Selected Events (12/07) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 12/07/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 7 > MONDAY / DEC. 07, 2015

“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.)

Elsewhere, but if you have time for only one event today? Do this:
Joanna Newsom
Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Ave./ 8PM, $39.50- $59.50
“Once considered the most winsome of the freak-folk crowd, classically trained harp virtuoso Joanna Newsom has spent the last decade laughing in the face of anyone who dared not take her seriously, honing her already considerable skills as both songwriter and musician.

Her latest, Divers, came out via 4AD this fall and belongs on every year-end “best of” list, even if Newsom’s disdain for streaming platforms makes it (and her equally exhilarating back catalogue) somewhat inaccessible, but it is well worth going deep for. A gorgeous visual treatment of the LP’s title-track, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, tells you all you need to know – Newsom is poised, goddess-like, above a diorama of moody peaks, singing about the divide between life and death and how love carries us through those valleys. Newsom recently added a second show Friday at the Apollo, which takes place on December 11.” (Lindsey Rhoades, VillageVoice)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
John Scofield and Jon Cleary
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 West 42nd St./ 8PM,
“Groove has always been an essential element for the jazz guitarist John Scofield, expressing itself in ways either subtle or obvious. It will be a natural focus in this duo performance with Mr. Cleary, a jazz pianist, rhythm-and-blues singer and adopted son of New Orleans.” (Chinen-NYT)

58th Annual Dance Magazine Awards
Ailey School, 405 W55 St., 5th fl./ 7:30PM, $50
Five illustrious artists will be honored this year:
> flamenco artist Soledad Barrio, presented by Martin Santangelo;
> ABT principal Marcelo Gomes, presented by Julie Kent;
> former National Ballet of Canada principal Karen Kain, presented by Mikhail Baryshnikov;
> dance writer/historian David Vaughan, presented by Valda Setterfield; and
> founder/artistic director of Urban Bush Women Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, presented by Millicent Johnnie.
The event will also include performances by Ms. Barrio with flamenco musicians; members of Urban Bush Women; and dancers from ABT.

Lesli Margherita “Broad”
Birdland, 315 W44th St. / 7PM, $30-$40
“Mae West. Sophie Tucker. Lesli Margherita. Brassy. Ballsy. Bawdy….BROAD. Olivier Award Winner Lesli Margherita (Dames at Sea, Matilda) returns to the New York cabaret stage in “BROAD,” an evening celebrating the controversial women of yesteryear. Written by Margherita, the evening will be directed by Lauren Bass, with musical arrangements by Brett Ryback and produced by Jordan & Lauren Bass.” (BroadwayWorld.com)

Lena Hall: The Villa Satori—Growing Up Haight Ashbury (thru Dec. 7)
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, $60-$70
“After belting her face off for years in Off Broadway theaters and downtown rock clubs, Hall hit the big time in 2014 with her Tony-winning turn as Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In her latest solo show (her 54 Below debut) she looks back on her hippie childhood and shows off her astonishing vocal range in an eclectic selection of songs.” (TONY)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86, 46th St and 12th Ave/ 11AM, free with $24 museum admission.
“The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is holding events to honor the 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, including “Stories from Pearl Harbor,” a 15-minute talk to be held on the hangar deck. A live feed of the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day commemoration at the Join Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, in Hawaii, will be broadcast and hosted by the National Park Service and the U.S. Navy., and will feature the historian David Kennedy.’ (NYT-SpareTimes)

Thalia Book Club | Mary-Louise Parker: Dear Mr. You
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway/ 7:30PM, $25
“Award-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker presents her literary debut. An unconventional memoir in letters, Dear Mr. You chronicles Parker’s life through correspondence with men from her past and imagined future, and reveals the complexity and power found in relationships both loving and fraught.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

Bonus – Music Picks:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd dSt. bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 56 million visitors last year and is 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.
==================================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

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

Here is one TimeOutNewYork likes:
Camille Henrot (Nov 5- Dec 12)
“Stylistically, this French artist manages to find the unlikely nexus between conceptualist rigor and Art Deco languor. Her theme, in a word, is everything or at least how it’s manifested as a ceaseless flow of information. Whether this adds up to something intelligible is probably besides the point, as the real attraction of her work is its melding of organized chaos with soigné formalism. She marshals drawing, sculpture and video to create elegant installations that are as hermetic as they are easy on the eyes.” (TONY)
Metro Pictures, 519 W 24th St.(between Tenth and Eleventh Aves)
Opening hours: Tue–Sat 10am–6pm

And one that NY Magazine likes:
Matthew Weinstein’s “E Lobro” / One fabulous fish.
Jacob Lewis Gallery, (through December 12)
“Weinstein, the underground love of numerous artists, has unveiled a new video of a sexy tangerine koi swimming through digitized miasmas of opalescent space, ever winding at us like some otherworldly deity. Accompanying paintings give us ravishing starbursts that seem to emanate from the artist’s own subterranean consciousness.“ (NYMAG-Jerry Saltz)

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 12/05 and 12/03.

