NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide

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

Posted on 09/07/2015 by GregD

Today’s Super 6 > MONDAY / SEPT. 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 complete event info.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
>Linda Lavin: Starting Over (Sept 07-10-11-12)
54 Below, 254 W54th St / 7PM, $51-$61
(may need to aim for shows on Sept 10-11-12)
“Actor-singer extraordinaire Lavin, a stage powerhouse best known to general audiences as the title character of the sitcom Alice, gets back to her musical-theater roots with a collection of show tunes and standards.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Inaugural Exhibition: AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE (through Sept 27)
Whitney Museum, 99 Gansevoort St. / 10:30AM-6PM, $22.
“It’s finally here! The new improved Whitney home in MePa that’s supposed to finally put to rest the museum’s rep as the also-ran of New York’s major art institutions. The Whitney inaugurates its new home with this massive permanent-collection survey spanning eight decades. Covering four floors in roughly chronological order, the show relays overlapping histories about the Whitney itself, the development of modernism in America and the country’s transition from cultural backwater to overweening superpower.” (TONY)

Summer HD Festival (LAST DAY)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 8:00PM, FREE
tonight: “AIDA“
“Verdi’s epic of ancient Egypt shows the composer at his most sweeping, especially in the Met’s grand-scale staging. Liudmyla Monastyrska stars as the title character, an Ethiopian slave who is secretly a princess.”

“For 11 nights the Metropolitan Opera will take over Lincoln Center Plaza to bring some of the company’s most memorable recent performances to the masses. The series features 10 screenings of previously recorded operas. Seating is first come first served. At various times, 212-721-6500, metopera.org” (NYT-SpareTimes)

>Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit (Sept 05-06-07-12-13)
“In 1931, New York artists Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning propped up a few of their paintings on the sidewalk near Washington Square Park and called it a show. A lot has changed since then: Now, more than 100 artists and artisans—including painters, sculptors, jewelers and glassblowers—exhibit their wares at the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit.”

Our show is a sidewalk show, not a street fair, and has its venue on University Place, starting at East 13th Street and continuing south along the east side of Washington Square Park to West 3rd Street.” 12-6 PM / FREE

TODAY’S TOP EVENT
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 8)

September 5, 2015 – Roger Federer in action in a men’s singles third-round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber during the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY. (USTA/Pete Staples)

The U.S. Open continues play today (11AM) at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens and runs through Sept. 13. This is the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. Everyone is looking for the Serena slam this year.
subway: #1-2-3 to Times Square; transfer to #7 to Willets Point. (about 45 min. from Times Square)

Matches to watch today: (predictions per Matt Cronin – USOpen.org)

ASHE/NIGHT – ROGER FEDERER (2) VS. JOHN ISNER (12)
Isner has improved this year, by being aggressive and accurate with his return, coming to net at the right time and going for his massive forehand when he can. Clearly, Isner has been struggling for years trying to grab more breaks against opponents, and as Federer said, the tall man has become frustrated when he is constantly having to go to tiebreaks to snare the sets

Believe it or not, since 2012, the last time Federer has won a major, he has added a few more tricks in his bag. He comes to the net more and puts it away from every angle. The righty likes to move to left and bang his forehand inside out. Even though he is slightly slower than he used to be, he can move forward like the wind.

Without a doubt, Federer is better than Isner all around, except Isner’s serve. But the American can catch fire, and he will be pumped up in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Isner will play about as well as he can, but in the end, Federer will take a very deep breath in five terrific sets.

ASHE/3RD – SAM STOSUR (22) VS. FLAVIA PENNETTA (26)
This one is a real toss-up between the 2012 US Open champion Stosur and the former semifinalist Pennetta, as both of them are longtime veterans and know how to change up tactics. Pennetta is 6-0 versus the Aussie, but Stosur has been overdue to top the Italian. Stosur’s big first serve and forehand kicker is on the ball, and that will wear down the Italian in three sets.

