NYC Life: Bold Nights, Breezy Escapes & Cabaret Dreams
We have a little something for everyone today— career-launching opportunities, high-stakes fun, and serene summer escapes. If you’re a cabaret singer with starry-eyed ambition, don’t miss the chance to win $5,000 in the first-ever R.E.P. Award honoring Roe Piccoli. Casino Night is calling—all in support of Hearts of Gold, so grab your lucky charm and ticket. Craving calm? Afternoon Tea at Wave Hill House offers a lush Bronx retreat with panoramic views. Our Long Island contributor rounds up cool spots for heatwave hideaways, and our roving photographer just snapped Michelle Obama.
July 22. Casino Night Benefit for Hearts of Gold
Our friends at the non-profit Hearts Of Gold are holding their first ever casino night: play mahjong, craps, roulette, and blackjack alongside a curated selection of wines in support of NYC’s homeless mothers and their children. All funds raised will directly support our families’ back-to-school needs this fall.
Dress Code: Sin City. Think Creative Cocktail, With A Casino Vibe. Vibrant Colors Welcome!
Prizes: Winners Of Each Game Will Earn Tickets To Submit For Raffle Prizes (Tba) Announced At The End Of The Night.
Can’t Attend? If You Cannot Attend, Please Consider Making A Donation At www.Heartsofgold.Org
An Award that Can Launch Your Cabaret Career
The R.E.P. award was created in memory of the beautiful and talented Roe Piccoli who was a Tomatoes Got Talent alum, by her husband, Carl Sari. The winner will be awarded $5,000. Enter now for a chance to be one of the eight finalists who will perform live on on November 1st at 4 PM, hosted at Don’t Tell Mama. Don’t miss your shot to shine on one of NYC’s most iconic cabaret stages.
Details:
Eight standout finalists will be selected to compete for $5,000 in live performance
Judges To Be Announced
Submit your video featuring two contrasting songs to:
CarlJSari@gmail.com
All submissions must be received by August 31st.
Afternoon Tea at Wave Hill
A 30-minute train ride from Grand Central is the perfect escape to the historic Wave Hill House for a refined tea experience offered every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00AM or 1:30PM through August 28, 2025. Guests enjoy a curated menu of tea sandwiches, scones, and desserts—crafted with seasonal ingredients from Katchkie Farm—served on the scenic Kate French Terrace or in the cozy Tea Room.
Highlights include:
- Teas by Palais des Thés or house-made cocoa
- Sandwiches: Smoked salmon, chicken salad pinwheel, smoked turkey, butternut squash, cucumber & watercress
- Scones with clotted cream and triple berry jam
- Desserts: Macarons, fruit tartlets, flourless chocolate cake bites
- Optional sparkling wine upgrade
🎟️ $50/adult, $30/child (with adult). Includes complimentary Wave Hill admission. Minimum 2 guests; 7-day advance booking required.
🚆 By Train
- Take the Metro-North Hudson Line from Grand Central to Riverdale Station (about 30 minutes).
- From there, it’s a 15-minute uphill walk or you can hop on Wave Hill’s free shuttle, which runs Thursdays–Sundays.
🚇 By Subway
- Ride the #1 train to Van Cortlandt Park/West 242nd Street (last stop).
- The Wave Hill Shuttle picks up hourly from in front of the Burger King at 242nd Street, also Thursdays–Sundays.
🚌 By Bus
- Take the BxM1 or BxM2 express buses from Manhattan to Riverdale.
- Or use the BX7 or BX10 to West 252nd Street—just a 6-minute walk to the front gate.
🚗 By Car
Cool Escapes for Those Hot ‘Daze
Our Long Island reporter Andrea Peponakis says we’ve been having the kind of hot where even your flip‑flops feel offended. When stepping outside feels like walking into a hair dryer, it’s easy to feel sluggish, foggy, and downright unmotivated and lethargic. But do not fret, Long Island offers more than just beaches and boardwalks. When the sun is just too much, there are places that soothe the soul, lift the spirit, and most importantly, blast the A/C to offer you a cool, both in attitude and temperature, environment. GET THE DETAILS.
Roving at the Whitney
Nicole Freezer Rubens writes:
Welcome to the wild world of Amy Sherald, where her vibrant paintings jump off the walls of the Whitney Museum in her show Amy Sherald: American Sublime. Sherald is best known for being selected to paint Michelle Obama’s official First Lady portrait, where she worked as she always does to tell a personal tale through dressing, accessorizing, posing and photographing her subjects in order to paint them. In applying her brush to the canvas Sherald controls her color choices, scale, perspective and wardrobe in order to tell stories of regular people in the context of Black history.
The first thing I noticed was the grayscale she chose to depict skin tones, commenting loudly without saying a word. The next feature that struck me when surrounded by a gallery full of portraits is that the paintings are almost photorealistic but Sherald holds back from that dimension creating small fantasies with every detail. Standing in the middle of the room feels like being at a party, eagerly waiting to converse with new people and learn something small about them over a crusty pig in a blanket. The other major aspect about the artist’s style is her bold combinations of colors. Though the subjects may wear serious expressions, the cheerful hues dominate the mood of the work, expressing happiness about a proud heritage while remaining extraordinarily ordinary.
This remarkable show is on view through August 10th. Please go visit Michelle, and all the other people waiting to greet you and share their stories.
~Nicole Freezer Rubens is the author of the “Long Pause and the Short Breath”
The tomato behind The Three Tomatoes.
Cheryl Benton, aka the “head tomato” is founder and publisher of The Three Tomatoes, a digital lifestyle magazine for “women who aren’t kids”. Having lived and worked for many years in New York City, the land of size zero twenty-somethings, she was truly starting to feel like an invisible woman. She created The Three Tomatoes just for the fun of it as the antidote for invisibility and sent it to 60 friends. Today she has thousands of friends and is chief cheerleader for smart, savvy women who want to live their lives fully at every age and every stage. She is the author of the novel, "Can You See Us Now?" and co-author of a humorous books of quips, "Martini Wisdom." Because she's lived a long time, her full bio won't fit here. If you want the "blah, blah, blah", read more. www.thethreetomatoes.com/about-the-head-tomato