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

Selected Events (12/06) + Today’s Featured Pub (Tribeca)

Posted on 12/06/2015 by GregD

Today’s SWEET 6 > SUNDAY / DEC. 06, 2015

“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:
The Metropolitan Opera National Council Holiday Sing-A-Long
Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson St./ $30-$40
“The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, which selects young opera singers through regional competition, is hosting this holiday event featuring audition finalists and the soprano Erin Morley. Traditional carols, modern songs and opera will be performed. Children are especially welcome to the early show, at 6 p.m.; a second show begins at 9 p.m.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Jay Campbell
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall,/ 7:30PM; FREE
“Juilliard grad and cellist extraordinaire Jay Campbell shows off his diversity of passions in a wide-ranging performance, with pieces from the established avant garde of Pierre Boulez and Elliott Carter, to downtown champions David Lang and John Zorn, to compositions by members of Einstürzende Neubauten and Radiohead.” (TONY)

Fourplay: ‘Blue & Silver Holiday Celebration’ (through Dec. 6)
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./ 8PM, +10:30PM, $30 bar; $45 tables
“Fourplay, a gleaming standard-bearer for smooth jazz, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an aptly titled new album, “Silver,” and a related tour. The band still features three of its accomplished charter members — the pianist Bob James, the bassist Nathan East and the drummer Harvey Mason — alongside the well-traveled guitarist Chuck Loeb.” (Chinen-NYT)

Lena Hall: The Villa Satori—Growing Up Haight Ashbury (thru Dec. 7)
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, $60-$70
“After belting her face off for years in Off Broadway theaters and downtown rock clubs, Hall hit the big time in 2014 with her Tony-winning turn as Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In her latest solo show (her 54 Below debut) she looks back on her hippie childhood and shows off her astonishing vocal range in an eclectic selection of songs.”(TONY)

Pilobolus (LAST DAY)
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 La Guardia Place,
at Washington Square South/ 7PM, $
“A girl on the verge of womanhood falls asleep and wakes up in a surreal fantasy world. Nope, not “The Nutcracker” (though stay tuned). This is “Shadowland,” a new adventure from Pilobolus receiving its United States premiere. In collaboration with Steven Banks, a writer of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the company delivers a mix of theatrical spectacle and physical inventiveness soaked in wonder. As per its title, “Shadowland” showcases two-dimensional silhouettes formed by creative contortions of the body.” (Schaefer-NYT)
Saturday at 2 and 8PM., Sunday at 2PM

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Meatball & Beer Chowdown
Houston Hall, / 2–7PM; $35
“Time Out New York hosts this first ever balls-and-brews extravaganza featuring meaty creations from eight purveyors, including Houston Hall, the Atwood and Crave.NY. After filling up on the gut-busting creations, wash it all down with suds from Greenpoint Beer Works in Clinton Hill.

Taste your way through creative takes on this hearty classic from 5 restaurants and enjoy craft brews by Greenpoint Beer Works, the brewery for Houston Hall.
When purchasing tickets, you can choose from three sessions (Noon-2pm; 2:30-4:30pm; or 5pm-7pm). Your ticket includes 5 meatball tastings and two drink tickets that can be redeemed for any craft beer or house wine at Houston Hall. Additional beverages available for purchase.” (TONY)

Meatball & Beer Chowdown Restaurants:
Houston Hall
The Ainsworth
Brother Jimmy’s BBQ
Atwood Kitchen & Bar Room
crave.it”

Bonus – Jazz Picks:
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 8/9ave), birdlandjazz.com, 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. smokejazz.com, 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is 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 / Tribeca

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

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

But open that door and a pleasant surprise awaits you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Selected Events (12/05) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 12/05/2015 by GregD

Today’s ELITE 8 > SATURDAY / DEC. 05, 2015

“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:
Chelsea Art Gallery Tour
“Take a fascinating gallery tour of Chelsea – the world’s center for contemporary art – and see the very latest in painting, sculpture, electronic media & photography. Our guide, who holds a Ph.D. in arts education, helps explain the artwork and leads the group in lively discussion.

The tour takes place at 1:00 PM & 3:45 PM. These two tours will be identical in every way: the same guide and the same exhibits, so choose whichever start time best fits your schedule. It will take place no matter what the weather – rain or shine (the art is all indoors).”  (thoughtgallery.org)  I love this tour.
Meet at 526 W. 26th St. between 10th & 11th Ave.
$25. SPECIAL OFFER: use DISCOUNT code “chelsea93” for $8-off admission!
nygallerytours.com / 212-946-1548.

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Pilobolus (through Dec. 6)
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 La Guardia Place,
at Washington Square South/ 7PM, $
“A girl on the verge of womanhood falls asleep and wakes up in a surreal fantasy world. Nope, not “The Nutcracker” (though stay tuned). This is “Shadowland,” a new adventure from Pilobolus receiving its United States premiere. In collaboration with Steven Banks, a writer of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the company delivers a mix of theatrical spectacle and physical inventiveness soaked in wonder. As per its title, “Shadowland” showcases two-dimensional silhouettes formed by creative contortions of the body.” (Schaefer-NYT)
Saturday at 2 and 8PM., Sunday at 2PM

Paige Turner: Hurry Down My Chimney!
Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe / 9PM, $22
“The sweet-natured, horny hostess of Slurp!, Werk Wednesdays and So You Think You Can Drag throws another log on the fire for the holidays with an all-new show of song parodies, videos and high-energy fun with surprise special guest stars.” (TONY)

Christian McBride Trio (through Dec. 6)
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM, 10:30PM, $30
“The bassist Christian McBride holds fast to a mood of generous bonhomie with his trio, which recently released a live album recorded in this room. The band features Christian Sands, a pianist of urgent effervescence, and Jerome Jennings, a crisply capable drummer (filling in for Ulysses Owens Jr.)’ (Chinen-NYT)

