NYC Life: Renewal Summit Returns, Gatsby. Paramount, Eats, Art, and More
The Renewal Summit is back and if you sign up before March 30, you could win an island vacation! In more exciting news, The Great Gatsby is coming to Broadway as a musical this spring! You may not think of Grand Central as a dining scene, but you should think again—the latest outpost is Harlem fav, Melba’s, opening in June. The historic 100-year-old Brooklyn Paramount is reopening as a fabulous music venue later this month. Our roving photographer, Nicole Freezer Rubens, says don’t miss the Marta Menujin retrospective (photo above) at the Jewish Museum. Check out all her photos.
Renewal Summit is Back. Early bird registrants could win a 5 Star Island Vacation
Anne Akers and Cheryl Benton welcome you to our seventh Renewal Summit, at the beautiful Scandinavia House in midtown Manhattan. It is an exciting and inspiring all day event of outstanding panels, speakers, exhibitors, and connecting with other fabulous women. This year’s theme is the perfect motivation for living your best life. GET THE DETAILS.
The Great Gatsby
The love story of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s legendary novel The Great Gatsby, never grows old. And now it comes to new life in this world premiere musical with a score by international rock star Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine) and Oscar® and Grammy® Award nominee Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), and a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok (Cost of Living). The show stars Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan.
GATSBY is staged by Tony Award®-winning director Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Moby-Dick), with choreography by Tony Award® winner Sonya Tayeh (Moulin Rouge!). GET THE DETAILS.
The Historic Brooklyn Paramount Reopens
On March 27, Brooklyn Paramount will kick off its grand opening season. The multi-million-dollar redesign honors the building’s nearly 100-year history while creating a new 2,700 capacity music venue that will help bring more shows to Brooklyn’s growing music scene.
According to their press release, the reopening of Brooklyn Paramount gives today’s artists the chance to play in a venue that introduced the borough to jazz and served as an early home of Rock n’ Roll. Brooklyn Paramount once hosted icons such as Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Chuck Berry, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Domino, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Little Richard, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and more.
More than 45 shows are now on sale including Pink Pantheress, Norah Jones, Mariah The Scientist, and Brooklyn native Busta Rhymes – with more acts to be announced in the coming weeks. Renovations were designed with musicians in mind, and the venue will now have a grand stage, as well as a cutting-edge backstage facility, including a game room, gym, and art installations from local artists. GET THE DETAILS.
Roving at the Jewish Museum
Our photographer Nicole Freezer Rubens writes:
Marta Menujin is an extraordinarily interesting artist keeping her viewers on their toes. Born in Buenos Aires Argentina in 1943, she has worked all over the world creating conceptual and performance art commenting on politics and consumerism through photos, paintings, digital art, sculellowship that took her to New York City in the 60’s where she befriended Andy Warhol and his influential peers.
The Jewish Museum is currently exhibiting a Minujin retrospective titled Arte! Arte! Arte! This most vibrant show is open through April 1st. It includes a great video of my favorite project of hers the “Parthenon of Books (Homage to Democracy”. In 1983 the artist returned to Buenos Aires after a failed dictatorship inspired her to build a giant replica of the Parthenon made up of 30,000 banned books on a boulevard median. After 3 weeks the monument was dismantled and the books were distributed to the people to aid in rebuilding a free society. Menujin’s belief is that “everything is art” and this is absolutely evident in this very dynamic and enlightening show.
~Nicole Freezer Rubens is the author of poetry/photo book, “The Long Pause and the Short Breath.” Follow her on https://www.instagram.com/nfrconsult/
Melba’s Joins Grand Central’s Dining Hall
Grand Central Terminal’s dining concourse is becoming a culinary destination. Harlem favorite, Melba’s that serves up some of the best comfort food anywhere, is joining the lower-level dining concourse in June. Other recent kiosk openings from some of the city’s favorite restaurants include the East Village’s Ukrainian favorite, Veselka. And Luke’s Lobster has the best lobster role in the city!
The Dining Concourse offers a diverse range of food choices. Here, where you can find everything from quick bites to sit-down meals. Other recent openings are Playa Bowls, and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. Here’s a list more options:
Bourke Street Bakery: Opening in July, this Australian bakery serves up sourdough, pastries, sandwiches, salads, and coffee.
Dirty Taco & Tequila: For lovers of street-style tacos, this spot offers flavorful tacos, side dishes, and refreshing aqua frescas.
Luke’s Lobster: A Maine seafood chain, Luke’s Lobster brings fresh lobster to the terminal’s Dining Concourse.
Karma & Luck: This shop sells handmade jewelry, home décor, and accessories, adding a touch of uniqueness to the bustling concourse.
Lovepop: Known for its intricate pop-up greeting cards, Lovepop also offers flower bouquets.
Great Northern Food Hall: The Great Northern Food Hall, inspired by Nordic cuisine, rotates its menus daily to showcase the best local ingredients. Here’s what you’ll find:
Grain Bar: Offering both sweet and savory porridges.
Almanak: Focusing on salads, fresh juices, and vegetable-based snacks.
Meyer’s Bageri: Known for its in-house bread and pastry program.
Brownsville Roasters: Serving coffee from Meyer’s roasting site in Brooklyn.
Open Rye: Dedicated to Denmark’s open-faced rye sandwiches, smørrebrød.
Grand Central Oyster Bar: A classic favorite, the Grand Central Oyster Bar continues to delight seafood enthusiasts. With its historic ambiance and fresh oysters, it’s a must-visit for those craving ocean flavors.
City Winery: Recently taking over the space once occupied by the Great Northern Food Hall, City Winery offers a vast 8,200-square-foot venue in Vanderbilt Hall. Whether you’re sipping wine or enjoying a meal, this spot combines elegance with convenience.
The tomato behind The Three Tomatoes.
Cheryl Benton, aka the “head tomato” is founder and publisher of The Three Tomatoes, a digital lifestyle magazine for “women who aren’t kids”. Having lived and worked for many years in New York City, the land of size zero twenty-somethings, she was truly starting to feel like an invisible woman. She created The Three Tomatoes just for the fun of it as the antidote for invisibility and sent it to 60 friends. Today she has thousands of friends and is chief cheerleader for smart, savvy women who want to live their lives fully at every age and every stage. She is the author of the novel, "Can You See Us Now?" and co-author of a humorous books of quips, "Martini Wisdom." Because she's lived a long time, her full bio won't fit here. If you want the "blah, blah, blah", read more. www.thethreetomatoes.com/about-the-head-tomato
