If you sit on a Harley, you’ll realize right away that this is much more than just riding any motorbike. To ride a Harley Davidson is to know what freedom, and occasionally flies, must taste like. You don’t need to join a biker club or rebel against whatever ‘they’ got to get this feeling as it’s offered to you for a day by Harley-Davidson Zurich.  E-mail me to win this bike rental. Swiss law is not that keen on freedom, so of course you need a license for large bikes to go for that ride.
Give my love to the city, Ron

Nelly the elephant may have packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus but I guess she never imagined ending up painted grey and photographed but this is what happened when Swiss artist Niklaus Rüegg spent 3 months in India putting together his art project ‘Elephant make-up’. Why paint them grey? Because it’s the colour least associated with circuses. Why elephants? Well, why not elephants? And off she went with a trump, trump, trump.
Thursday 6 pm, Galerie Bob Gysin

If the idea of painting elephants seems more cruel than artistic to you then you’ll probably be interested in hearing Jonathan Safran Foer read from his new book, Eating Animals. Jonathan is best known for his fiction writing, especially Everything is Illuminated, but his new book takes an investigative look at the world of global meat production. I have a pair of tickets to give away but bear in mind, once you hear what he has to say, that wurst you love may be your last.
E-mail me.
Friday 8 pm, Kaufleuten

30 bands and singers from all over Switzerland have made it to the final of the Song of the Year 2010 competition at Mascotte. Along with an expert set of judges, the audience will give half of the votes for each act, so you’ll have some real influence on which song wins. And if your choice doesn’t win, the Karaoke from Hell guys will be on hand to help you rock the frustration away.
Friday 8 pm, Mascotte

Thomas Rehnert is an experimental musician from Berlin.  Coming through the free jazz and punk of the 70’s, he now builds his own synthesisers and drum machines that are pretty much automated with Thomas improvising the tone and structure of each piece of music as it goes along. You may not be able to hum these songs the next day but as a piece of performance art I think you’ll remember it for some time.
Saturday 8.30 pm, Perla-Mode

The Rat Pack are the epitome of 50’s cool, and even in this post-post-modern 21st century world they still seem to offer us something classic and timeless. Alive and Swinging brings this era alive with artists including Xavier Naidoo and Rea Garvey paying tribute to the Pack as well as a big band to swing along behind. So slip into that tuxedo, mix yourself a Manhattan and let Ol’ Blue Eyes tell you how cool you really are.
Sunday 8 pm, Kongresshaus

Dini Mueter is the new restaurant at Langstrasse (opened last year). The locale is small and cosy with beautiful stone floor and large wooden tables. I’m not sure how they want to fit in a band. But they’ll try anyway and this Tuesday they present Yves Theiler Trio from Zurich. If you like jazz, you better get there early as the venue is small. Much smaller than La Catrina which I usually refer to as being small.
Tuesday 8 pm, Dini Mueter

It’s not even a month ago that I told you about Geroldchuchi, located just next to the entrance of Hive. I still really like this place and just wanted to add, that the team is back from their break and decided to serve party goers also on Thursday nights from now on (from midnight to 6 am). And you’re also allowed to take the food inside the club (so you don’t freeze to death).
Geroldchuchi, Geroldstrasse 5

The weather forecast predicts colder temperatures, so it’s time to recommend some venues for fondue. And remember – only tourists believe that there are penalties if you lose your piece of bread in the pot. Some of my favourite fondue destinations include Fribourger Fonduestübli or Chäsbaragge (Bederstrasse 130), which are only open in the winter months, and Restaurant Köchlistube, which has entire evenings devoted to the speciality! You may also enjoy the traditional decor of Walliserkanne, or the bright atmosphere of Chässtube Rehalp. If you are feeling a little adventurous, head up the Zurichberg to Chäsalp, where you might spot rabbits outside the restaurant’s window. Who’s complaining about winter now?

If your budget is a bit tight but you‘d still like to be surrounded by art, then have a look at art-o-thek. Here you find a selection of artists whose art work you can rent for a monthly fee. I like the idea and also like that most of the represented artists are from Zurich or Zurich area. And there are even two expats amongst them.  Joseph Pisani comes originally from New York and Daniel Herran from Puerto Rico.