Cyndi Lauper and Friends: Home for the Holidays
Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway, at 74th St./ 8PM, $50+
“The chirpy-voiced pop belter returns to the Beacon with another all-star benefit for her True Colors Fund, which assists homeless LGBT youth. This year’s lineup includes Natasha Bedingfield, Boy George, Cam, Sharon Osborne, Kurt Vile and more.” (TONY)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Battle of the Belgians
Jimmy’s No. 43, 43 E7th St./ 1PM, $65
“This sixth annual hops-blasted smackdown pits the best of Belgium’s imports against a host of homegrown Belgian-style brews. Enjoy endless pours of more than 20 beers both international (Merchant du Vin, Shelton Brothers) and domestic (Two Roads, Jolly Pumpkin) before casting a ballot for your sudsy champion. Between pints, feast on a meaty spread of whole-roasted hog sourced from upstate New York’s Flying Pigs Farm and served crackly-skinned lechon-style by the bar’s resident Filipino pop-up Tito King’s Kitchen.” (TONY)

Steven Holl | Steven Holl, Robert McCarter
NYPL—Main Building, 476 Fifth Ave./ 3PM, FREE
“Joins for an unprecedented conversation with renowned American architect Steven Holl and Robert McCarter, architect and author of the new monograph Steven Holl.
Steven Holl (Phaidon, November 2015) is the most comprehensive monograph on one of America’s greatest living architects by award-winning author and architecture critic Robert McCarter. The book features realized and unrealized works, each richly illustrated with Holl’s own watercolors and hundreds of color photographs. McCarter has known and taught with Holl for over thirty years and this monograph provides an authoritative and personal examination of one of today’s leading architects.”

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
(easy subway: #2/3 express to Eastern Parkway)
Target First Saturdays at Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, at Prospect Park/ 5-11PM, FREE
This monthly event features free art and entertainment programs, including gallery talks, film screenings and live music. Robin Jaffee Frank, chief curator of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, will discuss the new Brooklyn Museum exhibition “Coney Island: Visions of An American Dreamland, 1861–2008.”  (NYT-SpareTimes)

Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St. / citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. / joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34 W22nd St. / metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. / lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St. / beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237 W42nd St. / bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 56 million visitors last year and is 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.
==================================================================================

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)

Guggenheim Museum:
Kandinsky Gallery (through spring 2016)
“A pioneer of abstract art and eminent aesthetic theorist, Vasily Kandinsky (b. 1866, Moscow; d. 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) broke new ground in painting during the first decades of the twentieth century. His seminal treatise Über das Geistige in der Kunst (On the Spiritual in Art), published in Munich in December 1911, lays out his program for developing an art independent from observations of the external world. In this and other texts, as well as his work, Kandinsky advanced abstraction’s potential to be free from nature, a quality of music that he admired. The development of a new subject matter based solely on the artist’s “inner necessity” would occupy him for the rest of his life.”

The Guggenheim collection now contains more than 150 works by this single artist, making it the largest collection of Kandinsky works in the United States.

Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (continuing):
rendering-3The stately doors of the 1902 Andrew Carnegie mansion, home to the Cooper Hewitt, are open again after an overhaul and expansion of the premises. Historic house and modern museum have always made an awkward fit, a standoff between preservation and innovation, and the problem remains, but the renovation has brought a wide-open new gallery space, a cafe and a raft of be-your-own-designer digital enhancements. Best of all, more of the museum’s vast permanent collection is now on view, including an Op Art weaving, miniature spiral staircases, ballistic face masks and a dainty enameled 18th-century version of a Swiss knife. Like design itself, this institution is built on tumult and friction, and you feel it. 2 East 91st Street, at Fifth Avenue, 212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org. (Cotter)

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

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 12/03 and 12/01.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Events (12/04) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 12/04/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPERB 7 > FRIDAY / DEC. 04, 2015

“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:
Saxophone Summit (through Dec. 5)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St./ 8:30PM +11PM, $40
“The prominent postbop saxophonists David Liebman, Joe Lovano and Greg Osby constitute the front line of this aptly named supergroup. The band’s rhythm section, no less distinguished, consists of the pianist Phil Markowitz, the bassist Cecil McBee and the drummer Billy Hart.” (Chinen-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
NYCity Ballet: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (through Jan. 3)
NYS/DHK Theater, Lincoln Center / At various times, $
“Thanksgiving leftovers are still in the fridge and yet Christmas is here since “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” is back on stage. Of the dozens of productions in town, none match the scale of City Ballet’s or the giddy sense of childlike awe it inspires. Pantomime dominates the first half but Act II culminates in a breathtaking pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. After all, this is a duet for Balanchine and Tchaikovsky, too, and it’s magical.” (Schaefer-NYT)

Neko Case + Søren Juul
Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th St./ 8PM, $45, may need to stub hub this one.
“Neko Case, a razor-sharp alt-country songwriter with a golden voice, headlines this night at the Apollo Theater (moved from its previous date at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple). She released her last solo album, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, in 2013 (yeah, it’s a mouthful), and it’s every bit as knockout ambitious as the defiant title suggests.” (TONY)

