In the spirit of giving, we sassy Joonbugs always love sending a bit of helpful reading throughout the holidays. Whether it be buying Modern Manners for that friend who never learned talking on the phone at the table was inappropriate; or OMG for that lady who seems to find herself in spur of the moment tight spots and adventures, you’ll love our top 10 Holiday Book Gift Guide.
Everything Explained Through Flowcharts by Maria Popova
While thousands flocked to Rockefeller Center for the epic tree lighting ceremony, complete with Justin Bieber and Neil Diamond, hundreds across the Atlantic (in London) headed over to the St. Pancras International station to see the newly opened 33-foot LEGO Christmas tree. Yes, you read right. While it's no 74-foot Norway spruce, complete with 30,000 lights- it’s straight out of a 6-year-old boy's dream come true. This green giant hovers above, almost real, except everything is made of plastic, including over a thousand colorful ornament baubles adorning each lifelike branch. Which, by the way, amounts up to 172 branches.
Living in the cultural epicenter of New York City can be unavoidably expensive. With end of the world scares, and the recession looming above our heads like a bad hangover, it sometimes feels like we should just hole up in our 5th floor walk-ups, and forgo any kind of shopping. But, as we’ve seen from the million Chanel and Louis subway sightings, NYC cannot stop spending. No worries of credit debt though, we have found the loophole. Along with all the Cyber Monday steals (dutifully included, of course), these sites are bound to give you a bang for your holiday buck.
Fab.com
12th Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square
After taking advantage of all the Cyber Monday deals, why not head uptown for some festive family fun, at this year’s Winter’s Eve, hosted by the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District. After the 5:30 tree-lighting ceremony (Broadway and 63rd), you can mosey over to Lincoln Square to partake in the kid-friendly activities, food tastings, and live entertainment. And what more could you ask of this mini-holiday festival? Free admission, of course. And with the money you save attending, you can spend on the awesome boutiques dispersed throughout Lincoln Square.
November. The month of designated family time, frantic cooking, and ample preparation. Which is why whether the last week of November (in all its T-day glory) is filled with family fun or mama drama, we know you’ll be jonesing for something, anything to de-stress before the big day. And what better way to take a break than to attend a couple of parties, comedy shows, and a Lady GaGa book signing, all planned to perfection for your entertainment and relaxation. Here’s your top picks for this week:
Monday November 21st
Brotherhood Winery This historic vineyard, opened in 1839, is actually the oldest (still-functioning) winery in the United States. After surviving prohibition (through selling sacramental wine), they opened the winery to the pubic for tours, and events. While the owners have changed, Brotherhood’s solid reputation for rich wine has not. With its easy-access location, in the beautiful, scenic Hudson Valley, your wish to venture into wine-paradise (without spending hundreds on a flight to California) is within an hour's reach. Be sure to try their Red Ruby- a prize winner from Hudson Valley Magazine. For tours and tastings for only $10 a person, go here.
Hey 'buggers, a brand new week of fun is here. Take a look at this week's party picks:
Celebrity Charades 2011 Down and Derby Annual Gala
Bonding with Burgess@ Mortons 551 5th Ave Where: Mortons
Housing Works Fashion for Action
Chelsea Arts Ball
In lieu of their recent success (last Halloween weekend, District 36, housed over 1400 attendees) and honor of being Village Voice's Best Dance Club 2011, we felt it necessary to let you know about the new weekly installment of NYC’s hottest 18+ party, Play Friday. Every Friday, you’ll experience all the up and coming NYC DJ’s including Mario Calegari, in the biggest 18+ party in the city. With simple decor, this industrial Midtown maven, is geared toward sound quality and a crowded dance floor. The ceiling adorned in festive snowflakes and disco balls, while different colored lights flash in a random sequence, for a fun, cut-loose vibe. But just because they're lax in appearance doesn't mean they don't take their music seriously.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been an entire year since Midtown Dance Mecca, District 36, first opened its door. And with the countless DJs, hailing across the globe, who have already commanded the state of-the-art Soundsystem, you can only imagine what surprises D36 has in store. Maybe it’s that they’re constantly hosting talent of both upcoming and legendary status, or maybe it’s that every time you enter District 36, you’ve embarked on a classic NYC adventure. Whatever the case, we’ve come to know them as our top spot for dance music. And you can expect their one year all-out anniversary bash to be even better with night-long entertainment from epic DJ Mauro Picotto, (you may remember him from his old gig in Cappella, or maybe you’ve seen his hot Ibiza night club Meganite) and progressive star, DJ Chris Staropoli, known around NYC as That Kid Chris with hits like “The Space Dance” with Danny Tenaglia .