NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/25) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square / Theater District)

Posted on 07/25/2018 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ JULY 25, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

NINAGAWA Macbeth (LAST DAY)
Mostly Mozart Festival
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30, $35+
“The 1980 premiere of Yukio Ninagawa’s “legendarily beautiful” Japanese-language production of Macbeth (Independent, U.K.) was a watershed moment in global theater. Transposing Shakespeare’s tragedy from medieval Scotland to feudal Japan, Ninagawa created a breathtaking world filled with samurai, kabuki witches, a highly expressive cherry tree, and a moving musical score of Buddhist chant and western classical music. This revival, the last production overseen by Ninagawa before his death in 2016, transforms the Bard’s brutal tale of greed, ambition, and revenge into a poetic meditation on the ephemeral nature of existence.”
“Achingly beautiful.” – Guardian

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> RAPHAEL SAADIQ
>> STANLEY COWELL QUINTET
>> COURTNEY BARNETT
>> Marilyn Maye
>> DIZZY GILLESPIE ALL-STAR BIG BAND
>> Fred Hersch Trio
Continuing Events
>> NYC Restaurant Week 
>> Twelfth Night
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

RAPHAEL SAADIQ
at Damrosch Park (July 25, 7:30 p.m.).
“The common musical DNA that runs through Solange’s 2016 album, “A Seat at the Table”; the soundtrack to HBO’s “Insecure”; and D’Angelo’s 2000 single “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” can be attributed to Mr. Saadiq. He has been an integral contributor to R&B since the 1980s, when he got his start touring in Sheila E.’s band. Though he has recently pursued behind-the-scenes songwriting and production work, Mr. Saadiq has a rich catalog of his own from both his days as a member of Tony! Toni! Toné! and his work as a solo artist. This free show, which is part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival, is a stop on his first headlining tour since 2012.” (NYT-NATALIE WEINER)

STANLEY COWELL QUINTET (July 24-25)
at Dizzy’s Club / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $35
“Mr. Cowell, a pianist, has always integrated the hot-blooded angularity of post-bop — think Andrew Hill and McCoy Tyner — with a sense of erudition and narrative clarity. A composer and organizer as well as a distinctive instrumentalist, he co-founded the Strata-East label in the early 1970s, releasing some of the most ardent improvised music of that era; played alongside the likes of Bobby Hutcherson and the Heath Brothers in the 1960s and ’70s; and always maintained an ambitious practice as a composer. (In 2015, he released the impressive “Juneteenth” suite.) At Dizzy’s, Mr. Cowell, now 77, will perform selections from across his five-decade career with the saxophonist and flutist Bruce Williams, the trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, the bassist Tom DiCarlo and the drummer Vince Ector.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
COURTNEY BARNETT
at the Prospect Park Bandshell / 7 p.m., $45
In the course of just two albums, this Australian singer-songwriter has become one of the most acclaimed voices in indie rock. Her plain-spoken, self-effacing portraits of modern life are pleasantly distorted but never so messy that the lyrics get lost in the fray. Instead, Ms. Barnett’s tightly arranged songs are just grungy enough to sound nonchalant — even as she sings “Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence,” for example, off her new album, “Tell Me How You Really Feel.” Opening are Julien Baker and Vagabon, both of whom are also critical favorites.” (NYT-NATALIE WEINER)

Fred Hersch Trio (July 24-29)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
The pianist Fred Hersch generally forms deep connections with his rhythm mates, who, since 2009, have been John Hebert, on bass, and Eric McPherson, on drums­­—an assured, near-telepathic team. The splendid results of this artistic union recently arrived in the form of the album “Live in Europe,” which stands as a testament to Hersch’s commanding stature as an improviser and bandleader.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Marilyn Maye (July 25-28)
Birdland / 7PM, $40-$50
“The Birdland Theater is proud to announce that legendary, Grammy-nominated songstress Marilyn Maye will be headlining in the brand new performance space for two weeks. Ms. Maye will be accompanied by the Tedd Firth Trio from July 24 – 28, and the Billy Stritch Trio from July 31 – August 4, with shows at 7pm each night.

Marvelous Ms. Maye, who just celebrated her 90th birthday with a string of concerts and a featured interview on CBS Sunday Morning, has been crisscrossing the country playing hundreds of clubs, concert halls and joints for over seven decades.”

DIZZY GILLESPIE ALL-STAR BIG BAND (July 24-29)
at the Blue Note / 8 and 10:30 p.m., $30-$45
“Gillespie is known for helping to establish two important idioms that aren’t always associated with large ensembles — bebop and Latin jazz — but he did much of his most impressive work with big bands. In the final chapter of Gillespie’s career, his United Nation Orchestra was his main vehicle: an ecumenical group of improvisers from across the Americas, pushing his compositions into fresh terrain. After he died in 1993, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band sprang up to carry the torch. Today, that group includes such major figures as the vocalist Roberta Gambarini and the pianist Cyrus Chestnut.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

More Smart Stuff events coming soon.

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

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week  (July 23-August 17)
“The summer edition of NYC Restaurant Week has arrived. You can make reservations now for deals at 386 participating restaurants through August 17th. How can a ravenous New Yorker whittle down the choices? Depends on what you like. Among this year’s offerings are nearly a hundred American Traditional spots, followed by 86 Italian restaurants, dozens of steakhouses and French bistros and brasseries, nearly as many Mexican joints, a smattering of Chinese, Greek, Indian, seafood, soul food, vegetarian, and Vietnamese options, and two places with the nerve to identify as “eclectic.”

Weekday lunch specials are down a few dollars and a few calories. Twenty-six bucks now buys a two-course midday meal — nobody has time for dessert on a work day, anyway. Three-course dinners still run $42. These four weeks in the throes of summer are like a culinary leap year — free celestial time to be bold, take a risk and try something new. Realistically though, you’ve maybe got the time and money to try, what, like five of these places? And remember the bi-annual NYC Restaurant Week refrain: tax, tip, and drinks not included.’ (Thrillist)
Here are the best of the best.

Twelfth Night (July 17 – August 19)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“This musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy began in 2016 as a one-weekend run under the auspices of the Public’s civically ambitious Public Works program, which collaborates with NYC communities to create large-scale theater. Director Kwame Kwei-Armah is joined by Public honcho Oskar Eustis to helm the production’s return engagement; Shuler Hensley and  Ato Blankson-Wood joins original cast members Nikki M. James, Andrew Kober and Shaina Taub—who also wrote the songs—alongside less seasoned actors and local residents.” (TONY)

*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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:
(5 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)
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319 (6pm)

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)

Special Mention:
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 surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s 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.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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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 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 great 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

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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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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/24) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 07/24/2018 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ JULY 24, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

DIZZY GILLESPIE ALL-STAR BIG BAND (July 24-29)
at the Blue Note / 8 and 10:30 p.m., $30-$45
“Gillespie is known for helping to establish two important idioms that aren’t always associated with large ensembles — bebop and Latin jazz — but he did much of his most impressive work with big bands. In the final chapter of Gillespie’s career, his United Nation Orchestra was his main vehicle: an ecumenical group of improvisers from across the Americas, pushing his compositions into fresh terrain. After he died in 1993, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band sprang up to carry the torch. Today, that group includes such major figures as the vocalist Roberta Gambarini and the pianist Cyrus Chestnut.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

=========================================================
5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> STANLEY COWELL QUINTET
>> Nightcap by Ike
>> RZA: LIVE FROM ‘THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN’
>> Fred Hersch Trio
Continuing Events
>> NYC Restaurant Week  
>> Dance on Camera Festival
>> Twelfth Night
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Birdland / 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 off their talents. Among the 10 guests at the July 24 edition are Julie Halston, Natalie Douglas, Gaelen Gilliland, Celisse Henderson and Siren.” (TONY)

STANLEY COWELL QUINTET (July 24-25)
at Dizzy’s Club / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $35
“Mr. Cowell, a pianist, has always integrated the hot-blooded angularity of post-bop — think Andrew Hill and McCoy Tyner — with a sense of erudition and narrative clarity. A composer and organizer as well as a distinctive instrumentalist, he co-founded the Strata-East label in the early 1970s, releasing some of the most ardent improvised music of that era; played alongside the likes of Bobby Hutcherson and the Heath Brothers in the 1960s and ’70s; and always maintained an ambitious practice as a composer. (In 2015, he released the impressive “Juneteenth” suite.) At Dizzy’s, Mr. Cowell, now 77, will perform selections from across his five-decade career with the saxophonist and flutist Bruce Williams, the trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, the bassist Tom DiCarlo and the drummer Vince Ector.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Nightcap by Ike
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater / 9:30PM, $15
“Stand up and musical dynamo Ikechukwu Ufomadu takes over Joe’s Pub for a night of dry and witty sets, charming songs and special guests. After crushing it at UCB, Ars Nova and Under the Radar Fest, Ike is on a roll, and you don’t want to miss him before he becomes a household name. His droll, murmuring delivery—delivered with a confidence as big as all outdoors—leaves audiences in a haze of laughter.” (TONY)

