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Ikea Offers to Furnish Narrowest House in New York

CasaSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:00:06 -0700

Last month, the "narrowest house in New York City" went on sale for $2.7 million, and it's still on the market. The terrifically narrow brick building, which was built in 1873, is located in Greenwich Village and built into an alley.

Now, Ikea's offering the future buyers of this squeezed-for-space home free design expertise and $10,000 in furniture.

"We know that space is at a premium in most homes and especially in this particular home. In fact, the Huffington Post quoted the real estate broker saying that you'd have to be 'clever in how you decorate' it," noted Janice Simonsen, Ikea design expert and spokesperson, in a press release. "We're so in love with small spaces that we're putting an offer on the table, albeit a skinny table – free furniture and design expertise to the eventual buyers."

Would the offer of free design advice and $10K worth of furniture from Ikea prompt you to buy this narrow and multimillion dollar home?

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Must Read: New York Cooks

partysugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:15:56 -0700

Everyone knows New York City is one of the country's top places for eating, so it comes as no surprise that a new cookbook, New York Cooks ($30), celebrates the city's chefs and restaurants. Since I don't live in NYC, I was very excited when I got my hands on a copy of the book. To find out what I thought of it, read more.

Pros:

Each chef has multiple recipes. Before the recipes, there are a couple of pages that describe the restaurant with interesting quotes and details from the chef.
From appetizers to entrees to salads, there's a wide variety of dishes.
Although the cover states there's 100 recipes, because many dishes have sauces or vinaigrettes, it seems like there are more than 100 recipes.
When I dined at Casa Mono, my favorite dish was the fideos with cockles and chorizo. The book has the recipe, so now I can re-create it at home!

Cons:

It's format is hard to follow - it's broken down into section by cuisine. Instead of listing out the recipes in the table of contents, only the cuisine, chef, and restaurant are mentioned.
New York's restaurant scene is forever changing and some of the chefs, for example Anne Burrell, are no longer working at the restaurants associated with their recipes.
Some recipes are complicated with lots of steps. They seem more suited to a restaurant than a home kitchen. Also, others lack detail.
There are no desserts.

Recipes: While I've never heard of a few of the restaurants or chefs, it is the recipes that are important. Here are the ones that caught my eye.

Anne Burrell's taleggio, speck, and egg pizzetta
Mikey Price's blood orange and red onion salad
Joey Campanaro's gravy meatball sliders
Michael Lomonaco's Philly cheesesteak sandwich

Imagery: This read is full of delicious-looking food images and fun restaurant shots. However, not all of them are in color. Every recipe does not have a corresponding picture. Some of the chef's photographs seem dated. After seeing her on Top Chef Masters, it looks as if the picture of Anita Lo was taken years ago.

Overall: This book is a wonderful collection of recipes. It would be an excellent gift to a foodie moving to or from New York. Any well-respected home cook who loves to dine out while vacationing in NYC will also enjoy this tome.

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What Do You Know About 400-Year-Old New York City?

TresSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:31:18 -0700

Yesterday Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands to New York City. The royals are in town to kick off the festivities for New York City's NY400 week. This year marks 400 years since Dutch traders departed from Amsterdam for what would become New York City. Take a bite out of this quiz to see what you know about the Big Apple.

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New York Warns: Don't Drink Yourself Fat

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:00:06 -0700

New York City is taking a bold stand against empty calories with its Don't Drink Yourself Fat ad campaign. Recognizing that liquid calories can be a diet saboteur, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is advising residents to avoid soda and other sugary beverages.

The campaign implicitly acknowledges that diet soda isn't necessarily healthier - just lower in calories - by recommending water, seltzer, or lowfat milk. The ads are pretty unappetizing, but I appreciate the message. Click on the gallery below and tell me what you think.

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The Scoop: Gerard Butler in the Middle of a Dog Fight

PetSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:55:05 -0700

Nope, not a cat fight - the sometimes heartbreaker Gerard Butler had a furry run-in with the law in NYC on Monday. TMZ is reporting more details on the dog fight involving the actor's smooshy, who we've glimpsed frequenting the set of The Bounty (along with fan fave, Norman).

Gerard's off-leash Lolita was allegedly attacked street side by a Greyhound, Mayfly, which caused the actor to push away the offending animal . . . and later bring his Pug to a vet for injuries. Although the Greyhound's owners claim that Gerard smacked one of their dogs without cause, no charges have been pressed and all the involved pups are OK.

