Selected Events (02/16) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square/ Theater District)

Posted on 02/16/2017 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events>THURSDAY/FEB.16, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

Works & Process Rotunda Project:
Michelle Dorrance with Nicholas Van Young
Guggenheim Museum / at 6:30 pm, 8 pm, and 9:30 pm, $40
“The tap dancer Michelle Dorrance’s dynamic performances are as notable for her quicksilver steps as for the way she seems to transform into a live percussion instrument. Here, Dorrance will be joined by dancer Van Young, members of her ­company Dorrance Dance, and musicians to ­create a “performative soundscape.” (NY mag)

“In 2017, Works & Process launches a new initiative, commissioning site-specific residencies and performances for the iconic Guggenheim rotunda. The first Works & Process Rotunda Project features MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, one of the most sought-after tap dancers of her generation, working in collaboration with Bessie Award winner Nicholas Van Young. Dorrance and Van Young lead a large cast of dancers and musicians from her company, Dorrance Dance, using dance and percussion to create a performative soundscape incorporating the rotunda as a musical instrument.
This 30-minute performance will be viewed from the ramps and requires audience members to stand for the duration of the program.”
Walk-up tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors will open 15 minutes before each performance.

5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

Laura Mvula
Catherine Russell and Her Sextet
MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY
The Golden Age of the Venetian Republic
The Women Who Made New York

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Laura Mvula
The Appel Room (Rose Hall-Jazz @ Lincoln Center) / 8:30PM, $40+
“With a Mercury Prize nomination and MOBO win, Laura Mvula is a creative leader of the U.K.’s current soul revival. Critics love her, but perhaps her brightest endorsement came from Prince, who listened to her 2013 debut album, Sing to the Moon, before shows and was an outspoken fan. With effortless originality, a molasses-rich voice that contains echoes of Nina Simone, delight for digital effects, and “an eye on transcendence” (NPR), Mvula invites listeners into a glowing, poetic world. A stay in New York last winter unlocked the ideas for her “visionary” second album (Pitchfork), The Dreaming Room, and she returns this February to conjure an evening of magic with the twinkling Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.”

Catherine Russell and Her Sextet
A Valentine’s Celebration: “Nothing But Love Songs”
Birdland, / 8:30PM, +11PM, $40
“With the Grammy® nominated, “Harlem On My Mind,” vocalist Catherine Russell journeys to the blue heart of the great American songbook. “One of the outstanding singers of our time,” (Wall Street Journal) and her sextet bolster her reputation as one of the foremost interpreters of early-20th century American music. The daughter of pioneering jazz musician Carline Ray and long-time Louis Armstrong band leader and arranger Luis Russell, Catherine Russell has ”a voice that wails like a horn and whispers like a snake in the Garden of Eden.” (NPR) In addition to her own acclaimed recordings, Russell has been prominently featured providing period music on the soundtracks to HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” and other film and television productions.”

MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY (Feb.14-26)
at the Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., at 19th St./ 8PM, $56-$76
imgres“With classic works by Martha Graham and pieces by four contemporary choreographers — Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Annie-B Parson, Pontus Lidberg and Nacho Duato — the Graham company hosts a two-week season with the theme “Sacred/Profane.” The runs includes premieres by Mr. Cherkaoui, who takes on Sufi mysticism, and Ms. Parson, who is inspired by Graham’s “Punch and the Judy,” a comic work from 1941. Promisingly, there is text by the witty Will Eno.

But the real attraction comes in the Graham masterworks, especially “Primitive Mysteries” (1931), an all-female dance divided into three sections that explores the virgin myths of the American Southwest. There are also sections from the haunting “Dark Meadow” (1946) and Act II from “Clytemnestra” (1958), as well as some lighter fare, including the always lovely “Diversion of Angels” (1948) and the comic work “Maple Leaf Rag” (1990).” (NYT-GIA KOURLAS)

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

The Golden Age of the Venetian Republic
>’Venice and the Ottoman Empire”
with Alessandro Barbero
>”Freedom of Thought in Renaissance Venice”
with Edward Muir Jr.
Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Ave. / 6PM, FREE
“In talks that explore La Serenissima’s social, cultural, and political history, bestselling Italian historian and novelist Alessandro Barbero views Venice’s relationship with the Ottoman Empire through the lens of the epic Battle of Lepanto in 1571, while Edward Muir Jr. examines the remarkably free exchange of ideas that flourished in Venice—some of them incendiary.”

The Women Who Made New York
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
“Julie Scelfo comes to the Mid-Manhattan Library in support of her new book, The Women Who Made New York, speaking about the icons, mythmakers, and editrixes who helped turn NYC in a world capital.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

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

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W54th St., 54below.com, 646-476-3551
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474

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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

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 (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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Selected NYC Events (02/15) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 02/15/2017 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events>WEDNESDAY/FEB.15, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY (Feb.14-26)
at the Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., at 19th St./ 7PM, $56-$76
imgres “With classic works by Martha Graham and pieces by four contemporary choreographers — Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Annie-B Parson, Pontus Lidberg and Nacho Duato — the Graham company hosts a two-week season with the theme “Sacred/Profane.” The runs includes premieres by Mr. Cherkaoui, who takes on Sufi mysticism, and Ms. Parson, who is inspired by Graham’s “Punch and the Judy,” a comic work from 1941. Promisingly, there is text by the witty Will Eno.

But the real attraction comes in the Graham masterworks, especially “Primitive Mysteries” (1931), an all-female dance divided into three sections that explores the virgin myths of the American Southwest. There are also sections from the haunting “Dark Meadow” (1946) and Act II from “Clytemnestra” (1958), as well as some lighter fare, including the always lovely “Diversion of Angels” (1948) and the comic work “Maple Leaf Rag” (1990).” (NYT-GIA KOURLAS)

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

Keith Jarrett
Catherine Russell and Her Sextet
Liz Callaway: The Story Goes On
Jazz 101: New Orleans and The Great Migration
The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals About Ourselves, Our History, and the Future
Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine

You saw these here recently and they continue today:
New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty 

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Keith Jarrett
Carnegie Hall, 7th Ave. at 57th St./ 8PM, $ limited availability; call 212-247-7800
“The celebrated Keith Jarrett trio, with the bassist Gary Peacock and the drummer Jack DeJohnette, is officially a thing of the past. Going it alone, with a recent concentration on condensed improvisations and standard readings, the pianist is achieving a new peak of resourcefulness and beauty. Although he has his laudable competitors—Brad Mehldau and Fred Hersch among them—no one can really touch Jarrett when it’s just the man and his instrument on a stage. The ECM solo recordings, as fine as they are, are merely a simulacrum of the routinely elating live experience.’ (NewYorker)