RZA: LIVE FROM ‘THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN’
at Damrosch Park / 7:30 p.m., FREE
“The relationship between the legendary Staten Island rap group Wu-Tang Clan and classic kung fu films is well documented: The title of “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),” the group’s 1993 debut, alludes to both “Shaolin and Wu Tang” (the source of their name) and “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.” So fittingly, the Wu-Tang rapper and producer RZA will create a live score from beats and instrumentals during a screening of “36th Chamber” for the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival.” (NYT-NATALIE WEINER)

Fred Hersch Trio (July 24-29)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
The pianist Fred Hersch generally forms deep connections with his rhythm mates, who, since 2009, have been John Hebert, on bass, and Eric McPherson, on drums­­—an assured, near-telepathic team. The splendid results of this artistic union recently arrived in the form of the album “Live in Europe,” which stands as a testament to Hersch’s commanding stature as an improviser and bandleader.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

More smart events coming soon.

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

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week  (July 23-August 17)
“The summer edition of NYC Restaurant Week has arrived. You can make reservations now for deals at 386 participating restaurants through August 17th. How can a ravenous New Yorker whittle down the choices? Depends on what you like. Among this year’s offerings are nearly a hundred American Traditional spots, followed by 86 Italian restaurants, dozens of steakhouses and French bistros and brasseries, nearly as many Mexican joints, a smattering of Chinese, Greek, Indian, seafood, soul food, vegetarian, and Vietnamese options, and two places with the nerve to identify as “eclectic.”

Weekday lunch specials are down a few dollars and a few calories. Twenty-six bucks now buys a two-course midday meal — nobody has time for dessert on a work day, anyway. Three-course dinners still run $42. These four weeks in the throes of summer are like a culinary leap year — free celestial time to be bold, take a risk and try something new. Realistically though, you’ve maybe got the time and money to try, what, like five of these places? And remember the bi-annual NYC Restaurant Week refrain: tax, tip, and drinks not included.’ (Thrillist)
Here are the best of the best.

Dance on Camera Festival (LAST DAY)
Film Society of Lincoln Center / Various times and prices
“A co-production of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Dance Films Association, this year’s festival — its namesake’s 46th — offers sixteen programs encompassing ambitious features and quirky shorts from seventeen countries. In addition to the programs at the giant Walter Reade Theater, free screenings and discussions take place in the FSLC’s Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center Amphitheater across the street. Grab an all-access pass, another discount package, or single tickets and enjoy the comfy, commercial-free cinema environs.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

“If you’ve been wondering what happened to the excellent Dance on Camera film festival, which used to take place in the first weeks of January, here’s your answer: it was moved to the slow weeks in the middle of the summer. The forty-sixth edition contains the usual mix of documentaries, artist portraits, film shorts, and performance archives. Highlights and curiosities include never-before-seen footage of Marcel Marceau, a fourteen-minute film of the extraordinary Indian classical dancer Shantala Shivalingappa performing in South India, a meditation on the history of tap by Mark Wilkinson, and three short films devoted to the Danish Romantic-ballet choreographer August Bournonville.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

Twelfth Night (July 17 – August 19)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“This musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy began in 2016 as a one-weekend run under the auspices of the Public’s civically ambitious Public Works program, which collaborates with NYC communities to create large-scale theater. Director Kwame Kwei-Armah is joined by Public honcho Oskar Eustis to helm the production’s return engagement; Shuler Hensley and  Ato Blankson-Wood joins original cast members Nikki M. James, Andrew Kober and Shaina Taub—who also wrote the songs—alongside less seasoned actors and local residents.” (TONY)

*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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,

Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening 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 you may like:

Dime-Store Alchemy (Through Aug. 17)
“Drawing inspiration from the boxes of Joseph Cornell, this group show gathers artworks that array ordinary objects within cabinets or other types of containers. The theme is simple, but applied liberally and intelligently by the curator Jonathan Rider, it brims with reminders of the feats of transmutation that artists can perform.” (NYT-JILLIAN STEINHAUER)  Flag Art Foundation, 545 West 25th St.

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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 07/22 and 07/20.

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

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/23) + Today’s Featured Pub (Tribeca)

Posted on 07/23/2018 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > MONDAY/ JULY 23, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30Pm +10:30PM, $35
world class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition.” (NYT)

=========================================================
5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> The Descendants: An African Sextet in New York
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> Dyllón Burnside: Up Close and Personal
>> Nell Painter and Vivian Gornick in Conversation
>> Medieval Sex and Death
Continuing Events
>> NYC Restaurant Week  
>> Dance on Camera Festival
>> Twelfth Night
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Descendants: An African Sextet in New York
Nelson Mandela Centennial Celebration
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
With vocalist Melanie Scholtz, trumpeter Lesedi Ntsane, tenor saxophonist Yacine Boulares, pianist Aaron Rimbui, bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell, and drummer Kesivan Naidoo.

“Nelson Mandela’s lifelong battle for freedom in South Africa had a secret weapon: music.”

The Descendants: An African Sextet in New York uplifts Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in celebration of the Nelson Mandela Centennial. The Jazz Afrika Sextet is a collective of versatile young musicians, two of whom are now based in New York, with the rest joining us from Africa. Their performance will showcase the rich history of South African jazz and folksong that has touched listeners all over the world. More than just great music, these musical traditions were significant catalysts for Mandela’s freedom and the end of Apartheid, capturing the world’s attention and adding international urgency to the cause. Join us at Dizzy’s to enjoy this unifying and irresistible music and celebrate the life, lessons, and leadership of Nelson Mandela.”

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)

Dyllón Burnside: Up Close and Personal
The Cutting Room / 7:30PM, $50
“Burnside is a singer as well as an actor, and appeared on Broadway as the baby-faced Anthony in the short-lived 2014 Tupac Shakur musical Holler If Ya Hear Me. On July 23, you’ll have chance to get to know him even better at the Cutting Room, where he will perform Up Close and Personal, a charity concert to celebrate the season finale of Pose (which has been renewed for a second season)” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Nell Painter and Vivian Gornick in Conversation
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, $12
“Turn fact into fiction at this conversation with historian-turned-artist Nell Painter and writer Vivian Gornick on transforming lived experiences into written narrative.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

Medieval Sex and Death
The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, $45

“Discover the fascinating history of sex, medicine, and reproduction in the Medieval period through an after-hours exploration of the Rare Book Room’s incredible collection.
Inside the privacy of the library, we’ll gather around to explore highlights from the New York Academy of Medicine’s rich collections on medieval medicine. How did medieval men and women avoid the plague? Was it possible to influence the gender of a baby during conception?

Medieval Europe takes shape through a varied manuscript tradition and early modern print culture as a glittering, volatile period, where plague and disease reminded individuals of their mortality, and the mysteries of conception and birth were mysterious and opaque. During this visit to the rare book room, we’ll dive into this spirited time by exploring the woodcuts of Sebastian Brant’s Ship of Fools, the tradition of the Danse Macabre in anatomy, and early medieval attempts to draw and understand reproduction. Born, loved, wounded, and buried, the medieval bodies you’ll encounter in our rare book room afford a glimpse of what it was to be human a thousand years ago.”

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

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week  (July 23-August 17)
“The summer edition of NYC Restaurant Week has arrived. You can make reservations now for deals at 386 participating restaurants through August 17th. How can a ravenous New Yorker whittle down the choices? Depends on what you like. Among this year’s offerings are nearly a hundred American Traditional spots, followed by 86 Italian restaurants, dozens of steakhouses and French bistros and brasseries, nearly as many Mexican joints, a smattering of Chinese, Greek, Indian, seafood, soul food, vegetarian, and Vietnamese options, and two places with the nerve to identify as “eclectic.”

Weekday lunch specials are down a few dollars and a few calories. Twenty-six bucks now buys a two-course midday meal — nobody has time for dessert on a work day, anyway. Three-course dinners still run $42. These four weeks in the throes of summer are like a culinary leap year — free celestial time to be bold, take a risk and try something new. Realistically though, you’ve maybe got the time and money to try, what, like five of these places? And remember the bi-annual NYC Restaurant Week refrain: tax, tip, and drinks not included.’ (Thrillist)
Here are the best of the best.

