Real New York Tours Blog

Sunset Cruise of The City

Luke — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:40:38 +0000

We really try to stay away from overly touristy sites, but both of these cruises are great options for enjoying an evening out on the river.

One of our favorite wine stores, Pasanella and Son has paired with the South Street Seaport Museum for a SIP ‘N’ SAIL cruise of the harbor at sunset aboard the schooner Pioneer. Wine and cheese included for just $65! June 3rd, June 17th, July 1st, July 8th, July 29th, as well as dates in August.

http://www.pasanellaandson.com/home.php?cat=326

If you are not full from the cheese, check out Barbarini Alimentari on Front Street between Beekman and Peck Slip. They have a hidden seating area in the back, where you can dine under the stars.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/barbarini-alimentari-new-york

For those sushi lovers out there, Morimoto, NYC’s Iron Chef, has a Sushi and Saki Sunset Sail of the NY Harbor. Mondays in June and July leaving from Chelsea Piers.

http://www.sail-nyc.com/

Enjoy the view!

Behanding in Spokane on Broadway

Luke — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:08:10 +0000

Amber and i recently had the pleasure of seeing one of our favorite actors Christopher Walken on the Broadway stage. He is currently starring in Behanding in Spokane. I know it sounds a little strange but it is about a man name Carmichael (Christopher Walken) who has been searching for his missing left hand for almost a half a century. Enter two bickering lovebirds (Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan) with a hand to sell, and a hotel clerk (Sam Rockwell) with an aversion to gunfire, and you’re set for a hilarious roller coaster of love, hate, desperation and hope.

Somehow Christopher Walken can take the most strange scenario that would make most anyone watching uncomfortable and turn it into comedy. At first i felt like the whole audience didn’t know whether we should be laughing. We then soon realized who we were watching and remembered that it would be wrong not to laugh. Walken is fantastic as well as the rest of the cast. It is a limited run so get there before you miss out. Click on the link below for ticket info.

http://www.behandinginspokane.com/index.html

The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036

Legendary New York Skateboarder Dies

Amber — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:52:43 +0000

I share the news with deep sadness that one of New York’s great pioneers and one of my most cherished friends died on August 10th from an allergic reaction from a wasp sting in Montauk Long Isand. Andy Kessler was one of the trail blazers of skateboarding in New York City in the 1970’s before most people even knew what a skateboard was. In his later years he dedicated himself to petitioning the parks department to build skateboarding parks around the city so kids would have a place to go to safely practice and channel their energy in a positive way. He was responsible for building the very first skate park in NYC on 108th street in Riverside Park. His legacy is now being praised in the media all over the world. In 2008, Kessler was featured in a documentary, “From Deathbowl to Downtown: The Evolution of Skateboarding in New York.” It is scheduled for international release on DVD on Sept. 15.

My friendship with Andy had nothing to do with skateboarding. From the moment we met in 1989 i knew i had a life long friend. Andy was one of the funniest people i know and one of the most loving. His friendship was unconditional and he was always there when i needed him. About 7 years ago we did a cross country trip from San Francisco to NYC and we camped the whole way across the country. We visited The Badlands, The Grand Canyon, The Tetons, the Black Forest just to name a few. After reading “Black Elk Speaks” we decided to summit Harney Peak in South Dakota and see if we could re-live Black Elk’s epiphany he had of the “hoops of the nation,” which would bring unity to all the Native American tribes and stop their destruction from the invading European presence that had been encroaching on their land and their culture. The climb to the summit was difficult but when we arrived we both felt as free as birds and felt we could accomplish just about anything.

Even outside of Andy’s accomplishments in the skateboarding world he touched so many people and in itself was enough to engender a legacy of love. Like most of us, Andy had his demons in his youth and later in life spent so much of his time helping others cope who were going through the same experience. He was charitable, loving, honest, committed, and selfless. Like myself he loved being raised in NYC and in my eyes was the quintessential New Yorker.

In a 1999 interview with Masha Falkov Andy was asked what he would want God to say to him at the pearly gates? His reply was, ” You’ve done a good job but you’ve left a few things out, so we’re sending you back.” Andy my friend i will truly miss you.

If you are interested in hearing more of Andy’s story watch the video below.

Ground Zero Museum Workshop

Amber — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:43:07 +0000

I recently had the honor of meeting Gary Marlon Suson who started The Ground Zero Museum Workshop. Gary was the official photographer for the FDNY during the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He spent six days per week and approximately 17 hours per day “living” at Ground Zero, where he documented every phase of the ‘Recovery’. His work was overseen by FDNY Chief of Department Daniel Nigro. He was allowed access to every area at Ground Zero and given strict guidelines, which included:

• Not to release any of the images until the Recovery was over
• Not to shoot images of human remains.
• To share future proceeds with 9/11 charities.

In addition, he was not salaried by anyone and had to take out bank loans in excess of $8000.00 in order to finish his documentation of the “Recovery. His powerful work and story can be experienced at his non for profit Ground Zero Museum Workshop. I recently went and was incredibly moved by his story and commitment to helping our city heal from the indelible wounds we incurred. This is a must do while in New York. Please watch the video below for more on Gary’s experience. To purchase tickets you can call Zerve at 212-209-3370 or go to http://www.groundzeromuseumworkshop.com/

The Eelwax Jesus Show July 8th-11th

Amber — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:38:03 +0000

What makes New York City so great is that there is literally something for everyone. For those who are in town from July 8th- 11th and want to experience a truly unique theatrical, rock & roll extravaganza,you can’t miss EELWAX JESUS. Sometimes something is just entirely too weird, quirky & brilliant for words to describe-but for lack of a better method, we’re still obligated to try. Such is the case with The Eelwax Jesus Show. The brainchild of a group of professional stage and film actors with a penchant for underground rock and severely overactive imaginations, Eelwax Jesus is an audiovisual mad scientist’s experiment-a Frankensteinian endeavor that fuses theater, live music, and visual art into an unprecedented and entirely unforgettable new organism.

Featuring the talents of critically-acclaimed actors from Broadway, film and television hits like West Side Story, The Farnsworth Invention, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and FX hit TV show “Damages,” The Eelwax Jesus Show’s mind-bendingly kitschy visuals and infectious, high-concept tunes have already amassed a sizable cult following, including such notable fans as Pulitzer Price nominated playwright Adam Rapp and actor Jimmi Simpson (Lyle the Intern), of Late Night With David Letterman fame.

This July, The Eelwax Jesus Show is coming home-bringing its signature brand of “Suspiciously Entertaining 3-D Pop Music” back to New York City for four sense-shattering shows at the HERE Art Center in Greenwich Village, where it promises to once again show the Big Apple that sometimes it’s a good thing to have Wax in your ears.

The Eelwax Jesus Show has been called “part Blue Man Group, part They Might Be Giants” and “the three way love child of Bowie, The Breeders, and William S. Burroughs,” but that’s only scratching the surface. To get the full picture, experience EELWAX for yourself athttp://www.myspace.com/eelwaxjesus & www.eelwaxjesus.com.

Wednesday July 8th thru Saturday July 11th at 8:30PM
HERE Arts Center
145 6th Ave. (Enter on Dominick, 1 Block South of Spring)
For tickets: Visit www.here.org or call 212-352-3101
Tickets are $15

This blog description was taken from an article Broadwayworld.com

The Peoples Improv Theater

Amber — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:45:02 +0000

Luke and I went out the other night to see one of our favorite sketch comedy groups, The Apple Sisters (http://www.theapplesisters.com/). The ladies have left us for the East Coast, traitors! But they introduced us to The Wilhelm, a crazy original group playing at The Peoples Improv Theater every Wednesday at 7pm.

If you have not been to the PIT (thepit-nyc.com), it is worth checking out. You will see everything; sketch comedy, improv, insanity! And the best thing about Wednesday nights at 7pm, is it’s Free. The PIT has shows Monday through Saturday, and even though not all of them are free, you will usually pay only between $5-$10. What a deal! West 29th between 6th and 7th aves, you will be right in the middle of Chelsea, where you can always find good food and drinks.

Have fun!

Male Perm

Amber — Thu, 14 May 2009 05:15:29 +0000

New Yorkers are truly some of the most creative, inspiring, and thoughtful people i have ever met. We often get a bad rap for being a cold city with self absorbed people who are more likely to step over a dead body on the street then lend a helping hand. This could not be further from the truth.

I have known Roman Pietres for over 10 years now. In 1998 we helped create and performed in the Off- Broadway smash hit “The Donkey Show.” It was a seventies disco re-telling of Shakespeare’s Mid-Summer Night Dream. As well as being one of the most creative people i know he is also one of the most generous.

On February 15th Roman and his girlfriend Sandy opened their hearts and home for a very special cause. They held a very unique benefit to raise money to help a dear friend of theirs who is suffering from a potentially life threatening illness. The night was called “MALE -PERM.” The night consisted of food, drinks, and Roman perming his hair. For every $1000 raised Roman would keep his perm no matter how ridiculous it might have looked. He has currently raised $8000 and hopes to hit the 10,000 mark soon. All i can say is watch the video i put together below, and Roman, i love you!. If anyone would like to donate, go to www.maleperm.com

Foot Heaven

Luke — Sat, 09 May 2009 05:25:22 +0000

Now i know you might have already ready about Foot Heaven from our night out blog, but i truly believe it deserves a post unto itself. After doing tours all day my feet are absolutely killing me. Foot Heaven has become my oasis, my foot goddess, my saviour, that allows me to keep going out and doing what i love most, touring. After doing a tour with us your feet just might be screaming and Foot Heaven will truly transport you to the Pearly Gates of the feet gods. In fact i have turned on a few of my guides to this place and they are all now addicted. You can get a 30 minute foot rub for $25, 45 minutes for $35 and $45 for an hour. First, they soak your feet in hot herbal water and clean them. They then tilt you back in a very comfortable Lazy Boy chair, toss a cozy Charlie Brown security blanket over you and begin their magic on your feet. If your feet are very sensitive let them know and they will adjust the pressure. They also have diagrams that explain to you all the pressure points in your feet and what organs they are connected to in your body. They also do full body massages in private rooms for the same price. Every now and then i like to start with a half hour on the feet and then another half hour on the back. They are open till 1am which is very convenient. Sometimes after my wife Amber doses off to sleep i sneak out down the block to get a good rubbing, that is a foot rubbing yall. The moment you walk through the door there is a big sign that reads, ” This is a legitimate business, NO HANKY PANKY!” They mean it too. Whatever you do, don’t tell Amber that i’m sneaking out. Enjoy!

16 Pell St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 513-0450
Get directions

Joe’s Ginger in Chinatown

Luke — Sat, 09 May 2009 05:06:16 +0000

Joe’s Ginger is located at 25 Pell Street, between Mott and Doyer Street. Most people go down the block Joe’s Shanghai which is great, but the lines are endless to get in and what most people don’t know is that they are owned by the same people and Joe’s Ginger is just as good without the long wait. Amber and i love the soup dumplings! They come with crab or pork and are fantastic. A little tip in the eating them, put the dumpling in the large spoon in comes with, bite off the top of the dumpling and then slurp the soup out of it. After your done slurping, then you can go about eating the rest of the dumpling. They have an extensive menu but the soup are a great appetizer and must have. Make sure you also have Tsing Tao Beer to wash it all down with. I guarantee you will this place.

www.joeginger.com

Lower East Side

Amber — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:13:39 +0000

Luke and I live in the area and there are just so many great places to visit on the Lower East Side. The Tenement Museum at 108 Orchard Street, is often over looked. This museum is dedicated to telling the stories of the immigrants who lived in the area in the late 1800’s, and is well worth a visit. http://www.tenement.org/

Just south of the museum is Little Giant, a restaurant that uses fresh market produce and changes the menu often to fit with the season. The food is truly amazing! http://www.littlegiantnyc.com/flash.html

Just another block south is The Dressing Room. Part bar, part coop boutique, part thrift shop, all GENIUS! The is always good music playing. What more could you ask for, have a drink or two, and then do some late night shopping. Upstairs you will find posh up and coming designers, and downstairs a more budget friendly thrift shop. http://www.thedressingroomnyc.com/

Enjoy the Lower East Side!