Thrillist New York
Emailed in a LIST on: Friday January 20, 2006The List
Fitness: Idiotarod
Last year, 100 teams participated in this five mile race where costumed participants pull shopping carts from Brooklyn to Manhattan to win "sacks of cash". There are two mandatory checkpoints (usually bars -- drinking is encouraged), but otherwise the rules are lax: you can commit any act of nonviolent sabotage, from oil slicks to padlocking junk onto competitors' carts. The organizers are cagey about the specifics (they'll announce the start/finish points on Monday), but we wanted to tip you off early -- you'll need a week to weld the feces cannon onto your rig.
Services: Pure Living
Looking for intimacy-free rubbing? Try a Migun: a fully automated relaxation table loaded with rolling, heat-conductive jade massage heads. Sessions are cheap, there's no oiling up or undressing, and walk-ins are welcome -- which is good, since making appointments with machines hastens the downfall of human society.
Sports: Snowboarding Grand Prix
Drive the 45 minutes to New Jersey's Mountain Creek Resort and catch the final qualifier for the US Olympic Snowboarding Team. The winners will represent America in Torino, while the losers watch the Games with bloodshot eyes as they eat Funyuns in their parents' basements.
The Rest: California
It's always nice to see sunny California exposed as a gritty cesspool. Given that, don't miss photographer Michael Steutz' "California": shifty hustlers, shady motel rooms, desert junkyards, and the highlight, a flaming limousine that should leave you feeling smug about even the filthiest NYC taxi.
Drinking: "Around the World in 80 Sips"
To celebrate the New York launch of their mailorder wine club, Bottlenotes is hosting a tasting of 20 limited release wines. Your ticket entitles you to four sips of each, but founder Alyssa Rapp assured us "there will be an opportunity to drink less -- or more -- depending on individual preference". Tapas will be served for people whose individual preference is to be fat and sober.