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Ready New York
Did you know that hurricanes can impact NYC? Tis the season, so be prepared with the evacuation zone finder and see important instructions in the case of an emergency.
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Posted by AB on 9/22/2006 | 0 comments
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Coming to Off-Broadway!
We're excited that How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes is finally coming off-Broadway, thanks to April and her consulting on the script. Get a special discount to one of the first performances of this fun musical!
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Posted by AB on 9/22/2006 | 0 comments
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Artery 06
Kaiti offers a few good photos from this year's Artery at The 411 NYC.
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Posted by AB on 9/18/2006 | 0 comments
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Being Buster
A short interview with Tony Hale looks back at his hit series, Arrested Development. Of course, we're just looking forward to what's coming next...
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Posted by AB on 9/18/2006 | 0 comments
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Improve Your Improv
Megan is holding free improv classes at Gotham this fall. Build confidence, improve spontaneity, create characters on the spot, and have fun! And if you really like it, sign on for a full ten-week course!
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Posted by AB on 9/18/2006 | 0 comments
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Bob to Bob
Like Bob Dylan? Then this is the contest for you. It's the six degrees game, but with music.
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Posted by AB on 9/18/2006 | 0 comments
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Journaling
Check out this journal from Toronto... filled with exquisite details and carefully arranged graphics.
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Posted by AB on 9/18/2006 | 0 comments
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Nine To Five
This is the first in a series of articles appearing in a new publication on the Haven website later this fall. Each article features the insight, advice, and storytelling of Haven artists.
This week: improv comedian and aspiring t-shirt designer Cory Cavin doesn't let the man get him down (most of the time, anyway).
 Recently, I wrote a friend in an email, "Until I can get paid to snowboard and sit in hot tubs, I don't think I'll be satisfied with any job." Since that day I've been scanning Craigslist and I haven't found any of those jobs yet. I'm assuming they're just out of season at this point. I'll pick up my search next spring.
For now, job satisfaction is my nemesis in this city, mainly because it remains both cryptic and elusive. I moved to New York with a nice chunk of savings and a few freelance clients back home-my plan was to survive off the mixture of capital and work. However, New York is an expensive place, and soon my wallet was stripped like a poor unassuming teen model in an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog.
So I trudged out like any other young artist seeking to pay the bills and made my way to the temp agency. In all honesty I found excitement in this new venture. I have always wanted to live in New York City and have had this Wall Street fantasy of getting up early, putting on a suit, and riding the train, packed in with all my fellow suit-clad, work-hungry companions on our way to grab the world by the tail. Smells of strong morning coffee, the leather on my wingtips, and the tantalizing aroma of fast paced, high-powered success all danced in my inner senses. Oh, to join the hustle and the bustle!!
This fantasy quickly faded in the middle of the Microsoft Excel proficiency test at the temp agency. It was just a fantasy, and I would like to receive money for doing something within my field, from something that gives me life. And Bill Gates, you're a smart man, but Microsoft Office suite is not particularly life giving. At least, not to me.
Still, I have spent time in the trenches of The Man, filing his papers, tweaking his spreadsheets, and drinking lots and lots of his free bottom-of-the-barrel break room coffee. Out of rebellion, of course. And then I got the caffeine shakes, and he won again. This experience has proven difficult, for as much as I wish I could be the 'crazy' office guy that's a loveable loose cannon and is chasing the world with his art outside of the office, this environment depresses me. And depression is not funny. So then people respond with, "Oh - you perform? Wow you're so quiet around the office . . . and you're shaking. How much coffee have you had?"
It's been helpful to have things going on outside of work. I think it's easy to get tied down in a job that is meant to pay the bills and never get to pursue your particular art. I set ultimatums for myself- I will not buy any more ties for this job wardrobe. I have my 5 -that's it. If office style is important to you, I suggest different ultimatums, such as staying away from the coffee.
Persistence is important, and whatever you're trying to build here, it's key to remember that these things come with time. And in that time, you need a few things that Maslow reminded us of in his hierarchy of needs- namely food and shelter. And Maslow isn't just gonna mail those to you. Especially because I think he's dead.
