Hicup

Utopian Saturday in LA: 21st Annual Santa Monica Festival

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:47:02 +0000

Santa Monica Festival, Clover Park

Saturday, May 19, 2012, 11 AM – 6 PM – Free Admission, Parking & Bike Valet!

Enjoy eclectic music and colorful dance, eat fresh and local food, shop for earth-friendly artistic wares and discover a greener, healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Active Stage:
Get moving this Saturday at this fitness-eco-lifestyle event at one of the Southland’s favorite forward-thinking communities Santa Monica. Participate in workshops including Zumba, Belly Dancing, Gymnastics, Yoga, World Groove Dance, Hip Hop, Strengthen & Tone and Martial Arts

Ocean Stage:
Listen to music groups such as Dustbowl Revival (a Venice-based jazz collective merging bluegrass, gospel, jug-band swamp blues and hot swing), La Santa Cecilia (South American rhythms like cumbia and bossa nova blended with Afro-Cuban percussion, rock and jazz), Lux Aeterna (urban dance and contemporary circus theater) and Vaud & the Villains (19-piece New Orleans ‘30s orchestra and cabaret featuring leggy dancing girls, big brass and mad chops of the Villain choir).

Food Salon:
Chef Challenge cooking competitions, cooking demos and talks – you can even create your own healthy cookbook. Participants include Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining, Alex Moreno from Border Grill, Karl Bruskotter/Meatless Mondays, Darra Henigan on Eating Locally and Seasonally, John-Carols from Michael’s and Nyesha Arrington from Wiltshire, plus Kid’s Kitchen hosted by Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.

Food Trucks include Border Grill, the Bun Truck, Coolhaus, Crepe’n Around, Gastrobus, Go Chew Truck, Hawaiian Delight, India Jones, Let’s Be Frank, Linde’s Almonds, Nom Nom Truck, Shmuck with a Truck, Waffles de Liege, Yalla.

Eco Zone:
Explore environmentally smart solutions to daily living with Earth Partnership, Catalina Ecology Project, Energy Upgrade CA, Heal the Bay, Sustainable works, Latino Resource Organizations, Solar Santa Monica, Resource, Recovery & Recycling and Waste Management: At Your Door Secial Collection.

Bike Zone:
City of Santa Monica Bike Valet, free parking & raffle ticket, Bikrowave (do-it-yourself bike repair, maintenance advice and safe riding tips), Santa Monica Spoke: Bike Exhibition, CicLAVIA (the country’s largest car-free event and how you can bring it to Santa Monica) and Bike Rodeo & Skill Zone (where cyclists of all ages and skills levels can practice handling and bike rodeo skills).

And More! Art workshops and contests, craft demonstrations, sustainable works, eco-friendly artistic marketplace

Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd, between Cloverfield and 28^th Street

For more information, call 310-458-8350 or go to:

http://www.smgov.net/Portals/Culture/content.aspx?id=15035

NYC’s Public Theater Presents: February House

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:49:23 +0000

For New York hicup members as well as visitors, don’t miss FEBRUARY HOUSE!

Tuesday, May 8 – Monday, June 10

Visionary and flamboyant editor George Davis transforms a dilapidated Brooklyn boarding house into a bohemian commune for the leading lights of 1940s New York. Residents include novelist Carson McCullers, composer Benjamin Britten, poet W.H . Auden, and the infamous Gypsy Rose Lee.

The luminaries of 7 Middagh Street form a tumultuous and remarkable makeshift family, and search for love, inspiration and refuge from the looming war in Europe. Inspired by true events, this powerful and funny new musical marks the first commission of the The Public’s Musical Theater Initiative. The exciting score, written by up-and-coming composer Gabriel Kahane, mixes elements of classical operetta, jazz and musical comedy with modern folk-pop.

About The Public Theater:

The Public Theater is the nation’s foremost theatrical producer of Shakespeare and new work, including plays, musicals and innovative stagings of the classics. The public Theater has a rich history of award-winning productions. Currently it is featuring a selection of productions from the institution’s 50-year history, with a long term goal of providing information on all Public Theater productions – anticipated completion is by the end of 2012.

