Selected Events (07/14) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 07/14/2016 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > THURSDAY / JULY 14, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Broadway in Bryant Park (Thursdays thru Aug 11)
Bryant Park / 12:30–1:30PM, FREE
“Can’t get a ticket to your favorite Broadway show? You might get lucky in Bryant Park. Catch the best performances on and off Broadway as talented musicians and actors showcase the hits.” (TONY)

Have your picnic lunch in nycity’s best vest pocket park, while listening to cast members of popular musicals perform their hits. I look forward to this wonderful, only in NYCity experience each year.
TODAY: Chicago, The Fantastiks, Motown, Finding Neverland

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Sheena Easton
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill / 8PM, $50.
“Scottish songstress Sheena Easton turns up the heat. She has sold over 20 million records worldwide, received two Grammys, and was the first –and still only– artist to have top five records on five major Billboard charts. In addition to her recording success, Sheena is a top concert attraction around the world.”

Ron Funches (through July 16)
Carolines, 1626 Broadway, at 49th St./ 7:30PM, $
(Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 10 p.m)
“Mr. Funches, below, an increasingly familiar presence in movies and on television, is an endearing stand-up who mixes socially relevant material into his silly, sometimes absurd comedy, which he often delivers with a giggle.” (Czajkowski-NYT)

The Juilliard Jazz Ensemble
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
(enter through the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, 90th St.(btw Madison/Fifth Ave)
6:30PM-9:00PM, FREE
“An evening of jazz music in the renewed garden. Held rain or shine. Performances at 6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. by alumni and students of the Juilliard School. This lively summer program will include selections from the jazz standard repertoire, the great American Songbook as well as original music written by the members of the group.”

Twyla Tharp Dance (through July 23)
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave./ try the $76 loge seats, they are fine.
“Twyla Tharp, modern dance’s great populist, brings her company back to the Joyce for the first time in over a decade. The broad range of her artistic and cultural interests is on display with a program that includes deconstructed square dancing in “Country Dances” (1976); the busy, complicated and colorful “Brahms Paganini” from 1980, with six dancers elegantly freaking out in preppy pastels; and a new work made to Beethoven’s Opus 130.”(Schaefer-NYT)
Mondays through Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.

Elsewhere, but this looks too hot to miss and worth the detour:
King Sunny Ade, Undisputed King of Juju, the Pop-African Hybrid
MetroTech Commons, 304 Bridge St., Brooklyn / 12PM, FREE
“King Sunny Ade is the undisputed king of juju, the high-energy, highly danceable hybrid of Western pop and traditional African music with roots in the guitar tradition of Nigeria. Boasting a diverse roster of collaborators including Youssou N’Dour and Stevie Wonder, Ade has also been an influence on Talking Heads and David Bowie.” (ClubFreeTime)

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

===========================================================
Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite 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
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

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

 Solomon R Guggenheim Museum:
“Moholy-Nagy: Future Present,”  (through Sept. 7)
“A key innovator in the fields of kinetic sculpture and cameraless photography, Moholy-Nagy (1895–1946) was one of the giants of 20th-century modernism, who pioneered the use of ephemeral materials like plastics. The Hungarian-born artist was an instructor at the legendary Bauhaus in Germany before he eventually moved to Chicago to continue his teaching. This retrospective is his first in 50 years.” (TONY)

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum:
‘Beauty — Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial’ (through Aug. 21)
“This year’s version of the Cooper Hewitt’s always interesting Design Triennial boldly ventures to tackle one of the most controversial topics in today’s visual culture. With more than 250 works by 63 designers from around the world in a jam-packed two-floor show, it’s a mixed bag in terms of quality. But whether or not everything in it qualifies as incontrovertibly beautiful, it offers an exciting opportunity to meditate on two perennially confounding questions: What is beauty? And what is it good for? 2 East 91st Street, 212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org.” (Ken Johnson-NYT)

Morgan Library & Museum:
‘Dreams in Dust: The Pastels of Lucas Samaras’ (through Aug. 21)
“In the late 1950s, when ambitious painters were obliged to produce big, bold abstractions, Lucas Samaras took up the fragile, intimate medium of pastel. He went on to forge a singular, nearly 60-year career of eccentric invention in painting, sculpture and photography, but he periodically returned to pastel to create small, vibrantly colorful and poetically captivating images. Of the hundreds of pastels Mr. Samaras has made, 48 are in this intensely absorbing exhibition. Dating from 1958-83, they range from offbeat abstractions to hallucinogenic allegories. 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, 212-685-0008, themorgan.org.” (Johnson-NYT)

‘Rembrandt’s First Masterpiece’ (through Sept. 18)
“In 1629, after some years of apprenticeship, the young Rembrandt finished what many experts consider his first painting in his resolved and distinctive style. Titled “Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver,” it is certainly powerful in ways that his great work will be, with its operatic, Verdian largeness of gesture, its sense for light as both specific and cosmic, and its piercing, unembarrassable instinct for human emotion. Now in a British private collection, the picture is visiting New York for the first time, and has been surrounded at the Morgan Library with a wealth of the artist’s prints and drawings. 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, 212-685-0008, themorgan.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

Jewish Museum:
‘Roberto Burle Marx: Brazilian Modernist’ (through Sept. 18)
“Working primarily in South America, Roberto Burle Marx, the great Brazilian landscape architect, designed some of the modern world’s most distinctive parks and gardens, from an immense, jazzy tattoo of a promenade on the beachfront of Rio de Janeiro to rooftop plantings in Brasilia, a city carved from jungle. In the process, he became invested, heart and mind, in preserving the Amazonian paradise that surrounded him, fought to halt its devastation and turned his home near Rio into a sanctuary for one of the largest collections of tropical plants anywhere. To appreciate his art fully, you have to go to the gardens themselves, but a visit to the compact Jewish Museum show gives you a full sense of his protean work as designer, painter, sculptor and collector. 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

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 this one:
‘Turner’s Whaling Pictures’ at the Met (thru Aug 7)
“Among the most revered works by the great British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) are those representing the world dissolved by light, steam, fog, smoke, rain, wind and snow. One of his favorite settings for his evocations of elemental chaos was the ocean, where nature regularly overwhelms human challenges to its dominion. In this vein, late in his career, he made the dangerous business of whaling the subject of four stirringly atmospheric and poetically thrilling paintings. They’ve never been shown together until now, in this small, beautiful exhibition that no Turner fan should miss.” (Ken Johnson-NYT)

===========================================================
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 07/06 and 07/02.
=============================================================

