The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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and friendly. They have 400 herbs and spices from around the world, as well as more than 400 beers. They make their own spice blends, like garam masala, and whenever I'm trying out a new recipe, I check in with them, confident they'll have any ingredient I might need, no matter how obscure. LF: The massive B&H Camera Store is always an entertaining informative hands-on camera/video store for the photographer and filmmaker. FAVORITE RESTAURANT: JH: Veselka, a 24-hour Ukrainian diner in the East Village. Veselka has been serving up delicious pierogies, borscht, mushroom barley soup, etc., since 1954. Most of the Polish and Ukrainian places in the neighborhood have become trendy sushi bars or Starbucks, but somehow Veselka keeps going, evolving with the times. LF: For a fun cultural experience, visit the Eataly at Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street, across from the Flatiron Building. A vibrant Italian marketplace, it features cafes, restaurants and a cooking school. PLACE TO SEE BY NIGHT: JH: Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Bridge Park, south of the bridge. LF: My favorite summer visual is to take a sunset harbor cruise on the Shearwater, an 85-foot sailboat. From the North Harbor near WTC, you get a peaceful water view of the Statue of Liberty at sunset as the city lights glow. BEST DAY TRIP: JH: Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Kerhonkson, NY. The former site of two mountain resorts, Minnewaska is now 22,000 acres of forest, lakes, waterfalls, 35 miles of carriage trails and 50 miles of footpaths. Check out the views of the Catskills from the Cliff House area, above aquamarine Lake Minnewaska. LF: Without driving, you can take a ferry to Governors Island and step into another world being rediscovered. The ex-military towns are charming and full of arts events and there is a new "Glamping" safari tent experience on the island. FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD: JH: The East Village (EV) remains my favorite NY neighborhood. The East Coast home of hippies, and later, the birthplace of punk, the EV is still the funkiest place in town. The neighbor- hood is home to countless cool shops, dive bars, alternative theaters and eth- nic restaurants from everywhere in the world. I like to walk around early on a Sunday morning, and watch old Ukrai- nian ladies sweeping the sidewalks in front of their tenements before church. I get a cup of coffee from one of the many tiny coffee shops near my apart- ment, stroll through the Farmers Market on Avenue A, and sit down on a bench in quiet, historic Tompkins Square Park, home to the homeless, Hare Krishnas, street musicians, chess players and kids playing B-ball. No matter how much it changes, the East Village still feels like home. LF: Historic Flatiron District for the 1890s low buildings and preserved architecture, good food and entertain- ment. FAVORITE LOCAL ARTIST: JH: The graffiti artists of Bushwick, whose canvas is industrial Brooklyn. LF: The 94-year-old legendary pho- tographer and documentary filmmak- er Robert Frank. It is great to see Mr. Frank and his wife June Leaf, out in their neighborhood downtown. Les and John's Private Tour Brooklyn Heights. Photo: Les Fincher/LMGI BEST BAR/CLUB: JH: My favorite old school New York bar is the Old Town. If you're lucky enough to get there early, get a booth, order one of the city's best burgers, and enjoy the classic atmosphere. The Old Town opened in 1892, and all the original details are still there: tin ceiling, mahogany bar, the oldest dumbwaiter in NY, as well as original 1910 Hinsdale urinals—the oldest and largest urinals in the city! LF: There are many film-friendly rooftop bars in NYC that offer grand views, along with libations; Bar 65, at 30 Rock. The Press Lounge in Hell's Kitchen. The James in Tribeca. The Standard and Le Bain in the Meatpacking District. The Gramercy Tavern is a favorite place to experience the finest service, and dining experience in the Flatiron/Gramercy Park area. BEST PLACE TO HEAR MUSIC: JH: My favorite place to hear music is at NY's iconic jazz club, the Village Vanguard, which has occupied the same intimate basement space since 1934. Seating only 120, it has great acoustics, without a bad seat in the house. Some of the greats who've played there: Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Mingus and Wynton Marsalis. LF: It depends on what you are in the mood for. When I go to Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera and other classic venues I consciously try to listen to the acoustics. BEST VANTAGE POINT/SCENIC VIEW: JH: Gantry State Park, Long Island City. LF: The classic postcard shots are from the Brooklyn Promenade, the Brooklyn Bridge, Fifth Avenue at Madison Square Park, Grand Army Plaza and Central Park. And the oldest human-made thing in New York City is Cleopatra's Needle in Central Park 1450 BC, which came to New York in 1881. For additional great views of NYC from John and Les, please visit the LMGI website: www.locationmanagers.org