ARMSTRONG/2ND – SIMONA HALEP (2) VS. SABINE LISICKI (24)
The German Lisicki has a gigantic first serve, and she is always ready to hit as hard as she can inside the baseline. But Halep is steadier and faster, plus her forehand and backhand go deeper and at sharper angles. Halep will win in straight sets.

ASHE/2ND – STAN WAWRINKA (5) VS. DONALD YOUNG
All credit to Young, who won two five-setters to advance, whaling away with his wicked lefty serve. But since last year, the reigning French Open champion Wawrinka became more composed and he is very comfortable on the baseline or rushing forward. Young stunned Wawrinka, 7-6 in the fifth set, in the second round at the 2011 US Open, and a month or so later, he pushed him again in Shanghai, falling in three interesting sets. The Swiss is smarter these days and his forehand and first serve have improved by miles. Wawrinka will win in four difficult sets.

ARMSTRONG/3RD – ANDY MURRAY (3) VS. KEVIN ANDERSON (15)
The former US Open champion Murray danced around in overwhelming Thomaz Bellucci in the third round, and now he is ready to pull Anderson back and forth. Anderson is a big server and he is fairly smart, but he can’t trip up Murray, who has a serious shot to win the title. Murray will win in three sets.

ARMSTRONG/4TH – TOMAS BERDYCH (6) VS. RICHARD GASQUET (12)
Berdych struggled mightily this summer, but he appears to have woken up in the first three rounds here. However, the Frenchman has had a pretty decent season year and will trip up Berdych in a fascinating five sets.

Lot’s of great doubles matches today, too.

Today’s tips: Arrive early. Security screening has resulted in long delays to enter. The best, most comprehensive review of the tournament and the current state of tennis can be found at the NYTimes/Sports

Once inside check out one of the electronic scoreboards listing matches in progress. Find a match or players that interest you. There is no other major sporting event where you can get so close to world class athletes as at the U.S. Open’s Grandstand court, or even Louis Armstrong stadium. Courts where you can get a real sense of the pace of the game.

Unfortunately, this is the last year for the Grandstand court, which is being replaced by a larger, less intimate court. It will be sorely missed. Make sure to find your way over there to see some matches while you can.

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.
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A PremierPub / Tribeca

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

There 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

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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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 54 Below, AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE, Birdland, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, Lincoln Center, Linda Lavin, Summer HD Festival, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, U.S. TENNIS OPEN, Village Vanguard, Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit, Whitney Museum | Leave a comment

Selected Events (09/06) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 09/06/2015 by GregD

Today’s Super 6 > SUNDAY / SEPT. 06, 2015

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

>Birdland Jazz Party, Hosted by Carole Bufford
Birdland, 315W44th St./ 6PM, $30
“Birdland’s very own jazz quartet hits the stage every Sunday to wrap up the weekend with jazz classics featuring jazz vocalist Carole J. Bufford, one of the most sought after young performers in the New York cabaret & jazz scene.”

>Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band (through Sept. 6)
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St / 8PM + 10:30PM, $20, $35
Conga-playing trumpeter Jerry González’s fiery barrio-jazz ensemble, Fort Apache, fuses boppish melodies with the Afro-Cuban rhythms its founder picked up in the Bronx ’hood that gives the band its name.” (TONY)

>Miguel Zenón Quartet (through Sept. 6)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave South, at 11th St. / 8:30PM+10:30PM, $30
“Identities Are Changeable” is the most recent album by the alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, who has turned the exploration of Puerto Rican culture into an aesthetic signature. His focus on the album is the Nuyorican experience, with snippets of oral history woven into his state-of-the-art big band arrangements — which he compresses here to their core, with his longtime quartet.” (Chinen-NYT)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:45PM, FREE
tonight: “DON GIOVANNI”
“Mariusz Kwiecien sings the title role of Mozart’s legendary lothario, whose relentless womanizing leads to a fiery demise. Fabio Luisi conducts Michael Grandage’s production.”

