offManhattan

What: The 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show

Where: The Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Streets,
Philadelphia, PA.

When: Sunday, February 28th through Sunday, March 7

Why: Because we could all use some vibrant color in our lives right about now. Bleak winter is out. Jungle fever is in. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s yearly spectacle is considered to be one of the world’s premier gardening events. If you are starting to doubt that spring really is just around the corner, the stunning floral creations on display should set you straight.

No longer marginalized as an utterly un-cool pastime reserved for children’s birthday parties, bowling has become the “it” going-out activity. These five bowling alleys around the boroughs—yes, there is bowling beyond Bowlmor—combine the nightlife elements you seek on a Friday or Saturday night with the good, old-fashioned fun of everyone’s secret favorite sport.

The Olympics has gotten you all fired up: you’re hitting the gym more often, cutting back on soda, and daydreaming about playing on the tennis courts this spring, eh? Well, we’ve got an athletic announcement to make. Madison Square Garden is offering a $10 discount on tickets to the Billie Jean King Cup, which starts on March 1st, exclusively for offManhattan readers.

There may be a slew of new cyclists on the road this summer for reasons other than the beautiful weather. Whether you’ve mastered Moab or just enjoy cruising around town on your vintage Schwinn Breeze, if your apartment is littered with half-read New Yorker magazines, this is exciting news for you.

Retro, a Portand Oregon company known for its artistic inspired apparel, will be debuting a pair of The New Yorker-print jerseys in June. For the men, your pecs will push through a 1929 Art Déco cover illustrating a bike race by Theodore G. Haupt. And for the women, a 2008 cover by Ana Juan (pictured here) that cars on the road won’t be able to miss. Will we see you and your snazzy jersey on the Brooklyn Bridge in four months? [FastCompany]

Anthony Bourdain had lobster cappuccino with Bill Murray at X20 in Yonkers while exploring the Hudson Valley for No Reservations. [Eater]

Speaking of the Hudson Valley, start planning for your culinary trip north of the city during the area’s restaurant week, March 15-28. [HVRW]

Britain beat Acela to the punch with free wi-fi on trains. [Jaunted]

If you want to spice things up for Valentine’s Day, go on a naked scavenger hunt. [Going]

If you’re in D.C. during February, the Lobby Café at the Ritz is offering a blind dessert tasting for $45; or you could just buy the champagne and chocolate sauce, and do it at home. [UrbanDaddy]

The Sam Mendes-directed play The Tempest will start showing on Valentine’s Day in conjunction with The Bridge Project at BAM. [BAM]

Whether you’re unintentionally solo, stag and lovin’ it, or happily hitched, the outer boroughs have got you covered this weekend. From historic cemetery strolls and an anti-Valentine’s Day book party, to salty caramel ice cream and a garden tour of blooming South African plants, here are eight offbeat V-Day activities that are sure to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside—or not.

Biathlon. Curling. Speedskating. Luge. For the average person, these sports only mean something every four years, when the world comes together to watch and revel in the Winter Olympics. While we may not always pay enough attention, seeing these athletic feats— rocketing down ice at 140 km/hour, sharp shooting a target while on skis, landing the double McTwist 1260 in the snowboard halfpipe—are enough to make anyone impressed.

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver start today with NBC’s airing of the Opening Ceremonies and continue for the next two weeks (practically every minute of each scintillating event will be on NBC’s Universal Sports, channel 162 on NYC Time Warner). All this Olympic excitement may have you muting Bob Costas, but also itching to get out there yourself onto the ice and into the snow.

So, in the spirit of the 1980 USA hockey team, Bob Costas’ nicely coiffed toupee, and the 2,000 plus athletes about to biathlon, luge, snowboard, and represent the country name on the front of their sweater, jersey, and jacket, here are six places near NYC to inspire your inner Olympian.

If you give a date a cookie, she’s going to ask for a glass of milk. Give her a dozen delicious heart-shaped cookies, she’s going to ask for a tall glass of you.

The good bakers at the Black & White Cookie Company are offering one lucky offManhattan reader a big box of the all natural, kosher-friendly, and corn-syrup-free sweets (the red and white ones, not as preservative-free).

So forgo the usual box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day, get out of town, and enter this contest!

1) Follow us on Twitter and tweet this message (if you already follow us, just tweet!):

“Win a box of heart-shaped black-and-white cookies. Just follow @offManhattan and RT! http://bit.ly/CookiE”

OR

2) Sign up for our email list. (If you’re already a subscriber, you are automatically entered for a chance to win the giveaway.)

You can do both to be entered twice, and tweet once a day to be entered multiple times and increase your chance of winning. Deadline is Friday, February 12th at 11:59pm EST – a winner will be chosen at random and announced the next day. Good luck!

If your goal is to celebrate N’Awlins with all of the jambalaya (and great music, of course) but none of the obnoxious crowds, here’s an off the beaten path option for you to consider.

DIY music venues are now just as significant in the New York indie scene as the more traditional bar venues. Brooklyn’s Fort Useless opened its doors in mid-August. The man behind this operation is Jeremiah McVay, who’s been putting together shows all over the city as part of his StereoActiveNYC.com project for years. Through this website, he covers shows and news on local bands. It’s like BrooklynVegan but more personal, more local, and more underground.

Hailing from the Bayou State, McVay is particularly amped for the Mardi Gras event he’s put together this coming Saturday, February 13. The night will include a stellar line-up of performances by Holy Moly!, Dinosaur Feathers, Ava Luna, and Flying Pace.