Unless you're already so blazed you've forgotten what day it is, you know that this year 4/20 falls on a Friday, which makes it very convenient for those who observe the holiday to toke right over the line into the weekend. It's also a prime opportunity for marketers to drum up some pot-related profit. The Wall Street Journal reports that this 4/20 in particular features more commercialized connections to the high-liday, with film studios and television stations (among others) clamoring to capitalize on it. We've certainly done our part to let you know where you can take advantage of 4/20 here in NYC. But there's so much more! Let us count the ways people are cashing in on the holiday: more ›

On today, this highest of holidays, the dope deals keep on coming. In addition to the sticky icky food specials we told you about yesterday (Stoner's Delight! Chili!), Midtown Lunch notices that this afternoon Two Boots is giving away free samples of its Big Lebowski-inspired pie, The Dude, in all of its locations. more ›

Stoner holiday 4/20 is coming up tomorrow. Not that you really need a holiday as an excuse to burn one, but if you do find yourself with the munchies, try to wander your way in the direction of a Two Boots pizza. Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. they'll be giving away free half-slices of "The Dude" pizza, made with tasso, ground beef, cheddar and mozzarella. But watch out, the dangerous combination of a pot buzz and the meat sweats could trigger some strange hallucinations: more ›

4/20 is coming up (we guess), and ha ha let's all smoke pot! And on the pothead holiday, Nike will be releasing about 1,000 pairs of the Cheech and Chong SB, a sneaker inspired by the classic stoner flick. Not only are the fabrics inspired by the characters' headwear, but the shoes have tear-away canvas that reveals green suede underneath, which looks just like pot. more ›

Last night Snoop Dogg played a show at Brooklyn Bowl (review to come in this Friday's Week in Rock post). Following his set, we somehow found ourselves ringing in 4/20 with the man himself on his bus. Pictured is our very own Ben—who only got a contact high (fact: Snoop's entourage was fresh out of rolling papers). So right now it's 4:20 on 4/20, brahs, what are you doing to celebrate? Because we know you are celebrating—The Daily Beast has given NYC a high toke rating, with the borough of Manhattan alone coming in at number three. more ›

For this decade's first "Get High in Public So You Can, Like, Stick it to the Man, Dude" day, NORML will be unveiling a new animated billboard on the CBS Super Screen in Times Square. The ad will highlight the increaased number of marijuana possession related arrests in the past few years, and call for legalization as a way to stop the arrests. more ›

Following New Jersey's decision to legalize medical marijuana, New York cannabis activists say now is the time to push for similar legislation in the Empire State. Though New York City might be the marijuana arrest capital of the world, the state has "relatively liberal possession laws and actually passed a medical-marijuana law in 1980 but never put it to use," according to the Times. And considering the fact that 14 other states have already given medical marijuana the greenlight, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) says there's no reason why it shouldn't be New York's turn. more ›

MTV network freelancers took their beef to the streets yesterday in protest of changes to their benefits plan; about two hundred of the workers spent the afternoon picketing outside the Times Square headquarters of MTV's parent company Viacom. According to Gawker, an initial chant of “What the fuck?!” was revised into the catchier “We care about our 401(k)s!” after a reportedly winsome young rabble-rouser climbed atop a garbage can and helped brainstorm new chant... more ›

The Loch Ness monster, who has been tagging the city, has been in a marsh in Brooklyn for over a month. A note to New York's mythical creature coterie, you only have through December 31st to catch Nessie so close to home. The serpent has made the salt marsh off of Marine Park homebase ever since Ridgewood artist Cameron Gainer placed his creation there at the end of October. Using boats and divers at high... more ›

It's been snowing out lately, and thanks to The World's Largest Snow Globe, it's going to be snowing indoors soon as well. Standing at over twenty feet tall, the monstrosity of holiday cheer will be arriving at The Pond at Bryant Park next week (December 14th to 18th). Throughout the week, the snow globe will feature live models in cheery winter scenes, not unlike an Old Navy ad. Why? Good question. In typical holiday fashion,... more ›

The tree is lit, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is another tradition back for a 75th season. The well-seasoned Rockettes steal the show from Santa every year, and have quite a history -- they were originally called The Roxyettes and originated in...Missouri:The group was started by Russell Markert in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri as the "Missouri Rockets". In 1927, Samuel Roxy Rothafel discovered them and brought them to New York City. They... more ›

The south Jersey town of Vineland – or “shithole Vtown” as some locals call it – will host a massive three-day rock festival with camping this August. The Vineland Festival will be presented in a partnership between the company that resurrected Lollapalooza in Chicago and U.K. concert promoter Melvin Benn, who has managed the Reading Festival. No acts have been announced but that hasn’t stopped promoters from setting their price: a three-day pass, which... more ›

Notice anything funny about the Calvin Klein billboard below? No, not the hot pink splashing. The giant ad that hangs above Lafayette and Houston has a secret in the "negative space" left by the splashed paint. The silhouette is of the new New Museum building on Bowery. Here is what the billboard looked like over the past few days up until last night: And as Josh Spear pointed out yesterday a "stage 3 reveal" took... more ›

The Smith: Believe it or not, the The Smith is housed in the spot that used to be a Pizzeria Uno. Virtually anything would be an upgrade. The owners of Jane and the Neptune Room, Glenn Harris and Jeffrey Lefcourt, brought the executive chef from Jane, Brian Ellis to create a hearty, seasonal, American bistro-style menu, with offerings like lamb schnitzel with parmesan crust, hot potato chips with gorgonzola fondue, and steak served in various... more ›