Catherine Russell and Her Sextet
A Valentine’s Celebration: “Nothing But Love Songs”
Birdland, / 8:30PM, +11PM, $40
“With the Grammy® nominated, “Harlem On My Mind,” vocalist Catherine Russell journeys to the blue heart of the great American songbook. “One of the outstanding singers of our time,” (Wall Street Journal) and her sextet bolster her reputation as one of the foremost interpreters of early-20th century American music. The daughter of pioneering jazz musician Carline Ray and long-time Louis Armstrong band leader and arranger Luis Russell, Catherine Russell has ”a voice that wails like a horn and whispers like a snake in the Garden of Eden.” (NPR) In addition to her own acclaimed recordings, Russell has been prominently featured providing period music on the soundtracks to HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” and other film and television productions.”

Liz Callaway: The Story Goes On—The Songs of Maltby & Shire
The Appel Room (Rose Hall-Jazz @ Lincoln Center) / 8:30PM, $100
“The sunny Callaway—whose gleaming Broadway belt has brightened such shows as Cats, Baby and Miss Saigon—returns to the American Songbook Series with a set devoted to the urbane songs of Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire (Closer Than Ever).” (TONY)

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

Jazz 101: New Orleans and The Great Migration
Jazz at Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, 5th Floor/ 6:30PM, $35
“Join us for an interactive and lively introduction to the nation’s greatest art form lead by Seton Hawkins, Director of Public Programs and Education Resources at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Hawkins, producer, manager, publicist, radio DJ, and advocate in Jazz for more than a decade will help you to develop your ears to hear the many details and intricacies that make this music so endlessly fascinating, and guide you through the history and development of the styles.

We say that Jazz was born in New Orleans, but why? What was special about that city, and the people in it? During this class, we will explore the cultural make-up, the unique diversity, and the interplay of cultures you find in New Orleans. We’ll also listen to some of the earliest musical styles to come out of there, and we’ll give you insight into what the very earliest forms of Jazz might have sounded like. As we move along, we’ll get into the era of recordings, and hear some of the first jazz records, and trace the development of Jazz’s solos and structures.”

The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals About Ourselves, Our History, and the Future
Book Culture, 536 W. 112th St./ 7:30PM, FREE
“For a century, social scientists have avoided genetics like the plague. But the nature-nurture wars are over. In the past decade, a small but intrepid group of economists, political scientists, and sociologists have harnessed the genomics revolution to paint a more complete picture of human social life than ever before. The Genome Factor describes the latest astonishing discoveries being made at the scientific frontier where genomics and the social sciences intersect.”

Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
“With Sarah Lohman, who works with museums and galleries around the country to create public programs focused on food.

This illustrated lecture offers a fascinating look at our past and uses long-forgotten recipes to explain how eight flavors changed how Americans eat.”

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

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W54th St., 54below.com, 646-476-3551
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474

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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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)

Morgan Library & Museum
‘I’M NOBODY! WHO ARE YOU? THE LIFE AND POETRY OF EMILY DICKINSON’ (through May 28).
“This is the second-largest gathering ever, anywhere, of prime Dickinson relics, and as such it comes with an aura the size of a city block. It instantly turns the Morgan into a pilgrimage site, a literary Lourdes, a place to come in contact with one aspect of America that truly can claim greatness. And the show has a mission, to give 21st-century audiences a fresh take on Dickinson. Gone is the white-gowned Puritan nun, and the Belle of Amherst, that infantilized charmer. At the Morgan we get a different Dickinson, a person among people: a member of a household, a village dweller, a citizen.” 212-685-0008, themorgan.org. (NYT-Holland Cotter)

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

at the very least you will want to see these two:
‘CELEBRATING THE ARTS OF JAPAN: THE MARY GRIGGS BURKE COLLECTION’ (through May 2017)
“This lavish collection of 160 objects came to the Met from the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation in early 2015. The Burkes loved Japanese art — all of it — and the exhibition is close to compendious in terms of media, from wood-carved Buddhas to bamboo baskets, with a particular strength in painting, early and late. The quality of the work? Japan thinks highly enough of it to have made the Burke holdings the first Japanese collection from abroad ever to show at Tokyo National Museum. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Cotter)

‘MAX BECKMANN IN NEW YORK’ (through Feb. 20).
“In the last two years of his life, the great German Expressionist Max Beckmann lived in New York. This terrific exhibition gathers paintings that he created during his time here as well as paintings now owned by museums and private collectors in New York, regardless of when they were made. If this sounds like a recipe for mishmash, it’s not: There’s not a single dud among the 39 works in the show. Including portraits, still lifes, cityscapes and several of his most ambitious allegorical visions, it will warm the hearts of Beckmann’s fans and serve as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with his vigorously humane art. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org” (Ken Johnson)

===========================================================
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)

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (SUN 11am-1pm PWYW) 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 02/13 and 02/11.
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Selected NYC Events (02/14) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 02/14/2017 by GregD

Today’s Super7 NYC Events>TUESDAY/FEB.14, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

Never Sleep Alone
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater / 9:30PM, $35
“Outrageous character actor and cabaret comic Roslyn Hart inhabits her alter ego, “sexual psychologist” Dr. Alex Schiller in this interactive bash. The doctor’s goal: getting the audience in the mood with a few choice tunes and making sure all of the single people in the audience hook up. Make sure you’ve made your bed before heading to Joe’s Pub, as you’re likely to bring a new friend from this show home with you.” (TONY)

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty
Erin Sullivan: With Love, Marilyn
Valentine’s Day Village of Love
We’ll Always Have Casablanca: Noah Isenberg & Molly Haskell
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 
City of Science Series: The Secrets of Animal Communication

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty (thru Feb.19)
NYS/DHK Theater, Lincoln Center/ 7:30PM, $30+
“Awaken to true love’s potential in one of NYCB’s grandest productions. This enchanting full-length unveils the story of a charming prince on his quest to unbind a cursed princess, with aid from a cast of miraculous fairies and fanciful storybook characters.”

