“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:
McCoy Tyner Trio with Gary Bartz
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./ 8PM +10:30PM, $30-$45
“While playing in John Coltrane’s historic early-to-mid-’60s quartet, McCoy Tyner employed a pentatonic-derived, African-tinged chordal vocabulary that gave left-hand accompaniment and right-hand line playing a palpably physical forward thrust. Still blazing new trails, he’s firing up a three-piece with prominent guest, altoist Gary Bartz” (TONY)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Molly Ringwald (March 1-5)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8PM, $35-$50
“The characters she inhabited in the beloved John Hughes teen flicks of the eighties displayed so much fortitude and pluck that it’s hard not to imagine that Molly Ringwald didn’t call on her inner Brat Packer when, in middle age, it came time to reinvent herself as a jazz-inflected vocalist. Her 2013 album, “Except Sometimes,” revealed her taste for superior composers (Sondheim, Loesser, Carmichael) and even found space for a revised “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” (NewYorker)

Gerald Clayton Trio
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St. and Broadway / 7:30 +9:30PM, $35
“Mr. Clayton has proved himself one of the standout jazz pianists of his generation, possessed of silvery technique and an intent but relaxed way with a phrase. He typically leads a trio with his peers, but here he’ll connect with a pair of respected elders who happen to be alumni of Branford Marsalis’s smartly pugnacious bands of the early 1990s: the bassist Robert Hurst and the drummer Jeff (Tain) Watts.” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Kaufmann Concert Hall, Lexington Avenue at 92nd St./ 8PM, $49
“Husband and wife banjoists, and 2016 Grammy® Recipients for Best Folk Album, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn have mastered the intricate art of the duet with two banjos and one voice.

Washburn’s beguiling composing, playing and singing blend with Fleck’s riveting and virtuosic musicianship to create music both unique yet familiar in texture.”

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Industries of the Future
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Wachenheim Trustees Room/ 7PM, FREE, RSVP Required: conservators@nypl.org
“In his new book, Alec Ross explores how innovation will dramatically change our world in the next ten years. Examining fields such as robotics, cybersecurity, big data, and the growing impact of the digital world on money and markets, Ross highlights both the perils and the opportunities which will emerge. Join the Conservators as Ross blends storytelling and economic analysis to paint a vivid picture of the changing world ahead.”

PUBLIC SPECULATIONS/ A Design for Civic Engagement
Architect Talk with Koray Duman
NYPL, Main Building, Celeste Auditorium /6PM, FREE, resv. required
“If the ‘60s through the ‘80s were an era for civic municipal architecture, then the new millennium shifted the focus of contemporary architecture to the private sector. Something has been lost in this transition. The notion of the architect as an instigator and design opportunist who impacts civic engagement in the public realm has been lost somewhere in the increasingly controlled public space and client-architect relationship.”

Koray Duman, principal architect at Buro Koray Duman, will talk about five speculative projects that the office has initiated since 2013.”

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 58 million visitors last year and was 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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This week’s fave and FREE NYCity AppS: 
Trip Advisor
An enormous base of NYCity user reviews (2.1 million) provides the widest coverage of hotels (468), restaurants (12,645) and things to do (yes, 3,246). Have a specific question? Then try one of Trip Advisor’s forums. Just remember that with all those reviews you have to try to find the consistency among the comments, and ignore the outliers.

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.

Subway Time 
Need to catch your #1,2,3 subway to attend an event? Use the Subway Time app from the MTA to find out when the next train arrives at your station. The MTA also has Bus Time info available on their mobile website.
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