The holiday-time movie releases are starting to pile up with their usual feverish frequency. Some have Christmas themes, like the widely reviled Vince Vaughn vehicle Fred Claus that’s already roadkill on the lost highway of cinema history; others, like Ridley Scott’s American Gangster, are timed to make an impression as close to Academy Award-voting season as possible. Here are some of the biggest gorillas set to dominate New York’s screens in the next six... more ›

Yesterday Javier Téllez brought some wildlife to McCarren Park Pool for a new project based on the blind men and the elephant. Beulah (pictured) is apparently "39 years old and loves gumdrops, apples and empty pools," not unlike many Greenpoint/Williamsburg residents (though a tad older). NYC Art in the Parks has more info on the Creative Time project:Javier Téllez, Games are Forbidden in the Labyrinth November 2007 McCarren Pool, Brooklyn Artist Javier Téllez brings... more ›

Last night we sent photographer Raymond Haddad to the I'm Not There concert at Beacon Theater. Calexico, The Roots, My Morning Jacket, J Mascis, Yo La Tengo, Mason Jennings, Joe Henry, Mark Lanegan, Lee Ranaldo & the Million Dollar Bashers and many more were on hand to celebrate the soundtrack, the film and of course Bob Dylan himself (who, in fact, was not there). The soundtrack is a double-discer that's been getting praise from... more ›

It's that time of year again, when pumpkins take center stage. The Parks Department is taking the big orange gourds seriously with Camp Sunshine's First Annual Pumpkin Festival on Saturday. There will be a pumpkin patch, farmer's market, puppets, and entertainment like the Big Apple Circus and Chris Barron. All proceeds will go towards Camp Sunshine, a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families more ›

The New York theater world’s obsession with the almighty Times, which was once astutely likened to kremlinology, has often erupted in strong words about reviewer Charles Isherwood, whose opinion was recently derided as “antique snobbery” by TONY critic David Cote. So it was amusing to discover today that not only had the Times assigned the more mainstreamish Ish to review Fuerzabruta, the latest wet and wild spectacle from the people behind De La Guarda, but that he’d been forced to dance a little jig as well: more ›

On tap for this year’s 33rd Annual Atlantic Antic festival, taking this Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM (rain or shine, buddy) is the usual bonanza of pony rides, live music, and balloon animals. This year’s Antic has an added emphasis on food, which should hopefully make it a remedy to all the street fair food fatigue that’s been going around recently. more ›

Upon the opening of the space last week we asked the artist a few questions about the experience and stopped by to get a sneak peak. The exhibition, located at 117 Delancey Street, runs through October 28th (Friday through Sunday, noon-6pm). All photos by Sam Horine. more ›

We all knew the real estate bubble was causing insanity, but we should have known it's encouraged people to divorce. There's a NY Times Styles section article about some who wait until the market's at its peak to divorce - that way, they can benefit from an even bigger profit when selling their homes. more ›

After a month of investigation, the Daily News revealed a major problem with the DMV’s issuing of Official license plates. What are Official license plates you may wonder? They are the license plates issued to local governments, such as towns, cities and counties, as well as other quasi-governmental entities like the Port Authority and MTA for their vehicle fleets, with the exception of most marked local police cars and fire trucks, since they do not have state issued license plates. The plates are issued permanently, with out any registration fees and do not have to go through the yearly renewal process. Plus they practically guarantee no tickets for the vehicle and most importantly they are important identifiers in times of crisis. more ›

Yesterday, the MTA lowered the first of many parts of the Tunnel Boring Machine into the lower level of the 63rd Street tunnel as part of the MTA’s East Side Access project. The lowering itself could have been dismissed by passersby as just some sort of generic routine construction work, but it was much more than just moving a boring machine. When finally assembled in about two months, the 600-ton automated Spanish-owned and Italian-made machine will dig its way beneath the streets of Manhattan the tunnel that will finally bring the Long Island Rail Road into Grand Central Terminal. more ›

Yesterday in Bed-Stuy, the NYPD arrested a man accused of robbing eight cabbies in a two week period. Earl Evans, whose driver's license said he was from Nashville, is described as a "hulking country bumpkin" by the Daily News. For good reason too - his license said he's 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds. As if his size wasn't intimidating for the cab drivers he robbed, he also had a very realistic looking 9mm Glock. Evans would allegedly hail the taxis and get in the front seat before demanding money. All told, $1,000 was stolen in the eight robberies. more ›

The area across from Shea Stadium known as the Iron Triangle has never seemed suitable for housing, mostly because it was home to hundreds of auto shops. That could all change, if Mayor Bloomberg gets his way. Yesterday, the mayor announced a master plan to revitalize Willets Point, the official name of the 61-acre area in Northern Queens. The plan would replace the 250 businesses, which employ about 1,300 people, with housing, office space, restaurants and shops, a hotel, and a convention center. The plain claims that it will create 20,000 construction jobs and 6,100 permanent jobs. If approved, it would also be "the first neighborhood, and the City's largest development project to incorporate "green" building technology." more ›

Spring continues its sneak preview today. A low pressure system centered over Toledo this morning is pumping all sorts of warm, moist air our way. Most of the area will top out around 70 degrees this afternoon. Areas along the shore will be much cooler as conditions are ideal for a sea breeze. A sea breeze is a small circulation that sets up when ocean temperatures are much lower than those over land and if there are generally light winds. Under those conditions, a mini high pressure system forms over the water, a mini low forms over land and a breeze starts blowing toward the shore. The end result being near shore locations being ten degrees or so cooler than places only a mile or two inland. more ›