Today’s “Fab 5” / Selected NYCity Events is on hiatus Aug 6-16.
We follow the European custom and will be taking our August holiday.
Return here on August 17 to plan your day in NYCity with our “Fab 5”, carefully curated, Selected Events for Manhattan’s WestSide.
In the interim this site will continue to provide essential travel resources for visitors to NYCity. Be sure to check out the info linked to in the header above:
➢ “9 Notable NYCity Events-August”,
➢ “onBroadway”,
➢ “Top10 Free”
We are especially proud of “onBroadway” which features “The Best of Broadway on Sale”, and important links for the most up to date Broadway theater info.
In addition, we alternate the following features on a daily basis:
– On odd days we feature one WestSide neighborhood, highlighting our fave “Premier Pub”, and a few of our fave casual dining options; think “Fast Food NYCity Style”
– On even days we highlight museum and gallery special exhibitions in the world’s cultural capital (5th avenue museums, WestSide museums, or Chelsea galleries).
And don’t forget these hot summer festivals in NYC:
Lincoln Center Out of Doors 2014
JULY 20 – AUGUST 10, 2014
Three jam-packed weeks of world-class music, dance, and spoken word take place July 20 through August 10, outdoors on the plazas of Lincoln Center. It’s absolutely free, but wraps up this week. Don’t miss:
Aug. 6, in the Damrosch Park Bandshell: Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, friends and collaborators since the mid-seventies, released the album “Old Yellow Moon,” last year, with songs like the gentle waltz of the title track and Matraca Berg’s “Back When We Were Beautiful,” which muse on the passage of time. http://lcoutofdoors.org/
Broadway in Bryant Park (Thursdays through Aug. 14)
This series of lunchtime performances continues
on August 7 with musical numbers from “Jersey Boys,” “50 Shades! The Musical,” “Cabaret” and “Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter,” which is in previews at the Minetta Lane Theater.
on August 14 with musical numbers from “Matilda,” “On The Town,” “Mamma Mia!” and “MOTOWN The Musical”
At 12:30 p.m., Avenue of the Americas, at 40th Street, 212-768-4242. http://www.bryantpark.org / free.
Lincoln Center Festival 2014
JULY 07 – AUGUST 16, 2014
The Lincoln Center Festival looks outside the Western European canon and broadens notions of classicism by presenting classical works from other parts of the world. The last performance this season looks very special:
“The Maids”
/Sydney Theatre Company (Aug. 6–16)
New York City Center
Sydney Theatre Company returns with Cate Blanchett, Isabelle Huppert, and Elizabeth Debicki in Jean Genet’s absorbing play. http://lincolncenterfestival.org/
Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival 2014
JULY 25 – AUGUST 23, 2014
Inspired by the genius and brilliance of Mozart, Lincoln Center presents an expansive calendar of concerts, dance, opera, late-night recitals, and world premieres. http://mostlymozart.org/
SummerStage 2014 — Central Park and Manhattan
JUNE 03 – AUGUST 24, 2014
SummerStage’s Mainstage events in Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield are an eclectic mix of the finest musicians, dancers and spoken word artists from around the world, in both free and benefit performances. Beyond the mainstage, other Manhattan SummerStage events take place in Lower Manhattan and Harlem. http://www.centralpark.com/guide/activities/concerts/summerstage-festival.html
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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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A PremierPub – Upper West Side
Dinosaur / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.
Walk only five minutes from the 125th st. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.
No food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip to Harlem totally worthwhile.
This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in an old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of all those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.
Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.
The Mississippi blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long. The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.
Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some humongous waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.
A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table, underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Hwy, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner.
Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: M-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:00pm
Subway: #1 to 125th st
Walk 2 blk W on 125th to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 