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

Posted on 02/15/2016 by GregD

 Today’s Fab 5+ > MONDAY / FEB. 15, 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:
Matt Brewer Group
Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W10th St./10:30PM, $20
“The NYC jazz scene is packed with under-the-radar dudes who make plenty of wise moves but don’t get enough recognition, and Matt Brewer is one of the best. As a bass player he’s perpetually adding insightful lines and extra oomph to whatever band he’s in; as a boss he’s recently been working a two-reed front line concept that’s fetching in its textural allure.

2014’s superb Mythology put saxophonists Steve Lehman and Mark Turner up front, but this rare gig finds Greg Osby and Ben Wendel on the spotlight horns. Brewer’s tunes give them plenty of structural designs to mess around with. And if they romp through Ornette’s forever-enticing “Free,” you’ll hear the meaning of the term “nu-bop” unfold right in front of you.” (VillageVoice, Jim Macnie)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Dance on Camera (through Tuesday)
Lincoln Center theaters, West 65th St./ At various times, $11-$14
“The 44th edition of the Dance on Camera Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association, comprises 36 short films, 20 feature films and four retrospective screenings, along with panels and events featuring appearances by, among others, the illustrious dancers Natalia Makarova and Merrill Ashley. The opening and closing night films represent the festival’s range: First is “The Flight Fantastic,” celebrating the art of trapeze; last is “Feelings Are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer,” which pays homage to a postmodern pioneer. In between is ballet, jazz, flamenco and more.” (Schaefer-NYT)

McCoy Tyner Trio with Gary Bartz
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./8 +10:30PM, $30, $45
“The rumble of Mr. Tyner’s pianism has quieted a bit over the years, but he can still be a compelling stylist, especially in conjunction with Mr. Bartz, an incisive saxophonist and longtime ally.” (Chinen-NYT)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
William Shatner /
Leonard: My Fifty Year Friendship With a Remarkable Man
Barnes & Noble – Union Square, 33 E17th St./ 7PM, book purch req
“William Shatner appears in-person the night before the official release of his new memoir, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man.
Must provide proof of purchase from a Barnes & Noble retail location or bn.com to receive a wristband. Wristbands will be distributed beginning at 9:00am on the day of the event.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

Last Day/ Special Event:
Neue Galerie
Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Avenue, at 86th St./ FREE
“This little museum of German and Austrian art is currently between exhibitions. “Berlin Metropolis” closed earlier this month, and “Munch and Expressionism” opens Thursday. In the meantime, Neue Galerie’s permanent collection is on view, including Gustav Klimt’s “Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907), known as the woman in gold. Because the exhibition space is limited, the museum is suspending its $20 admission fee for adults (visitors pay only what they wish) until the Munch show opens. If you’ve ever wanted a taste of this gem on Museum Mile with a lower price tag, now is your chance.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

and how about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

===========================================
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 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

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.

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

WHAT’S ON VIEW
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)

Guggenheim Museum:
‘Photo-Poetics: An Anthology’ (through March 27)
“Formally complex and expressively reserved, even hermetic, the work by 10 photographers in this stimulating show has roots in Conceptualism and takes language, history and speculative thinking as its raw materials. Photographs are structured with the equivalent of poetry’s metrical cadences and internal rhymes, and treated less as generators of translatable ideas than of suggestive metaphors. 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street, 212-423-3500, guggenheim.org.” (Cotter)

‘Peter Fischli David Weiss: How to Work Better’ (through April 27)
“Presenting more than 300 sculptures, photographs and videos, this marvelously entertaining exhibition demonstrates the power of creative play to invigorate hearts and minds. It includes photographs of doll-scale tableaus made mainly of processed meats; films starring the artists as Rat and Bear in frowzy costumes; more than 160 small, comical clay sculptures representing a harebrained history of the world; and myriad trompe l’oeil sculptures of ordinary objects. Most importantly, there’s the team’s classic movie “The Way Things Go” (1987), the landmark film documenting an apparently continuous series of chain reactions of a Rube Goldberg-type construction. 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street, 212-423-3500, guggenheim.org.” (Ken Johnson)

Metropolitan Museum of Art:
‘Wordplay: Matthias Buchinger’s Drawings from Collection of Ricky Jay’ (thru April 11)
“A draftsman, calligrapher, magician and musician, Matthias Buchinger (1674–1739) traveled all over Northern Europe to entertain kings and aristocrats as well as hoi polloi with feats of physical dexterity. He was especially noted for elaborate drawings featuring biblical passages written in letters too small to be read by ordinary naked eyes. This he managed despite having been born without hands or legs: His arms ended at the elbows and his lower extremities were truncated at the upper thighs. Sixteen of his amazing works are featured in this exhibition. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Johnson)

‘A New Look at a Van Eyck Masterpiece’ (through April 24)
“This small show of Flemish art, highly specialized yet not inaccessible, is the latest in an impressive sequence of laser-focused examinations of the Met’s holdings of late medieval and Renaissance painting. A crystalline Crucifixion attributed to van Eyck, and a jam-packed Last Judgment painted by him and his studio, now hang as a diptych — but technical analysis of the frames suggests they were probably side panels for a central painting now lost. Alongside the Met’s van Eycks is a recently resurfaced drawing of the Crucifixion, lent by Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, whose wizened Virgin and writhing thieves rhyme with the painted version. Did van Eyck draw it? Whether he did or not, the drawing grounds these divinely impeccable paintings in the real world of brushes and pencils. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Jason Farago)

‘Celebrating the Arts of Japan: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection’ (continuing)
“This lavish roll out of 160 objects came to the Met from the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation last spring. The Burkes loved Japanese art — all of it — and the collection is close to compendious in terms of media, from wood-carved Buddhas to bamboo baskets, with a particular strength in painting, early and late. The quality of the work? Japan thinks highly enough of it to have made the Burke holdings the first Japanese collection from abroad ever to show at Tokyo National Museum. Some pieces on view now will be rotated out and replaced in February, making this an exhibition to visit at least twice. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Cotter)

‘Reimagining Modernism: 1900-1950’ (continuing)
“One of the greatest encyclopedic museums in the world fulfills its mission a little more with an ambitious reinstallation of works of early European modernism with their American counterparts for the first time in nearly 30 years. Objects of design and paintings by a few self-taught artists further the integration. It is quite a sight, with interesting rotations and fine-tunings to come. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Smith)

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

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

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (SUN 11am-1pm PWYW) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 02/13 and 02/11.

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

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Selected Events (02/14) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 02/14/2016 by GregD

 Today’s Sweet 6+ > SUNDAY / FEB. 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:
Chris Potter Quartet
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St./ 8:30 + 10:30PM, $30 (looks like 8:3o set is sold out)
“Versatile saxophonist Chris Potter has been a favored sideman and soloist for a who’s who of modern jazzers and the odd rocker or two, all the while maintaining a steady stream of worthy solo albums. Last year’s, Imaginary Cities, out on ECM, felt like a real breakthrough for the originality of its conception, supersizing his usual groove combo to an 11-piece “Underground Orchestra.” Here, he returns to the quartet form with pianist David Virelles, bassist Joe Martin and Marcus Gilmore.” (TONY)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
TAO: Drum Heart
NYU Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Pl./ 3PM +8PM, $45-$75
“From the creative team behind the four-time Tony Award-nominated revival of Pacific Overtures comes the New York debut of TAO: DRUM HEART. The new production will play a strictly limited engagement at NYU Skirball Center before TAO continues its fourth North American tour.

Direct from TAO’s successful, sold-out world premiere run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this brand new production will be revealed in New York, and TAO will tour North America in the winter of 2016. The new show will bring you athletic bodies and contemporary costumes combined with explosive Taiko drumming and innovative choreography. TAO has critics raving about their extraordinary precision, energy, and stamina.”

Freddy Cole: Songs for Lovers (thru Feb 14)
Dizzy’s Club, 33 W60th St./ 7:30Pm, +9:30PM, $45
“His latest album may be titled “Singing the Blues,” but this veteran stylist would never willingly confine himself to an appointed genre. Getting a jump on Valentine’s Day, the impeccable singer and pianist will paint the room in shades of bittersweet romance while exhibiting the elegant poise that has made him the gold standard of his trade.” (NewYorker)

Cecile McLorin Salvant (thru Feb.14)
Appel Room, Jazz @ Lincoln Center / 7PM +9:30PM, $90-105
“With a pinch of eccentricity to add spice to her vivid artistry, Salvant has grabbed the reins in the jazz vocal race. As slyly clever as she is affecting, she stocked her 2015 album, “For One to Love,” with well-crafted original tunes and offbeat choices like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Stepsister’s Lament”—it’s anyone’s guess how her rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s dated guide to marital bliss, “Wives and Lovers,” will go down on Valentine’s Day.” (NewYorker)
This lady is like the second coming of Billie Holiday. Her show makes a special Valentine’s Day treat in a very classy venue.

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Chinatown’s Lunar New Year Parade
“Steel drums, acrobats, martial artists, dancers, ornate floats and, obviously, the iconic dancing lions and dragons snake through Chinatown’s crowded streets for the 17th annual Chinese New Year Parade. The mouth-watering smells from the neighboring restaurants and the sounds of the traditional music meld to create a joyous, immersive experience. Begins at Hester and Mott Sts.” (TONY)

Romance Under the Stars
Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space / 6PM +9:30PM, $125
(SOLD OUT, but listed here so that you can jump on this for next Valentine’s Day)
“Eschew the dinner date on Valentine’s Day and snap up tickets to this swanky soiree at the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space. The night begins among the asteroids (have a “heavenly bodies” quip ready) with an open bar of cocktails and champagne, passed hors d’oeuvres and chocolate, while a jazz quartet sets the mood with standards. An hour later, cozy up in the Hayden Planetarium while an astronomer tells lovey-dovey stories based on the mythology of the cosmos.” (TONY)

and how about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)
==========================================================
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’s playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th ave. South, — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave. South — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9 ave) — 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 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
=================================================================================

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.
======================================================

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”
This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian, falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars.
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 Spring 2016).
◊ Order before May 31, 2016 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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

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

Posted on 02/13/2016 by GregD

 Today’s Sweet 6+ > SATURDAY / FEB. 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:
Dance on Camera (through Tuesday)
Lincoln Center theaters, West 65th St./ At various times, $11-$14
“The 44th edition of the Dance on Camera Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association, comprises 36 short films, 20 feature films and four retrospective screenings, along with panels and events featuring appearances by, among others, the illustrious dancers Natalia Makarova and Merrill Ashley. The opening and closing night films represent the festival’s range: First is “The Flight Fantastic,” celebrating the art of trapeze; last is “Feelings Are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer,” which pays homage to a postmodern pioneer. In between is ballet, jazz, flamenco and more.” (Schaefer-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Jane Monheit (thru Feb 14)
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 8:30PM +11PM, $40
“The once-controversial Jane Monheit has settled into the career of a singer who can please jazzers, pop fans and cabaretters alike. Her newest Birdland show is devoted to the music of jazz queen of Ella Fitzgerald.” (TONY)

Freddy Cole: Songs for Lovers (thru Feb 14)
Dizzy’s Club, 33 W60th St./ 7:30Pm, +9:30PM, $45
“His latest album may be titled “Singing the Blues,” but this veteran stylist would never willingly confine himself to an appointed genre. Getting a jump on Valentine’s Day, the impeccable singer and pianist will paint the room in shades of bittersweet romance while exhibiting the elegant poise that has made him the gold standard of his trade.” (NewYorker)

Cecile McLorin Salvant (thru Feb.14)
Appel Room, Jazz @ Lincoln Center / 7PM +9:30PM, $90-105
“With a pinch of eccentricity to add spice to her vivid artistry, Salvant has grabbed the reins in the jazz vocal race. As slyly clever as she is affecting, she stocked her 2015 album, “For One to Love,” with well-crafted original tunes and offbeat choices like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Stepsister’s Lament”—it’s anyone’s guess how her rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s dated guide to marital bliss, “Wives and Lovers,” will go down on Valentine’s Day.” (NewYorker)
This lady is like the second coming of Billie Holiday. Her show makes a special Valentine’s Day treat in a very classy venue.

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Sweetheart Soiree
Norwood, 241 West 14th St./ 9PM, $95
“Formal evening attire is encouraged for this Valentine’s Day jazz fête hosted by Michael Arenella and his sextet, spread over four floors of a brownstone-turned-nightclub. The party also includes dance lessons and a sweetheart kissing booth.” (NYT-SpareTimes)
This brownstone / townhouse, now an exclusive club, is a pretty cool place for a party.

Limited Time / Special Event:
Neue Galerie (through Wednesday)
Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Avenue, at 86th St./
“This little museum of German and Austrian art is currently between exhibitions. “Berlin Metropolis” closed earlier this month, and “Munch and Expressionism” opens Thursday. In the meantime, Neue Galerie’s permanent collection is on view, including Gustav Klimt’s “Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907), known as the woman in gold. Because the exhibition space is limited, the museum is suspending its $20 admission fee for adults (visitors pay only what they wish) until the Munch show opens. If you’ve ever wanted a taste of this gem on Museum Mile with a lower price tag, now is your chance.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

and how about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

===========================================
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 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

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.
===========================================

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:

‘Jackson Pollock: A Collection Survey, 1934-1954’ (through May 1)
“The first exhibition devoted to the Modern’s unsurpassed Pollock holding gives a dazzling account of the evolution of his signature poured paintings. Its 58 works on canvas and paper also attest to the Modern’s laserlike focus on accounting fully for the achievements of artists it deems great. 212-708-9400, moma.org.’ (Smith-NYT)

‘Take an Object’ (through Feb. 28)
“Installed next to the Modern’s Jackson Pollock exhibition, this show of 37 works from 1954 to the 1970s reflects how the finality of the Abstract Expressionist’s drip paintings deflected many artists from the medium toward found objects and a greater worldliness. Its title is from a famous notebook entry by Jasper Johns. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith-NYT)

 Whitney Museum of American Art:

‘Collected by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner’ (through March 6)
“Two of New York’s most dedicated explorers of new art set an important example by refusing the auction or private-museum route and giving almost all of their large collection to a museum. Their generous gift both signifies and adds to the Whitney’s growing stature, especially going forward, as it is integrated into the museum’s rich holdings. This first sampling is quite rewarding. 99 Gansevoort Street, at Washington Street, 212-570-3600, whitney.org.” (Smith-NYT)

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

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

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on 02/12/2016 by GregD

 Today’s Fab 5+ > FRIDAY / FEB. 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:
Cecile McLorin Salvant (thru Feb.14)
Appel Room, Jazz @ Lincoln Center / 7PM +9:30PM, $90-105
“With a pinch of eccentricity to add spice to her vivid artistry, Salvant has grabbed the reins in the jazz vocal race. As slyly clever as she is affecting, she stocked her 2015 album, “For One to Love,” with well-crafted original tunes and offbeat choices like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Stepsister’s Lament”—it’s anyone’s guess how her rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s dated guide to marital bliss, “Wives and Lovers,” will go down on Valentine’s Day.” (NewYorker)

This lady is like the second coming of Billie Holiday. This makes a special Valentine’s Day treat in a very classy venue.

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Jane Monheit (thru Feb 14)
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 8:30PM +11PM, $40
“The once-controversial Jane Monheit has settled into the career of a singer who can please jazzers, pop fans and cabaretters alike. Her newest Birdland show is devoted to the music of jazz queen of Ella Fitzgerald.” (TONY)

Freddy Cole: Songs for Lovers (thru Feb 14)
Dizzy’s Club, 33 W60th St./ 7:30Pm, +9:30PM, $45
“His latest album may be titled “Singing the Blues,” but this veteran stylist would never willingly confine himself to an appointed genre. Getting a jump on Valentine’s Day, the impeccable singer and pianist will paint the room in shades of bittersweet romance while exhibiting the elegant poise that has made him the gold standard of his trade.” (NewYorker)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Out by 10 – DR. WENDY SUZUKI REVEALS SECRETS THAT LINK YOUR BRAIN AND YOUR HEART
John Strasberg Studios, 555 Eighth Avenue, btw 37/38 St./ 7PM +8:45PM, $25
“This spoken-word series, founded by the writer Susan Seliger, celebrates Valentine’s Day with two shows that provide humorous takes on the holiday. Guests include Ophira Eisenberg, host of the NPR game show “Ask Me Another”; Wendy Suzuki, a doctor and professor of neural science and psychology at New York University; and Sean Altman, a singer-songwriter who co-wrote the theme song to the PBS series “Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego?.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

 ‘Trump vs. Bernie: The Debate!’ (Friday)
Highline Ballroom, 431 W16th St./ 8PM, $25
“Anthony Atamanuik and James Adomian, both veteran improvisers with a particular knack for eccentrics, return for another wildly popular improvised debate between their versions of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.” (Czajkowski-NYT)

and how about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

Bonus – Jazz Venues:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St., nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St., nr 7th ave.S. — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9 ave) — 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 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

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.
=========================================================

A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Selected Events (02/11) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 02/11/2016 by GregD

 Today’s Fab 5+ > THURSDAY / FEB. 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:
Valentine’s with Darlene Love
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 West 42nd St./ 8PM, $55
The iconic singer comes to town for Valentine day weekend where you can see her perform her classic hits as well as songs from her recent album, “Introducing Darlene Love”
>The New York Times raved …”Darlene Love’s thunderbolt voice is as embedded in the history of rock and roll as Eric Clapton’s guitar or Bob Dylan’s lyrics.”
>Rolling Stone Magazine has proclaimed Darlene Love to be “one of the greatest singers of all time” and that certainly rings true, but perhaps Paul Shaffer says it even more concisely: “Darlene Love is Rock N’ Roll!”

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Jane Monheit
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 8:30PM +11PM, $40
“The once-controversial Jane Monheit has settled into the career of a singer who can please jazzers, pop fans and cabaretters alike. Her newest Birdland show is devoted to the music of jazz queen of Ella Fitzgerald.” (TONY)

Freddy Cole: Songs for Lovers (thru Feb 14)
Dizzy’s Club, 33 W60th St./ 7:30Pm, +9:30PM, $45
“His latest album may be titled “Singing the Blues,” but this veteran stylist would never willingly confine himself to an appointed genre. Getting a jump on Valentine’s Day, the impeccable singer and pianist will paint the room in shades of bittersweet romance while exhibiting the elegant poise that has made him the gold standard of his trade.” (NewYorker)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Author @ the Library:
Word Nerd: Dispatches from the Games, Grammar and Geek Underground, with John D Williams Jr., former executive director of the National SCRABBLE Association and the coauthor of the best-selling Everything SCRABBLE®.
Mid-Manhattan Library /630PM, FREE
“This illustrated lecture explores anagrams, palindromes, the highest-scoring SCRABBLE plays of all time, the birth of the World SCRABBLE Championship, as well as many of the more colorful figures that inhabit this subculture.”

McNally Jackson Live
McNally Jackson, 52 Prince Street, (btw Lafayette and Mulberry St.) / 8PM, FREE
“This SoHo bookstore’s variety show returns with Ben Ratliff, a music critic for The New York Times, discussing his book “Every Song Ever,” with the rock musician Meredith Graves. Also on the evening’s program are the poets Kevin Young and Nick Flynn, with the latter sharing his favorite love poems ahead of Valentine’s Day.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Lincoln’s Favorite Shakespeare
Metropolitan Museum of Art. / 6:30PM, $36
“Watch actors perform some of Abraham Lincoln’s favorite Shakespearean soliloquies, with the historian Harold Holzer” (NYT/Today)

and how about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

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 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if it’s  just on the day of performance.
==============================================================================

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.
==========================================================

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.

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 plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm).

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 02/03 and 02/01.
========================================================

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

Selected Events (02/10) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 02/10/2016 by GregD

 Today’s Fab 5+ > WEDNESDAY / FEB. 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:
Happy Ending Music and Reading Series
Symphony Space, Broadway at 95th St./ 7:30pm; $30
“This musical series has recast the idea of a talk: guests, who have included Lena Dunham and Vampire Weekend, take the stage for wily improvisational stunts, while musicians lead group sing-alongs of beloved covers. This week, the founder and host Amanda Stern is joined by the indie novelist Samantha Hunt and the best-seller and Pulitzer Prize finalist Colson Whitehead; the singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega will perform.” (NewYorker)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Denise Donatelli
Mezzrow, 163 W10th St./ 8PM, 9:30PM, $20
“Join Mezzrow this evening as we present vocalist Denise Donatelli who is making a rare New York appearance. With her is the esteemed accompianist Laurence Hobgood and guitarist Lage Lund.”

Love Bites: Best Duets Ever
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St./ 9:30pm; $15
“Cathy Cervenka and Amber Martin host the 12th annual edition of this Valentine’s Week celebration of classic pop duets like “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” “I Got You Babe” and “Suddenly.” Among this year’s crop of lovebirds are Lena Hall, Molly Pope, Angela DiCarlo, Jill Pangalo, Brian Charles Rooney, Sophia Ramos, Daryl Glenn, Mardie Millit and Time Out New York’s own Adam Feldman.” (TONY)

Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers
Blue Note, 131 W 3rd St./ 8PM +10:30PM, $30, $45
“The tradition of New Orleans-bred trumpeter-entertainers has a robust representative in Mr. Ruffins, who’ll spend his Mardi Gras week here, with his ebullient working band.” (Chinen-NYT)

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

Woody: The Biography with David Evanier, former Senior Editor of The Paris Review
Mid-Manhattan Library, 5th Ave & 40th St./ 6:30PM, FREE
“This lecture features key movies, plays and prose and his personal life and tackles the themes that Allen has spent a lifetime sorting through in art: morality, sexuality, Judaism, the eternal struggle of head and heart.”

and how about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

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

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.
==============================================================

Bonus – Jazz Venues:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St., nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St., nr 7th ave.S. — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9 ave) — 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 2015.  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.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Events (02/09) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 02/09/2016 by GregD

 Today’s Sweet 6+ > TUESDAY / FEB. 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:
“Funky Fat Tuesday”
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W42nd St./ 8PM; $45–$75
“George Clinton keeps it eccentric from his often colorful hair to his platform boots. For a lively Fat Tuesday, join the funky R&B innovator as he hosts a Mardi Gras celebration with his groovy band.” (TONY)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Evan Christopher and Ehud Asherie
Mezzrow, 163 W10th St./ 9:30PM, $20 (only a few seats left)
“Lovingly cradled by the clarinettist Christopher and the pianist Asherie, New Orleans anthems and prewar standards instantly lose their patina of age and shine anew. An unencumbered duo setting will highlight the beauty of Christopher’s tone and the power of Asherie’s mighty left hand.” (NewYorker)

Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers (through Wednesday)
Blue Note, 131 W 3rd St./ 8PM +10:30PM, $30, $45
“The tradition of New Orleans-bred trumpeter-entertainers has a robust representative in Mr. Ruffins, who’ll spend his Mardi Gras week here, with his ebullient working band.” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but hey, it’s the Beach Boys, always worth a detour:
The Beach Boys
Kings Theatre, Bklyn / 8PM, $65
“Expect Asser Levy to be crowded with moms, dads, kids, most of Animal Collective and so on, to see the Beach Boys run through their summer hits—though it’s worth pointing out that after touring with Brian Wilson for its 50th anniversary in 2012, the group is back to a Wilson-less lineup. Nonetheless, it’s a respectable showing of core fellas, led by founding member Mike Love and longtime player Bruce Johnston.” (TONY)

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

Fantastic Art China: International Creative Festival (LAST DAY)
Javits Center North, 11th Avenue, between 39th and 40th Streets
Saturday through Monday from 10AM to 6PM; on Tuesday to 3PM
“Works from established and emerging artists at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts are on view in this exhibition tied to Lunar New Year celebrations in New York. The 72,000-square-foot exhibition space will also host live performances that showcase contemporary Chinese Art.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Folk City: New York and the American Folk Music Revival
with Stephen Petrus, an Andrew W. Mellon Research Fellow
Mid-Manhattan Library, 5th Ave & 40th St./ 6:30PM, FREE
“This illustrated lecture explores New York’s central role in fueling the nationwide craze for folk music in post-war America. It shows that the city’s artistic, political, and commercial assets helped to shape a breeding ground for the folk music revival, one of the great cultural phenomena of the twentieth century.”

and how about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

===========================================
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 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

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.

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

WHAT’S ON VIEW
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)

Metropolitan Museum of Art:
‘Reimagining Modernism: 1900-1950’ (continuing)
“One of the greatest encyclopedic museums in the world fulfills its mission a little more with an ambitious reinstallation of works of early European modernism with their American counterparts for the first time in nearly 30 years. Objects of design and paintings by a few self-taught artists further the integration. It is quite a sight, with interesting rotations and fine-tunings to come. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Smith)

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

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (SUN 11am-1pm PWYW) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 02/07 and 02/05.

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

 

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

Posted on 02/08/2016 by GregD

 Today’s FAB 5+ > MONDAY / FEB. 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:
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: 50th Anniversary (LAST DAY)
Village Vanguard,178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, 8:30PM +10:30PM, $
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition. “All My Yesterdays,” an album due out next month, documents the band’s inaugural performance. Here, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, a direct outgrowth of the Jones-Lewis band, hunkers down for a weeklong engagement, playing music from across the historical spectrum.” (Chinen-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
T. Oliver Reid: Drop Me Off in Harlem
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 7PM, $30
“The dapper T. Oliver Reid is a veteran of numerous Broadway musicals, but has more recently been making a name for himself as a standards singer in the classic tradition. This set is dedicated to songs drawn from early-1930s Harlem.” (TONY)

Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs with Friends
Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Ave./ 8PM, $45-$135
“The bright-eyed, bouncy-kneed Scottish stage-and-screen actor plays fast and louche with the cabaret format, sprinkling naughty words into long comic stories and putting a completely fresh interpretive spin on familiar songs. In this Carnegie Hall version of his 2015 Café Carlyle set, he performs songs by Stephen Sondheim, Billy Joel, Miley Cyrus and many more, with Lance Horne at the piano. Guest stars include Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Ricki Lake and the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.” (TONY)

Elsewhere, but looks worth the detour, if you are a Bowie Fan:
Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am: A Tribute to David Bowie
Mercury Lounge, / 9:30PM, $10
“Though the clamor to honor the late David Bowie after his death in January has died down a bit, we have yet to see the last of the tribute shows and eulogies. This show features all-star indie supergroup the Pains of Being Teen. Alongside them is formidable singer-songwriter White Hinterland, a/k/a Casey Dienel, who released her fifth album, Baby, in 2014. Best Behavior (who we have to imagine irritate Drake) and ADESUWA finish out the lineup. Clearly, Bowie’s influence is not limited to mainstream rock, and hearing these bands cover his work will be an unusual treat.” (Sophie Weiner, VillageVoice)

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

Fantastic Art China: International Creative Festival (through Tuesday)
Javits Center North, 11th Avenue, between 39th and 40th Streets
Saturday through Monday from 10AM to 6PM; on Tuesday to 3PM
“Works from established and emerging artists at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts are on view in this exhibition tied to Lunar New Year celebrations in New York. The 72,000-square-foot exhibition space will also host live performances that showcase contemporary Chinese Art.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

How about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

==========================================================
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’s playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th ave. South, — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave. South — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9 ave) — 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 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

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.
======================================================

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”
This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian, falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars.
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 Spring 2016).
◊ Order before May 31, 2016 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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

Posted on 02/07/2016 by GregD

 Today’s SWEET 6+ > SUNDAY / FEB. 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:
(Definitely not Manhattan’s WestSide, but this looks worth the big detour.)
Fleischerei: A Musical Tribute to the Fleischer Brothers, Betty Boop, and Popeye. with live music by Gary Lucas and Sarah Stiles.
Museum of Moving Image, 36-01 35th ave./ 2PM, $15
“Renowned guitarist Gary Lucas (of Captain Beefheart fame) and Broadway star Sarah Stiles (Tony nominee for Hand to God) present a delightful and loving tribute to the swinging soundtracks of New York animation genius Max Fleischer and his surreal Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons of the 1930s.

The event is in conjunction with the release of Lucas’s album Fleischerei, a musical melting-pot of jazz, Tin Pan Alley torch songs, raucous vaudeville turns, and Dixieland, with a touch of Klezmer. In addition to a live vocal-and-guitar performance, there will be screenings of six great Fleischer cartoons, almost all in 35mm prints from the UCLA Film & TV Archive: Ain’t She Sweet, Koko’s Earth Control, Swing You Sinners!, Snow White, Betty Boop for President, and Popeye the Sailor.”

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
“This Is Cabaret” Ann Hampton Callaway
with Special Guests Marilyn Maye & Kurt Elling
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 6PM, $30
“Recasting cabaret as an emotionally engaging experience rather than a place, host Ann Hampton Callaway celebrates intimate performances and heartfelt songs from a variety of genres: jazz, Broadway, folk, singer-songwriter, the blues, and more!
“For sheer vocal beauty, no contemporary singer matches Ms.
Callaway.”* –Stephen Holden, The New York Times*

Marilyn Maye is a highly praised singer, actress, director, arranger,
educator, a Grammy nominated recording artist and a musical treasure. Her entire life has been committed to the art of song and performance.”

New York City Ballet (through Feb. 28)
NYS/DHK Theater, Lincoln Center / 3PM, $60+
Today: ALL BALANCHINE !
Ballo della Regina
Kammermusik No. 2
Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3
“This is the week to catch the much buzzed-about new work by Justin Peck, City Ballet’s prolific resident choreographer. His first crack at a story ballet, “The Most Incredible Thing” features visual design by the Canadian artist Marcel Dzama and a score by Bryce Dessner of the National. It shares a program on Saturday night, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with recent works by Robert Binet, Troy Schumacher and Myles Thatcher, as well as Christopher Wheeldon’s 2010 “Estancia,” revived in honor of the composer Alberto Ginastera’s centennial. Balanchine repertory, on Friday, Saturday afternoon and Sunday, rounds out the week.” (Burke-NYT)

Dada Masilo
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave, at 19th St./ Friday 8PM, $
“Ms. Masilo’s “Swan Lake” is populated by a rowdy wedge of swans who have some fun with Tchaikovsky’s sacred score, which also integrates bits of Steve Reich, African drumming and call and response. Ms. Masilo trades docility and romance for brash political theater: She bravely and buoyantly uses this ballet classic to address gender and homophobia in her native South Africa, which has one of the highest rates of AIDS in the world.” (Schaefer-NYT)

Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: 50th Anniversary (through Feb. 8)
Village Vanguard,178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, 8:30PM +10:30PM, $
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition. “All My Yesterdays,” an album due out next month, documents the band’s inaugural performance. Here, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, a direct outgrowth of the Jones-Lewis band, hunkers down for a weeklong engagement, playing music from across the historical spectrum.” (Chinen-NYT)

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

Fantastic Art China: International Creative Festival (through Tuesday)
Javits Center North, 11th Avenue, between 39th and 40th Streets
Saturday through Monday from 10AM to 6PM; on Tuesday to 3PM
“Works from established and emerging artists at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts are on view in this exhibition tied to Lunar New Year celebrations in New York. The 72,000-square-foot exhibition space will also host live performances that showcase contemporary Chinese Art.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

How about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

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

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 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
================================================================================

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.

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

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:
‘Picasso Sculpture’ (LAST DAY!)
“Nearly a work of art in its own right, this magnificent show redefines Picasso’s achievement with the first full view here in 50 years of his astoundingly varied forays into sculpture. His materials, not his female loves, become the muses, and are different each time out. The basic plotline: After introducing sculptural abstraction and space, he spent about 50 years counting the ways that the figure was far from finished. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith-NYT)

‘Jackson Pollock: A Collection Survey, 1934-1954’ (through May 1)
“The first exhibition devoted to the Modern’s unsurpassed Pollock holding gives a dazzling account of the evolution of his signature poured paintings. Its 58 works on canvas and paper also attest to the Modern’s laserlike focus on accounting fully for the achievements of artists it deems great. 212-708-9400, moma.org.’ (Smith-NYT)

‘Take an Object’ (through Feb. 28)
“Installed next to the Modern’s Jackson Pollock exhibition, this show of 37 works from 1954 to the 1970s reflects how the finality of the Abstract Expressionist’s drip paintings deflected many artists from the medium toward found objects and a greater worldliness. Its title is from a famous notebook entry by Jasper Johns. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith-NYT)

 Whitney Museum of American Art:
‘Frank Stella: A Retrospective’ (last day!)
“This grand, high-spirited, slightly overstuffed exhibition pays overdue tribute to a prominent American artist whose 60-year odyssey through and beyond painting began in this city. It further anoints the Whitney’s new building: The show could never have been pulled off at its old uptown address. And its ingenious installation — alternately dazzling, oppressive and nuts — resounds with stimulating clashes of color, style and process that bring a new unity to his contentious achievement. 99 Gansevoort Street, at Washington Street, 212-570-3600, whitney.org.” (Smith-NYT)

‘Collected by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner’ (through March 6)
“Two of New York’s most dedicated explorers of new art set an important example by refusing the auction or private-museum route and giving almost all of their large collection to a museum. Their generous gift both signifies and adds to the Whitney’s growing stature, especially going forward, as it is integrated into the museum’s rich holdings. This first sampling is quite rewarding. 99 Gansevoort Street, at Washington Street, 212-570-3600, whitney.org.” (Smith-NYT)

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

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

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

Selected Events (02/06) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square/ Theater District)

Posted on 02/06/2016 by GregD

 Today’s SWEET 6+ > SATURDAY / FEB. 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:
Company XIV: Snow White
Minetta Lane Theatre/ 8PM; $40­­­­–$65, $75–$105 premium
image“Having previously given an haute-burlesque twist to Cinderella andThe Nutcracker, director-choreographer Austin McCormick invites us to take a bite of his latest nightlife-performance spectacle: an elaborate, adults-only version of Snow White, featuring Company XIV’s signature blend of live music, decadent dance and luxuriant design.” (TONY)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Michael Attias: Renku
Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow St./ 8PM, $
“Renku, a trio made up of Mr. Attias on saxophones, John Hébert on bass and Satoshi Takeishi on drums, applies an elaborative process to group improvisation. The group returns here to the Sound It Out series and to the site of its new album, “Live in Greenwich Village.” (Chinen-NYT)

Dada Masilo (through Sunday)
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave, at 19th St./ Friday 8PM, $
“Ms. Masilo’s “Swan Lake” is populated by a rowdy wedge of swans who have some fun with Tchaikovsky’s sacred score, which also integrates bits of Steve Reich, African drumming and call and response. Ms. Masilo trades docility and romance for brash political theater: She bravely and buoyantly uses this ballet classic to address gender and homophobia in her native South Africa, which has one of the highest rates of AIDS in the world.” (Schaefer-NYT)

Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner: Unattached!
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, $60-$80
“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)

Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: 50th Anniversary (through Feb. 8)
Village Vanguard,178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, 8:30PM +10:30PM, $
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition. “All My Yesterdays,” an album due out next month, documents the band’s inaugural performance. Here, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, a direct outgrowth of the Jones-Lewis band, hunkers down for a weeklong engagement, playing music from across the historical spectrum.” (Chinen-NYT)

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

Winter Carnival
Bryant Park, Avenue of the Americas, at 40th St./ 12PM-10PM
“The ice skating rink at the Winter Village in Bryant Park is around for just one more month. But before the weather warms up, this two-day event takes advantage of the rink for wintry festivities that include a skating showcase, curling lessons and a silent disco. The Warming Lodge and Outdoor Winter Brew House will be open for hot drinks and food. The schedule is at wintervillage.org/visit/wintercarnival.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Eat & Drink
How about some hot chocolate?
City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival (thru Feb.28)
City Bakery, 3 W18th St./ opens 7:30AM, $
“Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February.” (TONY)

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.

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 58 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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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.

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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.
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Website: are you kidding !
(although there is a facebook page with lots of photos –
facebook.com/jimmyscornernyc)
Phone #: 212-221-9510
Hours: 11am – 4 am, except Sunday they open 12 noon
Happy Hour: not necessary, low prices all day, every day
Subway: #1,2,3 to TimesSquare 42nd st
walk 2 blks N on 7th ave to 44th st; ½ blk E to Jimmy’s

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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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.
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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian / falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars. No reservations needed.
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◊ 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 Spring 2016).
◊ Order before May 31, 2016 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.
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