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New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Dino Store the latest in MTA's underground art movement
NYC's art scene is going back underground — literally. As the Big Apple's subterranean newsstands, shoe shine parlors, barber shops and other vintage conveniences roll down their gates for the last time, the MTA has been experimenting with a creative way to fill the voids — with eye-catching installations Dubbed the Vacant Unit Activation program, which the agency said is aimed at making stations 'more welcoming and whimsical spaces for riders,' a number of artists are being given a platform to show the world their stuff. 6 Akiva Leffert is the co-founder of Rex's Dino Store — a funny one-stop for scaly straphangers that recently popped up inside Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza subway station. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post Mira Atherton, senior manager of MTA construction development, told The Post that the spaces had been determined as unfit for rental for a variety of reasons. 'These are often units … that are in old stations, typically ones that have been there for over a hundred years. They are funky shapes. They're small, they have often a lot of utility issues,' she said. 'They don't have water or a waste line. They might be in stations that are not as well-trafficked.' By giving drab corners a Gotham-style glow-up, Atherton said the agency aims not only to inspire riders, but also provide 'affordable space for artists and nonprofits who often have trouble finding space.' Since the 2023 inception of the project, run by the MTA Real Estate initiative, there have been twelve total activations — with eight running currently. As a service to busy commuters, we've done the legwork and wrangled five stops to keep an eye out for. The land before Time magazine 6 Rex is the proprietor of the Dino Store — where prehistoric puns are served up, free of charge. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post Real newsstands may be going the way of the triceratops, but any scaly straphangers waiting for the 2/3 at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza station will find all their needs catered for at Rex's Dino Store. The newly-opened spot, overseen by the eponymous 7-foot-tall T-Rex proprietor, offers up 50 punny primeval products — from copies of the Maul Street Journal and the Jurassic Park Slope Courier to Snarlboros and Three Tusketeers. There's even an appearance by the prehistoric doppelganger to New York's favorite tabloid — The Pangaea Post. (On the cover — a tyrannosaur in handcuffs, with the headline: SMALL ARMS DEALER.) 'It's a bodega for dinosaurs,' co-founder Akiva Leffert explained to The Post of the Rex-treme makeover — which he collaborated on with fellow creative and former standup comedian Sarah Cassidy. 6 Some of the Triassic tabloids on offer at the Dino Store, including Post doppelganger The Pangaea Post. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post 'We were riffing on this idea of just old newsstand, really old newsstand. Really, really old new stand,' Leffert said. 'And the jokes just kind of started writing themselves.' The shop, which sits behind protective glass to keep it safe from modern-day marauders, reportedly took over a year to complete, including four months for Rex himself — he's made of chicken wire covered in paper maché — with ping-pong balls for the eyes. In accordance with code, this was then fire-proofed by certified professionals — to prevent any mass-extinction events. How to train your subway performer 6 The Sound Booth at the 81st Street-Natural History Museum stop books local artists. Megan Armas / MTA Between throngs of commuters, trains, and soaring assaults, the subway platform can seem like a dangerous place for performers. As a service to buskers, non-profit Art on the Ave NYC has established the Sound Booth, a music box on the 81st Street-Natural History Museum stop for local musicians to serenade passersby. 'It's great because it gives them a relatively safe place to perform in the sense that they're right close to the ticket office and right by the turnstiles,' Barbara Anderson, Executive Director of Art on the Ave NYC, told The Post. 'And they can just go in there.' Along with providing three walls, the Sound Booth is outfitted with speakers, amps and more so performers 'don't have to bring all of their equipment,' per Anderson. There's even a musically-inspired mural featuring Billie Holiday, the Beatles, a DJ and some tambourines. Originally opened in June 2024, the installation was originally supposed to run for six months but they kept it going because it was such a hit, according to the Art on the Ave boss. To date, the Sound Booth — which is open four days a week for three hours slots — has attracted over 50 artists, including the famed 'Saw Lady' Natalia Paruz; The Meetles (a Beatles cover band), an acapella group from Fordham University; a flute trio, DJs and the Motown singers who cruise the subways most weekends. Starting June 10, the installment will be home to a Sing For Hope Piano — artist-designed ivory boxes that are sprinkled around the city — marking the first time the non-profit has had a piano in the subway system. Calm in the storm 6 Kathleen Marie Ryan's 'Nympheas Rouge: Reflections of Spring' installation, located on the 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue E train downtown subway platform. Tamara Beckwith Finding solitude during a hectic commute can seem impossible at times. Fortunately, patrons of the proletariat chariot can grab a moment of quiet reflection with the serene 'Nympheas Rouge: Reflections of Spring' installation located on the 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue E train downtown subway platform. With the help of the MTA and ChaShaMa, a non-profit that transforms derelict real estate into art spaces, artist Kathleen Marie Ryan converted this defunct newsstand into a 24-square-foot immersive display with her painting of waterlilies on three walls and a mirrored floor serving as a reflecting pool. Coincidentally, the tranquil triptych, which took over a year to complete, is located just a block away from Monet's water lilies at the Museum of Modern Art. 'After studying how people interact with art in museums, I wanted this microenvironment to give passersby a moment of calm and beauty in one of the most stressful parts of the city,' said Ryan. 'A tourist from Sacramento said it felt 'like a moment of calm in a storm.'' In 2019, international researchers found that subterranean art installations can even help the depression and tension caused by subway spaces. Thanks for the memories 6 One of the highlights is a headline from an East New Yorker describing when Edolphus 'Ed' Towns Jr. made history as the first African American deputy borough president in 1976. Gregg Richards / BPL East New Yorkers are bringing color to Brooklyn commuters' day with a nostalgic wall montage featuring maps, historic photos and other memorabilia that pays tribute to the legendary neighborhood's past. The installation, called Memories Matter, was a community collaboration between local residents of all ages, the East New York Community Land Trust and the Center for Brooklyn History at the Brooklyn Public Library. Along with map collages and floral displays, the display also features historical photographs of the neighborhood, as well as images from community newspapers and excerpts from interviews with local residents. It's a hot new track The subway platform soundtrack is no longer screeching subway tracks and raving EDPs. Located at the Chambers Street metro station, Chamber Hum was created to restore the auditory balance by playing various experimental and ambient compositions — each of which run for one month — on a multi-channel sound system. This month's buzzy track is reportedly inspired by a mysterious humming noise in Taos, New Mexico that's reportedly only able to be heard by 2% of the town's population. In fact, the sound has even been blamed for insomnia dizziness and other symptoms, but here the version serves to create ear-quilibrium amid the metro carriage cacophony. The installation is 'active 23 hours each day, with a short break between the hours of 4AM and 5AM,' organizer WPZSCH writes on the site.
New York Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
La Grenouille, the epitome of fine French dining, has been transformed into a delicious chain restaurant — but it still looks the same
La Grenouille, widely acknowledged as the city's prettiest restaurant for more than a half-century, closed last fall. But its gorgeous ghost is back at 3 E. 52nd Street, where frogs' legs have given way to Beijing-style duck. The former home of classic French cuisine has surprisingly been reborn as a location of iDen & Quanjude Beijing Duck House — an empire of fowl-focused restaurants that originated in 1864 in the Chinese capital. Remarkably, the new owners have lovingly preserved the timeless look of La Grenouille. 7 The fabled La Grenouille closed last fall after more than five decades. Gabriella Bass 7 The location has been reborn as a location of iDen & Quanjude Beijing Duck House — an empire of fowl-focused restaurants that originated in 1864 in the Chinese capital. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post General manager Wayne Pan explained, 'We had many thoughts about redesigning it like our restaurant in Vancouver' — the Quanjude brand's only other North American location that's elegant in a cool, modern style. (There are about fifty in China.) 'But people suggested not to do that, and to keep most of the old La Grenouille, because it has so many good memories for New Yorkers,' Pan said. The new restaurant's owner, Andy Zhang, also owns the Canadian location, and he bought the chateau-like 1871 former carriage house in Midtown NYC last year for $14.2 million. He and his wife divide their time between NYC and Vancouver and had enjoyed dining at La Grenouille. 'They made a decision to preserve it,' Pan explained. The jewel-box, 80-seat dining room looks almost exactly as it did when its predecessor drew luminaries from Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor to Blake Lively and Adrien Brody. The room's seductively retro crimson banquettes, gold fabric walls, beveled mirrors, and flattering lighting — from recessed ceiling fixtures and sconces — have all been perfectly preserved like a ship in a bottle. An abundance of fresh flowers in the L-shaped dining room further keep the La Grenouille spirit alive. Only the wall paintings are new, although in the same Belle Epoque style as before. The vibe is still romantic, sexy and hushed, save for classical strains of Haydn, Schumann and Mendelssohn. 7 La Grenouille was famed for its elegant interiors, which included gold-fabric walls, red booths, soft lighting and fresh flowers. Victoria Will 7 The owners of the new restaurant have preserved the iconic interiors. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post The food, however, is a different animal entirely. Instead of Dover sole in Dijon and Hollandaise sauces, Quanjude's menu is built around crispy-skin Beijing duck, which is carved tableside for guests to roll into thin Chinese pancakes with scallions and Hoisin sauce. The bird from Pennsylvania's Jurgielewicz farm was flavor-rich and winningly moist beneath its amber skin. Pan said only the kitchen and second floor needed to be updated. But there's work ahead to bring the service fully up to speed. On my early visit, nervous waiters oddly kneeled while taking orders and first brought us an effervescent mystery beverage when we ordered Sauvignon Blanc — the only white-by-the-glass available from a wine list yet to be written. They're taking a very limited number of reservations 'while we're training the staff,' Pan said. 7 iDen & Quanjude Beijing Duck House is best know for its Beijing duck. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post 7 Allen Ren is the chef at the New York restaurant — and the Michelin-starred Vancouver outpost. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post 7 The duck is delicious, and there are many other fine dishes on the menu. Olga Ginzburg for NY Post The menu is already worth a try. In addition to the $128 'signature' duck that three of us couldn't finish, chef Allen Ren, who's also the toque at the Michelin-starred Quanjude in Vancouver, is turning out other fine dishes such as tangy, Shanghai-styled smoked fish and plum sauce and beef Zha Jiang noodles. The food is as grown-up as the vibe, which mercifully restores decorum to the room after La Grenouille's zany final decade. Owner Philippe Masson turned the place into a part-time cabaret that chased away its boldface buzz. Masson himself crooned 'in a voice that combined the boom of a sportscaster with the swagger of an Elvis impersonator … even growling like a cat,' the New York Times snarked in 2021. All that aside, the good news is that the unabashed glamour of the city's most beautiful place to eat lives on.