The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, between Astor Place and East 4^th St., NYC 10003

Phone: 212-539-8500

For more information and tickets, go to: publictheater.org

San Francisco’s Eighth Annual Cinco de Mayo

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:27:53 +0000

Cinco de Mayo SF,
Saturday, May 5, 2012 – 10 AM- 6 PM

Cinco de Mayo is a fiesta of Mexican heritage and pride, celebrated nationwide on May 5 and marking the victory of the Mexican Army against the French troops in the Battle of Puebla. It is also an acknowledgement of the many contributions made by Mexicans, Mexican-Americans and Latinos to the United States.

In San Francisco, the Cinco de Mayo Festival will feature a wide array of stage performances from talented Mexican and other Latin American performers , including:

Ensambles Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco, preserving the tradition of Mexican folk dance with quality, authenticity and colorful costumes.

Cumbia Tokeson, a forward-thinking take on cumbia, fusing Peruvian chica, rooted in ‘70s guitar and psychedelia, mixing grooves of Colombian cumbia and rock with guitar-driven melodies, with reggae, funk, punk and a touch of southern Mexico’s son jarocho

Conjunto Picante, Salsa and Latin Jazz, born from a collaboration of artists from the SF Bay Area seeking to express themselves in the field of Salsa – a group of seasoned individual with a passion and dedication in bringing back the 70s.

Latin Rhythm Boys (LRB), sons of Jr. Henry Miranda, a Cuatrista, carryon their father’s musical legacy, high-energy Puerto Rican music that includes salsa as well as their sspecialty Jibaro sound.

ORQ, La Fuerza Gigante (LFG), “The Giant Force,” featuring a global-member salsa band with each member bringing the flavor of his country to the presentation, including Puerto Rico, Panama, Ecuador, Mexica and USA.

SF Cinco De Mayo
Dolores Park, Dolores St. @ 18^th St., San Francisco

For more information, with schedule detail, go to: sfcincodemayo.com

Aficionados: What U.S. Cities Know Best

hicup — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:20:00 +0000

Check out our latest infographic on what cities are known for their hobbies and interests. Find out which city shares your interest and why.

Aficionados: What U.S. Cities Know Best

Today, there’s a niche group for everything—and probably an enthusiast magazine to fill hobbyists in on the latest development in their obscure interest group. But that doesn’t quite satisfy the enthusiasts desire to be an ambassador—to search out a friend who shares their refined pallet. With the vast but connected world of the interest fellow aficionados are never far off—but what able people who aren’t on your computer screen? What if your neighbor also secretly collects Leave it to Beaver memorabilia and longs for a kindred spirit to share it with?

Luckily, meeting people with shared interests just got a lot easier, with hicup!

There are a few common interests that can full of nuance to the seasoned professional—unfortunately they’re not common enough to always have a friend to talk about it with. Just imagine–the oenophilist has longed to discuss the intricacies of a fine wine with someone other than her Labrador. When she asks at a party, “Oh have your tried this Pinot from the Burgundy region?” she longs to hear her new friend say, “Yes! And weren’t the tannins too strong?” And they will weep together, tears of joy and understanding, right there in the middle of the ballroom. This of course, is a day dream, but what if that dream could become a reality?

Likewise, the classic car enthusiast has tinkered endlessly on his vintage Citroën DS, buffing a perfect sheen into the carefully lacquered finish. His friends think it looks “neat,” his kids think it looks “old,” he wants only to meet someone who will think the baby gleaming in the garage under a protective tarp “Deserves it’s title as the most beautiful car of all time!” That it is a “magnificent achievement in the world of engineering! And is most definitely a site to see.” Sure he goes to the car shows and enjoys meeting the folk as they crowd around his prized possession, but he sure wishes he didn’t always have to drive from Texas to Kentucky.

The foodie’s no different. Her pallet ranges from arugula to snails. Her family is relieved that at least she can enjoy a good steak, but they just don’t understand when she insists that bacon-infused whiskey is divine. At her favorite up-scale café she savors every bite, but wishes someone other than the chef could appreciate the way the ginger lime glaze contrasts with the Hawaiian sea salt on the brussels sprouts. She knows a lot of people who love a good meal, but she’s looking for something more.