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

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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Selected Events (07/13) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 07/13/2016 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > WEDNESDAY / JULY 13, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner: Unattached!
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 9:30PM, $60
“The original stars of the conjoined-twin musical Side Show reunite to perform their first show together in nearly a decade. Both have had substantial careers since their joint 1997 breakthrough, and it will be fascinating to see how Ripley’s edgy presence and rough-edged rock voice interplays with Skinner’s vivacious, Broadway-broad approach.” (TONY)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Earl Klugh (through July 17)
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./ 8PM, +10:30PM, $
“An acoustic guitarist with impeccable touch, Mr. Klugh is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his self-titled debut album, a minor classic of the crossover format that led the way to smooth jazz. He’ll draw partly from the album in this engagement, mixing in standards and other originals from across his career.” (Chinen-NYT)

Jimmy Heath Quartet (through July 17)
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM +10:30PM, $
“Jimmy Heath, who will turn 90 in the fall, is a tireless saxophonist, composer, educator and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. He often works at the Village Vanguard with the Heath Brothers, whose pianist, Jeb Patton, and bassist, David Wong, both join him here. On drums is Al Foster, a rhythm magician who recorded with Mr. Heath more than 30 years ago.” (Chinen-NYT)

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

Craft Beer Jam 2016
The Greene Space, 44 Charlton St./ 7PM, $25
“Our annual beer-focused series returns for another season of conversation, consumption and celebration over three Wednesdays in July. Enjoy beer tastings and snacks as host Jimmy Carbone of the internet radio show “Beer Sessions Radio” talks with local experts and brewers as part of the 8th annual NYC July Good Beer Month.

Series Pass – Attend all three events with our discounted pass for $60.
Individual Tickets – Purchase tickets for individual events below for $25 each.

TONIGHT: New York vs. New Jersey Brew Battle
Join us for a city-suburb smackdown where you’ll get to blind taste craft beers from brewers on both sides of the Hudson River and vote on who makes the best brew. Expect expert brewers in lively conversation, plenty of opportunities to sample their brews right along with them, and friendly rivalry between sister states.”

Eye of the Sixties: Richard Bellamy and The Transformation of Modern Art
192 Books, 192 10th Ave./ 7PM, FREE
“It remains one of the art world’s most fascinating, covetable archetypes: a curator who spots, supports, and enables a wave of talent that shakes a regime and shifts a paradigm. The image may be hackneyed now, but in the nineteen-sixties Richard Bellamy launched Green gallery on West Fifty-seventh Street and brought a groundswell of attention to the work of artists such as Donald Judd, Robert Morris, Larry Poons, and Lucas Samaras.

In “Eye of the Sixties: Richard Bellamy and the Transformation of Modern Art,” the author Judith Stein pulled together years of research and interviews with the late Bellamy’s closest friends and associates, as well as the artists who adorned his walls. Through this biography, Stein traces the outward reach of the counterculture through one of its most important arbiters.” (NewYorker)

How to See the World: An Introduction to Images, from Self-Portraits to Selfies, Maps to Movies, and More
with Nicholas D. Mirzoeff, Professor of Media Culture and Communication at New York University.
Mid-Manhattan Library / 6:30 PM, FREE
“This illustrated lecture reveals how images shape our lives, how to harness their power for good, and why they matter.”

===========================================================
Bonus – 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 – 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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
=================================================================================

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 thousand eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available Fall 2016).
◊ Order before Sept. 30, 2016 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.
=============================================================
This week’s fave and FREE NYCity AppS: 
Trip Advisor
An enormous base of NYCity user reviews (2.1 million) provides the widest coverage of hotels (468), restaurants (12,645) and things to do (yes, 3,246). Have a specific question? Then try one of Trip Advisor’s forums. Just remember that with all those reviews you have to try to find the consistency among the comments, and ignore the outliers.

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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

Selected Events (07/12) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 07/12/2016 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > TUESDAY / JULY 12, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Marissa Mulder: Marilyn in Fragments (also July26)
Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe, 407W42nd St./ 7PM, $20
“As comfortable singing Tom Waits as she is singing Noël Coward, the winsomely natural Mulder is one of the cabaret world’s biggest breakout successes of the past five years. Her new set is devoted to the fractured image of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe.” (TONY)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Molly Pope in A Star Is Born
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, $40
Pope’s viscerally thrilling alto is a rich gusher of sound that emerges like a full-on blast from the past. In her latest venture, the downtown darling boldly essays the score from the 1954 Judy Garland version of A Star Is Born, including “The Man That Got Away,” “Swanee” and “You Took Advantage of Me.” The wizardly Brian Nash mans the piano.” (TONY)

Jimmy Heath Quartet (through July 17)
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM +10:30PM, $
“Jimmy Heath, who will turn 90 in the fall, is a tireless saxophonist, composer, educator and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. He often works at the Village Vanguard with the Heath Brothers, whose pianist, Jeb Patton, and bassist, David Wong, both join him here. On drums is Al Foster, a rhythm magician who recorded with Mr. Heath more than 30 years ago.” (Chinen-NYT)

Twyla Tharp Dance (through July 23)
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave./ try the $76 loge seats, they are fine.
“Twyla Tharp, modern dance’s great populist, brings her company back to the Joyce for the first time in over a decade. The broad range of her artistic and cultural interests is on display with a program that includes deconstructed square dancing in “Country Dances” (1976); the busy, complicated and colorful “Brahms Paganini” from 1980, with six dancers elegantly freaking out in preppy pastels; and a new work made to Beethoven’s Opus 130.” (Schaefer-NYT)
Mondays through Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.

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

Digital Disobedience:
A Virtual Conversation with Edward Snowden and Jaron Lanier
Story, 144 10th Ave @ 19th St./ 5:30PM,
“We live in a world where a few keystrokes can alter the course of a generation. As dramatized in USA’s Mr. Robot, this alarming power comes with staggering responsibility, and presents us with opportunities for both great innovation and terrible exploitation. Join #DisruptSTORY for an unprecedented virtual discussion between NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and celebrated computer scientist and author Jaron Lanier that will explore the challenges and opportunities of the digital revolution.”

