Sheara Wilensky . com

Bye-bye metal trees. Roxy Paine’s three stainless steel sculptures were taken down today after nearly 11 months on display at Madison Square Park.

The two 40-foot metal trees - Conjoined and Defunct - and a 7-foot high metal boulder - Erratic - have been up since last May as part of the Park’s ongoing modern art displays. They were supposed to have been taken down in December. I guess the public responded well to the display, or the Park department got lazy to take them down. I’m interested in seeing what crazy sculptures will be featured next.

New Yorker Roxy Paine is an internationally recognized conceptual artist who’s sculptures are on display in public parks across the nation. For more information on the three sculptures check out the Madison Square Park website.

Blind Melon gave the second performance of their 5-month nationwide tour last night, March 1, 2008, at the sold out Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel in Chelsea. Shannon Hoon’s replacement, lead vocalist Travis Warren, surprisingly rocked the audience. I was unsure how they would perform with the new lead, given Shannon’s unique and easily distinguishable voice, but they did a great job. The sounds were familiar, the hits were all there. Many songs were dedicated to Shannon, such as “Change” Shannon’s favorite (and mine). The playlist included Soup, Galaxie, Toes Across the Floor, and of course No Rain. They also played new songs from their new album which will be out on April 22nd. Travis’ mother came out to join the vocals on Cheatem Street.

The sound quality was fantastic and the venue was small and intimate, only 250-300 tickets were sold. A lot of true fans were in the house. I was able to get pretty close to the stage. Check out a clip of No Rain.

I like to read www.1010wins.com a couple of times a day because it’s a great site for local NYC news and events. Yesterday they posted a poll “Who has the best coffee?”, and the choices were Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, the Coffee Cart Guy, Other, and I Don’t Drink Coffee. Dunkin’ Donuts took first place with 34%, slightly ahead of Starbucks’ 26%. Only 13% of those who voted don’t drink coffee. For New Yorkers, is that surprisingly high, or surprisingly low? It seems to me that a big part of the fast-paced lifestyle of New Yorkers is coffee consumption, giving them that extra oomph in the morning, you know, that oomph to cram into the subway car or knock you over on the street on the way to the office. During the morning rush, it is rare to see someone without a cup of coffee in hand.

This morning I grabbed a free Metro paper at the subway entrance. The front page article was about how Starbucks closed 7,100 locations yesterday for three and a half hours of barista training. Front page. A lot of people felt upset and inconvenienced. One person quoted in the article stated “I don’t know what we are going to do now. I guess we’ll have to go somewhere else”. I haven’t yet decided if this statement is utterly ridiculous, or if I sympathize with the guy!

Now, I myself am a coffee drinker. I usually have one cup a day, though I can go without. My coffee of choice is Dunkin’ Donuts, though if I don’t pass by one, the coffee carts are fine. I go to Starbucks so infrequently that I never remember the difference in sizes between the Venti and the Grande. In fact, I think I may hate Starbucks. It’s not just the too-strong coffees. Once last year, a colleague from another office was visiting, and the two of us went to Starbucks, as I offered to treat him to a cup of coffee. He ordered some crazy mocha double soy latte something or other. The bill was 13 bucks for 2 coffees. But it’s not just the fact that I can get 2 slices of pizza and a coke for the same price as a Grande Latte. Who the hell has the time in the morning to stand on a Starbucks line for 15+ minutes? Apparently Starbucks enthusiasts do. I just don’t get it.

A friend of mine was a barista in a Starbucks in a NJ suburb several years ago. She would tell me how days would go by without the coffee machines and filters being cleaned out. But that’s another story. I am getting off topic, this post isn’t meant to bash Starbucks, but rather to discuss how we New Yorkers need our caffeine!

According to a newsletter called Nutrition Action, here are some things caffeine may be good for:

• Parkinson’s Disease
• Gallstones
• Mental Performance (duh)
• Mood
• Physical Performance
• Headaches (note caffeine as an ingredient in many over-the-counter pain relievers)

Here are some things caffeine may not be good for:

• Sleep
• Fertility
• Miscarriage
• Birth Defects
• Counteracting Alcohol - Interesting, as most people treat hangovers with black coffee! According to the magazine, caffeine is more likely to reverse the subjective effects of alcohol than performance effects. People who are drunk and caffeinated will think they are ok but their reaction time and judgment will still be impaired.
• Migraines

Now migraines and coffee is interesting to me. As a long-time migraine sufferer and avid reader of any migraine-related article, study, or publication, I can tell you that coffee can both cause and cure migraines! Drinking too much coffee can give you a headache, yet if you don’t drink coffee on a regular basis, than a cup of black can help to alleviate the pain when a migraine does occur. It’s all about finding the balance.

Caffeine roughly works like this:

Adenosine is created in the brain to help prepare the body for sleep. When adenosine binds to receptors, it causes drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity and increasing the flow of oxygen by causing blood vessels to dilate. To a nerve cell, caffeine looks like adenosine. So when the caffeine binds to the receptors, it doesn’t have the effect of slowing down nerve cell activity, and the adenosine are blocked. Instead of slowing down, the cells speed up, and you are more alert. The caffeine also causes the blood vessels to constrict rather then dilate, because they block the adenosine which serves the function of opening them up. The constricting of blood vessels helps to relieve headaches as well.

Here are some things that caffeine has no positive or negative effects on:

• Heart Disease
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Dehydration (caffeine is not a diuretic, contrary to popular belief, at least not in the average consumed amounts)
• PMS
• Weight Loss
• Growth (there is no good research to support that caffeine may stunt a child’s growth)

So, how much caffeine are you consuming?

Cup of Starbucks coffee (grande) - 330 mg

Dunkin’ Donuts medium regular coffee - 145 mg

Starbucks Frappuccino - 130-145 mg

16 oz cup of black or green tea - 60-100 mg

Cup of instant coffee, Maxwell House or Folgers - 5-15mg

Bottle of Arizona, Snapple, or Lipton Tea - 30-60 mg

11 oz cup, Starbucks Iced Coffee - 200 mg

Can of Red Bull - 80 mg

Bottle of SoBe - 150 mg

20 oz bottle of Vitamin Water (energy) - 50 mg

10 oz can of Bud Extra beer - 55 mg

Here’s a good tip for all you coffee-lovers: next time you go to Dunkin’ Donuts, ask for a coffee card. Buy 5 cups, get one free. They don’t advertise this.

On Tuesday, March 18th 2008, Best of the Web will be hosting their 3rd awesome charity event, from 8 pm to midnight. Tickets are $40 each, and this time around, the search community will be voting on the charity from the following choices:

• HMBANA Milk Banks, a non-profit which collect, screens and sends out breast milk to micro-preemies and premature infants who were born too early for their mother to provide them with milk.
• Camp Interactive, a technology-focused summer program for underprivileged youth.
• The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, dedicated to funding blood cancer research to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s and myeloma.
• National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, which provides support for those affected and raises funds for research into a cure.

To vote for one of these charities, visit: http://botw.org/helpcenter/sesny08_charity.aspx.

The party will take place at Black Finn NY, located at 218 East 53rd Street, New York, NY. The last charity event was a lot of fun. So even if you are not a member of the search community, you should come! Good people, good cause, good food and lots of alcohol.

BOTW is trying to reach a goal of 300 tickets at $40 each.

Email me for more information and spread the word!

375 Broome Street
(between Mulberry & Mott)
212-941-6368
info@orobakerybar.com

Nolita hipsters and residents are sure to embrace this unique concept for a new hangout. Opened just last month, ORO Bakery & Bar offers a relaxed ambiance where one can enjoy a delectable freshly-baked pastry while sipping on a cappuccino or nice glass of red.

My sister Gila, who lives down the block, told me about the opening. I went and I interviewed the owner.

Though she has a background in finance, ORO owner and Nolita local Dorina Yuen felt more passion towards her cooking and decided to share her delicious treats with the neighborhood. The idea that developed was to create the feel of an all-day European-style café, where patrons can have espresso and pastries or small plates with wine. Dorina and her staff prepare the French/country-inspired fare on site, and focus on using local ingredients whenever possible. The carefully-thought out menu is “French/American sweet and savory”, according to Dorina. Bakery items consist of custards, tarts, madeleines, and sweet and savory quiches. Food items include cheese plates, shrimp plates, sandwiches, sausage in brioche and poached salmon with seasonal vegetables.

A variety of carefully-selected European and American wines, cold sake and beer are offered at ORO. Cappuccino, espresso and organic teas are also available.

ORO is situated on Broome Street between hot spots Gold Bar and The Randolph, and is a wonderful, welcome new addition to the neighborhood.