Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events –SATURDAY, SEPT. 06, 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.
Cyrus Chestnut at Mezzrow
“Mazel tov on the grand opening of this very intimate room, announced as a showcase for first-rate piano players.
Impresario Spike Wilner has named this new establishment in honor of one of jazz’s most legendary characters, “Mezz” Mezzrow (1899-1972), whose achievements as a memoirist and lifelong advocate of jazz and joints (in multiple senses of the term) far outpaced his abilities as a clarinetist.
Mr. Wilner has made it a point to present contemporary keyboardists who subscribe to such old-time values as the blues, melody, and swing, such as Johnny O’Neal, Cyrus Chestnut, Spike Wilner, and Rossano Sportiello, all of whom are booked at this new 10th Street venue during its first week.” (WSJ)
For a fine introduction to this new village jazz club, see this NYT piece:
nytimes.com/2014/09/06/arts/music/mezzrow-seeks-to-fill-a-jazz-niche-in-the-village
Mezzrow, 163 W. 10th St., just east of 7th ave.
(646) 476-4346
Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit (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
John Zorn’s Masada Quartet
“The downtown avatar reminds us why he’s at least a half a dozen composers at once, masterminding music that can be described as jazz, classical, ethnic/world/Jewish, chamber music, or whatever. Even the very general phrase “avant-garde” isn’t a big enough tent to encompass everything he does. In commemoration of his 61st birthday this week, Mr. Zorn is bringing no less than 11 different ensembles to play at the Vanguard over a five-night, 10-show run. The group that everyone will be lining up down the block for will be the essential Masada Quartet, co-starring trumpeter Dave Douglas, bassist Greg Cohen, and drummer Joey Baron, on Saturday night.” (WSJ)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, West Village,
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com;
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. / $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
Governors Island: Music, African Culture and a Walking Tour
(Saturday and Sunday)
“The island, open daily through Sept. 28, continues to buzz with activities. On Saturday, a beach party from 2 to 10 p.m. will feature the music of Jimmy Buffet, Bob Marley and others at the Governors Island Beach Club. Tickets are $39.50, with additional pricing for meal and V.I.P. tickets; children 5 and younger are free. More details are at governorsbeachclub.com.
Also on Saturday, starting at 12:30 p.m., a walking tour covering the past and future of the island will be led by Joyce Gold History Tours. It meets outside the Governors Island Ferry Terminal, 10 South Street, Lower Manhattan, 212-242-5762, joycegoldhistorytours.com; $20, $15 for 62+.
On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Colonels Row and the Commanding Officers House will be turned into showplaces of African culture, with free dance performances and workshops, storytelling and film screenings sponsored by the African Film Festival. Rain date is Sept. 14. More information is at africanfilmny.org.” (NYT)
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 13) / 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. Today is the day we have been waiting for – the Final4 for the men’s title.
subway: #1-2-3 to Times Square; transfer to #7 to Mets-Willets Point
Matches to watch today (per Matt Cronin – usopen.org):
Roger Federer vs. Marin Cilic
Men’s No. 2 seed Roger Federer nearly went down against Gael Monfils in the quarters on Thursday night, but he dug deep and rallied for a remarkable five-set win. Federer stared down two match points, but he did not flinch, even though Monfils had been playing lights out to that point. But Federer refused to let go quietly, won the match, and now he will have to fight a player who is himself playing excellent ball, Marin Cilic.
Cilic was solid during his three-set win over Tomas Berdych in the quarters, wiping out the Czech who has reached the semis in four Grand Slams. The Croatian has played tough in reaching his second career semi, and he has been untouchable when he’s banging big first serves. Cilic has nailed line after line and has been solid off the ground, not pushing his shots, even when the matches have grown tighter. That is why Cilic has been on a roll; he admits that he is feeling more comfortable and will go for his shots without hesitating.
Federer watches other players, so he knows exactly how well they are playing and has already admitted that Cilic is playing great. The Swiss is 5-0 in their head-to-head meetings, but Cilic was close to upending Federer in Toronto last month, with Roger walking away with a 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory. Federer has said that he thinks Cilic is a great guy, but that doesn’t mean the Swiss won’t go all out to win the victory.
Cilic can dictate off of his serves—both first and second. He is very tall, at 6-foot-5, but he’s also pretty fast for a big man. He can certainly swing away from his forehand and backhand, but he’s not as comfortable as Federer in mixing things up with different spins. Federer, conversely, can throw in thousands of shots.
While Federer notched another classic win when he came down from 0-2 in sets and ended up winning in five over Monfils, the Swiss did not play his best until the end of the match. Federer simply cannot get way behind and hope that his foe panics because Cilic believes now that he can beat anyone. Federer has to play serve and volley well and efficiently. The great Federer owns five US Open titles, and he really wants six. He’ll play excellent ball again today and take down Cilic in four sets.
Novak Djokovic vs. Kei Nishikori
Whether or not Kei Nishikori upends Novak Djokovic in the semis, he has played well enough in this tournament to announce to the world that he is now here to stay. The 24 year old had flashed excellence before, but he never was able to take down two excellent players in four-hour-plus matches back-to-back. He wore down No. 5 Milos Raonic, who was bombing big serves but was unable to out-stroke Nishikori as the fourth-round match wore on into the early morning, ending after 2 a.m. Then the small but super-fast Nishikori was willing to smoke backhands for hours and finally dashed this year’s Australian Open champ Stan Wawrinka in a five-set quarterfinal. He showed guts and heart and never gave in.
Credit has to be given to his coach, Michael Chang, who once reached the US Open final. Chang was also super quick, but even though he wasn’t one of the hardest hitters, he always tried until the last ball. He has convinced Nishikori to play that same way.
The Japanese star smacks his two-handed backhand just about better than anyone else. His forehand is pretty good, too, and his first serve has been improving. But here is the real deal: Is he slightly better than No. 1 Novak Djokovic? Not yet.
Yes, Kei can run around for hours and paste his shots, but are there really any spots where he can out-think and out-stroke the game’s No. 1? On occasion, yes, but not if Djokovic is playing well. Right now, Djokovic is playing excellent ball, and he is ready to go over the wall, if necessary. That is what he did against Andy Murray when the Brit pushed him hard in the quarters.
Djokovic has reached eight straight semifinals at the US Open, but he has yet to win more than one title, claiming his lone US Open crown in 2011. He badly wants to reach the final again, which is why he will best Nishikori in four tough sets.
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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 and humidity:
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.
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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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 uptown to West Harlem totally worthwhile.
This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in a two story, 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 front door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of 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 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 (assuming you snagged a table). 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 long 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 Highway, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner, maybe after a show at the nearby Cotton Club nightclub.
Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: Mo-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 10:30pm
Subway: #1 to 125th St.
Walk 2 blk W on 125th St. to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway.
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 