NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/10) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 05/10/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ MAY 10, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

ARCANGELO
at Zankel Hall / 7:30 p.m.; $66
“This British period-instrument ensemble, under the direction of Jonathan Cohen, has made quite the name for itself in nine short years. Here they play trio sonatas by Bach and Buxtehude, weaving them in between Handel’s nine German Arias, sung by the soprano Joélle Harvey.” (NYT-David Allen)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> JEREMY PELT
>> Paulo Szot
>>  ‘EL CIMARRÓN’
>> David Murray with Saul Williams
>> NEW YORK CITY BALLET
>> Maceo Parker
>> David Sedaris

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

JEREMY PELT (May 9-12)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Pelt’s trumpet tone can wander into the mist during a ballad, then come roaring out with a scorching solo when the energy rises. He spends a lot of time somewhere in between those two places on “The Rodin Suite,” a five-part work that dominates his most recent album, “Jeremy Pelt the Artist,” which came out earlier this year. While his nominal inspiration was the sculptures of Auguste Rodin, the musical influences are at least as apparent — particularly the 1970s fusion records of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. This weekend he appears with most members of the band that played on the album: Victor Gould on piano, Alex Wintz on guitar, Chien Chien Lu on vibraphone and marimba, Corcoran Holt on bass, Allan Mednard on drums and Ismel Wignall on percussion.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Paulo Szot
Feinstein’s/54 Below/ 7PM, $75+
“The superb Brazilian baritone Paulo Szot, who made Lincoln Center audiences swoon as Emile De Becque in South Pacific, returns to 54 Below with a set that salutes the 1960s collaboration between Frank Sinatra and bossa nova master Tom Jobim.” (TONY)

‘EL CIMARRÓN’ (May 10-11)
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art / 7 p.m.; $55
“It’s a tribute to the socially conscious, artistically collaborative vision of the soprano Julia Bullock that her season as an artist in residence at the Met includes these concerts of Henze’s, the title of which translates to “The Runaway Slave.” Bullock does not perform; instead, relish the singing of Davóne Tines, a breakout bass-baritone, alongside Emi Ferguson on flute, Jonny Allen on percussion and Jordan Dodson on guitar. Zack Winokur directs.” (NYT-David Allen)

David Murray with Saul Williams (May 7-11)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8:30PM, +11PM, $40
Back in the eighties and nineties, it might have seemed as if every new dawn also brought a new David Murray recording. The still mighty tenor saxophonist and bass clarinettist may have cut down on his productivity of late, but his taste for experimentation and variety remains. Here, he reunites with the politically attuned spoken-word poet Saul Williams in a collaborative venture entitled “Blues for Memo”; they front a quintet that also features the acclaimed drummer Nasheet Waits.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

NEW YORK CITY BALLET (through June 2)
at the NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 8PM, $35+
“For the first time, the work of City Ballet’s founding choreographer, George Balanchine, and that of its current resident choreographer, Justin Peck, are on a program together (Friday, Tuesday and Thursday), cementing Peck’s status as the heir apparent and the shaper of the company’s modern identity. In between, spread over two shows and mixed in with other Balanchine classics, Peck’s latest piece and new dances by Pam Tanowitz and Gianna Reisen enjoy a few encores. On Wednesday, Balanchine gets his own program that comprises the large-scale “Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet” and “Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Tonight: Balanchine’s electrifying Symphony in Three Movements, danced to the Stravinsky composition of the title, is book ended by two Peck works, a winter premiere featuring music by Sufjan Stevens and the propulsive The Times Are Racing, an instant audience favorite at its 2017 debut.

Maceo Parker (May 7-12)
Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $35-$45
“The saxophonist Maceo Parker’s fame was insured by his work as the Johnny-on-the-spot soloist for James Brown and by his later contributions to modern funk, but his affection for R. & B.-inflected jazz-horn work—a tradition that runs from Louis Jordan to Hank Crawford and beyond—is never far below the surface. At seventy-six, he remains a soulful instrumentalist and occasional singer who still bows to the majesty of the groove.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

David Sedaris (May10-12)
@ Town Hall / 8PM, $51+
“Humorist and author will regale the crowd tonight with stories at his first of three “An Evening With” performances at Town Hall.” (BrooklynVegan)

Continuing Events

STREB (LAST WEEKEND)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

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COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/10-11 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
5/10-11 Crossing Bridges Music Festival, The Schimmel Center
5/11 Rebirth Brass Band, Symphony Space
5/11 Lee Fields and the Expressions, Brooklyn Steel
5/12-13 Lizzo, Brooklyn Steel
5/13 The Who, Madison Square Garden
5/13 “Sound Mind” A Mental Health Benefit w/Langhorne Slim, Rough Trade NYC
5/14 My Brightest Diamond, Rough Trade NYC
5/14 Moby & John Hodgman, National Sawdust
5/15 Gordon Lightfoot, Town Hall

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
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WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art

“The Value of Good Design” (through June 15)

“The simple flask of the Chemex coffeemaker, the austere fan of aluminum tines on a garden rake, and the airtight allure of first-generation Tupperware exemplify the democratic promise of the Good Design movement in this edifying survey, which highlights (although not exclusively) the museum’s role in its history. Also on view—and among the winners of MOMA’s first design competition, held in 1940-41—is a molded plywood chair by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen; it’s a classic design, but, owing to technological limitations in its day, it wasn’t mass-produced until 2006. Starting in 1938, MOMA mounted an annual exhibition called “Useful Objects,” which championed the inexpensive and doubled as recommendations for holiday gifts. No item had a value of more than five dollars the first year; a decade later, the limit was a hundred dollars. By the fifties, the museum had established partnerships with national retailers for the exhibited products, from textiles to appliances, and, in the eighties, it opened its own design store. In the current show, the most compelling items are the everyday gems: Timo Sarpaneva’s cast-iron and teak casserole, from 1959; the original Slinky, from 1945; and a collapsible wire basket, from 1953, as graceful as a Ruth Asawa sculpture.” (

“Joan Miró”  (through June 15)

“This enchanting show draws on the museum’s immense holdings of Miró’s work, along with a few loans. Its star attraction is “The Birth of the World,” painted in 1925, while the artist was under the spell of the Surrealist circle of André Breton. It presents drifting pictographic elements—a black triangle, a red disk, a white disk, an odd black hook shape, and some skittery lines—on an amorphous ground of thinned grayish paint that soaks here and there into the unevenly primed canvas. It’s large—more than eight feet high by more than six feet wide—but feels larger: cosmic. There had never been anything quite like it in painting, and it stood far apart from the formally conservative, lurid fantasizing of the other Surrealist painters. Today, we are ever less apt to base valuations on precedence—who did what first. Art of the past seems not so much a parade as a convocation, subject to case-by-case assessments. Never unsettling in the ways of, say, Matisse or, for heaven’s sake, Picasso, Miró is a modernist for everybody. He earns and will keep his place in our hearts.” (

American Museum of Natural History

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’  (through Aug. 9, 2020).
“Everyone’s favorite 18,000-pound prehistoric killer gets the star treatment in this eye-opening exhibition, which presents the latest scientific research on T. rex and also introduces many other tyrannosaurs, some discovered only this century in China and Mongolia. T. rex evolved mainly during the Cretaceous Period to have keen eyes, spindly arms and massive conical teeth, which could bear down on prey with the force of a U-Haul truck; the dinosaur could even swallow whole bones, as affirmed here by a kid-friendly display of fossilized excrement. The show mixes 66-million-year-old teeth with the latest 3-D prints of dino bones, and also presents new models of T. rex as a baby, a juvenile and a full-grown annihilator. Turns out this most savage beast was covered with — believe it! — a soft coat of beige or white feathers.” (Farago-NYT)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Posts in right Sidebar dated 05/08 and 05/06.

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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m

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/09) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 05/09/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ MAY 09, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

NEW YORK CITY BALLET (through June 2)
at the NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $35+
“The season continues with repeats of premieres by Justin Peck and Pam Tanowitz, as well as several George Balanchine gems, including “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” and “Western Symphony.” But, really, isn’t it all about “Diamonds”? Suzanne Farrell, the magnificent ballerina and muse to Balanchine, has recently been coaching dancers in the 1967 work, which is set to Tchaikovsky and pays homage to Russian schooling. The tiaras will glitter even more brightly than usual.” (NYT)

Tonight: CLASSIC NYCB I
“An evening of dances that highlights Balanchine, Robbins and Peck’s places in the NYCB repertory, and a brand-new creation from Pam Tanowitz.”

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Lee Narae: A cursed woman, Ong-nyeo
>>  AUSTRALIA FESTIVAL
>>  Mavis Staples
>> Now is the Month of Maying.
>> Maceo Parker
>> Panel: Future of Work
>> The Power of Lipstick

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Lee Narae: A cursed woman, Ong-nyeo
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“Throughout her career as a traditional Korean singer (“sorikun”), Lee Narae has reflected on and problematized the representation of women in traditional pansori, a form of musical storytelling that developed under the influence of Confucian culture. In exploring this art form, she sheds new light on Byeongangsoe-ga—a pansori narrative that is a particularly strong example of patriarchal values—by shifting the perspective to the ill-fated female character, Ong-nyeo, and recreating this work through a variety of artistic styles.

