Photograph of the Puck Building, where at least one 7th floor business supports Obama, by Tien Mao It's pretty safe to say many New Yorkers are aligned with the Democratic party, but it's unclear who NYC's registered Democrats will vote for on primary day - Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Though in the highly unscientific survey of sights around the city over the past week (and year), it seems the senator representing Illinois has......

THEATER: Over the summer the Belarusian Free Theater was arrested, along with their audience, during a performance of their play Being Harold Pinter, which uses Pinter’s magnificent Nobel Prize acceptance speech as a springboard for theatrical dissent, something the Belarus police state isn't really so into. (For that reason, the company’s performances are normally held secretly in alternating private apartments.) Unable to bring the entire production to New York for his Under the Radar festival,......

MUSIC: It's CMJ, check out one of the zillions of bands playing. Since trying to pick just one show is tough, we'll suggest one for you. Head over to Brooklyn tonight for Dirty on Purpose, A Place to Bury Strangers, Sisters, Coin Under Tongue and Indian Scout. They'll be taking the stage at Death by Audio. Listen: Mind Blindness.mp3 - Dirty on Purpose 8pm // Death by Audio [49 South 2nd St, Williamsburg] And come......

REMINDER: Don't forget about the Atlantic Antic Festival, which we wrote all about yesterday. EVENT: The d.u.m.b.o arts center (dac) presents the 11th Annual Art Under the Bridge Festival. The three-day fête takes up 30 blocks bringing together over 1500 visual artists, 250 open studios and offices, and an expected 20,000 attendees. Given much of the music biz in this city has offices in that area, they'll be taking part as well. The Deli Magazine......

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,......

THEATER: The annual Soho Think Tank Ice Factory, arguably New York’s most impeccably curated theater festival, has been hosting an exhilarating array of new shows every weekend since July 4th . Starting tonight you can sink your teeth into Vampire University, in which “a struggling vampire family descends on an evangelical college in the Midwest, the dad’s mid-life crisis of immortality triggers a desire to come back to life and the gulf between first and......

COMEDY: This weekend marks the 9th Annual Del Close Marathon. Del Close, if you don't know by now, "was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years influencing Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley and the Upright Citizens Brigade to name a few." The annual weekend began after Del's passing in 1999. All Weekend // Various Times // UCB Theater [307 W 26th St] // $10 shows,......

At around 11pm we got a text message from a friend at the Shepard Fairey opening in DUMBO, saying that the "Splasher got caught at the show tonight". So far the information we're hearing is that two guys attempted to set off a stink bomb at the show, but were stopped by security. It remains to be seen if the stink-bombers are the same guys who set off a stink bomb at the Faile......

THEATER: Listen up: The World Financial Center’s unique Word of Mouth Festival is going on through Saturday only. Taking inspiration from the festival’s location, The Women’s Project is presenting a series of short plays by women playwrights called Girls Just Wanna Have Fund$. They’re all site-specific works about the relationships between women and wealth (or lack thereof); audiences are escorted through various spots around the World Financial Center to watch each performance. (There's an article......

Sol LeWitt, geometrically-inspired sculptor and artist, leader in modern American art, died yesterday (from complications of cancer) in New York at age 78. Turning down awards, declining interviews and notoriously camera-shy, Lewitt was the opposite of artist-as-celebrity. In a 1980 work called “Autobiography” he took over 1,000 photographs of every inch in his Manhattan loft, documenting everything that happened to him in the course of taking the pictures. Yet he only appears (small and......

This week New York Magazine chose Eric Harvey Brown as their look book subject. We decided to ask him a few questions ourselves, and dig a little deeper - beyond the beard (just a little though). How did NY Mag approach you for the Look Book piece? They found me walking past Times Square. Why do you think they picked you? I have crazy facial hair. Where did they shoot the photo? They shot the......

It’s been a couple of year since Baltimore auteur John Waters has brought a new movie to the silver screen but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been as busy as ever. Whether it’s guest starring on TV shows or curating art exhibits, Waters puts his distinctive, off kilter imprint on anything he’s involved in, even the lowly mix tape. After adding oddity to your holiday soundtrack with his Christmas CD A John Waters Christmas, Waters......

EVENT: Tonight is the "Taxi 07: Transforming and Icon" event, marking the 100th anniversary of the New York taxi. The Design Trust for Public Space have gathered together members of the city’s design community and tonight they discuss ideas for the redesign the yellow cab. The idea of a redesign was announced back in 2005. 6:30pm // Cooper Hewitt Design Museum [2 E 91st St] // $10 THEATER: Cherry Lane Theatre is reviving Amiri Baraka's......

Can't get in to any of the Cold War Kids shows (their bi-coastal residency is in full swing)? Well, you can still check out one fo the Kids tonight, at his art show, "I’m celebrating my love for you with a pint of beer and new tattoo: New work by Matt Maust". Matt Maust is the bassist for the Cold War Kids, and this is work that has come to be over the last year......

The experiment requires that you visit Kustera Tilton Gallery and tell Gothamist what you think of the I Drank the Kool-Aid (The Experiment Requires That You Continue) exhibit. In this psychology-meets-art show, artists reflect on the impact authority figures and mob mentality have on the creative world. “Artists, by their nature, observe and interpret human behavior from both within and outside society. The works in this show are varied examples of the costs and benefits......

