American Apparel is a company that prides itself on trashy innovative ways to promote their clothing. This time they're using a tried and true method: free shiz.

In the true spirit of innovation, I have compiled a list that covers several possible things you can do involving a complimentary undergarment.

Things to do with a free American Apparel thong:

• Ball it up and use it to plug up some kind of leaking hole
• A makeshift slingshot (in case you need to ward off any enemies)
• If you're injured and bleeding to death, use it to tie up your wound and stop the bleeding
• Tie up the straps into a nifty little bow and attach to a headband, a la Gossip Girl
• If you can't think of a Halloween costume, put it over your head as a mask and add a cape (minimal I know, but it'll do)
• Put it around your neck as a necklace and if people ask, tell them it's a hot new trend
• Three words: instant hair scrunchie

If this list isn't satisfying enough, make your own list after spending a few days with your own free American Apparel thong by first clicking here, then signing up for the newsletter and waiting a few weeks. Fabulous.

--Samantha Chin, NYCRD contributor

This event is sponsored by Gosling's Rum, so there will be complimentary Dark and Stormys (ginger beer + rum) for all guests! Make sure you RSVP.

powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street (corner of Water & Main St.)
DUMBO, Brooklyn

RSVP: rsvp@powerHouseArena.com

Where is the world going? Are things getting quantitatively worse? As part of New York Book Week, three prominent, young novelists and intellectuals will conceptualize their idiosyncratic visions for the potentially dark coming years. Drinks will be served.

About the participants:

Gary Shteyngart's novels include The Russian Debutante’s Handbook and Absurdistan. His other writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Slate, Granta, Travel and Leisure, and The New York Times. His new book, Super Sad True Love Story will be released this summer by Random House, and is set in the near future in a dystopic New York City.

Rivka Galchen's debut book Atmospheric Disturbances was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in June 2008. The book was selected as one of The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2008, a Salon.com Top Ten Book of the Year, and a Slate Best Book of the Year. Galchen was a finalist for The New York Public Library's 2009 Young Lions Fiction Award and the 2008 Mercantile Library Center for Fiction's John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Believer, Scientific American, Zoetrope, BOMB, Open City, and The New York Times. She is at work on her next novel, The Nature of Theater in Oklahoma.

Cory Doctorow is a Canadian blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. He is an activist in favor of liberalizing copyright laws and a proponent of the Creative Commons organization, using some of their licenses for his books. Some common themes of his work include digital rights management, file sharing, leftist politics, and post scarcity economics. He is the author of many books, including Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Makers, and most recently, For the Win.

Ben Greenman is an editor at The New Yorker and the author of several acclaimed books of fiction, including Superbad, Please Step Back, and the forthcoming What He's Poised To Do. His fiction, essays, and journalism have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Paris Review, Zoetrope: All Story, McSweeney's, and Opium, and he has been widely anthologized.



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Feeling in need of a little relaxation and indulgence? With the nice weather out, it's hard to decide to spend your money somewhere other than a rooftop bar, but with today's deal from Bloomspot, you will be loving yourself for the whole season.


The midtown posh establishment known as Townhouse Spa will be your home away from home this summer as you get scrubbed, rubbed and polished through September 1 for half the price. Through the collective buying site, you can procure a $150 gift certificate for only $75 and there's no limit to how many you can call your own. This would make a great gift as well!

Coupons are only for sale today, so grab one or four before you kick yourself tomorrow.

Click here to get your certificates!

--Yael Maxwell, NYCRD contributor

You love ice cream. It's practically summer. This should be a no-brainer.

The Gourmet Latino Festival is coming to NYC for the very first time from June 4-12th for eight days of cuisine and culture. There’s something for everyone, from seminars with over 40 of the very best Latin chefs to special wine dinners, to an exclusive restaurant week at 16 of NYC’s finest Latin restaurants.

Ticket prices per seminar begin at $35, but there are also special all day events which will be like an orgy of delicious food and wine!

NYCRD special picks:

-- “Start your Sunday Morning with Coffee and Cacao”
-- “The Empanadas and Wines of Latin America, from Baja to Patagonia”
-- Nighttime Feast Event "Live the spirit of Carnival at La Gran Plaza"
-- Daytime Feast Event "Spend a day at La Gran Plaza"
-- Levantamuertos Foods & Cocktails (special brunch event)

My favorite part of the festival is definitely the Authentic Dining Week. From June 8-12th, 16 restaurants in NY and New Jersey will each have their own special dishes that reflect their chef’s creativity and Latin country of origin.

Also fabulous to note is that yhe Gourmet Latino Festival will be eco-friendly and has partnered with Greenmarket (a GrowNYC program), the Fair Trade Federation, and the Rainforest Alliance to bring products of the very best quality to farmers.

The restaurants on the list are top rated, the chefs and experts are familiar names (including the new Iron Chef), and the festival is eco-friendly and will benefit deserving farmers - it sounds like the Gourmet Latino festival will be here to stay.

For a calendar of events, descriptions, more information and to buy tickets and make reservations, visit www.gourmetlatinofestival.com. All tickets are purchased through Brown Paper Tickets.

--Samantha Chin, NYCRD contributor

Hungry Filmmakers: preview a collection of films tonight!

At the after-party there will be Lagunitas beer, T. Edwards wines and Stogo vegan ice cream - all foods and drinks that support a sustainable future.



Description:
Hungry Filmmakers aims to showcase the work of filmmakers who are dedicated to furthering sustainable food dialogue in a social, friendly environment that allows for deeper discussion. Offering viewers a sampling rather than a full screening of each, the program includes ten-minute excerpts of each of the featured films.

Hungry Filmmakers is hosted by Shelley Rogers, Cathy Erway, Jimmys No. 43 and Tim Lynch. Proceeds will be donated to the nonprofit organization Just Food, which works to promote access of fresh, seasonal, sustainable grown food for all New York City residents.

NOTE: No one under 21 years old will be admitted.

Anthology Film Archives
32 Second ave at East 2nd street
East Village

Online sales are usually available at Brown Paper Tickets, but since this event is tonight, please contact Jimmy Carbone, 212-982-3006, foodkarma@gmail.com for information. $15 for entry.


This is a continuing series and I realize this post is quite last minute, so for the upcoming events I'll post about this with more time to spare.

Would you like two tickets to sideBAR's SOLD OUT new Mixology 101 class on Tuesday, May 25th at 7PM?

This is fantastic - thanks to Hiptix, we can all sign up for a free 2-year Time Out NY subscription!

Don't waste time: Click here to sign up.

It is with great pleasure that I announce I have caught the condition known as Meze Madness. What is meze, you may ask, and how can you too, be mad over it? Meze is the Eastern European term for small plate dishes (tapas, your reign is over) and Midtown's Pera restaurant is letting you catch the East Euro fever for an appealing price.

Upon entering Pera, a beautiful space that instantly warms your heart and stomach with it's golden brown and yellow hues, we were greeted by their PR rep, Shelley Clark, who was casually sipping her white wine whilst saving us two seats at the marvelous communal table in the center of the bustling restaurant. The long, finished wooden table was full of people who were uncharacteristically not afraid to be in the middle of the action, elbow to elbow with strangers. Despite the large space, Pera feels safe and intimate. You revel in the opportunity to be close to your neighbors as opposed to scoffing at it.

After Shelley gave us the rundown of the Meze Madness menu, we made our choices. For $9, you may choose three small (very small, but a nice post-work portion to pair with drinks) plates and are also given a basket of some of the most pleasant complimentary bread you could hope for; house baked bread that breaks open into little pockets, engineered to make it easy to stuff with kasserie cheese. With the Meze deal you also receive $5 off your first glass of wine (normally $9) or cocktail ($14).


But now to the cocktails! Per recommendation, we tried:
Blood orange gimlet: Tanqueray Rangpur Gin, fresh blood orange puree and lime juice
Apricot margarita: Don Julio Blanco Tequila, apricot puree, agave nectar and lime juice
Raki Mojito: Raki, muddled mint, lime, splash of sprite and cherry juice
303 Madison: Belvedere pink grapefruit, elderflower, aperol, muddled orange and lime juice

The first two were sweet and the last two had a bit of a kick. Raki is a Turkish liquor that does not mess around, everyone needs to experience it. All were fantastic...and so pretty! Meze Madness is the perfect guilt free (for your wallet and waistline) excuse for after work drinks and apps and we highly recommend that everyone stops by to see what Eastern Europe is all about. You might even consider booking that vacation to Turkey you never dreamed of!

--Nora Devin, NYCRD contributor

Social Life Magazine is having their Hamptons launch party this week. Maybe I'll see you there?

Social Life Magazine Hamptons Launch Party
May 26, 2010
6-9pm
Covet
137 E 55th street
RSVP

If you've never tried PopChips, you've never experienced the blissful feeling of a mouthful of flavor associated with a healthy amount of calories.

Spread the news! Style Me Cheaply reports that tomorrrow OLD NAVY is have a sale: $1 flip flops!

Stock up!

Giant Step, a music and lifestyle-based marketing company is my new best friend. After attending the stellar Nas and Damien Marley CD release show on Monday night, which I won tickets to thanks to following @giantstep on Twitter, they hosted the official album release party for Janelle Monae's The ArchAndroid, which hit stores the same day, last night.

[Janelle singing at the event.]

After braving the line for nearly 2 hours in the rain in a tuxedo-inspired outfit, watching cold and wet fans one by one fall victim to the weather and the excessive wait, it was well worth every second of waiting outside. But as Monae says in her hit song "Tightrope," you can rock or you can leave!

The house was packed with tux-ed out fans ready to dance or die. Although I would have rather bought tickets to this event and not waited in that line, it was cool to celebrate Ms. Monae's special "Imagination Day," and for those who aren't as familiar with her music, to get a taste of it for free.

But it didn't end when Janelle was done performing: the party raged on with a dance party, which involved dance offs, the electric slide, and of course, the tightrope dance.

[Katherine with a Janelle cutout. Dance!]

So check out Giant Step on their website at http://www.giantstep.net/ for more cool future events. Also feel free to follow me on Twitter at @Kweenofleon.

--Katherine Epstein, NYCRD music contributor

Click here to buy Janelle's album:

Check out Janelle's latest single:

I just love the NYCRD resident lawyer, Melody. She tells it like it is. I present to you, Melody's view on what's going on in NYC, straight from Gchat:

Melody: Why is the cute boozer/lawyer/writer having a launch party TODAY and in Brooklyn??? Grrr! But maybe you can do an update to NYRD if you don't have this listed for the Brooklyn-bound. Geez he's cute!!! http://www.powerhousearena.com/newsletters/100519/
*I got the notice on this awhile back, but forgot to post! Melody, thanks for the reminder! and oh my, he is quite cute...

Melody: Oh, and Part 2...Vevue Clicquot's Polo Classic is at Governors Island on June 27th. VIP tickets are $250+ a pop, but the hoi polloi can sit in the bleachers for free, and try to party crash! http://experience.veuve-clicquot.com/us/polo/
*If anyone does this, send me pics!

Melody: Part 3: if one wants to hit up more free events @ GI from the "insider" side. They have a volunteer orientation on May 25. http://www.govisland.com/Get_Involved/default.asp#volunteer
*Volunteering is good for the soul. And if you do it on Governors Island, you can get a tan.

During Summer it gets hot (and heavy) in the city. Get ready for bikini lines and good times by starting fresh with a wax - and then having another in your back pocket for later.

Thanks to Living Social, you can get two brazilian bikini waxes (or $98 worth of other waxing services) for just $40 at Red and White Spa!

Ladies - that's just $20 per Brazilian. Almost unheard of.

Click here to purchase the deal!

Red and White Spa
484 Broome Street
New York, NY 10013
212-343-9444

Right now at Victoria's Secret Facebook page, like their page and download a Limited Edition Panty printable coupon (ARV $10.50), which you can redeem with any purchase while supplies last.

Sweet, delicious deal! Through the month of May, Pera Mediterranean Brasserie is throwing May Meze Madness which offers a choice of three meze from a menu of 12 of Pera’s most popular small plate/appetizers for only $9 from 3:30 to closing.

In addition to $9 for three dishses, they serve complimentary house baked bread and kasserie cheese.

If you'd like to add some buzz, you can enjoy your first cocktail or glass of wine for $5 off ($9, usually $14). Pera has 22 wines by the glass and six specialty cocktails, such as the Blood Orange Gimlet or Raki Mojito.

Between 3:30 and 5:30 and after 9:30, diners may enjoy the meze at tables, but during busy times the deal is only offered at their bar and lounge.



Pera Mediterranean Brasserie
303 Madison Avenue, between 41st and 42nd Streets
212-868-6301

Meze Choices:
Mediterranean mixed pickles
feta-stuffed dates
fried artichoke hearts
Mediterranean olives
hand-rolled grape leaves
crispy phyllo rolls
warm hummus with lavash chips
roasted whipped eggplant
mosaic salad
Pera-style tomato and onion
soujouk lollipops
Mediterranean meatballs

For those of you who wonder just how delicious their meze tastes, NYCRD writer Nora Devin will be visiting Pera Mediterranean Brasserie and will have a full account of her experience. Stay tuned!

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Tasting Table has orchestrated a lovely deal for their Brooklyn readers, and those who venture into Brooklyn:

From May 18 to May 23, Tasting Table readers can discover for themselves by trying the "Taste of Bark," a share-friendly feast featuring the restaurant's best offerings ($22).
This special tasting menu includes one classic hot dog, one Bark burger and a lineup of sides, which include sweet-pepper relish, baked beans, coleslaw, salt-and-pepper fries and onion rings. Plus, the spread comes paired with two pints of Bark Red Ale (custom-brewed for Bark by Six Point Craft Ales).

Bark Hot Dogs
474 Bergen St. at Flatbush Ave.
Brooklyn
718-789-1939

The Downtown Diaries has passed on the info below about It's Just Sex, a one-night only art show featuring an open bar, sushi, and chocolate plus surprise live performances. You'll also be able to bid in a silent auction of one of the paintings.

RSVP details below: see you there, ladies and gents!

NEVER MISS A THING!
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The website 1iota is an awesome website to get tickets to free events. Although most of their events are in LA, lately the website has been posting some killer events in the city. In the last month, I got front row seats to a taping of CBS’s The Marriage Ref, which had guests Jerry Seinfeld and Gwyneth Paltrow, and attended the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall.

But now with free summer concerts in full swing, you can get tickets to the CBS Early Morning Show tapings. Right now, tickets are available for the Backstreet Boys on May 24, Ben Harper on June 2 and Christina Aguilera on June 9. Although the dates tickets haven’t been released on the site, future performances from Alicia Keys, Rihanna and Katy Perry are listed.

It is recommended that even if you get confirmed tickets from 1iota.com to get there early. It’s always better to wait in line than not get in! Remember, you aren’t paying for it, so what do you have to lose. But at least the CBS Early Morning Show goes through 1iota; it's so much better than waiting in line at 4am for the Today Show concerts.

Get tickets at http://www.1iota.com/. I’ll see you at Ben Harper!

--Katherine Epstein, NYCRD contributor

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Inside the romantic, dimly lit Yerba Buena Perry we found two full service wine bars pouring wine for scores of thirsty party goers. We were able to choose from quite the variety of wines, so I tasted a handful of different reds and whites. Samples from Yerba Buena Perry's delicious menu were endless as they were not only sitting on the bar, but were being passed around the room. Guests were encouraged to pass the trays from group to group, which created quite the communal experience.

[Salmon sandwich attack!]

At the event we saw a few familiar faces, including GoaG photographer Sunny Norton and then later Random Night Out photographer Nick McGlynn. Laura, Nick and I chatted for a little while about Nick's new boat, the Seaward. (If you see him, ask him about it. And then check his tumblr for random invites to take it out for a spin.)

[Me, Nick and Laura posing for our other favorite GoaG photographer, Sunny Norton.]

I'm thrilled to have been invited to this launch party because Rioja Restaurant Week actually started last year and unfortunately fell under my radar. No more!

I'm proud to tell you that during this special two week event, New Yorkers are invited to explore wines from the iconic Rioja region as part of a wine lunch ($25) or wine dinner ($35) menu. (This is competitive with normal Restaurant Week prices, which never include wine with your meal. Of course, the two weeks aren't truly in competition since they aren't at the same time..)

To take advantage of this delicious deal, diners just need to tell their waiter/waitress they would like the Rioja Restaurant Week menu.

[Party, wine, dine]

Click here for the participating restaurant's lunch or dinner offerings. Guests are reminded that reservations may be required at some establishments.

Participating restaurants in New York include:
Agua Dulce
Bar Celona
Braeburn
Carniceria AD
David Burke Townhouse
Devi
Fishtail by David Burke
Kittichai
Klee Brasserie
La Fonda del Sol
Las Ramblas
Lizarran
Macondo
Mercat
Mercat Negre
Recette
Riingo
Socarrat Bar de Vinos
Socarrat Paella Bar
The Oak Room
The Original Delmonico's Restaurant
Tia Pol
Txikito
Yerba Buena
Yerba Buena Perry

For a complete, interactive list of participating venues, including neighborhood maps and more, visit: http://riojarestaurantweek.com/

Every two years the Whitney Museum on the Upper East Side displays a collection of what they consider the best in the world of contemporary art, called the Biennial. Described by some as the “Oscars of the art world,” this year the 75th edition is titled, quite simply, “2010.”

We think the coolest part about the Biennial is how the museum will be open day AND night for three days straight. Talk about a kick-ass 75th birthday party.


Beginning on May 26th at midnight all the way through May 28th at 11:59 pm, the Whitney Biennial will be open to the public. The idea of keeping the Whitney open is courtesy of artist Michael Asher, who originally proposed the museum be open continuously day and night for a week.


There are free daily tours of the Biennial daily with museum admission as well as performances on certain days.

For a full schedule of Biennial 2010 events, visit http://whitney.org/

General admission for the Whitney: $18
19-25, 62 and over and full-time students: $12
Members and those aged 18 and under: free
On Fridays admission is pay-what-you-wish (Katharine's note: May 28, last night of the special event, is a Friday. I recommend everyone go at 3 am after you're done with your parties and appearances for the night...)

The Whitney's Biennial 2010 is open until May 30th and is something not to be missed.

I admit I've been dying to visit more museums, and with the Biennial I now have the perfect reason to head out and while I'm there, I'll have all the time I need.

--Samantha Chin, NYCRD contributor

Oh my god... I really need this. Introducing the Haier HLP21N Pulsator 1-Cubic-Foot Portable Washer:

Last minute late night party, free signature cocktails from 10-11pm.

Debonair Magazine hosts a party celebrating a night of publishing, film and fashion. You are invited, Thursday, May 13, 2010 to The Gates.



The event honors the launch of the highly anticipated online retailer Envite, the premiere of the award-winning darkcomedy The Living Wake, as well as the re-launch of Debonairmag.com.

Debonair Magazine, the men's fashion, lifestyle and culture publication,offers debonairmag.com - for those who aspire to be sophisticated in nature and polished in manner. With a unique angle on content, featuring lifestyle tips regardless of budget, Debonair positions itself to be a comprehensive resource for men.

Envite.com, the "Envitation only" e-commerce website, is a unique members-only shopping experience for exclusive high-end fashion, offering 55 to 80 percent off typical retail pricing.

Fashion items will be available for sale on time based events lasting 24 to 48 hours and are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. With on-hand merchandise and key strategic partners, Envite.com will be able to ship merchandise within 24hours.

The Living Wake premiers in theaters May 14th, 2010. Directed byaward-winning director Sol Tryon (Heineken Red Star Award - CinevegasInternation Film Festival) and starring award-winning actor Jesse Eisenberg (Rising Star Award - Vail Film Festival), this dark comedy has won for its comedic vision (Austin Film Festival), as well asawarded Best Film (Big Apple Film Festival) and the audience award (Woodstock Film Festival).

Music by: THE TREBLE BOYS (Brandon Trentham & Roger Crandall)

To RSVP please click the link: http://www.thegatesnyc.com/ambassador/rsvp.asp?proid=1009

THE GATES
290 8th Ave. bet. 24th & 25th St
New York, NY 10001
212.206.8646
http://www.thegatesnyc.com/