Lee Narae combines a wide range of sounds with spoken word and transforms them through music, seamlessly incorporating other musical influences. She thus inherits the tradition of pansori while recharging it with contemporary creative energy.”

AUSTRALIA FESTIVAL (through May 12)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $35+
“This event continues with performances by Australian Dance Theater (Friday to Monday) and the Australian Ballet (May 9 to 12). For its program, Australian Dance Theater explores the natural world in “The Beginning of Nature,” which is set to a score sung in Kaurna, the first language of the Indigenous peoples of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. The Australian Ballet wraps up the festival with a trio of dances: Alice Topp’s “Aurum,” Stephen Baynes’s “Unspoken Dialoguesfollows” and a yet-to-be-titled premiere by Tim Harbour.” (NYT)

Mavis Staples
Apollo Theatre, 253 W. 125th St./ 8PM, $ may be a tough ticket, try the secondary market, if necessary
“The Chicago soul aristocrat Mavis Staples spent her seventies recording albums—including “We Get By,” a forthcoming LP produced by Ben Harper—with starry young allies. She greets eighty with a bash that features, among others, Jon Batiste, Valerie June, and David Byrne, whose Talking Heads song “Slippery People” gave the Staple Singers a late-career hit. This flood of cameos is no fluke: Staples maintains a peer-approval rating roughly on par with sunny days and ice-cream cones. In an age of walls, she continues to see only bridges.” (Jay Ruttenberg, NewYorker)

Now is the Month of Maying.
Saint Thomas Church / 6PM, $10+
“Catch a program of chamber music within the lovely acoustical surrounds of midtown’s St. Thomas Church. Tickets start at $10 and include access to a reserved happy hour event just west of the church at Fogo de Chão, featuring $4 Brazilian bites and beers, $6 South American wines, and $8 Brazilian-inspired cocktails.” (cityguideny)

Maceo Parker (May 7-12)
Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $35-$45
“The saxophonist Maceo Parker’s fame was insured by his work as the Johnny-on-the-spot soloist for James Brown and by his later contributions to modern funk, but his affection for R. & B.-inflected jazz-horn work—a tradition that runs from Louis Jordan to Hank Crawford and beyond—is never far below the surface. At seventy-six, he remains a soulful instrumentalist and occasional singer who still bows to the majesty of the groove.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Panel: Future of Work
New York Live Arts, 219 W. 19th St./ 6PM, $10
“Foxconn’s Terry Gou says the company plans to replace 80% of workers with robots in 5-10 years.” – Samson Ellis

Remember the Luddites? The fear and resistance to change is not new. New technology has upended industries for millennia. Jobs were replaced or eliminated by machines and new ones were created. Remember the steam engine? So what makes it different this time in the age of artificial intelligence and automation?”

The Power of Lipstick
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 7PM, $29
“Lipstick is much more than just a beauty item. It’s been worn by women for centuries to feel bolder, stronger, and more confident; it’s equally loved by royalty, movie stars, and everyday people worldwide. Join Rachel Felder, author of Red Lipstick: An Ode to a Beauty Icon, to discuss the appeal, force, and glamour of makeup’s most beloved product.”

A book signing follows the event.

Continuing Events

STREB (LAST WEEKEND)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/9 Strand of Oaks, Music Hall Of Williamsburg
5/10-11 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
5/10-11 Crossing Bridges Music Festival, The Schimmel Center
5/11 Rebirth Brass Band, Symphony Space
5/11 Lee Fields and the Expressions, Brooklyn Steel
5/12-13 Lizzo, Brooklyn Steel
5/13 The Who, Madison Square Garden
5/13 “Sound Mind” A Mental Health Benefit w/Langhorne Slim, Rough Trade NYC
5/14 My Brightest Diamond, Rough Trade NYC
5/14 Moby & John Hodgman, National Sawdust
5/15 Gordon Lightfoot, Town Hall

============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
=============================================================================

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.
(Alas, no more. After 10 years, “Jersey Boys” finally closed, now it’s “Mean Girls.”)

lThose 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 younger, trimmer piano man. “Tiny” we miss you.

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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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Bonus NYC events– Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

==========================================================

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/08) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 05/08/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ MAY 08, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

Maceo Parker (May 7-12)
Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $35-$45
“The saxophonist Maceo Parker’s fame was insured by his work as the Johnny-on-the-spot soloist for James Brown and by his later contributions to modern funk, but his affection for R. & B.-inflected jazz-horn work—a tradition that runs from Louis Jordan to Hank Crawford and beyond—is never far below the surface. At seventy-six, he remains a soulful instrumentalist and occasional singer who still bows to the majesty of the groove.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

=========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Antonio Sanchez
>>  Songs for Our Planet
>>  Imogen Heap
>> David Murray with Saul Williams
>> Governors Island Official Walking Tour
>> Keynote/Performance: What Is AI?
>> Orwell’s China

==================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Antonio Sanchez (May 7-12)
Village Vanguard / 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“One of the most sought-after drummers of the new-jazz generation, Sanchez made the rounds with stars such as Pat Metheny and Michael Brecker before turning 30. Here this deft player—best known for the jaw-dropping solo-drum score he contributed to Best Picture winner Birdman—draws equal attention to his writing and bandleading chops, heading up a special project.” (TONY)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

Songs for Our Planet
Brooklyn Bowl, Williamsburg / 7:30PM, $20
“Brooklyn-based country-soul rockers the Lone Bellow sit atop the bill at this concert benefitting environmental organization 1% for the Planet. The event offers a code to get 25% off a Lyft ride, but, let’s be honest, riding your bike or taking public transport is a little more apropros.” (TONY)

Imogen Heap (May 7-8)
@ Town Hall / 8PM, $35+
“Imogen Heap is on her first North American tour in nine years, and making the tour even more exciting is that she is reuniting with her Frou Frou partner Guy Sigsworth for it. The tour is happening in conjunction with the launch of Mycelia, Imogen’s new “research and development hub for music makers,” but she isn’t letting the unique concept deter her from playing lots of solo and Frou Frou classics.” (brooklynvegan)

David Murray with Saul Williams (May 7-11)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8:30PM, +11PM, $40
Back in the eighties and nineties, it might have seemed as if every new dawn also brought a new David Murray recording. The still mighty tenor saxophonist and bass clarinettist may have cut down on his productivity of late, but his taste for experimentation and variety remains. Here, he reunites with the politically attuned spoken-word poet Saul Williams in a collaborative venture entitled “Blues for Memo”; they front a quintet that also features the acclaimed drummer Nasheet Waits.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Governors Island Official Walking Tour
Governors Island, Soissons Landing Welcome Center / 11:30AM, FREE
“Look into the past of Governors Island and talk about its exciting transformation and future! In these one-hour walking tours, examine how historic preservation, innovative design and environmental stewardship make the Island what it is today – one of the most unique public spaces in New York City.

Meet At:
Governors Island, Soissons Landing Welcome Center
Take the Governors Island Ferry that departs lower Manhattan at 11:00am from the Battery Maritime Building (10 South Street, just east of the Staten Island ferry terminal). Allow time for first-come/first-served boarding. The ferry is free. (The return ride from Governors Island is also free.)” (ClubFreeTime)

Keynote/Performance: What Is AI?
New York Live Arts, 219 W. 19th St./ 6PM, $15
Opening Keynote and Lecture Performance to the 2019 Live Ideas Festival.
“Get a grasp on AI’s past, present, and future in a combined lecture/performance that serves as the keynote to the New York Live Arts 2019 Live Ideas Festival. A musical rendition of the history of AI, words from the author of Artificial Unintelligence, and Patricia Marx on robots are among the presentations.” (ThoughtGallery)

Orwell’s China
SubCulture, 45 Bleecker St./ 7PM, $20
“George Orwell’s 1984 is proving prophetic in today’s China, where a new “social credit” system combines around-the-clock surveillance and consumer data mining to rank the citizenry. That’s on top of censorship and the ongoing marginalization of foreigners, minorities, and dissidents. As the PEN World Voices Festival continues, hear from two authors with insight into Chinese feminism and the absurdities of totalitarianism.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

STREB (weekends through May 12)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/7-8 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
5/8 Dandy Warhols, Brooklyn Steel

============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
================================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

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.

Here are two exhibitions the New Yorker likes:

And from New York Magazine:

Nadav Kander (thru May 25)
A dark line.
“Known for his landscapes, the British photographer’s latest work brings the viewer to a particular point in the U.K.: the Thames Estuary, where the river meets the North Sea. The results are visually arresting and somewhat haunting.” (NYMag)
Flowers Gallery, 529 West 20th Street.

===========================================================================

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.

