Today’s SWEET 6 > SUNDAY / JAN. 17, 2016
“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:
Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden (last day)
Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza / 2PM, $25+
“Hold your breath and hang on tight for those fateful eight seconds as some of the country’s most fearless bull riders take on their horned opponents in rodeo-styled rides. It may be an MSG show, but that doesn’t mean the mud won’t fly.” (TONY)
If you haven’t ever seen a rodeo, you need to see one. They are so much fun, never a dull moment. Come out and see the world’s top 35 riders, marvel at their fearlessness.
Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Maceo Parker (last day)
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./ 8PM, +10:30PM, $35-$45
When James Brown called on Parker to deliver the funk, this alto saxophonist was there to blow. As the monarch of his domain, Parker leans toward jazz-informed R. & B. that, conveyed with his inimitable spirit and élan, practically bellows authenticity.”(NewYorker)
Winter Jazzfest 2016 (last day)
Channeling Coltrane,
Rova’s NY premiere of their Electric Ascension
Le Poisson Rouge, / 6PM, $30
“The festival closes with a John Coltrane project by San Francisco Bay Area saxophone quartet Rova. With an all-star cast of New York improvisers celebrating the release of “Channeling Coltrane”, Rova presents a NY premiere performance of their Electric Ascension – a 21st century reimagining of John Coltrane’s late master work Ascension.”
Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
globalFEST2016
Webster Hall, / 7PM, $45 (maybe a tough ticket, may have to stubhub it)
“This übercosmopolitan music event will likely be your only chance to hear Brazilian Afrobeat, Hawaiian swing, Pakistani Sufi music and a host of other genre-spanning international genres in one night. The bash features a dozen musicians across three stages in Webster Hall. Represented locales range from Ukraine to New Orleans; acts include NYC/Paris electro pop hybrid Ginkgoa, Haitian groove collective Lakou Mizik and Afrobeat goddess Somi.” (TONY)
Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Elsewhere, but these look worth the detours:
“A View from the Bridge” by Arthur Miller: A Broadway Play Review
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 2:30PM, $30
“Ever see a Broadway show, and feel like you have to sit down and chat about it? This is your chance! Join Evan Madin, theater teacher, and Scott Borowka, lighting designer, to discuss A View from the Bridge (Lyceum Theater). Please see the performance on your own and be ready to discuss.”
The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival (last day)
Village East Theatre, 189 2nd Ave./ various times and prices
“This fest is dedicated to flicks inspired by the pioneering sci-fi writer, who authored iconic works like The Man In the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Anatomic Sheep? Check out shorts and feature films that deal with time travel, artificial intelligence, morality and beyond at this packed fan fest, which features a panel discussion on Amazon’s new The Man In the High Castle series and screenings of films including Sympathy For the Devil: The True Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgment.“ (TONY)
Bonus-This week’s fave and FREE NYCity App:
OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.
Bonus – Jazz Venues:
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 8/9ave) — 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 / Upper West Side
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que / 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.
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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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NEW Feature!
The 100 Books Every New Yorker Should Read
by Kristin Iversen, Brooklyn Magazine
today’s picks:
4. Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker
“This pitch-perfectly rendered look at Civil War-era New York illustrates some essential, if nearly forgotten, parts of New York’s history, like the 1863 Draft Riots and the founding of Central Park, and it resonates all the more deeply due to the ongoing inequality issues we face today.”
5. Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York by Luc Sante
“Sante makes the incredibly difficult task of writing entertainingly about mundane subjects like a city’s topography look easy. He also manages to elucidate some of the most profoundly dark times of New York’s history, and is never afraid to get down into the gritty underside of the city.”
6. Washington Square by Henry James
“This slim novel might be set almost 150 years ago, but it’s central question (basically, where is love?) is as relevant—and its answer as complicatedly depressing—now, in the age of Tinder—as it was back then.”
If your interests lead you to Brooklyn, then be sure to peruse Brooklyn Magazine. It’s a high quality, high info, smart monthly.
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 