Here at Aurora Nights we like to stay on top of what's happening around the city in order to offer our socialites the best possible experience at our events. We found 10 bloggers who paint a vivid picture of New York through their musings on music, comedy, food, parties, and daily life in the city. From which restaurant has the best scrambled egg to what show you should be checking out Saturday night, these blogs offer it all.
Here are 5 of the blogs we chose. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our second installation!
1) New York Rock Market: http://newyorkrockmarket.com
Madalyn Baldanzi started newyorkrockmarket.com a little over a year ago in response to her friends constantly asking her for music suggestions. Madalyn is exposed to new music through DJing at radio stations (she started in high school and currently works at a small station in Brooklyn).
What sets Madalyn's NYC music blog apart from many others is it's lack of pretension. She says that she wants her blog to be for people who know a lot about music, as well as to people who are just looking for a cool new band or two. Madalyn's blog offers daily shows suggestions, mp3's, reviews, photos, and a section where she pairs songs with books.
Madalyn updates the blog frequently, and always responds to user comments.
1) New York Rock Market: http://newyorkrockmarket.com
Madalyn Baldanzi started newyorkrockmarket.com a little over a year ago in response to her friends constantly asking her for music suggestions. Madalyn is exposed to new music through DJing at radio stations (she started in high school and currently works at a small station in Brooklyn).
What sets Madalyn's NYC music blog apart from many others is it's lack of pretension. She says that she wants her blog to be for people who know a lot about music, as well as to people who are just looking for a cool new band or two. Madalyn's blog offers daily shows suggestions, mp3's, reviews, photos, and a section where she pairs songs with books.
Madalyn updates the blog frequently, and always responds to user comments.
2) Sandpaper Suit: The Comedy Blog of Matt Ruby: http://www.sandpapersuit.com/
Sandpaper Suite is a comedy blog about the art of stand-up. Creator and stand-up comedian Matt Ruby explains that he began the blog to "expose all the behind the scenes stuff of stand-up. A lot of comedians treat comedy like magic. They think if you talk about it, it ruins it. I think that's lame. It's an art form and there's all sorts of interestingness around it. He goes on to say that “If it's something I talk about in the back of the room at a show, I try to bring it to the blog."
Sandpaper Suite also has funny video posts, as well as posts with jokes written by Matt and comics he is a fan of. If you are interested in comedy it is a great blog to go to to share tips and stories, and learn how to improve yourself through other people's experiences.
You can see Matt Ruby at either of the two comedy shows he produces in the city: Hot Soup is at O'Hanlon's (Friday at 8pm) and We're All Friends Here is a monthly show at The Creek.
3) Food Mayhem: http://www.foodmayhem.com/
Food Mayhem started as a way for it's founders, Jessica and Lon, to keep track of what restaurants they liked and disliked when they first started dating. Since then they have gained a loyal readership and have been mentioned in the Village Voice, as well as New York Magazine's Grub Street.
Food Mayhem has transformed from a couple's personal food diary, to an informative blog featuring food product reviews, chef interviews, recipes, party tips, and photos. Jessica told me that Food Mayhem has completely changed her life, stating "I work on it 7 days/week, but love every minute". Though they get many free products/meals due to the blog's popularity, Food Mayhem is dedicated to giving honest reviews.
If you're a food fanatic, this blog has it all! From the best scrambled eggs in NYC (Gottino), to the best overall deal (Brooklyn Fare), Jessica guides her readers though the city's vast restaurant scene.
4) Boozy NYC: http://boozynyc.com/
The title of this blog tells it all - Boozy NYC is all things booze in New York. The blogger, who goes by the name The Head Bartender, reports on the best and worst of wine, sake, beer, cocktails, and bars. He posts about bar closings, grand openings, drink recipes, happy hours, wine tastings, and basically any other drink related event you can think of.
The Head Bartender works in the industry, hence is need to remain anonymous. He told me that this helps keep his reviews unbiased, because he doesn't get free drinks or complimentary admission to events. He started BoozyNYC because cocktails have always interested him and he has spent "far too many nights going out and trying drinks". The blog lets him use that time constructively.
5) The Downtown Diaries: http://thedowntowndiaries.com/
Event planner and nightlife enthusiast Kristina Marino started The Downtown Diaries a little less than a year ago to promote her event-planning and spread the word about her friend’s projects. The blog has grown rapidly since, and has made a name for itself in NYC nightlife.
The Downtown Diaries showcases nightlife events under What’s Goin’ Down, local shows in Mark it Down, and Williamsburg news in The Williamsburg Word.
Kristina's goal is to use her blog to host monthly events showcasing her favorite DJs and performers. She has the attitude that “the sky is the limit” as far as blogging goes, and could see a book deal or TV show in her future. On living life as a blogger/event planner Kristina states that “It takes a lot of will and passion to not work a typical 9-5 and make boatloads of money, and pursue your passions. It's hard, but also fun.”
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