Dance on Camera Festival (July 20-24)
Film Society of Lincoln Center / Various times and prices
“A co-production of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Dance Films Association, this year’s festival — its namesake’s 46th — offers sixteen programs encompassing ambitious features and quirky shorts from seventeen countries. In addition to the programs at the giant Walter Reade Theater, free screenings and discussions take place in the FSLC’s Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center Amphitheater across the street. Grab an all-access pass, another discount package, or single tickets and enjoy the comfy, commercial-free cinema environs.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

“If you’ve been wondering what happened to the excellent Dance on Camera film festival, which used to take place in the first weeks of January, here’s your answer: it was moved to the slow weeks in the middle of the summer. The forty-sixth edition contains the usual mix of documentaries, artist portraits, film shorts, and performance archives. Highlights and curiosities include never-before-seen footage of Marcel Marceau, a fourteen-minute film of the extraordinary Indian classical dancer Shantala Shivalingappa performing in South India, a meditation on the history of tap by Mark Wilkinson, and three short films devoted to the Danish Romantic-ballet choreographer August Bournonville.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

Twelfth Night (July 17 – August 19)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“This musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy began in 2016 as a one-weekend run under the auspices of the Public’s civically ambitious Public Works program, which collaborates with NYC communities to create large-scale theater. Director Kwame Kwei-Armah is joined by Public honcho Oskar Eustis to helm the production’s return engagement; Shuler Hensley and  Ato Blankson-Wood joins original cast members Nikki M. James, Andrew Kober and Shaina Taub—who also wrote the songs—alongside less seasoned actors and local residents.” (TONY)

*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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: 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.

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

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

==================================================================================
“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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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/22) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 07/22/2018 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ JULY 22, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

‘Summergarden: New Music for New York’ (Sundays through July 29)
Museum of Modern Art (enter through the Sculpture Garden gate on West 54th Street between Fifth and Six avenues), 8PM, FREE
Tonight: Juilliard Concert II: New Music for String Quartet

“The Museum of Modern Art’s annual outdoor presentation of contemporary classical music and jazz returns to the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. Members of the New Juilliard Ensemble, under the direction of Joel Sachs, perform Sunday, July 8, and Sunday, July 22. Jazz groups from Jazz at Lincoln Center perform July 15 (Michael Rodriguez Quintet) and July 29 (Matthew Shipp Trio). (amNY)

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Thumbscrew
>> MUMMENSCHANZ
>> Pat Martino Trio with Horns
>> Eric Reed
>> OZY Fest
>> The Constitution: Enduring Myths and Hidden Truths
Continuing Events
>> Dance on Camera Festival
>> Twelfth Night
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Thumbscrew (July 17-22.)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St. / 8:30 and 10:30 p.m, $35
“Proudly of the moment, the new jazz trio Thumbscrew is also mindful of the tradition that it so diligently messes with. Last month, the band, which features Mary Halvorson, on guitar, Mike Formanek, on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara, on drums, concurrently released “Ours,” a collection of spiky originals, and “Theirs,” which interprets the work of an eclectic array of composers, including the jazz exemplars Wayne Shorter, Stanley Cowell, and Benny Golson.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

MUMMENSCHANZ (July 4-22)
at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College / 7PM, $25-$85
“The famed Swiss theater troupe, founded in 1972, returns to New York with its surreal sensibility — and, of course, plenty of props — to present “You and Me,” a new show created by Floriana Frassetto, one of the group’s founders. Using its usual ingredients of shadow, light, bodies and masks, the group conjures a magical world that is also, handily, good family fare.” (NYT – Gia Kourlas)

Pat Martino Trio with Horns (July 19-22.)
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“Martino’s roots are never far from the surface of his extravagant guitar playing, yet his recent album, “Formidable,” is a particularly unabashed celebration of the bebop-and-blues ethos he honed in his native Philadelphia, in the late fifties. As on the recording, the organ-and-drums base of his earthy trio will be fleshed out by two horn men: Alex Norris, on trumpet, and Adam Niewood, on saxophone.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Eric Reed (July 20-22.)
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, (btw 105th/106th Sts.) /
The integrated dialects of bebop, gospel, and Thelonious Monk weave through the poised playing of the pianist Eric Reed, who counts such sharp-eared judges of talent as Harold Battiste, Jr., and Wynton Marsalis among his early mentors. This thoroughly matured stylist leads a quintet featuring the trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.
(Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

OZY Fest
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park / 12PM-10PM, $79-$134
“It’s not too late to take part in one of the city’s biggest and boldest summer arts festivals with OZYfest hitting Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield this weekend. The concert-conference hybrid brings together cultural icons and influencers to both perform and share ideas, with a lineup that includes Hillary Clinton, Michelle Wolf, Common, Christian Siriano and Roxane Gay. There’s also a food fair to try artisanal treats from eclectic and inventive chefs across NYC.” (Metro)

The Constitution: Enduring Myths and Hidden Truths |
An Intensive Seminar – One Day University
Schafler Forum, 7 West 83rd St,/ 10AM-12:15PM, $95
“Amid the heat of a Philadelphia summer in 1787, the delegates of the Constitutional Convention gathered to save a fledgling republic whose very existence was mired in doubt. Americans had waged a bloody war against their mother country a decade earlier to win their independence. Now, as the delegates debated the contours of a new frame of government, they were all too aware that if they failed, the people might once again take up arms. At this pivotal moment in history, the delegates drafted a Constitution that endures today as the oldest surviving national charter still in effect anywhere in the world.”

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

Continuing Events

Dance on Camera Festival (July 20-24)
Film Society of Lincoln Center / Various times and prices
“A co-production of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Dance Films Association, this year’s festival — its namesake’s 46th — offers sixteen programs encompassing ambitious features and quirky shorts from seventeen countries. In addition to the programs at the giant Walter Reade Theater, free screenings and discussions take place in the FSLC’s Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center Amphitheater across the street. Grab an all-access pass, another discount package, or single tickets and enjoy the comfy, commercial-free cinema environs.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

“If you’ve been wondering what happened to the excellent Dance on Camera film festival, which used to take place in the first weeks of January, here’s your answer: it was moved to the slow weeks in the middle of the summer. The forty-sixth edition contains the usual mix of documentaries, artist portraits, film shorts, and performance archives. Highlights and curiosities include never-before-seen footage of Marcel Marceau, a fourteen-minute film of the extraordinary Indian classical dancer Shantala Shivalingappa performing in South India, a meditation on the history of tap by Mark Wilkinson, and three short films devoted to the Danish Romantic-ballet choreographer August Bournonville.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

Twelfth Night (July 17 – August 19)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“This musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy began in 2016 as a one-weekend run under the auspices of the Public’s civically ambitious Public Works program, which collaborates with NYC communities to create large-scale theater. Director Kwame Kwei-Armah is joined by Public honcho Oskar Eustis to helm the production’s return engagement; Shuler Hensley and  Ato Blankson-Wood joins original cast members Nikki M. James, Andrew Kober and Shaina Taub—who also wrote the songs—alongside less seasoned actors and local residents.” (TONY)

*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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:
(5 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)
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319 (6pm)

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)

Special Mention:
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 surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s 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.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

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)

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 FACE OF DYNASTY: ROYAL CRESTS FROM WESTERN CAMEROON’ (through Sept. 3). “Upstairs, the Michelangelos continue to knock ‘em dead; downstairs, in the African wing, a show of just four commanding wooden crowns constitutes a blockbuster of its own. These massive wooden crests — in the form of stylized human faces with vast vertical brows — served as markers of royal power among the Bamileke peoples of the Cameroonian grasslands, and the Met’s recent acquisition of an 18th-century specimen is joined here by three later examples, each featuring sharply protruding cheeks, broadly smiling mouths, and brows incised with involute geometric patterns. Ritual objects like these were decisive for the development of western modernist painting, and a Cameroonian crest was even shown at MoMA in the 1930s, as a “sculpture” divorced from ethnography. But these crests had legal and diplomatic significance as well as aesthetic appeal, and their anonymous African creators had a political understanding of art not so far from our own.” (Farago)

‘HEAVENLY BODIES: FASHION AND THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION’  (through Oct. 8). “Let us pray. After last year’s stark exhibition of Rei Kawakubo’s irregular apparel, the Met Costume Institute is back in blockbuster mode with this three-part blowout on the influence of Catholicism on haute couture of the last century. The trinity of fashion begins downstairs at the Met with the exceptional loans of vestments from the Vatican; upstairs are gowns fit for angels in heaven (by Lanvin, Thierry Mugler, Rodarte) or angels fallen to earth (such as slinky Versace sheaths garlanded with crosses). The scenography at the Met is willfully operatic — spotlights, choir music — which militates against serious thinking about fashion and religion, but up at the Cloisters, by far the strongest third of the show, you can commune more peacefully with an immaculate Balenciaga wedding gown or a divine Valentino gown embroidered with Cranac’s Adam and Eve.” (Farago)

