Tour
Wall Street Walking Tour at the National Museum of the American Indian
1 Bowling Green (b/t Broadway and State St)
Financial District/Manhattan
(212) 606-4064
This storied neighborhood was the birthplace of both urban America and our nation's financial structure. Stops include Trinity Church, the U.S. Custom House and the New York Stock Exchange.
Comedy
Stand Up Comedy: Live At The Sage Theatre
711 Seventh Ave (at 48th St)
Midtown West/Manhattan
(212) 302-8818
Don't Touch the Foot Productions presents a weekly stand-up show, featuring rising stars and headliners in a professional theater, with no age limit for the audience.
Blues/Folk/Country
Hometown Sweethearts at Southern Hospitality
1460 Second Ave (at 76th St)
Upper East Side/Manhattan
(212) 249-1001
Festivals
38th Annual International African Arts Festival at Commodore Barry Park
Navy St (b/t Flushing and Park Aves)
Brooklyn
(718) 638-6700
Hundreds of performers, artists and vendors gather for this weekend-long festival celebrating African art and culture. Learn about African dance with members of the Harambee Dance Company, or take in performances from the Jimmy Hill Blues Band and Nubian Moon Daughters, among others; there will also be an open-air market featuring African crafts and food.
Books
Michael Muhammad Knight at Bluestockings
172 Allen St (at Staton St)
Lower East Side/Manhattan
(212) 777-6028
He's been called the godfather of American Muslim punk, a scene evocatively captured in his novel The Taqwacores, which mixes sex, hardcore music, drugs and religion. Tonight, the author is reading from his follow-up novel, the slightly more absurdist Osama Van Halen, in which a Shi'ite skinhead and a burka-wearing punk kidnap Matt Damon. They want Hollywood to stop labeling Muslims terrorists, but are they playing into the stereotype they're trying to defy? Discuss.
Jazz
Clair Daly's Rah! Rah! Band at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery
131 E. 10th St (at Second Ave)
East Village/Manhattan
(212) 674-6377
The boisterous bari-sax player of People Like Us performs a free, outdoor tribute to the late sax titan Rahsaan Roland Kirk, one of the most singular virtuosos jazz has ever known.
How many of us have heard that term and laughed? Bed Bugs? Surely a wives tale or children's story character. That's what I thought - until last year. A friend had found a bed frame that was being given away, fixed it up like new and presented it to my roommate as present. Little did we know that it was a home for the infamous Bed Bug - flash forward about 4 months and we're avoiding two rooms in our apartment, throwing out my mattress, asking Tammy's father to smuggle chemical pesticides across state lines and spending hundreds of dollars of much needed bill money to wash every piece of fabric in the place.
Apparently we were not alone in our struggle. Last year 311 reported almost 10,000 Bed Bug complaints throughout the 5 boroughs. An increase of over 1/3 from the previous year. Hopefully this entry will help you recognize a Bed Bug infestation and give you some options to get rid of the little suckers.
A Little Bit About Bed Bugs
A bed bug is a wingless, rust-colored insect about the size of an apple seed. They are nocturnal parasites, which means they rest during the day and come out to dine on the blood of humans at night. Bedbugs are attracted by human body heat and typically favor feasting on our shoulders and arms. During feeding, they pierce the skin of their victims, injecting bedbug saliva. Bed Bugs typically feed for five to ten minutes at a time. As the little critter fills with blood, its coloring changes from light brown to rust-red.
Bed Bugs often spread by hitching rides on people's clothing. They jump from host to host when people brush up against each other in crowds (yet another reason to keep your distance on the subway). Since bed bugs hide in small crevices, they also travel with luggage, furniture, boxes, ect. This is how they move between hotels, homes and apartments. Used furniture, particularly bed frames and mattresses, are of greatest risk of harboring bed bugs and their eggs. They may be present in vacant apartments hiding in cracks and crevices since they may survive up to a year without a meal.