The museum of modern art is a lonely place indeed, especially when the extent of the art connoisseur’s partner’s vocabulary on art critique is “That’s … interesting.” He longs to hear the rise and fall of inflection as a passionate art critic analyzes the colors in a Matisse, and the lines of a Chagall. It doesn’t help that he lives in rural Ohio. But he’s been telling himself he can’t be the only person in Loudonville who identifies with Van Gogh.

The cigar aficionado knows a good cigar when she smells one, and wishes she knew someone else who did. As much as she wishes for the finest hand-rolled Cuban cigar, she longs for someone to share the joy of this luxurious treat with, someone who won’t send her to the garage so she won’t stink up the house. She blows a white puff into the crisp air and wishes someone would complement her smoke ring.

Like the rest, the film buff has been pursuing his interests alone. Sitting in his dark cave—in optimal viewing conditions—he invents conversations in which he wows a friend with his discussion of the finer details of Hitchcock’s Citizen Cane. All he wants is for someone to respond and tell him something he doesn’t already know.

Don’t be glum, aficionados! Just use your smartphone to log onto hicup and meet people with similar interests in your area!

Simmering in Seattle

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:51:55 +0000

HIPCOOKS IN SEATTLE

(Continuous schedule)

Interested in learning to Thai One On? The art of Persian Immersion? The best Tapas and Paella recipes? Come to Hipcooks in Seattle, arguably the coolest cooking school in the PacNorthwest (with the exception of its sister location in Portland). Hipcooks provides hands-on cooking classes for the novice and seasoned cook alike. Measuring implements are banned, tasting is encouraged, and you inner chef is invited to play. The best part? Every class ends with a dinner party!

If you’d like to learn to cook healthy food for your family, fun menus for 30 of your closest friends (while never breaking a sweat in the kitchen) or knife skills to impress a samurai, Hipcooks shows you how it’s done.

Classes have a set price of $65 (limited size to allow for hands-on instruction) and include fresh, organic (wherever possible) ingredients, tools and supplies, plus wine tasting with dinner. All skill levels welcome; no minors, please.

217 Yale Ave. North, Seattle, WA 98198; check website for parking tips in the ‘hood (near the main entrance of REI’s headquarter store). Phone is 206-467-1196; Hipcooks staff prefers e-mail because theythey are always cooking or shopping to cook; but if you do call, please leave a time when they can ring you back.

For more information, class schedules, and a look at the Hipcooks facilities, go to seattle.hipcooks.com.

West Coast Cities Bonus: there are Hipcooks locations in your cities too, just go to hipcooks.com

Help Chicago Bulls Rally Against Dallas Mavericks

admin — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:59:48 +0000

Saturday, April 21, 7:00 PM at the United Center, Chicago

Chicago hicup-ites, the Bulls need your love more than ever now, with injured players Derrick Rose just back in the game and Luol Deng still a maybe. Veteran shooting guard Richard Hamilton will be playing, tying his season-high with 22 points in 34 minutes Monday, his most playing time since January 29 in Miami.

Derrick Rose in Miami
For any hicup folks who are just getting into this, as of 2012, the Bulls were the third most valuable NBA franchise due to their 1990s performances and the resulting legacy, with an estimated value of $600 million. Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose have both won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award while playing for the Bulls, for a total of 6 MVP awards.

Come cheer your home team this Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks, who by the way have some worries of their own. . . GO BULLS!

1901 W. Madison St., Chicago, IL 60612

312-445-4000; for more info and tickets, Bulls.com, Unitedcenter.com

Ludvig In Los Angeles

admin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:10:08 +0000

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC’S BLOOMSTEDT CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN

Friday-Saturday, April 13-14, 8:00 PM; Sunday, April 15, 2:00 PM

One of the greatest of all Mass settings, the Missa Solemnis is an atypical work, even for Beethoven. Missing is the sustained development of themes that is one of his hallmarks. Also absent is his penchant for theme and variations. Instead, the Missa Solemnis presents a continuous musical narrative, almost without repetition.

