5 terrifying haunted houses in New York

by Jessica Festa on

What’s Halloween without a good old-fashioned haunted house? While that may be true, there is nothing old-fashioned about these terrifying haunted houses in New York.

Blackout Haunted House
54 W. 39th St. (between 5th and 6th)

Just based on the fact that you are required to go in solo is scary enough. Some things to expect as you make your way through this dark house of horrors include sexual and violent situations, physical contact, fog, complete darkness, crawling, water, and more. You must be 18 to enter and tickets are $30-$55.

Blood Manor
163 Varrick St. at Charlton St.

This haunted attraction is comprised of horror-themed rooms, dark hallways, and terrifying labyrinths and takes about 20-25 minutes to complete. According to Time Out New York, some things you will encounter include creatures, serial killers, twisted sideshow acts, and gruesome scenarios, like a blood drenched slaughter house with hanging pig carcasses. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and tickets are $28.50-$50.

Nightmare: Fairy Tales
Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, 107 Suffolk St. (between Rivington and Delancey)

The focus of this haunted attraction is taking the most gruesome scenarios from original children’s fairy tales (not the the one’s that evolved into bedtime stories for kids, but the one’s that were first created to keep children from acting out). Make your way through a dark, scary forest in this interactive experience as you become one of the characters in the story and live out a real life nightmare. While Nightmare: Fairy Tales is definitely scary, it is more disturbing and creepy than your usual haunted house. Children under 10 will not be admitted and children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets range from $30-$100.

Trapped in Purgatory
2 Locations: Wizard of Gore is located at 2449 Veterans Rd. W., Staten Island. Hotel 666 is located at 5050 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island

You can choose the storyline behind your terrifying experience with this haunted attraction. Hotel 666 is based on a woman and her daughter who once stayed at a haunted hotel, never to be seen again, while Wizard of Gore will send you through a disturbing corn maze. Small children should go before 6PM when visitors are allowed to enter without the actors around. After 6PM, general admission is $18, or $30 if you want to do both attractions.

Nightmare Z-Day
1157 Commerce Ave., at Gleason Ave., Bronx

Experience the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Prepare to scream while you are chased around this haunted house by the undead who seem hungry for some flesh. No children under 10 will be admitted, and children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. General admission is $15, while students will pay $10. For $30, you can buy a VIP ticket and jump to the front of the line.

Celebrate fall with Cider Week in New York

by Jessica Festa on

What better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than with a week full of cider-related events. From October 16-October 24, 2011, New York will host it’s first ever Cider Week, which will include tastings, demonstrations, pairings, classes and more. Here are some of the events to check out (for the full schedule, click here):

October 16– A Cider Revival, 11AM-4PM
New Amsterdam Market

This celebration of hard cider will include cider tastings paired with tapas, sampling of both common and rare varieties of apples, cider purchasing opportunities, and the chance to buy delicious apple pies and desserts. Admission into the market is free, although you will have to purchase a ticket if you want to do the tastings.October 17– Mele and Maiale in the Meatpacking, 6PM-8PM
Macelleria

The event will include cider and porchetta tasting, with special guest Ezra Sherman from Eve’s Cidery. The cost is $10 and reservations should be made in advance to secure a spot. If interested in attending, click here.

October 18– Meet the Cider Maker: Original Sin, 6:30PM-9PM
Good Beer

Want to learn more about cider as well as sample new varieties? Come to this event to speak with Gidon Coll from Original Sin Cider, learn the history of Newtown Pippin apple, and taste some new Heirloom ciders. Price is $10.

October 19– Prix Fixe Dinner Menu with Cider Pairings, 7PM-10PM
Jimmy’s No.43

Enjoy a 3-course meal, each paired with a different cider. There will also be live music in the back room from 8:30PM-11PM. The menu includes:

  • A caramelized apple, walnut, and blue cheese salad paired with Dupont “Cidre Bouche Brut” sparkling cider
  • 24-hour pork braised in cider vinegar and molasses, with roasted parsnips paired with Dupont “Triple” sparkling wine cider
  • Apple cobbler paired with Dupont “Pommeau”

There will also be rare French cider products from New York, Vermont, New Hamshire and France being served all night long. The cost of the event is $45 per person.

October 20– A Cider and Cheese Tour of the Northeast, 6:30PM
Brooklyn Kitchen

Enjoy a guided tasting of regional hard and ice ciders, each paired with artisanal cheeses. Expect at least 5 pairings, as well as science, recipes, and history. The cost for the event is $50.