Recognizing The Signs of Infestation
Fecal spots and bloody spots (that looks like rust) left on sheets and pillowcases when engorged bugs are crushed serve as sure signs of infestation. They prefer to hide in cracks and crevices during the daytime and because they can flatten their bodies, they can fit in very small holes, especially around the bed area. However if necessary, they will hide several feet away.
Getting Rid of Bed Bugs
Getting rid of bedbugs can be tricky. However, these annoying pests can be eliminated, usually with the help of a professional exterminator.
Here are some do-it-yourself methods you can try before you call the exterminator:
If these methods don't work, it may be necessary to hire a professional. A qualified exterminator can use stronger insecticides to kill the bedbugs. Repeat visits may be necessary to ensure that all bedbugs are eliminated. Remember that if you rent in New York, your Landlord is legally responsible for getting rid of these parasites and paying for all the exterminations - so let them know as soon as you think there may be a problem.
Local Bed Bug Exterminators
I though I'd start off this new series in my blog by highlighting one of the great historical landmarks in Astoria - one that is still hopping every night. Bohemian Hall used to be the site of the Czech and Slovak social club - and still is the main watering hole of the Czech/Slovak community in Astoria. It also hosts the last remaining original Beer Garden in all of New York City. In addition to the outdoor bar, you can enjoy a fine indoor bar and restraunt featuring a large variety of tasty Czech cuisine (I recomend the goulash - its delish!). The restraunt area also accepts credit cards (the rest of the establishment is cash only - but there is an ATM for your convience).
An Astoria favorite for many years, the Gardens are a great place to spend a hot summer night - they usually have some sort of entertainment or summer festival going on to liven up the mood!
Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden
29-19 24th Avenue
Astoria, NY 11102
(718) 274-4925
http://www.bohemianhall.com
Queens County seems to be offering the best education in the city for your children.
According to the State Department of Education, the graduation rate here in Queens this year was 63.1%. This breaks the 60% 5-borough wide city record for the first time in history! Of course there were schools on both ends of the spectrum - some with graduation rates near 100% and some below the 60% average.
Queens High School for the Sciences had a 91% rate - and a 100% rate if you include those students graduation after summer school in August.
Dropout Rates have also decreased by 3.3% to an all time low of 13.5%.
This is very encouraging news to anyone with children of school age looking to move to Queens - and I think it will show in the numbers of rentals and sales over the summer months.
Congratulations 2009 Grads! Thanks for making Queens the #1 place to bring up your children!
I've been a New Yorker since I was born - even though I lived the first 20 years or so of my life in St. Louis, MO and Tampa, FL.
The first time I went to visit NYC, I felt like I was slipping into a warm bath: this was home.
I can't explain it - but if you're a New Yorker, you know what I'm talking about.
I was here in 2001 for 9-11, but didn't realize how much it really affected me til this afternoon. I just got back from seeing the film, The Taking of Pelham 123 - and it had a profound effect on me. True the story isn't about 9-11 or Inernational Terrorists. But what it was about realy rocked me. In the film, someone tries to take over a subway train and holds 18 people as hostages. I.E. - messing with my city and fellow New Yorkers. I could feel the entire theatre reacting the same way I did - the adreniline pumping at the thought of someone having the gall to invade the peace of mind of my city. There's something about living here: the day to day hassels and the prospect that with each morning you could 'make it' or finally be broken - that pulls us all together in a tight tight bond.
I have two of the best jobs in the world: 1) as an actor I get to entertain the people of this city and help them forget their day to day problems for a while and 2) as a realtor I not only get to provide and protect one of the basic human needs for my fellow NYers...shelter; but also to help induct people into our little club by relocating them to the city.
Yeah - NYC can be a tough place to live...but I wouldn't trade it for the world....I fricken love this city!
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My partner, Tammy Dalton, and I are putting forth our efforts to make Queens a better place through Real Estate. I have 7 years experience in the industry and currently train new agents in the field.
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