Today’s “Fab 5” / Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, APR. 01, 2014.
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “Notable NYC Events-Mar”, and also “on Broadway”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
The Commodore’s Heirs:
The Vanderbilt Dynasty and the Birth of the Gilded Age
T.J. Stiles, Columbia graduate and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography The First Tycoon (Vintage, 2010) recounts the birth of the Gilded Age through the story of the Vanderbilt dynasty. “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt rose from New York’s docks to become the richest man in America. Old patrician families scorned him, though he lived in the same dignified fashion as they did. His popular grandchildren emerged as leaders of the social aristocracy, yet they indulged in lavish excess; their legendary parties and vast mansions defined the age.
The themes of an Edith Wharton novel play out over three generations in real-life tales of scandals, séances, suicide, and a bitter trial over the Commodore’s will. Co-sponsored by Victorian Society New York and presented in conjunction with Gilded New York.
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, at 103rd St
6:30pm / $25
212-534-1672
Lew Tabackin
“At 74, the venerated veteran tenor saxophonist remains one of the most consistently rewarding players in contemporary jazz—he started as disciple of the early Sonny Rollins and continues to refine that sound in ways that are increasingly personal, but, at the same time, never lose sight of how his most important goal is to keep the audience entertained.
Mr. Tabackin has earned his wings playing in big bands (particularly that of his personal and professional partner, pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi ) but also shines with his Sonny-side-up style trio (with bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Mark Taylor ), and he’s even a highly enthralling player when playing completely unaccompanied. Visually too: his habit of bobbing up and down as he plays makes for appropriate choreographic accompaniment to his tenor wizardry.” (WSJ)
Iridium, 1650 Broadway at 51st Street
At 8:30; 10:30PM / $25; $15 food or drink minimum.
(212) 582-2121 / theiridium.com
“The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams” with Ben Bradlee Jr.
“Ted Williams wanted to be an immortal. He arrived in Boston in 1939, a cocky 20-year-old phenom eager to become, in his words, the “greatest hitter who ever lived.” Just two years later, his .406 batting average — a mark that has never again been met — backed up that claim.
In The Kid, Ben Bradlee, Jr., draws on numerous untapped sources to take us inside the clubhouse, the batter’s box, and beyond. He reveals new details about Williams’s feelings of shame over his Mexican heritage, his war service, the rages that fueled his brilliance on the field but severely damaged his private life, and the bizarre family drama that played out after Ted’s death, when his body was cryonically preserved. The Kid is the story of a man as big as his myth, the story of an exceptional, tumultuous and epic American life — an immortal life.” (Flavorpill)
Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, 67 East 11th Street,
At 7PM / FREE
REGINA CARTER
“On her latest album, “Southern Comfort,” the violinist continues the musical investigation into her family roots that informed her 2006 album, “I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey.” The new release employs as a source rural folk tunes that her Alabamian coal-miner grandfather might have heard. Carter and her ensemble rework these simple melodies without losing the heartfelt expressivity of the originals.” (NewYorker)
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton,
At 8:30 and 11 p.m. / $40 cover, with a $10 minimum
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com
Martha Graham Dance Company (through Thursday)
“As if to bring Graham’s heroic sensibility down to human scale, the company has been offering studio showings that provide a more intimate experience of her psychological dramas. Next in this series, titled GrahamDeconstructed, is her voracious “Cave of the Heart,” from 1946, with the intrepid Miki Orihara as Medea.” (Burke-NYT)
Martha Graham Studio Theater, 55 Bethune Street, 11th floor, West Village,
at 7PM / $20.
(212) 229-9200, marthagraham.org
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Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
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This Week in NYCity (courtesy NYPost, with the best covers anywhere)
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A PremierPub – West Village
Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.
Sometimes you just need a beer and a burger. If so, Corner Bistro is the place you want. Located just outside the hip Meatpacking district, this corner bar and grill is decidedly unhip, but it’s not uncrowded, especially at night. Seems that everyone knows this place has one of the better burgers in town.
In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town. The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro will be celebrating it’s 50th anniversary next year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.
Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $6.75, and should be ordered medium rare, which will be plenty rare for most folks. Actually, it will be a juicy, messy delight – make sure you have extra napkins. I like to pull up a stool and sit by the large front window in the afternoon, where I can rest my burger and beer on the shelf, and watch the Villagers walk by.
Corner Bistro seems to attract very different groups of patrons depending on time of day. While it’s crowded with locals in the evening, in the afternoon you hear different foreign languages, and watch groups of euro tourists wander in, led by their guidebooks and smartphones.
For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).
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Website: cornerbistrony.com
Phone #: 212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour: NO
Music: Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk 2 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 