Erin Sullivan: With Love, Marilyn
The Cutting Room, / 7PM, +9:30PM, $35-$50
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, Sullivan performs a solo musical tribute to 1950s romantic-comedy star and breathy blond silver-screen sexpot Marilyn Monroe. Songs including “I Wanna Be Loved By You” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” are woven into anecdotes about Monroe’s busy dating life.” (TONY)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

Valentine’s Day Village of Love
at Music Hall of Williamsburg / 7:30PM, $25
“Tunes to mend a broken heart.
Players on the city’s rock-and-roll scene celebrate Valentine’s Day with this annual covers bash. Among many others, Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces and Vivian Girl Cassie Ramone try out their favorite love songs. Proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood of NYC.” (NYMag)

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

We’ll Always Have Casablanca: Noah Isenberg & Molly Haskell
McNally Jackson, 52 Prince St./ 7PM, FREE
“For the 75th anniversary of its premiere, We’ll Always Have Casablanca is celebrated film historian Noah Isenberg’s rich account of this most beloved movie’s origins. Through extensive research and interviews with filmmakers, film critics, family members of the cast and crew, and diehard fans, Isenberg reveals the myths and realities behind Casablanca’s production, exploring the transformation of the unproduced stage play into the classic screenplay, the controversial casting decisions, the battles with Production Code censors, and the effect of the war’s progress on the movie’s reception. “Noah Isenberg’s superb book both expands our understanding of the movie’s history and place in our cultural history and reminds us, fervently, why we fell in love with it in the first place,” says Megan Abbott.”

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 
Piers 92/94 and Madison Square Garden; various times; $15–$100
As fun as they are, puppy cams and viral videos can’t compare with real-life specimens as a cuteness delivery system. Coo over more than 3,000 dogs representing hundreds of breeds and varieties at the 141th annual caninefest, where dogs are judged across seven divisions (hound, toy, nonsporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier). If you can’t score a ticket, you can still get your fix via online streaming during the day and TV coverage of the evening competitions.” (TONY)

City of Science Series: The Secrets of Animal Communication
Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
“Tap into your animal instincts at this scientific exploration on how the animal kingdom converses with each other—and with us.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

================================================
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. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W54th St., 54below.com, 646-476-3551
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474

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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
=================================================================================

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.

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.

========================================================
“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 Summer 2017).
◊ Order before May.31, 2017 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

 

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Selected NYC Events (02/13) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 02/13/2017 by GregD

Today’s Sweet6 NYC Events>MONDAY/FEB.13, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

Muldoon’s Picnic
Irish Arts Center, 553 W51st St./ 7:30PM, $40
“Okay, it’s not actually a picnic but a music-and-literature extravaganza.” —Time Out New York
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet and pop music lyricist Paul Muldoon returns for his sixth season of monthly words-and-music jamborees, joined by his house band Rogue Oliphant and a stunning lineup of world-class special guests from the across the spectrum of music and literature. Some of the most special and surprising moments in our season happen at the Picnic so book your tickets early for this “only in New York” experience.”

TONIGHT: Lisa Dwan, Actor
Bill Flanagan, Author and television executive
Damsel, Indie Neo Folk duo
Sō Percussion, New York City-based percussion quartet

Bill Flanagan’s articulate, insightful take on modern culture is alone worth the ticket.

5  OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

Erin Sullivan: With Love, Marilyn
Candida
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 
The American President, Part II
The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals about Ourselves, Our History, and the Futur

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Erin Sullivan: With Love, Marilyn
The Cutting Room, / 7PM, +9:30PM, $35-$50
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, Sullivan performs a solo musical tribute to 1950s romantic-comedy star and breathy blond silver-screen sexpot Marilyn Monroe. Songs including “I Wanna Be Loved By You” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” are woven into anecdotes about Monroe’s busy dating life.” (TONY)

Candida
Symphony Space,/ 7PM, $35
We could make it together.
This 1894 George Bernard Shaw love-triangle comedy is about an idealistic poet named Marchbanks who falls in love with Candida, the brilliant wife of the socialist Reverend James Morell. Project Shaw brings together a terrific cast for a rare reading of a key prefeminist (or postfeminist?) work.” (NYMag, J.G.)

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

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (also Tuesday)
Piers 92/94 and Madison Square Garden; various times; $15–$100
As fun as they are, puppy cams and viral videos can’t compare with real-life specimens as a cuteness delivery system. Coo over more than 3,000 dogs representing hundreds of breeds and varieties at the 141th annual caninefest, where dogs are judged across seven divisions (hound, toy, nonsporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier). If you can’t score a ticket, you can still get your fix via online streaming during the day and TV coverage of the evening competitions.” (TONY)

The American President, Part II
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West/ 6:30PM, $44
“Continuing their riveting discussion from January 2016, celebrated presidential historians William E. Leuchtenburg and Douglas Brinkley return to reflect on the end of a tumultuous but dynamic 2016 campaign season, exploring how presidents, candidates, and elections have evolved from the time of Theodore Roosevelt to the present day.”

Author @ the Library:
The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals about Ourselves, Our History, and the Future
with Dalton Conley, Henry Putnam University Professor of Sociology at Princeton University.
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
“This illustrated lecture describes the astonishing discoveries being made at the scientific frontier where genomics and the social sciences intersect.”

=======================================================
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. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W54th St., 54below.com, 646-476-3551
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474

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

=======================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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 these exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘FROM THE COLLECTION: 1960-1969’ (through March 12)
“MoMA shakes up its sanctum sanctorum, installing half of its permanent collection galleries with works chosen by 17 curators from a single decade: the tumultuous 1960s. The limited time frame is balanced by unprecedented breadth and variety. As never before, the presentation mixes together objects and artworks from all six of the museum’s curatorial departments. The blend is alternately stimulating and bewildering, revelatory and infuriating: yet another symptom of the museum’s limited curatorial mind-set. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith)

‘FRANCIS PICABIA: OUR HEADS ARE ROUND SO OUR THOUGHTS CAN CHANGE DIRECTION’ (through March 19).
“The restless career of one of the great provocateurs of early modernism finally gets its due from the Museum of Modern Art, healthfully perturbing that institution’s emphasis on linear progress and creative genius with radically shifting styles and tones. His lush, large-scale Cubist paintings; machine-based images; Dada anti-art and magazines; several returns to figuration; and final abstract styles are all present and give no quarter.” (Smith)

 ‘TONY OURSLER: IMPONDERABLE’ (through April 16)
“This small exhibition is centered on a 90-minute film in which episodes from the history of spiritualist frauds and hoaxes are re-enacted by people in fanciful costumes while mystic flames, smoke and ectoplasmic phenomena come and go. At certain moments during “Imponderable,” you feel breezes wafting over you and hear loud thumping under the theater’s risers. The crudeness of these effects is part of the generally comical spirit. It’s all about the confusion between illusion and reality to which human beings seem to be congenitally susceptible.” (Johnson)

And 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)

 Whitney Museum of American Art:

FAST FORWARD: PAINTING FROM THE 1980S (thru May 14)

“Fast Forward: Painting from the 1980s presents a focused look at painting from this decade with works drawn entirely from the Museum’s collection.

