Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events –SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2014
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “9 Notable Events-August”and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity Sights, Sounds and Stories visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above. ==========================================================================================
Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit (weekends thru Sept 07)
In 1931, New York artists Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning propped up a few of their paintings on the sidewalk near Washington Square Park and called it a show. A lot has changed since then: Now, more than 100 artists and artisans—including painters, sculptors, jewelers and glassblowers—exhibit their wares at the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit.
Our show is a sidewalk show, not a street fair, and has its venue on University Place, starting at East 13th Street and continuing south along the east side of Washington Square Park to West 3rd Street. The southern end of the show encompasses Schwartz Plaza, (aka Bobkin Lane), between NYU’s Shimkin Hall and Bobst Library.
University Place
12-6 PM / FREE
(212) 982-6255, wsoae.org
NYC Unicycle Festival
The New York City Unicycle Festival brings together recreational riders, world-class performers, mountain and off-road unicycle enthusiasts, mono-wheel vehicle inventors, along with circus enthusiasts, extreme sports viewers, and anyone seeking an unusual sight–even for NYC! You will witness unicycle basketball, hockey and sumo. Learn to unicycle in the learn-to-ride area. Produced by Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts. For more information visit nycunifest.co
Governors Island, Colonel’s Row
From 12-5PM/FREE
Directions: Ferry departs from the Battery Maritime Bldg., 10 South St., adjacent to the SI Ferry in Lower Manhattan. schedule for ferry service ($2 r/t): govisland.com, governorsislandalliance.org / 212-825-3045
Nuggets & Beyond:
Part 3 feat. Tony Shanahan & Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith Band w/Patti Smith, Joan as Police Woman, Jesse Malin & More!
“1972’s compilation album “Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968” documented a time when American pop music was twisted and wild. Compiled by Elektra Record’s Jac Holzman, and Lenny Kaye, who would later be lead guitarist for the Patti Smith Group, the Nuggets compilation proved highly influential to music’s next generation of punks and garage rockers. Sunday night, in the last of the series of Summer Of Nuggets performances, catch guests including Patti Smith, Joan Wasser, John Ford (The Strawbs) and Jesse Malin alongside Lenny Kaye, recreating the original Nuggets vibe in concert.” (DNA info)
City Winery, 155 Varick St, Tribeca (btw. Vandam/Spring St.)
subway: #1 to Houston.
8 p.m. / $35/$45
212-608-0555 / citywinery.com
The Heath Brothers
“Jimmy Heath, a saxophonist and composer, and Albert (Tootie) Heath, a drummer, have been staples of the postbop landscape from the beginning. This group used to include another brother, the great bassist Percy Heath, who died in 2005; its lineup, still sturdy, now includes David Wong on bass and Jeb Patton on piano.” (Chinen-NYT)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village,
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., / $25 and $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com;
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 7) / TODAY’S PREMIER EVENT
The U.S. Open continues today (11AM) at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens (about 45 min. from Times Square), and runs through Sept. 8. This is the fourth and final tournament which culminates the tennis Grand Slam each year. It consists of five event championships: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for seniors and juniors.
subway: #1-2-3 to Times Square; transfer to #7 to Mets-Willets Point.
When you first arrive check out one of the electronic scoreboards listing in progress matches. Find a match or players that interest you. Head over to their court for some great competitive tennis, because in this tournament even the qualifiers are great players. Sometimes the most competitive, fun matches are on the outer courts.
There is no other major sporting event where you can get so close to world class athletes as at the U.S. Open – on the outer courts, the Grandstand court, or even Louis Armstrong stadium. Courts where you can get a real sense of the pace of the game.
Matches to watch today (per Mark Preston & Matt Cronin – usopen.org):
Oh boy, there are some wonderful matches scheduled today.
#12 Richard Gasquet vs #20 Gael Monfils
“Although Richard Gasquet has a higher seeding than countryman Gael Monfils, this matchup is a virtual coin flip.
The Frenchmen have had a friendly, competitive rivalry since their days as a pair of heralded juniors. Monfils leads their head-to-head count at 6-4, and he has won both their hard-court meetings 2014, in Doha and Montpellier. Gasquet, however, can draw on good vibes from a year ago, when he reached his first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal here. Monfils’ best showing in Flushing Meadows was the quarterfinals, achieved in 2010.
The two men have had unusualy similar journeys to this point in the tournament. Each has played a total of 109 points and won in their two matches in straight sets. Given that, both are likely feeling fresh coming into the match. Since he won their last two matches and is an expert at revving up these city crowds, Monfils might have a mental edge. But Gasquet’s stunning one-hander and aggressive game style could frustrate Monfils. It’s a matter of whether Gasquet allows Monfils to control the pace and, as a result, commits more errors – or whether he sets off another New York run to rival last year’s.”
I think this could be one of the most entertaining matches of the entire tournament, and the fact that it’s scheduled for Louis Armstrong makes it even better.
#5 Maria Sharapova vs. #10 Carolina Wozniacki
“These two, both former No. 1s, are two of the most closely analyzed players on the women’s tour. Maria is all about crushing forehands and backhands, but she is worried about her second serves. “Caro” can crack backhands all day and run forever, but she can be frustrated when she pushes her forehand too short. Both are extremely fit and not afraid to wail big shots, with Maria hitting her baseline bashes viciously, with Caro running down short balls and putting them away.
Way back in 2010, Wozniacki was much more confident, upsetting Sharapova in the fourth round of the US Open. She smoked Maria in the semis of Indian Wells in 2011, but Sharapova was not yet quite right after her shoulder surgery. In 2012 and 2013, Sharapova, fully healed, bested Wozniacki in Miami and Indian Wells.
The two haven’t faced each other at a Slam since 2010, but Sharapova has won five major titles (including her Roland Garros in June), while Wozniacki has yet to win a Grand Slam.
Wozniacki has been playing very well the past two months, which is why she is a real threat to go deep. She was quite close in losses to Serena Williams in Montreal and Cincinnati, which shows that she is narrowing the gap on the top players.
But is she good enough to knock out Sharapova in this one? Sure she can, if she plays great and goes for her shots instead of reverting to playing passive tennis. And while Sharapova has been so-so in the past few weeks, she looked pretty darn good in beating Sabine Lisicki on Friday. She knows that Caroline could take her round and round until she is exhausted, but she will not give up. Sharapova was stung by her loss to Wozniacki at the 2010 US Open and wants revenge. She will dig deep and win in three very long sets”
Other Picks
“Gilles Simon has a lot of variety and has played plenty of big matches, so it’s a good bet that he will find a way to push No. 4 seed David Ferrer into a fifth set. But the Spaniard is one of the fittest players on tour, and in the end, that will help him best the Frenchman.
Roger Federer is playing as well as he as in the past two years – and he looks in full form in the early going here. Marcel Granollers will bid goodbye to this year’s Open in straight sets.
The contest between young guns Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin should be a lot of fun, if Goffin shows up and believes in himself. The Belgian has the shots to contend, but he is not as efficient as Dimitrov. Plus, the Bulgarian has tremendous variety in his shots these days and has the belief in his game that is needed to go deep in a Slam. He bests Goffin in four sets.
The WTA has to be quite pleased with the variety of winners in the women’s draw this week. Some of the veterans have pulled through, alongside some of the young players who are rising up. Jelena Jankovic, part of the old guard, is playing very well here. In the fourth round, she will use that experience to out-think the Swiss Belinda Bencic in three sets, but stay tuned: The 17- year-old Bencic is already a gorgeous player who will be around the US Open for many years to come.
The Italian Sara Errani is one of the most tireless performers on the women’s tour, and she is currently pushing her own limits – which is why she will wear down Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Lucic has been trying to rejoin the ranks of the contenders for years and she is finally there. Good for her, but she doesn’t have enough variety to overcome Errani.
And finally, look for the tireless Peng Shuai to keep the upsets going and take out Lucie Safarova in straight sets.”
Today’s tips: Lines to get into the show courts will be long this holiday weekend. Pick a court with matches you are most interested in and stay put. Watching the players on the new practice courts is a good way to get a free tennis lesson, and video screens show when your fave player is scheduled to hit. The best review of the tournament and the current state of tennis can be found at the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com
Finally, these places around the grounds provide special fan experiences, a place to beat the heat, and are open to the public:
Heineken House – big screen tv’s, quality photo booth op, various sporting challenges, sandwiches & beer available for purchase. Say Hi to my fave Heineken girl – Missy.
American Express Fan Experience – swing analysis, 180 degree photo op, charging lockers. Second level of the lounge is only open to card members, where food and drinks are available for purchase.
Time Warner Cable Studios – photo ops, prizes, charging stations.
And only for Chase Bank customers:
Chaise Lounge – snacks and light refreshments (requires pre-registration).
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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 / Midtown West.
Russian Vodka Room / 265 W 52nd St (btw 7th/8th ave)
Sure, you could travel to Minsk or even Brighton Beach, for an authentic Russian experience, but why bother. On those days when you feel you must wash down your dish of kasha with a few glasses of icy, cold vodka, the Russian Vodka Room will definitely satisfy your urge.
From the outside this place looks a bit drab, and with no windows, a bit mysterious. Midtown tourists walk right by on their way to see “Jersey Boys”, just down the block.
Those in the know enter a secret hideaway, a dimly lit front room with soft jazz playing – a perfect spot for an illicit late-night rendezvous, or maybe a meet-up with your Russian spy handler, but that’s later in the evening. Early in the evening the large U-shaped bar fills with the after work happy hour crowd, a group made very happy by the much reduced prices.
Their website says: “Welcome Comrades”. Of course, this welcome focuses on dozens of different vodkas, including their own special infusions, which marinate in giant, clear glass jugs visible around the room. The large vodka martinis ensure that you won’t confuse this place with your mother’s Russian Tea Room.
But man does not live by vodka alone. Eat some food, especially the tapa like appetizers. Be decadent and try the cheese blintzes with chocolate, or try a main dish like beef stroganoff with kasha.
Your best bet is to go on a night when the piano man is playing. This guy, who looks like he has eaten a lot of those cheese blintzes, plays five nights a week from 7 to 12 (no Mondays and Thursdays). When the piano man is playing American pop tunes, and you are at the crowded, dimly lit bar testing the horseradish infused vodka, that’s when the RVR shines.
It’s the kind of place where the noise gets louder and the crowd gets happier as the happy hour goes on. I’m generally a beer guy, but I like to come here with a group of friends. We find a table in the back room; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).
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Website: http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/
Phone #: 212-307-5835
Hours: 4pm-2am; Fri-Sun closes 4am (that could be trouble)
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day
$4 shots infused vodka (2oz), $5 cosmos; $4 czech draft beer
Music: FR-SU; TU-WE / 7pm-12am
Subway: #1 to 50th St.
Walk 2 blk N. on B’way to 52nd St.; 1 blk W. to RVR
Confusingly, the Russian Samovar is right across the street, on the S. side of 52nd St.
The RVR, your destination, is on the N. side of 52nd St.
Update: music some nights includes a sax player with a younger, trimmer piano man.
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 