Jul
15
Propeller Island City Lodge
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After much struggle and hassles with the authorities, Berlin’s wackiest hotel is ready to welcome guests in the newly completed extension. The artist and musician owner, Lars Stroschen, has created a wild dream landscape in which each room is a unique, handcrafted artwork. There’s the ‘upside-down room’ where all the furniture is stuck to the ceiling and strange hatches in the floor open into bed and sitting spaces; the ‘Grandma Room’ with a vast wardrobe tilted at a an odd angle, a room with a bed in a cage and another where you can sleep in a coffin. Far out, great fun and reasonably priced, it beats the pants off staying in a pension.
Jul
14
Vanity
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28 E 23rd St between Madison Ave and Park Ave South (212-254-6117)
Subway: N, R, 6 to 23rd St.
Vanity isn’t much to look at, and the name is pretty tired, but as one of Manhattan’s fairly few smallish dance clubs it fills a definite need. It actually has a pretty nice little dance floor and sound system, too. The most popular nights are Tuesdays, when Super Funk attracts a fun music-industry crowd (it’s a good bet that you’ll rub elbows at the bar with the likes of Todd Terry or Masters at Work) despite the name, you’ll mostly hear deep but pumping house spun by guest DJs ranging from local up-and-comers to internationally known names like Benji Candelario. Friday night, the also-misnamed GBH (which stands for Great British House) features mostly American vocal house, spun by DJs who work at King Street and Northcott, two top New York labels (DJ Disciple is a monthly guest, and folks like Roger Sanchez spin on occasion, too). Saturday, Sticky’s program of electronica draws the sort of indie/alternative/student-oriented crowd that listens to the Chemical Brothers, DJ Icey, Fatboy Slim and the like.
Jul
06
Jongleurs Battersea
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The Cornet, 49 Lavender Gardens, SW11 (020 7564 2500)
Clapham Junction rail. Performances 8.45pm Fri; 7.15pm, 11.15pm, Sat. Admission Fri ?14, ?11 OAPs, students, disabled, ES40s; Sat ?12, ?9 students, OAPs, disabled, ES40s. Credit MC, V.
Website: http://www.jongleurs.com
One of the leading
London comedy clubs, Jongleurs occupies an impressive first-floor hall,
and presents varied line-ups – often of big names – that aren’t
confined to stand-up. Food is available, and there’s an after-show
disco on Fridays.
Jul
02
Miami International Boat Show
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A sailor’s delight, this year’s Miami International Boat Show has been expanding its exhibition areas. There will be new activities like a custom boat-builders section, free boat rides on a variety of craft and an expanded sailboat exhibition located on nearby Watson Island. The Boat Show draws a huge crowd, and offers its guests a peek at the latest innovations in boating. If you’ve ever been out on the sea, this is a must for you.
Jun
13
Ono.com
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Madrid is full of cyber cafés nowadays, but this one is amongst the best in town and possibly in Europe. It claims to be the first wide band establishment of its kind on the continent and offers really fast downloads and surfing, a Mac area, software specially designed for the sightless, scanning and printing facilities plus those cool flat screens. Conveniently situated close to the Malasaña neighbourhood, Ono.com gives you access for 500pts an hour and provides snacks, sandwiches and coffee at good prices.
Jun
10
The newly-formed, non-profit organisation Hong Kong Puppet Centre display some of the most colourful and interesting string people. Traditional and modern marionettes feature, some with amazingly intricate embroidered silk clothes and others from Chinese legends. The exhibits appear rather staid as they’re kept behind glass to preserve them, but the centre’s staff will pull them into life if you ask nicely enough. Full marks to the curators for keeping an almost-lost tradition alive.
Jun
05
Markt
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401 W 14th St at Ninth Ave (212-727-3314)
Subway: L to Eighth Ave; A, C, E to 14th St. Mon-Fri 5pm-1am; Sat Sun 10-1am. Average main course: $16. AmEx, Disc, DC, MC, V.
If you can squeeze by the packed bar scene at this 4,500-square-foot Belgian brasserie in the heart of the meatpacking District, enjoy a meal in the rollicking wood-paneled dining room. Sample a hit parade of Belgian staples, including decent pommes frites, fancified waterzooi (a creamy seafood stew), steamed mussels and plenty of Belgian beer.
Jun
03
Children at their Finest
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Some of the world’s greatest artists used their talents to portray young children in the 16th and 17th-centuries. The Low Countries saw more of this activity than anywhere else in Europe and the results can be seen in this unique exhibition, housed in Antwerp’s Fine Arts Museum in collaboration with Haarlem’s Frans Hals Museum. Portraits on view include works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Ter Bosch and Van Dyck.
