If you’re sticking around the city, you should get pumped for the city’s 41st Annual West Indian Celebrations. This could be my favorite of the New York City cultural events. The celebration begins in Brooklyn tomorrow, Thursday, August 28th  and lasts until Monday, September 1st with the Labor Day Carnival Parade on Eastern Parkway.

One of the reasons I love this festival is because it’s so beautiful – I mean really over-the-top beautiful. The costumes in the parade are fantastic and the food (Oh, the food!) is to die for. There will be 70 floats and thousands of “masqueraders” in flamboyant costumes of brightly colored feathers. 3 million people are expected to attend. It begins at 11am on Monday – be sure to be there early, so you can get a good view of the show!

Below is the schedule of events from the official WIADCA website:

All concerts are held at the Brooklyn Museum grounds,

900 Washington Ave, Brooklyn. 

For other info, go to www.wiadca.org 

1. Date – Thursday, August 28th Time- 6:00pm (doors open) Showtime- 7:00pm : Tickets in advance $20: At the Door:$25

Event – LADIES NIGHT

Artists: Fayann Lyons, Lima Calibo & Nadia Batson (from T&T), Tizzy (from Antigua), Zoelah (from St Vincent) Dance Troupe and much more

Description – T&T 2008 Road March Queen, Fayann Lyons, leads the female all-star lineup at the event that kicks off the weekend’s Caribbean festivities along with Ole Mas, Characters & Individuals of the costume bands competition.

2. Date – Friday, August 29th Time: 12:00pm to 4:00pm

Event: STAY IN SCHOOL CULTURAL EDUCATION – FREE! MC: Father Goose

Featuring youthful performers

-Hip Hop, Steelband, Dance, Fashions, Karate, Police Youth Club, Gowanus Drill Team, Harlem Children’s Zone, Soul Tigers Marching Band, Pink Diamond Steppers and more! Friday 29th – (Evening) Showtime – 8:00pm: Tickets in advance $35: At the Door: $40

Event: BRASS FEST (GYAL FARM Edition)

Artists – Shurwayne Winchester & Traffik, KES the Band, Edwin Yearwood & Krosfyah and Statement (from Barbados) Berbice (from Grenada) and Hunter singing “Bring it in a Bottle” with Dil-E-Nadan Orchestra (special prize for the best dressed -farmer brown outfit)

3. Date – Saturday, August 30th (Daytime) 8:00am – 3:00pm: Children FREE (Adults $5 donation)

Route: Kingston Ave & St. Johns Pl, to Franklin Ave Sooutn, to President St, into Brooklyn Museum Grounds

Saturday 30th (Evening) Showtime – 8:00pm: Tickets in advance $30: At the Door: $35

Steel Bands: (2007 Champions) – Pan Sonatas, CASYM, Sesame Flyers, Despers USA, Harmony, Crossfire, Pantonics, Ad Lib and Radoes.

Event – PANORAMA STEELBAND COMPETITION – (Cash prizes & challenge trophy)

4. Date- Sunday, August 31st Showtime – 7:00pm: Tickets in advance $30: At the Door: $35

Event – DIMANCHE GRAS

Artists – David Rudder, Scrunter, Crazy, Barron, Hunter and others along with a dazzling competition for King & Queen of the Bands

Description – The Sunshine Band & Calypso veterans perform, Kings & Queens compete and Dancers entertain to conclude the weekend concert events leading to the big Labor Day Carnival Parade.

Feel like doing the same old? I hear you. Don’t mess with the classics. Labor Day weekend should be a time for you to take advantage of the beach, especially if you haven’t managed to all summer. Below is a list of some of the best beaches in New York (and the surrounding area) that were featured on “Beach Week” of my favorite morning program (CW11).

1. Long Beach, Long Island, NY

2. Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY

3. Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk, CT

4. Point Pleasant, NJ

5. Elm Beach, (Poconos) Lords Valley, PA

My personal favorite is Point Pleasant, but the sun’s the same everywhere you go! For more information, be sure to check out the CW11 Morning News Blog.

If you liked Mystic Pizza (circa 1988), then you’ll absolutely adore this idealic New England town: the beaches, the shopping, the sights, the quaint bed and breakfasts – just what you need this labor day weekend if you’re planning on venturing outside of the city.

I like Mystic because it combines just the right amount of taste with the right amount of borderline cheesy tourist attractions. Now YOU can doddle in the streets while taking pictures of buildings at random. What I personally like about this town is that there are so many options, which is great for me because I like being able to change my mind when take a long weekend. For example, if you get tired of laying on the beach all day, you can check out the aquarium or take a stroll and do some poking around the shops. 

Some sights to check out:

• Early 19th century “seafaring” village (real historic buildings transported to Mystic from locations around New England)
• Tall Ships (we like big boats)
• The Aquarium
• Take a ride on a steamboat
• Sailboats and charters
• Mystic Arts Center
• Old Mistick Village (shopping)

Since it’s only Sunday, you still have time to book a hassle-free weekend away. You should give the website Vacation Rentals By Owner a shot for finding a nearby retreat. You’ll find hundreds of options and you’ll be able to gain greater visibility into the best prices. They also tell you whether or not the cabins are pet friendly, just in case you want to take your pooch out of your purse and into the country. Keep in mind that because of the long weekend, prices might be a little higher than you expected. 

A couple different options to consider: Belmar (NJ), Woodstock (duh), Cape Cod, Boston, or Mystic (CT).

Sites

• The Buddhist Temple, 335 Meads Mountain Rd., Woodstock, NY - Get your karma on.
• Overlook Mountain, Woodstock, NY - Get your hike on. 
• Tinker Street Cinema, 132 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY - Get your indie movie on. 
• World’s Largest Kaleidoscope, The Emerson Resort & Spa, 5340 Route 28, Mount Tremper, NY - Get your… bright colors… on? 

