This guy

Thanks to Oliver for this hot tip. On Gansevoort St between Greenwich and Little W 12th Sts you may find Nathan Stodola doing, well, the above. For more information about this gent check out the Time Out NY interview.

I see London, I see France, I see NYC's underpants

Ah. Once in a blue moon we get a hot tip on something that reminds us just how ridiculous New York can be. Remember how we told you that it's perfectly legal to be topless in NYC? Well now it's time to go bottomless. This Sunday you are invited to participate in Improv Everywhere's 9th annual No Pants! Subway Ride. Check the video above, go buy some new undies, and we'll see you on the train.

Weekend Snapshot leads to next G &S Award

Spotted rolling through traffic on W. 23rd and 6th Ave at 4:00 pm on a Sunday. Ladies and gentlemen, there was no rhyme, no reason for this occurrence. They were not advertising something. They did not ask for money. They wanted nothing other than to ride that bike and dance on that pole.
This dynamic duo embodies the ridiculous spirit of New York City. As such NYiR is proud to make this anonymous duo the second recipients of our Gentleman and Socialite Award. Congratulations!

If anyone knows who these people are please forward this to them - we want to give them our G&S trophy. And book them for our Halloween bash.

NYiR throws Golden Age Halloween Party

That's right! The big announcement alluded to yesterday is that we're throwing the best and biggest Halloween jam of all time ever.

When: October 31st 9:00 PM - 3:00 AM
Where: 15 N. Oxford (between Flushing and Park Ave) Fort Greene, Brooklyn 11205

What:

• open bar all night long serving beer, wine, champagne, and vodka
  
• large awesome decked out Halloween wonderland
  
• 2 great DJs playing everything from hip hop to 80s + 90s jams and on and on
  
• costume contest
• photobooth
  
• magic by Jeff Grow (check his video!)
  
• great people and times

It's $25 if you pre-pay on the site below, $30 at the door. So bring your friends and partners and friends' partners and that cute guy with the lazy eye who you're sorta embarrassed about dating but figure he'll fit right in 'cause it's Halloween.

Bring 'em all but please RSVP because we wanna know that you're coming. Oh, and you have to be 21 or over of course there's a bar sillyhead.

Check the invite video below:

For more info on the Golden Age Halloween Party or to buy your tickets click here. All RSVPs should go to GoldenAgeParty@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

Love traffic? Go to the High Line

My friend Brett was in from D.C. this weekend so I was trying to take him to non-traditional, no milling-about-like-a-cow-in-a-line touristy things like Coney Island (I shot the freak in the head, fyi). Boy did I fail when I took him to the High Line.

For people who don't know what it is check out the New Yorker's in-depth coverage of the High Line:Yep. That's it. Apparently this space was originally constructed in the 1930s, to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan's streets. Then it closed in 1980 and opened again in June as a public park.

"A public park? Let's go!" you might say as Brett and I did. We swerved through massive crowds and rushed up some steps to see...a semi-decent walkway lined wall to wall with tourists. We join the traffic in the right lane and went from 14th St to...20th St. Then we saw a line to somewhere that must be more than concrete and "native" weeds and daisies but no, it was to get back down.

So why are all these people coming here? It's new. Which means it's trendy. And New Yorkers would go to the Random White Block of Wood Museum if it was new and had a funny picture drawn about it in the New Yorker.

The largest viewing pad on the entire walkway is the space pictured at the top of this post where you can sit down on a bench and watch traffic. So that's what we did. We watched traffic.

However, I guess if you know where to look you can peep on all the High Line's neighbors. Some are having sex in their hotel rooms. Other are in their apartments doing cabaret shows. Really, it's true! As one New Yorker in the article linked to above said, if you know where to look "It's like a nudist beach in Manhattan."

NYiR Weekend Bulletin

New York is Ridiculous looooves Coney Island and its shoot the freak mentality. That's why this weekend you can find us at the Coney Island Rockabilly Festival. Featuring 23492375904 bands, burlesque, and people yelling "HEY YOU YA FREAK. COME SHOOT THE FREAK IN THE HEAD" what else could you want in a Labor Day weekend?

