As the weather gets colder and the nights fall faster, staying inside with an oversized glass of wine and some comfort food sounds just about right. Don’t judge us! We know you were thinking it too and we have just the place!

6 reasons you should head to City Winery:

Photo by: City Winery

1. Wine – City Winery features 11 wines made right on the premise and if wine by the barrel isn’t your thing, ask for the 500-strong wine list! Either way, get comfy, pour, taste and repeat.
2. Location – This oversized gem is conveniently sandwiched between two of our Manhattan Mini Storage SoHo locations. Making it easy to drop off your stuff and belly up to a barrel in minutes.
3. Cheese – The cheese board of the day features favorites from New York’s own Murrays’ Cheese. Translation: A cheese selection any New Yorker would gladly give up a cab for!
4. Winemaking – Wine classes are offered from the initial crush of the grapes to creating your own blend and private label wines.
5. Live Music – Bring old friends or make some new ones, there is an artist on the event calendar for everyone.
6. Dessert – Caramelized apples, espresso butter cream and candied pecans…need we say more?

Have other great wine bars for us? Let us know in the comments! Or, share your favorites with us on Twitter or Facebook.

This past weekend Manhattan Mini Storage was overjoyed to be a part of history, as New York City’s gay couples embarked on the state’s first marriage ceremonies!

Our team was there to supply the crowds and newlyweds alike with fabulous accessories to celebrate the occasion: top hats, feathered boas, necklaces, tiaras and bouquets. We had a great time taking pictures with all the happy new couples on Sunday, and wishing them wedded bliss.

Our team even created an oversized picture frame to commemorate all the photos we took on the first day gay marriage became legal in New York; the “Just Married” frame was a huge hit with couples! See some of the video we took:

We counted around 400 couples lining the street that day at Manhattan’s Office of the City Clerk waiting to say “I do.” The air was filled with love, plus bubbles and confetti to celebrate the big day!

Our Manhattan Mini Storage team camped out at the exit along with families and friends to wait for new couples exiting the revolving doors. As each couple appeared, the entire crowd filled the air with horn blowing, screaming, and even more confetti!

It was a great day in history for NYC, and we here at Manhattan Mini Storage were happy to be a part of it – showing the love we have for all New Yorkers. Congrats to all the happy newlyweds, and WAY TO GO NYC!

If you missed out, don’t worry – you can enter to win your own t-shirt from Manhattan Mini Storage celebrating gay rights in NY! Just head over to our Facebook page.

You can also see more pictures of the happy day on our Facebook page – check out our Gay Marriage in NYC album.

Happy couples at Manhattan's Office of the City Clerk on Sunday, July 24th

A Facebook fan of ours recently shared a link with us to the trailer for “Esposito,” a new feature-length film showing at the Manhattan Film Festival in July. We loved it, because it’s about a subject near and dear to our hearts: the contents of a storage unit.

We know that the things you keep in storage mean something to you. Otherwise, you’d have thrown them away long ago! And because that’s also what this new film is about, we’re giving away 2 free tickets to the screening on July 25^th.

This beautiful-looking film, which has already won several awards at film festivals, is about a boy’s mission to win the heart of a girl with her own lost belongings.

See the trailer here:

To win 2 free tickets to see Esposito at the Manhattan Film Festival, just tell us one thing by posting it on our Facebook wall: what‘s the best gift to win someone’s heart? We’ll pick a winner in the coming weeks!

If you’re more of a Twitter addict you can tweet us @ManhattanMini instead, and use the hashtag #storeandlove.

If you’re looking for your own secure NYC storage locations, you can be sure your possessions are safe with us. Our storage facilities have 24-hour security, so nobody will ever be able to take your stuff but you. Several of them are open 24/7, too – so you’ll have access to your stuff whenever you need! Give us a call at 212-STORAGE for more information.

Just moved to the neighborhood and put your winter clothes into your Upper East Side storage unit? Then here’s five things to get out and do in your new surroundings!

What To Do in The Upper East Side

Slurp Down a Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity: Sit among faux Tiffany lamps and Alice-in-Wonderland décor for something so delicious, you’ll get a brain freeze just remembering it the next day.  There’s usually a bit of a wait so head over before your stomach hits emergency empty.

Blow Your Budget at Bloomies: You have some extra room in your closet because just put your winter clothes into your Upper East Side storage unit right?  Stop by Bloomingdales, one of the oldest department stores in the city (est 1886) for a high-end stock-up-for-summer shopping spree.

Make a Trip Down Museum Mile: Along Central Park East sits some of the city’s most venerable instituions. Start at the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, and work your way down the row, popping into the Whitney and The Guggenheim, before finishing at grande dame of them all: The Met.

Get Gourmet at Citarella: Unleash your inner foodie with a trip to Citarella market on Third Avenue, the former 1920s fish market that has a seafood selection unrivaled in this part of town. You can also pick up anything else you’ll need for a fancy feast, from perfectly puffed pastries to cured meats, and rare cheeses.

Push Your Buttons To a New Level: Unpacked your spring trenchcoat and realize “third down” is missing? Then head to Tender Buttons, the tiny East 62^nd shop that is packed to the gills with unique ways to update any coat, blazor, or button down, of your choosing.

Looking for more New York City neighborhood guides? Check out more in our Newbie NYC section! And remember, if you just moved into the area and realized your new apartment won’t fit your couch, clothes, or cookware, we have an Upper East side storage unit that’s safe, close and convenient – not to mention the best rates in town. Give one of our storage advisors a call today at 212-Storage to see how we can help you maximize your Manhattan apartment space.

Stacy Stuart, vice president for marketing for Manhattan Mini Storage, said the company is “definitely counting on people who love the Mets also loving to poke a little fun at them.” She said employees at the company root for a variety of teams, but “personally I know the pain of being a true Mets fan!”

Photo by Joesh Labotnik

And just to reiterate that there’s plenty more Mets love circling around the Manhattan Mini Storage offices, we figured we could spotlight some of our other die-hard Mets fan employees too. We asked what they love about their team and here’s a compilation of all their answers:

1. Doc Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, David Wright.
2. Three words: Keith Hernandez’s mustache.
3. We will always have the 1986 World Series.
4. Everyone looks good in Orange + Blue.
5. Does any mascot in the form of a bobblehead doll have better team spirit than Mr. Met? You show us one.
6. How many love stories start: “We met watching the Mets.” You can’t get that same feeling from “We knicked watching the Knicks.”
7. Shea Stadium. It was awesome and we had it.
8. There were a lot of great mustaches at Shea Stadium.
9. We’ve now got Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, Korean fried chicken, frites, sushi, local microbrews and more to devour at Citifield.
10. “It’s awesome to be a New Yorker. It’s even more awesome to be a New Yorker who didn’t hop on the blue-and-white big money bandwagon.”

There you have it folks – ten reasons some of us love the Mets. And to the all the other Mets fans out there we say hey, it’s a joke and we hope you’re laughing. If not, we make this promise to you. If the Yankees have a 7.5 game lead in their division this 2011 season, which they then lose over the final 17 games, only to be knocked out of playoff chances by giving up seven runs in the first inning in the deciding game, our next ad will definitely poke fun at them.

Three Reasons Why They Are A Must if You’re Living in the City!

The average suburban-dweller doesn’t usually have to worry about things like hauling heavy groceries home for blocks or neighbors blaring late-night music through paper thin walls or the general smushed-up-against-a-stranger feeling of riding a 6 train. As city-dwellers, we deal with a lot of stress, but it’s worth it to live in the greatest city in the world! At Manhattan Mini Storage, we’re proud to say that there’s no reason you can’t live suburban large in at least one important way.

Storage Units in Manhattan Are:

Very Necessary: With tiny apartments and tinier closets and a human urge to collect more stuff, storage units in Manhattan are important unless you plan to become an ascetic. Whether you’re newly cohabitating or have just maxed out your Visa on a new Spring wardrobe, we say don’t fret your fondness for stuff. Just make room from it in your home away from home – a storage unit!

Multi-Purpose Rooms: If you had a house in Schnectady you might use the attic for old yearbooks, the hall closet for coats, and half the garage for all your sports gear. In a 1-bedroom East Village walkup, you’re lucky if you can fit your bed and your dresser in the same room! Storage units in Manhattan will hold anything you need but can’t fit.

Absolutely Affordable: Well they are if you purchase them from us. We have rates as low as $29/month for storage units in Manhattan – and with 17 locations in the borough, they’re convenient too. Are you already  a customer of ours? You can participate in our Refer a Friend program and put some $ back in your own wallet too!

That’s right! Our parent company is launching a new initiative this month to help promote a greener New York City by pushing New Yorker’s conversion to electric vehicles in the Big Apple! Edison Parkfast has completed installation of electric vehicle charging stations at 21locations in NYC and NJ. And because they’re really serious about making it easy to go green, customers can enjoy free charging until 12/31/11, when you park your car.

Here’s a couple of cool facts about electric cars to get you even more psyched about them!

• The first electric car appeared back in 1830. That’s older than the Chinese takeout carton in the back of your fridge.
• Electric cars are completely silent – the way you wish your music-blaring neighbors were.
• Electric cars have been estimated to get as much as 350 miles per gallon! Depending on how much you drive, you might not have to fill up again till 2012.

For more information about our charging stations, and the ChargePoint® Program which currently provides electric vehicle charging infrastructure to nine regions across the United States visit parkfast.com. And while there, why not make a guaranteed reservation for New York City parking or New Jersey parking for your vehicle, bicycle, scooter or motorcycle?

Don’t have stuff enough to fill a whole storage unit?  Renovating or subletting your place and need a temporary storage solution and fast? Not into schlepping decorations, wardrobe, and seasonal stuff to and from a storage unit every time the weather changes? Well, we have a new program designed especially for YOU.

Introducing On Wheels by Manhattan Mini Storage, our new storage delivery service where we’ll pick up or return your stuff for free to and from your place. Here’s how it works:

1. Call 212.STORAGE to schedule a free pick-up.
2. Box your stuff that you want to store. (Need boxes? We’ll deliver them for free!)
3. We pick up the boxes to store in one of our super secure facilities until you need them back.
4. Need something back? Just call and we’ll deliver it to your door. No muss, no fuss.

With On Wheels, you can store as much or as little as you want. There is also no long-term commitment required – you can rent for as little as a month. Your rate is determined on the amount of space the stuff you store takes up. And with no hassle pick up and drop off, you won’t have to lug heavy boxes on the subway or pay for a taxi just to swap your winter clothes out for summery shorts come May.

How do you get started? Call 1-800-STORAGE (786-7243) to make arrangements and we’ll take it from there (literally!). Then look around and start thinking what you could do with all that closet space!

Because Storing Your Stuff Means Never Having To Leave Your Couch!

This could be the view from your bike!

It may be getting colder here in New York, but summer’s just getting into gear on the other side of the world — New Zealand’s summer months are December-March, making it the perfect winter Store n’ Split adventure destination! Get your bike out of storage, put the rest of your possessions in, and head to Middle Earth for an epic cycle tour through one of the most gorgeous landscapes you’ll ever see.

Mindblowing New Zealand Cycling Tour Destinations

• Take in the Scenery: Bike down the South Island’s West Coast, said to be one of the top 5 scenic road rides in the world with plenty of twists and turns. Feeling a little tired? Book a tour with a support vehicle to enjoy the ride without feeling like you’re working too hard.

• You know Ewe Want To: New Zealand is famous for having lots of the wooly ones and you’re bound to pass a few sheep farms during your tour. Stop by one in January and you’ll be able to see the ewe-shearing ritual in action.

• When You Deserve a Reward: Plan an extended rest stop at a one of NZ’s wineries – home of what Wine Spectator calls the “New World’s Utopia for Sauvignon Blanc.”

• Lord of the Rings Fan? Don’t fret my precious. Themed bike tours that will take you from Peter Jackson’s Lothlorien all the way to Mt. Doom –hobbit not included!

• Live Dangerously: New Zealand is at the southern tip of the Pacific Rim of Fire, and its North Island boasts several of its own active volcanoes. Make the ride from Auckland to see them all. Take a break to soothe any aching muscles in the neighboring geothermal hot springs.

Secure Temporary Storage Solutions In Manhattan Will Keep Your Stuff Safe While You’re Gone

While you’re trekking the roads of New Zealand like Aragorn-on-wheels, you won’t have to worry about your stuff. Manhattan Mini Storage’s temporary storage solutions will offer you a safe place to stash your furniture and  your clothes while you’re on your epic adventure – for as little as $29 a month. Call 212-STORAGE to get started today!