HOT MESS IN MANHATTAN

If you are in Manhattan for the next few days, leave your car parked somewhere - traffic will be a mess at least through Thursday morning. All the big mucky-mucks from around the world are in town for some shindig on the East Side which will be big on noise but probably small on accomplishment. It is a once-a-year chance for a bunch of non-important people to feel important by arranging motorcades to zoom around the city, running red lights, chasing all other cars to the curbs and generally causing gridlock and mayhem along their routes. Stay away from the areas between First & Park Avenues and 42nd to 50th Street because there will be a constant shuttle between that area hotels and the East River debating society's building. Even the theater district and the major shopping areas will be affected as wives and girlfriends of the delegates (most of the delegates are male) spend the aid dollars the US gives their countries at the fancy shops and for expensive theater seats - all the time accompanied by several carloads of police and secret service agents.

WORK IN PROGRESS - SLIDE SHOW

I went on a "Spring Flower" hunt this afternoon - sort of a cold, dull day but I needed to get back in touch with nature as bast a city-dweller can. At the top of the column to the right is the result of an hour stroll - mostly taken at a little neighborhood park one black away from my apartment house. This is my first attempt to include a slide show in the blog and it all needs some adjusting.

SOME SHOWS I HOPE TO SEE THIS WEEK IN NYC

Highly recommended for this week in cabaret here in NYC:

I plan to be a DON'T TELL MAMA a lot this week - if my funds hold out. I want to catch the very dynamic Ben Cherry and his "Love/Hate NY" show at MAMA'S on Tuesday, at 7:00 pm. On Wednesday, I plan to catch Donna Moore's COUGAR CABARET show at MAM'S at 8:00 pm. I have been going back to this show for several years now - it has gone through several revisions as it prepares for a possible off-Broadway run (it has been optioned). And of course I try to never miss Grace Cosgrove's GRACE NOTES - Singers Soiree shows - this time its on Thursday the 19th at 6:30 pm (with Julie Reyburn, Lennie Watts, Jenna Esposito, Stearns Matthews, Billie Roe, Steven Ray Watkins and Stefanie Rose). Best cabaret value in town at only $15 - and you can take $5 off if you are a member of CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE. And on Saturday, a good friend from Cape Cod comes to NYC - Pat Fitzpatrick (how Irish is that) along with he sidekick Brian Patton, with an updated version of her fantastic show "Single, Again ... and this time it's not my fault!" at MAMA'S at 9:00 pm. A real gem! I also plan to be at MAMA'S at 7:00 pm to catch another Cape Cod favorite, Ralph Bassett's "I've Got the Divas In Me" show.

That's a lot of plans - I hope I can fulfill every one. We will take it one day at a time - and give an update in Thursday's issue as to how we are doing. I got three new short-run banner ads over the weekend plus a donation from someone who couldn't make it to our gala - all small amounts, but anything helps. At the same time, several banner ads expired over the weekend with two more expiring this week - this makes for an ideal time to run a banner, since they are displayed at random - the fewer banners running the more time your banner will be seen.

A STORMY DAY IN GOTHAM

As the saying goes, here in NYC, if you don't like the weather, just wait an hour. That can sum up our forecast for today!

Snow - changing to sleet & freezing rain - changing to all rain - temperatures climbing to near 40 degrees (f) and then tonight dropping to the high 20s turning everything into a frozen mess.

Biggest challenge? Crossing at the crosswalk, as giant slushy puddles form just where you want to cross the street. And an attempt to leap over these frozen moats could end in disaster if you don't land on a dry spot!

NYC CABARET BULLETIN SERVICE AVAILABLE

I haven't mentioned this of late, but there are a few more services we offer for free at CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE and one is our NYC CABARET BULLETIN SERVICE - you can sign up with your e-mail address (about 300 are signed up right now) and get e-mail notification of any last minute show schedule changes and/or cancellations in the NYC area, or other late-breaking cabaret news. Just click on the SUBSCRIBE FREE button at the top of every page and then on the NYC BULLETIN button on that page (The NYC PICKS service has been discontinued - I have to update the page).

HUGS

STU