Santos Party House & Hester Street Fair Cook Out— For those of you keeping it real in the city for the holiday weekend, this is the perfect kick off. Santos will be playing at the Hester Street Fair, and for the athletes among you, there'll be a ping-pong tournament under the trees— the meanest paddle will win some awesome prizes. And, as always, there will be lots of tasty B-B-Q
Saturday, July 3, 10a.m.-6p.m., corner of Hester Street and Essex Street
Sunday Best&mdash Party jams, kiddie pools, cold brews, and red, white, and blue BBQ staples at our favorite Brooklyn tacqueria, Taccolada (http://taccolada.com/). What more could you want?
Sunday, July 4, 3-9p.m., Brooklyn Fire Proof, 119 Ingraham Street (at Porter Avenue), 718-456-7570, Tickets are $12 at the door or email rsvp@sundaybestnyc.com to get in for $8
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Industriance—If you want to take it easy this Independence Day Weekend, head over to The Old American Can Factory and sit under the stars while watching a series of short films that explore the Industrial Rev's alienating aftershocks. Who says you have to fry your brain this weekend?
Friday, July 2, 8p.m. - late, 232 3rd Street (at 3rd Avenue), tickets are $10 here
Friday Nights at Blue Sky—Sag Harbor favorite The Med Restaurant is upping their lounge vibe every Friday night with live tunes, specialty cocktails, bottle service, and a kitchen that's open 'til 3a.m. so you won't have to troll the streets for a late-night snack. Think margherita pizza, beef carpaccio and eggs with caviar. Yum.
Every Friday night, 11p.m. - late, 63 Main Street (at Washington Street), Sag Harbor; 631-725-1810
Rebecca Martinez at Bergdorf Goodman Windows—JHB Gallery presents an installation of photographic works from Rebecca Martinez, entitled "Wounded." Her work examines society's quest for physical beauty and the battle against aging. Her angle? Photographing vintage store window mannequins.
Friday, July 2 - Tuesday, July 20, 754 Fifth Avenue (at 57th Street); 212-255-9286
The Hottest Pepper at The Brooklyn Kitchen —Guinness World Records just named the bhut jolokia, aka the ghost chili, the hottest pepper in the world. It's rated at over 1,000,000 on the Scoville scale (Tabasco sauce, by contrast, in between 2,500-5,000), and now it's available at The Brooklyn Kitchen. Bring your Hazmat gear.
Ongoing, 100 Frost Street (between Manhattanand Leonard street), Brooklyn, 718-3892982
DJs at Lily Pond—If you're hopping over to the Hamptons this weekend, we rec stopping by Lily Pond in East Hampton to celebrate with two of the greatest international house DJs in the world, Kaskade and Deadmau5. You'll definitely be getting your groove on.
Saturday, July 3, and Sunday, July 4, 11p.m.-4a.m., 44 Three Mile Harbor Road (at Oakview Highway), East Hampton, RSVP here: 631-329-6000, 21+ with ID.
Paris Commune—Welcome the weekend with Paris Commune, our go-to French resto for filet mignon and vintage wine. They're extending their happy hour to 8p.m., and are introducing some irresistible complimentary cocktails and desserts with their prix-fixe menu.
Friday, July 2 - Sunday, July 4, 99 Bank Street (at Greenwich Street), reservations recommended, 212-929-0509