Mark your calendars! The event that was reviewed by the New York Times as one of the “Most Memorable Parties of 2009″ is coming up. The 5th bi-annual Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island will be taking place this summer on July 17th & 18th, and August 28th & 29th.

Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra will be providing the entertainment with special guests Drew Nugent & the Midnight Society. The event is said to be set “Under a shady grove of centuries-old trees, caressed by fresh sea air, a sprawling green surrounded by historic officersí quarters and 18th century naval ramparts becomes the setting for a true Gatsby affair.”  In the past, the Jazz Age Lawn Party has been enjoyed by everyone from jazz-age history buffs to curious families. There is a little something for everyone with great music, food and drinks provided by Brooklyn Brewery. Also, there are fun activities to participate in such as recipe contests, dance lessons and tug o’ war. There’s nothing quite like this party under the stars.

The party starts at 11AM and continues until 6PM that evening. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door ( Children under 7 years old are admitted for free ). However, there is a little incentive to buy your tickets in advance as the first 250 people to purchase tickets in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com will be given free drink tickets.

While most New Yorkers head to places like “The Jersey Shore” to beat the heat in July and August, this summer, “The Jersey Shore” came to us! That’s right, some of your favorite cast members from MTV’s hit TV show “Jersey Shore” were at mad46 filming an upcoming segment for MTV UK.

Jersey Shore cast members, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, and Vinny Guadagnino, spent the day filming at mad46, hanging out on the terrace and enjoying some summertime favorites, including hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches, at mad46. Check out some more pictures from the filming here.

To find out how you can you and your friends can enjoy private events or book table reservations, email us at mad46@rooseveltnyc.com. mad46 is open to guests ages 21 and over Monday through Friday from 5pm until midnight and on Saturdays from 8pm until 2am.

Photo Credit: The Russian Tea Room

It’s back!…and it’s bigger than ever. New York City’s summer Restaurant Week will begin Monday, July 12th, and continue until Monday, July 25th. You may have noticed that this actually spans two weeks! That is because the original NYC dining celebration that started out in 1992 as an event to welcome the Democratic National Convention to the city has become one of New York’s most beloved traditions, and many wanted it extended.

For those of you who do not know yet, Restaurant Week is an opportunity for anyone to enjoy three-course meals from hundreds of participating restaraunts at a low,fixed price. Lunch tickets are $24.07 and dinner tickets are $35.00. This year’s event is the biggest to date with 275 participating restaurants. With so many places to choose from, participating may seem a little complicated, but it is really quite easy. Simply peruse the participating restaurants here, where you can search by restaurant name, type of cuisine and location. Once you have picked what restaurants you would like to try, simply click the “BOOK NOW” or “CALL US” button to make reservations and purchase your tickets. New to the city? You won’t have any trouble locating your restaurant(s) of choice with the handy Restaurant Map.

Don’t have enough time for a sit-down meal? The Restaurant Week Truck, which debuted last winter, will be making the rounds and featuring exclusive soups for all of you on-the-go people that don’t have time for a sit-down meal. To keep track of where the Restaraunt Week Truck’s whereabouts, follow the nycgo on twitter!

Calling all classic movie buffs!

For the 18th summer in a row, Time-Warner Cable carries on the tradition of “presenting stars under the stars” with the Bryant Park Film Festival . Every Monday night come out to Bryant Park and enjoy a classic movie on the lawn, which opens to the public at 5pm. The festival is free for all and ensures free bike parking around the area. Also, the 20 ft by 40 ft screen provides excellent viewing for all and food and beverages are available at kiosks in the park.

The full movie lineup is as follows:

• ‘My Man Godfrey’ (July 12th)
• ‘The China Syndrome’ (July 19th)
• ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ (July 26th)
• ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (August 2nd)
• ‘The Goodbye Girl’ (August 9th)
• ‘12 Angry Men’ (August 16th)
• ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ (August 23rd)

For more information call 212-512-5700 or click here.

Directions to Bryant Park

        Dance the night away…Now through July 17th, head down to the Lincoln Center and participate in the 17th season of the Midsummer Night Swing series. Simply put, this is an outdoor dance festival that gives people with all levels of dance experience the opportunity to come and enjoy a night (or a few nights) of different styles of dance. Each night of the festival has a different theme; some include swing, salsa, tango, rock ‘n roll etc. Participants arrive at the Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park around 6:30 PM for a dance lesson. Live music starts at 7:30 PM for all. Experiences dancers are welcome to skip the lesson and jump right into the festivities, while beginners are encouraged to participate in the lesson and use what they’ve learned later on in the evening. Dancing ends at 10PM

Everyone is welcome and tickets can be purchased online or by calling 212-721-6500
Tickets are $17 for one night or $90 for a 6 night Swing Pass.  

Now come on out and don’t be shy…Let’s Dance!

photo credit: FIAF.org

“Fête on 6oth Street!”

For over 10 years, New Yorkers have commemorated  the historic beginning of the French Revolution by celebrating “all things French” at the 60th Street Bastille Day Celebration.  Organized by the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), the celebration brings an afternoon of French entertainment, food and games to the whole family and is known for being the largest, modern-day recognition of the United States- French friendship promise.