Manhattanhenge
“Every summer, NYC’s street grid is treated to a sunset phenomenon called Manhattanhenge, a term coined by Neil deGrasse Tyson (director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium) as a play on Stonehenge. The sunset synchs with Manhattan’s east-west numbered streets, creating beautiful photo opportunities. This month, the full sun will be visible on the grid on July 11 at 8:20pm, and the half sun the next night at 8:20pm. Prime locations to view the phenomenon are wide cross streets like 14th, 34th, 42nd, 57th, and 79th. Catch a discussion on the phenomenon at the planetarium on the 12th at 7pm, followed by a viewing at sunset.” (cityguideny.com)

=======================================================
Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite 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
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
=======================================================================

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

Museum of Modern Art:

‘Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty’ (through July 24)
“Among the greats of late 19th-century French painting, Degas remained closest to tradition and its focus on the human body, which may explain why this large but thrillingly intimate show is his first solo at the Modern. It focuses his monotypes — the most seductive of all print mediums — and their modernizing effect on his art, revealing with exceptional clarity a radical merging of subject and process that brought new liveliness to depictions of the body and to art itself. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith)

‘Dadaglobe Reconstructed’ (through Sept. 18)
“In 1920, the Romanian poet and gadfly Tristan Tzara made plans for a worldwide publication featuring the art of Dada, the convention-busting movement that arose from the senselessness of World War I. The anthology never materialized, but this sparky show, first seen at the Kunsthaus Zürich and accompanied by a landmark catalog, reassembles the drawings, reproductions and wacky head shots that Dadaists like Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp contributed for it. (There’s also fascinating correspondence and ephemera, plus photographs of knees-up parties; at one, Tzara appears in black tie with the word Dada scrawled across his forehead.) For the Dadaists, art wasn’t a matter of placing discrete objects in museums, but circulating ideas and images across new, international media networks. It is an aim as fresh today as it was a century ago. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Farago)

‘From the Collection: 1960-1969’ (through March 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)

 Whitney Museum of American Art:

‘Stuart Davis: In Full Swing’ (through Sept. 25)
“This restless, zestful Whitney exhibition leaves out the earliest phase of a great American modernist’s career but is still broad enough to be a survey while feeling sufficiently focused to qualify as a thematic study. As you move through the show, you move through time, and change over time is the thread the show follows. Beginning in the 1950s, you see Mr. Davis’s dense compositions, abstract with a realist core, start to untangle. His palette simplifies. His use of words, or script-like arabesques, grows. And more and more he looks to the past and brings it forward, revisiting, reusing and transforming motives from his own art, a pattern he likened to a jazz musician’s improvisations on favorite, unforgettable tunes. 99 Gansevoort Street, at Washington Street, 212-570-3600, whitney.org.” (Cotter)

‘Human Interest: Portraits From the Whitney’s Collection’ (through Feb. 12)
“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)

Museum of Arts and Design:

‘Studio Job: Mad House’ (through Aug. 21)
“Working in the overlap of fine art and design, the Belgium-based Studio Job produces materially opulent tables, chairs, clocks, rugs, wallpaper, stained-glass windows, lamps, decorative objects and sculptures. While exceptionally imaginative and wide-ranging in their historical and sociopolitical references, the works in this lavish, two-floor exhibition are more kitschy than visionary. A gaudy, 12-foot tall sculpture of King Kong climbing to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, would make a fine gift for a Las Vegas casino owner. 2 Columbus Circle, 212-299-7777, madmuseum.org.” (Johnson)

 New-York Historical Society:

‘The Folk Art Collection of Elie and Viola Nadelman’ (through Aug. 21)
“The Nadelmans’ tale, like the best collecting narratives, is a riveting combination of wealth, visionary thought, aesthetic passion and cruel fate. It is recounted in this outstanding exhibition (and catalog) in unprecedented detail. The 250 objects on view sample the immense collection — most of which was purchased by the Society in 1937 — while the great Nadelman wood sculptures tell of the inspiration Elie drew from it. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.” (Smith)

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right sidebar dated 07/10 and 07/08.
=======================================================

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

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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Selected Events (07/11) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 07/11/2016 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > MONDAY / JULY 11, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Twyla Tharp Dance (through July 23)
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave./ try the $76 loge seats, they are fine.
“Twyla Tharp, modern dance’s great populist, brings her company back to the Joyce for the first time in over a decade. The broad range of her artistic and cultural interests is on display with a program that includes deconstructed square dancing in “Country Dances” (1976); the busy, complicated and colorful “Brahms Paganini” from 1980, with six dancers elegantly freaking out in preppy pastels; and a new work made to Beethoven’s Opus 130.” (Schaefer-NYT)
Mondays through Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Cabaret)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave) / 9:30PM, $25
the witty host attracts broadway stars on their night off, along with up and comers.
OR
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30Pm +10:30PM, $30
world class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.

Tony Yazbeck: The Floor Above Me
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 7PM, $35, $45
“Broadway hoofer-actor-singer Yazbeck has brightened such revivals as Gypsy, A Chorus Line and On the Town. His nice-guy brand of triple threat is now center stage again in Finding Neverland; now he returns to Birdland with an evening of song and dance, featuring guest stars Clyde Alves, Melinda Sullivan and Katie Huff.” (TONY)

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

People Doing Math Live!
Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, 18 Bleecker St./ 7:30PM, $20
“After sold out shows at The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival, Strand Bookstore, and most recently The National Museum of Mathematics, People Doing Math Live! comes to the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture for two very special performances. People Doing Math Live! is the live component of People Doing Math, a serialized podcast about math, art and everyday life. An irreverent mash-up of Mathletics and RadioLab, People Doing Math Live! is an unabashed celebration of the beauty, uncertainty, and wonder of exploring a world expressed in numbers.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
The History of Scotch Whisky
Brooklyn Brainery, 190 Underhill Ave./ 6PM, $14
“Whisky is the national drink of Scotland, and the most popular spirit in the world: it is a multi-billion dollar industry employing thousands globally and one of the UK’s leading exports. Yet, it is more, much more than this; it’s a story – a story of a drink, a culture, a people, a land and a way of life. From the humblest of origins, to the glamorous world of ‘Mad Men’ Scotch has come a long way, and it is a fascinating tale.

There are quirky stories, interesting characters and the mystery of the lost distilleries to illuminate us as we unravel the secret of the Water of Life. Oh, and you get to sample some too!”

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

Greenwich Village (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 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

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

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

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

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

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

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

==================================================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

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

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

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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Selected Events (07/10) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 07/10/2016 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 > SUNDAY / JULY 10, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

image

Photograph: Courtesy Sasha Arutyunova

Bastille Day on 60th Street
60th St., from Fifth Ave. to Lexington Ave./ 12PM -5PM
“A week after the Fourth of July, indulge in a celebration of independence with Parisian flair. French culture, cuisine, and entertainment will be on display at this annual street fair, presented by the French Institute Alliance Française in commemoration of the historic storming of the Bastille Prison in rebellion against King Louis XVI, in 1789. This year, the cast members of the Tony Award-winning musical “An American in Paris” perform selections live onstage, and attendees can enjoy champagne and chocolate tasting before watching the conclusion of the 2016 U.E.F.A. European Soccer Championship at a free screening in Florence Gould Hall.” (NewYorker)

