Today’s FAB 4 > THURSDAY / NOV. 26, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)
Have time for only one event today? Do this (of course):
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
starts W 77th St at Central Park West; 9:30AM, FREE
“It’s time for Snoopy’s fall trek to Herald Square. The beloved balloon beagle will soon be joined in the sky by inflatable friends like SpongeBob SquarePants and on street level by performers like Mariah Carey and the cast of Broadway’s “School of Rock” for the 89th edition of Macy’s seasonal spectacle.
The parade begins at 9:30 a.m. at 77th Street and proceeds south along at Central Park West to Columbus Circle. From there, it moves east on 59th Street to Avenue of the Americas, where it heads downtown to Macy’s on Herald Square. Macy’s recommends arriving along the first stretch at 6 a.m.; late risers are advised to find spots along Avenue of the Americas.More tips for attending the parade, as well as the lineup and information are at social.macys.com/parade. NBC will air a live television broadcast from 9 a.m. to noon.” (NYT-SpareTimes)
Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Jason Moran and the Bandwagon (thru Nov. 29)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, $30
The pianist Jason Moran may tip his hat to the jazz tradition—his latest album, “All Rise,” was a shape-shifting tribute to Fats Waller—but he generally stays focussed on the music’s genre-inclusive future. The Bandwagon trio, with the bassist Tarus Mateen and the drummer Nasheet Waits, can favor rhythmic interaction at the expense of reflection, but the group’s fervor is hard to deny or resist.” (NewYorker)
Ann Hampton Callaway: Feminine Persuasion (thru Nov. 28)
54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 8PM, $60-$115
“A swinging fixture of the cabaret world, Ann Hampton Callaway has also branched into jazz and TV theme songs (The Nanny). She has a reassuringly mellow way with the standards, sung in a wry, coffee-voiced contralto. Her latest set is devoted to songs by women, including Carole King, Dorthy Fields, Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee.” (TONY)
Christine Ebersole & Billy Stritch in “Our Favorite Things”
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 6PM, $40
“The Broadway at Birdland concert series is proud to announce the return of Tony Award-winning actress/singer CHRISTINE EBERSOLE and Grammy Award-winning composer/pianist/singer BILLY STRITCH in “Our Favorite Things”
“Our Favorite Things” will celebrate songs from the duo’s past concerts and recordings, including “Surrey With The Fringe on Top,” “Small Hotel,” “My Favorite Things.” Ebersole and Stritch will also introduce a few tunes to kick off the holiday season, complete with their signature tight harmonies, luxurious vocals and snappy conversation.”
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
Bonus – Jazz Picks:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St., nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St., nr 7th ave.S. — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9 ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway, nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St., nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
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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, with a population of 8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. 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 near the piano man; 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 now includes a sax player with a younger, trimmer piano man. “tiny” we miss you.
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 