Baby Jane Dexter: It’s Personal!
Metropolitan Room, 34 W22nd St./ 7PM, $25 plus two-drink minimum
“Nightclub legend Baby Jane Dexter connects with each song on a visceral level; if you’ve got the balls to join a red-hot mama on a collision course with raw emotions, she’ll leave you feeling stronger and more alive than you did when you walked in. Her new show includes songs by Cy Coleman, Cole Porter and the Beatles” (TONY)

Holiday Cheer for FUV with Brandi Carlile and Friends + Dawes + Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings + more
Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway, at 74th St./ 8PM, $45–$300
“Seattle singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile tops the bill at this annual festive concert. She’s joined by guests including rootsy Los Angeles band Dawes, and vintage-soul hometown heroes Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.” (TONY)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Neue Galerie: First Fridays
Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Avenue, at 86th St./ 6-8PM, FREE
“Neue Galerie, the museum dedicated to early-20th-century German and Austrian art and design, is free to the public for this event. Guests can visit the galleries featuring Viennese work by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka alongside decorative arts, and fine art from German movements like the Bauhaus and the Blaue Reiter. Café Sabarsky, in the museum, serves drinks, dinner and pastries of Austrian provenance.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

The Value of Liberal Education:
Fareed Zakaria in Conversation with Leon Botstein
CUNY Graduate Center, 5th Ave @ 34thSt./ 6:30PM, FREE
Hot Tkt. – Limited standby seating may be available.
“In his recent book In Defense of a Liberal Education, Fareed Zakaria of CNN considers a question with a long and complex history: what is the value of a liberal arts education today? Leon Botstein, as president of Bard College for the last forty years, has intimately considered the question and put his answers into practice.”

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 56 million visitors last year and is 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 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. ===========================================================================

◊ 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 Winter 2015).
◊ Order before Dec. 31, 2015 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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

Selected Events (12/03) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 12/03/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPERB 6 > THURSDAY / DEC. 03, 2015

“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:
Sinatra’s Century
The Cooper Union – The Great Hall, 7 E7th St./ 6:30PM, FREE
sinatra-1947_565“The poet and critic David Lehman discusses his new book, Sinatra’s Century: One Hundred Notes on the Man and His World, a warmly celebratory collection of one hundred short reflections on the man, his music, and his larger-than-life story.

Lehman devotes each of these short pieces to one facet of the Sinatra story—from the singer’s origins on the streets of Hoboken, to his emergence as “The Voice” in the 1940s, to the wild ebb and flow of his career in the decades that followed. Sinatra’s Century includes Lehman’s personally inflected lists of unforgettable performances; accounts of how the competitive performer squared off against everyone from Bing Crosby to Marlon Brando; clear-eyed assessments of the faults and weaknesses that informed his life and work; and a full-throated appreciation of the singer’s art.

David Lehman is the author of books of cultural criticism including A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs (2009), The Last Avant-Garde: The Making of the New York School of Poets (1998).”

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Lena Hall: The Villa Satori—Growing Up Haight Ashbury (thru Dec. 7)
Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 7PM, $60-$70
“After belting her face off for years in Off Broadway theaters and downtown rock clubs, Hall hit the big time in 2014 with her Tony-winning turn as Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In her latest solo show (her 54 Below debut) she looks back on her hippie childhood and shows off her astonishing vocal range in an eclectic selection of songs.” (TONY)

Fourplay: ‘Blue & Silver Holiday Celebration’ (through Dec. 6)
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./ 8PM, +10:30PM, $30 bar; $45 tables
“Fourplay, a gleaming standard-bearer for smooth jazz, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an aptly titled new album, “Silver,” and a related tour. The band still features three of its accomplished charter members — the pianist Bob James, the bassist Nathan East and the drummer Harvey Mason — alongside the well-traveled guitarist Chuck Loeb.” (Chinen-NYT)

Pilobolus (through Dec. 6)
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 La Guardia Place,
at Washington Square South/ 7PM, $
“A girl on the verge of womanhood falls asleep and wakes up in a surreal fantasy world. Nope, not “The Nutcracker” (though stay tuned). This is “Shadowland,” a new adventure from Pilobolus receiving its United States premiere. In collaboration with Steven Banks, a writer of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the company delivers a mix of theatrical spectacle and physical inventiveness soaked in wonder. As per its title, “Shadowland” showcases two-dimensional silhouettes formed by creative contortions of the body.” (Schaefer-NYT)
Friday/Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m.

Christian McBride Trio (through Dec. 6)
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave South, at 11th St./ 8:30PM, 10:30PM, $30
“The bassist Christian McBride holds fast to a mood of generous bonhomie with his trio, which recently released a live album recorded in this room. The band features Christian Sands, a pianist of urgent effervescence, and Jerome Jennings, a crisply capable drummer (filling in for Ulysses Owens Jr.)’ (Chinen-NYT)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Le Conversazioni: Films of My Life with David Remnick & Jhumpa Lahiri
Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave./ 7PM, $20
“Celebrating the relationship between art, literature, and film, this program features two award winning writers David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, and Jhumpa Lahiri, author of The Namesake, discussing some of the films that have inspired their lives and work. Moderated by Antonio Monda, Artistic Director of Le Conversazioni festival. Presented in partnership with Dazzle Communication and CPW Conversations. Sponsored by Maserati, TIM, Faces by The Sartorialist, and Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana.