In the 1980s, painting recaptured the imagination of the contemporary art world against a backdrop of expansive change. An unprecedented number of galleries appeared on the scene, particularly in downtown New York. Groundbreaking exhibitions—that blurred distinctions between high and low art—were presented at alternative and artist-run spaces. New mediums, including video and installation art, were on the rise. Yet despite the growing popularity of photography and video, many artists actively embraced painting, freely exploring its bold physicality and unique capacity for expression and innovation.

The exhibition includes work by artists often identified with this explosive period—Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sherrie Levine, David Salle, and Julian Schnabel—as well as by several lesser-known painters. These artists explored the traditions of figuration and history painting, and offered new interpretations of abstraction. Many addressed fundamental questions about artmaking in their work, while others took on political issues including AIDS, feminism, gentrification, and war. In the face of a media-saturated environment, artists in the 1980s recommitted to painting. Far from dead, painting came to represent an important intersection between new ways of seeing and a seemingly traditional way of making art.”

==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right sidebar dated 02/11 and 02/09.
==============================================================

 

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Selected NYC Events (02/12) + Today’s Featured Pub (Tribeca)

Posted on 02/12/2017 by GregD

Today’s Sweet6 NYC Events>SUNDAY/FEB.12, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 9PM +11PM, $30
“Grammy Award winning pianist, composer and educator Arturo O’Farrill — leader of the “first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz” (NY Times) — was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City.
The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra is the resident large format ensemble of the nonprofit Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA) founded by Arturo O’Farrill in 2007 and dedicated to preserving the music and heritage of big band Latin jazz.”

5  OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

Xavier: Ladies of Soul Tribute
Seasons of Love
Love Bites: Best Duets Ever
Joe Farnsworth and Kenny Washington
On Dickens with Adam Gopnik

You saw these here recently and they continue today:
New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty
Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine 

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Xavier: Ladies of Soul Tribute
Joe’s Pub, / 9:30pm; $25
“In honor of the week’s high-pressure celebration of dating, soul singer Xavier is back with his annual homage to Aretha, Grace, Diana, Whitney and other ladies who need no last name. This year’s guests include Toshi Reagon, Abena Koomson, Justin Johnston, Bright Light Bright Light, Martha Redbone, Cassondra James, Nicki B and Anastacia McCleskey.” (TONY)

Seasons of Love
The Cutting Room, / 8PM, $30
“The Broadway Sings concert series veers from its usual pop content to offer a Valentine’s Day salute to Rent, featuring songs and anecdotes by alums of the show, including Richard H. Blake, Lexi Lawson, Nicholas Christopher, Corey Mach, Christina Sajous, Anwar Robinson, Jed Resnick and Marcus Paul James.” (TONY)

Love Bites: Best Duets Ever
Joe’s Pub, 7pm; $15
“Downtown stars team up to sing superhits like “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “I Got You Babe” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” in this annual duets show, hosted by Cathy Cervenka and Corn Mo. Performers this year include Molly Pope, Angela Di Carlo, David Ilku, Brian Charles Rooney, Yana Chupenko, Daryl Glenn, Mardie Millit and Paul Leschen.” (TONY)

Joe Farnsworth and Kenny Washington (last day)
Smoke Jazz Club, 2751 Broadway, btw 105th/106th Sts./ 7, 9, 10:30PM, $38
“There’s always been a gladiatorial aspect to jazz. For an extra emphasis on blood sport, head uptown for this mano-a-mano fight to the finish between two supremely accomplished drummers with a mutual taste for hard-bop intensity. Urging on the contestants will be such familiar cohorts as Eric Alexander, on tenor saxophone; Steve Davis, on trombone; and Peter Washington—Kenny’s unrelated bandmate in the Bill Charlap trio—on bass.” (NewYorker)

Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine (LAST DAY)
Joyce Theater / 2PM, $36+
“The contemporary dance company, a laboratory for new work based in Amiens, in northern France, makes its first visit to New York. Particularly interesting is “Sounddance” (on Program A), a furiously paced Merce Cunningham work from 1975 in which the dancers enter and exit the stage through a weird tentlike structure. Program B consists of a single evening-length dance cobbled together from the efforts of five choreographers whose identities are kept intentionally hidden, allowing the audience to experience the dance without preconceptions.” (NewYorker)

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

On Dickens with Adam Gopnik
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 11AM, $42
“Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, along with his other Christmas books, are classics so familiar to us that we often do not interrogate their sources or examine their profounder points.

In this talk, Adam Gopnik explores Dickens’s vision of Christmas, distinguishes it from that of his contemporaries, sheds light on his forgotten Jewish protege in Christmas tale-telling, Benjamin Farjeon, and shows why Dickens’s Christmas still matters even to secular people in a distant time.” (Thought Gallery.org)

==================================================
Bonus NYC Events – Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village (all six are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South, villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346
Cornelia Street Cafe – 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662

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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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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Selected NYC Events (02/11) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 02/11/2017 by GregD

Today’s Sweet6 NYC Events>SATURDAY/FEB.11, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

Dianne Reeves
Rose Theater, Jazz @ Lincoln Center,/ 8PM, $31+
Singer Dianne Reeves has covered the stylistic waterfront over the years, but mostly she’s an ace at singing standards. This will be her sixth year performing a Valentine’s special at the Rose Theater, one of the city’s most breathtaking concert venues, and it’s sure to be heavenly.” (TONY)

“Dianne Reeves will assuredly set the mood for this beloved Jazz at Lincoln Center tradition as she returns for the sixth time to seduce audiences with songs and stories of love and romance. Her alluring sound, fondness of love songs, and unusually broad spectrum of sensual repertoire promises a special Valentine’s Day weekend performance. With nuanced restraint and dynamics, Reeves inhabits every story she spins into song. The fifteen-time Grammy® Award winner has long revered New York City and often chooses to spend her Valentine’s Day in this shimmering city of romance.”

