MoMA threw its annual "Party in the Garden" benefit last night in the museum's elegantly minimalist sculpture garden. As we mentioned back when we were encouraging you to buy tickets, this is one of the best parties of the year—at $150 admission isn't cheap, but you get three hours of top shelf open bar plus a live open-air concert in one of NYC's most iconic locations. (You may remember this from Woody Allen's Manhattan.) Last year Kanye provided the entertainment, this year it was Santigold, who got the sold-out party jumping with her adventurous blend of pop-rap-electro funk. Here's video taken shortly after she invited audience members to dance up on stage:
Inside MoMA's 2012 Garden Party, Featuring Santigold And Cindy Sherman
How Much Would You Pay To Host A Party In Bob Dylan's Old Digs?
Feel guilty about using an Airbnb rental to host a huge rager? Enter Eventup, which is like your new best friend whose parents go away a lot... except this "friend" charges you a bunch of money to hang. The service, which will be running out of New York City by later this month, allows property owners to rent out their vacant spaces to those who need a sweet spot to host an event. Right now you can score Bob Dylan's former digs in Midtown East (for $32,000), Katherine Hepburn's East Side brownstone ($25,000), and the East Village walk-up that Lady Gaga once resided in.
Please Stop With The Subway Dance Parties, Please
We know we already have a reputation for being curmudgeonly, but hear us out: everyday we ride the subways, we put up with delays, no pants riders, seat hogs, overripe straphangers, drunk people who talk too loud, stumblers, shovers, spaghetti eaters, toe-nail groomers, masturbators, and of course, rats. Maybe some people like to talk to strangers and have intimate conversations about dirty panties—and more power to you!—but we just want to get from Point A to Point B without anything getting stolen. So can we please stop with the impromptu subway dance parties, please?
Trend Watch: New Yorkers Are Now Having Birthday Parties At The Gym
With the size of New York City apartments most grown-ups have long since given up on having their birthday parties in their homes. For many that means celebrating at bars and restaurants, but for some proud few an answer has come in a surprising place: The gym.
Last Minute Costumes You Can Make From Crap That's Sitting in Your Apartment
Need a costume on the quick that doesn't have to win any prizes? Check out these ideas that will have your friends saying, "I'm only moderately embarrassed by you."
That Time Andy Warhol Was Warned About His "Large Parties" At The Factory
Andy Warhol operated out of his original Midtown Manhattan studio from 1962 to 1968, which was more famously known as The Factory. (There were two other Factory locations later). He was on the fourth floor of the building, located at 231 East 47th Street (it's no longer there), and his rent was "only about one hundred dollars a year." But ELK Realty had a little problem with their tenant, and in November of 1965 Warhol received this warning letter:
Finally, Drink Recipes For Your "Osama Is Dead" Party
Since Sunday night, for better or worse, Americans in general and New Yorkers in particular have been keeping busy marking the death of Osama bin Laden with spontaneous celebrations. And just as the excitement was starting to die down, yesterdays visit by President Obama brought it all back. So of course today the Post has a story with drink recipes to help you "juice up any 'Osama is dead' party." Wait, what?
Cops Want to Shut Down Loud Parties Early
The NYPD is getting an early start cracking down on this summer's loudest parties, reports the Post. Canarsie's 69th precinct has already sent out emails to residents, asking them to report any "flyers for house parties or backyard parties in our neighborhood." The email is part of a larger initiative of cops trying to narrow in on drug use and stolen cars.
Bill Murray Slumming It at Brooklyn House Parties, Lackluster Bars
It was around 3:30 a.m. on Halloween when Bill Murray surfaced at Dave Summers's loft party in East Williamsburg. The 58-year-old Garfield star—who had never met the 29-year-old Summers—had been party-hopping with indie darlings MGMT after their show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, and wound up staying at the loft until one sanctimonious hipster finally told him, "I think you're making bad life choices." Murray's wife of 11 years divorced him last May, and Page Six Magazine has strung together a number of Bill Murray sightings at random parties and lame bars in NYC, where he sometimes talks to young women!
Restaurants Can't Pocket Waiters' Tips, Court Rules
When restaurants charge larger parties an automatic service fee – usually 20% – it’s generally understood that the money goes to the servers as a gratuity. But some restaurants have been keeping the lion’s share of the fee and passing along just a small fraction to the staff. Now a state appeals court has ruled that the practice is as illegal as it is outrageous.
Pencil This In
COMEDY: This weekend marks the 9th Annual Del Close Marathon. Del Close, if you don't know by now, "was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years influencing Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley and the Upright Citizens Brigade to name a few." The annual weekend began after Del's passing in 1999.