Shopping

• Tinker Toys, 5 Mill Hill Rd., Woodstock, NY - This whimsical toy store will take you beyond “back to your childhood”, it’ll inspire the child inside you. 
• The Golden Notebook, 26 Tinker St., Woodstock, NY – A bookstore that highlights “indie” writers. So Woodstock. So brilliant. 
• Not Fade Away, 42 Mill Hill Rd., Woodstock, NY - “Licensed Rock And Roll Merchandise” is their thing… it’s code for MOST BADASS HEAD SHOP EVER. I could, and have, spent hours scanning their merchandise. 
• Candlestock, 16 Mill Hill Rd., Woodstock, NY - They’ve been making beeswax candles (and other varieties) for over 30 years. 

Restaurants

• The Bear Cafe, Bearsville Theater Complex, 295 Tinker St., Bearsville, NY - Nestled next to a stream in a scenic nook of neighboring Bearsville, The Bear Cafe has been praised by Gourmet Magazine and the New York Times. It’s very pricy for the neighborhood (appetizers around $10, entrees around $30) but well worth the visit. 
• Joshua’s Cafe, 51 Tinker St., Woodstock, NY - Joshua’s has existed in this little village for over 30 years and it’s no surprise why. Many people have said that this is home to some of the best meals they’ve had. 
• New World Home Cooking, 1411 Rt. 212, Saugerties, NY - Another restaurant praised by the New York Times. It’s got a Cajun flare, the food is fun, flavorful and cooked to perfection. 
• The Red Onion, 1654 Rt. 212, Saugerties, NY - This Zagat rated hideaway is the perfect place to dine with your significant other, bathed in candlelight and canoodling in between bites of  the best in New American cuisine.

After last week’s “thirsty thursday!” highlighting 230 Fifth, you’re probably expecting me to direct you to another snooty after work bar. Not a chance. If you took my advice and went to 230 last week, you’re probably looking to save a little cash. That’s why this week you should  go to Croton Reservoir Tavern, not because it’s the best bar, but because it’s nice and the Happy Hour on Thursdays is fantastic.

Happy Hour drink specials: $3 domestic drafts, $5 martinis

The bar is everything a tavern should be: cavernous with exposed brick and a noisy, bustling atmosphere – not that you really care, because you’re consuming some of the cheapest beer in Manhattan. Bottoms up!

Croton Reservoir Tavern, 108 W. 40th St. & Sixth

The restaurant is Glatt Kosher which, very technically speaking, is meat from animals with smooth defect-free lungs. However, today “glatt kosher” is used informally to imply that a product was processed under a stricter standard of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws). I’m a Catholic myself and if this is what all Kosher food tastes like, I might consider converting.

My lunch-of-choice is the chicken shwarma and french fries stuffed in a warm pita. For an extra buck, you can get it “super sized” on a lafa. Mmmm mmmm goooood.

Olympic Pita, 58 W. 38th St. & Sixth Ave., 212-869-7482

Type of site:

Online Mag: “Where knowledge junkies get their fix”

Why I like MentalFloss.com:

Because they have cracklike addicting quizzes that test everything from your knowledge of Ben & Jerry’s flavors to Simpsons episodes.

Why New Yorkers should like this site:

Because we love keeping amazing facts in our back pockets for ice breakers and this site happens to be home to The Amazing Fact Generator.

How they do it:

They’re smartypants types.

FAQs:

Mental_Floss is a bi-monthly magazine that was launched in 2001 in Birmingham, Alabama, that presents facts and trivia in a humorous way. The mag was co-founded by William Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur while they were students at Duke University. Also of note, Ken Jennings (THE Ken of Jeopardy) writes an article in each issue.

Located in Mount Tremper, NY, this resort provides two types of accommodations. The Inn portion of the resort contains 25 luxury suites (no kids allowed!) that come complete with working fireplaces (gas) and jetted tubs. The rooms have an asian theme and are decked in the finest fabrics and silks. The decor gives off an aura of tranquility.

For another kind of tranquility, the kind that I prefer, the resort offers accommodations in The Lodge, which are more “rustic” and charming. It feels like a little cabin in the woods – very Catskills. These rooms accommodate families or couples looking for a more “authentic” weekend-in-the-mountains experience. The best part: when you stay at either The Inn or The Lodge you receive a free continental breakfast like you’ve never had before: fresh pastries, eggs, bacon, omelets – you name it, they’ve got it. 

Now, as for the spa – absolutely divine, as you can imagine. Prices range from $15 (chin, lip or eyebrow waxing) to $290 (Emerson Signature Massage, 80 minutes and two therapists). I dare you to try to find luxury spa services for these prices in Manhattan. I double-dog dare you.

Summer is coming to a close and before it does, I really really hope you’ve been able to make it out to 230 Fifth for some after work drinks. Please be warned, this is not the same bar in the afternoon as it is at night. If you dare to venture to this lounge on the weekend, you could be disappointed. If you don’t make a table reservation for bottle service, the wait in line really isn’t worth it. It’s overcrowded and as a result, the frustrated staff can be hurried and rude. 

On a nice day, this bar has unbeatable views (see for yourself) and some tasty drinks. The eats aren’t bad either. What makes 230 Fifth different from many other bars in Manhattan is its “rooftop garden”, complete with unobstructed views of the Empire State Building, lush greenery, plenty of chairs for kicking back, and oversized umbrellas for particularly sunny days. A perfect place to quench your thirst. 

230 Fifth Avenue & 27th St., 20th Fl. 

To call ahead for table reservations: 212-725-4300