The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place on Sunday, July 11 from 12 P.M. to 6 P.M. between 5th avenue and Lexington avenue in NYC. In previous years, it has been described as “an open-air, family-friendly street fair”, and it literally has something for everyone. The Bastille Day Celebration on 60th street makes NYC the epicenter of French Culture for the afternoon with a raffle, french cuisine tasting, street entertainment, arts & crafts, dancing and so much more.

For more information visit http://www.bastilledaynyc.com/

Videos of past Bastille Day Celebrations

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This morning  Kelli Crean, the Roosevelt Hotel’s E-Commerce Manager who recently went on maternity leave, welcomed a baby girl into the world. We want to send our sincerest congratulations to Kelli and family!

Baby girl, Fiora Lily Oliver was born at 10:51 AM this morning to Kelli Crean and Trey Oliver.  She weighs 8 pounds and 2 oz.  Mom, baby and family are doing wonderful, including big sister Shaela.

Kelli, enjoy your time off with Fiora, Shaela and family. We cannot wait to meet your precious new addition!

Siren Festival 2009 (photo: Jonathan McPhail)

One of my most favorite things about summer in New York, is the amazing music performances that happen throughout the entire city, and all for FREE!!

From May to August, you can hear live music of all kinds across the City without spending a dime. No genre is left out! We’ve got rock, indie, hip-hop, classical, opera, you name it!

So, grab your flip-flops, a blanket and something to nibble on and check out any (or all) or these venues for a classic NYC experience.

CONCERTS IN THE PARKS
From Manhattan to Queens, Andrey Boreyko conducts the legendary New York Philharmonic in the return of Concerts in the Parks. Kicking off on July 13, enjoy a relaxing evening while watching any one of these events throughout the summer. For a complete calendar, click here.

SEASIDE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
Nothing compares to Coney Island in the summertime! Take a trip out of the city and hit each side while watching performances by Gladys Knight, Pat Benetar, Donna Summers and Blondie. Full schedule here.

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL
This summer-long art marathon transforms downtown waterfront spaces like Rockefeller Park, World Financial Center and South Street Seaport, into open-air venues, where you can catch free performances by Burning Spear, Yacht or the Rochester City Ballet. Visit www.rivertorivernyc.com for complete information or follow them on Twitter @R2RFestival for updates!

CENTRAL PARK SUMMER STAGE
SummerStage has been NYC’s #1 outdoor concert series for years. This year’s performers include the John Butler Trio, The Flaming Lips, Hot Chip, Pavement and more. For more information, visit www.summerstage.org or follow @SummerStage.

CELEBRATE BROOKLYN!
Set at the beautiful Prospect Park Bandshell, where tons of seating and tree-shaded areas make for a lovely spot for a picnic, a plastic cup of wine and a free show. This year the series includes performances from Norah Jones, The National, indie favorite Sonic Youth and so much more. Check out the full calendar here.

SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL
The Siren Festival is back in 2010 so prepare for another summer day of sweaty hipsters and a the sounds of indie rock. Bands like Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Matt & Kim will rock the crowds on July 17th at Coney Island. Visit www.siren.villagevoice.com/2010/ for the complete line up or follow @SirenFestival

HUDSON RIVER ROCKS
Pop over to the Westside of Manhattan and enjoy a concert series at Hudson River Park with acts like the Antlers and Deerhunter. (TIP: There’s also a really great movie series here, but we’ll get into that later). Go to www.riverrocksnyc.com for details or follow @HudsonRiverPark

There is still so much more!!!  Check out this extensive list of FREE CONCERTS IN NYC!

Have a rockin’ summer folks!

Posted By
Kelli Crean
Ecommerce Manager

It was a wild day on Coney Island,  a place the people have dubbed the “birthplace of fast food” and we just had to follow up last week’s post about Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest with the results…

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut earned his 4th consecutive championship, downing 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes as a crowd of approximately 40,000 cheered him on. The runners up were Tim” Eater X” Janus in second place with 45 dogs, and Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti in third eating 37 hot dogs.

So where exactly does Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi, 6-time champion, Japanese eating sensation and Chestnut’s biggest rival to date  fit  into all of this?

The “Tsunami” watched the competition from the stands this year, unable to compete because of contract discrepancies with the MLE (Major League Eating). Being benched did not stop him from reveling in the limelight for a moment, however. Right as Chestnut was polishing off his last hot dog, Kobayashi stormed the stage adorned in a “Free Kobi” t-shirt (obviously referring to his barring from the competition because of refusal to sign a disputed contract). Police wrestled with Kobayashi for a few minutes before he was taken off stage and arrested. Now how’s that for entertainment??

So will he compete in the 2011 Nathan’s Hot dog Eating Contest? And if so, can he steal Chestnut’s title? Tune in next year to find out…

This Fourth of July, Coney Island will welcome the best major league eaters from around the world to compete in the 2010 “Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest“. The contest will begin at noon on the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenue (see map). If you can’t make it out to the actual event, be sure to watch live on ESPN. Last year, 35,000 fans watched in awe as Joey Chestnut proved he was the number one competitive eater in the world by consuming 68 hotdogs and buns in 10 minutes! He defeated 18 other contestants (see full results). Many of you, I’m sure, are asking why on earth anyone would ever put themselves through that? The answer is in the $20,000 cash grand prize!

The contest is free and open to all of the public. A pre-show with live entertainment including trampoline tumblers, Ringling acts and famous rappers will begin at 10 a.m. The contest will directly follow.