Want the “Freshest Coffee on the Planet”? Head to The Roasting Plant.

by Willy Volk on

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up next time you’re exploring NYC, you might want to head to the Lower East Side and scout out The Roasting Plant. Featuring computer-controlled roasters, this clean and funky coffee shop custom roasts each type of bean it sells.

To order, you first select among seven bean types. When your order is entered into the computer, the chosen beans are sent through overhead pipes and into the custom-pimped super-automated Egro espresso machine, where they’re ground, brewed, and served to you. The Plant claims it’s the “freshest coffee on the planet.”

Founder Mike Caswell — an engineer who used to hold a senior position at some place called “Starbucks” — spent five years developing a system that would minimize the time and distance between roasting, grinding, brewing, and drinking. The end result? Coffee brewed on demand and delivered to you as fresh as possible.

First Skating, Now Golfing

by Iva Skoch on

Spring is desperately trying to come to NYC…once this weekend’s record water (7.81 inches of rain through this morning in Central Park) drains away, that is.

The folks at the Rockefeller Center ice rink are planning on it happening. That’s why they’re putting in a golf green. That’s right, they’re making a one-quarter-scale replica of the famous 17th hole island green from TPC Sawgrass (see pic at right), right there at the Center, from May 4-13.

It’s part of an exhibit for The Players Championship in Florida. They’re shipping in 1 mile of railroad ties, 40,000 pounds of fill dirt, and 3,500 square feet of sod.

The L

by Erik Olsen on

If you live in New York, or even if you’re just visiting, knowing about all the great stuff that happens in the city can be a full-time chore. Which is why there are several magazines and Web site dedicated to make the task easier. One of these little magazines come in small orange boxes that can be found on the street. You see, those boxes hold issues of The L Magazine, an excellent (and free) guide to the city that I have discovered is very useful when planning my weekends.

A lot of New Yorkers already know about The L, but I doubt if visitors do. And even if you do live in the city, you might be interested to know that the The L Web site is a wonderful and useful blog that fills you in on things happening as well as whats going on with New York in the media, etc. It’s a superb little NYC blog that may not be in your blog list for the city, but deserves to be.

You Too Can Be On Broadway!

by Jonathon Morgan on

Earlier this week I wrote about Broadway’s surprising focus on plays for the upcoming season — but there’s one musical that is a must-see for every tourist with stars in their eyes.

For $31.50 you can buy a ticket at the new rock musical, Spring Awakening, that puts you in the middle of the action — on stage with the performers.

According to Jo Piazza of the New York Daily News, who recently experienced the production for himself, “Members of the cast sit in chairs right next to you and during the show, they stomp and sing inches away from your face. It’s enough to make even the most karaoke-impaired person want to reach over, grab a microphone and wail on one of the songs by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater.”

Tempting as it may be, disrupting the show with your own impromptu performance is strongly, strongly discouraged — both before the performance, and again at intermission. In fact, just to further minimize interruptions, the theatre makes you remove all personal belongings (coats, hats, phones, purses) and keep them in a locker for the duration of the show.

That being said, it’s sure to be a memorable experience for anyone drawn to the stage. Make sure to book your tickets well in advance though — as, with only 26 seats available, they can be fairly tough to come by.

Theatre Lovers In For An Interesting Spring On Broadway

by Jonathon Morgan on

Spring is traditionally a busy time on Broadway, but this year, the United States’ most revered commercial theatre institution is offering something a little different. Instead of focusing solely on new musicals — long the mainstay of big-budget New York theatre — it seems that this season it’s plays generating all the excitement.

Starting in May, the more discerning live performance connoisseur can chose from revivals starring the likes of Kevin Spacey, Christopher Plummer, Brian Dennehy and Liev Schreiber. According to Howard Sherman, executive director of the American Theatre Wing, “After many years of hearing that plays on Broadway are a dying breed, the combination of star-driven productions, British imports, and the touring success of Twelve Angry Men, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Doubt, is demonstrating that there is an appetite, and a commercially viable model, for dramatic theater.”

I was a theatre major in college, so I’m a big dork when it comes to stuff like this. My pick of the season is the revival of Eric Bogosian’s Talk Radio. The script is hysterical, and, by all accounts, Bogosian was fantastic as the central character when the show first ran in 1987. Now, with Liev Schreiber in the lead, it can only get more awesome.

Whether you’re a theatre-lover or not, New York is a great Spring destination, as it’s gorgeous that time of year. It’s not too hot, not too cold, and all the people seem so tired of being cold, lonely, and stuck in their apartments that they’re friendlier than you might expect.