‘Tis the season for fun and cheer and stress and… Try to relax and enjoy the holiday spirit a bit this weekend by taking part in one of the festive events going on in or around Garden City.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday catch Annie, Jr. at the Broadhollow Theatre at Elmont. Friday- 7pm, Saturday 4pm, Sunday 2:30pm. Buy tickets here. 

Friday and repeating every night through January 4th- The Holiday Lights Spectacular at Jones Beach (west end). Over 2.5 miles of beautiful holiday scenes. There will also be pictures with Santa, a make your own S’mores station, refreshments, live performances by local school choirs, holiday music and more! 5pm to 10pm. Mon-Thur $20 per car. Friday-Sunday and Holidays $25 per car. Get more information here. Be sure to check the schedule before you go. 

Friday, Saturday, Sunday and every day until Christmas- enjoy the animated Christmas Holiday Story at Hicks Nurseries in Westbury. Meet Santa on Saturday and Sunday during these hours: 10am-1pm and 2pm-6pm.

Friday, Saturday and every day until December 23rd, see Santa at the Roosevelt Field Mall. Click here for more information on dates and times and to schedule your appointment with Santa. Even Santa has an appointment calendar these days!  

Saturday- Have breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Garden City Hotel. Seatings at 8:30am and 11:30am. Reservations required. Call 516-747-3000.

Saturday- Get your song on at Doc O’Grady’s at 273 Nassau Blvd South. Karaoke from 8pm until 2am.

Saturday and Sunday- See Frosty the Snowman at the Broadhollow Theatre at Elmont. Show starts at 2pm on Saturday and 12pm on Sunday. Click here to buy tickets.  

Saturday and Sunday- Head to the Lakeshore Learning Center between 11am and 3pm for a different craft every Saturday. Click here to see what crafts are being made on specific dates. 2709 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park. 516-616-9360. 

Saturday- The Nutcracker Ballet by New York Dance Theater at Hofstra University’s Adams Playhouse. Friday- 2pm and 7pm. Saturday- 12noon and 5pm. Sunday- 12noon and 5pm. Cost $20-$40. Click here for more information. 

Sunday- Gingerbread house making at Capo Ristorante for kids. Includes your own gingerbread house, pasta or panini and a drink. $15 per child. Reservations required. 516-216-5177. 49 Covert Ave. 

Sunday- Max and Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite. NYCB Theatre at Westbury. 960 Brush Hollow Road. 1:00pm. Find more information here.

Thank you for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com. Please like us on Facebook. Enjoy the weekend!

The Countdown begins… Only 12 days of Christmas shopping left! If you are still looking for holiday gifts or just need to de-stress from the busy days of preparing, shopping and planning, we’ve got some great activities for you this weekend:

Friday- Join your neighbors and friends at the Garden City Christmas Holiday Spectacular on Seventh St. The event kicks off at 5pm and winds down at 10pm.  Elsa and Princess Anna will have a meet and greet from 6pm to 7pm, followed by a performance by Elsa at 7pm. Santa will make his way to Seventh St at 7:30pm. Head to TCBY for face painting and balloon animals. The band Fivestone will be performing Christmas music and the stores on Seventh St. will be open for business. Fire drums, carolers and beautiful new lighting promise to make the evening warm and bright. Don’t miss it!

Friday and repeating every night through January 4th- The Holiday Lights Spectacular at Jones Beach (west end). Over 2.5 miles of beautiful holiday scenes. There will also be pictures with Santa, a make your own S’mores station, refreshments, live performances by local school choirs, holiday music and more! 5pm to 10pm. Mon-Thur $20 per car. Friday-Sunday and Holidays $25 per car. Get more information here.

Friday, Saturday and every day until December 23rd, see Santa at the Roosevelt Field Mall. Click here for more information on dates and times and to schedule your appointment with Santa. Even Santa has an appointment calendar these days! 

Friday and Saturday- Celebrate a Night in Bethlehem at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Garden City. See what it was like in Jesus’ time- walk through Bethlehem, buy goods in the marketplace, visit the workshop and see the live manger. 7-9pm each night. 420 Stewart Ave. 

Saturday- See Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells based on the book by Barbara Park. Show starts at 2pm at the Tilles Center. Click here to buy tickets.

Saturday- Head to the Lakeshore Learning Center between 11am and 3pm for a different craft every Saturday. Click here to see what crafts are being made on specific dates. 2709 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park. 516-616-9360. 

Sunday- The Garden City Community Church will hold a Christmas Candlelight Vesper Service and Carol Sing. Catch this beautiful concert of Christmas music at 4:30pm followed by an optional dinner in Gardner Hall. Located on Stewart Ave between Kensington Road and Whitehall Blvd.