The exhibition Ernest Hemingway: Between Two Wars will open at 6pm for program attendees.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

Bonus – Music Picks:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd dSt. bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 56 million visitors last year and is 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.
==================================================================================

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’ (through Feb. 7)
“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)

‘Transmissions: Art in Eastern Europe and Latin America, 1960-1980’ (through Jan. 3) “Visiting this big, spirited group show is like walking into a party of intriguing strangers. For every person you recognize, there are 10 you don’t know. One topic everyone’s talking about, at different intensities, is the anti-institutional politics that swept Europe and the Americas in the 1960s, and almost everyone speaks the language of Conceptualism. A product of an in-house research initiative called Contemporary and Modern Art Perspectives, or C-MAP, intended to expand MoMA’s narrow Paris-New York view of modernism, the show is very much the beginning rather than the end of a learning curve. But with curators exploring material new to them — just steps ahead of their audience — the show has a refreshing buzz of surprise as it takes the museum in a realistic new directions. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 12/01 and 11/29.

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

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

Posted on 12/02/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPERB 6 > WEDNESDAY / DEC. 02, 2015

“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 (of course):
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
Rockefeller Center, btw W48th/51st St./ lighting ceremony begins 7PM, FREE
imgres“The first Christmas tree went up at Rockefeller Center in 1931, when it was just a construction site and workers pooled their money to buy a 20-foot tall balsam fir. Today the trees are much taller (a minimum of 75-feet), and the lighting ceremony is as much of a New York holiday tradition as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

This year’s tree — a 76-foot tall, 10-ton Norway spruce — was donated by the Asendorf and Puchalski family in Gardiner, N.Y., about 80 miles north of Rockefeller Center. But through Jan. 6, the tree will take up residence on the plaza in front 30 Rock.

The event will also be broadcast on NBC from 7 to 9 p.m.
More information about the live entertainment is at rockefellercenter.com/holidays.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
NYCity Ballet: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (through Jan. 3)
NYS/DHK Theater, Lincoln Center / At various times, $
“Thanksgiving leftovers are still in the fridge and yet Christmas is here since “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” is back on stage. Of the dozens of productions in town, none match the scale of City Ballet’s or the giddy sense of childlike awe it inspires. Pantomime dominates the first half but Act II culminates in a breathtaking pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. After all, this is a duet for Balanchine and Tchaikovsky, too, and it’s magical.” (Schaefer-NYT)

‘Santasia’ (through Dec.23)
St. Luke’s Theater, 308 W46th St.(btw 8/9 ave)/ Tuesdays through Dec. 22 at 8PM, Wednesday matinees on Dec. 2, 16 and 23 @ 2PM, $40-$60
“This holiday musical comedy takes both a snarky and sentimental look at Christmas and family. Written by Shaun and Brandon Loeser, with choreography by Tania Pearson-Loeser, the show incorporates songs, sketch comedy and even Claymation movies.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Saxophone Summit (through Dec. 5)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St./ 8:30PM +11PM, $40
“The prominent postbop saxophonists David Liebman, Joe Lovano and Greg Osby constitute the front line of this aptly named supergroup. The band’s rhythm section, no less distinguished, consists of the pianist Phil Markowitz, the bassist Cecil McBee and the drummer Billy Hart.” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
Erykah Badu
Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Ave./ 8PM, $55-130
may be a tough ticket; may need to stub hub this one.
“Neo-soul maven Erykah Badu hasn’t released an album since 2010’s “New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh,” but that hasn’t kept her off the pop-culture radar. She regularly posts playful Vines with her children, tweets at a clip and recently hijacked Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” putting her own unmistakable stamp on that beat. In the past week, she released her phone-centric mixtape, “But You Caint Use My Phone” (featuring the likes of André 3000) and also hosted the Soul Train Awards. To cap this wild week, she makes her way to perform at Brooklyn’s sterling theatre, her own music front and center.” (WSJ)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Savoring Gotham: A Food Lover’s Companion to New York City
NYPL – Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave. / 6:30PM, FREE
“With Andrew F. Smith, a writer and lecturer on food and culinary history and the general editor for the “Edible Series.” This lecture covers New York’s culinary history, some of the most recognizable restaurants, eateries and culinary personalities today, and delves into more esoteric culinary realities, such as urban farming, beekeeping, the Three Martini Lunch and the Power Lunch, and novels, movies and paintings that memorably depict Gotham’s foodscapes.”

Bonus – Jazz Picks:
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 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is 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 / Upper West Side

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.

Walk only five minutes from the 125th St. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.

HarlHostStandNo food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip uptown to West Harlem totally worthwhile.

This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in a two story, old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the front door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.

Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.

The blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long (assuming you snagged a table). The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.

Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some long waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.

A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Highway, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner, maybe after a show at the nearby Cotton Club nightclub.

Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: Mo-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:30pm
Subway: #1 to 125th St.
Walk 2 blk W on 125th St. to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway.

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

Selected Events (12/01) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 12/01/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPERB 6 > TUESDAY / DEC. 01, 2015

“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:
Saxophone Summit (through Dec. 5)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St./ 8:30PM +11PM, $40
“The prominent postbop saxophonists David Liebman, Joe Lovano and Greg Osby constitute the front line of this aptly named supergroup. The band’s rhythm section, no less distinguished, consists of the pianist Phil Markowitz, the bassist Cecil McBee and the drummer Billy Hart.” (Chinen-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Pilobolus (through Dec. 6)
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 La Guardia Place,
at Washington Square South/ 7PM, $
“A girl on the verge of womanhood falls asleep and wakes up in a surreal fantasy world. Nope, not “The Nutcracker” (though stay tuned). This is “Shadowland,” a new adventure from Pilobolus receiving its United States premiere. In collaboration with Steven Banks, a writer of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the company delivers a mix of theatrical spectacle and physical inventiveness soaked in wonder. As per its title, “Shadowland” showcases two-dimensional silhouettes formed by creative contortions of the body.” (Schaefer-NYT)
Friday/Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m.

