WHEN EATING WITH KIDS IN NEW YORK

Alice Tea Cup

You will not enter a paralell universe when going inside and down the Rabbit-Hole at this very charming tea place, but your kids will most ikely enjoy the interiors while you have a nice cup of tea with a scone or quite delightful sandwiches.



www.alicesteacup.com


102 West 73rd St

Mars 2112

This is a good place to prepare your kids for the up-coming alien invasion that is said to be happening in the very near future. All kids with tendencies to be very interested in the space, stars, planets, Starwars, etc will most likely enjoy their time while the parents also can enjoy a stiffy in the Mars Bar.



www.mars2112.com

Shake Shack


Perfectly located in Manhattans best downtown park for kids, with a big playground in the opposite corner, Shake Shack has also been selected "Best Burger" by New York Magazine. One sits outdoors in the Madison Park where there is also rotating sculpture exhibitions by some of the best artists in the world.
The lines are often very long, as it is also the main lunch, afternoon snack and dinner restaurant for all the nearby office buildings. It is so good, that they have now opened a Shack on a amazinggly central spot in Istanbul, close to some of the world oldes trolley cars and wire train.

Madison Square Park (Madison Avenue & East 23rd Street)

Bubby's

Tribeca Film Industry people bring their kids to eat the best pie in town. They serve fair trade organic coffee

and make it very inviting for families to hang out without feeling that the kids are disturbing anyone. It is homemade and all southern styles dishes such as Spicy Gumbo soup, pulled pork, heavenly hot artichoke dip, serious mac&cheese and pecan crusted this and that.

120 Hudson St, New York, NY 10013

Big Daddy Diner

Big Daddy Diner in the NIGHT

Waffles at Big Daddy's

Charlie's Angels at Big Daddy's

Jack at Big Daddy's



Get The Dude Burger!



The Oreo Cockie Milk Shake is Amazing!

It's all good, but somewhat expensive...but not to be misses.

http://bigdaddysnyc.com/

Park Avenue South, close to where Max's Kansas City once were

EAT YOUR HEART OUT IN NEW YORK

RESTAURANTS and DINERS

The New York dining experience is as much based where you are in the city, what mood you are in, who you are with and how hungry you are.

The portions are often made so an American can get full, and take home half of the food in a doggy bag for a late night snack.

Never be afraid to ask for endless amounts of coffe, mayo and water. Please be polite to your waiter and rather tip more than less.

The tip is essentially how they feed their families, wanna-be-actor career or vice.

Peter Luger Steakhouse

Has since 1887 served steaks that make you cry of joy.
Rated best Steak House in New York 24 years in a row.

178 Broadway, Brooklyn
http://peterluger.com

Kellog's Diner

 

Wonderful Brooklyn style diner with lovely ladies serving you as much coffee you want with your tuna melt on rye and Swiss cheese with bacon on the side.

Hold the fries and take a banana spilt or cheesecake for dessert.

514 Metropolitan Avenue

Planet Thailand

What started as a small hole in the wall take out place on Bedford Avenue, all of a sudden moved in to their current megaspace where they still have their very happy take-out-regulars that have had the red curry chicken in their bodies while they have seen their horizon change from their rooftop overlooking Manhattan from the east. The food is good, somewhat cheap and the place is always packed and lively served by rather pissed off looking wait staff. It is also directly connected to a sushi bar, if someone would rather want it
their experience without curry.

133 N 7th St

http://planethailand.com/

Relish

Housed inside a classic old stainless steel covered rail wagon is a terrifically hip brunch place where you can have huge healthy bloody mary's with whole selleri brunches after a late night out. The staff is often nice in all the ways they should be. The bonus track to this place is Kelis and her Milkshake, who brings all the boys to the yard. In the video Relish is called "The Yard"

225 Wythe Ave
http://www.relish.com

Odessa

Massive Polish Kielbasa sausages with tons of mustard, sour cream and apple sauce with stuffed cabbage and blintzes is heaven at 4 am when the Red bar side of Odessa is open and filled with east village punks
and locals. It is open 24 hours, but it is suggested to only go at night and weekends when the bar is open.

117 Ave. A

GALAXY GLOBAL EATERY

The combination of Hemp with the galaxy, being greeted by a life size Buddha and blinking stars in the ceiling of the place sets a good scene for eating.



The food is cooked with hemp oil and the seeds can often be seen in the food.