Saturday- Have breakfast with Santa at the Garden City Hotel. 
Seatings at 8:30am and 11:am. 516-747-3000.

Sunday- Head to the Winter Concert at Adelphi’s Westermann Stage in Concert Hall. The Waldorf Choral Society performs Christmas and Hanukkah songs. The 70-voice Adelphi Chorus will perform holiday classics and choral masterworks. Enjoy carols and folksongs from around the world. 8pm. Tickets: $18-$20. Call 516-946-1540 or click here for more information.

Sunday- The Fresh Beat Band performs at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury. Click here for tickets. Shows at 12pm and 4pm. 


Thanks for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com. Please like us on Facebook. Have a great weekend! 

With Thanksgiving, and Black Friday/Cyber Monday behind us, it’s time to relax a bit before the holiday rush starts up. There’s lots to do in and around Garden City this weekend to de-stress and kick off December!

Friday- Head to the Annual Christmas Tree lighting of the Western Property Owners Association.  Events begin at 6pm. There will be a visit from Santa at 7pm sharp. Enjoy a performance by Broadway Bound dancers and singers, Christmas carols, hot chocolate and goodie bags. Meet in the park by Gallery Pizza. 

Friday and repeating every night through January4th- The Holiday Lights Spectacular at Jones Beach (west end). Over 2.5 miles of beautiful holiday scenes. There will also be pictures with Santa, a make your own S’mores station, refreshments, live performances by local school choirs, holiday music and more! 5pm to 10pm. Mon-Thur $20 per car. Friday-Sunday and Holidays $25 per car. Get more information here.

Friday, Saturday and every day until December 23rd, see Santa at the Roosevelt Field Mall. Click here for more information on dates and times and to schedule your appointment with Santa. Even Santa has an appointment calendar these days! 

Friday- Swan Lake is at the Tilles Center at 8pm performed by the State Ballet of Russia.

Friday- Have some fun at Prohibition Night at the Garden City Hotel. Enjoy a roaring soiree with ragtime band and Scofflaw cocktails! Black tie or Boardwalk Empire attire suggested. Reservations suggested. 7pm.

Friday- The Unitarian Universalist Congregation (on the corner of Stewart Ave and Nassau Blvd) hosts a musical performance by Brother Sun at Garden Stage (223 Stewart Ave). Listen to a sample of their music here. Tickets $22 at the door. Open mic night signup starts at 7pm. Showtime: 7:30pm. http://www.uuccn.org/#/home/calendar

Saturday- Christmas Tree sale at Garden City Community Church on Whitehall and Nassau Blvds. 8am until 12pm. Buy a tree from a member of the Confirmation and Youth Group. All proceeds go to the Youth Group. 

Saturday- Head to the Lakeshore Learning Center between 11am and 3pm for a different craft every Saturday. Click here to see what crafts are being made on specific dates. 2709 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park. 516-616-9360. 

Saturday- LICM is showing Happy As Clams, The Musical. 11:30 and 2pm. $8 with museum admission. 

Saturday- Garden City PTA and Barnes & Noble Bookfair in Carle Place. All day in-store special events. Show your receipt and be entered into a raffle for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7.0! Dedicated gift wrapping table. A percentage of your purchase will benefit Garden City public schools. 

Sunday- The Garden City Village Tree Lighting at the Village Gazebo takes place from 3:30-4:30pm. Enjoy live music by the band Fivestone as well as the Garden City High School Jazz Ensemble, hot chocolate and cookies!

Sunday- The Hollywood Concert Orchestra performs A Viennese Christmas at the Tilles Center. 3pm.

Thank you for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com. Please visit our Facebook page. 

You will likely be busy with Thanksgiving preparations this weekend, but hopefully you’ll find some time to kick back and enjoy one of the fantastic events going on in and around Garden City. 

Friday- See Puccini’s La Boheme at the Tilles Center in Italian with English supertitles and performed with full orchestra. 8pm. Tickets $43-$83. See event deets here.  

Friday, Saturday, Sunday and every night until Jan 4th, 2015. Christmas/Holiday Lights Spectacular at Jones Beach. Monday-Thursday: $20/car, Friday-Sunday & Holidays: $25/car. See the new and expanded holiday village with more than 150 animated displays synced to holiday music. Pictures with Santa, holiday scenery, holiday music, vendors, special school choir performances on select nights, pet night every Wednesday, hot beverages and snacks plus a make your own s’mores pit. Sunday – Thursday, dusk to 10pm, Friday and Saturday dusk to 11pm. 1000 Ocean Pkwy, Wantagh, NY Click here for full schedule and more information.  

Friday, Saturday and every day until December 23rd (excluding Thanksgiving Day) see Santa at The Roosevelt Field Mall. Click here for more information on dates and times and to schedule your appointment with Santa! 

Saturday- Head to the Lakeshore Learning Center between 11am and 3pm for a different craft every Saturday. 2709 Hillside Ave., New Hyde Park. 516-616-9360. www.lakeshorelearning.com

Saturday- Pumpkin Drop at the Cradle of Aviation Museum 12pm-3pm. Bring your pumpkins and drop them from the third story of the museum’s atrium to see them splat. A limited number of pumpkins are available from the museum’s pumpkin patch. Reservations required. 516-572-4066 Click here for more details. 

Saturday- The Unitarian Universalist Congregation on the corner of Stewart Ave and Nassau Blvd will hold its Annual Harvest Fair, featuring homemade baked goods, home decor items, collectibles, raffles and a gourmet lunch including an all you can eat dessert buffet. 10am-4pm. Admission: $15 per adult, $14 seniors, $10 children. 

Saturday- Head to Adelphi to see Trio Solisti, “the most exciting piano trio in America”–The New Yorker. Westermann Stage, Concert Hall. 8pm. Get tickets here. 

Sunday- Dancing Pros: Live at the Tilles Center. Created by Edyta Sliwinska & Alec Mazo. The world’s finest dancers battle it out live on the stage and the audience picks the winner! 7pm. Tickets $53-$83. Find more information here. 

Enjoy the weekend and thank you for reading http://www.Insidegardencity.com. Please remember to like us on Facebook!

Those of you regular readers and Facebook followers out there know that I haven’t kept my fondness for Garden City boutiques a secret. And it’s no secret that I love the aesthetic of Envie (182 Seventh St., GC) combined with their chic jewelry, accessories and clothing. That’s why I’m thrilled to announce that Inside Garden City is co-hosting a special Holiday Event at the boutique! Think: raffles, holiday shopping {discounts}, friends, food and fun. What could be better? 

Head to Envie on December 4th from 5-9pm to do some holiday shopping. You will receive 20% off your entire purchase and enjoy drinks and delicious hors d’oeuvres catered by Plum Tomatoes. A stylist will also be on hand to offer advice on pairing clothing and jewelry pieces because… really… how often does an accessory catch your eye and then you think, “But what will I wear it with” as you put it back on the shelf… you know who you are! 

This will be THE holiday boutique shopping event of the season. Don’t miss your chance to support local business, mingle with friends, pick up a few gifts (maybe even a new piece for your own wardrobe?) and have some holiday fun- all at the same time. Can’t wait to see you there!

You can visit Envie’s website at http://www.envieous.com and don’t forget to like Envie {as well as Inside Garden City} on Facebook.


Thank you for reading www.InsideGardenCity.com

Ok, so it’s going to be cold weekend, but that doesn’t mean you should stay home and start hibernating… yet. There’s still lots to do in and around Garden City so grab your PSL and get out there!

Friday- See Blue Jupiter at Adelphi University. Blue Jupiter’s all-vocal performance is explosive. It’s energetic blend of pop lead vocals, jazzy a cappella harmony and funky beatbox. Concert Hall. Get tickets here. 7:30pm

Saturday- Garden City Community Church will have their Americana Festival this Saturday from 10am-4pm. Stop by to find some bargains on anything from vintage clothing to toys to tableware and holiday decor. There will also be delicious food and lots of feel-good community vibes! Corner of Whitehall Blvd and Stewart Ave. http://www.gardencitycommunitychurch.org

Saturday- 10am-4pm Long Island Craft Guild will be showing their glassware, plates, sculptures, etc at the Ethical Humanist Society fair at 38 Old Country Road in Garden City. http://www.ehsli.org

Saturday- Head to the Lakeshore Learning store between 11am and 3pm for a different craft every Saturday. 2709 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park 516-616-9360. http://www.lakeshorelearning.com

Saturday- See Natalie Cole performing at the Tilles Center. Tickets $48 and up. Find more information here. 8pm.

Saturday- Hofstra University Museum- presents Explorer Family Backpacks. Pick up a backpack and discover the beauty of the world’s cultures through specific works displayed in the gallery, create your own keepsake artwork to bring home. Ages: 5-10. Hempstead Tpke. Click here for more details. 

Saturday and Sunday- Catch the Nassau Model Train Show at the Senior Center in Bethpage. 11am-4pm. 516-433-4444. http://www.nassaucountypcgames.com

Sunday- Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra performs with Beatles tribute band Strawberry Fields to benefit the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County. 3pm. Tickets $25 and up. http://www.npso.org

Sunday- See Willy Wonka Jr. at the Broadhollow Theatre in Elmont. Ages: all. Tickets $10. 12pm. www.broadhollow.org


Enjoy the weekend and remember to like us on Facebook!

There we were at the famous Avellino’s Pizza on Nassau Blvd in Garden City South to see Randy Santel vs a 5lb pizza. The pizza was sporting a great record so far. Only one challenger had claimed victory. It was looking like pretty bad odds for Randy Santel.

The Wall of Fame and the Wall of Shame are posted in Avellino’s. The Wall of Fame has noticeably less faces on it… actually… it has just one. One champion conquered the 5 lb pizza in 26 minutes (the challenge is to finish in less than 30 minutes). The Wall of Shame holds 7 failed contenders in its wake.

Joe, Avellino’s owner, had prepared what was easily the biggest pizza I had ever seen- a 5lb cheese pie, with meatballs nonetheless (Randy’s rationale- gotta have your protein). This pie was the equivalent of 14 slices of a normal 18″ pie. The weigh-in was at 3:30pm and the pizza tipped the scales at 5lbs. Its opponent, Randy Santel, tipped the scales at 240lbs. 

The rules in effect: challenger pays a $25 deposit to the restaurant which he wins back if he is successful, along with a $75 gift certificate to Avellino’s. He must eat every last bite in a half hour and can drink whatever he wants. He cannot leave the table and If he has a “reversal of fortune”, he is automatically disqualified. 

When I heard a professional eater was the opponent, I was not expecting to see someone like Randy Santel. For one, he’s a body builder. Two, he’s at least 6’4″ and looks like he could be a linebacker in the NFL (he was actually a college football lineman  back when he weighed 320lbs). I guess I was expecting an out-of-shape joker to walk in. But now at 240 lbs, Randy was well prepared, fit, serious, well spoken and super nice. 

Randy showed up like he meant business. He brought knee padding b/c he kneels while eating (makes for better pictures and video), earbuds with his own carefully selected playlist (starts off easy with Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, etc. then onto Eminem as he needs to finish off the challenge) and a change of clothes. In addition to bringing his professional eating A game, he also brought a drinking buddy/sidekick/straight man to round out the entertainment with a few one liners as well as video the whole thing for his website. 

When the clock started, Randy wasted no time. He was very systematic: middle of the pizza first, then crust. This, he explained, is because the cheese and meat taste much better when warm while the crust is just as palatable warm or cold. He drank water throughout and then one soda near the finish. The soda was to fight flavor fatigue- if the flavor wanes, so does your eating and your body could turn off at that point, i.e. have a reversal of fortune. The switch to soda at the end ensures that this does not happen. The soda’s acidity also helps break down the carbs–Randy is very scientific about his eating.

With a crowd gathered inside and out to watch the challenge, Randy was composed and in control. He actually made eating a 5lb pizza look easy. The time pressure was a complete non-issue: Randy finished in a mere 16 minutes, 15 seconds shattering the old record of 26 minutes.  Randy even asked if he could try a bite of his buddy’s buffalo wrap when he was done–an impeccably timed joke to finish off the event. He chose to donate his prize $75 Avellino’s gift certificate to Garden City’s Andy Foundation. 

You can find The Champ on two websites. Check out http://www.randysantel.com and www.foodchallenges.com. When Randy began competing, he found that there was very limited information on how to train properly for food challenges so he started to provide this information to other eaters via his website, as well as how to locate upcoming challenges. He follows a nutrition plan that allows him to eat massive quantities and still maintain a lean physique (isn’t this the formula we’re all searching for?)

Randy is originally from St Louis, Missouri and since landing in NJ on Oct. 30th, he’s won 8 food challenges featuring many types of food. To date, he boasts a whopping 196 wins. Those impressive stats should have him well prepared for his upcoming 47 day tour eating his way through Europe. 

I must say he is a very entertaining guy with a unique lifestyle and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get picked up by a reality show soon. In the meantime, if you think you’re ready to challenge Randy and beat the new record, just call Avellino’s. They did win Best Pizza in Garden City after all. https://avellinos.ordersnapp.com/home


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Well, helllloooo Friday! Once again, Inside Garden City is here to tell you where you can unwind this weekend. Check out one (or more) of these great events in and around Garden City.

Long Island Restaurant Week continues until Sunday, Nov. 9th, so be sure to take advantage of some of the great specials being offered by our local restaurants. If you’re not sure where to dine, you can read up on local participating restaurants here.