TODAY’S TOP EVENT
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 7)

Matches to watch today: (predictions per Matt Cronin – USOpen.org)

ASHE/3RD – SERENA WILLIAMS (1) VS. MADISON KEYS (19)
For the second straight round, Serena will face another American at the US Open. This time, she has to go up against 20-year-old Madison Keys. Serena and Keys have played once this year in the semis of the Australian Open, with Williams winning 7-6, 6-2. The younger player hits a gigantic first serve, 120 mph on occasion, and she can blast her backhand and forehand – just like Serena does. But Williams is more consistent, she is substantially better at the net and she returns more accurately.

Keys will be thrilled to be on the big stage in Ashe and she will be super aggressive, but Serena knows that she cannot start slow or Keys could shock her. Serena will win in two fun sets.

ASHE/1ST – MARIN CILIC (9) VS. JEREMY CHARDY (27)
Defending champion Cilic has not played much this year at all, but in the past week, he has looked pretty sharp and lethal. Frenchman Chardy has been pretty impressive recently, which means not just playing great for an hour and then folding, but being more concentrated and thoughtful. He owns a fine first serve and he can mix up his attack and charge the net. These two have played twice against each other, with Chardy grabbing a clay contest and Cilic winning on grass at Wimbledon in 2014.

They have yet to face off on hard courts, which they will now do. Chardy won’t back off and will stay pretty close, but Cilic is now riding high and will win in three tight sets.

ARMSTRONG/4TH – FELICIANO LOPEZ (18) VS. FABIO FOGNINI (32)
Who would have thought that Lopez would manage to fight off Mardy Fish on Wednesday after the American was up 5-3 but became nervous trying to serve it out. Eventually, the Spaniard hung in there and won the fifth set. How about Fabio Fognini? He was down two sets against the 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal under the lights of Ashe, and somehow he played perfectly in the last three sets. Very late at night, that was an incredible scene.

The 33-year-old Lopez has improved over the past couple of years, especially with his backhand. Lopez is more cagey, but the 28-year-old Fognini is quicker, can smoke both his forehand and backhand and, when he is feeling good, can be very creative and effective.
Lopez will bother him, but Italian Fognini will come through in four sets.

Today’s tips: Arrive early. Security screening has been brutal, with long delays to enter. The best, most comprehensive review of the tournament and the current state of tennis can be found at the NYTimes/Sports

Once inside check out one of the electronic scoreboards listing matches in progress. Find a match or players that interest you. Head over to their court for some great tennis, because in this tournament even the qualifiers are great players. There is no other major sporting event where you can get so close to world class athletes as at the U.S. Open – on the outer field courts, the Grandstand court, or even Louis Armstrong stadium. Courts where you can get a real sense of the pace of the game.

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)

‘Warriors and Mothers: Epic Mbembe Art’ (through Sept. 16)
If a dozen masterpiece Renaissance sculptures, done in an unknown and wildly unorthodox style, suddenly turned up in the Italian countryside, the find would make the news. You’ll encounter the equivalent of such a discovery in this show of spectacular weatherworn, wood-carved figures, some dating to before the 17th century, that were made by the Mbembe in southeastern Nigeria and taken to Paris by an African dealer in the early 1970s. They caused a sensation among collectors and scholars at the time, and you can see why. But the effort to find more of them proved fruitless. The examples at the Met, which include the original dozen, represent all the fully intact stand-alone Mbembe figures known to exist. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org. (Cotter)

‘Navigating the West: George Caleb Bingham and the River’ (through Sept. 20)
This moving tribute to the 19th-century painter who depicted the hardscrabble life along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers as spacious idylls of serenity and even timelessness, presents 16 of his 17 river paintings known to exist, among nearly all the exacting studies of men at rest that preceded them. The human dimension of the figures is joined to the golden light and space of the setting by the geometric solidity of the boats and their wonderful details. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org. (Smith)