In other exciting news we finally bought newyorkisridiculous.com so feel free to use that site from now on.

Celebrating two months of glory

Wow. Has it really been two whole months of New York is Ridiculous? It's about time we review some of the best and worst posts and update you on how things have ended up:

The Box has begun having summer Wednesdays where they put a layer of sand over their entire club for one night a week. That seems ridiculous right? We will let you know what that's like.

Meanwhile we discovered in our favorite local haunt Blue & Gold a picture from Fleet Weeks of old that we had to share:That sailor sure does look happy to be swinging with his doxie! Speaking of hot dance moves that are making a come back I think we can all agree that this is indeed the summer of Michael Jackson which means that as predicted the moonwalk is the official summer dance. Raise your hand if you've seen it so much that you've automatically learned it. Anyone else? Just me? Ok. Still the official summer dance though.

Here's some other fun summer things to do if you can't lift up one knee while moving the other leg backwards in a smooth motion: Joe Pera is BLOWING UP! It's probably because of the honor done to him by this blog but he's got three (3!) shows coming up.

One is called Skits n Tits and also has burlesque and a free PBR bar (July 8th), another two days later involves roosters or cock fights or something and the last is on the 13th at Teneleven Bar and is called "The Name Doesn't Matter Comedy Show." He promises if you don't like the show that he'll take you out for ice cream sundays after. Win mother-f-ing win. And a big shout out to Joe's parents who aren't a fan of the internet but will probably still send his post to his Nana. Who will try to magnet her computer to her fridge so everyone can see it. I love Nanas.

Last but not least we have discovered where all the real-life superheroes get their gear - the Superhero Supply Store. Yes. This place exists. Look:
Not only can you get outfitted (see pic at the top of this post) but you can also pick up your X-ray spray, your portable force-field, and all sorts of great power-inducing formulas:
I myself bought the shape-shifting formula for only $7.50 and look SO MUCH COOLER now.

I hope you've enjoyed the last two months of this blog almost as much as we have. If so, consider making a formal commitment and become a fan of us on facebook, subscribe (to the right) or better yet tell a few friends. Yeah. Do that last one. Let's share the joy and laughter that is New York is Ridiculous for a long long time to come. Maybe even two more months.

Longest Line Ever for Marionette Show

Special thanks to our guest blogger David Perrin for so beautifully capturing this event:

Recently I spotted a really long line in Central Park. I'm used to standing on long lines for clubs and restaurants and Trader Joe's. But this line got me really excited because it led right up to the Swedish Cottage.

The Cottage has the oldest Marionette Theatre in America (that I could find). It was originally built as Sweden's exhibit for the 1876 Centiennial Expo in Philly, after which Fred Olmsted (hot urban designer that he was) moved it here to CP to function as a bathroom and cafeteria. The Marionette Theatre seats a capacity of 100 (three-yr old sized humans) so I'm not sure how the 5,614 people camped out on this this footpath were all going to get in. Rumor has it that a gaggle of 12 year olds were drugged by their parents and dragged here to sleep overnight on the sidewalk to be among the lucky ticket holders for Peter Pan the next morning.


I was somewhat perplexed by the current fascination in woody Peter and his stringy friends since the current production has been going since last October. The few drowsy line-waiters that I polled told me that waiting on this line is something every interesting NY'er should do before they move on to Minneapolis or Santa Fe.

Notice in this picture the ironic flute player serenading the woozy marionette fans. When I asked the Park Ranger about his beat he said he was supposed to be convincing people that Anne Hathaway was more interesting in 12th Night than Wendy Darling ever would be. As you can tell he was having no luck, not even when he tried an impromptu reading from the 12th Night script, because no one on line would even look at him.

Turns out that everyone was disappointed this particular day because the actor playing Peter went awol, snipped his strings and disappeared from his sleeping quarters. The note he left read, "I'm going to see the real Neverland that Michael built because it will soon be as overrun and as spoiled as Graceland. Besides I need to do more character research on kids who don't want to grow up - I'm beginning to sound a bit like Daniel Radcliffe in my role (yuck). And the Lost Boys are really pissing me off. I need a break. Back before Saturday. Signed, big Peter."