5  OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

The Losers Lounge Tribute to Philadelphia Soul:
The 70s Soul Jam Valentine’s Concert
Joe Farnsworth and Kenny Washington
Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine
Patti LaBelle

You saw these here recently and they continue today:
New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty
RadioLoveFest

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

The Losers Lounge Tribute to Philadelphia Soul:
The Music of Gamble, Huff and Bell featuring the Songs of The O’Jays, The Delfonics, The Spinners, The Stylistics and more…
Joe’s Pub / 7:00PM, +9:30PM, $25
“In the mid-1970s record producers Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell created a new world of pop-music hailing from The City of Brotherly Love, called “Philadelphia Soul.” Joe McGinty – The Losers Lounge Band Leader – says, “The ‘Philadelphia Soul’ sound combined sophisticated arrangements a la Burt Bacharach with soulful grooves a la Motown to create an incredible string of hits by groups like the O’Jays, The Spinners, The Delfonics, and The Stylistics. Having grown up in South Jersey, the Philadelphia Soul sound has always been a huge influence to me.” Sexy, funky, danceable and lush, the arrangements of The Philadelphia Soul sound are credited with being the precursor to Disco as well as an influence on pop music at large to this day.”

The 70s Soul Jam Valentine’s Concert
Beacon Theater, / 3PM, +8PM, $49-$79
“Share the love at the 70s Soul Jam Valentine’s Concert featuring legendary R&B/ soul groups The Stylistics, The Dramatics, The Delfonics, The Manhattans, and Blue Magic on Saturday, February 11 at NYC’s landmark Beacon Theatre, with shows at 3pm and 8pm.

During the early ‘70s, The Stylistics were the leading Philly soul group with 12 straight Top Ten hits, including “You Are Everything” “Betcha by Golly, Wow” “I’m Stone in Love With You” “Break Up to Make Up” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” Of all their peers, The Stylistics were one of the smoothest and sweetest soul groups of their era.”

Joe Farnsworth and Kenny Washington (thru Feb.12)
Smoke Jazz Club, 2751 Broadway, btw 105th/106th Sts./ 7, 9, 10:30PM, $38
“There’s always been a gladiatorial aspect to jazz. For an extra emphasis on blood sport, head uptown for this mano-a-mano fight to the finish between two supremely accomplished drummers with a mutual taste for hard-bop intensity. Urging on the contestants will be such familiar cohorts as Eric Alexander, on tenor saxophone; Steve Davis, on trombone; and Peter Washington—Kenny’s unrelated bandmate in the Bill Charlap trio—on bass.” (NewYorker)

Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine (also Feb. 12 – 2 p.m)
Joyce Theater / 2PM, +8PM, $36+
“The contemporary dance company, a laboratory for new work based in Amiens, in northern France, makes its first visit to New York. Particularly interesting is “Sounddance” (on Program A), a furiously paced Merce Cunningham work from 1975 in which the dancers enter and exit the stage through a weird tentlike structure. Program B consists of a single evening-length dance cobbled together from the efforts of five choreographers whose identities are kept intentionally hidden, allowing the audience to experience the dance without preconceptions.” (NewYorker)

Elsewhere, but this sure looks worth the detour:

Patti LaBelle
Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Ave. Brooklyn / 8PM, $85+
“Patti Labelle, the versatile two-time Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter is certainly no stranger to most. The soulful songbird’s name has become synonymous with grace, style, elegance, and class. Belting out classic rhythm and blues renditions, she has received acclaim for hits like “On my Own,” “Lady Marmalade,” “If Only you Knew, “Hear my Cry” and many more. Treat you sweetheart, family or friend to a wonderful Valentine’s gift with the Godmother of Soul.”

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

more select events coming soon.

=====================================================
Bonus NYC events– Jazz Venues:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village (all six are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South, villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346
Cornelia Street Cafe – 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662

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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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.

Time Out New York highlights this current exhibition:
“Sergei Eisenstein: Drawings 1931–1948” (LAST DAY)
Alexander Gray Associates, 510 W26th St.
“Did you know that the director of Battleship Potemkin drew pornographic pictures in his downtime? Us neither, but as this roundup of his explicit exertions on paper clearly demonstrate, it’s true. The show spans the period from 1931 until his death in 1948.”

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

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).

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 02/09 and 02/07.
======================================================

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Selected NYC Events (02/10) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper WestSide)

Posted on 02/10/2017 by GregD

Today’s Sweet6 NYC Events>FRIDAY/FEB.10, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

Joe Farnsworth and Kenny Washington (thru Feb.12)
Smoke Jazz Club, 2751 Broadway, btw 105th/106th Sts./ 7, 9, 10:30PM, $38
“There’s always been a gladiatorial aspect to jazz. For an extra emphasis on blood sport, head uptown for this mano-a-mano fight to the finish between two supremely accomplished drummers with a mutual taste for hard-bop intensity. Urging on the contestants will be such familiar cohorts as Eric Alexander, on tenor saxophone; Steve Davis, on trombone; and Peter Washington—Kenny’s unrelated bandmate in the Bill Charlap trio—on bass.” (NewYorker)

5  OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

Scott Siegel Presents… PROTEST SONGS – VOLUME 2
BOB MOULD
Brandon Uranowitz: The Songs of William Finn
Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine
The EU at 60: Europe Since the Treaty of Rome

You saw these here recently and they continue today:
New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty
RadioLoveFest

PLUS 
NYC Restaurant Week reservations now open

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Scott Siegel Presents… PROTEST SONGS – VOLUME 2
Classic Protest Songs That Speak To Today!
Metropolitan Room, 34 W22nd St./ 7PM, $24+
“The sold-out audience for the Protest Song show on Inauguration Day clamored for another edition. So, here it is: entirely different,and completely compelling, classic protest songs from the past will be performed by yet another all-star cast of Broadway and nightclub performers. Songs by Jacques Brel, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Simon & Garfunkel, Flaherty & Arhens, Kander & Ebb and more!

