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:

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 + 3 Good Eating places

Jimmy’s Corner / 140 W 44th St (btw B’way & 7th ave)

Jimmy’s Corner is right in the heart of Times Square, but you won’t find it on the corner, it’s mid-block. Enter this long narrow bar and you are struck by the walls covered with mostly black-and-white boxing photographs, and memorabilia. Soon enough you learn that “Corner” refers to proprietor Jimmy Glenn’s long career as a corner man for some of boxing greats – Liston, Tyson, even “the greatest”, Ali.

Jimmy’s is a sort of time machine, taking you back to a time and place that no longer exists. All around you Times Square has cleaned up, grown up, assumed a new identity. Jimmy’s probably hasn’t changed a bit since it first opened in 1971. Certainly the bar itself looks original and the prices haven’t changed much either. When I brought a friend, who owns her own bar, she was surprised when she got the small tab for a round of drinks. Figured there must be a mistake, that maybe they forgot to charge for all the drinks.

Times Square today is filled with neon glitz and wandering tourists from Dubuque, but not Jimmy’s. You’ll likely find some old timer’s at the bar nursing their drinks, some younger locals at tables in the back, and maybe a few adventuresome tourists clutching their trusty guidebooks. There’s no food served here because this is just a bar, and sometimes that’s all you need.

On nights when no local team is playing, it’s a fine place to sip some drafts and listen to a great old time jukebox (40s, 50s, R&B, and soul). On sports nights this very narrow bar can get a bit claustrophobic, filled with excited fans watching their team on the TVs. Either way, Jimmy’s is the place to be if you are looking for an old time bar in the new Times Square.
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Website: are you kidding !
(although there is a facebook page with lots of photos –
facebook.com/jimmyscornernyc)
Phone #: 212-221-9510
Hours: 11am – 4 am, except Sunday they open 12 noon
Happy Hour: not necessary, low prices all day, every day
Subway: #1,2,3 to TimesSquare 42nd st
walk 2 blks N on 7th ave to 44th st; ½ blk E to Jimmy’s

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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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3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult finding 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:

Patzeria Perfect Pizza – 231 W46 st (Betw 7th/8th ave)
Perfect name for a pizza joint. On a street filled with Broadway theaters, this is a real hole in the wall, but don’t let the dive look scare you away. You can never go wrong with a slice of NYC pizza, and this one is a classic thin crust. Only a few seats here, but pizza was made to eat standing up.

Shake Shack – 691 8th ave (Betw 43rd/44th st)
Danny Meyer has revolutionized the high quality burger in this town. Now he has a branch on the West Side that was desperately needed, with none of the insane lines that you find at the Madison Sq. Park location. Plus, it may be the cleanest joint to eat in all of Hell’s Kitchen.

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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. ================================================================================

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide (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 Fall 2014)