Archive for the ‘Outdoor & Ambient’ Category

5 Outdoor Markets to Hit Before Summer’s End

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Too early to start thinking about long sleeves and jackets? Maybe. But it’s not too early to start your end of summer checklist. While it’s still warm outside, make sure you take a trip to the best outdoor markets in NYC.

NEW AMSTERDAM MARKET

The New Amsterdam Market, located slightly east of the South Street Seaport, is a mix between a green market and a street fair. You’ll find fresh produce, local wines and canned goods in addition to prepared food like lobster rolls, popsicles and even meat pies! Check the website before you go as many times there are themed days (IE Local Wine Weekend or Oyster Fest.) And across the street is the Fulton Street Stall Market which features a smaller selection of prepared goods like jam, coffee and wine.

Hours & Location: Sundays, 11a-4p (except September 4 & November 27) // Fulton Fish Market
Website:  http://www.newamsterdammarket.org // Fulton Stall Market: http://fultonstallmarket.com

HESTER STREET FAIR

The Hester Street Fair is a foodie’s paradise. While nearly 75% of the vendors change each week, some of the regulars include Luke’s Lobster, Mighty Balls, Daisy Duke’s BBQ and The Shaved Ice Shop. You’ll still find some local produce, but the emphasis is much more on the culture of the LES and vendors that encompass that culture than plain produce.

Hours & Location: Saturdays, 10a-6p // Hester St. & Essex St.
Website:  http://www.hesterstreetfair.com/

BROOKLYN FLEA


Brooklyn Flea is best known for the art of thrifting. The hunt is on for unique vintage items – from furniture to clothes, from jewelry to art. Local artists sell their wares for reduced rates and each vendor has amazing stories to tell.

Hours & Location: 10a-5p
Saturdays: 176 Lafayette Ave (Ft Greene)
Sundays: East River Waterfront (Williamsburg)
Website: http://www.brooklynflea.com/

SMORGASBURG

Smorgasburg is run by the same people who run the Brooklyn Flea, but is entirely food focused. My mouth is watering over Speedy Romeo‘s hand-pulled mozzarella topped with salsa verde and seasonal garnishes that Daily Candy featured in their guide to the market. Like the New Amsterdam Market, many Saturdays are themed (ex: Drinks Day & Meatopia) so check the website for favorites and mark your calendars in advance.

Hours & Location: Saturdays 9a-5p // 127 North Street (at the waterfront)
Website: http://brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg/

UNION SQUARE GREENMARKET

If you’re looking to stock up on produce, the Union Square Greenmarket has the largest selection. In addition to loads of fresh-picked veggies and fruits, you’ll also find a great selection of artisanal cheeses & breads, locally produced wine and locally sourced meat. It can be a bit crowded on Saturday, but it’s always worth the chaos.

Hours & Location: 8a-6p Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday // Union Square
Website: http://www.grownyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket

 

Category: New York, Outdoor & Ambient, Sustainability

We Fought the Law, But the Law Won: Accomplice NY

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

On Saturday, I was taken on a surprise date in which it turned out I was an accomplice of criminals who got their boss outta jail. I have to say, when I showed up at the South Street Seaport, I was expecting to go on a tour around NYC, not join some elite crime force ;) Instead, we acted as middlemen in an organized-crime scheme which required us to deliver several items all across downtown NYC.

Much like Sleep No More, Accomplice is a deconstructed theatre experience, but it’s also a game. And instead of heading to the theatre, the city becomes your stage. A phone call the day before you’re scheduled to “play” tells you when and where to show up, but other than that, you’re left clueless.

While the experience is not directly guided, the clues were easy enough to get us to the next place we needed to be, but hard enough that it took some investigating. The real fun is in deciphering which people are actors, part of the game, and which people are random bystanders on the street. As Time Out New York says, “The kaleidoscopic flux of lower Manhattan, inevitably, ends up being one of Accomplice‘s key partners in crime.”

Neil Patrick Harris was such a huge fan of Accomplice: NY (see the video above) that he worked with the founders to co-produce Accomplice: Hollywood.  Case in point: It’s good.

If you’re looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon, trying to entertain tourists or just looking to get into some mischief, Accomplice will not disappoint. Curious? Read Time Out NY’s review or check out their FAQ.

Category: New York, Outdoor & Ambient

EXPLORING THE FREEDOM TUNNEL

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Freedom Tunnel from Charles le Brigand on Vimeo.

Stephane Missier (blogosphere pseudonym - Charles le Brigand) is a Senior Account Planner at Saatchi X NY. He keeps a blog chronicling his passion for street photography and spends most of his free time riding around on his bicycle photographing NYC. Stephane recently went to the Freedom Tunnel in the Upper West Side and cut a short film about it. The video made some buzz on the internet and was published in a number of blogs, including the Wooster Collective, curatedmag.com, theLmagazine.com and the Vimeo staff picks. Below are some thoughts from Stephane on the project.

Under Manhattan’s Upper West Side runs the Freedom Tunnel. Built in the 30’s by Robert Moses, the passage boasts legendary graffiti murals and piles of debris remaining from the past homeless city era. After using it for only a couple of years, Amtrak discontinued the line and left a massive cavern that later became a shelter for street people. Eventually the tunnel turned into a veritable underground metropolis where thousands of homeless were living in organized communities underneath the city’s skin.

The tunnel also became a prime spot for graffiti artists. Chris Pape (aka Freedom) was one of the tunnel’s artistic pioneers and his work inspired the name of the tunnel. He painted immense murals utilizing the unique lighting provided by the ventilation ducts, turning the tunnel into an extraordinary underground art gallery. Some of his most notable paintings survived for decades and are still visible today including his “Venus de Milo”, the “Coca-Cola Mural”, Dali’s “Melting Clock,” and a self-portrait featuring a male torso with a spray-can head.

In 1991, Amtrak decided to reopen the tunnel. The shanty towns were cleared out by the police and homeless were evicted. Although deserted, the tunnel is now an active train line and a stunning experience for urban explorers. It is a bizarre blend of dark and light, silence and rumble, solitude and multitude. As you penetrate the tunnel and walk along the tracks, the sunbeams perforating the ceiling and highlighting the railway give the place a post-nuclear feel. Voices from children playing above in Riverside Park sound like lost souls and trains whistling and roaring through the ruins of the shanty towns send chills down your spine.

This was one of the most uncommon and fascinating journeys I’ve ever taken.

Music: “Ascendance” by Zenzile

Category: Creative, New York, Our People, Outdoor & Ambient, sisomo

7X7: Graffiti Raiders

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Co-founder of New York’s Wooster Collective and CEO of digital marketing agency Electric Artists Marc Schiller was many people’s favorite 7X7 presenter. His tour of street art from New York to Europe to Australia showed why graffiti artists risk arrest to beautify public spaces and bring meaning to previously meaningful locations. After viewing, it’s impossible not to view your journey to and from the office differently. In many places, in many ways, street art lives alongside advertising and often co-opts it.

Intro’d by Mary Baglivo. The front page picture is from the Bubble Project by Ji Lee, a former Saatchi & Saatchi New York art director and finalist in the first Saatchi & Saatchi World Changing Ideas Award.

Category: Creative, Events, Outdoor & Ambient

RTG:375

Monday, April 19th, 2010

We are proud & excited to announce our newest initiative: the Saatchi Rooftop Garden, RTG:375.

To get things sprouting, please join us at the fund-raiser happy hour, 5PM next Thursday April 22 (Earth Day) in the Atrium. We’ll have $1 beers, live music by Clare and the Reasons & tasty hors d’œuvres. You will also learn how to sign up for the RTG:375 co-op, get info on the 50/50 raffle and get served by our mystery guest bartenders.

Planting will begin in mid-May. For more information contact a member of the RTG:375 team: Lindsay Coomes, Phoebe Dick, Tim Griffin, Erin Lyons, Lauren Savage or Courtney Winegar.

Hope to see you all there!

Erin Lyons on behalf of Saatchi True Blue

Category: Events, New York, Our People, Outdoor & Ambient, Sustainability