Adam Gardner and Dave Schneider, The LeeVees ... [continue]

Ask Gothamist is constantly writing about the little annoyances that go hand with life in the big city. That's why we were pleased when a book called Life's Little Annoyances came across our desk. The book, by New York Times writer Ian Urbina, chronicles some of the more outrageous things people do to respond to the things that drive them nuts every day. While the book makes a great holiday gift idea for your annoyed... [continue]

I'm trying to find a place to buy a Christmas wreath. The cheapest ones I've found have been about $20, which isn't bad, but I'd like to buy one for each of my four windows and want to keep the price down. Do you know of any places that would sell these? I don't have the storage space for the cheaper, fake kind. As Christmas wreaths are often sold from the same vendors who... [continue]

With Thanksgiving just over a week away, Ask Gothamist is still getting a lot of questions from people whose tiny apartments can't handle hosting such a big meal. If you can't cook so much as Stove Stop stuffing in your closet-sized kitchen, today's Manhattan User's Guide offers a handy list of restaurants still accepting reservations for the holiday dinner. Cafe Luxembourg on the Upper West Side and Thor on the Lower East Side are among... [continue]

I need a few large pieces of plexiglass for a project I'm working on. Don't ask, but I'm talking big. Short of hauling my butt out to some godforsaken suburban Home Depot, do you know of any place in the city where I could get something like this? - Pat, Battery Park City While many people are aware of places such as Restaurant Row or the Garment District, not too many people realize that... [continue]

If the lead of a play or musical is sick and an understudy performs instead, can you ask for your money back? I'm especially interested in knowing about cases where the lead performer is a big star. It all depends on how that star is billed in the show, so check your Playbill or the theater's marquee for clues. For example, both Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane are listed above the title in the... [continue]

I cleaned out my closet this weekend and have a few bags of clothing in good condition. My first reaction was to donate to the Red Cross for hurricane victims, but are there any agencies or shelters in NYC that will give clothing directly to people in need? Now is a good time to remember that while the poor and displaced of the Gulf Coast need our help and sympathy - and will for quite... [continue]

Witnessing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi, many Gothamist readers have asked what they can do to help. The most important thing for many of the Gulf Coast's residents right now is basic services: clean water, food, and medicine, all of which costs money. If you choose to make a donation to help with the relief efforts, Gothamist urges you to give to the American Red Cross. (Donation form here.) Just as... [continue]

What can you do about lost items from an apartment robbery if you don’t have renter's insurance? My girlfriend's apartment was broken into while she was away. They took her new laptop, messed up her room, and she is pretty shaken up. She called the store where she bought the laptop and the three-year warranty, and they said they couldn't do anything. On top of that, they informed her that since she bought it... [continue]

I'm getting married soon and my fiancée and I would like to learn a few dance steps prior to the big bash. Are you aware of any places in brownstone Brooklyn that gives lessons? David Spoke the Hub (748 Union Street) is a good place to start. The center offers ballroom, Latin and swing dancing classes for all levels and can point you in the right direction if you and your bride-to-be want private... [continue]

Why do bodegas insist on putting everything in a brown bag, and what's with sometimes putting one item and its brown bag inside a plastic bag? Glenn Gothamist shares your curiosity and, from the tone of your email, frustration. We recently bought a pack of gum at our local Duane Reade and before we could say anything, the sales clerk put our tiny purchase in a small white plastic bag. As we left the... [continue]

Now that spring is sort of here, I'm starting to think about summer. Have I missed out on the beach house rush or is there still time to find a place for me and my friends to hang out during the weekends in June, July and August? I've never rented a house or gone in on a share before so I'm wondering what kind of questions I should ask. Joe, UWS You haven't missed... [continue]

I saw a poster today that said the Ringling Bros. circus is coming to NYC and was wondering when the elephants will be walking through the Midtown Tunnel. Where is a good place watch this? David The last time a bunch of elephants came to midtown, thousands of political activists lined the streets, security forces were on high alert and hundreds of protesters - and more than a few unsuspecting bystanders - were hauled... [continue]

There's a big crazy-looking building in DUMBO under the northeast end of the Manhattan Bridge that I've been terribly curious about for a while now. It's very modern, has a metal exterior and these big buttress-like things on top, pokes up to overlook the roadway on the bridge, and is brightly bathed in green light (probably neon?) at night. I could swear I've seen it with purple light at other times. There doesn't appear... [continue]

Why does "Bronx" have to be prefaced with "The?" Why not "A Bronx" or, most reasonably, just plain old "Bronx?" Thanks, Blaney The Vatican. The Hague. The Netherlands. The O.C. The Bronx. Unless you are a cartoon character, you can probably name on one hand the number of locations worldwide that are prefaced with the definite article "the." How the Bronx found itself in such esteemed company as the Holy See and the only... [continue]

My office had a Super Bowl pool last week. Ten bucks got you a box on a grid and prizes were awarded based on the score at the end of each quarter, including the final score of the game. With the number of people in my office, the prize must have been over $500. I didn't participate because I figured gambling was illegal outside of sports books in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. I'm... [continue]

I recently moved to New York from Philadelphia, and while I'm happy to leave much of my Philly life behind, I very much miss Quizzo, a great bar trivia game that at least a dozen bars would have going on any given night across the city. I've tried looking for different trivia replacements in New York, but found very little. Am I doomed to nights at home with my Trivial Pursuit board? Our favorite... [continue]

I was just hired full-time at a small but rapidly growing media company, and guess what? We don't have Martin Luther King, Jr. Day off! I'm kind of ticked at this, not just because I want a 3 day weekend, but I don't like how it's treated as a 2nd-tier holiday. Do most people have to work on Monday? How are you commemorating the holiday? City schools, post offices, the public libraries, the New York... [continue]

During the morning rush, no one likes to deal with inconsiderate people who put their belongings on subway seats. But if one combines that annoyance with a rainy day, the result, as Heaneyland points out, is the perfect storm of subway pet peeves: people who put wet belongings on subway seats. As New York settles in to a season of rain and snow, your friendly neighborhood Ask Gothamist would like to ammend the list... [continue]

I know that city law has recently required all apartments to have carbon monoxide detectors. My landlord is trying to charge us for the two he has installed in our apartment. I feel like he is trying to pull a fast one on us. Whose responsibility is it to pay for the detectors? Your landlord is not trying to pull one over on you. Under the new law, which required building owners to install... [continue]