Retropoplifestyle

Explore the best of New York City virtually

Despite widespread closures and cancellations related to Covid-19 in New York City, there are still plenty of ways to explore the five boroughs while socially distancing. We’ve rounded up online resources from museums, galleries, comedy clubs, theaters and other venues so that you can experience the best of New York City virtually. Read on for dozens of ways to connect with your favorite NYC attractions—or discover new ones—from home or wherever you’re socially distancing right now.
sKinky Boots. Photo: Matthew Murphy

Broadway

24-Hour Plays presents a series of shows that are written, cast, directed and performed by the NYC theater community in one day. Now they’re doing a mini version of this, presented on their Instagram account.

Broadway Cares has put together a special encore series of two dozen or so recent star-studded performances from Broadway Backwards, where genders are swapped on famous show tunes.

The Broadway Dreams foundation is hosting free daily Broadway Dreams Live Lessons for aspiring student actors, singers and dancers with some accomplished Broadway-caliber talent.

Broadway HD offers high-definition versions of classic and more recent Broadway plays and musicals. (Note: this is a paid service.)

Groove to disco versions of Stephen Sondheim songs on Broadway Records. (Purchase is required for this too.)

Take a virtual walk-through of the Harold Prince exhibit at Lincoln Center.

BroadwayWorld.com, which covers the NYC theater community, has started posting daily Living Room Concerts from performers in shows that are temporarily closed.

West Village bar Marie’s Crisis has taken its sing-along experience online with two sets of songs each night evening at 4pm. (You’ll need to join the Facebook group to access.)

Stars in the House is a daily live YouTube channel raising money for the Actors Fund emergency relief for those unemployed in the theater community.

Watch Broadaway classics like Cabaret, Once Upon A Mattress and Anything Goes (featuring Ethel Merman and Frank Sinatra in 1954) for free on YouTube.

Comedy

Caveat is livestreaming shows.

Littlefield’s weekly stand-up showcase, Butterboy, plans on streaming its show independently on Mondays at 7pm, with $5 tickets available on EventBrite.

The Magnet Theater is streaming some shows.

Stand Up NY is also streaming shows.

Family-Friendly Activities

While The Amazing Max is on hiatus from Off-Broadway performances, the Amazing Max himself will offer online magic lessons for kids. (Note: this is a paid service.)

Get your fill of “-ology” (read: science) at the American Museum of Natural History. The institution is also making digital tours of its collection available.

Learn about cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Brooklyn Game Lab has made live game-related programming available to all during NYC’s store closures.

The Children’s Museum of Art has some how-to art projects online.

Historic Richmond Town brings its living history demonstrations online as well as its collection of vintage photographs and other educational resources.

Find out what it’s like inside the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

Lincoln Center at Home provides a daily learning activity on Facebook Live through its pop-up classroom; there are regular kid-friendly concerts as well.

Take a history lesson at the Museum of the City of New York.

The New York Hall of Science will help you get an idea about infectious diseases with its Transmissions: Gone Viral interactive comic.

Check out a New York Harbor webcam and a Rockaway Beach surf webcam.

The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library have all kinds of materials available online.

The New York Transit Museum has its Bringing Back the City exhibition online, showcasing how what happens to mass transit in times of crisis.

New Victory Theater is bringing an arts class right into your home.

On Spyscape’s website, learn what kind of spy you would be, do all kinds of puzzles and register to tour the James Bond exhibition, which they plan to make available online.

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain symbols of hope. Take quizzes to test your knowledge of the sites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dJ3GQMb1_s&authuser=1

Film

Though BAM’s live cinema is on hold, you can still rent movies to screen at home (tickets are $12 for a 3-day rental) from the institution’s robust film program.

Tune in to Film at Lincoln Center’s Film Comment podcast.

The Paley Center is streaming previously unreleased discussions of popular TV shows like This Is Us, The Office and Parks and Recreation for free on YouTube.

The 10th annual Queens Film Festival will screen 220 independent films from 32 nations on discovered.tv from March 19 to 29.

Watch a selection of short films from Tribeca Film Festival alumni.

Galleries

View Aperture’s special online exhibits on women photographers, and purchase prints and books from their online shop.

Visit the online viewing rooms of David Zwirner, with works by the likes of Jeff Koons, Marlene Dumas and Chris Ofili.

See Gagosian’s installation views of works by Donald Judd, Richard Prince and Roe Ethridge.

Find an online viewing room, available through March 31, for Hollis Taggart’s latest exhibit: the works of abstract expressionist William Scharf. (Note: email sign-up required.)

Lévy Gory offers online viewing rooms of works from Art Basel Hong Kong. (Note: email sign-up required.)

sDorothea Lange. Tractored Out. Childress County, Texas. 1938. Gelatin Silver Print. The Museum of Modern Art. Purchase

Museums and Cultural Institutions

View much of the Alice Austen House collection online, including photographs and texts describing Austen’s life and work.

The American Folk Art Museum makes its collection of books, paintings, textiles and other works available on its website.

While the Brooklyn Historical Society is closed, you can still visit its collection digitally, with online exhibits on the history of Brooklyn’s waterfront and the borough’s anti-slavery movement.

The Brooklyn Museum will be sharing Art for the Socially Distanced, spotlighting a piece from the collection on their tumblr each day.

The Coney Island History Project includes a compilation of nearly 100 oral histories and a digital archive of photos, which reveal the seaside park’s rich history.

Get a glimpse of El Museo del Barrio’s permanent collection or explore a variety of content on the museum’s YouTube channel.

Virtual tours, an art history library and video lectures make it easy to connect online with the Frick Collection.

Check out a 360-degree view of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum or read art books from its digital archive.

The Jewish Museum offers mobile tours of their collection, featuring the voices of Kehinde Wiley, Isaac Mizrahi and others.

Take advantage of immersive 360-degree videos of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s most beloved locations, including The Met Cloisters, The Met Breuer and the Fifth Avenue museum’s Temple of Dendur and arms and armor galleries.

Browse exhibits and listen to audio guides on the Morgan Library website, including I’m Nobody! Who are you? The Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Engage with the Museum of the City of New York through their online collection, and check out a lecture about their Germ City exhibit on their YouTube channel.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) operates a lively and informative YouTube channel with all sorts of videos about art and artists, including a piece on its Dorothea Lange photography show and interviews with famous directors in the channel’s film section.

Look at photos of the Neue Galerie’s exhibit on Viennese photographer Madame d’Ora and see views of the installation with a video from the exhibit’s curator.

At the New York Botanical Garden online, visitors can explore recent installations, browse horticulture lecture videos and stay up to date with its latest news.

Browse multiple New-York Historical Society exhibitions online.

Take some time to meditate with a two-hour session in the Rubin Museum’s virtual Shrine Room.

The Society of Illustrators features exhibits and more on its website.

Explore the Staten Island Museum’s Women of the Nation Arise! exhibit, which includes archival issues of TheSuffragist and TheWomen Voter magazines.

Check out video highlights on the Whitney Museum of American Art Watch and Listen page, which includes content from their critically acclaimed Vida Americana exhibit.

sCourtesy, Met Opera

Performances

The 92Y is livestreaming some of its offerings for free; others, like an online film lecture series by Columbia University’s Annette Innsdorf (starting March 29), require registration and payment.

The show must go on for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater; watch their at-home performance of “I Been Buked” from Revelations, and visit their YouTube channel for much more.

For the next eight weeks, the Chamber Music Society will release concerts from its 50-year archive every day at 12:30pm.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center blog and Youtube channel are two great resources for adding some music to your time at home.

Joe’s Pub at the Public hosts Live from the Archives, streaming past performances every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.

The Metropolitan Opera has been an innovator for years with its live high-definition broadcasts. Now they’re streaming one opera a day, starting at 7pm.

Stream avant-garde dance performances from the New York Live Arts archive for free; three shows will be featured each week.

Though the New York Philharmonic canceled the rest of its season, you can still enjoy its music through the NY Phil Plays On platform.

Nowadays has launched Virtual Nowadays, a nightly stream of DJ sets and music discussions beginning at 8pm.

sPhoto: Julienne Schaer

Tours

Take a virtual stroll through Central Park—or many other parks in the five boroughs.

The Empire State Building has its audio tour available (in nine languages), with corresponding visuals.

Peruse both lesser known landmarks and beloved historic sites with video tours from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

Turnstile Tours will be hosting daily virtual versions of their citywide tours, including up-close looks at the Brooklyn Army Terminal and Prospect Park. (Note: some sessions charge a small fee.)

Viewing NYC has articles, photo galleries and videos that give a virtual first-person look at NYC attractions. Here’s one of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Maishaa Launches Their New Collection of Bedlinen – Thread Art

A new collection of thread art bedlinen that will gently ease you into the comfort and beauty of pure fabrics and delicate embroidery.

The collection consists of mostly whites with some pastels in the finest fabrics that exude purity and sophistication. The enchanting thread art in subtle shades adds beauty and charm to the pristine fabrics. The pretty florals and vines in a lighter shade of blue, yellow, green, brown, pink, etc, run through the fabrics in dream-like designs.

The fine quality of the fabrics and the perfectly rendered thread art work lend the bed linen an unmistakable luxe touch. They also offer a choice of complementary pillows and cushions in similar fabrics and thread work in a multitude of colours that allow you tocreateinteresting contrasts.

Courtesy -Maishaa

Available At:

Select home stop and home centre stores across India.

LOOK DAPPER IN DONEAR’S NEW WRINKLE-FREE FABRICS

This range presents wrinkle-resistant, also colloquially known as ‘permanent press’ fabrics consisting of textiles that have been treated to resist external stress and hold their shape.

The range emphasises on cotton wrinkle-free fabrics, with cotton fibres being spun into yarn, then woven into fabric, followed by dyeing, and finally the fabric is treated with a ‘cross-linking’ resin.

These fabrics don’t need to be ironed and are wash-and-wear and meant for easy care.

SHADE CARD

Available in a plethora of colors such as classics like navy and black to new-age colors like oranges and purples, this fabric range is comfortable, and easy to wear and care.

USP

The Donear range emphasises cotton wrinkle-free fabrics, with cotton fibres being spun into yarn, then woven into fabric, followed by dyeing, and finally the fabric is treated with a ‘cross-linking’ resin. Cross-linking is a chemical process that to produce textiles with wrinkle resistance by crosslinking of cellulose chains to stop the molecules from moving when in contact with water or other environmental stress. This means that they fabrics will be resistant to wrinkles.

FABRIC RANGE

There are a range of blacks/ blues/ greys/ browns for formal wear, pastels and pop colours like yellows/ oranges/ greens/ purples for fancy wear (parties/ festivities etc) and some prints for casual wear. The range truly has something for everyone.

QUOTE

Ajay Agarwal (Director, Donear) said, “Our exceptional wrinkle-free fabric is a perfect amalgamation of comfort and style. The characteristics of easy wear and care, makes the range even more popular. With our manufacturing unit at Surat, producing the finest quality wrinkle free fabrics, we endeavour to constantly innovate and present the high quality fabrics to our consumers.”

COURTESY- Donear, the flagship brand of Donear Industries Ltd.

Supermodel Yawar Mirza Stars In A Music Video

Yawar Mirza

The models today are conquering the entertainment industry and the latest entry to hit the marquee is supermodel Yawar Mirza who is testing his acting mettle with music video Habibi .

Hailing from a small town in Madhya Pradesh, Yawar says he was always meant for the tinsel town, “I was never interested in academics and always found appreciation in modelling gigs,” he adds, “When I came to Mumbai, I thought I’ll have it easy and would make it to the TV in a month or so. I was wrong and this city taught me that very well. I eventually started giving auditions and parallely worked on my physique. I had the height and the face, I was told to work on the body. My entire focus then moved to following models, their lives, their lifestyle and eventually I started honing my skills, my looks, my body,” says Yawar.

The hard work paid off when Yawar got his first print shoot, “My first ad was for Tata Docomo, then I did a print shoot for a shirt brand and eventually started doing a lot of ads. Things turned for better then I got signed on by Reshma Riyaz Gangji to walk for her label, Libas. That got me the recognition of a model.”

His recent walk being for Bombay Times Fashion Week, Yawar talks about the gradual move to doing his first single. “I was approached for the song Habibi. The video is being produced by TYF Productions films and I can’t thank them enough for this opportunity. The single sung by Nakash Aziz and composed by Kausar Jamot is a love song to be shot completely in Dubai. It will have the whole works of a middle Eastern theme. I am really excited about the number,” says Yawar excitedly.

The video will also star international model Georgia Andriani and is being directed by Aman Prajapat.

Start & End Your Day like A Pro With AM To PM Collection

Spring-Summer Collection 2020

A perfect pair for your morning to evening routine. Liberty’s Leap 7X is designed for absolute comfort and robust performance that speaks about the changing trends from formal footwear to casual or athleisure look that one can carry all day long from AM to PM.

Key Features

Molded lace fitting, memory foam insole, high-quality padding in the collar and tongue and advanced Flow plus technology for multi-directional traction.

Color palette

In tints and tones of black and white, grey, blue, etc

QUOTE

Anupam Bansal, Director Retail Liberty Shoes “Whether you are out for a morning jog or heading to your office or going out for some get together or a party, this range will fulfil all your requirements. Apart from this, the new SS 20 has its own USP like Rubberized EVA which gives a firm grip on the ground, functional lacing, fly knit upper which gives breath-ability to your foot.

Price Range – Rs 1999- Rs 2999

#WarAgainstVirus

India has lead the world to eradicate Small Pox and eliminate Polio. It’s time for us to fight COVID – 19 with the same strength!

We urge everyone to strictly follow the 21 days nationwide lockdown to break the chain of COVID – 19 spread.

Let us support the government. Together we can and we will fight this!

A Rohit Shetty Picturez initiative issued in public interest.
#WarAgainstVirus

Barefeet Training

By AmrinMemon (High School Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Founder of AHFitness)

When it comes to training, most people overlook two of the most critical parts of the body – their feet. They train the upper body, lower body and core giving no thought to strengthening their feet.

Our feet are undoubtedly important. They are the first contact point when hitting the ground and the last contact point when leaving the ground. They play such crucial roles in movement.Thus, it is easy to agree that a strong foot, and the whole ankle complex for that matter, has major performance implications.If you are unable to perform a majority of your activities including strength training, walking, jogging etc. in either barefoot or the most minimal shoes, your feet and ankles just aren’t functioning the way they were meant to. When these muscles aren’t activating properly, much of the stress is transferred to tendons, ligaments and joints and surrounding connective tissue thus resulting in various injuries over time. Instability in feet and ankles also result in various postural issues that may go all the way up to the spine.

Our body is a constant feedback loop of information. With the foot as the only contact point between the body and the ground- much of this information enters our nervous system through the feet. If this information is tuned out or unable to be sensed by the nervous system, inaccurate movement patterns and delayed time to stabilization (i.e. injury) are the results. One of the primary causes or reasons for the inability to sense the essential proprioceptive information of human movement is footwear.

How to get started?

Test your feet

No matter what shoes you have on your feet, you have to learn how to use your own feet first. Simply transitioning to barefoot or minimalist shoes will not automatically strengthen the feet. Increase awareness of your feet. 1. Can you actively spread your toes? 2. Can you roll the ankle in and out by collapsing then activating the arch of your foot? 3. Can your toes bend upward and downward?

After years of wearing shoes for more than 12 hours a day, beginning to embrace barefoot training must happen gradually. The small intrinsic muscles in the feet are so weak, suddenly jumping from supportive cushioned shoes to no shoes may actually lead to injuries. The damage done by wearing supportive footwear must first be undone before training barefoot. Simply walking around barefoot can begin to strengthen the small muscles in the foot and is a good way to start. One can invest in a pair of minimalist shoes and start by wearing them for 1-2 hours a day gradually adding an additional hour every month. The transition to barefoot training should happen over a course of a few months or even a couple of years.

Benefits of training Barefoot

Better Proprioception

Each foot is made up of 33 joints, 26 bones and more than hundred muscles, tendons and ligaments and it is loaded inside and out with sensors that subconsciously interpret space, orientation and our movement in it. This is what maintains our balance and stability. Barefoot training helps enhance this mind body connection. It is one of the most effective ways to stimulate the small nerves found in the feet for proprioceptive training and is widely used for rehabilitation as well as injury prevention.

More Power

All the force we generate to walk, run, jump, deadlift comes from the ground. Our feet are the only part of our bodies that are in contact with the ground and transmit the force. If there is a cushion between the ground and the feet, the force output reduces. But if we are barefeet the force isn’t lost and instead can be incorporated into the lift.

Glute Activation

The big toe is directly related to glute activation. Training Hip hinge movements like deadlifts and kettlebell swings barefeet can help create improved foot feel and can help target the larger muscles in the hip that drive these movements.

Improved posture and overall mechanics

Our feet affect us much more than we realize. Numerous studies have consistently shown that the entire kinetic chain of movement from the feet up gets affected when the feet are not their optimum. Foot and ankle dysfunction often contributes to faulty hip and knee mechanics which indirectly affects the spine. Poor spinal alignment is often the cause for low back pain, neck pain, shoulder injuries as well as weakness of the upper extremities. Going barefoot strengthens the neuromuscular pathways of the foot and leg thus improving the initial neural firing which in turn helps the rest of the body movements.

Stronger Base

Our feet are intended to feel the ground and to withstand incredibly high forces and should provide more in terms of shock absorption than perhaps any other body part. The balance and stability required while moving without shoes maintains this ability and strengthens the foot musculature over time.

POWDER ROOM and JULIA ET JULIA Spring /Summer 2020

Always fascinated by the vintage era and the posh and chic elegance that came with it, Powder Room and Julia et Julia are the outcome of the love for classics.

HIGHLIGHTS

Rich and classy fabrics back into the industry to bring back the old richness and class associated with it.

Looking back moving forward ‘ the entire collection this season speaks to the vintage lady present in every woman who’s always had the vision and desire to own a vintage wardrobe.

Courtesy- Mero

New Collection Launch: New Saree Collection by Greenways – A legacy of 77 years

THE SIX YARDS WONDER

Sari is one of the oldest forms of clothing on planet earth, with references to it dating back centuries — and it’s still going strong. What’s surprising is that most of the western world is unaware of the great significance behind this piece of women clothing.

Inspiration

The ageless Indian wear is inspired by the natural movement of trees, birds, rain, music, paintings and sculptures. Every Indian inspired collection contains a fashion-forward theme, keeping the brand in line with recent trends and looks.

1. Paithani- This silk saree is handwoven by master weavers of paithan town in Aurangabad. It is woven with pure silk thread and pure zari. The motifs used are an influence of Buddhist Paintings

2. Patolas: Patolas are double ikat woven sarees made from silk in Patan, Gujarat. It can take six months to one year to make one saree. The warp and welt threads are wrapped to resist the dye according to the pattern.

3. Kota Doria: Kota Doria is a woven on a traditional pit loom in such a fashion that it produces a square check pattern on the fabric. Sarees are made of pure cotton and silk thread with pure zari.

Courtesy- Greenways 9 Connaught Place, Noida, Pitam Pura and Vasant Kunj)

Home Workouts By Gold’s Gym India

“ COVID-19 – Workout at Home with these Simple Home Workouts”

Where the nation is fighting against this COVID 19 virus and we all know that yet there is no vaccine to cure this , the best way everyone thought is about Quarantine , self isolate yourself , avoid gatherings , work from home , well but one thing everyone forgets is Recovery depends on Strength of the Immune system &“ Prevention is
always better than Cure”.

The Best way to fight against this COVID-19 is boost up your immunity by getting involved in minimum 20-30 mins Fitness regime complimenting with healthy home eating patterns that will help you stay fit and fight against this growing COVID-19. Hence here are some Quarantine Home Based Workouts that everyone can easily
follow from their Self Isolated Environment and guess what???? All you need is just your Body weight.
All the daily activities we do revolves around 7 Primal movements those are
1) Squat
2) Lunge
3) Pull
4) Push
5) Lift
6) Bend/ Twist
7) Gait ( Locomotion )
So, Following are the workout based on it , and the principle you follow to perform these exercises is called “AMRAP” ( As many Reps As Possible ).

Sr.No Exercises Duration
1 Body weight Squats 60 secs
2 Body Weight Lunges 60 secs
3 Water Bottle Bent over Row/ Chin ups 60 secs
4 Body weight Push ups 60 secs
5 Water Bottle Deadlifts 60 secs
6 Russian Twists / Ab Crunch 60 secs
7 Spot Jog/ Skaters 60 secs Rules to follow the Exercise Program:-
1) Each exercise should be performed for 60 secs . Do as many reps as possible in 60 secs.
2) Rest between shuffling from one exercise to other exercise is 20 secs.
3) Complete the series of 7 exercises back to back and then rest for 2 mins. This completes round 1.
4) At a beginner level attempt 2 rounds , intermediate to advance workers can go upto 4 rounds .
5) Do not force yourselves if you feel uncomfortable at any point.
6) Keep hydrating yourselves by sipping water slowly and required whenever.
7) Don’t stress and enjoy what you do. After all its YOU V/s YOU.

BODY WEIGHT SQUATS

BODY WEIGHT LUNGES

WATER BOTTLE BENT

OVER ROW/ CHIN UPS

BODY WEIGHT PUSH UPS

SAND BAG DEADLIFTS

RUSSIAN TWISTS / AB CRUNCHSPOT JOG/ SKATERS