Ask after budget NYC lodgings in summer, and people will either laugh or pat you on the head condescendingly. But they do exist—finally. The Jane’s new closet-sized hotel rooms start at $99 a night even in high season—and if you’ve ever slept in a dorm or a Japanese hotel, you can deal with the squeeze.
Peas and carrots. Scratching and sampling. DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. Some things just belong together…including the above-mentioned turntablists, who are a must-see for any electronic or hip-hop fan. Their latest collaboration is The Hard Sell, a live show that’s spawned a couple CD releases and visited countless cities in its six-month tour run. Since all good things must end, Hard Sell is wrapping in July, with seven scheduled dates and a July 27th finale at the Pemberton Festival in BC. Check djshadow.com for details.
Support local chefs, severs, and your own right to dine out for a palatable price, at summer’s various restaurant weeks. Baltimore Restaurant Week offers 3 courses for $30.08 at 80 participating restaurants July 26-August 3. Boston Restaurant Week is actually two weeks, August 10-15 and 17-22—skipping over Saturday August 16th. Though it isn’t a city per se, South Coast Plaza in Southern California has more gourmet restaurants than a mid-sized town, most of which participate in its “Summer Dinners” program July 25-Aug 3rd. Charlie Palmer, Marche Moderne and a score of others offer 4-course dinners for $40 ( 5-5:30PM seatings only).
San Francisco’s Personality Hotels facilitate sin but give the nod to savvy with their Sexy or Safe Stimulus hotel package. “Sexy” comes with a basket of red cherries, some silly/fun boudoir accessories and Godiva chocolates. “Safe” gets you a $25 gas card, complimentary parking and a one-year subscription to Money Mag. (Don’t hate yourself if this one sounds more appealing…it’s a sign of the times.) Packages available at all Personality Hotels through August 31; rates start at $179 per night.
The annual Village Voice-presented Siren Music Festival is lining up East Coast buzz bands galore for its 2008 show, which takes place July 19 from noon-9PM on Coney Island. Thus far, Steven Malkmus and the Jicks, Broken Social Scene, Helio Sequence and The Dodos are just a few of the bands on the bill. The event draws more than 100,000 people. All ages, free admission.
Mixed martial arts and heavy metal = the ultimate aggro combination. And it’s descending upon Anaheim Stadium on July 19. MMA event Affliction Banned just announced a special performance by metal legends Megadeth. The Trump-affiliated pay-per-view event matches former PRIDE heavyweight champ Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko up against former UFC heavyweight title holder Tim “The Maine-iac” Silva. With four fights on the undercard, Affliction is touting itself as the greatest one-night MMA lineup ever. UFC fans might disagree…however, admittedly, Megadeth adds something to the mix.
Let other hotels hop on the high-tech bandwagon; the W is going cultural. One of the original “design” hotel brands, theW is now championing musical innovation as well as visual, with a series of intimate showcases featuring breakout artists from the Sony/BMG label. Dubbed “Wonderlust,” the series kicked off with Natasha Bedingfield at the W in Union Square, and will continue through the summer. Hotel guests are the only ones to enjoy the live in-person performances, but photog Mick Rock and promoter Live Nation will ensure that photos and videos of each show live online somewhere for posterity.
Another summer, another summertime cocktail—and for ’08 we’re recommending the Caipirinha, a Brazilian import made with Cachaca liquor and ingredients easily found in your corner store. Check out the recipe below, and let the muddling commence:
* 2 oz. Cabana Cachaça
* 1 tbsp granulated sugar (or Splenda)
* 1 lime, quartered
* Splash of club soda
Muddle fresh lime wedges with sugar (or Splenda, for dieters). Once the lime and sugar are muddled, add ice and Cabana Cachaça. Shake, and top up the cocktail with a spritz of club soda.
Southern Comfort is getting more into the musical tastemaker role every year, and we like it. In 2008, the SoCo Music Experience, their ever-evolving summertime festival tour, includes an eclectic and seriously talented roster of musicians including Gnarls Barkley (headlining the Denver show on June 28), Texican rocker group Kinky (appearing in San Diego Aug. 23) and the Roots (headlining in Madison, Sept. 6). Full lineup for Saratoga (Sept 13) and Phoenix/Tempe (Oct 18) are still TBA; stay tuned for details.
Discount fever increases every week, particularly in those places for which summer is the low season. Our picks of this week’s offers: Casa Dorada Los Cabos is offering 30% off. In the California desert, Hyatt Grand Championship has cut their rates down to $99 per night for mid-week stays through August 31. And in the Caribbean, new luxury resort Nikki Beach is offering 50% off room rates or an additional night free with a three-night stay (promo code ADDNIKKI). This is through August 31, which is the Caribbean’s low season.