I’ve Got A Little Twist / Modern Gilbert & Sullivan
54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 9:30PM, $35-$45
“It’s where The Mikado meets The Music Man, where the HMS Pinafore sets sail for Brigadoon, and where The Pirates of Penzance take shore leave On the Town. It’s I’ve Got a Little TWIST!, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ hit production that highlights the timeless legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan in music theatre and shows off how fun, fresh, and full-of-life Gilbert & Sullivan can be to a modern audience.”

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
Harry Shearer and Judith Owen’s Christmas Without Tears
BAM—Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave., BKLYN/ 7:30PM, $
“Billed as a “reverent and irreverent antidote to the most stressful of seasons,” Christmas Without Tears is a variety show led by Judith Owen, a stirring singer-songwriter, and her husband Harry Shearer, a comedic man about town with credits including the musical movies “Spinal Tap” and “A Mighty Wind,” as well as voice work for numerous characters on “The Simpsons.” Their mix of special guests is eclectic: Alan Cumming, Mario Cantone, Olympia Dukakis, Paul Shaffer, Fred Willard, Artie Lange and Bela Fleck, among many others. The spirit for the night is a throwback to stage shows of yore, with the goal of evoking the notion of a family circled around a piano at home.” (WSJ)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Tree Lighting Skate-tacular
Bryant Park, 42nd St.(btw 5/6 ave)-The Rink, 6PM, FREE
The Lights Before Christmas
An original story starring:
Nancy Kerrigan
Brian Boitano
Johnny Weir
Davis & White
The Haydenettes
Narrated by Danny Aiello
Followed by public skating to live music from the
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Calliope Author Readings
NYPL, Mid-Manhattan Library, 5th Ave and 40th St/ 6:30PM, FREE
“This lecture with audio clips features original recordings of major American authors reading from their works. The authors and books include James Baldwin, Another Country; William Styron, Lie Down in Darkness; James Jones, From Here to Eternity; John Updike, “Lifeguard,” from Pigeon Feathers; Bernard Malamud, “The Mourners,” from The Magic Barrel; Nelson Algren, The Man With the Golden Arm; and Philip Roth, Letting Go. Three to four minute excerpts from readings by the seven authors, each preceded by a brief introduction about the author and the book, are highlighted.”

Bonus – Music Picks:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd dSt. bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 56 million visitors last year and is 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.
==================================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

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

Here is one TimeOutNewYork likes:
Camille Henrot (Nov 5- Dec 12)
“Stylistically, this French artist manages to find the unlikely nexus between conceptualist rigor and Art Deco languor. Her theme, in a word, is everything or at least how it’s manifested as a ceaseless flow of information. Whether this adds up to something intelligible is probably besides the point, as the real attraction of her work is its melding of organized chaos with soigné formalism. She marshals drawing, sculpture and video to create elegant installations that are as hermetic as they are easy on the eyes.” (TONY)
Metro Pictures, 519 W 24th St.(between Tenth and Eleventh Aves)
Opening hours: Tue–Sat 10am–6pm

And one that NY Magazine likes:
Matthew Weinstein’s “E Lobro” / One fabulous fish.
Jacob Lewis Gallery, (through December 12)
“Weinstein, the underground love of numerous artists, has unveiled a new video of a sexy tangerine koi swimming through digitized miasmas of opalescent space, ever winding at us like some otherworldly deity. Accompanying paintings give us ravishing starbursts that seem to emanate from the artist’s own subterranean consciousness.“ (NYMAG-Jerry Saltz)

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 11/29 and 11/27.

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

Selected Events (11/30) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 11/30/2015 by GregD

Today’s SWEET 6 > MONDAY / NOV. 30, 2015

“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.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
‘Giant Night of Comedy’
Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W23rd St./8:30PM, $
“Rashad Jennings of the New York Giants hosts this celebrity-studded fund-raiser, which benefits his literacy and community outreach charity. Along with appearances by several of Mr. Jennings’s teammates, the event includes performances by the comedians Pete Davidson of “Saturday Night Live,” Hasan Minhaj of “The Daily Show,” Jim Norton, Michael Bocchetti and John Melendez.” (Czajkowski-NYT)

Lesli Margherita “Broad”
Birdland, 315 W44th St. / 7PM, $30-$40
“Mae West. Sophie Tucker. Lesli Margherita. Brassy. Ballsy. Bawdy….BROAD. Olivier Award Winner Lesli Margherita (Dames at Sea, Matilda) returns to the New York cabaret stage in “BROAD,” an evening celebrating the controversial women of yesteryear. Written by Margherita, the evening will be directed by Lauren Bass, with musical arrangements by Brett Ryback and produced by Jordan & Lauren Bass.” (BroadwayWorld.com)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
Glen Hansard
Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Ave./ 8PM, $45-$55
“Irish singer-guitarist Glen Hansard has made a long career of honest, impassioned songwriting, kicking things off over two decades ago with his band the Frames. Earlier this year, they released a collection of their best songs (and a few new ones) entitled Longitude, but Hansard was hardly content to rest on those laurels. In September he also put out his latest batch of solo material, Didn’t He Ramble. With its reserved strings and aching melodies, Ramble holds some of Hansard’s best work, and he’ll be sharing it during two NYC-area shows this week, with a stop at Kings Theatre on Monday and another at Beacon Theatre December 1.” (Lindsey Rhoades, VillageVoice)