Gothamist's Week in Rock, Volume 28
That's an awful, awful pun and we do apologize. These mini headlines aren't easy! The Pool Parties are officially in full swing, and we took a trip out to McCarren this weekend for the diverse lineup of OCDJ, Dan Deacon, Erase Errata and The Octopus Project. While all four bands put on a solid show, the standout was clearly Deacon, who set up his gadgets and widgets on a fold-out table at the base of the stage on the pool surface. The massive crowd (probably the largest he's performed for yet) all huddled around the table, as per usual, jumping and dancing and cheering along. There will be a constant adjustment period for Dan Deacon over the next year or so as he copes with playing intimate basement music to an ever expanding fan base. If Sunday's show was any indication, there may be some rough patches, but he'll always figure out a way to make it work. (pic via occipital lobe's flickr)
Video of the Day: A Pool Party Minus the Water
Thousands of people line McCarren Pool on Sundays, standing in place of where water used to be. This summer JellyNYC's Sunday Pool Parties are continuing, in what has become an instant summer tradition.
Pencil This In
It's a big outdoor weekend, so good thing there are 51 outdoor pools opening up for the season around the city today (here's a "best of" list). If you prefer to stay dry, here are some options...
Gothamist's Week in Rock, Volume 25
It seems that every time The White Stripes fade away for a year or two, people seem to forget exactly how amazing they can be live. Perhaps it takes a show like the one at Irving Plaza last Tuesday...filled with hardcore, line-waiting fans and eager and excited members of the media to really drive home just how good a show Jack White puts on, and exactly how impressive Meg is to keep up with him (though not everyone agrees). Those in attendance were in for a treat, as any time an arena band brings it down for a club show, it's always a spectacle. We were floored at Keyspan Park two years ago, and are excited to see them bring it to another level at the Garden next month. Read the reviews at Productshop, The Modern Age, and Stereogum, to (name a few in attendance.) (Pic Via DanFun)
Summer In The City: Guide To Outdoor Shows
Here's a heads up on sunny summertime shows. Sure, after the first week we'll be complaining about the heat, the smell of the city as it melts, and the lack of shade...but it's always nice to have some music to look forward to. So stock up on the SPF for the following shows:
Gothamist's Week in Rock, Volume 12
One of the nice things about being a music fan in New York City is that you rarely have to wait very long to see a band you're recently missed. The Black Lips famously played about 6,000 shows at SXSW this year, yet despite our interest in checking them out, we managed to catch them exactly zero times (with our final chance being cut short by that whole collapsing balcony thing.) So we were stoked to discover they were going to play last Monday back home at Bowery Ballroom. The show lived up to our ever inflated expectations and managed to bring the house down with their drunken-fried punk. While their "wild boyz" antics may seem a bit forced at this stage in their careers, the music more than holds up on its own. It's not easy to play such sloppy rock and roll so precisely. (Pic via Sandwich!)
Gothamist's Week in Rock, Volume 11
(AKA The It doesn't feel like Friday and we're still hungover from SXSW edition)
New York Movie Makers Take Over Park City
If things have seemed quiet at the usual New York haunts of movie folks like Film Forum or Grey Dog Coffee this last week, it's because practically the whole community is in Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. The annual launching pad of many subsequently huge independent features (see this year's Best Picture Oscar nom and last year's festival break out, ), Sundance is a crazy week. Parties, swag, deal-making and oh yeah, some screenings are jam packed into the proceedings.
Best of Halloween 2006
Whoa-- that was quite a night. If, like us, you've just woken up with a pounding hangover and a foul sugar-coating covering your tongue, we sympathize. Here are some highlights to remind you of how you spent the night-- add yours in the comments if you want us to link to them.
Pencil This In
PARTY: ABC No Rio is the 26 year old LES center for art and activism that has JUST received the title to their building. "Envisioned for the site is a multi-use community arts center with darkroom, silk-screen printing facility, small press resource center, computer center, expanded space for art, music, performance, educational and community activities, and meeting and office space."
McCarren Park Pool
Yesterday was one of the first shows of the summer at McCarren Park Pool. We headed over there to check out the venue, and of course the show. We'll have a review up of Les Savy Fav later on, for now we wanted to give you a look at what the venue is like incase you didn't get over there.
Cannonball!
This weekend starts the first in the series of free (and not-so-free) concerts at McCarren Park Pool. For those who didn't want to spend 50-something dollars on Bloc Party, JellyNYC has come to the rescue with some great shows. Each one of The Pool Parties has been "curated" by different groups of people, the first by our friends over at Stereogum.com along with IceCreamMan.com. If you don't know, the latter actually has an ice cream truck that is taken to shows and events to hand out free ice cream!
Note to Hipsters: Leave Homeless People Alone
One of our readers left us a link to the picture above on our Contribute page, along with this comment:


