New York City

Reader DK writes in about the death of one of the Times Square area's last seedy blocks, West 40th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, across from the Port Authority bus terminal.before He says: "what used to be such a proud block:$1 pizza • dive bar • secret afterhours • parole bldg • alley • porn • tranny bar • dance studio • rehearsal space • porn • chinese • liquor • pornis transforming into this:7/11 • hotel • hotel • hotel • parking • condos • condos • sports bar • gym • bank"after: with another new building behind itDK was living in 306 West 40th when the building next to his, 308 West 40th, was demolished.There's not a lot of history to find on this building, but there is a bit. In the 1990s, New York artist Bill Sullivan ran a small press from #308, publishing many gay and lesbian writers. The first floor was home to A&S Magazines, where (said New York magazine) "owner Kurt Westphal sits strumming his guitar among some 925,000 magazines, some of which date back to the 1920s."The building was sold in 2007 to Sam Chang, the prolific hotelier, and the spot is to become a 14-story, 53-room hotel. It's hard to imagine another hotel being necessary on a block recently loaded with hotels.the hotel encroachment on the block DK says #306 is probably next for the wreckers. I went in to check out the XXX business on the first and second floors. Upstairs, a crowd of hustlers wait around the buddy booths, all men of color. "Wassup," they say, sizing up every potential trick. "Wassup."Downstairs are rubber toys and the nastiest DVDs you can imagine--I won't go into the details--along with a trio of booths containing LIVE GIRLS. This is a true rarity. Sadly, when I was there, the Live Girl was out to lunch. But the sign over the booths is priceless.It reads: "This form of entertainment is purely a fantasy and should not be taken in any other way. Everything said and performed in the booth is just a pretend fantasy and should not be taken with any seriousness or reality. Enjoy your fantasy. May it be a good one." DK wrote up the following description of the block, the buildings, and the working girls who've made it their place of business:to the ladies on my block, it was their workspace. my building is next. they use the porn store below as a home base of sorts and the hallways up by me as a "break room." when my building is gone, they'll have no space left. so they're all planning on converting from outdoor to indoor ho's. there aren't a lotta their type left. most of the streetwalkers went online in the mid 2000s. they're the last of a dying breed.Nietzche the ho is the oldest. i don't know her age. i'd guess late 40s but she looks older. she's got a really dry blond perm. kinda looks like a dolly wig that was left in the desert. she has a funny superstition. she doesn't verbalize anything negative. if she has anything bad or negative to say, she either simply doesn't say it or if she has to say it she'll write it down. so it's kinda funny, cause she looks, frankly, very tired and grouchy all the time. but the words that come out of her mouth are anything but.she doesn't like the "change," she doesn't want to go online for work. she prefers the streets. i know this because she asked me to show her how craigslist and other online adspace worked and she grew uncharacteristically silent to the point where she wasn't even paying attention. she was kind of staring into space and muttering under her breath. so i stopped my lessons and said "OK. i know you aren't trash-talking my lesson under your breath, so what is it? i know this is upsetting having to change your way of life, but..." she interrupted, "no, that's not it." well, what is it? but of course she wouldn't verbalize it. so finally i made her type it and she typed this: "2 cops i didn't know wanted me to suck for free. i said no. one pushed me down. so i bit him. but then he choked me and i passed out."i asked her where she woke up and she went back to speaking: "in the conta

Procter & Gamble Launches Largest Consumer Event in Company's 175 Year History Everyday Effect of P&G Products Demonstrated, Live, On Streets of New York CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today Procter & Gamble (NYS: PG) will leverage the world's biggest stage -- New York City -- to share the power and meaning of its brands as part of its new campaign, The Everyday Effect. Through the largest consumer event in the company's 175 year history, P&G will serve the daily needs of New Yorkers and demonstrate how P&G products make everyday life better. The results will be broadcast to the rest of the country, live, through on-the-ground reports, social media updates and content featured across PGEveryday.com/EverydayEffect, Twitter (#EverydayEffect) and Facebook.com/PGEveryday. P&G brands participating in the #EverydayEffect Live From New York event include Cover Girl, Gillette, Duracell, Pampers, Old Spice, Febreze and Crest. More than 40,000 products representing 25 P&G brands are being distributed throughout Manhattan at the moments people need them most, including Scope mouthwash for coffee drinkers, Febreze car vent clips for taxis and Iams dog treats for pet lovers. These city-wide events will enable people to directly experience the everyday effect, benefits and superiority of P&G products, including: The delivery of everyday confidence through free barber, salon, personal care, make-up and nail services at multiple locations. P&G brand ambassadors canvassing the streets of Manhattan with free pedicab rides, product samples, brand giveaways and high-value coupons. Special deliveries by Pampers and appearances by the Charmin Bears, Old Spice and more. The P&G Innovation Center at Herald Square highlighting the company's 175 year history of innovation and broadcasting the #EverydayEffect Live events taking place in the city. "We're making a deliberate effort to demonstrate to consumers how our brands improve their everyday life in small yet meaningful ways," said Melanie Healey, P&G North America Group President. "Regardless of a person's unique challenge or need, P&G products provide daily benefits that improve quality of life - whether it's helping newborns and their parents get a good night's sleep or getting college students ready for life away from home, or simply getting that boost of confidence because of a clean shave, beautiful skin or a beautiful white smile. By providing innovative solutions to the challenges and needs faced in everyday life, P&G brands can help consumers in so many different but important ways. That's what we call the P&G 'Everyday Effect'." The New York event is part of a series of activities, programming and social media videos supporting the roll out of P&G's Everyday Effect campaign. Activities taking shape around the world include consumer events, retail partnerships, in-store displays and brand-focused "experiment" videos showcasing the everyday effect of using P&G products. Social media assets will be distributed and available across P&G social media channels in the U.S., Japan, China, Mexico, Germany and Brazil. "For more than 175 years P&G has been innovating for the seemingly ordinary and we can't wait to demonstrate the true power of P&G products on the streets of Manhattan," said Jodi Allen, P&G's Vice President of North America Marketing and Brand Operations. "Those outside New York will also have the ability to experience the superiority and benefits of P&G products through social media opportunities on June 19." To support The #Everyday Effect Live event in New York, followers of the @PGEveryday Twitter handle have random opportunities on June 19 to win $100 worth of product from the P&G eStore. Visitors to P&G brand experiences throughout the city are also be encouraged to tweet photos using the #EverydayEffect hashtag for the chance to win a

Check out some cool shots of Madonna arriving at the world premiere of Madonna : The MDNA Tour with Epix, Dolce & Gabbana and The Cinema Society at the Paris Theater in New York City last...

Madonna attended the Dolce & Gabbana and The Cinema Society screening of the Epix world premiere of ‘Madonna: The MDNA Tour’ at The Paris Theatre in New York City on Tuesday evening. Ensuring that no one would upstage her at her own event, the singer wore a Dolce & Gabbana three-piece suit accented with David Yurman black-onyx and diamond cufflinks. The suit was styled with an ivory waistcoat and bow-tie, complete with a chic top hat and yellow flower pinned to her lapel. I’m not sure if it was an ode to Michael Jackson, but Madonna wore a Jacob & Co. diamond mesh glove which features over 17 carats of round white diamonds set into a white-gold mesh design. A faux bob and bold red lip colour completed her look. I have to say it’s one of the best suits we’ve seen this week. Does she deserve a place in the BDOTW menswear poll, or is this look too gimmicky for you? Credit: Getty The post Madonna In Dolce & Gabbana – ‘Madonna: The MDNA Tour’ Screening appeared first on Red Carpet Fashion Awards.

Hi ITG Readers, You may have seen me pop up on here a few times (I dyed my hair pink, got false eyelashes put on me, braided my hair into a beard, and sometimes show up in the team’s Instagrams). But I am here to tell you about my prom last Friday in New York City. This being my first one, I didn’t have any idea of what to expect since everything I knew, or imagined, about prom came from movies or TV. Meaning: bowls of punch, some sort of choreographed dance number, pig’s blood, and Marty McFly (see below). So why am I telling you this? Because when I told Emily I was going to my first-ever prom, she basically squealed and told me I had to write something about it for ITG. So… this is my prom: Every year, the seniors vote on the place they want their prom to take place. (I’m only a sophmore, so I had no say in the decision, but my boyfriend, Eli, did.) The winning location: the Hudson River. I wish I could tell you that I went to prom in a super-secret glass-cube club that’s safely submerged in the Hudson River, but I can’t—we were on an old-fashion river boat. This, luckily, didn’t put any limitations on hair, makeup and outfit choices, as might have been the reality of the whole underwater cube-club idea. About two months ago, I asked my mom, Jeanine, who you guys probably know, about a dress. She told me that we would figure it out and not to worry. I let her do her thing. I wasn’t actually worried, more just excited to see what she was going to do. Like any mother would, she called up Natalie Portman to see if there was anything I could borrow (sarcasm intended: Natalie has become a family friend, thanks to years of my mom doing her makeup). She did. The day of prom—the same day as my physics final, ugh—I got ready with my friend Hazel. This consisted of ideating on worst-case scenarios and eating Trader Joe’s microwave tamales. I was afraid of falling off the boat, or somehow getting left behind on the boat and then being dragged to another school’s prom. After eating too much, we got ready to go. My mom did my makeup and assisted with my hair. Makeup-wise, I wanted to basically look like a cleaned-up version of myself. (It had been finals week, so I was wearing sweatpants, no makeup, and yelling a lot in school.) We used a Tom Ford Silverized Topaz Eye Color Quad, Chanel blush, and lots and lots of Chanel Inimitable mascara. My dress was a greyish black color, made of layered tulle and strapless. It was tight on the top and then poofed out and ended just above the knee. It was by Lanvin, and it was gorgeous. At 6 PM, my boyfriend came over to pick me up. I had ordered him a boutonniere the day before from a flower shop, which thankfully looked beautiful (the clerk had asked me something about “bling,” which I politely declined—the thought of a bedazzled orchid concerned me). I wasn’t sure how to put it on, so my dad had to fasten it on my date’s blazer. This would have been extremely embarrassing and a night ruin-er if my life were a 1980s film, but (unfortunately) it is not, so it was all good. I decided to wear my mom's crystal Valentino sandals because I was not going to be able to walk around in heels all night and feared that I would trip and become a trending gif on tumblr. We got to the boat with a small umbrella (it was sprinkling), and boarded. Somehow, we managed to be early, but the staff let us on. Inside, there was a lineup of soft drinks, which all tasted like every soda and juice mixed together in a glass. (None were actually that bad, but I was frazzled and needed something to complain about.) For some completely pop-culture-inspired reason, I expected lots of paper-mache decorations and streamers—reality: balloons!—and, I sincerely hoped, a live band! No such luck. The rest of the night consisted of lots of dancing (I basically became Rihanna), food (a lot of pasta, which I indulged in happily), about 1,000,000 photos, and, of course, many more selfies. Also of note: no slow song! I was okay with it, tho

(AllHipHop News) It’s been over a year since the bottle throwing incident between Drake and Chris Brown at a New York City nightclub, but apparently the feud continues. Drake will appear in the July edition of GQ magazine, and in the cover article the Toronto rapper gives his take on the current situation with Brown. “I don’t want my name to be synonymous with that guy’s name. I really don’t,” says Drake according to radaronline. “I wish we could sit down, just like you and me are right now, and talk it out man-to-man. But that’s not going to happen. I’m not confrontational, but if someone challenges, I’m not going to back down.” Drake is currently prepping for the release of his third studio album, Nothing Was The Same, and a fall tour with R&B star Miguel, and he says he wants to focus on his music and not on beef. He worries that the end results of the continuous conflict could turn out bad. [ALSO READ: Drake Announces ‘Would You Like A Tour?’ Fall Tour With Miguel] “It’s embarrassing, the amount of media coverage,” says Drake. “Two rappers fighting over the woman. He’s not even a rapper, but still, it’s the last way you want your name out there. It distracts from the music. But he’s made me the enemy, and that’s the way it’s gonna stay, I guess… If I think about it too much, I feel it wrapping around my foot, like I get a feeling it could end really badly.” Drake also reveals in the article that Nothing Was The Same was inspired by Marvin Gaye’s 1978 classic break-up album Here, My Dear, and it will feature Curtis Mayfield and Whitney Houston samples. [ALSO CHECK OUT: Drake Ft. James Fauntleroy “On My Way”] Filed under: MOBILE, News Tagged: Chris Brown, Drake, feud, GQ Magazine, Rihanna

TripAdvisor has continued its acquisition spree today by snapping up GateGuru, a mobile app that displays all of the information that a user might need on their day of travel. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s been confirmed that the GateGuru team will continue to work in New York City. Company employees will now report to Bryan Saltzburg, General Manager for New Initiatives and leader of the TripAdvisor Flights product and SeatGuru brand moving forward. GateGuru is a robust travel app that combines all sorts of useful travel information, including holidaymakers’ itinerary and flight times, a section for information about their chosen airport – tips, amenity information, a visual map and the like – and rental car bookings through Avis. “Flying is often an essential part of a trip and we have continually developed our suite of flights products, from the pricing and availability search on TripAdvisor, to our award-winning SeatGuru.com, with seat maps and more,” said Steve Kaufer, co-founder and CEO TripAdvisor, Inc. “GateGuru nicely complements our existing flights products and we look forward to working with the GateGuru team as they continue to manage the GateGuru app and add great functionality to the TripAdvisor mobile experience.” TripAdvisor acquired Wanderfly, a New York-based “travel inspiration site” last October. It then picked up Tiny Post, a mobile photo storytelling app in March this year, hinting at a renewed push to improve TravelAdvisor’s mobile presence. JetSetter, a service that notifies members of special travel deals, was then added to the list in April, rounding out the company’s rather extensive shopping list. Image Credit: ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images

AT&T and Goal Zero are bringing solar-powered phone charging stations to NYC!!

Happy birthday to me! It’s my birthday, and I turn 33 years old young today! [image source] Pug + cupcake hat = THE BEST Today is also National Martini Day! Perfect, right? Maybe I should call it National MarTINA Day? Haha! Looking back on the past 365 days, it’s apparent that I had a pretty kick-ass year. I still can’t believe everything that happened during my 32nd year of life. I traveled a ton, attended all sorts of awesome events, and spent time with my favorite people. What an amazing year. With that said, here are my favorite experiences from year #32: Ireland {Parts 1, 2 & 3} Here’s the final post from our Ireland adventures! In case you missed the first two, here they are: What To Do In Ireland {Part 1} What To Do In Ireland {Part 2} DINGLE Stay The Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast. If you visit Dingle, definitely stay here! Our Trip to Hawaii We made it! Twenty hours of travel and we’re here! I AM SO PSYCHED! A HUGE thank you to the Oahu Visitor’s Bureau for sponsoring my trip and making one of my dreams come true. Yesterday started bright and early at 4:00 AM. Canyon Ranch Lenox Good morning and greetings from Canyon Ranch Lenox! I will be spending the next 2.5 days here as part of a media visit. My friend Gina put me in touch with one of the public relations representatives at Canyon Ranch and the rest is history. My Sister’s Baby Shower My sister’s baby shower was a huge success! It was a beautiful day, tons of family and friends were in attendance, and the mommy-to-be had a wonderful time. We couldn’t have asked for a better day! I can’t wait for baby Matthew to be here! Less than 2 months to go Mohegan Sun Girls’ Weekend Ok, where did we leave off? Biking adventures, right? After our biking tour of Mystic, we headed back to Mohegan Sun for an afternoon at Elemis Spa. Each of us were provided with a spa service to review, so I chose a deep tissue massage. Yoga with Martha Stewart at Grand Central Station Rise and shine, it’s time for yoga with Martha Stewart! My day started bright and early at Theodora’s apartment. We were both invited to a yoga event with Martha Stewart this morning, so I spent the night on her couch (Theodora’s not Martha’s) last night. Pug Therapy Visits Yesterday afternoon, Murphy and I had a very special visit to make at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As you probably know, the MIT community has been through quite a lot lately, so when I received a request from Dog B.O.N.E.S. about visiting the campus, Murphy and I immediately jumped at the chance. Madonna Good morning! Happy Friday! Last night’s New York City adventures started with appetizers and drinks at The Long Room. Strike a pose, Theodora! Theodora and I met a bunch of her friends there before the concert. Everyone ordered wine (I stuck with water) and then we shared a few appetizers among the table. Four Years with Mal As cheesy as it may sound, four years ago today, I married my best friend. Mal rules for a lot of reasons, but my favorite is that we always have so much fun together—whether it’s doing CrossFit, traveling, drinking beers, or simply making up spur-of-the-moment games to play together—we always manage to make each other smile. tiny HUGE Party Hooray! Our “tiny HUGE” party was a huge success! What a fun time! Mal was ready to party. Ping… not so much. (How adorable is he?!) The food was definitely the highlight of the day. On the menu: mini pizzas made from homemade (omg, delicious) dough. Sliders. Pasta salad made with tiny and HUGE shells. 2012 CrossFit Games Ahhhhhh! The CrossFit Games are absolutely amazing! I keep referring to them as “CrossFit Christmas” because they’re so fun! Again, a huge THANK YOU to GNC and Reebok for making this trip happen for me. I am forever grateful! On Friday, Heather, Kelly, and I arrived at the Games around 10:30 AM. Our Vacation to Oregon After our paddleboarding adventures yesterday morning, Mal and I visited Bend again to explore some more. We arrived lat

AT&T launched a new program in New York this week called Street Charge. The program has placed solar charging stations in and around the five different boroughs within New York City. AT&T’s plan is in part a response to the issues New Yorkers and other people on the East Coast had when power was out due to hurricane Sandy. (...)Original Story AT&T Rolls out Street Charge Solar Power Stations in New York © Geeky Gadgets, 2013. | Permalink | Unauthorized duplication and or distribution of our content is strictly forbidden © Geeky Gadgets, 2013 The post AT&T Rolls out Street Charge Solar Power Stations in New York appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.