I understand the illegality of having a pup off leash but, as someone who's had her dog attacked unprovoked as a puppy, it's a split-second reaction and a scary thing for all parties involved - do you think there's more to this story? Before you share, check out a cute video of Lolita looking rather friendly on leash as a puppy back in 2007, when you read more.

Have You Ever Witnessed Someone Masturbating in Public?

TresSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0700

The one time I saw a man masturbating in public, I was so shocked that I just ran away from him as fast as possible. But a woman who saw a man pleasuring himself in the seat across from her on New York's 3 train found a way to snap back - she took a cell phone photo of him.

Armed with her evidence, she went down to the 32nd Precinct and filed a complaint. She was surprised to hear from the female officer who was helping her that this was not a matter for the police and she'd have to call 311 to complain to the city.

Considering public lewdness is a crime, the NYPD has subsequently launched a probe of the incident and released the cell phone photo of the perpetrator (see above).

Have you ever witnessed someone masturbating in public?

Splash Cans: Would You Go Swimming in a Dumpster?

TresSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:30:00 -0700

A few Summers ago, there were infamous pool parties in an empty, decrepit old pool in Brooklyn. (Think drinking, music, and slip 'n' slides.) Now there's a new pool in the borough - and this time it's full. One exception - there always is there - it's in a dumpster. The dumpsters have been cleaned and lined and filled with water that's not from the Hudson, so . . . what could be so bad?

The UrbanEye at the New York Times went there to check out the now not-so-secret spot. Would you jump in?

Friday Feel Good: Amma the Hugging Saint Goes to NYC

TresSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Would you wait in line for a hug? Jaded New Yorkers did from Tuesday through yesterday - just to get an embrace from an Indian woman dubbed the Hugging Saint. (She probably hugged 20,000 New Yorkers by the end of it all.) Amma Amritanandamayi, 54, has been dispensing hugs for about 30 years in her travels around the world, and it's estimated that the "Hugging Saint" has given around 27 million hugs.

What's so special about her hugs? One person says it's not an ordinary hug. Another says it helps clear her mind. "Everyone comes to her," says a 38-year-old acupuncturist, "because they're in some kind of pain - cancer, love, family, kids. They want something from her. Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don't."

Although Amma says she's not a faith healer, one couple says it was only after Amma hugged them that they were finally able to conceive. Amma, who began spontaneously hugging people around the age of 8 or 9, told the Daily News through a translator, "The purest form of love can change people and that's what I'm trying to do." (The video above shows Amma embracing New Yorkers last year during her visit.)

Non Voyage: Bring New York's Bright Lights Home

LilSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:00:36 -0700

Get your walking shoes on and prepare to see the bright lights of some of our nation's biggest cities! Families looking to explore the culture and variety that urban centers offer can do so in the comfort of their own homes with projects and foods that celebrate the metropolitan destinations. Our week of big-city "Non Voyages" kicks off in the largest one of all – New York City.

Start the morning off with Eloise's favorite mealtime delight - room service. Kids will love seeing their breakfast served bedside.
Lady Liberty has long been a hot spot for families visiting the Big Apple and the just reopened crown provides great inspiration for tots. There are 354 steps from the base to the top of the statue. Have kids try to stack that many blocks to see the height. And, use construction paper to create your own crown hats.
The Museum of Natural History is known for its dinosaur exhibit so put together some 3D dinosaur puzzles and study the giants.
Even though it's not as bright as the lights of Times Square, check to see if there are any local theater productions that appeal to your tots. Introducing children to theater is wonderful even if you're way off Broadway! Or, prepare for a marathon of Disney movies including The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Mary Poppins, all of which are currently playing in the Big Apple.
They say there's a great pizza shop on every corner of New York. Get down to business in the kitchen and create the ultimate thin-crust pie. Just be sure to eat it like a New Yorker – folded down the middle with the grease dripping off.
Serendipity's frozen hot chocolate is beloved by all visitors to the city. Re-create it at home and give your kids a new perspective on the treat.

Oh, Snap! Wegmanesque Photo Shoot

TresSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:33:05 -0700

Why didn't I ever see William Wegman-esque photo shoots in Washington Square Park when I lived in NYC? All I ever saw was NYU students and riff raff asking me if I wanted to buy weed.

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