Michael Jackson Tributes

It is indeed a time for the great city of New York to mourn. First off who doesn't love Farrah Fawcett? Bachelor number two does. He wants to make love the national past-time! And then there is the death of Michael Jackson. Oh MJ. Oh oh oh MJ. This is indeed a national tragedy.

However, Michael Jackson lives on in New York City. For one, beginning yesterday at 4:00 PM you couldn't walk down the street without some car blaring "Billie Jean." Also, if you gather a large enough crowd and attempt to invoke him he will come to you, take over your body, and make you dance. As is witnessed at the gathering outside the Apollo last night (1:20 into the video above).

Last but not least, while the Flying Man may have been the big hit of last summer NYiR predicts that in 2009 the summer dance will be..........the moonwalk. Yes, it is coming back. You will see it at all the clubs and your friend will turn to you and you will catch his eye and shake your head and he will say "It was too soon" and you will both think "Well, maybe before all those pedophile rumors would have been better" and then you will respond, "Yeah. Too too soon."

Goodbye MJ. New York loves you.

This guy

This guy...he was in Union Square. So...wow. Here, take a closer look:


I mean, sure, be a panda. Cool. Be unusually short. That's your thing. But why the gloves? Are your hands really that big? Can you not grip bamboo with your normal paws? Anyone have a clue as to what this guy is about? Anyone? Anyone?

Barracuda

My friend Jerry (hi Jerry!) took me to this really great spot in Chelsea last week called Barracuda. You wouldn't know it's called that because there's no sign anywhere but somehow all these fellows seemed to find it.

It's interesting - it doesn't say it's a gentlemen's establishment but its primary populace is definitely well-dressed men! They are all so chummy here it makes you feel right at home. Guys are buying other guys drinks, holding each other's hands, dancing with each other...everyone is having such a nice time it just makes you feel so...happy!

The decor is great. It's all like:


I mean that just screams "men being men" doesn't it? So there we were sipping some margaritas and then out of nowhere comes Britney Houston!!!!!!!!!!1 Sorry I was so excited I let go of the shift key too soon. Anyway Britney is pictured above with her male admirers. In fact, all the fellas in the place got very excited when this woman got on stage. Sure her face is a bit unconventional for a lady, she doesn't really have women's hips, and she somehow has an adams apple but boy can this young lady dance and lipsync to Janet Jackson and Lady Gaga.

So gentlemen if you are looking for a good time and want to meet other guys who will be super friendly to you then come to Barracuda. Drinks are good, the entertainment's excellent, and the only downside is some silly rule that you can't go the restroom with your friends.

Joe Pera: the first recipient of the G&S award

Spotted in the Union Square subway stop: Joe Pera, hero amongst men. Not only is this the first of many subway artists to be featured on this blog but Joe will also go down in New York fanblogging history as the first ever recipient of the Gentleman & Socialite award. Yeah, this blog does awards now. And yeah, I'm sorry Spaghetti Cat but this time it's going to Joe.

Who is this incredible individual? Well let's take a closer look seeing how I know your eyes are all bad and stuff.

Seems relatively straight-forward I know. But Joe has the noble spirit of Alexander Hamilton and the comedic timing of Michael Cera. Sounds delightful doesn't it? Sorry, don't click that one if you're short on time. Click this one and see for yourself why Joe deserves this dubious honor. And if you only have 20 more seconds to live just skip ahead 1 min 20 secs into that video.

So Joe, I'm sure you're busy with the whole standing-by-the-L-train-showing-off-the-"It's true I'm wealthy"-book-cover-you-designed-with-your-face-on-it-to-pick-up-the-ladies-thing but if you ever want to come to a party and pick up your award it will be waiting for you.

Yes, 12 loyal readers of this blog, physical G&S awards will be produced and given out. Feel free to send in nominations. If you want to see Joe do his thing check out his upcoming performance.

Spaghetti Cat, I am so sorry I had to tell you about the award this way. I weep for you.