Beethoven\’s Missa Solemna

http://www.laphil.com/tickets/performance-detail.cfm?id=4724 or call 323/850-2000

Walt Disney Concert Hall, 11 South Grand Avenue, LA 90012

Rockin’ the Space Needle: Seattle’s EMP Museum

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:11:11 +0000

EMP Museum/Seattle

Music + Sci-Fi + Pop Culture

If your hicup profile skews toward pop culture interests like rock concerts, blues jams and sci fi movies, do we have a destination museum for you – in Seattle! The EMP is a leading-edge, non-profit museum dedicated to the ideas and risk-taking that fuel contemporary popular culture. EMP serves as a gateway museum, reaching multigenerational audiences through its collections exhibitions and education programs, using interactive technologies to engage and empower visitors.

The museum is housed in a 140,000 square-foot Frank O. Gehry designed building that includes multiple innovative galleries, an interactive Sound Lab and Sky Church – a concert venue with state-of-the-art sound and lighting that houses the largest indoor LED screen in the world.

Current exhibitions include:

Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film

Avatar: The Exhibition

Nirvana

Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound

Sounds and Vision: Artists Tell Their Stories

Guitar Gallery

Check out the Oral History Live! Exhibits, EMP’s archive of interviews with musicians, authors, filmmakers, producers and other key figures who have profoundly shaped American music, science fiction and popular culture (850 and counting). Interviews include DefJan25 (LL CoolJ, the Beastie Boys & Public Enemy to Ludacris, Kanye West and Rihanna); horror film director John Landis; Mary Wilson of the Supremes; Graham Nash; Krist Novoselic (bassist for Nirvana); El Vez (self-proclaimed Mexican Elvis aka Robert Lopez); and paranormal/fantasy author Cliver Barker.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame honors the lives, works and ongoing legacies of Science Fiction’s greatest creators. Founded in 1996, it was relocated from the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to its permanent home at EMP. Inductees include Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ursula K. LeGuin, Mary Shelley, Isaac Asimov, Gene Roddenberry and Ridley Scott.

empmuseum.org

Seattle Center, next to the Space Needle and Seattle Center Monorail

206-770-2700; box office 206-770-2702

NYC’s Urban Environmental Challenge Run this Sunday

admin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:40:10 +0000

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Head off April Fool’s Day this Sunday in the Bronx with a run through New York’s Van Cortlandt Park , the fourth largest park in New York City’s five boroughs!

The Urban Environmental Challenge 2012 consists of 10K of true cross country trails , including stream crossings (with optional bridge) suitable for all standards of runners – you don’t need to be a member of the Van Cortlandt Track Club or any kind of running expert, just have a love of running and an sense of fun and adventure.

The race starts at Tortoise & Hare Statue, Van Cortlandt Park near 6115 Broadway at 10:00 a.m.; on-site registration begins 9:00 a.m. For more information, including advance registration, check out the Urban Environmental Challenge website.

View this video from last year’s race to get a feel for the event.

Artisan Cheese Fest in San Francisco Bay Area

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:33:36 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO

Friday-Sunday, March 23-25

CALIFORNIA’S ARTISAN CHEESE FESTIVAL

Petaluma/Sonoma County

Do you love cheese? Join other fromage freaks (find one on hicup!) in the San Francisco Bay Area and head up to Sonoma County’s biggest annual cheese party!

In its sixth year, this festival is a weekend-long celebration of handcrafted
cheeses, foods, wines, beers and other things cheese-related cheese, primarily
but not exclusively from California, up in Petaluma in Sonoma’s Wine &
Cheese Country, about an hour north of San Francisco. This event brings
together artisan cheese makers, chefs, restaurants, brewers, master sommeliers,
wineries, cheese shops and the cheese-loving general public in “a gastronomic
tour de force unlike no other.”

There are classes on cheese making, cooking with cheese, cheese & wine pairing, tours of cheese plants, book signings from cheesy authors, and anything else cheese-related you can imagine. Don’t miss the Friday Farm Tours, Saturday Seminars, Saturday evening Grand Tasting and Sunday Brunch and Marketplace. Go to artisancheesefestival.com for more info, the complete schedule and tickets.

Held at the Sheraton Sonoma County-Petaluma,

745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma, CA; phone 707-283-2888