This show promises to be as emotionally potent as the original show on January 20th that brought the audience to its feet in a thunderous standing ovation. The power of music to move, motivate, and inspire will once again be on display as the great protest songs of the past point the way toward a better tomorrow.” (BroadwayWorld.com)

BOB MOULD
at City Winery / 8PM, $28-$35
“For Mr. Mould, it’s all about the buzz of an electric guitar. Since he formed the iconoclastic punk and hard-core band Hüsker Dü in the late 1970s, this songwriter has pioneered a deafening style of rock ’n’ roll that’s had a profound influence on countless bands that have come since. Mr. Mould, who released the excellent solo album “Patch the Sky” last year, will deliver a career-spanning set list with nothing more than his trusted six string. And following the death of the actress Mary Tyler Moore in January, expect Mr. Mould, who came of age in Minneapolis, to revisit Hüsker Dü’s celebrated cover of “Love Is All Around,” the theme song to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
(NYT-KEVIN O’DONNELL)

Brandon Uranowitz: The Songs of William Finn
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, $35+
“A 2015 Tony nominee for An American in Paris, Uranowitz recently charmed audiences as the neurotic psychiatrist Mendel in the Broadway revival of William Finn’s Falsettos. In his solo Feinstein’s/54 Below debut, he shows how well he fits the Bill with more of Finn’s vibrant, stubborn, zig-zagging songs. Guest vocalists include Zachary Prince, Alysha Umphress and (on February 8 only) Stephanie J. Block.” (TONY)

Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine
Joyce Theater / 8PM, $36+
“The contemporary dance company, a laboratory for new work based in Amiens, in northern France, makes its first visit to New York. Particularly interesting is “Sounddance” (on Program A), a furiously paced Merce Cunningham work from 1975 in which the dancers enter and exit the stage through a weird tentlike structure. Program B consists of a single evening-length dance cobbled together from the efforts of five choreographers whose identities are kept intentionally hidden, allowing the audience to experience the dance without preconceptions.” (NewYorker)
also Feb. 11 – 2 and 8 p.m.; Feb. 12 – 2 p.m.

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

The EU at 60: Europe Since the Treaty of Rome
Columbia University, 116th St. & Broadway/ 11AM, FREE
“2017 marks the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, later to become the European Union. This event will offer an opportunity of dialogue among scholars and practitioners to reflect upon the Treaty of Rome in a historical perspective and discuss the future of the European Union.”

PLUS 

NYC Restaurant Week reservations – LAST DAY
From Jan. 23 to Feb. 10, have your pick from 375 participating restaurants, with a three-course prix fixe lunch or dinner; lunches are $29, and dinners are $42, not including beverages, gratuities and taxes, a great deal for some of the city’s most popular spots…

This year there are 32 new restaurants participating, joining the array of restaurants that span 41 neighborhoods and four boroughs.
To see the full list, go to nycgo.com/restaurantweek.

==================================================
Bonus NYC Events – Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village (all six are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South, villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346
Cornelia Street Cafe – 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662

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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance at these top NYC events, even if just on day of performance.
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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Selected NYC Events (02/09) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 02/09/2017 by GregD

Today’s Sweet6 NYC Events>THURSDAY/FEB.09, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

BOB MOULD (also Friday)
at City Winery / 8PM, $28-$35
“For Mr. Mould, it’s all about the buzz of an electric guitar. Since he formed the iconoclastic punk and hard-core band Hüsker Dü in the late 1970s, this songwriter has pioneered a deafening style of rock ’n’ roll that’s had a profound influence on countless bands that have come since. Mr. Mould, who released the excellent solo album “Patch the Sky” last year, will deliver a career-spanning set list with nothing more than his trusted six string. And following the death of the actress Mary Tyler Moore in January, expect Mr. Mould, who came of age in Minneapolis, to revisit Hüsker Dü’s celebrated cover of “Love Is All Around,” the theme song to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
(NYT-KEVIN O’DONNELL)

5  OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

Stacy Sullivan, A Night at the Troubadour
New Orford String Quartet
Kelly Burke: Love for Sale
Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer
RadioLoveFest

You saw these here recently and they continue today:
Brandon Uranowitz: The Songs of William Finn
Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine
New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty

PLUS 
NYC Restaurant Week reservations now open

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Stacy Sullivan, A Night at the Troubadour:
Presenting Elton John and David Ackles
Metropolitan Room, 34 W22nd St./ 7PM, $25+
“Stacy Sullivan, award-winning recording artist and performer, has enjoyed a life-long fascination with the work of Elton John and David Ackles. Imagine her delight when she discovered the two shared a stage one fateful night…August 25th, 1970.

That night at the Troubadour in L.A., Elton John was introduced to the World and his name became a household word. David Ackles is nearly forgotten. Artistic genius and commercial success may be as ships passing in the night.” (BroadwayWorld.com)

New Orford String Quartet
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“This “electrifying” Canadian ensemble (Toronto Star) brings innovative insights to R. Murray Schafer’s fiery First String Quartet and Beethoven’s Third “Razumovsky” Quartet with its radical closing fugue.”
R. Murray Schafer: String Quartet No. 1
Beethoven: String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 (“Razumovsky”)

Kelly Burke: Love for Sale
Huron Club, 17 Vandam St./ 5PM, $40
“English singer-actor Burke makes her U.S. debut in a “cabaret-play” set in the 1930s, featuring songs by Kurt Weill and others. The winning Charlie Alterman costars as her pianist.” (TONY)

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

Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer
A Meatloaf in Every Oven, In praise of comfort food.
Macaulay Honors College, 35 W. 67th St./ 7PM, FREE
“The @Macaulay Author Series presents journalists from The New York Times Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer and their new book A Meatloaf in Every Oven: Two Chatty Cooks, One Iconic Dish and Dozens of Recipes – From Mom’s to Mario Batali. The title is quite a mouthful, and there’s more than enough to chew on in the book as Bruni and Steinhauer present the definitive guide to the classic American recipe. A Meatloaf in Every Oven is a love letter to meatloaf that incorporates history, personal anecdotes and even meatloaf sandwiches. While reading the book, you feel like you’re cooking with two trusted and knowledgeable friends.”

Elsewhere, but this always looks worth the detour:

RadioLoveFest (Feb.08-11)
Brooklyn Academy of Music; various times; $35 and up
“BAM and WNYC present their fourth annual celebration of the best in radio. Catch a live taping of public radio juggernauts like Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! and Snap Judgement, settle in for an evening of dance and stories with Monica Bill Barnes & Company and This American Life’s Ira Glass, talk politics with Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, or have some laughs with Maeve Higgins, Phoebe Robinson and other talented comics at Bullseye Comedy Night. This fest isn’t all talk: the schedule features two free concerts.” (TONY)

PLUS 

NYC Restaurant Week reservations now open
From Jan. 23 to Feb. 10, have your pick from 375 participating restaurants, with a three-course prix fixe lunch or dinner; lunches are $29, and dinners are $42, not including beverages, gratuities and taxes, a great deal for some of the city’s most popular spots…

This year there are 32 new restaurants participating, joining the array of restaurants that span 41 neighborhoods and four boroughs.
To see the full list, go to nycgo.com/restaurantweek.