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but better to plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm). OR try this NYT recommendation: “When you’re done, adjourn to the newly renovated Bottino , the Chelsea art world’s unofficial canteen on 10th Avenue (btw 24/25 St.) “

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 05/06 and 05/04.
=====================================================

Bonus NYC Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
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 discovery and enjoyment.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
===========================================================

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=====================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/07) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square / Theater District)

Posted on 05/07/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ MAY 07, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

Artists of the Air
The Greene Space, 44 Charlton St./ 7PM, $30
“Among the many intriguing events in this year’s PEN World Voices Festival, catch a duo known for their derring-do. Philippe Petit, who walked between the two unfinished World Trade Center towers, joins “action architect” Elizabeth Streb of the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics for a conversation about the ways extremes can transform our understanding.” (ThoughtGallery)

“In 1974, Philippe Petit danced in the sky, effortlessly traversing the air between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center via high wire and electrifying audiences around the world. That feat, just one among many tightrope miracles Petit has created, inspired a Caldecott Medal-winning children’s book, an Oscar-winning documentary, a feature film, and global admiration. On the occasion of the reissuing of his out-of-print classic On the High Wire (New Directions), Petit discusses his death-defying art with fellow daredevil artist Elizabeth Streb, a choreographer, performer, and MacArthur “Genius” grant winner who incorporates high-risk elements of circus arts and rodeo in her work. How do daring and transgressive acts redefine our sense of art and performance? How can artists’ airborne actions transform the ways we look at the buildings that anchored their ropes, the cities in which they appear, and global issues of peace and conflict? Join these masters of extreme performance as they discuss virtuosity, daring, and Petit’s boundary-shattering career.”

See Below:  Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, (continuing events)

=========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Maceo Parker
>>  Imogen Heap
>>  BARBER, BROADWAY & BALANCHINE
>> Sax & Taps with DeWitt Fleming, Jr. & Erica von Kleist
>> David Murray with Saul Williams
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Laurie Anderson

==================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Maceo Parker (May 7-12)
Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $35-$45
“The saxophonist Maceo Parker’s fame was insured by his work as the Johnny-on-the-spot soloist for James Brown and by his later contributions to modern funk, but his affection for R. & B.-inflected jazz-horn work—a tradition that runs from Louis Jordan to Hank Crawford and beyond—is never far below the surface. At seventy-six, he remains a soulful instrumentalist and occasional singer who still bows to the majesty of the groove.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Imogen Heap (May 7-8)
@ Town Hall / 8PM, $35+
“Imogen Heap is on her first North American tour in nine years, and making the tour even more exciting is that she is reuniting with her Frou Frou partner Guy Sigsworth for it. The tour is happening in conjunction with the launch of Mycelia, Imogen’s new “research and development hub for music makers,” but she isn’t letting the unique concept deter her from playing lots of solo and Frou Frou classics.” (brooklynvegan)

NEW YORK CITY BALLET (through June 2)
tonight: BARBER, BROADWAY & BALANCHINE
at the NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $35+
“The season continues with repeats of premieres by Justin Peck and Pam Tanowitz, as well as several George Balanchine gems, including “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” and “Western Symphony.” But, really, isn’t it all about “Diamonds”? Suzanne Farrell, the magnificent ballerina and muse to Balanchine, has recently been coaching dancers in the 1967 work, which is set to Tchaikovsky and pays homage to Russian schooling. The tiaras will glitter even more brightly than usual.” (NYT)

Sax & Taps with DeWitt Fleming, Jr. & Erica von Kleist
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center / 10PM, $35
“Sax & Taps brings two top artists together for an unexpected musical journey full of rhythm, soul, humor, and improvisation. The show spotlights a thrilling musical connection between DeWitt Fleming, Jr. and Erica von Kleist as they perform a repertoire spanning from the Jazz Age to today’s most popular songs.

Tap dancer, actor, singer, and drummer DeWitt Fleming, Jr. is a top talent in jazz, Broadway, and on screen. Saxophonist, flutist, and piccoloist Erica von Kleist is one of the most versatile multi-instrumentalists around. Backed by a rhythm section, these two musical veterans offer audiences something brand new and hugely entertaining with Sax & Taps.”

David Murray with Saul Williams (May 7-11)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8:30PM, +11PM, $40
Back in the eighties and nineties, it might have seemed as if every new dawn also brought a new David Murray recording. The still mighty tenor saxophonist and bass clarinettist may have cut down on his productivity of late, but his taste for experimentation and variety remains. Here, he reunites with the politically attuned spoken-word poet Saul Williams in a collaborative venture entitled “Blues for Memo”; they front a quintet that also features the acclaimed drummer Nasheet Waits.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Birdland Theater/ 9:30PM, $25
“Mosher is one of those talents you need to see to believe: warm, funny, biting, ferociously committed. In her biweekly series at the brand-new Birdland Theater, she invites a gaggle of performers from Broadway and beyond to show their talents. Guests at the May 7 edition include Amanda Green, T. Oliver Reid, Rick Crom, Gaelen Gilliland, Mishti, Joan Ryan, Anna Anderson, Jonathan Hoover, AJ Hunsucker and Eric Gilliland.” (TONY)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the easy detour:

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Laurie Anderson
Murmrr, 17 Eastern Pkwy./ 7:30PM, $20+
“A rare, intimate account of a world-renowned Buddhist monk’s near-death experience and the life-changing wisdom he gained from it.”

“Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is an eminent meditation master among the new generation of Tibetan Buddhist teachers trained outside of Tibet. Mingyur Rinpoche teaches throughout the world, with centers on five continents.”

Continuing Events

STREB (weekends through May 12)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/7 Delta Rae, Sony Hall
5/7-8 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
5/8 Dandy Warhols, Brooklyn Steel

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
========================================================================

A PremierPub

Jimmy’s Corner / 140 W 44th St (btw B’way & 7th ave)

IMG_2083Jimmy’s Corner is right in the heart of Times Square, but you won’t find it on the corner, it’s mid-block. Enter this long narrow bar and you are struck by the walls covered with mostly black-and-white boxing photographs, and memorabilia. Soon enough you learn that “Corner” refers to proprietor Jimmy Glenn’s long career as a corner man for some of boxing greats – Liston, Tyson, even “the greatest,” Ali.

Jimmy’s is a sort of time machine, taking you back to a time and place that no longer exists. All around you Times Square has cleaned up, grown up, assumed a new identity. Jimmy’s probably hasn’t changed a bit since it first opened in 1971. Certainly the bar itself looks original and the prices haven’t changed much either. When I brought a friend, who owns her own bar, she was surprised when she got the small tab for a round of drinks. Figured there must be a mistake, that maybe they forgot to charge for all the drinks.

Times Square today is filled with neon glitz and wandering tourists from Dubuque, but not Jimmy’s. You’ll likely find some old timer’s at the bar nursing their drinks, some younger locals at tables in the back, and maybe just a few adventuresome tourists clutching their trusty guidebooks. There’s no food served here because this is just a bar, and sometimes that’s all you need.

On nights when no local team is playing, it’s a fine place to sip some drafts and listen to a wonderful old time jukebox, with a great selection of  40s& 50s R&B and soul. On sports nights this very narrow bar can get a bit claustrophobic, filled with excited fans watching their team on the TVs. Either way, Jimmy’s is the place to be if you are looking for an old time bar in the new Times Square.
————————————————————————————————————————
Website: are you kidding !
(although there is a facebook page with lots of photos –
facebook.com/jimmyscornernyc)
Phone #: 212-221-9510
Hours: 11am – 4 am, except Sunday they open 12 noon
Happy Hour: not necessary, low prices all day, every day
Subway: #1,2,3 to TimesSquare 42nd st
walk 2 blks N on 7th ave to 44th st; ½ blk E to Jimmy’s

================================================================================
“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.

=====================================================

Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.

This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

========================================================

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/06) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 05/06/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > MONDAY/ MAY 06, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

AUSTRALIA FESTIVAL (through May 12)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $35+
“This event continues with performances by Australian Dance Theater (Friday to Monday) and the Australian Ballet (May 9 to 12). For its program, Australian Dance Theater explores the natural world in “The Beginning of Nature,” which is set to a score sung in Kaurna, the first language of the Indigenous peoples of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. The Australian Ballet wraps up the festival with a trio of dances: Alice Topp’s “Aurum,” Stephen Baynes’s “Unspoken Dialoguesfollows” and a yet-to-be-titled premiere by Tim Harbour.” (NYT)

=========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Bach Plus One Concert
>>  Akiko/Hamilton/Dechter
>> Nickel Creek
>> Graham Parker w/ Adam Ezra
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> Rethinking the Grid
>> Holding Back the Hudson

==================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Bach Plus One Concert
St. Paul’s Chapel, Broadway and Fulton St./ 1PM, FREE
“The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Julian Wachner, conductor:
Johann Sebastian Bach Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV 9
Johann Friedrich Fasch Concerto for Flute and Oboe, FaWV L:h1
“This season, Bach at One evolves into Bach + One: featuring one Bach cantata each week paired with a complementary work from composers early to modern. Trinity’s presentation of Bach’s entire monumental output of vocal sacred music has been praised by The New York Times for its “dramatic vigor.”

Akiko/Hamilton/Dechter
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, 9:30PM, $35
“Akiki/Hamilton/Dechter is one of the best organ trios performing today. Organist Akiko Tsuruga has been a New York mainstay since her arrival in 2001, working with icons like Jimmy Cobb, Frank Hess, and Lou Donaldson and earning her own significant acclaim, radio play, and touring opportunities as a bandleader and composer. Jeff Hamilton is a regular favorite at Jazz at Lincoln Center, widely regarded as a master drummer who lights a spark under every group, including his own trios, his co-led Clayton Hamilton Orchestra, and the bands of artists such as Ray Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Monty Alexander, and Diana Krall. Rounding out the group is guitarist Graham Dechter, who is making his name by proudly extending the lineage of essential guitarists like Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, and Herb Ellis. Together they play hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz that’s simply hard to not enjoy.”

Nickel Creek
@ Music Hall of Williamsburg / 8PM, $15-$50
“Chris Thile is usually busy hosting his Minnesota Public Radio show Live From Here these days, but he’s set time aside to tour with his trio Nickel Creek, including this two-night run at Music Hall of Williamsburg (this is night one).” (brooklynvegan)

Graham Parker w/ Adam Ezra
@ City Winery / 8PM, $25-$35
“Former Rumour frontman Graham Parker is a rock n’ roll survivor and songwriting great who rivals Elvis Costello in wit and melody, even if he isn’t as well known in this country.” (brooklynvegan)

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
Birdland, / 9:30PM, $30
Jim Caruso’s Cast Party is a wildly popular weekly soiree that brings a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night. It’s a cool cabaret night-out enlivened by a hilariously impromptu variety show. Showbiz superstars, backed by Steve Doyle on bass, Billy Stritch on piano and Daniel Glass on drums, hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, serving up jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle.” (broadwayworld)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Rethinking the Grid
Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Ave., Room 9100/ 6:30PM, FREE
“Although the Manhattan grid plan was conceived over two centuries ago, its impacts on the city and the mystery surrounding its creation continue to foster controversy and debate. In this panel discussion, four authors discuss recent scholarship that challenges some of the widely held myths and misconceptions about it.​“

Holding Back the Hudson
National September 11 Memorial & Museum, 180 Greenwich St./ 7PM, FREE
“No remnant of the original World Trade Center is as dramatic as the Slurry Wall, which has held back the waters of the Hudson for nearly 60 years. Mark National Historic Preservation Month with a look at the wall’s history and the way the hand of history can elevate the everyday.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

STREB (weekends through May 12)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/6 Bjork’s Cornucopia, The Shed
5/7 Delta Rae, Sony Hall
5/7-8 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
5/7-8 Imogen Heap, Town Hall
5/8 Dandy Warhols, Brooklyn Steel

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
================================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

New-York Historical Society

‘BETYE SAAR: KEEPIN’ IT CLEAN’  (through May 27).

“Saar has been making important and influential work for nearly 60 years. Yet no big New York museum has given her a full retrospective, or even a significant one-person show, since a 1975 solo at the Whitney Museum of American Art. As this exhibition demonstrates, the institutional oversight is baffling, as her primary themes — racial justice and feminism (her 1972 breakthrough piece, “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima,” merges the two by transforming the racist stereotype of the smiling black mammy into an armed freedom fighter) — are exactly attuned to the present.” (Cotter-NYT)
212-873-3400, nyhistory.org

Morgan Library & Museum

‘TOLKIEN: MAKER OF MIDDLE-EARTH’ (through May 12).

“J. R. R. Tolkien did more than write books like “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy; he invented an alternate reality, complete with its own geography, languages, religion and an era-spanning history. This exhibition of his artwork, letters, drafts and other material reminds visitors that the stories Tolkien wrote, however impressive, represent only a fraction of his efforts, and it highlights his unparalleled ability to create an immersive experience using only words and pictures. After a visit you, too, may find yourself believing in Middle-earth and the hobbits, elves, dwarves, orcs and wizards that live there. (NYT-Peter Libbey)
212-685-0008, themorgan.org

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out these special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

“The Tale of Genji” (Through June 16)

“To detail the rich history of a Japanese literary epic, this stunning exhibition assembles artifacts and art works spanning nearly a millennium. Written in the early eleventh century by the noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu, the fifty-four-chapter tale—a mix of entertainment, social commentary, and Buddhist philosophy—recounts the misadventures of an emperor’s son, who, excluded from the line of succession, seeks restitution through romantic liaisons. Colorful episodes describe the opulence of the Heian period and introduce iconic female characters. The fascinating objects on view include paired calligraphic texts and paintings drawn from the oldest-known complete “Genji” album, from 1510; an ornate, portable lacquered-wood cabinet, from the Edo period, made to house the tale’s many volumes; and a wedding palanquin (or covered litter), from the same era, whose exquisitely painted interior features motifs from the story. The visual literary tradition instigated by Murasaki’s classic was not just for the élite: modern translations, as well as books and popular prints, disseminated it to a wide audience. The show concludes with original drawings by the contemporary manga artist Yamato Waki, from his updated adaptation “Asaki Yume Mishi” (thirteen years in the making)—a testament to the saga’s enduring legacy.” (Johanna Fateman, NewYorker)

‘THE WORLD BETWEEN EMPIRES: ART AND IDENTITY IN THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST’ (through June 23).

“The Met excels at epic-scale archaeological exhibitions, and this is a prime example. It brings together work made between 100 B.C. and A.D. 250 in what we now know as Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. In the ancient world, all were in the sphere of two competing superpowers — Rome to the west and Parthia to the east — and though imperial influence was strong, it was far from all-determining. Each of the subject territories selectively grafted it onto local traditions to create distinctive new grass-roots cultural blends. Equally important, the show addresses the fate of art from the past in a politically fraught present.” (NYT-Cotter)

“In Praise of Painting” (thru Oct.4, 2020)

“How great are the Met’s holdings in the Dutch golden age? Very. This long-term installation rings the lower level of the Lehman Wing with scores of lesser-known gems from the mid-seventeenth century, many of them rarely on view before, amid masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Ruisdael. The period, vivified here, began in 1648, when the end of the Eighty Years’ War with Spain brought a boom in wealth and morale, expressed by genre paintings that exalt the national ideal of gezelligheid—social warmth, comfort, belonging. A key figure was Gerard ter Borch, who had travelled widely and worked at the court of Philip IV, in company with Velázquez. Ter Borch’s lustrous, ineffably witty domestic scenes inspired a generation of masters, notably Vermeer, whose genius rather eclipsed his elder’s. The pictures often star ter Borch’s younger sister Gesina, preening in satins or enigmatically musing. Herself a painter, she is cutely funny-looking—pointy nose, weak chin—and desperately lovable. There’s much to be said for a world with such a family in it.”

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Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 05/04 and 05/02.
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Bonus NYC events– Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/05) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 05/05/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ MAY 05, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR
at the Town Hall / 7 p.m.; $45+
“A daughter of the sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar and the half sister of the singer-songwriter Norah Jones, this London-born composer comes by her musical gift honestly. Playing the instrument that her father famously helped introduce to Western popular culture in the 1960s, Shankar brings Indian classical music together with elements of pop, flamenco and electronic music; her most recent release, “Reflections,” is a greatest-hits compilation spanning her two-decade career. This performance in Midtown is part of a North American tour supporting the album. Shankar will perform its highlights, as well as music from her score for the Indian silent film “Shiraz.” (OLIVIA HORN-NYT)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Al Green, The War and Treaty
>>  NEW YORK CITY BALLET
>> ‘AN AFTERNOON WITH MARY LOU WILLIAMS’
>> AUSTRALIA FESTIVAL
>> Gilad Hekselman
>> Festival of Arcane Knowledge
>> Frieze New York

==================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Al Green, The War and Treaty
Radio City Music Hall / 8PM, $
“The legendary “Let’s Stay Together” singer is on his first tour in seven years, a bit of a surprise since his initial plan was only to perform at the 50th anniversary of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Though Al Green’s last album was 2008’s “Lay It Down,” any time Green performs away from his Full Gospel Tabernacle church in Memphis is now seen as a special event.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE 8 p.m. Sunday, May 5, Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave., Manhattan
INFO $45 to $195; 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com

NEW YORK CITY BALLET (through June 2)
at the NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 3PM, $35+
“The season continues with repeats of premieres by Justin Peck and Pam Tanowitz, as well as several George Balanchine gems, including “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” and “Western Symphony.” But, really, isn’t it all about “Diamonds”? Suzanne Farrell, the magnificent ballerina and muse to Balanchine, has recently been coaching dancers in the 1967 work, which is set to Tchaikovsky and pays homage to Russian schooling. The tiaras will glitter even more brightly than usual.” (NYT)

‘AN AFTERNOON WITH MARY LOU WILLIAMS’
at Our Lady of Lourdes School / 4 p.m.; FREE with RSVP
“Williams was a brilliantly syncretic pianist whose self-possessed, physical style spanned swing, stride, gospel and bebop. She was also a devoted proponent of fellow musicians; in short, the breadth of her impact on jazz — in New York and beyond — is hard to estimate. In the later decades of her life, Williams became a devout Catholic, and Our Lady of Lourdes became a second home. This three-part celebration of her life includes a screening of the documentary “Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band”; a conversation with the film’s director, Carol Bash; and finally a performance by the fine octogenarian pianist Bertha Hope’s hard-bop quartet.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

AUSTRALIA FESTIVAL (through May 12)
at the Joyce Theater / 2PM, 8PM, $35+
“This event continues with performances by Australian Dance Theater (Friday to Monday) and the Australian Ballet (May 9 to 12). For its program, Australian Dance Theater explores the natural world in “The Beginning of Nature,” which is set to a score sung in Kaurna, the first language of the Indigenous peoples of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. The Australian Ballet wraps up the festival with a trio of dances: Alice Topp’s “Aurum,” Stephen Baynes’s “Unspoken Dialoguesfollows” and a yet-to-be-titled premiere by Tim Harbour.” (NYT)

Gilad Hekselman (April 30-May 5)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S. / 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“If the previous generation of jazz guitarists, flourishing in the wake of seventies fusion, were open to incorporating the extravagant sonics of avant rock and R. & B., the six-string maestros of today—among them, Gilad Hekselman—positively throw bear hugs around transformative contemporary textures. Here, Hekselman, an entrancing stylist who cleverly employs a small arsenal of pedals and effects, is joined by an ensemble that includes the outstanding saxophonist Mark Turner.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Elsewhere, but this sure looks worth the detour:

Festival of Arcane Knowledge
Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th St., Bklyn / 12-7PM, $45
“Back by popular demand! Festival of Arcane Knowledge is an afternoon-long exploration of the intersections between art, death, and culture, featuring short talks, demonstrations, and film screenings presented by Morbid Anatomy’s community of makers, teachers, collectors, and rogue scholars. Special tours will be available of both the exhibition Envisioning the Afterlife: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory and Green-Wood. The day’s activities will be followed by an evening reception.”

Art New York (5/2-5/5)
Get inspired at an art fair
at Pier 92/94 : 12-8PM, $25 one-day ticket; $55 multi-day ticket
“An important exhibition facility for the arts that annually attracts over 150,000 collectors. Art New York will offer both noteworthy and fresh works by important artists from the modern, post-war, and pop eras, and feature paintings, photography, prints, drawings, design, and sculpture.” (cityguideny.com)

“Whether you’re most moved by paintings, photography, prints, drawings, or sculptures, contemporary, modern, post-war, or pop art, you’ll find something that speaks to you at Art New York. The fair features nearly 300 artists from 18 countries, displaying both up-and-coming talent and the biggest of the big names (read: Shepard Fairey, Dali, Matisse, Picasso, and Warhol).” (thrillist)

Not as convenient as Art New York, but worth a look:

Frieze New York (May 2- 5)
Randalls Island Park, Randall’s Island / 11AM, $27+
“Plan to spend some serious time immersing yourself in imaginative projects from 200 international galleries, both indoors and out, at Randall’s Island Park. This year, some of the art fest’s works are displayed off-site and even virtually. Frieze has teamed up with real estate company Tishman Speyer for a free public sculpture park at Rockefeller Center that presents 20 statues crafted by 14 far-reaching artists. Plus, Acute Art’s Daniel Birnbaum curates an exhibition dedicated to virtual-reality in which tech-loving aesthetes can view works in an immersive booth. If you can’t make it to the island, you can still experience the fest: Five hundred VR headsets are free to use at the aforementioned sculpture park, the Standard High Line and the Standard East Village.” (TONY)

=======================================================

Continuing Events

Tribeca Film Festival (Last Weekend)

“Robert De Niro and Co.’s Tribeca Film Festival has long shown a spotlight on local indie features, documentaries, foreign films, the latest from big-name talent and the greatest from up-and-coming filmmakers.

TimeOutNY has got your complete one-stop-shopping guide to Tribeca Film Festival: their personal must-see picks, movie screenings, ticket info, a list of nearby bars and restaurants and much more.”

See Also:
IndieWire – Tribeca 2019: 12 Must-See Films at This Year’s Festival, From Danny Boyle to a Wild ‘Showgirls’ Doc.
CBS News – 15 highlights at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC.
vulture.com (NYMag) – Tribeca Film Festival What to see at the independent film fest.

——————————————————————————————–

STREB (weekends through May 12)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/5 Vampire Weekend, Webster Hall
5/6 Bjork’s Cornucopia, The Shed
5/6-7 Nickel Creek, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/7 Delta Rae, Sony Hall
5/7-8 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
5/7-8 Imogen Heap, Town Hall
5/8 Dandy Warhols, Brooklyn Steel

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

CAFFE VIVALDI HAS CLOSED, VERY SAD.
I HAVE LEFT THIS REVIEW ON MY SITE AS A KIND OF MEMORIAL.
As reported in the “Gothamist”:
“Caffe Vivaldi, one of the last bohemian bastions of the West Village, is set to close this weekend. During its 35 years on Jones Street, the casual cafe won the hearts of locals and celebs alike, including Oscar Isaac, Bette Midler, and Al Pacino.

Despite that friendly communal atmosphere, the owners ultimately struggled to survive under their notorious vulture landlord Steve Croman, who they say waged a harassment campaign against the restaurant, and eventually tripled their rent.”
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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.

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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3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
========================================================
NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available FALL 2019).
◊ Order before NOV. 30, 2019 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

===========================================================================
m

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/04) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 05/04/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ MAY 04, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

Maren Morris: GIRL The World Tour 2019
Terminal 5 / 8PM, $50
“In her lush ballads and powerhouse anthems, the pliable singer-songwriter mingles the bliss of romance with calls for equality and claims to independence.

Pop and country music’s synergy lives on through Maren Morris. On “Girl,” her second album, the pliable singer-songwriter navigates womanhood in lush ballads and powerhouse anthems that paint her, in turns, as a down-home girl-with-guitar and an elegant dynamo diva. But she’s not here to just shut up and sing. In her music, the bliss of romance mingles with calls for equality and claims to independence, themes that bolster a grander artistic statement—that Morris isn’t interested in being anyone but herself.” (NewYorker)

=========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> AUSTRALIA FESTIVAL
>> CONVERSATIONS WITH MERCE
>> Gilad Hekselman
>> Lincoln Center: 60th anniversary Block Party
>> Chelsea Gallery Tour
>> Art New York
>> Frieze New York

==================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

AUSTRALIA FESTIVAL (through May 12)
at the Joyce Theater / 2PM, 8PM, $35+
“This event continues with performances by Australian Dance Theater (Friday to Monday) and the Australian Ballet (May 9 to 12). For its program, Australian Dance Theater explores the natural world in “The Beginning of Nature,” which is set to a score sung in Kaurna, the first language of the Indigenous peoples of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. The Australian Ballet wraps up the festival with a trio of dances: Alice Topp’s “Aurum,” Stephen Baynes’s “Unspoken Dialoguesfollows” and a yet-to-be-titled premiere by Tim Harbour.” (NYT)

CONVERSATIONS WITH MERCE (May 3-4)
at N.Y.U. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts / 7:30 p.m.; $25
“The Merce Cunningham Centennial festivities continue with three new works celebrating the choreographer’s legacy. This presentation, curated by Rashaun Mitchell, a former company member and a trustee with the Merce Cunningham Trust, explores the theoretical, practical and experiential approaches to Cunningham’s work. Three respected choreographers take part: Moriah Evans, Mina Nishimura and Netta Yerushalmy. In their responses to his lineage, they focus on conceptual, formal and personal connections with the choreographer. In addition to the commissioned works, Cunningham solos will be performed by Shayla-Vie Jenkins and Keith Sabado.” (NYT)

Gilad Hekselman (April 30-May 5)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S. / 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“If the previous generation of jazz guitarists, flourishing in the wake of seventies fusion, were open to incorporating the extravagant sonics of avant rock and R. & B., the six-string maestros of today—among them, Gilad Hekselman—positively throw bear hugs around transformative contemporary textures. Here, Hekselman, an entrancing stylist who cleverly employs a small arsenal of pedals and effects, is joined by an ensemble that includes the outstanding saxophonist Mark Turner.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

If the weather was better, this would be my top event today:

Lincoln Center: 60th anniversary Block Party
Lincoln Center / 10am-2:30pm; FREE
“In honor of the world-famous music campus’s 60th anniversary. With activities for all ages, the event brings together all of the 11 organizations that comprise Lincoln Center—bringing a range of performances, art-making, film programming, tours, food trucks, and more. The Block Party culminates in a grand finale on the iconic plaza with more than 135 musicians, conducted by Musical Director Sunny Jain from atop the Revson Fountain.” (cityguideny.com)

Chelsea Gallery Tour
“Take a fascinating gallery tour of Chelsea – the world’s center for contemporary art – and see the very latest in painting, sculpture, electronic media & photography. Our guide, who holds a Ph.D. in arts education, helps explain the artwork and leads the group in lively discussion. The tour takes place Sat. May 4 at 1:00 PM & 3:45 PM. These two tours will be identical in every way: the same guide and the same exhibits, so choose whichever start time best fits your schedule. It will take place no matter the temperature or weather, as the art is all indoors.” (cityguideny.com)

Meet at 526 W. 26th St. between 10th & 11th Ave. Admission is $25.
SPECIAL OFFER: visit our website (https://nygallerytours.com) to request a DISCOUNT ticket link for $8-off admission! For more info, visit http://www.nygallerytours.com or call 917-250-0052.

Art New York (5/2-5/5)
Get inspired at an art fair
at Pier 92/94 / 12-8PM, $25 one-day ticket; $55 multi-day ticket
“An important exhibition facility for the arts that annually attracts over 150,000 collectors. Art New York will offer both noteworthy and fresh works by important artists from the modern, post-war, and pop eras, and feature paintings, photography, prints, drawings, design, and sculpture.” (cityguideny.com)

“Whether you’re most moved by paintings, photography, prints, drawings, or sculptures, contemporary, modern, post-war, or pop art, you’ll find something that speaks to you at Art New York. The fair features nearly 300 artists from 18 countries, displaying both up-and-coming talent and the biggest of the big names (read: Shepard Fairey, Dali, Matisse, Picasso, and Warhol).” (thrillist)

Not as convenient as Art New York, but worth a look:

Frieze New York (May 2- 5)
Randalls Island Park, Randall’s Island / 11AM, $27+
“Plan to spend some serious time immersing yourself in imaginative projects from 200 international galleries, both indoors and out, at Randall’s Island Park. This year, some of the art fest’s works are displayed off-site and even virtually. Frieze has teamed up with real estate company Tishman Speyer for a free public sculpture park at Rockefeller Center that presents 20 statues crafted by 14 far-reaching artists. Plus, Acute Art’s Daniel Birnbaum curates an exhibition dedicated to virtual-reality in which tech-loving aesthetes can view works in an immersive booth. If you can’t make it to the island, you can still experience the fest: Five hundred VR headsets are free to use at the aforementioned sculpture park, the Standard High Line and the Standard East Village.” (TONY)

=======================================================

Continuing Events

Tribeca Film Festival (Last Weekend)

“Robert De Niro and Co.’s Tribeca Film Festival has long shown a spotlight on local indie features, documentaries, foreign films, the latest from big-name talent and the greatest from up-and-coming filmmakers.

TimeOutNY has got your complete one-stop-shopping guide to Tribeca Film Festival: their personal must-see picks, movie screenings, ticket info, a list of nearby bars and restaurants and much more.”

See Also:
IndieWire – Tribeca 2019: 12 Must-See Films at This Year’s Festival, From Danny Boyle to a Wild ‘Showgirls’ Doc.
CBS News – 15 highlights at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC.
vulture.com (NYMag) – Tribeca Film Festival What to see at the independent film fest.

——————————————————————————————–

STREB (weekends through May 12)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/2-4, 5/7-8 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
5/4 Son Volt, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/5 Al Green, The Apollo Theater
5/5 Vampire Weekend, Webster Hall
5/6 Bjork’s Cornucopia, The Shed
5/6-7 Nickel Creek, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/7 Delta Rae, Sony Hall
5/7-8 Imogen Heap, Town Hall
5/8 Dandy Warhols, Brooklyn Steel

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
===============================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art

“The Value of Good Design” (through June 15)

“The simple flask of the Chemex coffeemaker, the austere fan of aluminum tines on a garden rake, and the airtight allure of first-generation Tupperware exemplify the democratic promise of the Good Design movement in this edifying survey, which highlights (although not exclusively) the museum’s role in its history. Also on view—and among the winners of MOMA’s first design competition, held in 1940-41—is a molded plywood chair by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen; it’s a classic design, but, owing to technological limitations in its day, it wasn’t mass-produced until 2006. Starting in 1938, MOMA mounted an annual exhibition called “Useful Objects,” which championed the inexpensive and doubled as recommendations for holiday gifts. No item had a value of more than five dollars the first year; a decade later, the limit was a hundred dollars. By the fifties, the museum had established partnerships with national retailers for the exhibited products, from textiles to appliances, and, in the eighties, it opened its own design store. In the current show, the most compelling items are the everyday gems: Timo Sarpaneva’s cast-iron and teak casserole, from 1959; the original Slinky, from 1945; and a collapsible wire basket, from 1953, as graceful as a Ruth Asawa sculpture.” (

“Joan Miró”  (through June 15)

“This enchanting show draws on the museum’s immense holdings of Miró’s work, along with a few loans. Its star attraction is “The Birth of the World,” painted in 1925, while the artist was under the spell of the Surrealist circle of André Breton. It presents drifting pictographic elements—a black triangle, a red disk, a white disk, an odd black hook shape, and some skittery lines—on an amorphous ground of thinned grayish paint that soaks here and there into the unevenly primed canvas. It’s large—more than eight feet high by more than six feet wide—but feels larger: cosmic. There had never been anything quite like it in painting, and it stood far apart from the formally conservative, lurid fantasizing of the other Surrealist painters. Today, we are ever less apt to base valuations on precedence—who did what first. Art of the past seems not so much a parade as a convocation, subject to case-by-case assessments. Never unsettling in the ways of, say, Matisse or, for heaven’s sake, Picasso, Miró is a modernist for everybody. He earns and will keep his place in our hearts.” (

American Museum of Natural History

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’  (through Aug. 9, 2020).
“Everyone’s favorite 18,000-pound prehistoric killer gets the star treatment in this eye-opening exhibition, which presents the latest scientific research on T. rex and also introduces many other tyrannosaurs, some discovered only this century in China and Mongolia. T. rex evolved mainly during the Cretaceous Period to have keen eyes, spindly arms and massive conical teeth, which could bear down on prey with the force of a U-Haul truck; the dinosaur could even swallow whole bones, as affirmed here by a kid-friendly display of fossilized excrement. The show mixes 66-million-year-old teeth with the latest 3-D prints of dino bones, and also presents new models of T. rex as a baby, a juvenile and a full-grown annihilator. Turns out this most savage beast was covered with — believe it! — a soft coat of beige or white feathers.” (Farago-NYT)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Posts in right Sidebar dated 05/02 and 04/30.

=====================================================
Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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m

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events, “Only the Best” (05/03) + Today’s Featured Pub (Tribeca)

Posted on 05/03/2019 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ MAY 03, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

‘DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES’ (next May 8, 7:30 p.m)
at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $154+
“The Met often sneaks in one of the most interesting prospects of the year right at the end of its season, and these three performances, reprising a 2013 run, certainly qualify as that. Its music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, leads John Dexter’s 1977 production of Poulenc’s masterwork with a cast that includes Isabel Leonard as Blanche, Karita Mattila as the Prioress and Adrianne Pieczonka as Madame Lidoine.” (NYT-David Allen)

“Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the classic John Dexter production of Poulenc’s devastating story of faith and martyrdom. Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard sings the touching role of Blanche and soprano Karita Mattila, a legend in her own time, returns to the Met as the Prioress.”

=========================================================

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> CONVERSATIONS WITH MERCE
>> Gilad Hekselman
>> Art New York
>> Frieze New York
>> Harlem Whiskey Renaissance
>> Reckless: Henry Kissinger and the Tragedy of Vietnam

Continuing Events
>> Tribeca Film Festival
>> STREB

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/2-3 Deer Tick, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/2-4, 5/7-8 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
5/3 Santigold, Hammerstein Ballroom
5/4 Son Volt, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/5 Al Green, The Apollo Theater
5/5 Vampire Weekend, Webster Hall
5/6 Bjork’s Cornucopia, The Shed
5/6-7 Nickel Creek, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/7 Delta Rae, Sony Hall
5/7-8 Imogen Heap, Town Hall
5/8 Dandy Warhols, Brooklyn Steel

==================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

CONVERSATIONS WITH MERCE (May 3-4)
at N.Y.U. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts / 7:30 p.m.; $25
“The Merce Cunningham Centennial festivities continue with three new works celebrating the choreographer’s legacy. This presentation, curated by Rashaun Mitchell, a former company member and a trustee with the Merce Cunningham Trust, explores the theoretical, practical and experiential approaches to Cunningham’s work. Three respected choreographers take part: Moriah Evans, Mina Nishimura and Netta Yerushalmy. In their responses to his lineage, they focus on conceptual, formal and personal connections with the choreographer. In addition to the commissioned works, Cunningham solos will be performed by Shayla-Vie Jenkins and Keith Sabado.” (NYT)

more coming soon

Gilad Hekselman (April 30-May 5)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S. / 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“If the previous generation of jazz guitarists, flourishing in the wake of seventies fusion, were open to incorporating the extravagant sonics of avant rock and R. & B., the six-string maestros of today—among them, Gilad Hekselman—positively throw bear hugs around transformative contemporary textures. Here, Hekselman, an entrancing stylist who cleverly employs a small arsenal of pedals and effects, is joined by an ensemble that includes the outstanding saxophonist Mark Turner.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Art New York (5/2-5/5)
Get inspired at an art fair
at Pier 92/94 / 12-8PM, $25 one-day ticket; $55 multi-day ticket
“An important exhibition facility for the arts that annually attracts over 150,000 collectors. Art New York will offer both noteworthy and fresh works by important artists from the modern, post-war, and pop eras, and feature paintings, photography, prints, drawings, design, and sculpture.” (cityguideny.com)

“Whether you’re most moved by paintings, photography, prints, drawings, or sculptures, contemporary, modern, post-war, or pop art, you’ll find something that speaks to you at Art New York. The fair features nearly 300 artists from 18 countries, displaying both up-and-coming talent and the biggest of the big names (read: Shepard Fairey, Dali, Matisse, Picasso, and Warhol).” (thrillist)

Not as convenient as Art New York, but worth a look:

Frieze New York (May 2- 5)
Randalls Island Park, Randall’s Island / 11AM, $27+
“Plan to spend some serious time immersing yourself in imaginative projects from 200 international galleries, both indoors and out, at Randall’s Island Park. This year, some of the art fest’s works are displayed off-site and even virtually. Frieze has teamed up with real estate company Tishman Speyer for a free public sculpture park at Rockefeller Center that presents 20 statues crafted by 14 far-reaching artists. Plus, Acute Art’s Daniel Birnbaum curates an exhibition dedicated to virtual-reality in which tech-loving aesthetes can view works in an immersive booth. If you can’t make it to the island, you can still experience the fest: Five hundred VR headsets are free to use at the aforementioned sculpture park, the Standard High Line and the Standard East Village.” (TONY)

Harlem Whiskey Renaissance
Take a trip to the Jazz Age
Museum of the City of New York / 6-10PM, $125-175
“Hark back to Harlem’s early 20th-century boom at the Harlem Whiskey Renaissance. The fourth annual event toasts to the neighborhood’s past at the Museum of the City of New York with live entertainment, food, and a whole lot of whiskey. Learn the history of spirits while you sip and enjoy jazzy tunes from musicians like Dandy Wellington.” (thrillist)

Reckless: Henry Kissinger and the Tragedy of Vietnam
Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmens’ Club, 283 Lexington Ave./ 7PM, FREE
“The New York Military Affairs Symposium hosts author Robert K. Brigham, whose recent book draws on new scholarship to illuminate Henry Kissinger‘s four-year delay of the end of the Vietnam War (without any shift in the terms of the truce that ended the conflict.)” (ThoughtGallery)

=======================================================

Continuing Events

Tribeca Film Festival (April 24 to May 5)

“Robert De Niro and Co.’s Tribeca Film Festival has long shown a spotlight on local indie features, documentaries, foreign films, the latest from big-name talent and the greatest from up-and-coming filmmakers.

TimeOutNY has got your complete one-stop-shopping guide to Tribeca Film Festival: their personal must-see picks, movie screenings, ticket info, a list of nearby bars and restaurants and much more.”

See Also:
IndieWire – Tribeca 2019: 12 Must-See Films at This Year’s Festival, From Danny Boyle to a Wild ‘Showgirls’ Doc.
CBS News – 15 highlights at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC.
vulture.com (NYMag) – Tribeca Film Festival What to see at the independent film fest.

——————————————————————————————–

STREB (weekends through May 12)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

===========================================================
Bonus NYC events– Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

================================================================================

A PremierPub / Tribeca

B-Flat / 277 Church St. (btw Franklin/White St)

b_flat4There are some places that are tough to find, then add a layer of mystery when you do find them. B-Flat has a nondescript, almost unmarked door at street level – today’s speakeasy vibe. Open this door and you face a dimly lit stairway down to their basement location. It almost takes a leap of faith to follow the stairs down to their interior door.
But open that door and a pleasant surprise awaits you.

It’s a basement jazz spot all right, but not like any traditional jazz joint you may have been to before. This place looks as fresh as today, probably because it’s only been open for 6 years. Even though it hasn’t had a chance to age gracefully, the cherry wood accents and low lighting make this small space very inviting.

There is always jazz, often progressive jazz, playing over their very discrete, stylish bose speakers, setting just the right tone as you find a seat at the bar, or one of the small tables. There is wine and beer available, but this place has some expert mixologists making some very creative cocktails, which I’m told change seasonally, a nice touch.

Come at happy hour and tasty cocktails like the el Diablo or the lychee martini are $8 – not bad. I am a sucker for any drink made with lychee and how can you not try a tequila drink named el Diablo. There is also nice selection of small bites available at happy hour and a food menu that is as innovative as the cocktail menu, so this does not have to be a happy hour only stop.

It wasn’t surprising to find a tasty prosciutto and arugula salad with yuzu dressing, but I did not expect to find such a good version of fried chicken breast on the apps menu. Here it’s called “Tatsuta.” Best bet is to sample happy hour, then dinner on a Monday or Wednesday night, when you can finish with no cover live jazz that starts around 8.

This place is tough to find (look for a small slate sandwich board on the sidewalk out front advertising happy hour) and on some nights when there is no live music it may be a little too quiet for some. But I think it’s worth searching out if you want a place with good music, food, and especially drinks, away from the maddening crowd.

Website: http://http://www.bflat.info/index.html
Phone #: 212-219-2970
Hours: Mo-Wed 5pm-2am; Th-Sat 5pm-3am; no Sun
Happy Hour: 5-7pm every day; $8 cocktails + special prices on apps
Music: Mon/Wed 8pm
Subway: #1 to Franklin; walk E 1 blk to Church; N 1 blk to bFlat

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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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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/02) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 05/02/2019 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ MAY 02, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “May NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

The Ring Cycle (Apr.29-May 11)
Tonight; Wagner’s Siegfried
Metropolitan Opera House (at Lincoln Center) / 6PM, $50+
“Wagner’s epic Ring cycle continues. The hero Siegfried, orphaned at birth, learns his true identity and fulfills his destiny to become Brünnhilde’s savior and lover. Tenor Andreas Schager sings the title role, with Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde and Michael Volle as the enigmatic Wanderer. Philippe Jordan conducts.”

“Wagner’s operatic tetralogy returns to the Met for the first time in six seasons. Show up to witness one of opera’s grandest works—and Robert Lepage’s equally grand production, which features a 45-ton mechanical set.” (TONY)

If tonight becomes a tough ticket – try one of the other performances, or the secondary market. Do whatever you have to do –  this is “The Ring” and it may be six years before you can experience this again.

=========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Gilad Hekselman
>> Minguet Quartet
>> Eli “Paperboy” Reed’
>> Bruce Forman Trio
>> Open Rehearsal – New York Philharmonic
>> Frieze New York

Continuing Events
>> Tribeca Film Festival
>> STREB

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/2-3 Deer Tick, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/2 Band Of Skulls, Mercury Lounge
5/2-4, 5/7-8 Morrissey, Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
5/3 Santigold, Hammerstein Ballroom
5/4 Son Volt, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/5 Al Green, The Apollo Theater
5/5 Vampire Weekend, Webster Hall
5/6 Bjork’s Cornucopia, The Shed
5/6-7 Nickel Creek, Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/7 Delta Rae, Sony Hall
5/7-8 Imogen Heap, Town Hall
5/8 Dandy Warhols, Brooklyn Steel

==================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Gilad Hekselman (April 30-May 5)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S. / 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“If the previous generation of jazz guitarists, flourishing in the wake of seventies fusion, were open to incorporating the extravagant sonics of avant rock and R. & B., the six-string maestros of today—among them, Gilad Hekselman—positively throw bear hugs around transformative contemporary textures. Here, Hekselman, an entrancing stylist who cleverly employs a small arsenal of pedals and effects, is joined by an ensemble that includes the outstanding saxophonist Mark Turner.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Minguet Quartet
Rubenstein Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“At this hour-long, free performance, the Germany-based Minguet Quartet invites you to explore its “multidimensional, sparkling sound world” (Classic.com) through Beethoven’s epic final string quartet and an arrangement of Mahler’s devastating song “I am Lost to the World.”

The Program
Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131iTunes
Mahler (arr. Reisinger): Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen
“Virtuosity and passion.” – Washington Post

Eli “Paperboy” Reed’
Le Poisson Rouge / 8PM, $18
“Soul revivalist Eli “Paperboy” Reed is releasing his new album 99 Cent Dreams on April 12 via Yep Roc (tickets), and though the title track has a rapped verse by Big Daddy Kane, the album is otherwise rooted in the same kind of ’60s/’70s soul that Eli has been paying homage to for the past 15 years. He recorded it with producer Matt Ross-Spang (Margo Price, Jason Isbell, Lucero) at the old Sun Records stomping grounds of Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, and the album features backing vocals by Memphis veterans The Masqueraders.” (brooklyn vegan)

Bruce Forman Trio
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $40
“Dizzy’s Club recently presented guitarist Bruce Forman in his first New York City appearance in over 20 years, and we couldn’t wait to have him back. Forman is a master of jazz guitar fundamentals who honed his skills with the likes of Ray Brown, Freddie Hubbard, and Joe Henderson before embarking on a decades-long career as a leader. He’s making his New York City return in perfect style, with a trio gig featuring two of the city’s top musicians. Stop by Dizzy’s to enjoy the exquisite sound of a straight-ahead jazz and bop expert on a classic hollow-body guitar.”

Open Rehearsal – New York Philharmonic
David Geffen Hall / 9:45AM, $22
“All Open Rehearsals are “working” rehearsals and therefore the program may not be played in its entirety. Additionally, we cannot guarantee the appearance of any soloist at an Open Rehearsal.

Experience this Open Rehearsal free of charge, and from the best seats! Become a member today and get up to 10 free tickets to other select Open Rehearsals, access to priority seating, and complimentary refreshments. Learn more about member benefits.”

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Frieze New York (May 2- 5)
Randalls Island Park, Randall’s Island / 11AM, $27+
“Plan to spend some serious time immersing yourself in imaginative projects from 200 international galleries, both indoors and out, at Randall’s Island Park. This year, some of the art fest’s works are displayed off-site and even virtually. Frieze has teamed up with real estate company Tishman Speyer for a free public sculpture park at Rockefeller Center that presents 20 statues crafted by 14 far-reaching artists. Plus, Acute Art’s Daniel Birnbaum curates an exhibition dedicated to virtual-reality in which tech-loving aesthetes can view works in an immersive booth. If you can’t make it to the island, you can still experience the fest: Five hundred VR headsets are free to use at the aforementioned sculpture park, the Standard High Line and the Standard East Village.” (TONY)

=======================================================

Continuing Events

Tribeca Film Festival (April 24 to May 5)

“Robert De Niro and Co.’s Tribeca Film Festival has long shown a spotlight on local indie features, documentaries, foreign films, the latest from big-name talent and the greatest from up-and-coming filmmakers.

TimeOutNY has got your complete one-stop-shopping guide to Tribeca Film Festival: their personal must-see picks, movie screenings, ticket info, a list of nearby bars and restaurants and much more.”

See Also:
IndieWire – Tribeca 2019: 12 Must-See Films at This Year’s Festival, From Danny Boyle to a Wild ‘Showgirls’ Doc.
CBS News – 15 highlights at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC.
vulture.com (NYMag) – Tribeca Film Festival What to see at the independent film fest.

——————————————————————————————–

STREB (weekends through May 12)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

=====================================================

Bonus NYC Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
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 discovery and enjoyment.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
===========================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

================================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

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.

Here are two exhibitions the New Yorker likes:

And from New York Magazine:

Nadav Kander (thru May 25)
A dark line.
“Known for his landscapes, the British photographer’s latest work brings the viewer to a particular point in the U.K.: the Thames Estuary, where the river meets the North Sea. The results are visually arresting and somewhat haunting.” (NYMag)
Flowers Gallery, 529 West 20th Street.

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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.

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but better to plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm). OR try this NYT recommendation: “When you’re done, adjourn to the newly renovated Bottino , the Chelsea art world’s unofficial canteen on 10th Avenue (btw 24/25 St.) “

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 04/30 and 04/28.

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (05/01) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper West Side)

Posted on 05/01/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ MAY 01, 2019

“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.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “MAY NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

MARIZA
at the Town Hall / 8 p.m.; $71+
“Since right around the turn of the millennium, Mariza has carried the lineage of fado — a Portuguese tradition centered on songs of heartache and lament — into the present day, drawing upon the deep sensitivity and raw, cinematic power of her voice. Born in Mozambique, she moved to Lisbon as a girl and learned fado at the knee of the music’s elders. Here she will perform pieces from her acclaimed, self-titled 2018 album.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Nina Sky
>> Rigoletto
>> Willerm Delisfort Project
>> ADELINE
>> KARRIEM RIGGINS
>> NEW YORK CITY BALLET
>> Why Dinosaurs Matter
>> Midnight Society: The Science of Scary Stories
Continuing Events
>> Tribeca Film Festival
>> STREB

COMING SOON (WFUV)
5/01 Joan Baez, Beacon Theatre

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

Nina Sky
Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St./ 9PM, $20+
“Nicole and Natalie Albino, the Puerto Rican twins together known as Nina Sky, monopolized the airwaves in the early two-thousands with two touchstones of the era: “Move Ya Body,” a sun-drenched single that unspooled over a bouncy “Coolie Dance” riddim, and N.O.R.E.’s “Oye Mi Canto,” which featured the duo’s infectious “whoa-a-a” chorus. Both hits gave reggaetón a hefty mainstream boost; as today’s Latin urban music strikes a chord across the globe, the sisters celebrate a sound that has proved its staying power.” (Julyssa Lopez, NewYorker)

Rigoletto (next May 4, 11AM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $30+
“Verdi’s tragic jester returns in Michael Mayer’s neon-bedecked, Las Vegas–themed production. Tenors Matthew Polenzani and Stephen Costello share the role of the libertine Duke, with baritone George Gagnidze in the title role of Verdi’s stirring tragedy. Soprano Rosa Feola makes her Met debut as the demure Gilda, and Nicola Luisotti conducts.”

Willerm Delisfort Project
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $30
“Pianist, organist, and composer Willerm Delisfort is a versatile musician and a go-to bandmate across jazz, gospel, R&B, hip hop, soul, and all sorts of fusions. In addition to leading the Willerm Delisfort Project, Delisfort’s stylistic breadth has led him to work with artists such as Fareed Haque, T-Pain, Lauryn Hill, Kirk Whalum, Louis Bellson, Lew Soloff, Calvin Newborne, Corey Wilkes, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Heath, David Sanchez, Jennifer Holiday, George Freeman, Red Holloway, and many more. His band tonight features a group of similarly openminded musicians: Alexa Barchini, Philip Dizack, Brent Birckhead, Luke Carlos O’Reilly, Jonathan Michel, Jonathan Barber, and Cedric Easton. Enjoy new arrangements of modern standards and a vast array of original repertoire with the Willerm Delisfort Project.”

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
ADELINE
at C’mon Everybody, 325 Franklin Ave. / 8 p.m.; $15
“As the frontwoman of the Brooklyn band Escort, this Parisian-born singer lent her sultry vocals to slick nu-disco tracks. Now performing solo, she remains committed to her 1970s influences, as seen on the self-titled debut album she put out in November. After playing her record release show at this bar in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Adeline returns for the first of four Wednesday-night concerts, over the course of which she will feature guest artists like the funk group IGBO and the electronic duo Life on Planets.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)
G train: Classon Ave. , 1 blk E to Franklin

KARRIEM RIGGINS (April 30-May 1)
at the Blue Note / 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $15-$25
“Riggins, a drummer and producer, has dual citizenship in the worlds of straight-ahead jazz (he has been a sideman for Mulgrew Miller and Diana Krall, among others) and left-wing hip-hop. His two albums, 2012’s “Alone Together” and last year’s “Headnod Suite,” attest to the strong influence of J. Dilla — the game-changing rap producer who mentored Riggins — but have a heavy swing vibe reflective of Riggins’s drumming. He recently served as one-third of the crossover supergroup August Greene, which also features the keyboardist Robert Glasper and the rapper Common. Here he presents a band of his own, one likely to toggle between hip-hop, dub reggae and jazz.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

NEW YORK CITY BALLET   (through June 2).
at the NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $35+
“City Ballet begins its spring season with work by living choreographers. A program appearing in two parts, “21st Century Choreographers” includes dances by William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, Matthew Neenan, Gianna Reisen and Justin Peck, the company’s resident choreographer and artistic adviser. For the Spring Gala, on Thursday, Peck introduces a new piece, as does the shrewd and much-in-demand contemporary choreographer Pam Tanowitz — her first for City Ballet. Their works are paired with a Balanchine classic, and those looking for more of him can check out “All Balanchine” on Tuesday.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

The American Museum of Natural History Presents: SciCafe: Why Dinosaurs Matter
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St./ 7PM, FREE
Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe, Enter at 81st Street entrance
“Is a penguin a dinosaur? Are the tiny arms of T. rex the key to its power and ferocity? What can long-dead dinosaurs teach us about our future? Plenty, according to paleontologist Diego Pol, who has discovered some of the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth, including The Titanosaur. Pol weaves together stories of our planet’s geological history, exploring the meaning of fossils and our own place on the vast and bountiful tree of life.”

Midnight Society: The Science of Scary Stories
Caveat, 21 Clinton St./ 9PM, $20
“Was it Aliens… or Hypnosis, Ghosts… or Hallucination, Demons… or Delusion? Our storytellers dive in to the scary stories that have haunted us for generations, and the psychology behind them. We explore the unexplained and find that the reasons we invent supernatural stories are often more terrifying than the stories themselves.
This Month: Ghosts of NYC
Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You.”

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Continuing Events

Tribeca Film Festival (April 24 to May 5)

“Robert De Niro and Co.’s Tribeca Film Festival has long shown a spotlight on local indie features, documentaries, foreign films, the latest from big-name talent and the greatest from up-and-coming filmmakers.

TimeOutNY has got your complete one-stop-shopping guide to Tribeca Film Festival: their personal must-see picks, movie screenings, ticket info, a list of nearby bars and restaurants and much more.”

See Also:
IndieWire – Tribeca 2019: 12 Must-See Films at This Year’s Festival, From Danny Boyle to a Wild ‘Showgirls’ Doc.
CBS News – 15 highlights at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC.
vulture.com (NYMag) – Tribeca Film Festival What to see at the independent film fest.

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STREB (weekends through May 12)
Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, 51 N. 1st St., Bklyn. / Sat.5PM, Sun.3PM; $25
“The shows that STREB Extreme Action puts on at its Williamsburg headquarters  have a carnival atmosphere, and not just because eating and drinking are encouraged. Will the Action Heroes, as the intrepid dancer-acrobats are styled, collide as they hurl themselves off a trampoline? Will they get whacked by swinging cinder blocks or huge metal contraptions? Probably not, but they want you to cringe. Their newest machine is the Molinette, a giant bar that revolves like the blade of a windmill.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

The Streb performers are absolutely amazing and so worth the detour.
I try to see them every year, can’t get enough.

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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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.

HarlHostStandNo 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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