Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, NOV. 02, 2013

Shorewalkers: ‘Great Manhattan Bridges Walk’
“This walk of all bridges that traverse Manhattan, beginning at the George Washington Bridge and ending at the Brooklyn Bridge, will cover more than 27 miles and take about 12 hours to complete. The group will meet at 9 a.m. near the main floor restrooms at the George Washington Bridge Port Authority Bus Station, Fort Washington Avenue, between 178th and 179th Streets, Washington Heights. Walkers should take along water, food and a MetroCard. (917) 783-6540 or (212) 330-7686, shorewalkers.org; $3 donation.”

And if you are not quite up to a 27 mile jaunt, you may prefer this walkabout:
Wallabout District Walking Tour
“This Brooklyn neighborhood near the former Navy Yards, which has one of the largest concentrations of pre-Civil War wood-frame houses in New York City, is the focus of this 11 a.m. walking tour sponsored by the Brooklyn Historical Society and the Wooden House Project, an advocacy group. The meeting place will be given with reservations, which can be made at wallabouttour-pp.eventbrite.com, (718) 222-4111; $25, $15 for members of the Brooklyn Historical Society and of Historic Green-Wood.” (NYT-Anne Mancuso)

BORIS CHARMATZ: WEEK THREE
“Musée de la Danse: Three Collective Gestures,” the French choreographer’s audacious three-weekend series at the Museum of Modern Art, finishes with “Flip Book,” a curious take on Merce Cunningham’s choreography. The three hundred photographs of Cunningham dances in David Vaughan’s career-spanning book “Fifty Years” are embodied in sequence by seven dancers, including the regal Cunningham veteran Valda Setterfield. What will the concept animate?” (NewYorker mag)
Museum of Modern Art
At 3 p.m. / museum admission: $25, $18 for 65+, $14 for students, free for members.
The performance will be followed, at 4 p.m., by a panel discussion with Mr. Charmatz, Ms. Setterfield and others.
212-708-9400, moma.org

Gary Bartz Quintet
“A soulful alto and soprano saxophonist whose career has taken him through postbop, jazz-funk and free jazz, Gary Bartz, 73, has continued to draw connections in his music; look no further than “Coltrane Rules: Tao of a Music Warrior,” an album released last year. For this engagement he enlists a younger alto saxophonist, Vincent Herring, along with Sullivan Fortner on piano, James King on bass and Greg Bandy on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th St.
At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m./ $38 cover
864-6662, smokejazz.com

STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES
“Like many singer-songwriters of legendary status, the fifty-eight-year-old Grammy-award-winning artist has had nine lives and nearly as many wives (his fellow-musician Allison Moorer is his seventh). He’s spent time in prison, been an actor, and written fiction, and he delivers rollicking and raw songs that tell a gritty, unmistakably American story. And, as if he’s been making up for lost time, Earle has had a busy year. In April, he released “The Low Highway,” which reprised his old backing band the Dukes, and brought on the Duchesses. In June, he issued “Steve Earle: The Warner Bros. Years,” a boxed set featuring three albums. Also included is the DVD “To Hell and Back,” a recording of his 1996 concert at the Cold Creek Correctional Facility in Tennessee.” (NewYorker mag)
Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St.
At 8PM / $35-$50
212-840-2824

Performa 13

“Performa is dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of 20th-century art and to encouraging new directions in performance for the 21st century. For its fifth biennial, Performa 13 will feature more than 100 contemporary artists, including 12 Performa commissions along with premieres and a multitude of new works by up-and-comers. This year’s biennial takes place at more than 60 venues throughout New York City. For a full list of today’s performances, see the event’s website.” (nycgo.com)

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi  /  32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’ ”.

Each night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of wines and lite meals, fairly priced, but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. I should note that their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYC will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30pm – 11pm, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11am-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher st
Walk 1 blk S on 7th ave S to Bleecker st, 1 blk S/left on Bleecker to Jones st, 50 yards E/left on Jones st to Caffe V

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges  – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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3 Good Eating places 

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $8 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S (corner of Bleecker)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th st (btw. University place/5th ave)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

That covers a wide range of food – pizza,  burgers,  food trucks/carts,  vegetarian/falafel,  ramen,  chopped salad & salad bars,  hot dogs,  bbq,  soup & sandwiches,  picnic fixins’,  raw bars &  lobster rolls. No reservations needed. ================================================================================

There are also some casual dining, chain restaurant locations in this neighborhood that have decent food, provide a good hotel breakfast alternative, and have free Wi-FI:

A. Pret a Manger @ 821 Broadway (betw 12/13 st)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/q/r to 14th st/union sq

B. Potbelly @ 41 W14th st (betw 5th/6th ave)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th st

C. Cosi @ 53 E 8th st (betw greene/mercer)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/r to 8th st

◊ For a few more PremierPubs and Good Eating places see previous Featured Neighborhoods in the right sidebar.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods (plus 27 casual dining places with free Wi-Fi) order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99).
(available Winter 2013)