===========================================================
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).
==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 07/20 and 07/18.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/21) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 07/21/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ JULY 21, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

OZY Fest (also Sunday)
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park / 12PM-10PM, $79-$134
“It’s not too late to take part in one of the city’s biggest and boldest summer arts festivals with OZYfest hitting Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield this weekend. The concert-conference hybrid brings together cultural icons and influencers to both perform and share ideas, with a lineup that includes Hillary Clinton, Michelle Wolf, Common, Christian Siriano and Roxane Gay. There’s also a food fair to try artisanal treats from eclectic and inventive chefs across NYC.” (Metro)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Thumbscrew
>> MUMMENSCHANZ
>> Pat Martino Trio with Horns
>>‘Brimstone & Glory
>> Eric Reed
>> Ultimate Picnic Day
>> New York Beer Fest.
Continuing Events
>> Dance on Camera Festival
>> Twelfth Night
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Thumbscrew (July 17-22.)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St. / 8:30 and 10:30 p.m, $35
“Proudly of the moment, the new jazz trio Thumbscrew is also mindful of the tradition that it so diligently messes with. Last month, the band, which features Mary Halvorson, on guitar, Mike Formanek, on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara, on drums, concurrently released “Ours,” a collection of spiky originals, and “Theirs,” which interprets the work of an eclectic array of composers, including the jazz exemplars Wayne Shorter, Stanley Cowell, and Benny Golson.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

MUMMENSCHANZ (July 4-22)
at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College / 7PM, $25-$85
“The famed Swiss theater troupe, founded in 1972, returns to New York with its surreal sensibility — and, of course, plenty of props — to present “You and Me,” a new show created by Floriana Frassetto, one of the group’s founders. Using its usual ingredients of shadow, light, bodies and masks, the group conjures a magical world that is also, handily, good family fare.” (NYT – Gia Kourlas)

Pat Martino Trio with Horns (July 19-22.)
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“Martino’s roots are never far from the surface of his extravagant guitar playing, yet his recent album, “Formidable,” is a particularly unabashed celebration of the bebop-and-blues ethos he honed in his native Philadelphia, in the late fifties. As on the recording, the organ-and-drums base of his earthy trio will be fleshed out by two horn men: Alex Norris, on trumpet, and Adam Niewood, on saxophone.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
Brimstone & Glory
With Wordless Music Orchestra and Sonido Gallo Negro
Prospect Park Bandshell / 7:30PM, FREE
“Spare yourself a long, hot, dusty trip to the playa and see some real burning men when the Wordless Music Orchestra performs producer-composer Benh Zeitlin’s score to director Viktor Jakovleski’s 2017 documentary Brimstone & Glory. Filmed in the Mexican town of Tultepec during a week-long celebration, Brimstone focuses on a pair of elaborate annual fireworks displays that inevitably lead to injuries and worse. It also chronicles the unsafe and thoroughly unscientific production of the shells and skyrockets used in these spectacularly colorful pyrotechnic feats. Equally spectacular in its own way, vintage Mexico City psychedelic cumbia combo Sonido Gallo Negro (Black Rooster Sound) gives cha-cha-cha, porro, mambo, and danzón a sci-fi spin with surf guitars, Farfisa organ, and Theremin. Their latest album, Mambo Cósmico, offers a space-age bachelor-pad update of Sun Ra’s sonic spaceways.” (Richard Gehr, Village Voice)

Eric Reed (July 20-22.)
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, (btw 105th/106th Sts.) /
The integrated dialects of bebop, gospel, and Thelonious Monk weave through the poised playing of the pianist Eric Reed, who counts such sharp-eared judges of talent as Harold Battiste, Jr., and Wynton Marsalis among his early mentors. This thoroughly matured stylist leads a quintet featuring the trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.
(Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Ultimate Picnic Day
Have a free picnic in the park
Madison Square Park, Flatiron Plaza/ 10AM-4PM, FREE
“It’s the right time of year for packing a picnic and heading to your nearest green space for an afternoon of lazing about. This Saturday, make Madison Square Park your destination and get one of the hundreds of free picnic baskets being given away by Fairway Market for its Ultimate Picnic Day. The baskets are full of healthy and refreshing goodies, as well as a blanket to enjoy them on.” (Metro)

Elsewhere, but hey, this will be more fun than watching the Mets play at Citi Field.
New York Beer Fest.
Citi Field / 1-4PM, 7-10PM, $50 – Beer tastings are unlimited, but food is sold separately.
“Citi Field is hosting more than baseball this weekend with its first-ever New York Beer Fest. More than 80 craft breweries will bring over 200 beers to the ballpark, plus games including a dunk tank and entertainment from a ‘90s cover band and DJ. Some of the usual Citi Field vendors will be open and selling food separately. VIPs get to start an hour earlier and access to the warning track and dugouts.” (Metro)

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

Continuing Events

Dance on Camera Festival (July 20-24)
Film Society of Lincoln Center / Various times and prices
“A co-production of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Dance Films Association, this year’s festival — its namesake’s 46th — offers sixteen programs encompassing ambitious features and quirky shorts from seventeen countries. In addition to the programs at the giant Walter Reade Theater, free screenings and discussions take place in the FSLC’s Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center Amphitheater across the street. Grab an all-access pass, another discount package, or single tickets and enjoy the comfy, commercial-free cinema environs.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

“If you’ve been wondering what happened to the excellent Dance on Camera film festival, which used to take place in the first weeks of January, here’s your answer: it was moved to the slow weeks in the middle of the summer. The forty-sixth edition contains the usual mix of documentaries, artist portraits, film shorts, and performance archives. Highlights and curiosities include never-before-seen footage of Marcel Marceau, a fourteen-minute film of the extraordinary Indian classical dancer Shantala Shivalingappa performing in South India, a meditation on the history of tap by Mark Wilkinson, and three short films devoted to the Danish Romantic-ballet choreographer August Bournonville.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

Twelfth Night (July 17 – August 19)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“This musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy began in 2016 as a one-weekend run under the auspices of the Public’s civically ambitious Public Works program, which collaborates with NYC communities to create large-scale theater. Director Kwame Kwei-Armah is joined by Public honcho Oskar Eustis to helm the production’s return engagement; Shuler Hensley and  Ato Blankson-Wood joins original cast members Nikki M. James, Andrew Kober and Shaina Taub—who also wrote the songs—alongside less seasoned actors and local residents.” (TONY)

*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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 – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Hit the Hot Link and 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. (btw 6/7), thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Sony Hall – 235 W 46th St. (btw 7/8), sonyhall.com, 212-997-5123
and one more, not exactly WestSide:
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,

Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening 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.

See Below.
———————————————————————————————————-

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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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,  JUNE 23 WAS THE FINAL NIGHT. VERY SAD.
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.”

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30PM – 11PM, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11AM-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher St.
Walk 1 blk S. on 7th ave S. to Bleecker St., 1 blk left on Bleecker to Jones St., 50 yards left on Jones St. to Caffe V.
==============================================================
“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.
========================================================

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 2018).
◊ Order before NOV.30, 2018 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/20) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 07/20/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JULY 20, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

Pat Martino Trio with Horns (July 19-22.)
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“Martino’s roots are never far from the surface of his extravagant guitar playing, yet his recent album, “Formidable,” is a particularly unabashed celebration of the bebop-and-blues ethos he honed in his native Philadelphia, in the late fifties. As on the recording, the organ-and-drums base of his earthy trio will be fleshed out by two horn men: Alex Norris, on trumpet, and Adam Niewood, on saxophone.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Eric Reed
>> Batsheva — The Young Ensemble 
>> Spencer Day: Angel City
>>‘STAND UP AND RESIST’
>> Mostly Mozart Festival: “The Creation”
>> MUMMENSCHANZ
>> Writers on Music: From Miles Davis to Public Enemy
Continuing Events
>> New York Television Festival
>> Dance on Camera Festival
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Eric Reed (July 20-22.)
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, (btw 105th/106th Sts.) /
The integrated dialects of bebop, gospel, and Thelonious Monk weave through the poised playing of the pianist Eric Reed, who counts such sharp-eared judges of talent as Harold Battiste, Jr., and Wynton Marsalis among his early mentors. This thoroughly matured stylist leads a quintet featuring the trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.
(Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Batsheva — The Young Ensemble  (July 10-22)
Joyce Theater, 7:30PM, $66+
“Straight from a run at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts comes Batsheva — The Young Ensemble, the junior offshoot of Tel Aviv’s leading troupe Batsheva. The outfit brings with them Naharin’s Virus, a Bessie Award–winning piece by Ohad Naharin, who recently announced that he’s stepping down as the company’s director but will continue to choreograph. Adapted from Peter Handke’s play Offending the Audience, the deeply ambiguous work, which had its U.S. premiere in 2002, includes sections of Handke’s text, a huge blackboard at the back of the stage, and other deeply theatrical strategies.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

Spencer Day: Angel City
The Green Room 42 / 7PM, $30
“Once a Harry Connick Jr.–inspired entertainer, Star Search finalist and dreamy crooner, Spencer Day has become a compelling and quirky singer-songwriter, whose tunes are touched by jazz, classical, country and German cabaret. In his new set, he celebrates the release of his seventh album, Angel City.” (TONY)

‘STAND UP AND RESIST’
at Greater Calvary Baptist Church / 7 p.m., $
“The trombonist Craig Harris regularly organizes concerts and educational events in Harlem. This month he has been presenting a three-week series of shows that mix music and poetry, all in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of 1968, a year of upheaval and protest across black America. The events culminate on Friday with a performance by Mr. Harris, the vocalist Helga Davis, the poet Roger Parris, the saxophonist Jay Rodriguez, the keyboardist Adam Klipple, the bassist Calvin Jones and the drummer Shirazette Tinnin.”
(NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Mostly Mozart Festival: “The Creation”
Rose Theatre, 60th St. at Broadway / 7:30PM, $
“La Fura dels Baus, a Catalan company known for glittering productions involving puppetry, aerialists, and digital dazzlement, stages Haydn’s sublime oratorio “The Creation” at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theatre, on July 19 and 20. The work, first performed in 1798 and given its public première the following year, draws from the Book of Genesis, the Psalms, and Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” and reflects its composer’s essentially optimistic morality: devotion and awe are emphasized over pious reprimand. Laurence Equilbey conducts performers including the extraordinary choir accentus and the period-instrument group Insula Orchestra in some of Haydn’s most profound and exhilarating music.” (Steve Smith, NewYorker)

MUMMENSCHANZ (July 4-22)
at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College / 7PM, $25-$85
“The famed Swiss theater troupe, founded in 1972, returns to New York with its surreal sensibility — and, of course, plenty of props — to present “You and Me,” a new show created by Floriana Frassetto, one of the group’s founders. Using its usual ingredients of shadow, light, bodies and masks, the group conjures a magical world that is also, handily, good family fare.” (NYT – Gia Kourlas)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Writers on Music: From Miles Davis to Public Enemy
The Strand, 828 Broadway / 7PM, $10 Admission & Gift Card grants you admission for one, plus one $10 gift card to our store.
“The podcast host of “Talk Music Talk with boice” partners with 33 1/3 to present a panel featuring four authors from the series who will discuss the books they wrote on their favorite albums: George Grella (Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew), Ryan Leas (LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver), Amanda Petrusich (Nick Drake’s Pink Moon) and Christopher Weingarten (Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back).

33 1/3 is a series of books in which each volume written about a single album and is published by Bloomsbury. Check out the full collection!”

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

Continuing Events

New York Television Festival (LAST DAY)
“Pop into screenings for the 59 selections in the pilot competition that anchors the 14th annual fest, and you’ll generally pay no more than $5 (with advance registration); same with special events like the exclusive preview for Bobcat Goldthwait’s new anthology series. The $150 festival pass option is for creatives hoping to work in television and includes panels including one for writers with scribes for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (pictured) and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” (nytvf.com)  (amNY)

Dance on Camera Festival (July 20-24)
Film Society of Lincoln Center / Various times and prices
“A co-production of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Dance Films Association, this year’s festival — its namesake’s 46th — offers sixteen programs encompassing ambitious features and quirky shorts from seventeen countries. In addition to the programs at the giant Walter Reade Theater, free screenings and discussions take place in the FSLC’s Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center Amphitheater across the street. Grab an all-access pass, another discount package, or single tickets and enjoy the comfy, commercial-free cinema environs.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

“If you’ve been wondering what happened to the excellent Dance on Camera film festival, which used to take place in the first weeks of January, here’s your answer: it was moved to the slow weeks in the middle of the summer. The forty-sixth edition contains the usual mix of documentaries, artist portraits, film shorts, and performance archives. Highlights and curiosities include never-before-seen footage of Marcel Marceau, a fourteen-minute film of the extraordinary Indian classical dancer Shantala Shivalingappa performing in South India, a meditation on the history of tap by Mark Wilkinson, and three short films devoted to the Danish Romantic-ballet choreographer August Bournonville.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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: 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.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

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:

A special pat on the back to MOMA, who is now displaying art from the seven countries affected by Trump’s travel ban.

“Trump’s ban against refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations has sparked acts of defiance in NYC, from demonstrations across town, to striking taxicab drivers at JFK to Middle Eastern bodega owners closing their shops in protest. Recently, the Museum Of Modern added its two cents by bringing out artworks it owns from the affected countries, and hanging them prominently within the galleries usually reserved for 19th- and 20th-century artworks from Europe and the United States. Paintings by Picasso and Matisse, for example, were removed to make way for pieces by Tala Madani (from Iran), Ibrahim El-Salahi (from Sudan) and architect Zaha Hadid (from Iraq). The rehanging, which was unannounced, aims to create a symbolic welcome that repudiates Trump by creating a visual dialog between the newly added works and the more familiar objects from MoMA’s permanent collection.” (TONY)

‘ADRIAN PIPER: A SYNTHESIS OF INTUITIONS, 1965-2016’ (through July 22). “A clarifying and complicating 50-year view of a major American artist’s career, this exhibition is also an image-altering event for MoMA itself. It makes the museum feel like a more life-engaged institution than the formally polished one we’re accustomed to. For the first time it has given over all of its sixth-floor special exhibition space to a single living female artist who is best known for her art about racism, and for good reason: It’s powerful work, brilliantly varied in form. She has also consistently used her own image in inventive, distanced, self-mocking ways, as in two well-known self-likenesses done several years apart: one, a pencil drawing titled “Self-Portrait Exaggerating My Negroid Features” (1981); the other, a crayon-enhanced photograph called “Self-Portrait as a Nice White Lady” (1995). In these images, as in all of her work, her aim is not to assert racial identity but to destabilize the very concept of it.” (NYT-Cotter)

‘BODYS ISEK KINGELEZ: CITY DREAMS’ (through Jan. 1). “The first comprehensive survey of the Congolese artist is a euphoric exhibition as utopian wonderland featuring his fantasy architectural models and cities — works strong in color, eccentric in shape, loaded with enthralling details and futuristic aura. Mr. Kingelez (1948-2015) was convinced that the world had never seen a vision like his, and this beautifully designed show bears him out.” (NYT-Smith)
212-708-9400, moma.org

‘THE LONG RUN’ (through Nov. 4). “The museum upends its cherished Modern narrative of ceaseless progress by mostly young (white) men. Instead we see works by artists 45 and older who have just kept on keeping on, regardless of attention or reward, sometimes saving the best for last. Art here is an older person’s game, a pursuit of a deepening personal vision over innovation. Winding through 17 galleries, the installation is alternatively visually or thematically acute and altogether inspiring.” (NYT-Smith)
212-708-9400, moma.org

Rubin Museum of Art

Chitra Ganesh: The Scorpion Gesture (Through Jan. 7)
“The Brooklyn artist’s new animations ingeniously combine her own drawings and watercolors with historical imagery, peppering the journeys of bodhisattvas with contemporary pop-culture references. Five of these pieces are installed on the museum’s second and third floors amid its collection of Himalayan art, elements of which appear in her psychedelic sequences of spinning mandalas and falling lotus flowers. (Ganesh’s works are activated, as if by magic, when viewers approach.) In “Rainbow Body,” a cave, which also appears in a nearby painting of Mandarava, is filled with people in 3-D glasses, watching as the guru-deity attains enlightenment. “Silhouette in the Graveyard” is projected behind a glass case containing a small sculpture of Maitreya, from late-eighteenth-century Mongolia, for a cleverly dioramalike effect. Prophesied to arrive during an apocalyptic crisis, the bodhisattva is seen here against Ganesh’s montage, which includes footage of global catastrophes and political protests, from the Women’s March to Black Lives Matter.” (

New-York Historical Society 

“Celebrating Bill Cunningham (thru 9/9)
marks the New-York Historical Society‘s recent acquisition of objects, personal correspondence, ephemera, and photographs that reflect the life and work of Bill Cunningham. One of the late 20th century’s most influential trend-spotters and style authorities, the legendary New York Times journalist and photographer was frequently spied on the city’s streets, at fashion shows, and elegant soirées capturing images of New York’s fashion innovators and cultural glitterati. Among the highlights of Celebrating Bill Cunningham are a bicycle that he rode around the city; his first camera, an Olympus Pen-D, 35mm; signature blue jacket; personal photographs of Cunningham at home and with friends; correspondence, including a few of the hand-made Valentines he frequently sent to friends; and a New York City street sign, “Bill Cunningham Corner,” that was temporarily installed at 5th Avenue and 57th Street in his honor, following his death. Soon after he arrived in New York, Cunningham worked as a milliner, and items on view from his millinery line, William J., include an innovative beach hat, along with other hats and fascinators; and a press release written for the William J. spring 1960 millinery show. Also on display are selections from Cunningham’s Facades, his eight-year photographic project documenting New York City’s architectural and fashion history, which was shown at the museum in 2014.” (cityguideny.com)

Also now open at NY Historical Society, Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection. (thru Sept.16)

SPECIAL MENTION (not Manhattan’s WestSide, but let’s show some love to da Bronx)
at the New York (Bronx) Botanical Garden:

‘GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: VISIONS OF HAWAI‘I’ (through Oct. 28). “Finding out Georgia O’Keeffe had a Hawaiian period is kind of like finding out Brian Wilson had a desert period. But here it is: 17 eye-popping paradisal paintings, produced in a nine-week visit in 1939. The paintings, and their almost psychedelic palette, are as fleshlike and physical as O’Keeffe’s New Mexican work is stripped and metaphysical. The other star of the show, fittingly, is Hawaii, and the garden has mounted a living display of the subjects depicted in the artwork. As much as they might look like the products of an artist’s imagination, the plants and flowers in the Enid Haupt Conservatory are boastfully real. On Aloha Nights every Saturday in June and every other Saturday in July and August, the garden is staging a cultural complement of activities, including lei making, hula lessons and ukulele performances.” (NYT – William L. Hamilton)
718-817-8700, nybg.org / easy 20 minute ride from Grand Central on Metro North.

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 07/18 and 07/16.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/19) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper West Side)

Posted on 07/19/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ JULY 19, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

River & Blues: John Hammond
Wagner Park / 7PM, FREE
‘A River & Blues favorite, legendary bluesman, Grammy winner and Blues Hall of Fame inductee John Hammond has shared the stage with a who’s who of blues greats, from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters and more. Witness this master conjure the Delta Blues and transform his guitar and harmonica into an orchestra steaming forward with the power of a runaway train.”

Great music and you can’t beat the view at sunset. I’ll be there.

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto
>> Mostly Mozart Festival: “The Creation”
>> SAMORA PINDERHUGHES’S ‘VENUS’
>> Freddy Cole Quartet
>> ERTEGUN HALL OF FAME FESTIVAL
>> Dispatch
>>  MUMMENSCHANZ
>> The Taste of Grand Central Market
Continuing Events
>> New York Television Festival
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto
Atrium at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“Masters of the gaita and traditional cumbia music of Colombia’s Caribbean region, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto has been the driving force behind bringing this traditional music to larger audiences across the world since the group’s first tour in the mid-1950s. Featuring the gaita, the oldest Caribbean flute, the music is mixture of the indigenous Colombian, Spanish, and Afro-Colombian heritage. They bring this essential musical legacy to Lincoln Center for a free performance.”

Mostly Mozart Festival: “The Creation”
Rose Theatre, 60th St. at Broadway / 7:30PM, $
“La Fura dels Baus, a Catalan company known for glittering productions involving puppetry, aerialists, and digital dazzlement, stages Haydn’s sublime oratorio “The Creation” at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theatre, on July 19 and 20. The work, first performed in 1798 and given its public première the following year, draws from the Book of Genesis, the Psalms, and Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” and reflects its composer’s essentially optimistic morality: devotion and awe are emphasized over pious reprimand. Laurence Equilbey conducts performers including the extraordinary choir accentus and the period-instrument group Insula Orchestra in some of Haydn’s most profound and exhilarating music.” (Steve Smith, NewYorker)

SAMORA PINDERHUGHES’S ‘VENUS’
at Le Poisson Rouge / 8 p.m., $20
“Mr. Pinderhughes, a pianist and vocalist, grabbed attention in 2016 with his politically incisive “Transformations Suite.” At Le Poisson Rouge he returns with a new set of material, “Venus,” which like “Transformations” speaks in personal, openhearted tones while insisting on wholesale social change. The new music, which he teased in April on WBGO’s “The Checkout,” has the brooding interiority of a singer-songwriter confessional and the frothy abundance of improvised music. He’ll perform “Venus” with Elena Pinderhughes on flute, Maya Kronfeld on keyboards, Andrew Renfroe on guitar, Josh Hari on electric bass and Jack DeBoe on drums and electronics. The concert, which is presented by “The Checkout,” will also feature D.J. sets from J.Period.” (NYT – GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Freddy Cole Quartet
Dizzy’s Club, Broadway at 60th St./
“There was once a time when the mellow-toned vocalist Freddy Cole felt the need to title an album “I’m Not My Brother, I’m Me,” in order to differentiate himself from his iconic sibling, Nat King Cole. In the years since that 1990 project, Cole has proved himself such a singular singer and pianist that loving tributes to his late brother can now be executed with assurance and pride.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Dispatch with special guests Nahko and Medicine for the People and Raye Zaragoza
Central Park, Rumsey Playfield / 6PM, $45
“For over two decades, jam band juggernaut Dispatch has consistently sold-out arenas across the country and with help from their devoted fan-base, supported an array of humanitarian efforts in the process. Known for their upbeat, funk-folk rock, the trio (Brad Corrigan, Chad Stokes and Pete Francis) recently released their sixth full-length album (and their first in five years), 2017’s America, Location 12, which hit #4 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums. This summer, the group hits the road alongside world music collective Nahko and Medicine for the People, led by Nahko Bear, and singer-songwriter Raye Zaragoza.“

ERTEGUN HALL OF FAME FESTIVAL (July 17-19)
at Dizzy’s Club/ 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $40
“At this series of concerts, Jazz at Lincoln Center celebrates the three newest inductees into its Ertegun Hall of Fame. Things kick off on Tuesday, when the bassist Ben Wolfe pays tribute to Jimmy Blanton, who expanded the role of the bass in large-ensemble jazz during his time with Duke Ellington. On Wednesday, the vocalists Shenel Johns and Vuyo Sotashe perform pieces from Nina Simone’s repertoire, and on Thursday, the pianist and vocalist Freddy Cole plays in honor of his brother Nat King Cole.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

MUMMENSCHANZ (July 4-22)
at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College / 7PM, $25-$85
“The famed Swiss theater troupe, founded in 1972, returns to New York with its surreal sensibility — and, of course, plenty of props — to present “You and Me,” a new show created by Floriana Frassetto, one of the group’s founders. Using its usual ingredients of shadow, light, bodies and masks, the group conjures a magical world that is also, handily, good family fare.” (NYT – Gia Kourlas)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

The Taste of Grand Central Market
Grand Central Market / 2 to 3 p.m., free samples
‘If you’ve never visited the Grand Central Market, this week might be the right time. The Taste of Grand Central Market will celebrate 20 years of retail and dining at the terminal on Tuesday and Thursday with free samples from 2 to 3 p.m. There also will be food demonstrations both days, with the Pescatore Seafood Co. showing how to make a summer roll on Tuesday, and Sushi by Pescatore rolling out their creations Thursday.” (amNY)

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

Continuing Events

New York Television Festival (July 14-20)
“Pop into screenings for the 59 selections in the pilot competition that anchors the 14th annual fest, and you’ll generally pay no more than $5 (with advance registration); same with special events like the exclusive preview for Bobcat Goldthwait’s new anthology series. The $150 festival pass option is for creatives hoping to work in television and includes panels including one for writers with scribes for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (pictured) and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” (nytvf.com)  (amNY)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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:
(5 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)
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319 (6pm)

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)

Special Mention:
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 surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s 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.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
================================================================================

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.
========================================================
“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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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/18) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 07/18/2018 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ JULY 18, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

JANELLE MONAE
at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden / 7:30 p.m., $65+
“Ambitious, persuasive performance is Ms. Monae’s strong suit, whether onscreen in Oscar bait like “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures” or onstage singing futuristic R&B and funk that never loses its pop gloss. But Ms. Monae willfully resists genre limitations: Her third studio album “Dirty Computer,” released earlier this year, features both the superstar hip-hop producer Pharrell Williams and the Beach Boy’s Brian Wilson. Given her omnivorous taste, it’s fitting that Prince was a longtime admirer and even had a hand in producing “Computer.” The album’s lead single, “Make Me Feel,” is stripped-down, sensual funk that functions as a tribute to the Purple One.” (NYT – NATALIE WEINER)

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Brave Combo
>> ERTEGUN HALL OF FAME FESTIVAL
>> MUMMENSCHANZ
>>  Thumbscrew
>> The Witch of Lime Street
>> The Making of Fiddler on the Roof
Continuing Events
>> New York Television Festival
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Brave Combo
Bryant Park / 5:30PM, FREE
“Carl Finch’s Texas quintet, Brave Combo, continues its longtime musical mission to squinch together myriad vernacular styles into a giant, multicolored Play-Doh ball of polka-scented fun. Founded in 1979, the accordionist’s combo draws upon an encyclopedic and irrepressibly perky repertoire of border styles and rootless cosmopolitanisms, from cumbia, merengue, and norteño to klezmer, polka, and hard-core hokey-pokey. They’ve played David Byrne’s wedding reception, served as Oktoberfest entertainment on The Simpsons (“Fill the Stein”), and recorded “Hey Jude” with Tiny Tim. Their music has become increasingly unpredictable over the decades, with art-rock ditties like “The Best Sunsets Are in the West” and punky accordion rave-ups like “Hop to It” adding salsa to their repertoire. This gig features a rare reappearance by fan-favorite former members Bubba Hernandez and Jeffrey Barnes.” (Richard Gehr, VillageVoice)

ERTEGUN HALL OF FAME FESTIVAL (July 17-19)
at Dizzy’s Club/ 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $40
“At this series of concerts, Jazz at Lincoln Center celebrates the three newest inductees into its Ertegun Hall of Fame. Things kick off on Tuesday, when the bassist Ben Wolfe pays tribute to Jimmy Blanton, who expanded the role of the bass in large-ensemble jazz during his time with Duke Ellington. On Wednesday, the vocalists Shenel Johns and Vuyo Sotashe perform pieces from Nina Simone’s repertoire, and on Thursday, the pianist and vocalist Freddy Cole plays in honor of his brother Nat King Cole.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

MUMMENSCHANZ (July 4-22)
at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College / 7PM, $25-$85
“The famed Swiss theater troupe, founded in 1972, returns to New York with its surreal sensibility — and, of course, plenty of props — to present “You and Me,” a new show created by Floriana Frassetto, one of the group’s founders. Using its usual ingredients of shadow, light, bodies and masks, the group conjures a magical world that is also, handily, good family fare.” (NYT – Gia Kourlas)

Thumbscrew (July 17-22.)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St. / 8:30 and 10:30 p.m, $35
“Proudly of the moment, the new jazz trio Thumbscrew is also mindful of the tradition that it so diligently messes with. Last month, the band, which features Mary Halvorson, on guitar, Mike Formanek, on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara, on drums, concurrently released “Ours,” a collection of spiky originals, and “Theirs,” which interprets the work of an eclectic array of composers, including the jazz exemplars Wayne Shorter, Stanley Cowell, and Benny Golson.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

The Witch of Lime Street
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West / 7PM, $10
“Catch a suspense story of scandal and the supernatural—Harry Houdini’s investigation of spiritualist Mina Crandon, whose séances left even scientists guessing, in this New-York Historical Society talk by David Jaher, author of The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

Her most vocal advocate was none other than Sherlock Holmes’ creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Her supernatural gifts beguiled many. There was only one left to convince—acclaimed escape artist Harry Houdini! History comes alive in this riveting account of the rivalry between Harry Houdini and the so-called Witch of Lime Street, whose iconic lives intersected at a time when science was on the verge of embracing the paranormal. Book signing after the program.

The Making of Fiddler on the Roof
Museum of Jewish Heritage/ 6:30PM, $5
“Explore Fiddler’s rich history through a conversation featuring Sheldon Harnick, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof, and Alisa Solomon, acclaimed author of Wonder of Wonders: A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof.”

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

Continuing Events

New York Television Festival (July 14-20)
“Pop into screenings for the 59 selections in the pilot competition that anchors the 14th annual fest, and you’ll generally pay no more than $5 (with advance registration); same with special events like the exclusive preview for Bobcat Goldthwait’s new anthology series. The $150 festival pass option is for creatives hoping to work in television and includes panels including one for writers with scribes for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (pictured) and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” (nytvf.com)  (amNY)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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,

Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening 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:

Damien Hirst (thru July 20)

“Superabundant multicolored dot paintings, randomly composed in sizes from smallish to giant, are as perfectly dead as a trisected shark in formaldehyde-filled glass cases, which is also on view. There’s no formal structure or even optical dazzle, except by occasional accident. These aren’t active pictures. They’re passive slabs, yielding nothing to contemplation that they don’t impart at first glance. Neither good nor bad, they maintain an imperturbable, mortuary dignity—Hirst’s cynosure. He creates visual curios that look like art while dispensing with art’s pesky demands on thought, feeling, and perception. His works are aesthetic cryptocurrency. There are worse things in the world.” () Gagosian, 555 W. 24th St.

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

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 07/16 and 07/14.

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/17) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 07/17/2018 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ JULY 17, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

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

ERTEGUN HALL OF FAME FESTIVAL (July 17-19)
at Dizzy’s Club/ 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $40
“At this series of concerts, Jazz at Lincoln Center celebrates the three newest inductees into its Ertegun Hall of Fame. Things kick off on Tuesday, when the bassist Ben Wolfe pays tribute to Jimmy Blanton, who expanded the role of the bass in large-ensemble jazz during his time with Duke Ellington. On Wednesday, the vocalists Shenel Johns and Vuyo Sotashe perform pieces from Nina Simone’s repertoire, and on Thursday, the pianist and vocalist Freddy Cole plays in honor of his brother Nat King Cole.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Batsheva — The Young Ensemble 
>> Thumbscrew
>> MUMMENSCHANZ
>> Jeremy Jordan and Ashley Spencer:
>> Undiscovered Italy: Sicily
>> The Taste of Grand Central Market
Continuing Events
>> New York Television Festival
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Batsheva — The Young Ensemble  (July10-22)
Joyce Theater, 7:30PM, $66+
“Straight from a run at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts comes Batsheva — The Young Ensemble, the junior offshoot of Tel Aviv’s leading troupe Batsheva. The outfit brings with them Naharin’s Virus, a Bessie Award–winning piece by Ohad Naharin, who recently announced that he’s stepping down as the company’s director but will continue to choreograph. Adapted from Peter Handke’s play Offending the Audience, the deeply ambiguous work, which had its U.S. premiere in 2002, includes sections of Handke’s text, a huge blackboard at the back of the stage, and other deeply theatrical strategies.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

Thumbscrew (July 17-22.)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St. / 8:30 and 10:30 p.m, $35
“Proudly of the moment, the new jazz trio Thumbscrew is also mindful of the tradition that it so diligently messes with. Last month, the band, which features Mary Halvorson, on guitar, Mike Formanek, on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara, on drums, concurrently released “Ours,” a collection of spiky originals, and “Theirs,” which interprets the work of an eclectic array of composers, including the jazz exemplars Wayne Shorter, Stanley Cowell, and Benny Golson.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

MUMMENSCHANZ (July 4-22)
at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College / 7PM, $25-$85
“The famed Swiss theater troupe, founded in 1972, returns to New York with its surreal sensibility — and, of course, plenty of props — to present “You and Me,” a new show created by Floriana Frassetto, one of the group’s founders. Using its usual ingredients of shadow, light, bodies and masks, the group conjures a magical world that is also, handily, good family fare.” (NYT – Gia Kourlas)

Jeremy Jordan and Ashley Spencer: Starring Opposite You
Sony Hall, 235 w46 / 7:30PM, $35+
“Jordan made by history originating the lead male roles in two Broadway musicals in the 2012-13 season: the short-lived Bonnie and Clyde and the Disney hit Newsies. He also played Jamie in The Last Five Years, Jimmy on the NBC hate-watch classic Smash and Winn on Supergirl.) In concert, he is charming and sings like a dream. In his latest concert engagement, he shares the stage—and multiple duets—with his very talented wife, Ashley Spencer, who has played leading roles in Broadway musicals including Grease and Rock of Ages.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Undiscovered Italy: Sicily
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 7PM, $45
Sicily is a mix of Europe, Africa and Asia all in one place.

“Home to Greek temples, Roman amphitheaters, Norman Arab castles and medieval churches. In fact, the eastern section of Sicily, once the heart of Magna Grecia has more Greek ruins than in Greece. Discover the fascinating traces in art, architecture and even food of the many civilizations that have conquered her in Francine Segan’s lively talk on the largest island in the Mediterranean.

Talk includes a tasting of some of Sicily’s specialty foods including:
Galvanina: an Italian soda that uses such organic Sicilian fruits as prickly pear and blood orange
Bonajuto: Sicilian chocolates made with cocoa beans stone ground by hand — plain dark chocolate, sea salt dark chocolate and a unique marjoram dark chocolate
Pasta with Sicilian citrus pesto: made with oranges, almonds & basil
Sicilian cheeses and cannoli”

The Taste of Grand Central Market (also Thursday)
Grand Central Market / 2 to 3 p.m., free samples
‘If you’ve never visited the Grand Central Market, this week might be the right time. The Taste of Grand Central Market will celebrate 20 years of retail and dining at the terminal on Tuesday and Thursday with free samples from 2 to 3 p.m. There also will be food demonstrations both days, with the Pescatore Seafood Co. showing how to make a summer roll on Tuesday, and Sushi by Pescatore rolling out their creations Thursday.” (amNY)

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

Continuing Events

New York Television Festival (July 14-20)
“Pop into screenings for the 59 selections in the pilot competition that anchors the 14th annual fest, and you’ll generally pay no more than $5 (with advance registration); same with special events like the exclusive preview for Bobcat Goldthwait’s new anthology series. The $150 festival pass option is for creatives hoping to work in television and includes panels including one for writers with scribes for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (pictured) and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” (nytvf.com)  (amNY)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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: 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.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

Sometimes you just need a beer and a burger. If so, Corner Bistro is the place you want. Located just outside the hip Meatpacking district, this corner bar and grill is decidedly unhip, but it’s not uncrowded, especially at night. Seems that everyone knows this place has one of the better burgers in town.

kac_120405_phude_corner_bistro_bar_1000-600x450In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town.

The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro celebrated it’s 50th anniversary last year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $6.75, and should be ordered medium rare, which will be plenty rare for most folks. Actually, it will be a juicy, messy delight – make sure you have extra napkins. I like to pull up a stool and sit by the large front window in the afternoon, where I can rest my burger and beer on the shelf, and watch the Villagers walk by.

Corner Bistro seems to attract very different groups of patrons depending on time of day. While it’s crowded with locals in the evening, in the afternoon you hear different foreign languages, and watch groups of euro tourists wander in, led by their guidebooks and smartphones.

For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).
=========================================================
Website: cornerbistrony.com
Phone #: 212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour: NO
Music: Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk 2 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:
==============================================================
“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.
===========================================================================
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/16) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 07/16/2018 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > MONDAY/ JULY 16, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JULY”
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.

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

CHARLIE PUTH
at Radio City Music Hall / 7:30 p.m., $55+
“Mr. Puth first emerged as a pop powerhouse in 2015, when he was responsible for two of the year’s most difficult-to-avoid earworms: the retro “Marvin Gaye,” featuring Meghan Trainor, and the “Furious 7” soundtrack smash “See You Again” alongside Wiz Khalifa. In 2017, though, the 26-year-old New Jersey native debuted a slightly more sophisticated sound with the single “Attention,” an aesthetic shift that has since charmed music critics as easily as it has the teens who were already flooding his Instagram photos with adoring comments.” (NYT-NATALIE WEINER)

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5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Jeremy Jordan and Ashley Spencer:
>> Jon Gordon Quartet
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> The Fall of Wisconsin:
>> The Unpunished Vice: A Life Well Read
Continuing Events
>> New York Television Festival
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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Jeremy Jordan and Ashley Spencer: Starring Opposite You (also July 17)
Sony Hall, 235 w46 / 7:30PM, $35+
“Jordan made by history originating the lead male roles in two Broadway musicals in the 2012-13 season: the short-lived Bonnie and Clyde and the Disney hit Newsies. He also played Jamie in The Last Five Years, Jimmy on the NBC hate-watch classic Smash and Winn on Supergirl.) In concert, he is charming and sings like a dream. In his latest concert engagement, he shares the stage—and multiple duets—with his very talented wife, Ashley Spencer, who has played leading roles in Broadway musicals including Grease and Rock of Ages.” (TONY)

Jon Gordon Quartet
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center/ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $30
With alto saxophonist Jon Gordon, pianist Bryn Roberts, bassist Matt Clohesy, and drummer Quincy Davis

“Gordon has embraced the history of his instrument, carrying with it the ability to extend music as a universal language” – NEA Jazz Master Wayne Shorter
Jon Gordon is a sensational musician. His mastery of the alto saxophone is profound; his music is as intense as it is lyrical. Every time I hear him play I am struck by his emotional depth and his riveting virtuosity. Gordon has been championed by such icons as Benny Carter and Phil Woods for his singular and innovative musical voice, both as an improviser and as a composer. In Jon Gordon’s music, you can hear the past, the present, and the future, all at the same time – Bill Charlap”

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)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures/Discussions, Book Talks, Film, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Dan Kaufman: “The Fall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future of American Politics”
The Half King, 505 W. 23rd St./ 7PM, FREE
“The untold story behind the most shocking political upheaval in the country.

For more than a century, Wisconsin has been known nationwide for its progressive ideas and government. It famously served as a “laboratory of democracy,” a cradle of the labor and environmental movements, and birthplace of the Wisconsin Idea, which championed expertise in the service of the common good. But following a Republican sweep of the state’s government in 2010, Wisconsin’s political heritage was overturned, and the state went Republican for the first time in three decades in the 2016 presidential election, elevating Donald J. Trump to the presidency.”

The Unpunished Vice: A Life Well Read
McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince St./ 7:00PM, FREE
“Edmund White made his name through his writing but remembers his life through the books he has read. Blending memoir and literary criticism, The Unpunished Vice is a compendium of all the ways reading has shaped White’s life and work. His larger-than-life presence on the literary scene lends itself to fascinating, intimate insights into the lives of some of the world’s best-loved cultural figures.” (ClubFreeTime)

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Continuing Events

New York Television Festival (July 14-20)
“Pop into screenings for the 59 selections in the pilot competition that anchors the 14th annual fest, and you’ll generally pay no more than $5 (with advance registration); same with special events like the exclusive preview for Bobcat Goldthwait’s new anthology series. The $150 festival pass option is for creatives hoping to work in television and includes panels including one for writers with scribes for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (pictured) and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” (nytvf.com)  (amNY)

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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 63 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 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:
(5 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)
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319 (6pm)

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)

Special Mention:
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 surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s 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.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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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)

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 FACE OF DYNASTY: ROYAL CRESTS FROM WESTERN CAMEROON’ (through Sept. 3). “Upstairs, the Michelangelos continue to knock ‘em dead; downstairs, in the African wing, a show of just four commanding wooden crowns constitutes a blockbuster of its own. These massive wooden crests — in the form of stylized human faces with vast vertical brows — served as markers of royal power among the Bamileke peoples of the Cameroonian grasslands, and the Met’s recent acquisition of an 18th-century specimen is joined here by three later examples, each featuring sharply protruding cheeks, broadly smiling mouths, and brows incised with involute geometric patterns. Ritual objects like these were decisive for the development of western modernist painting, and a Cameroonian crest was even shown at MoMA in the 1930s, as a “sculpture” divorced from ethnography. But these crests had legal and diplomatic significance as well as aesthetic appeal, and their anonymous African creators had a political understanding of art not so far from our own.” (Farago)

‘HEAVENLY BODIES: FASHION AND THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION’  (through Oct. 8). “Let us pray. After last year’s stark exhibition of Rei Kawakubo’s irregular apparel, the Met Costume Institute is back in blockbuster mode with this three-part blowout on the influence of Catholicism on haute couture of the last century. The trinity of fashion begins downstairs at the Met with the exceptional loans of vestments from the Vatican; upstairs are gowns fit for angels in heaven (by Lanvin, Thierry Mugler, Rodarte) or angels fallen to earth (such as slinky Versace sheaths garlanded with crosses). The scenography at the Met is willfully operatic — spotlights, choir music — which militates against serious thinking about fashion and religion, but up at the Cloisters, by far the strongest third of the show, you can commune more peacefully with an immaculate Balenciaga wedding gown or a divine Valentino gown embroidered with Cranac’s Adam and Eve.” (Farago)

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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 07/14 and 07/12.
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