“This Gallic fair is filled with bakery bites (crêpes, éclairs) from François Payard, Dominique Ansel and Financier Patisserie, plus performances by can-can dancers strutting their stuff to the jubilant Hungry March Band. Enjoy a special show presented by the cast of hit musical An American in Paris, and once the festival fatigue sits in, enjoy nibbles of fromage and baguettes, and sips of beer and various wines from Sud de France.” (TONY)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

“Summergarden: New Music for New York”
Museum of Modern Art, 11 W53rd St./ Garden opens at 7, Concert begins at 8; FREE
“Members of the New Juilliard Ensemble led by conductor Joel Sachs will perform in MoMA’s Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden as part of the museum’s Summergarden series on Sunday night. The series, titled “New Music for New York,” will take place over the course of four evenings and will offer “adventurous contemporary” musical selections. Summergarden, established in 1971, seeks to continue the MoMA’s history of presenting jazz and classical music in the Sculpture Garden. Although the exhibition galleries are closed, the Garden Bar will be open and offer a selection of light fare as well as wine, craft beer and cocktails.” (the Observer)

“Vince Giordano—There’s a Future in the Past”
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 6PM, $40
“How crazy do you have to be to keep a Jazz Age enterprise going in the 21st Century?

Bandleader, historian and collector Vince Giordano created the period music in Todd Haynes’ Carol, Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club, half-a-dozen Woody Allen films including his upcoming Cafe Society and HBO’s Grammy-winning series Boardwalk Empire. A New York institution for nearly 40 years, Vince and his eleven-member band The Nighthawks bring the hot, syncopated music of the 1920s and ’30s to life with their virtuosity, vintage musical instruments and Vince’s encyclopedic collection of over 60,000 period band arrangements.

But between the moments of glory on stage, there is the constant struggle to find gigs, manage personnel and shlep a van full of equipment and 400 lbs of music to every job, with no road crew. Meltdowns occur and the threat of going out of business constantly looms. Vince Giordano — There’s a Future in the Past captures the hard work, endurance, and joy of being true to one’s calling.

“Vince Giordano is Hollywood’s go-to guy to authentically re-create vintage jazz music.” – The Wall Street Journal.

Join Vince Giordano, Bill Charlap and filmmakers Dave Davidson and Amber Edwards in conversation followed by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks in performance.”

Joe Lovano Quartet (LAST DAY)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $30
“Mr. Lovano, a saxophonist equally drawn to garrulous epiphany and tender lyricism, convenes a new band for this six-night run at the Village Vanguard, his second home. Along with the pianist Kenny Werner, a longtime compatriot, it features the virtuoso bassist John Patitucci and the wise and grounded drummer Andrew Cyrille.” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but this guitar genius is worth the small detour:
John Pizzarelli (LAST DAY)
Jazz Standard, 116 E27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM,; $40
“A sterling cabaret artist who doesn’t hide his deep affection for the classic rock and pop that he grew up with, the guitarist and singer Pizzarelli recently tipped his hat to a major influence on “Midnight McCartney,” an imaginative project that approached offbeat Paul McCartney tunes from a stylishly personal angle.”(NewYorker)

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

My First Friend, My Enemy: The Hamilton and Burr Duel
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West/ 1PM, FREE with museum admission
“Much of this year’s hoopla about Alexander Hamilton has focused on how he lived. But on Sunday, the New-York Historical Society will have young visitors investigate a more sobering topic: how he died.

Not that his demise lacked drama. Hamilton may have expired in bed, but only after Aaron Burr mortally wounded him in their infamous duel on July 11, 1804 — the subject of “Hamilton’s Dueling Death Family Tour,” at 11:30 a.m. Participants will visit Kim Crowley’s statues of the men in dueling stance, see reproductions of the pistols they used and hear their increasingly heated letters.

This gallery tour will be a prelude to “My First Friend, My Enemy: The Hamilton and Burr Duel,” a re-enactment at 1 and 3 p.m. A day short of the duel’s 212th anniversary, Eben Kuhns will take the stage as Hamilton, and John Zak as Burr, along with actors playing their seconds. The costumed cast will also read from letters, and then, using antique pistols, portray the confrontation.” (Laurel Graeber-NYT)

Pinknic
Governors Island, The Play Lawn/ 12PM – 6PM; $65+
“Pinknic, the largest rosé-themed picnic and music festival in New York City, comes to Governor’s Island. Take a short ferry ride from the tip of Manhattan and set up shop on one of 4,000 rosé-hued blankets dotting the sprawling grounds. From here, delight in spirited sounds, satisfying snacks, and ice-cold bottles of rosé. A variety of refreshing rosés will be available for purchase. You’re invited to bring your own picnic or pre-order our special Pinknic Baskets crafted by acclaimed chef Chris Santos.”

=====================================================
Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite 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
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if it’s  just on the day of performance.
==============================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world. Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues. Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art.

Two exhibitions the NewYorkTimes likes:

 Robert Ryman (through July 31)
“For nearly 60s years, the Minimalist painter Robert Ryman has had few equals when it comes to doing more with less. White has been his primary, if not quite his only, color, the square his typical format. And yet within these seeming limitations a remarkably fecund and resonant body of work has evolved as demonstrated with unusual clarity (and in natural light) by this small but comprehensive exhibition.
Dia: Chelsea, 535 West 22nd Street, 212-989-5566, diaart.org.” (Smith)

Richard Serra (through July 29)
“New works occupying Gagosian Gallery’s two Chelsea display spaces find Mr. Serra, at 76, still wrangling sculptural fundamentals into objects and installations of thrilling severity. At West 21st Street is a single, grand example of his mazes made from immense ribbons of rolled steel; West 24th Street hosts three works made of solid steel slabs as well as a drawing installation. In certain respects, the two exhibitions represent formal opposites. While the maze subordinates material to gravity-defying form, the slabs favor weighty raw material. What the two have in common is their awesomely expansive effects on consciousness.
Gagosian Gallery, 522 West 21st Street, 212-741-1717; and at 555 West 24th Street, Chelsea, 212-741-1111, gagosian.com.” (Johnson)

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 07/08 and 07/06.
======================================================

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

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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

Selected Events (07/09) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 07/09/2016 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > SATURDAY / JULY 09, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Harlem Renaissance Orchestra
12th Annual Tribute to Illinois Jacquet
Plus the Ambassador Prize Lindy Hop Dance Contest
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center / Dance lesson at 6:30
Live music at 7:30; $17 for dance floor – FREE for plaza
“Swing is the thing at our season finale. Guardians of Harlem’s jazz past for two decades, the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra summons the spirit of jazz legend Illinois Jacquet with high-octane renditions of tunes by the Count, the Duke, and the King of Swing. Always one of the most popular parties of the season, the night hits fever pitch as New York’s best dancers face off for the Ambassador Prize, an homage to Lindy hop icon Frankie Manning.”

Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing, a two week festival where a different band played each night is a first class, wonderful series. Sad to see it end.

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Cristin Milioti
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St./ 7:30PM, $30
“Once was enough for many people to fall in love with Cristin Milioti, became nationally known as the finally-revealed title character on How I Met Your Mother—but some of us had been mooning over her for years. One of the city’s finest young actors, she cuts to the heart with raw nerves and fierce nerve. Tonight she shares her musical talents.” (TONY)

Joe Lovano Quartet (thru July10)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $30
“Mr. Lovano, a saxophonist equally drawn to garrulous epiphany and tender lyricism, convenes a new band for this six-night run at the Village Vanguard, his second home. Along with the pianist Kenny Werner, a longtime compatriot, it features the virtuoso bassist John Patitucci and the wise and grounded drummer Andrew Cyrille.” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but this guitar genius is worth the small detour:
John Pizzarelli (July 5-10)
Jazz Standard, 116 E27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM,; $40
“A sterling cabaret artist who doesn’t hide his deep affection for the classic rock and pop that he grew up with, the guitarist and singer Pizzarelli recently tipped his hat to a major influence on “Midnight McCartney,” an imaginative project that approached offbeat Paul McCartney tunes from a stylishly personal angle.”(NewYorker)

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

Pinknic (also Jul 10)
Governors Island, The Play Lawn/ 12PM – 6PM; $65+
“Pinknic, the largest rosé-themed picnic and music festival in New York City, comes to Governor’s Island. Take a short ferry ride from the tip of Manhattan and set up shop on one of 4,000 rosé-hued blankets dotting the sprawling grounds. From here, delight in spirited sounds, satisfying snacks, and ice-cold bottles of rosé. A variety of refreshing rosés will be available for purchase. You’re invited to bring your own picnic or pre-order our special Pinknic Baskets crafted by acclaimed chef Chris Santos.”

Masters in Modern Art Lecture Series: Picasso
Mulberry Street Library, 10 Jersey St./ 2PM, FREE
“Maestro Francesco Santoro, art history scholar and world-renowned visual artist, will present the first of four free public lectures and discussions (in Italian with simultaneous English translation) on the masters of modern art: Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and De Chirico.

Santoro will focus on the life and work of these artists who broke with traditions in response to changes in the world around them. Santoro in his lectures highlights, through space-time connections and documentary evidence, that what they tried after the breakup with traditional painting, was to make art survive through the research of a new language. They were infected by “the willingness to remake the world.” They wanted to analyze systematically the phenomenon of “perception,” creating a Science of Art. They wanted to show that what matters in the artwork is knowledge; they wanted to communicate that the project of an artwork is already a work of art.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

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

Greenwich Village (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 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

A PremierPub / Midtown West.

Russian Vodka Room / 265 W 52nd St (btw 7th/8th ave)

Sure, you could travel to Minsk or even Brighton Beach, for an authentic Russian experience, but why bother. On those days when you feel you must wash down your dish of kasha with a few glasses of icy, cold vodka, the Russian Vodka Room will definitely satisfy your urge.

From the outside this place looks a bit drab, and with no windows, a bit mysterious. Midtown tourists walk right by on their way to see “Jersey Boys,” just down the block.

lThose in the know enter a secret hideaway, a dimly lit front room with soft jazz playing – a perfect spot for an illicit late-night rendezvous, or maybe a meet-up with your Russian spy handler, but that’s later in the evening. Early in the evening the large U-shaped bar fills with the after work happy hour crowd, a group made very happy by the much reduced prices.

Their website says: “Welcome Comrades”. Of course, this welcome focuses on dozens of different vodkas, including their own special infusions, which marinate in giant, clear glass jugs visible around the room. The large vodka martinis ensure that you won’t confuse this place with your mother’s Russian Tea Room.

But man does not live by vodka alone. Eat some food, especially the tapa like appetizers. Be decadent and try the cheese blintzes with chocolate, or try a main dish like beef stroganoff with kasha.

Your best bet is to go on a night when the piano man is playing. This guy, who looks like he has eaten a lot of those cheese blintzes, plays five nights a week from 7 to 12 (no Mondays and Thursdays). When the piano man is playing American pop tunes, and you are at the crowded, dimly lit bar testing the horseradish infused vodka, that’s when the RVR shines.

It’s the kind of place where the noise gets louder and the crowd gets happier as the happy hour goes on. I’m generally a beer guy, but I like to come here with a group of friends. We find a table in the back room near the piano man; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).
========================================================
Website: http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/
Phone #: 212-307-5835
Hours: 4pm-2am; Fri-Sun closes 4am (that could be trouble)
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day
$4 shots infused vodka (2oz), $5 cosmos; $4 czech draft beer
Music: FR-SU; TU-WE / 7pm-12am
Subway: #1 to 50th St.
Walk 2 blk N. on B’way to 52nd St.; 1 blk W. to RVR
Confusingly, the Russian Samovar is right across the street, on the S. side of 52nd St.
The RVR, your destination, is on the N. side of 52nd St.
Update: music now includes a sax player with a younger, trimmer piano man. “Tiny” we miss you.

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

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

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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Selected Events (07/08) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 07/08/2016 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > FRIDAY / JULY 08, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Bob Dylan
Forest Hills Stadium, 1 Tennis Place, at Burns Street, Queens / 7PM, $50-$365
may have to VIP or stub hub this one.
“Less than a month after going electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Bob Dylan played over boos during an unruly gig at Forest Hills Stadium. This concert should be more staid, but it will have surprises of its own. Mr. Dylan’s set lists have lately drawn most heavily from his recent LPs of Sinatra-inspired covers, some of his most charming — and enigmatic — music in years. With Mavis Staples.” (Murray-NYT)

OK, this is not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it is Dylan and Mavis Staples. Better get there early for Mavis and how many more chances will you have to see that American icon, Mr. Bob Dylan. I’ll be there.

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Anat Fort Trio With Gianluigi Trovesi
Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W17th St./ 7PM, $20
“On “Birdwatching,” her ruminative and often sparkling new album on the ECM label, the Israeli pianist Anat Fort supplements her working trio with an inspired outsider, the excellent Italian multireedist Gianluigi Trovesi. They repeat the collaboration here, as part of a brief North American tour.” (Chinen-NYT)

Joe Lovano Quartet (thru July10)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $30
“Mr. Lovano, a saxophonist equally drawn to garrulous epiphany and tender lyricism, convenes a new band for this six-night run at the Village Vanguard, his second home. Along with the pianist Kenny Werner, a longtime compatriot, it features the virtuoso bassist John Patitucci and the wise and grounded drummer Andrew Cyrille.” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but the Bowery Ballroom is a very fine music hall:
Jessy Lanza
Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St./ 9PM, $15
“Growing up in Hamilton, Ontario, this pop vocalist tinkered around with her father’s synthesizers and stringently studied jazz: the tracks she’s writing and producing today glimmer with the sheen of maximalist eighties mall pop shrunken down to the tinny sounds of MIDI keyboards, and the rhythms betray an innate relationship with swing.

