twilight tours will be running to Ellis and Liberty Islands (on the 24th and 25th, respectively). They're being touted as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, so here's your heads up! "For the first time in the history of Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, both attractions will be open on select nights during National Park Week to the general public for tours. This historic undertaking will offer guests not only the tour, but also a first glimpse of Ken Burns' major new documentary on the history of National Parks of the United States." Park Rangers will also be available for a Q&A; and dinner (which includes one beverage) is part of the $29 price. This will sell out soon, so get movin'. Just don't accidentally get locked inside Lady Liberty overnight, like these two girls did in 1904! more ›

Those likable Dutch, to celebrate the quadricentennial of Hudson's arrival in New York harbor in 1609, are busy right now building a replica colonial village at Bowling Green. It's part of the NY400 Week celebration, which officially kicks off Tuesday September 8th, and includes a massive Dutch music, art, and dance festival on Governors Island (The New Island Festival), tours of the replica of Hudson's ship The Half Moon , sailing races, the unveiling of the New Amsterdam Pavilion (a gift from the Netherlands at Peter Minuit Plaza, Battery Park), an historic walking tour co-hosted by Russell Shorto, author of the stellar book The Island at the Center of the World; and a boatload more activities! [This pdf has it all.] more ›

Visit a used book store and, after about an hour, all the old books will start looking pretty much the same—the pages get yellowed, the edges become ragged, and the binding starts to disintegrate. What you end up with is shelf after shelf of cheap, trashy, tatters, but that's not so with the New York Public Library's collection of its old books. We went back to the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Bryant Park last week to get a closer look at Rare Books Division, a 280,000 volume-strong collection filled with striking, unique works dating back hundreds of years into history, including everything from the first book published in North America to the book in which Ernest Hemingway jotted down his Nobel acceptance speech. more ›

Some heavy news out of the Beastie Boys' camp today: The three emcees and one DJ are canceling their upcoming tour and postponing their new album release because doctors have discovered a cancerous tumor in Adam Yauch's left parotid (salivary) gland. In the video above, Yauch and Adam Horovitz announce the bad news, with Yauch expressing healthy optimism about his recovery, because the cancer is localized and will not affect his vocal chords. He's expected to have surgery next week, to be followed by radiation treatment. more ›

Who wants a personal tour of Central Park from Kevin Bacon? Well, you can sort of get that, though it won't put you any degrees closer to the actor. The NY Post reports that Bacon, along with a slew of other NY-based celebs like Yoko Ono, Jerry Seinfeld, Isabella Rossellini, Alec Baldwin and Whoopi Goldberg will "share bits of history, trivia and personal remembrances about the park's many landmarks on a new audio tour visitors can access with their cellphones" (samples here). The mobile tour launched today, with signs containing the number posted throughout the park. At the Naumburg Bandshell Paul Shaffer will tell you about the strait-laced commissioners only approving of classical music, he says "It took until the 1920s for parkgoers to enjoy what today we know of as popular music." Now, if only we could add recent GPS navigator Homer Simpson to the audio. more ›

Sebastien Grainger may be best known as one (usually shirtless) half of the now defunct DFA 1979, but for the past couple of years he's been toiling away as a solo artist. Now on tour with The Mountains in tow, you can catch him opening up for fellow Canadians Metric tonight at Terminal 5. Oh, and he's looking for some cheap eats while in NYC, so give him your recommendations via Twitter. more ›

The tour of Victorian Flatbush was nearly canceled this year, but Brownstoner points out that the show will go on. This Sunday you're invited to take a very close look at the neighborhood, which was developed over 100 years ago "to be a piece of suburban living just minutes from Manhattan." Your ticket will get inside 10 homes, but sadly, you'll have to go back to your own digs at the end of the day with some serious real estate envy. We can barely even look. Get more details here (tickets must be purchased by tomorrow). more ›

Outspoken Nigerian dissident and afrobeat trailblazer Fela Kuti was beaten and arrested hundreds of times during his turbulent life, which came to an end in 1997 due to AIDS-related complications. Several years after his death, Femi and Yeni Kuti, his eldest son and daughter, opened a performance venue and cultural center in Lagos called the New Afrika Shrine, a living tribute to their father and his famous commune-nightclub-recording studio, which was burned down by the Nigerian army. Femi, who has since taken up the afrobeat torch, performs with his band Positive Force often at the New Afrika Shrine, which has become a refuge for politically active youths and a source for information in defense against the AIDS. more ›

The Statue of Liberty's crown is getting some finishing touches before a grand re-opening on July 4th. It's been closed since 9/11, and now the Daily News' Michael Daly takes a look inside what they dub "New York's attic." The biggest difference for visitors will be the 10 person-at-a-time limit (though previously it was reported that groups of 30 would be allowed), giving you more space and time to enjoy the visit. more ›

Question: If you could stay overnight at the Hotel Chelsea for $129/night, why would you spend $40/per person on a tour of the place? Starting June 1st the hotel will offer guided tours of the historic establishment, that as of late has been run and overrun by Marlene Krauss & Co. The new corporate overlords might be willing to make a buck off the hallowed halls, but they're also making sure that the Bard family legacy of running the joint is erased from the URL, according to some residents. The recent website redesign makes no mention of Stanley Bard, the general manager of the Chelsea for half a century, who was ousted two years ago. Oh, and did you know the updated ghost of Nancy Spungen is all about the little black dress? more ›

Someone made a vertigo and nausea-inducing virtual tour of New York (where it might even be possible to recreate the 4/27/09 shot). The aerial shots can start off from above Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Downtown, Central Park or Governors Island. And before you know it, with some points and clicks, you are pretty much just like Superman, albeit listening to new age synth pop. more ›

Last Friday morning we were lucky enough to spend some time in the New York Public Library's main branch, which opened up in 1911, before the doors were unlocked to the public. Librarian David Smith and some of the other NYPL staff took us around on a tour of the massive structure, from the remains of the Croton Reservoir, to the Allen Room (reserved for writers with book contracts) to the room where Charles Dickens's dead cat's paw resides (seriously), we saw it all! Well, except for the miles of books in the stacks that are housed under Bryant Park, that's top secret. Stay tuned for some interviews with more of the folks behind the books, and until then, we highly recommend you show some support (or at least get your library card)! more ›

You want to experience what it's like to live like Manhattan's elite? Well a bus probably isn't the way to do it, but, like Sex and the City before it, Gossip Girl is now offering tours. The 3.5 hour long journey boasts more than 40 locations that have been used in filming the show, including the hotel home to the Van der Woodson family, the Constance Billard School for Girls/St. Jude School for Boys, some UES mansions, Blair's home sweet home, and some shops that you can't afford. More details here! Though if you want to know what it's like to live on the wrong side of the East River (a la the Humphrey family) looks like you're out of luck—that $40 fee only includes one borough. Curbed noted that: "At least most Upper East Siders will have already decamped to the Hamptons by the time the tours roll by." Wonder what spot will act as Carrie's stoop and get axed from the tour first. more ›

It's no longer necessary to travel abroad for a dose of slum tourism; now you can take a peek at how the less fortunate live right here in New York City, with a new guided tour of the South Bronx, conducted by the Guardian Angels. It's called "The Underbelly Tour," and Guardian Angel founder Curtis Sliwa, joined by members of his group—one Angel per two guests—will escort tourists to the Bronx on the No. 4 train, once known as the Mugger's Express. more ›

Yesterday dozens of Amish residents from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania caused plenty of confusion as they toured a predominantly Hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn's Crown Heights; the Amish beards and black hats had workers in a matzoh factory convinced they were Jews visiting from Uzbekistan. Amish visitors John and Priscilla Lapp explained to the AP that, "In some things we are alike, like our clothing and our traditional beliefs. And in some things we are not. The biggest thing is that Jesus is our savior." (That, and the Lubavitchers have yet to be immortalized by Randy Quaid.) more ›

Last night Britney Spears took her Circus act to the Nassau Coliseum stage on Long Island, and Newsday, the final word in concert reviews, has a scathing account. The paper makes note of the audience member lapdance, the pop star getting sawed in three, and the Bollywood dance number, but they say it's all "a massive money-making venture designed to play up her talents and distract from her shortcomings." Is this not the foundation upon which pop stars are built? The criticisms continue, as they declare "she always gets a lot of help from her troupe of 12 dancers, who pull her across the stage or give her rides on their bicycles so we don't notice she's only moving at two-thirds speed or not doing all the moves her dancers are." more ›

Every Christmas residents of the predominantly Italian-American community of Dyker Heights in Brooklyn try to outdo each other for the most epic light display. And they're certainly not about to let a little economic meltdown spoil the festivities; this year's displays are as spectacular as they were in the year 2000, when the hilarious documentary Dyker Lights was filmed. (It airs again on PBS Thursday night!) more ›

Recently a group traveled underground to the oldest subway tunnel in the world, rediscovered by Bob Diamond in 1980. It's dark, dirty and allegedly filled with ghosts! Located on Atlantic Avenue, it sounds like the perfect place for a haunted Halloween. Here's some more info on the mysterious underground space, that long went hidden.

The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel was built in seven months in 1844 by the Long Island Rail Road to relieve congestion in downtown Brooklyn. It was part of a rail network that eventually took passengers to Boston. For mainly political reasons, it was closed not too many years after it opened; the last train ran through it in 1859. In 1861, the tunnel was sealed up. In time, it became sort of an urban legend, and many stories were born about it and what uses some people may be putting it to.

Along with the office of the Welsh government, Peter Thabit Jones and Dylan Thomas's daughter Aeronwy have compiled the ultimate guide to the poet's New York--specifically Greenwich Village. The walking tour is self-guided, and they provide a handy printable PDF with factoids for your journey. Aeronwy states that it makes "the real facts about my father’s time in New York available to anyone who wants to learn more about him." more ›

The Times tagged along with the New Yorker's Calvin Trillin for his "gastronomic walking tour" through Chinatown and Little Italy on Sunday, as part of the magazine's eponymous festival. The $100 tickets sell out instantly every year because the event is limited to just 35 nerds—er, gourmands—with money to burn. Trillin led participants on an erudite eating tour of his favorite little haunts on the two mile stroll. Among other revelations, he said he likes to eat standing up. And he doesn't care about restaurant reviewing: "If I couldn’t eat in a four-star restaurant again, it would mean nothing to me. But if someone said I couldn’t eat any more cilantro, I would be very upset." Also, the greatest development in American cuisine according to Trillin? No, not the Turducken; it's the Immigration Act of 1965, which allowed more third world immigrants. more ›

The reviews are in! And the word on the street is that the Staten Island bus tour is, well, perhaps off to a slow start. When the NY Times visited, the bus had five passengers (Gray Line said "it often takes up to five years before a new tour catches on"). Most passengers aren't even leaving the bus during stops to explore; one said she only wanted to take the ferry over because she saw Carrie do it in Sex and the City. Le sigh. So, what are people safely tucked aboard the bus seeing? Where Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" video was filmed, Wagner College (Joan Baez's father taught there!) and Mandolin Brothers guitar shop, "which has been visited by the likes of Jimmy Buffett, George Harrison and Suzanne Vega." And if her tune "Song for Sharon" is to be believed, Joni Mitchell once bought a mandolin there. Meanwhile, the Staten Island Advance is painting a different picture, with photos of filled seats. more ›

After Boy George's visa was denied he spoke out on the problem that could put a glitch in his touring plans. The U.S. State Dept. also told their side of the story, and in the end The Man won. A press release sent out this morning stated that his tour, which included a special concert for the New York Department of Sanitation workers and families this summer, was canceled as a result of the problem. George stated, “I was really hoping that the issue would be resolved and that some kind soul at the US Visa Office would realize that if the police in the UK placed no restrictions on my movements, that should have been good enough for them. I am very sorry that I will not see all my American fans this year, but I wish them a happy and healthy Fourth of July. I include the Visa Office in those good wishes and realize they are doing a very difficult job and I just got unlucky.” Those wishing to see him in the U.S. will have to wait until Winter 2009! more ›

This morning Boy George visited the Today show the only way he could: via satellite. He spoke to Meredith Viera about his visa denial in an upbeat tone, noting, "I got so much love from the people of New York every day, people were so supportive. I was getting honks, and people coming out of manholes going, ‘Go on, George!’ I was surprised by how much affection I received. Everyone talks about it being a humiliating experience. I didn’t feel humiliated. I thought it was a really good experience.” He added that if the tour doesn't happen now, "it will happen in the new year.” more ›

Boy George, scheduled for a U.S. tour this summer, including a stop at NYC's Dept. of Sanitation picnic, has been denied a visa. He told Papermag: "I'm pretty devastated because I am so excited about this forthcoming tour and having my visa application denied seems unfair after I swept the streets of New York spotless. I committed a crime and I happily paid the consequences and I should be allowed to move on and get on with what I do best and that is performing and making people dance and cry!" Maybe the DoS can relocate their picnic to Hyde Park. more ›