News and events from NYC

Stunning New Manhattan Marriage Bureau Opens January 12

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:01:20 -0500

Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris says "We want to be the wedding destination of the world,'' and the new 24,000-square-foot marriage bureau at 141 Worth Street, a historic 80-year-old building in lower Manhattan, certainly makes for wonderful wedding ceremonies. With a computerized system that cuts down on lines and waiting times, you'll find that credit cards are now accepted and you can even buy flowers on the spot! Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on track to make NYC America's #1 place to get married: almost 70,000 marriage licenses were issued here in 2008, whereas Las Vegas issued just over 95,000—the lowest number in 15 years. Just consider these terrific improvements: • 14 computer kiosks for online application processing • one-stop windows for service instead of multiple windows • iPod docking stations so you can play your own music for your special ceremony • large restrooms with vanities and full-length mirrors; refinished and decorated chapel space • an area to take photos in front of a backdrop of City Hall • a branch of the City Store selling disposable cameras, film, costume rings, and NYC merchandise—plus the flowers mentioned above. The wedding chapels feature artwork on loan from the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the City Hall backdrop was supplied by Duggal. Literature in the new Marriage Bureau will be available in English and Spanish. Customers can also speak to clerks in their preferred language using a telephone interpretation system available in 170 languages. The City’s Marriage Bureau provides marriage licenses, domestic partnership registrations, marriage officiants registrations, copies and amendments of marriage records, certificates of non-impediment, and other services. The Customer Service Group at the Mayor’s Office of Operations has been working with the City Clerk’s office to enhance the experience for the City’s customers during their visits to the Clerk’s Office. For example, the City Clerk has made comment cards available to capture customer feedback. Also, the City Clerk’s office has created printed materials, available at the information desk, providing customers with necessary information about the process for acquiring services and a map so customers can find services appropriate to them. Working with the Mayor’s Office of Operations and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, the City Clerk has trained its front-line staff in customer service practices. To further improve the visitor experience, the Clerk’s Office is employing workers from ReServe, a not-for-profit organization that connects New York City’s retired professionals with civic engagement positions. ReServists will help greet and direct visitors to expedite and improve the process within the facility. While Manhattan is its most heavily trafficked location, the City Clerk has offices in each borough. The Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island offices have recently received aesthetic and structural enhancements and the staff in those offices will receive customer service training. These offices also now accept credit cards, can receive applications electronically, and access translation services. Photograph Copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc.

Tags: city clerk, marriage bureau, mayor bloomberg, patricia harris

Turn Your Tie-Dye Into Mulch

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:37:01 -0500

Seen at Union Square.

Christmas Tree Recycling Begins January 5

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:12:35 -0500

You know the drill: remove all tree stands, tinsel, lights, and ornaments before throwing the poor tree at the curb. Don't put it in a plastic bag. Clean, non-bagged Christmas trees left at the curb between Monday, January 5th and Friday, January 16th will be collected, chipped, and made into compost. The compost will be processed and subsequently spread upon parks, ball fields, and community gardens throughout the city. Even more exciting, the Parks & Recreation Department will be hosting Mulchfest 2009 on Saturday, January 10th and Sunday, January 11th from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. at more than 80 sites throughout the city. Click here to find a park near you. This citywide service allows New Yorkers to drop off their holiday trees at designated parks for mulching and event attendees can pick up free mulch. Remember, all lights, ornaments, and decorations must be removed from the trees prior to drop-off. Want even more information? Dial 311.

Tags: christmas tree, recycling, sanitation

Gansevoort Pumping Station

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:37:43 -0500

One of the vanishing façades of the old Meatpacking District, do examine this quaint High Pressure Fire Service before it too disappears.

Tags: gansevoort pumping station, high pressure fire service, meatpacking district

Holiday Pick: The Guggenheim Museum

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:57:22 -0500

This holiday season, New Yorkers and visitors alike will be able to enjoy the final weeks of the highly acclaimed theanyspacewhatever and Catherine Opie: American Photographer exhibitions during special holiday hours on Wednesday, December 24th (10 AM – 4 PM), Wednesday, December 31st (10 AM – 5 :45 PM) and Thursday, January 1 (11 AM – 6 PM) at the Guggenheim Museum. You can buy your tickets right now at NYC.com and thus avoid the lines when you arrive. The dynamic exhibition theanywpacewhatever (closing January 7th) brings together a group of 10 contemporary artists who have each chosen to produce a site-specific work (ranging from installation pieces to performances and film programs) creating a series of individual projects that intersect and overlap in the museum’s spiraling rotunda. The artists involved in this large-scale exhibition include Angela Bulloch, Maurizio Cattelan, Liam Gillick, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Douglas Gordon, Carsten Höller, Pierre Huyghe, Jorge Pardo, Philippe Parreno, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. Also closing on January 7th, Catherine Opie: American Photographer examines Opie’s complex body of photographic work. Adopting such diverse genres as studio portraiture, landscape photography, and urban street photography, the exhibition explores notions of communal, sexual, and cultural identity through significant examples from several of her most important series in a major mid-career survey including Portraits (1993–97); Self-Portraits (1993–2004); Freeways (1994–95); Houses (1995–96); Domestic (1995–98); American Cities (1997–present); Icehouses (2001); Surfers (2003); and In and Around Home (2004–05). Holiday Hours: December 24, 2008 Christmas Eve: 10 A.M - 4 P.M December 25, 2008 Christmas Day: Museum Closed December 31, 2008 New Year's Eve: 10 A.M - 5:45 P.M. January 1, 2009 New Year's Day: 11 A.M - 6 P.M photo: Catherine Opie Joanne, Betsy & Olivia, Bayside, New York, 1998 Chromogenic print 40 x 50 inches (101.6 x 127 cm) Edition of 5 © 2008 Catherine Opie. Courtesy the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles

Tags: catherine opie, guggenheim, theanyspacewhatever

Freezing Rain Knocked You Out?

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 09:14:00 -0500

Fear not, Con Ed is on it.

Free Weekly Newspaper Disease?

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:01:01 -0500

Seen on Seventh Avenue.

Holiday Pick: The Wired Store

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:37:03 -0500

Geek out in style! The latest incarnation of the Wired Store comes to the Flatiron District, replete with all the tech gadgets, games and good stuff you want. If you follow Wired's weekly gadget alert, you already know what amazing stuff is out there, and now it's all available under one roof. What's more, all kinds of special deals and private events will lure you in, so check out the store for the exciting happenings. It's open from noon to 8pm Wednesdays through Fridays, and 11am to 7pm Saturdays and Sundays, now through December 28. This Wednesday, December 17, at the Wired Store from 6-9pm enjoy the Wired Music Spotlight on The Daily Swarm presented by Beck's. aggregates everything important happening in music on the Web. On this special night, they will curate a night of cutting edge DJs and live performances worthy of The Swarm moniker. Must be 21 to attend! RSVP to: rsvp@thedailyswarm.com.

Tags: geeked out, holiday pick, wired store

Holiday Pick: Chocolate From Max Brenner

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:07:41 -0500

If you're pressed for time, perhaps consider a superlative gift of chocolates from either of the two Max Brenner locations at 841 Broadway and 141 Second Avenue. While you're there, you'll doubtless find something wonderful for yourself, and self-medicating with chocolate during the holiday season is one of nature's best remedies. If you can't get enough chocolate at Max Brenner, then do head a-walking after you visit Max and set forth on our chocolate lover's tour. Walking is a superb way to burn those choco calories.

Tags: chocolate, max brenner, walking tour

Holiday Pick: Blaue Gans in TriBeCa

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:03:01 -0500

This sensational gingerbread house created by celebrity chef and owner Kurt Gutenbrunner was featured yesterday on the Today Show. Don't feel like building a massive Victorian gingerbread house yourself? Then head down to his Austrian-themed Blaue Gans restaurant on Duane Street, which makes an excellent and festive choice for a holiday party, a light meal, or just a drink at the bar. Not to mention you can closely examine this enormous gingerbread house with appropriate blue goose peeking down from the top-floor window.

Tags: blaue gans, gingerbread house, kurt gutenbrunner, tribeca