NYC ROADTRIP

On a recent Roadtrip a bunch of us were kickin’ around the Bowery when we stumbled on a curiously dingy little hotel and decided to stop in for a look-see. Time was frozen here – the front lobby seemingly as it was thirty years ago, the musty air of those days thick in the nose – and  I was sure we were being watched through peep holes cut into the eyes of people in scenic pictures on the walls. This was definitely a branch of the Twilight Zone. 

We sat around for a few minutes, resting our feet, and decided for the hell of it to inquire about a room.  We told the clerk that we were just exploring our options and, to our surprise, he gave us two sets of keys – one for a single room, one for a double – and sent us upstairs, unchaperoned, to take a look.  Was this some kind of trick? We weren’t sure, but we were willing to take a chance. …

Acutely thrilled, our little hearts a-thumpin’, we scrambled to the stairwell and shot up to the second of four floors, where we discovered creaky darkened hallways lined with flimsy doors that opened to teeny rooms about 7 x 4 feet, barely big enough for one person to unpack a suitcase. Each room contained a short-person bed, a matchbox closet, super wide spaces between the door and doorframe (making it easy for peeping toms to get a good look at you from the hallway), and there was no ceiling (there was open space between the walls of the room and the original ceiling).

Needless to say, we never intended to get a room.  We were simply wandering, being proactive in our search for meaningful experience, creating a story to share with others, trying to make our own (free) fun. New York City – not unlike any other city – is full of these lesser seen sites, some active, some not. All you have to do is seek them out. 

Tucked away in Tribeca, in a loft above a coffee shop, is the Dream House. How can I describe it? Imagine a room, all magical magenta with massive speakers in each of its four corners. The room has a thick carpet and lots of pillows, but that’s not all.

The first thing you notice when you come up the stairs to enter, is the sound. The massive speakers in each corner of the room seem to make the whole building reverberate with the singular tones they generate. Each speaker seems to play a different interval, and the way these drones interact with each other when they hit your ears is something to behold. You feel entranced and immersed in a waking meditation, and every move you make will make the sound change as well. You can spend as much time as you like there. During a recent visit, I took a small nap and woke from a dream into a dream. It is a surreal, embodied experience that cannot properly be put into words.

Though the Dream House isn’t on the official itinerary for this New York trip, you can bet I’ll be going, and taking some adventurous folks with me.

Click here for more information about the Dream House (though the website is out of date, all of the information is still accurate).

-crew member karol.

Show & Tell is pretty self-explanatory. On our way home, we open up the mic for you to show and tell your NYC experience. From the teeniest tale to the wackiest wisdom, we want to hear it. Nothing’s insignificant. Nothing’s too wild. You’d be surprised. Even the most inexperienced storytellers tell the best stories. So don’t be shy. It’s an open stage and a great way to raise some laughs and share your experience.

Photo by Jake Rekret. 2006

NYC 2008

NYC 2008

NYC 2007

Hallowe’en in New York City (aka the Big Pumpkin) is arguably one of the most blood-curdling scream-fests in the world. Hoards of ghastly ghouls, spooky specters and creepy creatures of all kinds haunt the city’s streets in full freight.  And this year should prove to be especially insane – as Halloween lands on a Saturday! 

Needless to say, there are countless costume parties, masquerade balls, haunted houses, concerts and street events – and whether you’re into Halloween or, if you haven’t experienced it in New York City, you haven’t lived. 

This night can be unforgettably mind-blowing.  Conversely, however, with the overwhelming hype of the mainstream attractions – such as the Village Halloween Parade and NYC’s Blood Manor - and the pressure to experience something really special, like any big night on the holiday calendar, it can easily disappoint. But just as easily, disappointment can be avoided.  

All you have to do is, keep an open mind, make sure you’re partnered with fun, flexible people you know and trust – namely people from our Roadtrip – and go with the flow.  Also, a little research and a costume (even if it’s just a mask or a fake moustache) can help, big time. And remember, no matter where you go (at least in Lower Manhattan and Williamsburg), you will run into amazing costumes and fun antics. If you’re ready to have a good time, and you immerse yourself in the breathtakingly chaotic fun of urban makebelieve on the most free-spirited night of the year – you’ll have a blast! 

Remember: Don’t be a fool. Play safe. Don’t go off on your own. Stay close to your friends and keep tabs on each other. Halloween brings with it increased risks. And we don’t want you to get hurt.

For NYC Roadtrippers: Join us at Project 165 for our traditional Halloween workshops. These casual yet productive workshops happen over two days prior to leaving for New York City, for three to four hours each day. We show you various mask-making  methods, help you build props and overall provide a creative space to brainstorm, workshop costume ideas and get excited about Halloween in the Big Pumpkin. If you don’t need schooling and you just want to drop in to work with us, that’s okay. If you’re serious about making a mask or building a prop or a crazy costume, and you want help, we will aid you in getting it done, or at least near completion, by the end of the allotted two days.

For those of you who enjoy booze-fueled lunatic mobs and riot cops, you’ll love the 35th annual Village Halloween Parade.  Said to be one of the nation’s “wildly creative” street events, this teeming spectacle of costumes and creativity – 45,000 participants strong -  draws about 2,000,000 people each year.

What’s kinda cool is, anyone with a costume can join the parade. That’s right, if you’re in costume, you can be in the parade, not just a spectator behind the barricades. You just show up at a street corner and take direction. Another premier NYC attraction is the 5000 square foot Blood Manor. 

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Calvert Vaux, Central Park is a 843-acre greenspace in the heart of New York City.  Used by 10s of millions of people each year, this designated landmark – which is almost completely landscaped, not natural as it appears – contains multiple bodies of water, walking trails, cool tunnels, waterfalls, natural woods, a zoo, a wildlife sanctuary, a conservatory, ice rinks, swimming pools, ghosts, leprechauns and unicorns.  

Central park is usually our first destination once we ‘re settled at our hostel.   It’s arguably the best way to feel the pulse of the city.  Note: Beware the wood nymphs and fairies of this park; they are known to be carriers of one of the one of the rarest (and untreatable) species of madness called nympholepsy – the most common symptom of which is a confused state of sexual arousal.

22-25 Jackson Ave., at the intersection of 46th Ave.; Long Island City; 718.784.2084; 12pm – 6pm, Thurs – Mon; $2.00 for students; E/V Train: Get off at the 23rd St./Ely Ave. stop.  Exit onto 21st St., turn left, walk 3 blocks to 46th Ave. and turn left again.  At the corner of the building, turn right and you’ll get to the entrance. 

P.S. 1, an affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art, is housed in a former elementary school (P.S. stands for Public School).  It is the oldest and second largest non-profit centre in the US solely dedicated to contemporary art.  They have all manner of programs, events and resources, and are well known for recognizing emergent artists and their work.  If you’re into hot contemporary art and alternative space in a museum-like context, you must check out P.S. 1.

Installation detail. 2009

Detail of NYC-inspired postcard by Robb Mirsky. 2008

NYC Roadtrip is social art on the move. Ever evolving at the confluence of relational aesthetics, psychogeography and DIY culture, it’s an opportunity for fun-lovin’ adventure-seekers to network, get inspired, conduct creative field research and experience everyday urban life in unusual ways; explore  the non-touristy, local nuances of New York City; and plug into a vibrant travel community unlike any other. 

After each NYC Roadtrip, passengers and crew are invited to participate in NYC Retro Show: a multimedia exhibition of individual and group perspectives on various New York City-inspired subjects, such as the mapping of moments; organized chaos; the artist as wanderer; “street art, street life”; the urban playground; and collective myth-making.  

No matter what your background or passion – photography, architecture, painting, scrapbooking, film, performance; student, professional, hobbyist, novice – this is a chance to make the most of your New York City experience. Don’t just go on vacation. Go on a creative mission.

brooklyn museum

200 Eastern Parkway; 718 638 5000; 10am-5pm Wed-Fri; Subway 2, 3 to Easter Parkway/Brooklyn Museum; About $6 for students, $11 adults

The Brooklyn Museum, housed in a 650,000 square-foot Beaux-Arts building and only a 30-minute subway ride from Midtown Manhattan, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the U.S., showcasing everything from Egyptian masterpieces to amazing contemporary work. Part of a complex of 19th-century parks and gardens – including Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Prospect Park Zoo – it’s a must-see for Museum-goers.

Of note: Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, an important feminist artwork of the 1970s and a milestone in twentieth-century art, is at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.  The Dinner Party comprises a massive triangular banquet table with each of its thirty-nine place-settings commemorating an important woman of history. This is prime fodder for all you contemporary art history students, for sure.