Her sophomore record, “Oh No,” released this May, is most satisfying for its lack of buildup: songs like “Never Enough” and “It Means I Love You” putter along in modestly dreamy loops, giving Lanza room to jitter in high registers that she nails with ease. It’s the kind of kawaii-and-blues thump that PC Music perfected last year—always a rush to hear live.” (NewYorker)

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

In High Esteem: A Guided Game of Curation
Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle/ 11AM, FREE with museum admission
“Why do people collect objects? What do collections say about individuals? Society? History? Examine these questions on an interactive “collecting journey” in the exhibition Studio Job MAD HOUSE. Inspired by questions asked by the duo behind Studio Job—Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel, visitors will be guided by MAD educators as they explore motivations behind collecting that will uncover symbols, signifiers, and icons that inform viewers experiences and value associations.”

Want to go batty?
Evening Bat Walks in Central Park
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St./ 8PM, $40
“At dusk, bats leave the warm spaces under city roofs to feed on flying insects. Join Bradley Klein, Danielle Gustafson, and other members of the New York City Bat Group for a walk through Central Park. Aided by detectors that amplify the bats’ otherwise inaudible high-frequency chirps, bat-watchers monitor and catalogue the species that call the city home.”

Meet at the Museum entrance on 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Enrollment is limited. if you miss this one, register in advance for July 15, July 22, or July 29, 2016.

===========================================================
Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite 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
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

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

 Solomon R Guggenheim Museum:
“Moholy-Nagy: Future Present,”  (through Sept. 7)
“A key innovator in the fields of kinetic sculpture and cameraless photography, Moholy-Nagy (1895–1946) was one of the giants of 20th-century modernism, who pioneered the use of ephemeral materials like plastics. The Hungarian-born artist was an instructor at the legendary Bauhaus in Germany before he eventually moved to Chicago to continue his teaching. This retrospective is his first in 50 years.” (TONY)

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum:
‘Beauty — Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial’ (through Aug. 21)
“This year’s version of the Cooper Hewitt’s always interesting Design Triennial boldly ventures to tackle one of the most controversial topics in today’s visual culture. With more than 250 works by 63 designers from around the world in a jam-packed two-floor show, it’s a mixed bag in terms of quality. But whether or not everything in it qualifies as incontrovertibly beautiful, it offers an exciting opportunity to meditate on two perennially confounding questions: What is beauty? And what is it good for? 2 East 91st Street, 212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org.” (Ken Johnson-NYT)

Morgan Library & Museum:
‘Dreams in Dust: The Pastels of Lucas Samaras’ (through Aug. 21)
“In the late 1950s, when ambitious painters were obliged to produce big, bold abstractions, Lucas Samaras took up the fragile, intimate medium of pastel. He went on to forge a singular, nearly 60-year career of eccentric invention in painting, sculpture and photography, but he periodically returned to pastel to create small, vibrantly colorful and poetically captivating images. Of the hundreds of pastels Mr. Samaras has made, 48 are in this intensely absorbing exhibition. Dating from 1958-83, they range from offbeat abstractions to hallucinogenic allegories. 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, 212-685-0008, themorgan.org.” (Johnson-NYT)

‘Rembrandt’s First Masterpiece’ (through Sept. 18)
“In 1629, after some years of apprenticeship, the young Rembrandt finished what many experts consider his first painting in his resolved and distinctive style. Titled “Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver,” it is certainly powerful in ways that his great work will be, with its operatic, Verdian largeness of gesture, its sense for light as both specific and cosmic, and its piercing, unembarrassable instinct for human emotion. Now in a British private collection, the picture is visiting New York for the first time, and has been surrounded at the Morgan Library with a wealth of the artist’s prints and drawings. 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, 212-685-0008, themorgan.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

Jewish Museum:
‘Roberto Burle Marx: Brazilian Modernist’ (through Sept. 18)
“Working primarily in South America, Roberto Burle Marx, the great Brazilian landscape architect, designed some of the modern world’s most distinctive parks and gardens, from an immense, jazzy tattoo of a promenade on the beachfront of Rio de Janeiro to rooftop plantings in Brasilia, a city carved from jungle. In the process, he became invested, heart and mind, in preserving the Amazonian paradise that surrounded him, fought to halt its devastation and turned his home near Rio into a sanctuary for one of the largest collections of tropical plants anywhere. To appreciate his art fully, you have to go to the gardens themselves, but a visit to the compact Jewish Museum show gives you a full sense of his protean work as designer, painter, sculptor and collector. 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

and you should check out 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 want to see this one:
‘Turner’s Whaling Pictures’ at the Met (thru Aug 7)
“Among the most revered works by the great British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) are those representing the world dissolved by light, steam, fog, smoke, rain, wind and snow. One of his favorite settings for his evocations of elemental chaos was the ocean, where nature regularly overwhelms human challenges to its dominion. In this vein, late in his career, he made the dangerous business of whaling the subject of four stirringly atmospheric and poetically thrilling paintings. They’ve never been shown together until now, in this small, beautiful exhibition that no Turner fan should miss.” (Ken Johnson-NYT)

===========================================================
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 07/06 and 07/02.
=============================================================

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

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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

Selected Events (07/07) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 07/07/2016 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > THURSDAY / JULY 07, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Broadway in Bryant Park
Bryant Park / 12:30–1:30PM, FREE
“Can’t get a ticket to your favorite Broadway show? You might get lucky in Bryant Park. Catch the best performances on and off Broadway as talented musicians and actors showcase the hits.” (TONY)

Have your picnic lunch while listening to cast members of popular musicals perform their hits. I look forward to this wonderful, only in NYCity experience each year.
TODAY: WICKED, STOMP, The Color Purple, Matilda

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

John Lloyd Young (thru July9)
54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, $75+
“John Lloyd Young, the multi-award winning Frankie Valli from Broadway’s Jersey Boys, as well as the star of Clint Eastwood’s movie adaptation, makes his Feinstein’s/54 Below debut this summer. The only American actor to date to have received a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Award for a Broadway debut, Young is sure to deliver a night of old time classics with some contemporary favorites thrown in the mix.” (BroadwayWorld.com)

France Rocks Festival: Ginkgoa
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center/ 7:30PM, FREE
Seating is limited, better get there no later than 7PM
“She comes from New York. He lives in Paris. Her name is Nicolle Rochelle. His name is Antoine Chatenet. Fighting against their geographic destiny, they have found each other. Together they make French songs with an American vibe, and American songs with a French touch in which eras cross and inspirations collide: from pop to old-time New York swing with a mix of electro beats and poetics. As a hybrid genre between Caro Emerald and Caravan Palace, they only have one idea in mind: to make generations of people dance, sway, and sing along to melodies that stay in your head long after Ginkgoa has left the building.”