It hasn't gotten a ton easier to get up every day and go sit in an office and do seemingly meaningless things. But it is nicer now that time has passed, and some things have taken shape. I am able to pursue what I came here for and I'm able to relate to others that are in the same state as me. I find encouragement from others to not focus solely on the job and the tangible, but to work towards what I feel I came here for, what gives me life. The job has provided stability within which to do that. And if anything else, I can get comedic material from the job- I once had a co-worker stand six inches from me and jokingly poke me over and over while repeating, "I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you." You can't write that stuff! That never would have happened if I were independently wealthy and didn't have to work- unless it was one of my servants. And then I would fire that guy on the spot.
 Cory Cavin is a comedian/actor/improviser living in New York and attendee of The Haven. You can see him perform with his improv group, Chantico Warfare. He also has a blog- which you could be reading right now.
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Posted by AB on 9/18/2006 | 0 comments
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Great Escapes
This is the third in a series of articles appearing in a new publication on the Haven website later this fall. Each article features the insight, advice, and storytelling of Haven artists. Missed an article? Check it out in the archives!
This Week: with fall in full swing, Millay Vann shares her favorite ways to ditch the city for the day.
 Americans call it fall, my people (Brits) say autumn—either way you say it, change is upon us here in New York and with it comes all the magic and excitement of nature's shifting colours, warm sweaters, and the prospect of enjoying the city in a whole new way: by getting out of it.
Like many of the residents of the five boroughs, I was raised in a place much smaller and with much less concrete than New York, where the only apples around were the ones we liberated from the farmer's orchard down the lane. A country girl at heart, I often get the urge to escape to greener pastures. I knew it was getting to that time again when I found myself admiring how the evening light caught the steam pouring out of the power station at the end of my street. . .
If the concrete all gets a bit much for you at this time of year and you want something with a little more adrenaline or aesthetic than Central Park, here are some affordable and accessible ways to decompress and experience something a little different.
Roosevelt Island
Let's start small. For those of you who, like many Manhattanites, are too busy, too poor and too scared to contemplate anything too far from home, this still-secret gem is rich in history and easy on the wallet. For the mere cost of a Metrocard, you can not only experience the heady thrill of seeing if the newly re-opened Roosevelt Island cable car works, but you get to admire the NYC skyline from across the water. A great way to spend a few hours away from the noise of the city, the island boasts a lighthouse on both the north and the south ends, open grassy areas perfect for a ball game or picnic, and the derelict Renwick Ruins, an old small pox quarantine hospital with all the charm of a haunted house.
Wave Hill
An amazing 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson, this little-known escape is the perfect way to feel as if you are out of the city without having to actually go on holiday. You can take the Metro North to Riverdale, or check wavehill.org for detailed subway/bus directions from your neighborhood. Stroll through the woods, admire the gardens and greenhouses, and take in the art (current exhibitions include Please, Please, Pleased to Meet'Cha and Transplant - Transculture). . .
Apple Orchards
Looking further afield, no autumn would be complete without some good old fashioned apple and pumpkin picking—call your mum up for her best recipe and then check out pickyourown.org for a complete listing of the nearest pick-your-own farms! Getting to a lot of these will require hiring a car; if you do so you may as well go the whole way and release your inner child by visiting a corn maze (listed on the same website). On your way home, roll down the window, turn up the radio, and take in the crisp fall air as you drive.
Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park
Craving a little more adventure? Picture this scene: just last month I swam in the tepid waters of a perfect lake on a camping trip I took with my roommate. For only $12 and less than an hour train ride, there are a couple of prime hiking (and camping) spots that are perfect for seeing the leaves change. Harriman State Park, for one, has great trails, mountains and lakes to explore. Grab a map from your nearest EMS, and hop on the NJ Transit from Hoboken to Tuxedo. A path to the trail head starts about 20 yards south along the track at a break in the hedge.
Breakneck Ridge
Located in Hudson Highlands State Park, this is another great spot to exercise those calf muscles and soak up the scenery. About an hour up the Hudson River Valley, Breakneck makes for a truly breathtaking day trip (for the views and the climb)! Grab a friend, hop on a Hudson Line train at Grand Central and get off at Breakneck Ridge—the trains will drop you right by the trailhead, just follow the above link for directions. Both Bear Mountain and Breakneck Ridge have a variety of trails that are well blazed and vary in length and difficulty, depending on how hardcore you want to be!
Hopefully, some of these suggestions will inspire you to log off of MySpace, throw on a scarf and see autumn in New York from somewhere completely new. Be sure to tell us about your favorite adventures. . .and in the meantime, enjoy!
 Millay Vann is an expat who currently calls New York home. When she's not hiking in places both near and far, she can be found at Haven; keep up with her latest adventures here.
