The Suite 16

RIP Etta James

January 20, 2012 By Lauretta Leave a Comment

My freshman year in college I went to see Etta James perform live at the Masonic Temple in San Francisco. She was rolled out in a wheelchair. I remember acknowledging that I was about to witness a legend perform and being in awe of the fact that she was still doing what she loved in spite of her waning health. That was over a decade ago. She was a fighter. She had endurance. She was passionate about her work. When you listen to her sing, you can hear all of that. When you listen to her music you want to say, “Sing, Etta. Sing.” You want to hear her fight and struggle against all odds.

Really, a voice like Etta’s can never stop singing and we will never stop listening to it. It’s the stuff of legend and genius.

RIP ETTA JAMES.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Etta James

Where to Eat

January 17, 2012 By Chris Taillie Leave a Comment

I’m a sucker for good year end list (aren’t we all?). I’ve thoroughly waded through many of the music lists and now I’ve got my sights set on…FOOD!

My new years resolution is not to lose weight or eat healthier but to visit as many restaurants as I can on Adam Platt’s Top 101 list and Sam Sifton’s Top 10 new joints of 2011 list. Here’s a slideshow.

The Times’ $25 and Under crew also made their own Top 10 list.

Started the year with the Franks’ Prime Meats, which was amazing and heavily meat-focused. Our spread included roasted marrow bones, lamb stew, sauerkraut with pork belly, beef tongue and sausages (!)…gut-busting, cold weather eatin’ at its finest.

NY Mag's Adam Platt listed his top 101 NYC restaurants to visit

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: adam platt, food, foodie, Frank's Prime Meats, new york times, NY restaurants, Sam Sifton, top restaurants

Best Songs Sung By That Other Band Member

January 11, 2012 By Madelyn Leave a Comment

The L Magazine recently had an article about the greatest songs NOT sung by a band’s lead singer, which included one of my favorites, “Guns of Brixton” by The Clash, sung by bassist (and my one true love) Paul Simonon. You can check out The L’s list here, but it got me thinking about what other songs could be added….

I invariably love any New Pornographers song sung by Dan Bejar, and though the band doesn’t have one strict lead singer, his songs are fewer and farther between. I think my fave is ‘Electric Version’ track “Ballad of a Comeback Kid”:

Quite the opposite, I tend to skip any Arcade Fire song sung by Regine Chassagne, with the exception of total jam “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” on ‘The Suburbs’:

What other songs should be added to the list?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Arcade Fire, Dan Bejar, Electric Version, L magazine, New Pornographers, The Clash

Happy Birthday, Lauretta!

January 10, 2012 By nmaldonado Leave a Comment

Last Friday we finished the week with a grand celebration of my pool partner Lauretta Charlton’s birthday. What made it so grand? Well besides the fact that Lauretta is awesome, which makes her birthday awesome by association, the cupcakes from her choice of The Chocolate Room were practically intoxicating from sweetness, leaving a sugar high to last for hours. Well, maybe not hours but they sure picked up the end of my day! I do believe it was another crowd pleaser. Good choice, Lauretta! Hope you enjoyed one before your karaoke birthday celebration! And I hope you had an excellent birthday!

Happy Birthday, Lauretta!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: birthday, shore fire, The Chocolate Room

If only this was the real NYC subway map

January 9, 2012 By Chris Taillie Leave a Comment

WNYC has been airing a special series this week on NYC subway lines that were planned but never came to fruition, along with abandoned stations and tunnels that were never (or have yet to be) completed. Check out the mythical line that would’ve connected Brooklyn to Staten Island. And the line that would’ve gone from Canal Street to Williamsburg. Let’s not even get started on the 2nd Avenue line. If only!

Here’s a link to the interactive map and go here to see a slide show of FDR’s old train and a number of unfinished/abandoned stations.

current maps of NYC subway system with a number of planned lines that were never executed - courtesy WNYC

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 5 buroughs, MTA, NYC subway, planned lines, public transportation, subway system. WNYC

Auster Extravaganza for Issue Project Room

January 3, 2012 By Marilyn Leave a Comment

Sophie Auster, Marilyn Laverty, Paul Auster, and Karen Auster at Issue Project Room fundraising reception

Interior of Issue Project Room at 110 Livingston Street in Brooklyn, which New York Magazine dubbed "Little Carnegie"

Mary Pat Thornton and Cormac McEnery hosted a wonderful evening of music and literature at their Pierrepont Street home in support of the Issue Project Room, an exquisite performance center at 110 Livingston Street (Brooklyn) that is becoming a hub for creative culture for all of New York. In keeping with Issue Project’s philosophy of presenting groundbreaking work in all the arts for audiences of all ages, the evening featured a reading of unpublished letters by literary icon Paul Auster as well as a musical set by his gorgeous and charming daughter Sophie.

I’m really grateful to my colleague Karen Auster, the dynamic founder of the Auster Agency, for introducing me to the Issue Project Room, which is not only a breathtaking jewel of a space but also a nurturing community that fosters artistic collaboration and experimentation. What a treat it was to meet Paul Auster and receive a signed copy of his novel Sunset Park, which I read on Christmas vacation and found to be irresistible, moving, and quite devastating. Hearing Paul’s daughter Sophie perform was a revelation — she’s got a rich and expressive voice and I look forward to hearing her new EP, “Red Weather”, when it’s released this year. If you want to follow Sophie, you can find her @SophieHAuster.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Tagged With: Art, Auster Agency, brooklyn, Creative NYC, Issue Project Room, NYC, Paul Auster, Sophie Auster, Sunset Park

So this is the New Year

December 30, 2011 By Josh Leave a Comment

So it’s the last (work) day of the year and as everyone hurries about to tie up the loose ends of 2011, I thought it would be nice to share some happy (and not so happy) end-of-year tunage to help you welcome 2012 with open arms. I would share my run-of-the-mill New Year’s resolutions of read more books, go to the gym, volunteer more frequently, etc…but I think music would be much more interesting, so here it goes…

Death Cab for Cutie – “The New Year”

No Doubt – “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”

Motion City Soundtrack – “Resolution”

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 2011, 2012, death cab for cutie, motion city soundtrack, new years, no doubt

Happy Birthday, Caleb and Madelyn!

December 28, 2011 By nmaldonado Leave a Comment

Happy Birthday, Caleb and Madelyn!!!

Monday we celebrated the birthdays of my awesome office neighbor, Caleb Shively and my Shore Fire mentor, Madelyn Frascella. After last week’s sugar-fest holiday potluck, I wasn’t sure if the gang was ready to indulge in Sugar Sweet Sunshine’s tasty treats, but that’s exactly what we did. We had an abundance of pumpkin cupcakes and a huge red velvet cake called “the Moose.” It was definitely a lot of sweets but what better time to enjoy a nice pastry or two than the holiday season? Happy holidays, everyone!

Filed Under: Blog

Happy Birthday, Rebecca!

December 13, 2011 By nmaldonado Leave a Comment

Yesterday we celebrated our fabulous VP, Rebecca Shapiro’s, birthday. Though it was quite a cold day, Rebecca went with a tasty Haagen-Dazs ice cream cake, with a cookies and cream/chocolatey peanut butter mix. Seemed to be quite a crowd-pleaser! Personally, I was thrilled that the ice cream cake wasn’t hard as a rock when we were ready to devour! The art of timing ice cream cake preparation is not an easy one, ask Madelyn! Hope you enjoyed your birthday, Rebecca! And as always, I hope you enjoyed the cake!