PRESSED FOR TIME
For some people, this is one of the most stressful weeks of the year, but if youre staying in town it can be quite lovely. The streets are empty, restaurants are never crowded and bars are full of sad, lonely people looking for any kind of warmth they can find. So, when you wake up somewhere strange, take our advice and bring your new pal to enjoy one of these fantastic activities.
Gifted: A Holiday Market Through Dec. 23, 1 Hanson Pl. (at Flatbush Ave.), Brooklyn, www.brooklynflea.com; 7, Free. You havent started shopping yet, and the clock is seriously ticking. You need a place to go to get something for everyoneideally something that looks really thoughtful and suggests infinite amounts of time spent tracking it down. The Brooklyn Flea has got your back this December with the delightful Gifted Holiday Market. Bottom Line: Go for the 100-odd vendors over three floors, stay for the free apple cider and pastries.
Jolly Bowl Dec. 25, Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave. (betw. N. 11th & N. 12th Sts.) Brooklyn, 718-963-3369; 6:30, $10. The presents have all been opened, the stocking candy consumed and the wrappings litter the floor like fallen Christmas angels. But youre not Christian, so you missed out on all the fun. Clearly its time to stop soaking your sorrows in Manischewitz and haul your tuchas to a party. The Jolly Bowl will brighten up your Christmas Day with a Jew-pride tribal music festival featuring Days Like Months, Pey Dalid and J. Viewz. Bottom Line: Celebrate the birthday of one famous Jew with the rest of the chosen.
Ice Skating at The Standard The Standard Hotel, 848 Washington St. (betw. Little W. 12th & W. 13th Sts.), 212-645-4646; $12.
Sure, we have mixed feelings about the Meatpacking District, but the folks at the notoriously smutty Standard have put one more item in the pros column: A new, 3,000-square-foot outdoor ice rink opened just last week in the hotels front plaza. And its open from noon to 6 on Christmas Day. An added bonus: For just $4, The Standard will spike anything on their chocolate- and cheese-heavy Après Skate menu.
Bottom Line: A classy new way to combine two of your passions alcohol and sharp things!
Wu-Tang Clan Dec. 29, Best Buy Theater, 1515 Broadway (at W. 44th St.), 212-930-1950; 9, $55 and up. Nine of the only good things to ever come from Staten Island, Wu- Tang will be stopping in our fair borough for one of the last nights of a 2010 tour. Bottom Line: Bring your Shoalin friends, if you have any; theyll be touched by your appreciation of their local heritage.
Somewhere Opening Dec. 22, Angelika Film Center, 18 W. Houston St. (at Mercer St.), 212- 995-2570; $13. Take time on this slow week to check out Sofia Coppolas latest film, about a pillpopping, pole-dancer-ogling movie star (a gloriously shirtless Stephen Dorff) who reconnects with his young daughter (the other Fanning sister), and promises all the glossy cinematography of Lost in Translation with even less dialogue. Check out Armond Whites review on page 16. Bottom Line: What better way to celebrate Christmas alone than by witnessing this heartwarming tale of family bonding?