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My personal recommendations for the savvy New Yorker and hip visitor will get you through a New York minute, day, night, or weekend, to take you from this Friday to the next.
Enjoy! Sincerely, Norma Knows New York City
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The event celebrates New York City's contributions to design.Visit the website for the calendar of events happening during this annual exhibition.
Month long pop-up of 30 vendors at Worth Square.
May 17 to 19 GoogaMooga Festival
Literally means "an amusement park of food & drink." Prospect Park in Brooklyn welcomes 85 food vendors, 75 brews, 100 wines, and 20 live music performances. Favorite vendors include Blue Marble Ice Cream, Eataly, Fatty Cue, The Lobster Place, The Meatball Shop, Momofuku Milk Bar, People's Pops, Roberta's Pizza, Rosemary's, Saxelby Cheesemongers, and Vinegar Hill House (to name a few). Don't miss The Flaming Lips performance on Friday night!
100,000 cocktails, 100 events, over 5 days at various venues.
 May 18 Taste of Tribeca Food glorious food! This annual event offers the best of NYC cuisine...Culinary experience for foodies with samplings from 60 neighborhood restaurants. The New York Botanical Garden Though the Exhibition runs through September 8th, join Andrew Weil, M.D., world renowned leader in integrative medicine, for an opening lecture and book signing opportunity. May 18 The Paley Center Salutes Broadway Watch a screening of the 1971 Tony Awards broadcast and the 1967 Armstrong Circle Theatre version of Carousel with Robert Goulet.
May 18 Manufacture New York Indiegogo Wrap Party & Factory Bash
The city's first all-in-one fashion design house and factory. Brooklyn's new garment district for independent designers! Set in the beautiful Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, this special evening benefits the Museum's general operating fund and this year honors Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Ellsworth Kelly, and Cindy Sherman
Lincoln Center Business Council's spring event with music, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
May 22 Gotham Chamber Opera
At (Le) Poisson Rouge, the opera joins with composer Missy Mazoli to perform cutting edge new vocal works.
May 22 One Medical Center's Fitness Adventure At the Mercedes Club from 6-8pm, you can dance outdoors, spin at sunset, try cardio kickboxing. Proceeds go to Dr. Oz's program to help high school students make smart choices for food and exercise.
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Cultural Pursuits...
Museums and galleries to pique your mental appetite.
Manolo Valdés Monumental Structure The New York Botanical Garden,
Through May 26 Acclaimed artist, Manolo Valdés brings seven towering sculptures to five distinctive sites at the New York Botanical Garden, showing the relationship between art and nature. RetroSpective
The Museum at FIT, May 22 through November 16 The captivating exhibit examines fashion's fascination with its own history by presenting an overview of historical references in fashion. I'm enjoying the focus on fashion this month at both FIT and the MET.
Jeff Koons
Gagosain Gallery, Through June 29
Koons' glossy artworks and magnificent sculptures are displayed at his first major NYC exhibit.
Lindsey Adelman Studio
Private Showroom (One Great Jones Street), May 18 through 21
Lighting designer Lindsey Adelman opens a NoHo gallery during NYC Design Week. Adelman has selected works from other artists to hang alongside her private collection.
Bar Oppenheimer
Hotel Americano, Through July 14
A bar that's also a piece of art; the basement of the Hotel Americano has constructed a facsimile of a Frankfurt watering hole. This space dazzles your senses with its black and with stripes, also serving as a functional bar.
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Curtain Up... 
Broadway and Off Broadway plays and musicals; live music. My weekly picks are:
I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers
Booth Theatre, Through June 30
The Divine Miss M is fabulous! Bette Midler's one woman show, is a part that is perfectly suited for Ms. Midler. She plays the powerful Tinseltown woman who represented such Hollywood celebrities as Barbra. Directed by Joe Mantello... don't miss this.
Reason to be Happy
The Lucille Lortel Theatre, Through June 23 Another night of laughter, this show is a funny, poignant play about the sacrifices the main characters (including Jenna Fischer of The Office) are willing to make in the pursuit of happiness.
Dreaming in Blue Miles Davis Festival
Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, May 24 - June 30
Smoke Jazz & Supper Club is one of my favorite jazz spots. Get tickets now for the Miles Davis Festival. Catch local performances throughout this week, including a Miles Davis Birthday Celebration on the 25th.
Laura Benanti
54 Below, May 20 through 25
An amazing vocalist, Benanti performs both pop music and original songs at 54 Below, one of my top spots for music in the city.
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For the Foodie... 
Sometimes I'll write about notable dining spots, other times new. Here are four favorite new on the scene restaurants that I have personally experienced.
Don't forget to visit Open Table to make reservations. Some may not be available on the website, so you'll need to call directly.  The Standard Plaza The Standard Hotel 848 Washington Street (at 13th St) Wood burning pizzas, antipasti... all prepared in an open kitchen. Casual al fresco dining beneath the High Line in the Meat Packing District.
181 Thompson Street (Bleecker & W Houston St) When the name Torrisi is associated with a new opening, you know if will be a hit. Carbone pays homage to Italian Americans of the mid-20th century, serving exceptional food in an elegant setting in the West Village. Their Veal Parmesan and Linguine Vongole are outstanding! Betony 41 West 57th Street (5th & 6th Ave) Named after an herb mint with healing benefits. Seasonal modern American cuisine from former executives of Eleven Madison Park. I shared their delicious asparagus lasagna with a friend after a night at the theater. A welcome addition to Midtown. Lafayette  380 Lafayette Street (at Great Jones St) Another Andrew Carmellini success in the East Village. French country cooking at its finest. A gran Parisian café that tempts you with a pastry shop as you enter. Try the Charcuterie board, Frisee Salad and Steak Frites and save room for a sweet dessert.
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Special Feature...
Memorial Day Staycations
Not traveling on Memorial Day weekend and wondering what to do in the city? Here are some ideas so you can plan ahead... whether you're looking to relax, eat good food, explore, or all of the above!
Have a Picnic
Here are 3 of my favorite picnic options in the city. 
Experience gems in each neighborhood via foot when you choose from options such as a Greenwich Village Food Tour, Central Park Tour, Classic NYC Tour, Downtown Tour of Nolita, Little Italy, Tribeca, SoHo and Chinatown. Or check out their delicious Cupcake Tour where you can sample some of the city's best cupcakes while you tour the neighborhood. Spend time in Bryant Park There is so much to do in the park. From outdoor yoga to live music and ping pong... and they just added a putting green to their 30 free games offered!  Sample Foods on Arthur Avenue
Find the real Little Italy on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Visit 50 year old markets, butchers, pasta and pastry shops, and true Italian restaurants. Two of my favorite shops are Casa della Mozzarella, producing the freshest mozzarella and ricotta and Borgatti's Pasta Shop, making signature ravioli.
Take a Short Trip to Relaxing Wave Hill Celebrate the long awaited arrival of spring with a trip to the exquisite public gardens in Riverdale. Explore 28 acres of woodlands; one of my favorite spots is the architectural Pergola Overlook, where a majestic stone Pergola frames a breathtaking view of the Hudson River. The garden conducts daily walks, horticulture lectures, outdoor yoga classes, and art and garden workshops.
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Send to other savvy New Yorkers and visitors, so they can
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