There is a strange but good tied up pizza, a heavy meatloaf, amazing duck, really crispy calamari but most
important; the grand marnier chocolate truffle beggars purse with strawberrys and Tahitian vanilla ice cream. Ask for chop sticks and rub the belly of their in house buddha.



15 Irving Place
http://www.galaxyglobaleatery.com

Mama's Food Shop

"Shut Up and Eat It" is the motto of this soul food spot. The found interiors are low key but the art on the walls tells you that chicken has not been tasted right, until it has been baked or fried by Mama.

200 E. 3rd S

Big Daddy Diner

One does not almost want this place to be as good as it is. But it is. The staff are friendly. Good food, huge portions, family and children friendly with crayons and menus to draw on that also has kids meals.
The fake celebrity signed headshots all over the walls are fun, as well as the fridge magnet you can bring home to remind yourself og the experience.

239 Park Avenue South
http://bigdaddysnyc.com/

Kum Gang San

Over the top decorated Korean "grill it yourself" BBQ house on the Korean Town Main Strip.
Order your choice of meat for manual grilling and chilling.

49 W 32nd St
http://www.kumgangsan.net/

Curry in a Hurry

Addictive food. And you get it really fast handed over the counter after you
point out the food infront of you, school kitchen styles.

There is Bollywood movies, fish tanks, photos of Russel Simmons who is a regular, a good salad bar with your combination platter and rice pudding for dessert.

119 Lexington Avenue

Employees Only

Very trendy, very hip but in all the good ways. Serious drinks,
delightful staff and amazing decor. It is here New York superstar
Kimberly (above) in Ada Bligaard Søby's "American Losers" work, in the film.
510 Hudson
http://www.employeesonlynyc.com/

Yaffa Cafe

Another Open All Night spot where you can be sure to be served by a nice young waiter or waitress that is not necessary very good at their job, "but its a good place to hang around in the afternoon and meet
interesting people".

They have their own tasty carrot dressing with almost all their salads and sandwiches, the hommus and pita plates are not bad and the open jungle-like backyard is even for those who smoke.



The interior decorations could have been done by Elvis's greatest fan, on acid.



Remember to ask for a free Yaffa condom.



97 St. Marks Pl.

Tea & Sympathy

For all those bloody Anglophiles with cravings of some British style when in the land of the burger, you can get some tea and sympathy to heal that longing. And who does not love an authentic shepherds Pie now and again?



One can also get straight up Fish and Chips, Yorkshire pudding, custard and blackberry crumble cake that will hold you over a while.

108 Greenwhich Avenue

Sylvia's Soul Food

Best classic Soul Food in Harlem it is said. At least it is legendary and is often visited by people like Bill Clinton and Rev Al Sharpton, and they know their sould food.

328 Lenox Avenue

NEW YORK ACCORDING TO JACOB

THE FULL NEW YORK EXPERIENCE

Once you have decided to go to New York, it is important to start your research to get the fullest possible experience. By reading the below books and magazines, seeing the films and listening to the music, you are rather well armed to walk the streets of New York with your head full of information that will navigate you with the right filter.

NEW YORK FILMS TO SEE

Woody Allen's - Manhattan & Annie Hall (or any Woody Allen Film)
Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver and Godfather
John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever
The Warriors in Central Park and Coney Island (can you dig iiiiiiiiiiiiit)
King Kong on top of Empire State Building, both the old and new one.
Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's
Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy
Washington Square Park and Katz Deli in When Harry Met Sally
Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russel)  in Escape From New York
Spike Lee in Do the Right Thing
Alien Invasion in Independence Day
The Empire State Building as a syringe in Liquid Sky
Edie Sedgwick in Ciao Manhattan
and of course Andy Warhol's Empire


And for the kids:
The Central Park Zoo in Madagascar

NEW YORK BOOKS TO READ

New York Triology - Paul Auster
Grand Central Winter - Lee Stringer
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
Please Kill Me -  Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
High on Rebellion - Yvonne Sewall Ruskin
Dejligt at Amerika ikke ligger langt herfra - Karen Aabye

NEW YORK MAGAZINES TO READ

Paper Magazine
TimeOut New York
NIGHT Magazine
MAO Magazine
The New Yorker

NEW YORK MUSIC TO HEAR

Get online and download tracks from the below artists to then fill up your ipod.



Just copy and paste the below and enter a search.

"Rhapsody In Blue" by George Gershwin (inspired by the sounds and
motions of a locomotive leaving Grand Central Station)
"New York New York" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Frank Sinatra or Nina Hagen
"Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More" by Steely Dan
Most tracks by Blondie
"Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees
Any Ramones such as "Cabbies on Crack"
Any Velvet Underground and NICO song, such as "Sunday Morning"
"Chelsea Girls", "All Tomorrows Parties" or "I'm Waiting For The Man"


Any Lou Reed such as "Coney Island Baby", "Perfect Day" or "Walk on the Wildside"
"Penthouse Serenade" by Marianne Faithfull
"Brooklyn's In The House" by Busy Bee
"Everybody's Talkin" by Breakaway
"Puttin' on the Ritz" by Irving Berlin or Taco
"The 59th Street Bridge Song" or "Just Over The Brooklyn Bridge" by Simon and Garfunkel
"Macy's Day Parade" by Green Day
"Manhattan Madness" by Irving Berlin
Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" recorded in New York in 1959
Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" or "A Letter to the New York Post"
"Living for the City" by Stevie Wonder
"The Pleasure Principle Album" by Gary Numan
"An Open Letter to NYC" or "No Sleep til Brooklyn" by The Beastie Boys
"We Live In Brooklyn Baby" by Roy Ayers
"Avenue B" by Iggy Pop
"Central Park West" by John Coltrane
"The Bridge Is Over" by Boogie Down Productions
"Miss You" by The Rolling Stones
"New York State of Mind" by Alicia Keys Nas and Rakim
"Subway Train" by the New York Dolls
"Ludlow Street", "Tom's Diner" or "New York Is A Woman" by Suzanne Vega
"Yeah! New York" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Brooklyn High" by Jay-Z
"Hard Times in New York Town" by Bob Dylan
"Go Brooklyn" by Stetsasonic
"Brooklyn Queens" by 3rd Bass
"5 Boroughs" by KRS-One & co.
"Leaving New York" by R.E.M.
"Native New Yorker" by Odyssey
"New Killer Star" or "New York's In Love" by David Bowie
"New York" by Sex Pistols, Norah Jones or U2
"New York City" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono,
 Boney M, The Cult, Hanoi Rocks, Evergreen or Gil Scott-Heron



"New York City Boy" by Pet Shop Boys
"New York City Lights" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
"New York City Serenade" by Bruce Springsteen
"New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" by LCD Soundsystem
"New York (Ya Out there?)" by Rakim
"NYC Beat" by Armand Van Helden
"One Day You'll Dance For Me New York City" by Thomas Dybdahl
"NYC C--T" by Princess Superstar
"New York Was Great" by The Raveonettes

You can search and download from:
http://elbo.ws
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
http://www.kazaa.com/us/index.htm
or search on google on the title, and the word "blog"

5 TO DO ON NEW YEARS DAY

New Years Day is a day of contemplation, detox, healing and rejuvenation.
The night before might have brought you to your knees and 2007 was a year that showed itself to bring new revelations to the world with no smoking laws
and natures own message of:
We need to collectively bring it all down a notch or two.
The earth will again spinn around the sun and earthlings saddle up for another go at life.



This Happy New Year song had played on Swedish TV every new years eve since 1980.




The fact that most people prefer to spend this day under the covers, infront of the TV or with a greasy burger is rather understandable. However, to start the new year fresh with new good energy and maybe even with someone you care for; the following are some suggestions.
(Go to Omeo Radio and turn on the music to create the perfect soundtrack for looking at the below pictures)

If you happen to be in..

Istanbul

 
A walk down to the Bosphorus to take the boat out to the Prince Islands in the Sea of Marmara. There are 9 Islands, that at one time was used to put problematic people, such as your brother, if you were the Prince of the  Byzantine Empire. Sivriada is the island where Platon was sent when he was airing some ideas that was not well received and also the place where all of Istanbul's street dogs were sent in 1911. Word on the street was that the earthquake that happened right after this was the wrath of Allah, so the dogs were taken back to the city again.

New York

 
Put on some warm clothes, get on the F train and head out to Coney Island. Join the  people of the Polar Bear Club annual swim in the ocean raising money for Camp Sunshine. Take deep breaths, sink into the water connecting you to the rest of the world and walk on the beach looking at your own footsteps in the sand behind you. A crucial element of Coney Island is of course also Nathan's, so grease up your insides with a Nathan's delight that will bring you in to the new year fit for fight.