THEATER: It’s Friday night, and what better way to cut loose than an evening of interactive theater – set in plague-ravaged New York City! In All Fall Down, a savage battle rages for the dwindling supplies of the vaccine, but soon a question arises: "Is the cure worse than the disease?" Theatre Recrudescence vows to explore our “post 9/11 hysteria with elements of carnival, clowning and rock and roll.” (All Fall Down is in previews,......

ART: Local artist Jen Dunlap is having an art show tonight. It's called Yeep! Yeep!, so it's sure to be fun. Check out her work here, then head over there to see it all up close, while enjoying some free drinks! 7 to 10pm // Riverfawn [11 Harrison St #1] // Free THEATER: Anne Washburn’s The Internationalist begins previews tonight. Originally presented in 2004, it’s about a young American businessman assigned to an unspecified foreign......

Tonight 826NYC is back with another benefit, this one is their Art Show, with all money raised from the auction going to the charity. You know about 826NYC, right? The nonprofit is dedicated to supporting kids from 6–18 with their creative writing skills, while helping teachers inspire their students to write. Just think of all the future bloggers in that place. Check out the pieces on auction, here, where you can also check out the......

- Yes! Let the discussion on medium rare pork begin. At the very least the dining populous may end up ordering fewer well done pork chops. Hopefully a conversation will follow in the near future about the acceptable light pink hue that properly cooked chicken and turkey breast can have. Get yourself a meat thermometer so you can nail the right temperatures. - Gotta love a good “who was first” Ray’s pizza rehash. The Times......

If They Come For You In The Morning: A Benefit Art Show for Daniel McGowan, will be held tonight at ABC No Rio (who now own their building!). The show will raise money for the legal defense of local activist Daniel McGowan, who was arrested last December during Operation Backfire, a multi-state sweep of environmental activists who have now been charged with virtually every unsolved earth and animal liberation case in the Northwest. He is......

Be Nice is a free art show and party that takes place at Orchard Bar every so often, with apparently a pretty good sonic backdrop. This week's theme is "On My Bedroom Wall" - a collection of personal items from the bedroom wall including objects and images of inspiration, photographs of favorite memories and past-times hung salon style. We've been looking around our walls to see what we'd bring if we were participating. Probably this......

Earlier this week kissy couples were wading through roses and red tissue paper deeper than an east coast snow dump and singles shook a tiny, lonely fist (no ring!) at it all. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Valentine's season is in the can, finally. Austinist is already pulsing with SX energy and posting on the People's Choice Award nominees and the short films that will be playing while the......

- The Egon Schiele show at the Neue seems to be the art show to beat this weekend. The Times gave it a mixed review (too broad, not enough sex), but it still sounds pretty dope. On view till February 20. - Is it as sad as we think it is that every time we hear about another person who has ">fallen down an elevator shaft to their death, all we think about is L.A.......

CRAFTY CONSUMERISM: The Renegade Craft Fair is a DIY extravaganza which has only since taken place in Chicago. This weekend it sets up shop in Brooklyn with 150 vendors who will showcase and sell their one-of-a-kind handmade wares, including reconstructed clothing, comics, zines, jewelry, silkscreened gigposters, iPod cozies and more. On June 25th and 26th in McCarren Park (Bedford Ave. & N. 12th St.) from 10:30am-5pm. MUSIC: If you missed Ghostland Observatory this week, we're......

Carrie McLaren,
Editor, Stay Free!...

The Daily News reports that the daughter and son-in-law of a Columbia dean are eviciting tenants of the East 3rd Street building they own. Catherine and Alistair Economakis live in a landmark brownstone in Cobble Hill and own on the top floor of a 15 apartment building (photo at left, Daily News). Tenants, who pay $500-1000/month, believe that the couple is going to turn the rent stabilized building into condos or will sell it for......

It's unfortunate that we have to read all these wonderful stories about Jerry Orbach in the many obituaries today, but Gothamist is heartened by the fact that many people, from fans to critics, as well as his peers, found him to be a great actor and a wonderful person. Gothamist thinks that was part of why we love Jerry so much, whether he was Detective Lennie Briscoe or Lumiere or Harry McGraw: He was wise......

Gothamist is sorry we missed the NYC Surface Art Show, which ended yesterday and featured paintings by Paul Carluccio. Michael Cosentino of Meccapixel took a picture of the paintings at the gallery, and Gothamist would love a manhole painting on our wall. Forgotten-NY on manhole covers of the city. Gothamist on the manhole tattoo.......

It's awful, to say, but Gothamist's ego has been feeling a little battered this week. It's not anything terrible, but when we hear about a 4 year old, selling her painting for thousands of dollars, we've got to reassess our lives. Little Marla Olmstead was featured in the NY Times and on the Today show this morning, and Gothamist had really hoped it was more a "Kids Do The Darndest Things" like those 2 year......

Wow, now Gothamist knows a little bit how Jonathan Van Gieson feels - we found this picture of us on Devo frontman/composer/artist Mark Mothersbaugh's site for his touring art show, Homefront Invasion. This was when Gothamist checked out Mark's art in May. Jen is looking directly at the camera (and looking pretty stupid), Jake has his back to the camera. The guy to Jake's right is Jen's metrosexual date - with his shopping bag,......