Dusan Tynek Dance Theater (through July 9)
New York Live Arts, 219 W19th St./ 7:30PM, $
“In the spring of 2013, billions of cicadas emerged from a 17-year hibernation to produce the next generation. Their symphonic mating call provides the soundtrack to Mr. Tynek’s “Romanesco Suite,” a precise, almost gridlike weaving of bodies clad in colorful tees and short shorts. Also on the program is the premiere of “Tethered Light,” a study in chaos and harmony with music by Bryce Dessner, a guitarist with the National, and “Logbook,” inspired by the love of Odysseus and Penelope.” (Schaefer-NYT)

Joe Lovano Quartet (thru July10)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $30
“Mr. Lovano, a saxophonist equally drawn to garrulous epiphany and tender lyricism, convenes a new band for this six-night run at the Village Vanguard, his second home. Along with the pianist Kenny Werner, a longtime compatriot, it features the virtuoso bassist John Patitucci and the wise and grounded drummer Andrew Cyrille.” (Chinen-NYT)

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

Ashton Applewhite on “This Chair Rocks”
Book Culture, 450 Columbus Ave./ 7PM, FREE
Ashton Applewhite explores decades of ageism in “This Chair Rocks.” The boomer turned activist examines America’s skewed view of late life and as a symptom of output-geared economic systems, and debunks stereotypes about the elderly. The Knight Fellow has spoken extensively on the subject, critiquing the medicalization of old age, which puts a strain on needed medical resources, and investigating the subtle ramifications of discrimination against the elderly in the realms of politics and gender equality.” (NewYorker)

===========================================================
Bonus – 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 – 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

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
=================================================================================

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 thousand eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available Fall 2016).
◊ Order before Sept. 30, 2016 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.
=============================================================
This week’s fave and FREE NYCity AppS: 
Trip Advisor
An enormous base of NYCity user reviews (2.1 million) provides the widest coverage of hotels (468), restaurants (12,645) and things to do (yes, 3,246). Have a specific question? Then try one of Trip Advisor’s forums. Just remember that with all those reviews you have to try to find the consistency among the comments, and ignore the outliers.

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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Selected Events (07/06) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 07/06/2016 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > WEDNESDAY / JULY 06, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Midsummer Night Swing: Bobby Rydell featuring City Rhythm Orchestra
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center.
Dance lesson at 6:30 p.m., live music at 8 p.m./
“Grab your pals, dress your sharpest, and dance the night away with swinging crooner Bobby Rydell. A ’60s teen idol both in real life and on screen in Bye Bye Birdie, Rydell is the consummate entertainer. And with one of Philadelphia’s hottest vintage party bands keeping the beat, even the shyest wallflower will let it fly when they play “Volare.”

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Sound of Music Sing-a-long
Hudson Park, 544 W35th St./ 8:30PM; FREE
“The hills are alive! Belt out tunes such as “Edelweiss,” “My Favorite Things” and “Do-Re-Mi” with Julie Andrews and the von Trapps at this sing-along viewing at Hudson Yards Park. If twirling around and reciting word-for-word lyrics leaves you famished, you can grab some yummy treats from nearby food trucks and return to 1938 Austria.” (TONY)

Joe Lovano Quartet (thru July10)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $30
“Mr. Lovano, a saxophonist equally drawn to garrulous epiphany and tender lyricism, convenes a new band for this six-night run at the Village Vanguard, his second home. Along with the pianist Kenny Werner, a longtime compatriot, it features the virtuoso bassist John Patitucci and the wise and grounded drummer Andrew Cyrille.” (Chinen-NYT)

Stacey Kent (thru July10)
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 8:30PM, +11PM, $50
“Wielding a smallish voice with dexterous assurance, this trilingual and markedly literate British-based vocalist (she commissioned lyrics from the novelist Kazuo Ishiguro) has an easy way with standards and a telepathy with the saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, her husband.” (NewYorker)

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

The Other Side of Genius: Interdisciplinary Artists in the Jazz Age
The Strand, 828 Broadway/ 7:30PM, $20 (includes 1 drink)
“Lucky young Americans in Paris during the 1920s, including Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Gershwin, measured themselves against monumental figures of the time: Joyce, Picasso, Stravinsky. Powerful personal connections link the works that grew from near-daily contact with other geniuses.

What has been obscured by the halo of their success is that many were audaciously trying media with which they had little experience. Writers and composers painted up a storm, artists turned into poets, and the theater gathered dream teams of talent. Hemingway was a connoisseur of contemporary art, Gershwin and cummings exhibited paintings, Leger made films, Pound wrote an opera, and Picasso was spending more time backstage at the Ballets Russes than in the studio. This is a celebration of the courage to go beyond one’s specialty to experiment. Wine provided by Jenny & Francois.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

Two Views on Vermeer
Book Culture on Columbus, 450 Columbus Ave./ 7PM, FREE
“A reading and discussion with Laura J. Snyder, author of Eye of the Beholder and Michael White, author of Travels in Vermeer.

Fulbright scholar Laura J. Snyder argues that modern seeing began in 17th-century Holland, where innovations in optical devices led to breakthroughs in both art and science. She’ll be joined in readings and discussion by Michael White, author of the memoir Travels with Vermeer.”