San Francisco

 
Continue the New Years buzz with a trip to Napa Valley either by train or by hot air balloon.
The more grounded version by car also works and as long as you bring a designated
driver, make sure not to miss out tasting every vine produced in the area.
Oh, did you see the film Sideways?

Easter Islands

 
How far from western civilization can you get and still get a head?

Austria

 

Pamper yourself beyond recognition in the Tyrolean Alps, pulling off your
lederhosen and tyroler hat while you enter Heaven.

Happy New Years and may all your wishes come through! 

PYRAMID POWER

 

The concept of copyrights has in Egypt been taken to another level. It is as if members of Creative Commons sat down around a table and made jokes about the ultimate challenge of copyright in a global perspective. On their list was "New York City, WTC, Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty" as a group, "Dolphins, Butterflies, Princesses & Unicorns" as a group, "HR Giger, ying & yang, hearts and barcode tattoos" and of course "the Pyramids, the Sphinx, King Tut and Nefertiti" as a group.
Zahi Hawass who is the charismatic and controversial head of Egypt's
Supreme Council of Antiquities, told AFP that he wants a law that will completely prohibit the duplication of historic Egyptian monuments which the Supreme Council of Antiquities
considers 100-percent copies. 

"If the law is passed then it will be applied in all countries of the world so that we can protect our interests," Hawass said. 

The move to make this law was necessary to pay for the upkeep of the country's thousands of pharaonic
sites. 

Hawass said that a ministerial committee had already agreed on the law which
should be passed in the next parliamentary session, while insisting the
move would not hurt Egyptian artisans.

"It is Egypt's right to be
the only copyright owner for these monuments in order to benefit
financially so we can restore, preserve and protect Egyptian monuments". However,
the law "does not forbid local or international artists from profiting
from drawings and other reproductions of pharaonic and Egyptian
monuments from all eras -- as long as they don't make exact copies".
"Artists have the right to be inspired by everything that surrounds them, including monuments," he said.
This is good news for the millions of artists worldwide that can not put enough pyramids in their work, being either intuitionally inspired by thier triangular shape, their mysterious powers, or that at one point or the other they read spiritually pop iconic book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Cuelho that tells the story of the shepherd boy Santiago that is told to go to the pyramids to find a hidden treasure. 
Asked
about the potential impact on the monumental Luxor Hotel in the US
gambling capital of Las Vegas, Hawass insisted that particular resort
was "not an exact copy of pharaonic monuments despite the fact it's in
the shape of a pyramid."
On its website, the luxury hotel
describes itself as "the only pyramid shaped building in the world,"
but Hawass said its interior was entirely different from an ancient
Egyptian setting.

Hawass's declarations came after the opposition
daily Al-Wafd published an article on Sunday called for the Las Vegas
hotel to pay a slice of its lodging and gambling profits to the city of Luxor.
"Thirty-five million tourists visit Las Vegas to see the
reproduction of Luxor city while only six million visit the real
Egyptian city of Luxor," the paper lamented.
Check this Pyramid House out. It is said that the energy created within the shape of a pyramide has divine powers. But maybe you need to ask Mr. Hawass before you build your next pyramid house, or pyramid in the garden.

Female empowerment through Jello in The Big Apple

Yeah Right. As if. In the end of the day sex sells, and now that Bill Cosby has gotten too old to hustle Jello on TV, the smart PR people behind Jello have found new ways of selling their product. Start spreading the word of Jello in the street of the ultra hip underground of New York, and it will spread worldwide.  If you ask a more classic feminist about how much empowerment there is in more or less nude women fighting each other rolling around in sticky Jello infront of dozens of photographers, they might say that this is yet another reflexion of Britney in the American landscape. Are the New York women just so far ahead in their post feminist battle that they could care less what old school feminists think? You are more than welcome to post your own perspective below, as I am sure I am not the only one that would like to know the status of feminism these day.

Beginning in January, average NYC women will be transformed in to costume-clad, hair-pulling, trash-talking, body-slamming feminist fighters, as they face off at Amateur Female Jello Wrestling, live at Arlene's Grocery, with musical guests: energy-filled female-fronted power-pop band The Domestics; cinematic, elegiac and memorable alt-rock trio herMajesty; and Jello's resident cover lover DJ Xerox. 

