Where the Uncool Kids Are
By Joy Pincus

If you’re wondering what to do tonight, pay a visit to UncoolKids — it’s what all the uncool kids are doing.

Shannon Paige created UncoolKids to track upcoming events for New Yorkers in search of entertainment that’s a little funky and slightly offbeat.

Shannon’s New York is a welcoming, wacky place: hipsters meet every week for neighborhood games of Capture The Flag, or at the Chelsea bar Dusk to participate in a talent search for the evening’s best napkin doodles. And if that’s not enough action, they can check out Kaiju Big Battel, “this year’s greatest night of live monster wrestling.”

“I think the blog is… just the way I want New York to be,” Shannon said. “One of the main reasons I started it was because I found New York so overwhelming and I needed to personalize it and… make it my own.”

Not only has Shannon made New York her own, she’s made it much more accessible for her readers.

Shannon moved to New York four years ago from Colorado, started Uncool Kids in August 2005, and has been working at it full time since May 2006. She was originally a computer programmer before she took time off to work in the theater world. When she started to miss programming, “[UncoolKids] seemed to be the best marriage of the two.”

Shannon is assisted by friends and readers who send in alerts about upcoming events and review “uncool” events they’ve attended.

Which begs the question: What does it take to be uncool?

“Well, a lot of the stuff I originally posted was more science-based,” Shannon explained. “A lot of science lectures, readings and book signings… And I thought, ‘There have to be other people out there who are uncool kids like me, and, if so, this will be the site for them.’”

Uncool Kids now has a devoted following. Many readers seek advice for nighttime activities, sending Shannon e-mails just before they leave work. She happily obliges with suggestions.

One of her favorite memories is of a bubble battle, a gathering in New York’s Astor Place where participants filled the square with bubbles. Another is Rumble on the River, an outdoor boxing tournament on Pier 54 in Chelsea. It was her introduction to boxing and she became an instant fan.

“I am excited to go back this year,” she said, “in part because it feels like I’ve come full circle, but also just because it’s so beautiful with the sun setting. Boxing is one of those sports that always sounded really evil to me, but when I saw it in person I discovered it’s a beautiful sport and there’s a lot of good energy there.”

Shannon can be quite determined when it comes to getting information about something that intrigues her, a talent she has put to good use with UncoolKids.

“I’m not… afraid to ask questions and look like a dork,” she said. “I’m not going to… pretend like I know what’s going on. I am going to ask questions. I think that’s part of the UncoolKids image, too — being unafraid to look stupid and find out what’s going on.”

Programming by day, exploring the city by night — has Shannon found the perfect job?

“I’m not tied to a desk, which is not me,” she said. “I’ve always been more of a ‘work for 14 hours straight and then don’t work for a day’ kind of a person. So it works out perfectly.”

“The best part about running a site like UncoolKids is just finding so many unusual events and sharing them with others. Another great thing is… the reader feedback and hearing that people like the site. It’s gratifying to know that I am not completely wasting my time.”