Burlesque performer and ex-wife of rocker Marilyn Manson, Dita Von Teese, 34, is lending her status as a sexual icon to promote the Independent Flim Channel’s “Indie Sex” series – a documentary exploration of sex in film – which premieres this week. She dished to the Resident on the best sex in movies, where to go lingerie shopping in New York, and how it feels to be adored by Hollywood’s poison-penned blogger, Perez Hilton.—Cotton Delo

By Nicole Tringali

Stuffed into the A train during yet another heat wave in the smog-filled city of New York, commuters might imagine themselves heading to the frozen food section of their favorite grocery store and leaning into the open popsicle freezer. But where can that relief be found in August?

By Eric Vanden Bussche

It was a quarter past six on a chilly spring morning in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Despite a line of about 3,500 people, three layers deep, stretching from one side to the other, the mammoth square seemed engulfed in emptiness. Police officers mathematically spaced a few yards apart made sure that the onlookers stood obediently 35 feet from the flagpole.

Boulud On Bowery?
Like many other restaurateurs and real-estate proprietors, renowned chef Daniel Boulud is looking to own a slice of the Bowery, Avalon Bowery Place to be exact, for his new proposed restaurant/bar Daniel Boulud Good Burger, or DBGB. It’s the latest in the rapid transformation of the Bowery, with the restaurant’s name referencing closed rock club CBGB. If it opens, the restaurant will join a Whole Foods Market, a new art museum and the haute Bowery Hotel with Italian restaurant Gemma, whose seats were packed opening night despite no tasting preview. Upmarket restaurants and bars are replacing the family-owned establishments, which is pushing the real-estate values up and leaving those with lower income unable to afford the rent hikes.

By Sylvie Bigar

Summer in New York doesn’t really conjure images of culinary excursions but between Shakespeare in the Park and Midsummer Night Swing, why not take advantage of Restaurant Week? This year between July 16–20 and 23–27, 200 restaurants are offering $24 menus at lunch and $35 menus at dinner. Make your plans soon and call for reservations; some of the finest eateries are already sold out. Here is a sampling of our favorite stops.

By Kathryn Matthews

Thai basil, persimmon and paprika are just a few of the palate-teasing ingredients appearing in artisanal cocktails at restaurants throughout San Francisco. Taking their cues from the kitchen, bar chefs and mixologists in the city are increasingly reaching for fresh-squeezed juices, just-ground spices and muddled herbs instead of sugary syrups and pre-packaged mixes. With bartenders searching out organic ingredients, visiting farmers markets, and sourcing locally produced spirits, the city is fast emerging as a top cocktail destination. Here’s a selection of restaurants with buzz-worthy cocktail menus — your “choice table” may well be at the bar!

By Andrew Penner

Those of us with golf in our veins have many things in common. We love the outdoors. We love the camaraderie that the game makes possible. And, perhaps more than anything, we love to dream. We dream about that syrupy-smooth technique that has long evaded us. We dream about a 350-yard drive (I’d say 300, but those days are over). And, perhaps our favorite, we dream about the ultimate golf adventure. In fact, this quest for adventure, a new and better golf experience, is a passion, a duty, that we take quite seriously. Those who declare a love for the game, for golfing adventure, should fix their eyes — and their golfing dreams ­­— on the Vancouver Island Golf Trail.

By Heather Corcoran
On the short hike from Chelsea’s major art dealerships to Apexart’s Tribeca gallery, attitude melts away with each passing block. Here, there are no six-figure price tags. No too-chic-for-words assistant sits behind the front desk. Even the title of the non-profit’s latest show, “The Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe,” underscores Apexart’s outsider status.

At La Esquina (106 Kenmare St.) Rene Ortiz dishes out high-end Mexican cuisine to a hip clientele. Veal tongue tacos and fancy tequilas are some of the items you’ll find on the menu.—Sascha Brodsky

Fancy Food Comes To NYC
From July 8-10, the National Association of Specialty Foods hosts the annual “Summer Fancy Food Show” at the Javits Center, a showcase of all kinds of food processing and packaging machines, materials, systems and products under one roof. There will be more than 140,000 exhibitors representing about 72 countries, presenting more than 100,000 specialty foods to discover and sample.