Lighting designer Dana Sterling has been producing monthly Amateur Female Jello Wrestling parties since 2003 at various downtown bars
(currently in residence at Arlene's Grocery).  Sterling and her team consider themselves to be a feminist fight club: a place for women to
have fun in a positive way with other women by tossing, grappling and laughing with each other in a kiddie pool filled with Jello. Before the party, a professional wrestling instructor teaches the ladies WWF-style wrestling moves and safety.  The matches are a mixture of choreographed
fighting and real wrestling moves, and the overall tone of the evening is sports-satire: silly but athletic and sexy.  The competition is won
when a wrestler successfully pins each of her opponents in a series of one-on-one elimination-style no-holds-bar matches.  The event is
equally challenging for the musical guests, who perform the live rock n' roll score to the action in the ring.

"Think the days of female empowerment through mortal combat were over? Think again--as this tongue-in-cheek sporting event brings ready-made deserts back to the ring where they belong." - Time Out New York

 
"Sterling has successfully created a space that gives women permission to forget the hassle of deflecting criticism for their bodies' inadequacies and regress to a time when they felt comfortable being ridiculous. All it took was a creative impulse and the help from a little gelatin." - New York Press

"After the match all the girls felt exhausted, but empowered (like the feeling you get when you watch the 'Charlie's Angel's' movie- watching fabulous females fighting evil and kicking some badguy ass.) Really makes ya wanna be a Rockstar Fighter Chick and change the world!" – Uncoolkids.com

 

Why Istanbul?

Back in the days, the center of the universe was not New York City.

It was called Miklagaard in the ancient Scandinavian language spoken by the vikings which was the most well travelled bunch of clubbers, crossing many oceans and distances to party like it was 1999. Their seeds have been spread along the coasts of northern Europe, only to reach the final destination in Constantinople, where they would chill with the sultan and enjoy his many harems, interesting food and welcoming attitudes. (Since this post was written in 2007, the Vikings have been made into a TV series, where this story is mashed up into a couple of episodes. And of course the movie "Thor" came out)

Actually the vikings where making plans to take over the great city, but instead figured out that it would be smoother to work for the sultan as his personal bodyguards. In the Ottoman Empire they did not have too many people of that size and neither did they have too much blond hair and blue eyes.

Later on in 16th century, the Swedish King Karl the 12th lost to the Russians at the battle of Poltava. He fled with his closest friends and was hosted by the Sultan that once again wanted to be involved with those friendly Scandinavians that already had made an imprint on the city. Actually an imprint to the extent that if you go up into the top balcony of Hagia Sophia, you will see some rather old school tags made by an early rune tagger named Halvdan (trans. half Danish).

Istanbul has been around a couple of thousand years before New York, and if you ever felt that New York had a strong energy of the instant feedback of what every action you take has on your life; Istanbul does too. One can cut the energy right out of the air with a shawarma knife, if one pleases.

Istanbul Underground, is best experienced in the Cisterns under the Old part of the city, where at one point all the water for the city was stored. This to make sure there was still water if the city was under attack and surrounded. This amazing place, was also featured in Dan Brown's book "Inferno".

So, if you want something different and had your overdose of London, Berlin, Barcelona and New York; Istanbul is the only answer. But hold on. What about all those dangerous Muslims with backpacks full of bombs? Well, if you think this to begin with, you should stop reading now, and go have a burger.

How is it to be young and creative in Istanbul?
Well, if you ask Ali M Demirel who spends most of his time travelling around the world with Plastikman, aka Richie Hawtin doing his visuals..he might say it is hard for him to find a job where any of the people there understands what he is doing, or can find a way to give him a job he is qualified to do.



Above a Video Trilogy by Ali M Demirel for the music 

Actually, over qualification is a common problem for young academics.
One of the reasons they become over educated is that, as long as you are in school, you can stay out of the army. 18 months of army duty is obligatory for all men in Turkey. This amount of time can--other than being a problem if you have a job with a career going for you--be a rather traumatising time in a young mans life. However, this also creates a very aware youth that lives for the moment. They have dealt with terrorism and wars since they were born. This also creates a strong underground, both in the music and art scene.

Kutay Altinoz recently started the live music club Dogzstar together with his younger bother Kutay, after spending many years in the streets of London. He is one of the many Istanbul natives who after 2001 returned to the city to share their knowledge and education after escaping the city in the harsh 90's. Since 2005, Istanbul can be compared to any metropolis relevant for the worlds cutting edge cosmopolitans, artists, slackers and world explorers.