Seems our fair city is in the throes of something of a Cajun invasion, what with all these crawfish boils showing up on our social calendar. Today we got wind of not one, but two epic-sounding New Orleans-style feasts in the near future, and we are in the midst of preparing our finest Spandex-waisted ensembles for them. But what in good heavens is a crawfish boil? It's simple, really: take a giant pile of crawfish, some garlic and onions, potatoes, corn, and a hunk of sausage (if you're lucky) and throw 'em all in a pot together til they're boiled up real nice. Then eat it with your hands! (And don't forget to suck the heads of the little crawdaddies, that's where all the juice is.) more ›

Solar One, the non-profit Community Environmental Center here in New York, is raising some funds for the new year. Their latest $100 donation plan is dubbed Environmental Health on a Half Shell. It's simple...if you donate 100 bucks, they'll plant 100 oysters in the East River for you. They explain: "The lowly oyster provides a natural filtering system - they eat algae, and well, raw sewage. They purify our waters. When the Dutch arrived, the lower Hudson River Estuary contained 350 square miles of oyster beds. These many millions of bi-valve beauties cleaned the lower Estuary in a single day. They contributed mightily to the wealth of New York as well - pickled oysters became important trade with the British West Indies. Oysters were produced in all 5 boroughs...sold on every corner. Sadly, sewage and pollution exhausted the last beds in 1927." Last year they planted 3,000 oysters, and this year they have a goal of 10,000 (you can help). Just imagine a swimmable East River! And quick, someone dump some oysters in the Gowanus. more ›

Brooklyn Vegan was co-presenting yesterday's Citysol concert at Solar One on the Lower East Side's Stuyvesant Cove, so we're sure he'll have a post on the proceedings shortly. However, we must point out an awesome photograph from Gothamist reader TomVu, who snapped this picture of Les Savy Fav bassist Syd Butler taking his child to work with him. more ›

Solar One is New York City's first solar-powered “Green Energy, Arts, and Education Center,” leading the way in getting city dwellers to be a bit more environmentally responsible. They do this by not only reaching out to the community and educating through games and workshops, but also through some great events, green markets and more (they even have their Solar2 building coming soon, watch a video about it here). more ›

If you aren't at a BBQ, aren't watching the fireworks or a big budget summer movie...below are some options for you. Whatever you do, though, bring sparklers! more ›

This Saturday a sea of people wearing all blue will flood the streets of lower Manhattan. This will happen because Sea of People have organized a rally partly in the form of human installation. Thousands of participants dressed in blue will stretch through the streets and become a visual for the projected 10-foot waterlines that may redefine lower Manhattan under the ten-foot sea level rise scenario. more ›

THEATER: The end of the Fringe Festival draws near, and the dilemma sharpens: what should you not miss? Of the shows that are still on, a good bet is Chris Harcum's http://www.chrisharcum.com/ Some Kind of Pink Breakfast, a solo comedy (but multi-character) with music by Debby Schwartz that melds '80's songs and movies with events from his own experiences, making for a hilarious yet poignant retro performance that should be a perfect way to end this year's festival. - Mallory Jensen more ›