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Posted by AB on 9/18/2006 | 0 comments
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The Reich Stuff
This is second in a series of articles appearing in a new publication on the Haven website later this fall. Each article features the insight, advice, events, and storytelling of Haven artists.
New York City's hallowed halls of music pay tribute to a legendary composer.
by Sarah Baird
This fall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center team up to launch the international celebration of Steve Reich's 70th Birthday with a comprehensive program entitled Reich @ 70. Healthy and prolific, Reich continues to write pieces for groups like the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Pat Metheny. His music (available on Nonesuch Records) is often remixed by artists such as Coldcut and DJ Spooky. Dancers, too, love his music-Reich is one of the most choreographed of all living composers.
 Bridging the gap between contemporary art music and popular music, Reich attracts classical connoisseurs and DJs alike. He changed the concept of the genre in the 1960's by experimenting with phase music, concrete music, and minimalism and put himself on the map in world of contemporary art music with pieces like Piano Phase, a duet for two pianos that requires one pianist to play slightly faster than the other-producing his signature "phasing" effect. Reich also recorded street evangelists and voices from his past, looping them to create harmonic progressions based on the inflection of their voices. This use of organic, everyday sounds like people talking (Come Out) and train whistles (Different Trains) came to be known as "concrete music."
Classified as a minimalist composer, the music is driven by percussion-rhythmically complex, mathematical, and energetic. To check out clips, read his bio, and connect with his fans you can go to visit his Myspace or his website. But if you want to go to a concert hall without feeling like you should have donned a powdered wig, make the most of the Reich @ 70 celebration. Grab some friends, pay for the cheap seats, and enjoy!
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Oct 3, 5-7 at 7:30pm
Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich
Music by Steve Reich
Choreography by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and Akram Khan
Featuring the London Sinfonietta
Carnegie Hall
October 19 at 7:30pm
Steve Reich Young Artists Concert
Music for Pieces of Wood, Triple Quartet , Sextet, City Life
Music by Steve Reich
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
October 28 at 8:00pm
You Are (Variations)
Music by Steve Reich
Featuring the Los Angeles Master Chorale
November 2-4 at 8:00pm
The Cave
A music-theatre video piece by Steve Reich and Beryl Korot
 Sarah works in music publishing and currently resides in the lovely borough of Brooklyn. To read more about her thoughts on life and the city, check out her blog.
Early fall is a great time to get out and explore what the city has to offer. Here are our top picks for the season's artistic pleasures.
Looking Back From Ground Zero: Images from the Brooklyn Museum Collection
Brooklyn Museum of Art
August 30, 2006-January 7, 2007
The Brooklyn Museum marks the five-year anniversary of September 11, 2001, with an exhibition of works from the permanent collection that includes paintings, photographs, prints, and drawings of the Lower Manhattan area around the World Trade Center site before, as well as after, the attack.
Wired Next Festival
September 25-October 1
WIRED's vision of a new world's fair, WIRED NextFest is a four-day festival of innovative products and technologies that are transforming our world. Patterned on the great World's Fairs of the past, this year's NextFest in New York features more than 130 interactive exhibits from leading scientists and researchers around the world. Experience the future of exploration, entertainment, transportation, health, communication, design, security, and green living.
2006 Fall For Dance Festival
City Center
September 28 - October 8
All Tickets $10
The third annual Festival at New York City Center will showcase 30 companies from across the country and around the world; five companies will perform on each night offering four repeated programs and two single programs, which will expand the Festival from six to ten nights.
CMJ Music Marathon 2006
October 31-November 4
At venues all over Manhattan
Expanding to five days, this year's festival will give attendees an additional day to experience the best new artists at hundreds of shows throughout the city, the fall's hottest films at CMJ FilmFest, and dozens of speakers including artists, executives, and pop culture icons at over 100 panel discussions covering all aspects of the music industry. Called "the Sundance of Rock n' Roll" (The Associated Press), CMJ Music Marathon is one of the largest and longest-running music events in the world, drawing tens of thousands of music lovers to NYC each year.
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Posted by AB on 9/18/2006 | 2 comments
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The Best of Summer
My Summer Vacation. Whether lazying about in Costa Rica, tap-dancing across stages in the Midwest, or literally melting onto the sidewalk in NYC, Havenites did all sorts of cool things over the summer.
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Posted by AB on 9/07/2006 | 0 comments
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