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

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W54th St., 54below.com, 646-476-3551
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474

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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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)

Morgan Library & Museum
‘I’M NOBODY! WHO ARE YOU? THE LIFE AND POETRY OF EMILY DICKINSON’ (through May 28).
“This is the second-largest gathering ever, anywhere, of prime Dickinson relics, and as such it comes with an aura the size of a city block. It instantly turns the Morgan into a pilgrimage site, a literary Lourdes, a place to come in contact with one aspect of America that truly can claim greatness. And the show has a mission, to give 21st-century audiences a fresh take on Dickinson. Gone is the white-gowned Puritan nun, and the Belle of Amherst, that infantilized charmer. At the Morgan we get a different Dickinson, a person among people: a member of a household, a village dweller, a citizen.” 212-685-0008, themorgan.org. (NYT-Holland Cotter)

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

at the very least you will want to see these two:
‘CELEBRATING THE ARTS OF JAPAN: THE MARY GRIGGS BURKE COLLECTION’ (through May 2017)
“This lavish collection of 160 objects came to the Met from the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation in early 2015. The Burkes loved Japanese art — all of it — and the exhibition is close to compendious in terms of media, from wood-carved Buddhas to bamboo baskets, with a particular strength in painting, early and late. The quality of the work? Japan thinks highly enough of it to have made the Burke holdings the first Japanese collection from abroad ever to show at Tokyo National Museum. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Cotter)

‘MAX BECKMANN IN NEW YORK’ (through Feb. 20).
“In the last two years of his life, the great German Expressionist Max Beckmann lived in New York. This terrific exhibition gathers paintings that he created during his time here as well as paintings now owned by museums and private collectors in New York, regardless of when they were made. If this sounds like a recipe for mishmash, it’s not: There’s not a single dud among the 39 works in the show. Including portraits, still lifes, cityscapes and several of his most ambitious allegorical visions, it will warm the hearts of Beckmann’s fans and serve as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with his vigorously humane art. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org” (Ken Johnson)

===========================================================
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)

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (SUN 11am-1pm PWYW) 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 02/07 and 02/05.
=============================================================

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Selected NYC Events (02/08) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 02/08/2017 by GregD

Today’s Sweet6 NYC Events>WEDNESDAY/FEB.08, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

Karen Oberlin in BAD LOVE: The Randy Newman Songbook
Metropolitan Room, 34 W22nd St./ 7PM, $24+
“Randy Newman, as a songwriter, is an impassioned social realist in the same vein as (or school of) Yip Harburg mixed with Lorenz Hart… Someone who recognizes the power of songs, with lyrics that can remind us of injustice, the sting of loss and how unkind people can be… And yet in that salad of cruelty Newman tosses large amounts of love, joy and delicious humor. Karen Oberlin, joined by her superb team of Tedd Firth as musical director and pianist and Steve Doyle on bass, explores the many facets of this heartbreaking and hilarious songbook,” (Broadway World)

5  OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty
Brandon Uranowitz: The Songs of William Finn
Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine
VICELAND: RISE – Sacred Water: Standing Rock Part I
RadioLoveFest

PLUS 
NYC Restaurant Week reservations now open

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

New York City Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty (thruFeb.19)
NYS/DHK Theater, Lincoln Center/ 7:30PM, $30+
“Awaken to true love’s potential in one of NYCB’s grandest productions. This enchanting full-length unveils the story of a charming prince on his quest to unbind a cursed princess, with aid from a cast of miraculous fairies and fanciful storybook characters.”

Brandon Uranowitz: The Songs of William Finn
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, $35+
“A 2015 Tony nominee for An American in Paris, Uranowitz recently charmed audiences as the neurotic psychiatrist Mendel in the Broadway revival of William Finn’s Falsettos. In his solo Feinstein’s/54 Below debut, he shows how well he fits the Bill with more of Finn’s vibrant, stubborn, zig-zagging songs. Guest vocalists include Zachary Prince, Alysha Umphress and (on February 8 only) Stephanie J. Block.” (TONY)

Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine
Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $36+
“The contemporary dance company, a laboratory for new work based in Amiens, in northern France, makes its first visit to New York. Particularly interesting is “Sounddance” (on Program A), a furiously paced Merce Cunningham work from 1975 in which the dancers enter and exit the stage through a weird tentlike structure. Program B consists of a single evening-length dance cobbled together from the efforts of five choreographers whose identities are kept intentionally hidden, allowing the audience to experience the dance without preconceptions.” (NewYorker)
also Feb. 9-10, 8 p.m.; Feb. 11, 2 and 8 p.m.; Feb. 12, 2 p.m.

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

VICELAND: RISE – Sacred Water: Standing Rock Part I
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“The people of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation of North and South Dakota are fighting to stop a pipeline from being built on their ancestral homeland. The Dakota Access Pipeline would snake its way across four states, bisecting sacred Indigenous sites and burial grounds along the route. The tribe fears that a leak could contaminate the Missouri River and spell disaster for the Great Sioux Nation. But youth are standing up in unprecedented numbers to preserve their way of life for future generations and to defend their sacred water. RISE heads to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation to meet the Lakota and Dakota youth joining forces to protect their sacred water from the “black snake” set to invade their ancestral homeland.”

Elsewhere, but this always looks worth the detour:

RadioLoveFest (Feb.08-11)
Brooklyn Academy of Music; various times; $35 and up
“BAM and WNYC present their fourth annual celebration of the best in radio. Catch a live taping of public radio juggernauts like Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! and Snap Judgement, settle in for an evening of dance and stories with Monica Bill Barnes & Company and This American Life’s Ira Glass, talk politics with Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, or have some laughs with Maeve Higgins, Phoebe Robinson and other talented comics at Bullseye Comedy Night. This fest isn’t all talk: the schedule features two free concerts.” (TONY)

PLUS 

NYC Restaurant Week reservations now open
From Jan. 23 to Feb. 10, have your pick from 375 participating restaurants, with a three-course prix fixe lunch or dinner; lunches are $29, and dinners are $42, not including beverages, gratuities and taxes, a great deal for some of the city’s most popular spots…

This year there are 32 new restaurants participating, joining the array of restaurants that span 41 neighborhoods and four boroughs.
To see the full list, go to nycgo.com/restaurantweek.