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

16th Annual Winter’s Eve Festival
Lincoln Square at W63rd St and Columbus Ave/ 5PM; FREE
“For one night, Lincoln Center becomes a beautiful seasonal market straight out of Star’s Hollow. Dip into beignets, hot cider, pizza and other treats from more than 30 local restaurants, get delirious at a dance party with the Fresh Kids of Bel-Air, and enjoy performances by dancers, bands and artists at this packed seasonal jamboree.” (TONY)

The Dakota: A History of the World’s Best-Known Apartment Building
NYPL- Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
“With Andrew Alpern, an architectural historian, architect, and attorney, who has published ten books, including five about apartment houses in New York City. This illustrated lecture spotlights arguably the best-known residential address in the world, home to dozens of New York City’s most famous artists, performers, and successful executives.”

On Bob Hope
92nd Street Y. Lexington Ave at 92nd St./ 7PM, $25
“Bob Hope achieved top-rated success in every mass-entertainment medium, from vaudeville to television and everything in between.

He helped redefine the very notion of what it means to be a star: a savvy businessman and public-spirited entertainer whose tireless work for charity set the standard for public service in Hollywood. Join biographer Richard Zoglin for a complex portrait of a gifted and yet flawed entertainer and star.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

“Laugh out loud at the memory of Bob Hope, the Entertainer of the Century, as a biography by a former Time magazine critic titles him; author Richard Zoglin analyzes the comedian’s career, signing copies of his book afterwards.”

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’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.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 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is 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 / 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 (11/29) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 11/29/2015 by GregD

Today’s SWEET 6 > SUNDAY / NOV. 29, 2015

“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:
NYCity Ballet: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (through Jan. 3)
NYS/DHK Theater, Lincoln Center / At various times, $
“Thanksgiving leftovers are still in the fridge and yet Christmas is here since “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” is back on stage. Of the dozens of productions in town, none match the scale of City Ballet’s or the giddy sense of childlike awe it inspires. Pantomime dominates the first half but Act II culminates in a breathtaking pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. After all, this is a duet for Balanchine and Tchaikovsky, too, and it’s magical.” (Schaefer-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Terence Blanchard E-Collective
Blue Note, 131 West Third St./ 8PM, 10:30PM, $
“On his brooding new album, “Breathless,” the trumpeter Terence Blanchard takes both a plunge into electric fusion and a foray into sociopolitical protest. (Its title refers to the phrase “I Can’t Breathe,” a rallying cry against police brutality after the death of Eric Garner.) He draws from this well with a young band featuring Fabian Almazan on piano and synthesizer, Charles Altura on guitar, Donald Ramsey on bass and Oscar Seaton on drums.” (NYT-Chinen)

Take the A Train: Billy Strayhorn’s 100th Birthday
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St./ 7PM, $30
“Take the A train (or whatever subway works) to get to this concert commemorating the centenary of Billy Strayhorn, who co-composed and arranged some of Duke Ellington’s greatest hits.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

“Saxophonists and clarinetists, Juilliard graduates Peter and Will Anderson and their quintet perform the music of Billy Strayhorn on his 100th birthday. Strayhorn’s 28 years as Duke Ellington’s co-composer and arranger produced songs such as “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Satin Doll,” “Lush Life,” “Something to Live For,” and “Chelsea Bridge.” This concert features the legendary Duke Ellington Orchestra drummer Steve Little, guitarist Gabe Schnider, bassist Neal Miner, vocalist Karen Oberlin, and guest speaker David Hajdu, the author of the acclaimed Billy Strayhorn biography “Lush Life.”

Steve Davis Sextet: A Tribute to J.J.
Smoke Jazz Club, 2751 Broadway, at 106th St./ 7, 9 and 10:30PM, $
“The trombonist Steve Davis pays homage to J.J. Johnson, a giant of his instrument, with an ace hard-bop band that features the trumpeter Eddie Henderson, the tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, the pianist Harold Mabern, the bassist Nat Reeves and the drummer Joe Farnsworth.” (Chinen-NYT)

Jason Moran and the Bandwagon
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, $30
The pianist Jason Moran may tip his hat to the jazz tradition—his latest album, “All Rise,” was a shape-shifting tribute to Fats Waller—but he generally stays focussed on the music’s genre-inclusive future. The Bandwagon trio, with the bassist Tarus Mateen and the drummer Nasheet Waits, can favor rhythmic interaction at the expense of reflection, but the group’s fervor is hard to deny or resist.” (NewYorker)

Nona Hendryx Presents Parallel Lives: Billie Holiday & Edith Piaf
Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St./ 7PM +9:30PM, $ “Ms. Hendryx, the feisty alto of the trio LaBelle, belts with all-in passion and has a punk rocker’s aggressive stage presence. She delivers old-school charisma in this tribute to two talents who have made clear impressions on Ms. Hendryx’s voice.” (Anderson-NYT)

Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St. / citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. / joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34 W22nd St. / metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. / lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St. / beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237 W42nd St. / bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
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 56 million visitors last year and is 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.
==================================================================================

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)

Guggenheim Museum:
Kandinsky Gallery (through spring 2016)
“A pioneer of abstract art and eminent aesthetic theorist, Vasily Kandinsky (b. 1866, Moscow; d. 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) broke new ground in painting during the first decades of the twentieth century. His seminal treatise Über das Geistige in der Kunst (On the Spiritual in Art), published in Munich in December 1911, lays out his program for developing an art independent from observations of the external world. In this and other texts, as well as his work, Kandinsky advanced abstraction’s potential to be free from nature, a quality of music that he admired. The development of a new subject matter based solely on the artist’s “inner necessity” would occupy him for the rest of his life.”

The Guggenheim collection now contains more than 150 works by this single artist, making it the largest collection of Kandinsky works in the United States.

Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (continuing):
rendering-3The stately doors of the 1902 Andrew Carnegie mansion, home to the Cooper Hewitt, are open again after an overhaul and expansion of the premises. Historic house and modern museum have always made an awkward fit, a standoff between preservation and innovation, and the problem remains, but the renovation has brought a wide-open new gallery space, a cafe and a raft of be-your-own-designer digital enhancements. Best of all, more of the museum’s vast permanent collection is now on view, including an Op Art weaving, miniature spiral staircases, ballistic face masks and a dainty enameled 18th-century version of a Swiss knife. Like design itself, this institution is built on tumult and friction, and you feel it. 2 East 91st Street, at Fifth Avenue, 212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org. (Cotter)

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

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 11/21 and 11/19.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Events (11/28) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 11/28/2015 by GregD

Today’s SWEET 6 > SATURDAY / NOV. 28, 2015

“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.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Wycliffe Gordon & Friends
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St/Broadway / 7:30PM +9:30PM, $
“Mr. Gordon, a trombonist, trumpeter, singer and one-man jubilation engine, settles in for a Thanksgiving-week engagement at his second home. He’ll be in good company, with the pianist Ehud Asherie, the bassist Yasushi Nakamura and the drummer Alvin Atkinson Jr.” (NYT-Chinen)

Jason Moran and the Bandwagon (also Nov. 29)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, $30
The pianist Jason Moran may tip his hat to the jazz tradition—his latest album, “All Rise,” was a shape-shifting tribute to Fats Waller—but he generally stays focussed on the music’s genre-inclusive future. The Bandwagon trio, with the bassist Tarus Mateen and the drummer Nasheet Waits, can favor rhythmic interaction at the expense of reflection, but the group’s fervor is hard to deny or resist.” (NewYorker)

My Morning Jacket
Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, at 74th St./ 8PM, $
“This band, which came out of Kentucky around the turn of the century, is one of the few rock groups that can sell out arenas, so four nights in the relatively intimate confines of the Beacon Theatre is a real gift. Since the beginning, Jim James, the leader and chief songwriter of the country-rock group, has broadened the style and the range of his compositions—making open-ended, free-floating pieces that give the quintet the opportunity to explore vistas that incorporate the symphonic and the psychedelic. At the core, though, is the power of the human voice, James’s main component of connectivity.” (NewYorker)

Ann Hampton Callaway: Feminine Persuasion
54 Below, 254 W54th St./ 8PM, $60-$115
“A swinging fixture of the cabaret world, Ann Hampton Callaway has also branched into jazz and TV theme songs (The Nanny). She has a reassuringly mellow way with the standards, sung in a wry, coffee-voiced contralto. Her latest set is devoted to songs by women, including Carole King, Dorthy Fields, Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee.” (TONY)

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

Public Eye: 175 Years of Sharing Photography
NYPL Main Building, 42nd St & 5th Ave/ 12:30 + 3:30PM, FREE docent led tour of the exhibition.
“Thanks to the development of new technology and social media, more photographs are created, viewed, and shared today than ever before. Public Eye, the first-ever retrospective survey of photography organized by NYPL, takes advantage of this moment to reframe the way we look at photographs from the past. What are some of the platforms and networks through which photographs have been shared? In what ways have we, as photography’s public and one of its subjects, been engaged over time? To what ends has the street served as a venue for photographic practice since its beginnings? And, of more recent concern, are we risking our privacy in pursuit of a more public photography? Ranging from photography’s official announcement in 1839 to manifestations of its current pervasiveness, this landmark exhibition, drawn entirely from the Library’s collections, explores the various ways in which photography has been shared and made public. Photography has always been social.”

Barclays Center Classic (November 27 and 28)
Cincinnati, Tennessee, Nebraska and George Washington will come to Brooklyn for the fourth annual Barclays Center Classic.

In the opening round, Cincinnati coming off a 20-win season took on a rising Nebraska squad expecting a boost from a deep recruiting class. Coach Rick Barnes brings his 604 career wins along for his first season at Tennessee, while George Washington is powered by a trio of four-year starters.
TIP-OFF TIMES:
November 28
12:00PM – Consolation Game
Nebraska vs. Tennessee
2:30PM – Championship Game
Cincinnati vs. George Washington

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 56 million visitors last year and is 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 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. ===========================================================================

◊ 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 Winter 2015).
◊ Order before Dec. 31, 2015 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment