Happening: High Line Festival 2007

What: Inaugural High Line Festival, a multidisciplinary arts festival. David Bowie is curating this year’s edition.
When: Wed., May 9-Sat., May 19, 2007
Where: Assorted New York City venues, including (but not limited to) the following:

May 9 | Arcade Fire, Radio City Music Hall
May 10 | Air, Theatre at Madison Square Garden
May 11-May 18 | Bowie Picks, 10 Spanish Language Classics of the Last 100 Years, Clearview Chelsea Cinemas
May 19 | Ricky Gervais, Theatre at Madison Square Garden

Cost: Varies

A portion of the proceeds will go to Friends of the High Line, which is working with the City of New York to convert an old elevated railway in Manhattan into a park.

Happening: The Changes

What: The Changes
When: Tues., Mar. 20, at 10 p.m. | Wed., Mar. 21, doors open at 8 p.m.
Where: Pianos, New York, NY | Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: $10, both shows
The Changes are a great little indie group from Chicago. I’ve only seen them play live once, about three years back, but they’ve since become one of my favorite bands because of their smart, earnest lyrics and fun sound. Reminiscent of The Sea and Cake.

Monstertrack 2007

What: Monstertrack 8
What? Alleycat–a type of race based on what bike messengers do, with checkpoints in an urban setting. Also, only fixed gear, no brakes (!).
When: Sat., Feb. 17, 2007
Where: Across Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, NY
Here are some pictures that I took. A telephoto lens would have come in handy.

Checking in at Seward Park in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Two spectators on bikes.

Getting ready to release the hounds. The event organizers kept telling the competitors to get back against the wall.

The participants run for their bikes and take off.

Prior to the beginning of the race, we waited around for about an hour. I’m not sure what caused the delay. Consequently, the race didn’t start until 4 or so. I believe the fastest racers finished in about two hours.

Once the racers took off, I couldn’t get any good pictures. I lost sight of them as they raced into the distance, but a cacophony of honking car horns took their place.

Monstertrack competitor robotikon posted footage taken from a helmet cam:

Crazy, crazy! Notice how the racers didn’t stop for traffic (auto or pedestrian). As far as I know, no one got hurt. I also understand that they took advantage of some non-bike-sanctioned paths. The last part of the race took competitors across the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn. Savvy racers biked across the bridge with auto traffic, a faster route than the elevated pedestrian/bike walkway.

Happening: Pillow Fight NYC 2007

What: Pillow Fight NYC
When: Sat., Feb. 24, 2007, at 2 p.m.
Where: Union Square, New York, NY
FREE! Rain or shine. Soft pillows only. (A video of last year’s pillow fight can be found on the event Web site, linked above.)

Refugee Camp Exhibit

If you’re in New York City this weekend, be sure to check out the Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City. This outdoor exhibit is being hosted by Doctors Without Borders to give visitors a sense of what life in a refugee camp is like. According to their Web site, the exhibit consists of materials used by the humanitarian group, including “emergency refugee housing, a food distribution tent, water pump, health clinic, vaccination tent, therapeutic feeding center, and a cholera treatment center.”

The exhibit runs from now through Sunday, Sept. 24, at the Long Meadow in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Hours are 9:30 to 6:30 daily. Visit www.doctorswithoutborders.org/education/refugeecamp/index.cfm for more info.