October 21– Cider Pairing and Cooking Demonstration, 11AM-1PM
Union Square Greenmarket

Learn how to cook with hard cider as well as how to cook dishes that pair well with the drink. This is a free event.

October 22– Tasting of Basque Ciders, 4PM-7PM
Tinto Vino

Sample ciders from North Spain as well as the moutainous region of Asturias. This is a free event.

October 23– Cider Pairing Dinner, 7PM
The Queens Kickshaw

While the specifics for this event are still being determined, attendees can expect delicious cuisine paired with unique ciders. There will be a special guest, as well. The price of this event has not yet been announced.

October 24– Cider Party, 6PM-8:15PM
92YTribeca

This closing event will celebrate the winners of the Glywood’s Harvest Awards as they talk about their success supporting local food efforts in their community. A reception with appetizers and Hudson Valley ciders will follow. While this is a free event, RSVP is required.

TripAdvisor launches free Mobile City Guide apps for Android users

by Jessica Festa on

On Tuesday, October 11, 2011, TripAdvisor launched their free Mobile City Guide apps for Android users. The apps cover twenty popular destinations, some of which include Paris, New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and London.

Benefits of using the app include:

  • Reviews of restaurants, hotels, and attractions
  • Suggested city itineraries
  • Interactive walking tours
  • Historical and cultural information on a destination
  • Weather reports
  • Transportation options

One great thing about this app is that the information is given to you in real-time, so everything you read is current and up-to-date. Also, information from the app can be accessed whether the user has a data connection or is offline.

Says Adam Medros, vice president of global product at TripAdvisor, “We think travelers are going to love the comprehensive information our free Mobile City Guides provide in popular world cities. A tremendous complement to our popular TripAdvisor site app, these guides offer even more city detail, including itineraries and interactive walking tours.”

Shake Shack in Brooklyn, New York, adds public art installation to their menu

by Jessica Festa on

A public art installation has been added to the space that will soon house a Shake Shack in the Fulton Mall in Brooklyn, New York. Earlier this year, Shake Shack reps heard about the Before I Die installation in New Orleans, Louisiana, and decided that they wanted to do the same thing as it seemed true to the Shake Shack spirit.

The installation is comprised of a giant chalkboard where people can write down things that they wish to accomplish before they die. According to Amanda Kludt of the New York Eater, some of the current postings include “Make Mariela proud of me”, “Change the world”, “Inspire like Steve Jobs did”, and “Hug you heart to heart”.

While the installation has been successful so far in creating a dialogue with their new community, the idea is purely for the Brooklyn location and will not be brought to other Shake Shacks.

Exhibit at Austrian Cultural Forum in New York gives a new perspective on beauty

by Jessica Festa on

The Austrian Cultural Forum in New York is currently hosting Beauty Contest, an exhibit featuring 20 international artists focusing their work on their interpretation of beauty. Some of the artists call upon their own experiences being a gay/lesbian, transgendered, or exhibitionist living in eastern Europe, while others comment on beauty’s evolution in terms of society. Visitors can expect these visions to be presented through an array of mediums, including sculpture, video, photography, and painting.

The majority of the artists working on this exhibit live and work in Vienna, Austria, however, there are still some artists who grew up in Austria and moved to New York, and others who have been raised in various American cities. Artists you may recognize include Cindy Sherman, Matthias Herrmann, Kalup Linzy, and Evangelia Kranioti.

The exhibit runs until January 3, 2012, and on certain dates there will be special events held as part of the Beauty Contest program:

  • October 19- A panel discussion will be held at 6:30PM, moderated by Gia Kourlas, the dance editor at Time Out New York as well as a dance critic for the New York Times. Other members of the panel will include French historian, dancer, and choreographer François Chaignaud, American author of The Man in the Grey Flannel Skirt Jon-Jon Goulian, Austrian dancer and choreographer Silke Grabinger, and the curatorial advisor for the exhibition Beauty Contest, Salette Gressett. The discussion will focus on “how emancipatory artistic reflection and practice has fought to reveal the hidden structures of repression toward gender, race, and age and to shake off antiquated visual preconceptions”.
  • November 10- A performance by Austrian artist Maria Petschnig will take place at 7:30PM. It will consist of video clips and live action that suggests fantasies, transitioning from the sensual to the grotesque. The performance will question the difference between public and private as well as one’s actual self verses the staged self.
  • Every Wednesday- Private tours are led at 5PM by co-curator Andreas Stadler.

The gallery is located at 11 East 52nd St. New York, NY 10022 (between Madison and 5th Ave) and the exhibit is open daily from 10am – 6pm.