FOOD: Drinking With the Professor: a Look at Jerry Thomas and His Liquid Legacy: Join cocktail maestro Dave Wondrich as he shares recipes from his latest book, Imbibe! plus a few that were cut in the editing process. Wondrich has an in-depth knowledge of nineteenth-century classic cocktails, so step up and taste the benefits. - Laren Spirer Friday // 6:30pm // Astor Culinary Center [399 Lafayette St] // $75, tickets available online THEATER: As you......

This Saturday and Sunday, Madison Square Garden welcomes the Annual CFA-Iams Cat Championship Cat Show. The show has many guest speakers and events, like the Feline Agility Competition, which is open to the public's cats, too. And, of course, there is the Best of Breed and Best in Show judging. We'll have more about the cat show tomorrow, but we wanted to draw your attention to one of the areas. The Mayor's Alliance for......

EVENTS: Both Open House NY and The New Yorker Festival are upon us. You can check out more of OHNY's event here, and The New Yorker Festival here. Some picks: The New Yorker Festival hosts a conversation with Errol Morris tonight. He'll be talking with staff writer Philip Gourevitch about Abu Ghraib, with clips shown from Standard Operating Procedure -- his new film is a study of the prison-abuse scandal. Friday // 8pm // Directors......

During the summers, city shelters see a spike in unwanted pets, and this year is no different. NYC's Animal Care & Control is "taking in 85 cats and kittens a day - up from about 50 a day just a few months ago," according to the Daily News. Animal Care & Control is worried they will have to start euthanizing adoptable cats and dogs, because they are, as director Richard Gentiles says, "being inundated." From......

This Saturday, the City Parks & Recreation Department will open the first official mountain biking trail at Highbridge Park in Inwood. According to the Parks Department, the "new trail system includes black diamond features, a BMX track, and a challenge trail for younger or newer riders," as well as "trailhead kiosks, trail markers and interpretive signage, natural resources monitoring, landscaping material to replant denuded areas, trail building tools, and educational pamphlets that advocate safety......

Andy Borowitz's talent transcends mediums. He's conquered TV with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Internet with The Borowitz Report, the stage with his stand up and regular host of The Moth, a story telling series, and books with his tomes The Republican Playbook and Who Moved My Soap: The CEO's Guide to Surviving in Prison. What's next for this master of humor: the future! Tell me about Next Week's News. Next Week’s News......

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. If you would like to be a part of......

What better way to get out of the cold than to party in an art gallery? This Saturday there are two—count ’em, two—Brooklyn galleries sticking their tongues out at the weather and celebrating art with live music and festivities. And the best thing is, you don’t have to chose between them because they’re at different times: first, head to Secret Project Robot for the opening reception of Cameron Michel’s “A New Polymorphous Reality,” then make......

THEATER: It’s “go time” for The Butane’s Group’s Operation Ajax, which ingenuously sets the CIA’s 1953 overthrow of Iran’s first democratically-elected government in the context of a casino. “Constructed from no less than 25 text sources (memoirs, documentaries, plays, poetry, novels, films, reality tv shows), the densely-layered performance explores how the addiction to risk and gambling has become a potent metaphor for U.S. foreign policy.” (For an enhanced theater experience, explore the show’s thorough bibliography,......

On 57th Street and 5th Avenue, situated between Burberry and Yves Saint Laurent, a cell phone flagship store recently added itself to the ranks of luxury retailers. This Saturday, Nokia, the Finish cell phone company, opened its 2 nd store in the US after Chicago, drawing 1,500 visitors opening day. It is the 5 th Nokia store in the world. A total of 18 stores are planned to open within the next two years,......

August 5: A Walking Chocolate Tour of New York This Saturday and every Saturday at 1:00 pm, Chocolate Zoom presents a chocolaty view of our fair city. The first leg of the tour starts off in Soho, where you will get a chance to sample treats from Mariebelle, Vosges, and Kee’s Chocolates. Next, a quick jaunt uptown for five more chocolatiers. More details provided at the Chocolate Zoom website. $50.00 per person (adult or child).......

Name, age, occupation, where are you from? Kevin Dailey, 36, salesman and promoter from Hudson County. You're a co-founder of Brooklyn Kickball - when you tell people about kickball, what are their responses? For the most part when you first go around telling people about kickball, some people think it's the greatest idea ever, some people were just too cool to consider it, yet would sometimes show up, and other people were like, "what do......

Cyrus Adler, president of Shorewalkers, Inc....

Can't you just feel the Oscar buzz in the air? The jangling of borrowed jewels and the buzzing of nominees nerves is like a cacophony even on this coast. Gothamist is excitedly anticipating the telecast like June Carter Cash before a duet with Johnny. In the meantime though, there are movies to be watched. As for the new releases, if you like movies where Bruce Willis takes charge with his sensitive but still ass-kicking masculinity,......

A few times a week, Gothamist publishes music reviews by our contributor Jeff Baum. The opinions below belong entirely to the author. The Morning After Girls seem able to adapt to whatever situation they are put in. A few days after CMJ last fall, Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre was supposed to play a solo acoustic show at Pianos with them. As was fairly well documented, Anton acted as a parody of himself......

Gothamist’s family has never been the type to take to the yard after our Thanksgiving meal for a rousing game of touch football. That’s so Kennedy’s in Hyannisport, and so the opposite of everything our sedentary upbringing represents. Our family is less competitive, opting to sit quietly before getting what we lovingly refer to as our “second wind” where we continue our Pilgrim and Indian inspired binging. This week we’d like to suggest some shows......

DOG PARADE: This Saturday head over to Tompkins Square Park, even if you are sans dog, and watch the Dog Run Halloween Party. Dressing up your pup in garb could win you an iPod nano. Saturday // Noon // Tompkins Square Park // Free (to watch) $5 (to participate) PARTIES: Motherfucker is back, no live band this time but plenty of Rocky Horror. Friday // Roxy [515 W 18th St] // $15 (coupon here for......

Gothamist loves this time of year when the city clears out. The city was so empty this morning that even our local AM New York distributor by the F train was on vacation and we had to pick up the paper instead of having it handed to us. Thankfully there is plenty to do this week as a reward for our hard work. Tonight, Jon Benjamin and Chris Jureck join the ladies of Variety Shac......

It's not too hot...it's not too cold...it's totally just right! Enjoy it because we're sure it won't last long. Here are some suggestions for you... MUSIC: First off, don't forget about Movable Hype 3.0 coming up on Monday! Buy tickets here. This Saturday though we suggest you catch local do-gooders DOP for their record release party and after-party. We interviewed Dirty on Purpose last year and love them even more now. The rest of your......

This Saturday, May 7th will mark the 131st Kentucky Derby at the venerable Churchill Downs in Louisville. But, this year Brooklynites will be happy to learn that they can partake of the festivities without leaving Atlantic Avenue. The popular watering hole Floyd NY (named after an Iowa town, but co-owned by a proud Kentuckian) is hosting a full day of events, starting at 1pm with a complimentary Governor's Brunch, complete with Country Ham, Buttermilk Biscuits,......

Comedy shows in New York this weekend are going to be just like Debra Messing’s hair– all over the place but still really good. Here’s the rundown of what not to miss: Saturday April 30 This Saturday night will be a one night only affair with Holiness, Sri Swami The Guru Pitka, who may or may not be Mike Myers. “A Dharma-Talk and Sutra: The Four Laws of Happiness" features Guru Pitka, an altar ego......

This Saturday from 2-6 pm on Coney Island is the Mermaid Parade! You know what that means? Hand made costumes and scantily clad parade marchers! The Mermaid Parade, now in it's 21st year was started as a tribute to Mardi Gras in Coney Island, a celebration that lasted from 1903-1954. Gothamist asks you, where else can you see people celebrate "the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summers, as well as......

This Saturday will mark the start of the third annual Tribeca Film Festival. There's a democratic mix of high (Hector Barbenco's Carandiru) and crowdpleasing low (New York Minute with the Olsen Twins) brow (as well as the gossip-worthy, like Stage Beauty, the film that Billy Crudup and Claire Danes met on) films, and tickets are still available for many screenings. It's a great week and a half of movies, panels, and other events that energize......

This Saturday, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden is the NFL Draft, where several tall and heavy former college players will be selected to join the ranks of the NFL. The Giants "earned" the 4th pick in this year's draft with a 4-12 record, netting them their highest pick since 1984 when they selected Carl Banks. The Jets, who had a 6-10 record, have the 12th pick. Gothamist loves waking up on a lazy......

This Saturday and Sunday, the IFP is holding its annual "From Script to Screen Conference" with panels of film, television, and stage professionals giving their insights and thoughts about breaking in, getting the work made, and the business involved. Paul Schrader, writer of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Last Temptation of Christ, will be speaking about his career (his most recent work was directing AutoFocus). Gothamist is looking forward to Tom Fontana, the creator behind......