================================================
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. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W54th St., 54below.com, 646-476-3551
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474

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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
=================================================================================

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.

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.
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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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3 Good Eating places

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

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

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

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

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
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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 Summer 2017).
◊ Order before May.31, 2017 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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Selected NYC Events (02/07) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 02/07/2017 by GregD

Today’s Sweet6 NYC Events>TUESDAY/FEB.07, 2017

“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 be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-Feb.”

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

Centre Choreographique National—Ballet de Lorraine
Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $36+
“The contemporary dance company, a laboratory for new work based in Amiens, in northern France, makes its first visit to New York. Particularly interesting is “Sounddance” (on Program A), a furiously paced Merce Cunningham work from 1975 in which the dancers enter and exit the stage through a weird tentlike structure. Program B consists of a single evening-length dance cobbled together from the efforts of five choreographers whose identities are kept intentionally hidden, allowing the audience to experience the dance without preconceptions.” (NewYorker)
also Feb.8, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 9-10, 8 p.m.; Feb. 11, 2 and 8 p.m.; Feb. 12, 2 p.m.

5  OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

CAMILLE THURMAN WITH THE DARRELL GREEN TRIO
McCOY TYNER
An Evening with Deepak Chopra
THE 45TH ANNUAL DANCE ON CAMERA FESTIVAL
RadioLoveFest

PLUS 
NYC Restaurant Week reservations now open

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

CAMILLE THURMAN WITH THE DARRELL GREEN TRIO
at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola / 7:30, 9:30PM, $30
“Ms. Thurman has a lithe and attenuated attack on the tenor saxophone and an equally effortless style on the flute. And she’s a triple threat, having won awards for her abilities as a scat vocalist. At this show she will play two sets of onrushing postbop with a stellar band: the pianist David Bryant, the bassist Lonnie Plaxico and Mr. Green, a drummer.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

McCOY TYNER
at the Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $30-$45
“One of the most influential living jazz pianists, Mr. Tyner, 78, emerged from Philadelphia in the early 1960s as a charter member of the John Coltrane Quartet. With a darkly combustive left hand and open-ended chord voicings in the right, he helped to define the group’s classic sound while paving the way for the boundless abandon of Coltrane’s later period (if not its atonality). But Mr. Tyner’s legacy must also include his sensitive playing on ballads, and his strengths as a composer and bandleader. He appears here with the saxophonist Gary Bartz, the bassist Gerald Cannon and the drummer Francisco Mela.” (NYT- GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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

An Evening with Deepak Chopra |
You are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why It Matters
Riverside Church. / 7PM, $37, includes a copy of You Are the Universe
“What happens when modern science reaches a crucial turning point that challenges everything we know about reality?

Join New York Times bestselling author Deepak Chopra as he shares new insights from his latest work You Are the Universe and explores some of the most important and baffling questions about our place in the world. The greatest spiritual urge in our time is the urge to change, to walk the path of transformation.”

THE 45TH ANNUAL DANCE ON CAMERA FESTIVAL (LAST DAY)
“Dance On Camera Festival Remains The Longest-Running Dance Film Festival In The World, Providing A Platform For Choreographic Storytelling And Creative Expression, And Intimate Access To Innovative Media Artists And Their Cinematic Works. Each February In New York City, The Festival Presents Feature-Length Documentary And Narrative Films, Inventive Short Films, Filmmaker Panels And Special Events, Cutting Edge Media And Art Installations, As Well As Engaging Community And Student Programs.”
Tonight: In the Steps of Trisha Brown. 8PM

Elsewhere, but this always looks worth the detour:

RadioLoveFest (Feb.08-11)
Brooklyn Academy of Music; various times; $35 and up
“BAM and WNYC present their fourth annual celebration of the best in radio. Catch a live taping of public radio juggernauts like Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! and Snap Judgement, settle in for an evening of dance and stories with Monica Bill Barnes & Company and This American Life’s Ira Glass, talk politics with Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, or have some laughs with Maeve Higgins, Phoebe Robinson and other talented comics at Bullseye Comedy Night. This fest isn’t all talk: the schedule features two free concerts.” (TONY)

PLUS 

NYC Restaurant Week reservations now open
From Jan. 23 to Feb. 10, have your pick from 375 participating restaurants, with a three-course prix fixe lunch or dinner; lunches are $29, and dinners are $42, not including beverages, gratuities and taxes, a great deal for some of the city’s most popular spots…

This year there are 32 new restaurants participating, joining the array of restaurants that span 41 neighborhoods and four boroughs.
To see the full list, go to nycgo.com/restaurantweek.

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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. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W54th St., 54below.com, 646-476-3551
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474

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

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.
NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

Museum of Modern Art:
‘FROM THE COLLECTION: 1960-1969’ (through March 12, 2017)
“MoMA shakes up its sanctum sanctorum, installing half of its permanent collection galleries with works chosen by 17 curators from a single decade: the tumultuous 1960s. The limited time frame is balanced by unprecedented breadth and variety. As never before, the presentation mixes together objects and artworks from all six of the museum’s curatorial departments. The blend is alternately stimulating and bewildering, revelatory and infuriating: yet another symptom of the museum’s limited curatorial mind-set. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith)
 ‘TONY OURSLER: IMPONDERABLE’ (through April 16, 2017)
“This small exhibition is centered on a 90-minute film in which episodes from the history of spiritualist frauds and hoaxes are re-enacted by people in fanciful costumes while mystic flames, smoke and ectoplasmic phenomena come and go. At certain moments during “Imponderable,” you feel breezes wafting over you and hear loud thumping under the theater’s risers. The crudeness of these effects is part of the generally comical spirit. It’s all about the confusion between illusion and reality to which human beings seem to be congenitally susceptible. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Johnson)

 Whitney Museum of American Art:
‘HUMAN INTEREST: PORTRAITS FROM THE WHITNEY’S COLLECTION’ (through Feb.12, 2017)
“A year ago, the Whitney inaugurated its new downtown home with a permanent collection showcase called “America Is Hard to See.” Its even more immediately engaging successor, devoted entirely to portraiture, is now on view and might well have been subtitled “Americans Are Strange to Look At,” which, in the 250 images here, we sure are: funny-strange, beautiful-strange, crazy-strange, dangerous-strange, inscrutable-strange. The work is arranged by theme and spread over two floors. There are magnetic images everywhere. 99 Gansevoort Street, 212-570-3600, whitney.org.” (Cotter)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right sidebar dated 02/05 and 02/03.
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