Today’s “Fab 5″+2/ Selected NYCity Events –FRIDAY, SEPT. 05, 2014
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “9 Notable Events-September”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.
Popa Chubby
“A heavyset, heavily tattooed bluesman (born Ted Horowitz), Chubby is a performer with a hardscrabble past. When Horowitz was seven, his father died, and he was left to his own devices for the most part. While still a teen-ager, in the late nineteen-seventies, he moved to New York and came under the spell of the burgeoning punk scene around CBGB, eventually joining Richard Hell’s post-Television band, the Voidoids. After a long battle with heroin addiction, Horowitz got clean and rechristened himself Popa Chubby, playing Buddy Guy-style electric blues tinged with punk aggression.” (NewYorker)
Iridium, 1650 Broadway, at 51st St.
8 & 10PM / $27.50
212-582-2121 / theiridium.com
Heidegger’s Black Notebooks
‘This two-day event, which will examine and dissect the German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s recently published writings, began with a screening on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. of “Only a God Can Save Us,” Jeffrey van Davis’s documentary on the philosophy of Mr. Heidegger and his relationship to Nazism. On Friday, a conference from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. will include several scholars commenting on Mr. Heidegger’s work.” (NYT)
The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, at 34th St.
212-662-2977, gc.cuny.edu; FREE
DanceNOW Joe’s Pub Festival (through Saturday)
A dance competition where the audience helps decide the winner
“If you’ve ever wanted to be a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, this competition should be up your alley. DANCENOW pits forty choreographers against each other over the course of four evenings. Each is required to come up with a performance that runs 5 minutes or less and makes a clear and complete artistic statement.
The audience bears witness to the artists’ moving interludes and then at the end of each night selects a challenge winner to receive a week-long residence at DANCENOW Silo. In addition, the producers from DANCENOW also select an artist to receive a $1,500 development stipend and a weeklong creative residency. The top audience favorites, including the winners, then return for an Encore program on September 13th.
Among this year’s line-up, which includes vets and rising stars, you’ll find Jordan Isadore, Zvidance, the Bang Group and the WonderTwins, who specialize in hip hop, popping, and robotics.” (Mindy Bond, Editor – Flavorpill)
Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St.
7PM / $15
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Randall Munroe, of the Web comic “xkcd” and the science question-and-answer blog What If?, talks about his new book, “What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions.”
Barnes & Noble, Union Square, 33 East 17th St.
7:00 PM / Priority seating with book purchase begins at 5:00 pm on the 4th floor.
212-253-0810
New York Chamber Music Festival (through Sunday)
“During what is usually a slow week in the classical music season, the New York Chamber Music Festival has been stepping up for several years with an ambitious series of programs. It returns this weekend to Symphony Space, starting on Friday afternoon with a recital by the Russian-born pianist Konstantin Soukhovetski, who offers an unusual program including some of his own transcriptions of music from operas. That evening “Prokofiev and Friends” will feature the soprano Carole Farley, the New York Piano Quartet and other artists.
There is a free program featuring “Very Young Composers” on Saturday afternoon; a concert of French violin sonatas that evening with the violinist Elmira Darvarova and the pianist Pascal Roge; and, on Sunday night, “Pascal Roge and Friends,” which includes musicians from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.” (Tommasini-NYT)
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street,
Friday at 5 and 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 8 p.m.;
$20, $15 for Symphony Space members and students; $25 on day of the concert.
212-864-5400 / symphonyspace.org
Saul Williams
“This actor-poet-musician received praise for his performance in the Broadway musical “Holler if Ya Hear Me,” which featured songs by the rapper Tupac Shakur. A leader in the Afropunk movement, the versatile Mr. Williams is currently working on an album and graphic novel. He performs with Osekre & the Lucky Bastards, Patrice and Koku Gonza as part of the Aputumpu Fall Series.” (Anderson-NYT)
Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village, 212-505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com;
At 6 p.m. / $25.
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 12) / 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.
The Open consists of five event championships: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional 2nd week tournaments for juniors, wheelchair players and new this year, a college invitational..
subway: #1-2-3 to Times Square; transfer to #7 to Mets-Willets Point
Matches to watch today (per Matt Cronin – usopen.org):
Serena Williams vs. Ekaterina Makarova
Makarova has finally arrived. The Russian has had flashes of brilliance before, but she never hit through her balls against the best players the further she trekked into Slams. That is, until now. Makarova looked very impressive in taking down Eugene Bouchard and Victoria Azarenka, both Slam finalists and experienced battlers. The 24-year-old Makarova has never won a big tournament but has claimed smaller events in Pattaya City and Eastbourne, not exactly wiping out top competitions. In the majors she been the definition of “decent,” reaching the fourth round at the 2014 Australian Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. While she has taken quite a while to get there, the No. 17 seed has matured a great deal. The left-hander has a standout first serve, she can rip into her forehand and roll her backhand side to side.
Still, beating Bouchard and Azarenka in the earlier rounds is different than out-stroking Serena Williams in the semifinals. Serena has not been pushed in her first five matches, and given that she has the world’s best serve by a wide margin, she is nearly untouchable. Serena is pounding both her first and second serves and attacking the short balls. And Williams says that she has been practicing against other lefties, so she is ready to rock and roll.
Yes, Williams once lost to Makarova in the Ausralian Open in 2012, but Serena was hurt that day. Props to Makarova for winning that match, but Serena will go super hard to get her revenge, and she will win in straight sets.
Carolina Wozniacki vs Peng Shuai
This will be a very tight match, as both women have been playing extremely well, attacking inside the baseline like we haven’t seen in years. Wozniacki, the No. 10 seed, has had Peng’s number for her career, with a 5-1 head-to-head record in her favor, gaining the edge because she is faster and is more consistent. But Peng is playing better than at any point in her 13-year career, which might negate the Dane’s past advantage.
Neither woman has a great serve but they move ball around. They both also like to crack backhands early and often. Wozniacki likes to work her points before she takes huge swings, but Peng will go after the ball immediately. Peng is very comfortable at the net; Wozniacki can run all day.
Peng, 28, had never ventured beyond a fourth round before this week and says that she finally has courage to win. Wozniacki, 24, looked like she would go deep at the Slams after she reached the 2009 US Open final, but she couldn’t dance with the world’s best. While she finished the world No.1 in 2010 and 2011, she has unable to reach major final since New York. But she has matured and looks like she’ll race into a final again.
The two will push deep into a third into 6-6 all, where “Caro” will grab it to win, 7-6. She will enter the final once again, where she will meet one of her good friends: Serena. Now that should be some kind of a final.
Today’s Tips:
There are a few places around the grounds open to the public that provide special fan experiences, and a place to beat the heat:
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.
Emirates Airlines – big screen TV, light refreshments available for purchase.
If you are a Chase Bank customer:
Chaise Lounge – snacks and light refreshments (requires pre-registration).
And don’t forget to stop by the Chia Pod booth behind court 11 for free samples.
Bryant Park: U.S. Open (through Monday) If you can’t make it out to Flushing Meadows, the tournament’s final weekend of matches can be viewed, weather permitting, on the park’s Southwest Porch.
Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m.; Sunday at noon; Monday at 5 p.m.;
Avenue of the Americas, at 40th Street, 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org; FREE
The best review of the tournament and the current state of tennis can be found at the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com
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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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Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater, and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world. Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues. Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.
For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com) Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view. ==========================================================
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 