Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, MAY 05, 2014.

Coldplay
“Accompanied by all the ammunition of its live show — grandiose lighting, huge vocals, stalwart work ethic — this British pop-rock band manages to deliver both anthemic and maudlin moments. It veers toward downcast synths and piano flutters on “Magic,” the ambling first single from “Ghost Stories,” out on May 19. That track’s whimsical, vaudevillian video is worth viewing. “ (Anderson-NYT)
Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, at 74th Street,
800-745-3000, beacontheatre.com;
At 9 p.m. / $59.20 to $128.25

‘Ladies and Gentlemen…the Beatles!’ (through May 10)
Fifty years ago The Beatles came to America. On Friday, February 7, 1964, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr arrived from the U.K. at the newly-named John F. Kennedy International Airport. With cameras flashing and reporters jostling, they were whisked into Manhattan amid the screams, shouts and tears of New York area teens, braving the cold for a mere glimpse of the band. Then, that Sunday, the veritable king of the television variety show, Ed Sullivan, introduced them to a captivated American audience of more than 73 million viewers—at the time a television record. And just like that Beatlemania was upon us.

Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles! brings us back to the early ‘60s when rock & roll was re-energized—some say saved—by four lads from Liverpool. The exhibition covers the period from early 1964 through mid-1966—the years Beatlemania ran rampant in America. During this time the band affected nearly every aspect of pop culture, including fashion, art, advertising, media, and, of course, music. On display are many Beatles-related pop culture artifacts from the period, as well as correspondence, instruments, posters, photographs, interviews, interactive displays, and an oral history booth in which visitors can leave their own impressions of The Beatles.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts:
111 Amsterdam Avenue, at 65th Street, Lincoln Center,
Mondays and Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m.; Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m., / FREE
917-275-6975, nypl.org/lpa

Try to coordinate your Beatles visit with this event @ 6PM:
Bebe Neuwirth
League of Professional Theatre Women: Oral History Project
A conversation with prominent women in theatre, as part of the League’s ongoing series which chronicles and documents the contributions of significant women in theatre.

Today’s program features Bebe Neuwirth, who talks about her life in the theater.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium (Map and directions)
At 6PM / FREE
The LPA is proud to offer free admission to programs on a first come, first served basis. Admission lines form one hour prior to each program in the lobby of 111 Amsterdam Ave. At that time one ticket is provided per person. Tickets are not available for advance reservation and saving seats is not permitted. General admission seating. Call 212.642.0142 for more detailed information.

Spinning Wheels! Pedal-Powered Trivia
At this event, co-sponsored by Transportation Alternatives, bicyclists can test their knowledge of this form of transportation during the multimedia mix of pop culture questions, songs and film clips.
Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St., near Clinton St., Brooklyn Heights,
718-222-4111, brooklynhistory.org
At 6:30 p.m. / $15, $10 for members.
Subway: #2-3 to Clark St. 1st stop in Bklyn. Walk 3 blocks – you’re there.
Or better yet, get on your CitiBike and ride across the Bklyn Bridge.

Rick Springfield: Magnificent Vibration
Why are we here? What is love? Is there a loch ness monster? Does God send text messages?
These are the kinds of questions Horatio Cotton, aka Bobby, asks in New York Times bestseller Rick Springfield’s debut novel, Magnificent Vibration.;

After stealing a mysterious self-help book called Magnificent Vibration: Discover Your True Purpose from a bookstore, Bobby calls the 1-800 number scrawled inside the front cover, only to discover that he has a direct line to God. This launches Bobby on an unlikely quest, serendipitously accompanied by a breathtakingly sexy and exceedingly sharp travel companion named Alice. Together the pair sets out to find some combination of spiritual and carnal salvation—and possibly save the planet.

Join Springfield at this Barnes & Noble author event in Union Square. Magnificent Vibration is available now for pre-order. On sale May 6.
Barnes & Noble – Union Square, 33 E. 17th St..
at 7:00 pm / FREE
212-253-0810
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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.

♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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And One With Mustard – Washington Square Park

Stella, a 13-year-old Dachshund, at the Dachshund Friendship Club Spring Fiesta last weekend in Washington Square Park.  (May 4, 2014)

Every Sunday in the NYT Metropolitan section, a photographer offers a new slice of New York. A wonderful slice of life it is – Thanks NewYorkTimes: N.Y. / Region section

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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:

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

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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