S: Is for Sustainability!

It’s estimated that over 100 million tons of textiles are thrown away every year. In steps, Worn Again a company that believes some things are just too good to waste. Worn Again comes out of Anti-Apathy, a registered charity, kicking sustainable lifestyles butts since 2002 and creating stylish and relevant products from recycled materials. From car seat belts, prison blankets, bicycle tires, parachutes, coffee filters, firemen’s uniforms, and now material from the defunked Virgin Airlines. Each decommissioned 747 means 524 spare seats. By repurposing the covers as cool-looking laptop bags and handbags not only are you making a fashion statement but also an environmental one. Not only are the designs bright and vibrant but come with a contents label indicating what makes up the item that you have purchased. Starting as a eco-friendly shoe company Terra Plana (Observer Ethical Fashion Product of the Year 2007). Worn Again is becoming a thriving epicentre for designer shoes and bags which are truly rubbish. Worn Again believes, everyone leaves a footprint on the earth, but in Worn Again you step just a little bit more gently. To see if they are right, walk right down to Terra Plana located at 260 Elizabeth Street to see if this is your way to make a difference. We all can make a dint in waste, and if you have an idea google is holding a contest that not only allows you to help save our planet but also net up tp 10,000.00 cash to see your ideas become a reality. Project 10^100 is a call for ideas that could help as many people as possible, and a program to bring the best of those ideas to life. By allowing Internet users to submit ideas about how to make life better. The problems addressed can be related to social, financial, energy, environmental, health, educational, or housing issues, or something else entirely. The goal, Google says, is to help people and to empower people to help others. The submission deadline is Oct. 20. and that is a F.A.C.T.

T: Is for Terror!

I love holidays, and the chance to celebrate them in any way possible has me elated. Last night was the unveiling of one of NYC’s haunted houses - Blood Manor. I use to thrill at the scare factor, but as I am older, I didn't think it would WOW me anymore. I was wrong! From the first moment our group was led in, I was screaming and holding onto my friend for comfort. What a shame it wasn't a guy I had the hots for! What a perfect excuse to get closer. Maybe I was screaming because I was first in the line. To remedy that I put myself 2nd to last. Nope still screamed. This place is a labyrinth of dark halls, twists, turns, and unimaginable horrors that will leave your ears ringing from the gut wrenching screams that you won’t even realize belong to you! 12 rooms of terror and a 3-d maze await in this 5,000 square feet of fear. I loved the bloody meat locker that had you rallying with pig bodies like a macab bumper car ride. The make-up was so realistic that it was sometimes hard to tell who was real and ready to scare the sh-t out of you. Hats off to the actors who were completely in character. The coolest effect however is the 3D section, that is just brilliantly done. It was like a psychodelic acid trip. I was so intrigued with the effect that more scream ensued as I was completely taken by surprise. Formerly located in Glen Cove, Long Island, this terror came to Manhattan two years ago. Located at the trendy club "Home" this nightmare is the perfect diversion to get your mind off the wall street crises. Just ask Freddie, he's there and can concur with his razor sharp wit. Until November 1st you can and will encounter ghouls, monsters, demons, and the undead, trying get inside your psyche. Blood Manor is not recommended for children under 14 years of age and is certainly not appropriate for young children. The good news is they will not touch you unless you touch first, which will get you thrown out, but they will breathe creepily on your neck. Don't let that calm you into thinking this isn't scary. I rate this 13 screams and that is a F.A.C.T.

Sundays & Thursdays: 7:30pm - 12am
Fridays & Saturdays: 7:30pm - 2am
Tuesday, Oct 28: 7:30pm - 1am
Wednesday, Oct. 29: 7:30pm - 1am
Thursday, Oct.30: 7:30pm - 1am

Admission: Between $23-$30

C: Is for Clubs and all things C!

With the economy in a teeter tottering it is no surprise clubs are coming and going. Here are two new ones opening that are unique and two that closed so the new crop can reinvent itself.






Catch-22 is named after Joseph Heller’s classic WWII novel, featuring random military paraphernalia scattered randomly throughout. Though I am sure the only war going on here is the battle between the sexes. The theme here focuses on WWII and the post-war 40's. An army helmet here, soldier related art there, and food and drinks for everyone. Catch-22 is readily employing that symbol of exclusivity, with a roped off VIP section in the upstairs lounge which is a trend that stated long after WW11. Catch-22 is the newest bar in the Flatiron District featuring a Tapas lounge, historical memorabilia including manual cash registers, crystal chandeliers and a foosball table. Yup, you heard right, a foosball table! Celebrity fans already include Joan Allen, Mathew Broderick, Marci Klein, and DJ AM. Catch-22 is in the foxhole at 4 W 22nd St.

Watch out New York City is getting its own winery. City Winery will import the grapes but then everything else in the wine making process is done on premise. Customers get to make their own wine and if you don't know how, there is an 8 month class that takes you through the whole cycle. Originating in San Francisco they are branching here with a 21,000-square-foot Varick Street space offering the wine aficionados a chance to buy their own casks of vintages made for them on the spot. City Winery will be a combination members-only winery and public nightclub -- only members will have access to where and how the wine is made. Three membership options will be offered starting at $5,000 and going as high as $15,000 annually, with membership owners getting the title of "barrel owner" with their own 50 gallon American oak barrel, 4 classes each year with wine makers, and a special venue to swap their vintages with other members. Tom if I win the lottery I know what to get you for Christmas. Murray's Cheese Shop will run a cheese bar on site to help pair selections with wine. There's also a VinoFile membership card tracks wine purchases and offers discounts like $10 credits for every purchase of $100. A $50 membership gets you a $15 credit to the bar and $35 toward a class. As a member, you're also invited to special concerts and events. At least 50 varieties will be available by the glass every day, there will be classic reserve vintage wines available at the bar. On September 15th, they welcomed their first shipment of grapes, premium Zinfandel from California's Central Valley region. It's been forty years since New Yorkers have had an operational winery in the city and in November it opens again. Located on Varick near Spring Street in the old El Dairio newspaper building history repeats itself.

Lets raise a glass to these dearly departed bars and clubs.The Grand 41 E 58th St. This would-be midtown hot spot is no longer open for business. Stereo 512 W 29th St. Once the leader of the pack now it is looking to reinvent itself as the owners have plans to open a new club soon.

Names my come and go but new establishments pop up to take their place and that is a F.A.C.T.

A: Is for Art Openings!

There are two art openings this week that are worth attending. One is curated by a friend and both include artists who are friends. The first opening is tonight Tuesday, September 23rd from 7:00- 9:00 PM at Aurum located at 2252 First Avenue at 116th Street in East Harlem. ROUGH is the first in a series of exhibitions to be curated by Frederique Beccari. ROUGH is to introduce and raise funds for the development of BEAM, a newa 7500-square foot arts center in East Harlem. Includes is a 1250 sq. ft. sculpture garden/cafe to be designed by the New York Restoration Project. ROUGH takes you through the medium of photography, into the artists perception of NYC. Capturing the neighborhood of East Harlem Enid Alvarez, staff photographer for the Daily News and Sherry Mills, Founder of A CLOSER NY, revealing beauty through its rough edges. Sherry's lens captures the major shifts and transformations of New York City and they are the photographs highlighted. Enid focuses on East Harlem as the last place where the mix of cultures creates a flavor and intensity that is becoming the defining trademark of a newly energized neighborhood. If you miss the show, you can catch it until October 26th, 5:00 PM to Midnight.


On Thursday, a showroom doubles as an art gallery. Thos. Moser furniture, has turned into an alternative art gallery where local and national artists display their works on an ongoing basis. Located on bustling Madison Avenue between 62nd and 63rd streets on the second floor it provides a perfect merging of two art forms. Their featured Artist is Danielle Mailer in “A Room with a Muse” and features her newest work. Danielle is the daughter of the late Norman Mailer and the abstract artist Adele Morales Mailer. She is also the wife of jazz trombonist Peter McEachern. Danielle credits Kahlo and Klimt among her influences and they are there to see in her work. Conjuring up her Latin-Jewish background in all of its vibrancy and color, through her paintings she beomes a cat, a goddess hidden away or center stage. Narratives dealing with contemporary issues of womanhood upon an intimate landscape.
A Surrealistic terrain full of artichokes, chile peppers, trombones and skulls. A tapestry of personal symbols that speak to all who enter her world. To meet Danielle come to a Reception with the artist…Thursday, Sept 25, from 6-8pm RSVP requested.

Art is just around the corner and that is a F.A.C.T.

F: Is for Fermenting!

There is a new wine in town and it makes you shout hurray for California and fermenting. Christopher Donatiello has created a new organically-farmed wine estate, C. Donatiello Winery, on the former Belvedere Winery property owned by investment banker Bill Hambrecht on the west side of the Russian River Valley. Hambrecht's fine wine ventures have included Gary Farrell, Ravenswood and Ridge, among others. This collaboration is winemaking that is dedicated to a small-lot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that is specially chosen. Chris was raised on the East Coast and spent his entire career in fine wine sales and marketing in New York City. Building brands in the worlds most demanding and discriminating market. His quest for knowledge took him to West Coast and his dream began. In 2007, Hambrecht and Chris took the first steps to build their own winery. The wines of C. Donatiello reflect the organically-farmed Russian River estate along with the region’s distinctive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

One of my favorite wines has always been been Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and that included thier wine maker. The first C. Donatiello wines that have been released are two Chardonnays and three Pinot Noirs, all from the 2006 vintage. Opening to the public this spring, each wine is expressive of the unique terroir of its vineyard. The Russian River Valley has long been considered to have superior soils and climate to produce some of the New World’s most coveted and distinctive wines. With two distinct wineries, Maddie’s Vineyard is 3.5 acres of a Pommard clone Pinot Noir with an adjacent one-acre block of thirty-year-old Chardonnay vines. The Floodgate Vineyard has approximately 10 acres of old vine Martini clone Pinot Noir, 35- to 40-years-old, and just under 12 acres of hillside vines, which are predominantly Dijon clones 777 and 667. Intensely focused on pure wine quality Donatiello works closely with Winemaker Troy McEnery and Associate Winemaker Webster Marquez in every aspect.

Not only do they harvest wine but on the estate they provide out door concerts. The most intriguing detail is the Aroma Garden: Created specifically with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in mind. Filled with fresh floral, herbal and fruit scents that mirror the notes found in these wines. Just as the world’s best chefs use specific flavors to enhance and reveal complexities in wine, winemakers rely on their most acute sense, the sense of smell, to detect a range of wine characteristics. A stroll in the one-acre Aroma Garden introduces one to the natural affinity for the aromas found in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Have I made you crave a taste of what they have to offer? Here is a list of what is available:
2006 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley $28 3,400 bottles
2006 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Orsi Vineyard $38 225 bottles
2006 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Christie’s Vineyard $38 210 bottles
2006 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley $48 2,750 bottles
2006 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Floodgate Vineyard, Old Vines $58 175 bottles
2006 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Maddie’s Vineyard $62 185 bottles

To learn more about these exquisite additions to the world of wine log onto www.cdonatiello.com. Right now these wonderful compliments to a meal are available at fine eating establishments, but if you log onto this site you can order directly. That information makes this a convenient F.A.C.T.