=======================================================
Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite 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
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
=======================================================================

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

Museum of Modern Art:

‘Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty’ (through July 24)
“Among the greats of late 19th-century French painting, Degas remained closest to tradition and its focus on the human body, which may explain why this large but thrillingly intimate show is his first solo at the Modern. It focuses his monotypes — the most seductive of all print mediums — and their modernizing effect on his art, revealing with exceptional clarity a radical merging of subject and process that brought new liveliness to depictions of the body and to art itself. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith)

‘Dadaglobe Reconstructed’ (through Sept. 18)
“In 1920, the Romanian poet and gadfly Tristan Tzara made plans for a worldwide publication featuring the art of Dada, the convention-busting movement that arose from the senselessness of World War I. The anthology never materialized, but this sparky show, first seen at the Kunsthaus Zürich and accompanied by a landmark catalog, reassembles the drawings, reproductions and wacky head shots that Dadaists like Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp contributed for it. (There’s also fascinating correspondence and ephemera, plus photographs of knees-up parties; at one, Tzara appears in black tie with the word Dada scrawled across his forehead.) For the Dadaists, art wasn’t a matter of placing discrete objects in museums, but circulating ideas and images across new, international media networks. It is an aim as fresh today as it was a century ago. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Farago)

‘From the Collection: 1960-1969’ (through March 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)

 Whitney Museum of American Art:

‘Stuart Davis: In Full Swing’ (through Sept. 25)
“This restless, zestful Whitney exhibition leaves out the earliest phase of a great American modernist’s career but is still broad enough to be a survey while feeling sufficiently focused to qualify as a thematic study. As you move through the show, you move through time, and change over time is the thread the show follows. Beginning in the 1950s, you see Mr. Davis’s dense compositions, abstract with a realist core, start to untangle. His palette simplifies. His use of words, or script-like arabesques, grows. And more and more he looks to the past and brings it forward, revisiting, reusing and transforming motives from his own art, a pattern he likened to a jazz musician’s improvisations on favorite, unforgettable tunes. 99 Gansevoort Street, at Washington Street, 212-570-3600, whitney.org.” (Cotter)

‘Human Interest: Portraits From the Whitney’s Collection’ (through Feb. 12)
“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)

Museum of Arts and Design:

‘Studio Job: Mad House’ (through Aug. 21)
“Working in the overlap of fine art and design, the Belgium-based Studio Job produces materially opulent tables, chairs, clocks, rugs, wallpaper, stained-glass windows, lamps, decorative objects and sculptures. While exceptionally imaginative and wide-ranging in their historical and sociopolitical references, the works in this lavish, two-floor exhibition are more kitschy than visionary. A gaudy, 12-foot tall sculpture of King Kong climbing to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, would make a fine gift for a Las Vegas casino owner. 2 Columbus Circle, 212-299-7777, madmuseum.org.” (Johnson)

 New-York Historical Society:

‘The Folk Art Collection of Elie and Viola Nadelman’ (through Aug. 21)
“The Nadelmans’ tale, like the best collecting narratives, is a riveting combination of wealth, visionary thought, aesthetic passion and cruel fate. It is recounted in this outstanding exhibition (and catalog) in unprecedented detail. The 250 objects on view sample the immense collection — most of which was purchased by the Society in 1937 — while the great Nadelman wood sculptures tell of the inspiration Elie drew from it. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.” (Smith)

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right sidebar dated 07/02 and 06/30.
=======================================================

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

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

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

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Selected Events (07/05) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square/ Theater District)

Posted on 07/05/2016 by GregD

Today’s Fab 5 > TUESDAY / JULY 05, 2016

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for more complete event info.)

Today’s post is tardy due to a visit to hospital emergency room, all’s well.

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Joe Lovano Quartet (through July 10)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $30
“Mr. Lovano, a saxophonist equally drawn to garrulous epiphany and tender lyricism, convenes a new band for this six-night run at the Village Vanguard, his second home. Along with the pianist Kenny Werner, a longtime compatriot, it features the virtuoso bassist John Patitucci and the wise and grounded drummer Andrew Cyrille.” (Chinen-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

John Lloyd Young
54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, +9:30PM, $75+
The Tony-winning star of Jersey Boys, both the Broadway musical and the Clint Eastwood film, brings his musical highs and puppyish eyes to Feinstein’s/54 Below.” (TONY)

Stacey Kent
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 8:30PM, +11PM, $
“Wielding a smallish voice with dexterous assurance, this trilingual and markedly literate British-based vocalist (she commissioned lyrics from the novelist Kazuo Ishiguro) has an easy way with standards and a telepathy with the saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, her husband.” (NewYorker)

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

“New York Exposed: The Gilded Age Police Scandal That Launched the Progressive Era,”
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
As “Weiner” screens in theatres and a reality-show star roils the American electoral scene, we may heave a sigh of relief at the reassurance that politics has been dense with blustering scandals long before smartphones and social media magnified their impact. The author Daniel Czitrom confirms as much in “New York Exposed: The Gilded Age Police Scandal That Launched the Progressive Era,” which excavates the undercover campaign of Reverend Dr. Charles H. Parkhurst. In 1892, Parkhurst toured the saloons, brothels, and drug dens of the city’s underbelly in disguise, bent on revealing how entrenched the governing class was in the very illicit activity it was employed to curb. Czitrom gives an illustrated lecture on Parkhurst and his transformative work, which introduced the concepts of police accountability and organized crime to the city’s lexicon.” (NewYorker)

Elsewhere, but if you’re a big Seinfeld fan, this has got to be worth the detour:

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong Presents SEINFELDIA
WORD, 126 Franklin St./ 7PM, FREE
“Comedians Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld never thought anyone would watch their silly little sitcom about a New York comedian sitting around talking to his friends. NBC executives didn’t think anyone would watch either, but they bought it anyway, hiding it away in the TV dead zone of summer. But against all odds, viewers began to watch, first a few and then many, until nine years later nearly 40 million Americans were tuning in weekly. Seinfeldia celebrates the creators and fans of this American television phenomenon, bringing readers behind the scenes of the show while it was on the air and into the world of devotees.”

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

Greenwich Village (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 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2016.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

A PremierPub + 3 Good Eating places

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

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

3 Good Eating Places

It’s not difficult finding 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:

Patzeria Perfect Pizza – 231 W46 St. (Btw 7th/8th ave)
Perfect name for a pizza joint. On a street filled with Broadway theaters, this is a real hole in the wall, but don’t let the dive look scare you away. You can never go wrong with a slice of NYCity pizza, and this one is a classic thin crust. Only a few seats here, but pizza was made to eat standing up.

Shake Shack – 691 8th Ave. (Btw 43rd/44th st)
Danny Meyer has revolutionized the high quality burger in this town. Now he has a branch on the West Side that was desperately needed, with a bit less of the insane lines that you find at the Madison Sq. Park location. Worth the wait.

Xi’an Famous Foods – 24 W45th St. (Btw 5th/6th ave)
Try to avoid long lunch lines. Order lamb hand ripped noodles and warm your insides at one of the tables in the back. You’ll return, just remember that even mild is pretty spicy.
==============================================================
“3 Good Eating Places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 Premier Pubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available Fall 2016).
◊ Order before Sept. 30, 2016 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.
==============================================================

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

OpenTable
Instantly locate restaurants near you with open reservations and then place a reservation right from your iOS device. A great interface and the ability to see a menu from the restaurant you’re interested in makes this my go to restaurant reservation app.

Subway Time 
Need to catch your #1,2,3 subway to attend an event? Use the Subway Time app from the MTA to find out when the next train arrives at your station.
===========================================================

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment