84th ANNUAL FEAST OF SAN GENNARO
SEPTEMBER 16– 26, 2010

Over one-million people come over the eleven day festival to celebrate the annual salute to the Patron Saint of Naples in the streets of New York City’s Little Italy every September.  While it is a religious event, the dominant atmosphere is festive.  There are religious processions, colorful parades, daily free musical entertainment and among the eating competitions a cannoli-eating competition!  The streets are filled with vendors selling ethnic foods and the neighborhoods restaurants and sidewalk cafes are wonderful spots from which to watch the parade of humanity pass by.

The Saint Day is September 19^th.  A mass is held in Most Precious Blood Church located at 109 Mulberry Street, and is immediately followed by the religious procession during which the statue of San Gennaro leaves its home for its annual peregrination through the streets of Little Italy, borne aloft by attendants from the Church.  For more information, please call: (212)768-9320.

Our agents have chosen a fabulous apartment share as their favorite that is steps away from this traditional and joyous festival.

From Ferries to Kayaks!

Let’s not forget that Manhattan is an island and the other boroughs of New York City have borders that are also largely defined by water.

It’s a beautiful sunny summer day in New York City.  This is usually the same thing as saying it’s very, very hot!  But you can spend only so much time inside cooling off in air-conditioning.   So in the summer, our Urban Living agents get out on the water whenever they can.  Here are some of their recommendations:

Staten Island Ferry:  Avoid the lines going to the Statue of Liberty and take the Ferry to Staten Island and back instead!  Relax on the crowd-free deck and take in the glorious harbor and skyline views.  Cost:  $0.00

	Circle Line 42:  Nw Yorkers all know the familiar sight of the white and green Circle Line boats.  In fact, if you’re close to a river, you can often hear the guide pointing out landmarks.  In 1895 circumnavigation of Manhattan became possible with the construction of a channel connecting the Hudson River and Spuyten Duyvil Creek to the Harlem River at the northern tip of Manhattan.  Prices vary according to length of cruise.			World Yacht: Evening cruises are the best, and a window seat is the place to be.  The food is no more than edible, but the evening views of Manhattan’s glittering skyline and Lady Liberty up close and lit against the black sky are unforgettable.  Price: expensive.

Manhattan by Sail: The Clipper City is a replica of the lumber-hauling schooners that enabled the growth of America’s industry over a century ago and the Shearwater is a former racing yacht from the twenties and is the only floating New York designated landmark!

Atlantic Yachting:  Doesn’t this sound like fun?  Located at the 79th street boat basin, charter your own sail boat with crew for up to six people for as little as $390 for a midweek two hour sale.  They also offer weekend sailing lessons.  After your sail, have something to eat and the Boat Basin Café .  The food is mostly fried, the drinks are strong, and the breezes are cool and the view stretches up and down the Hudson River and across to New Jersey.  Then take a stroll along the water to conclude a perfect day.

For those of you who prefer to get around under your own power (we applaud you), there are options as well.  As astonishing as it may seem, New York City’s Downtown Boathouse, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, has convinced New Yorkers (a somewhat cynical bunch) of all ages and skill levels to paddle on the Hudson River!  The volunteers offer formal lessons as well as informal tips.  The kayak, paddle and life vest are all free at any of the three locations posted on their website along with their schedule.  Kayaks are available on a first come first serve basis.

Try it!  The kayaks are unsinkable! 

If you’d prefer a more structured setting, Manhattan Kayak Company,  located three blocks north of Chelsea Piers, at the intersection of 26th Street and the Hudson River, offers essentially the same possibilities, with the added convenience of being able to reserve ahead of time and guided tours.

We could not end this list of recommendations without mentioning our city’s wonderful public parks.  Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Manhattan’s Central Park and Staten Island’s Clove Lakes Park each have their own lake and row boats for rent. Queens’ Corona Park has sailing lessons and paddle boats!

The lyrics, originally sung by the Lovin’ Spoonful in the summer of 1966 exemplify some of the dog days and cool eves of summer.  What better way then to spend an evening than listening to free music, one of New York  City’s best traditions, while stretched out on the cool grass, perhaps with a picnic and a chilled bottle of wine, under the dome of the evening sky. 

Orchestral

You can do just that July 13 through July 19, when the Philharmonic Orchestra will play in all of New York City’s five boroughs.  The outdoor events in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn all conclude with fireworks.  To secure a spot close to the stage it is best to arrive well in advance.  Keep in mind that this is also a social event, so the music sometimes serves almost as a background to the lively conversations going on around you (unless you are very close to the stage).

Jazz & World Music

This year marks Lincoln Center’s 40th Anniversary Season of Lincoln Center Out of Doors Free Summer Series  presenting over 100 artists from around the world from July 28 Through August 15th the press relates states, “True to its street theater ots, bands will parade across the campus highlighted by the return of the Asphalt Orchestra premiering a new commission by Yoko Ono. The new-music string quartet ETHEL will open the festival performing world premiere collaborations with noted singer/songwriters, and yet another world premiere is also on the schedule: a work by Christine Southworth featuring the virtual gamelan and the renowned Kronos Quartet. In a continuing partnership with Ponderosa Stomp, this year’s “Roots of American Music” Saturday will focus on music from Detroit, a city that has been a major force in American popular music. Home to Motown, the daylong Motor City–sound events include a performance by Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels of Devil with a BlueDress fame.”

There is no shortage of free music for jazz lovers.  Follow the Jazzmobile around town!  The Jazzmobile has been presenting free outdoor summer mobile concerts since since 1964 bringing the great jazz artists of our time directly to the public.  The artist and Jazzmobile location are available on the organization’s calendar.

Also catch the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival  Featuring on Saturday, August 28th: multiple Grammy award winner McCoy Tyner, Jason Moran and the Bandwagon, The JD Allen Trio and Revive Da Live: Charlie Parker Revisited.  The New York Times applauded JD Allen as “a tenor saxophonist with an enigmatic, elegant and hard-driving style.”  Highlining Sunday, August 29th performance are the modern “world-class soloist” saxophonist James Moody, the long renown Jimmy Scott, Vijay Iyer described as “extravagantly gifted” by the New York Times, and Catherine Russells’ sultry, bluesy vocals.
Appropriately, Saturday’s concert is held in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park and Sunday’s in Lower East Side's Tompkins Square Park, places where Parker lived and worked.  Both start at 3:00 pm and end at 7:00 pm.

More free jazz, latin, gospel and world music can be enjoyed at the Harlem Meer Festival every Sunday afternoon from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at this beautiful lakeside location at the northern end of Central park at the Charles A. Dana Discovery.  Chairs are provided on a limited first come first served basis.  It’s best to bring a blanket (and a picnic!) with you.

BAM Free R&B Festival at Metro Tech: Located in downtown Brooklyn, this series hosts and eclectic array of legendary musicians and rising stars of R&B and world music at its outdoor concerts through August 5th.  The official calypso king of Trinidad, Mighty Sparrow will be performing on July 8th, and Mykal Rose, the first Grammy Award winner for reggae music will play the closing night of the festival on August 5th.

Eclectic

For additional eclectic musical offerings, take a look at Celebrate Brooklyn’s 2010 season ongoing through August 8th.  They have everything from House of Usher: Marco Beneventure to Sonic Youth.  All at the Prospect Park Bandshell.

Opera

For you opera lovers, the Metropolitan Opera has a Summer Recital Series.  This year there will be six performances, with the first being held on Central Park’s Summer Stage on July 12.  There will performances by the acclaimed baritone Nathan Gunn as will as recently named 2010 winner of the Met’s Beverly Sills Artist Award soprano Susanna Phillips, only two of a talented cast. 

In conjunction with this festival of song, the Met will present it’s popular Summer HD festival starting August 28 with its first screening from the company’s Peabody and Emmy Award winning “Iive in HD series.  Puccini’s Tosca And Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann are but two of the productions. Every Thurday beginning July 15th and ending August 26th there will be 2,800 seats available on a first come, first served basis.

The screenings are free with no tickets required; 2,800 seats will be available each night on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no rain dates.

Rock

10th Annual Siren Music Festivalon July 17th in Coney Island with a free concert from noon to 9:00 PM drawing over 100,000 music-lover, presents a line-up of ultra-cool local rock talent.

More Free Rock on Manhattan’s Pier 54 sponsored by RiverRocks The focus is on up-and-coming artists, many of whom have gone on to become major stars.  This year’s line-up includes Phosphorescent and Dawes, July 8, The Antlers, July 22, Deerhunter, August 18. The doors open at 6:00 pm and space availability is on a first come first served basis.

Enjoy the music!  Let us know what you think and what other sources of free music you think we should post in the future. 
Thank you! 

The Urban Living Team

     * * * July 4th * * *  

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, commemorates the adoption of the 1776 Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and is the national day of the United States.   New Yorkers turn the day into a joyous celebration.

Start with a history lesson!  Tour Revolutionary War New York on Saturday, July 3rd from 2:00 pm to 6:00 am July 4th for $20 per person, advance purchase required.  Fraunces Tavern Museum tour guide, James S. Kaplan will take you through lower Manhattan to sites related to the Revolutionary War and its heroes.  You will end the tour by watching the sun rise over the spire of Trinity Church.

Pictured above is the best-known and most spectacular theatrical celebration in New York City, the annual fireworks sponsored by Macy’s department store, starting at approximately 9:00 pm on Sunday, July 4th, 2010.

The fireworks will be simultaneously set off from six barges on the Hudson River (West Side) located between 24th and 60th Streets.  For free ringside seats, go early to secure your spot on the Westside Highway.  It will be closed from 22nd Street to 59th Street beginning at 4:00 pm to allow the public access to view the evening’s pyrotechnics.  Access points along 11th Avenue will be at the following Streets: 24th, 26th-30th, 34th, 40th-44th, 47th-52nd, 54th-57th.

The following are not viewing areas: East River, Battery Park, Battery Park City, all Hudson River Piers (except limited access to Piers 54 and 84), Hudson River Park Promenade between West Houston and 59th Street and Hudson River Park Bike Path between West Houston and 59th Street.

Bring a radio and tune into 1010 WINS to listen to the live telecast of music synchronized with the fireworks display!  For up-to-the-minute information call Macy’s Fireworks Hotline: (212) 494-4495. 

If you prefer the comfort of your vacation rental), watch the show live on local TV station NBC, Channel 4.

If you don’t have a private boat and want to cruise by the Statue of Liberty while watching the fireworks explode above the city, reserve with New York Water Taxi for $100 (6:30 pm to 10:30 pm).  Also for a cool $100 per person, another patriotically themed event will take place at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s Fourth of July Party (doors open at 7:00 pm) where you will be able to tour the Intrepid Museum and get a stunning view of the fireworks from the ship’s flight deck while listening to the simulcast of the musical score.

If you’re more of a Pisces than an astrological fire sign, take the water taxi to Governors Island dig  your toes in the sand and listen to the folk-inspired tunes of She & Him (beach opens at 10:00 am; concert is 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm); appropriate for all ages.

Happy July 4th from all of us at Urban Living!

The Adams Family Theme Day in New York City

The Addam's Family  is a magnificently macabre Broadway musical staring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth is playing at the LUNT-FONTANNE THEATRE at 205 West 46th Street (between Broadway and 8th Ave)..  The story is based on an assemblage of characters developed and drawn by the famous cartoonist, Charles Addams (1912-1988).

For a perfect finish to this fun an entertaining visit, cross Fifth Avenue and enter the Conservatory Gardens through its impressive main entrance, The Vanderbilt Gate at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street.  Stroll through these lovely formal gardens and you will find it difficult to believe that you are in the middle of Manhattan.