‘Discovering Japanese Art: American Collectors and the Met’ (through Sept. 27) Highlighting contributions to the Met’s Japanese art holdings by American collectors from the 1880s to the present, this gorgeous show presents more than 200 superb paintings, drawings, prints, scrolls, folding screens, ceramics, lacquer ware and works in other mediums and genres, mostly dating from the fourth century to the late 19th. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org. (Johnson)

Neue Galerie:
‘Egon Schiele: Portraits’ (through Sept. 07)
“Of the approximately 125 items in this terrific show, there are only 11 oil paintings, which is a good thing. Except for a large picture of his wife, Edith, in a colorful striped dress, Schiele’s works on canvas are dark and turgid. But his drawings are nimble and nuanced. Working on paper with pencil, charcoal, ink, gouache, watercolor and crayons, he portrayed himself and others with infectious avidity. There’s hardly a single sheet here that doesn’t warrant close looking for its virtuoso draftsmanship and psychological acuity. 1048 Fifth Avenue, at 86th Street, 212-628-6200, neuegalerie.org. “(Johnson)

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):
The 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)

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Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:

• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
• 92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
• 91st Street – Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
• 89th Street – National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
• 88th Street – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
• 86th Street – Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
• 82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW)

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 09/04 and 09/02.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Selected Events (09/05) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 09/05/2015 by GregD

Today’s Super 6 > SATURDAY / SEPT. 05, 2015

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

>Cyrus Chestnut Trio
Birdland, 315 W44th St./ 8:30PM +11PM, $40
“A soulful, straight-ahead pianist, particularly adept with gospel and the blues, Cyrus Chestnut works most often in a trio, with a smart young rhythm team. For this engagement he’s in the esteemed company of players a little older than himself, the bassist Curtis Lundy and the drummer Victor Lewis.” (Chinen-NYT)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:45PM, FREE
tonight: “LA TRAVIATA”
“Natalie Dessay stars as the consumptive courtesan Violetta, perhaps opera’s most beloved heroine, in Willy Decker’s visionary production of Verdi’s tragedy.”

TODAY’S TOP EVENT
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 6)

September 3, 2015 – Donald Young in action in a men’s singles second round match against Aljaz Bedene during the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY. (USTA/Garrett Ellwood)

Matches to watch today: (predictions per Matt Cronin – USOpen.org)

ASHE – ROGER FEDERER (2) VS. PHILIP KOHLSCHREIBER (29)
Is the great one going to play perfectly every match and win the US Open again? Probably not, but he has been near-perfect in his first two matches, dropping just nine games–pretty darn good. The German Kohlschreiber, a tour veteran, can rake his one-handed backhand; he can chop it, or he can employ heavy topspin. His serves aren’t fantastic, but his forehand is fairly good and he has improved his net play. However, is he good enough to unearth Federer? No, not in three-out-of-five sets. Head to head, the Swiss is 10-0 against Kohlschreiber.

GRANDSTAND – VICTOR TROICKI (22) VS. DONALD YOUNG
Donald Young hasn’t played fantastically well this year, but he has played amazingly in his first two contests at the US Open, stunning No. 11 Gilles Simon and besting Aljaz Bedene.The 25-year-old lefty is crushing his forehand, and when he is on, his wicked twister hurts his foes.
The Serb is very steady and fairly aggressive, and while he has never gone deep at the Slams, he is cagey. Young is going to have to be patient and make sure that he strikes his backhand deep, as he can’t smoke it like he can the forehand. The crowd will be screaming for him, and he will all charged up. Young will get through in four spectacular sets.

ASHE – ANGELIQUE KERBER (11) VS. VICTORIA AZARENKA (20)
This is a legitimate 50-50 for Angie Kerber and Vika Azarenka; the German looked fantastic when she won Stanford last month and the Belarusian former No. 1 hasn’t played as well as she could this week, but she has pushed very hard from inside the baseline and on her returns. Her second serve is a mess right now, but she has improved her net charges significantly, as well as her forehand. I could be wrong here because I do think that Kerber has a shot to reach the final if she truly believes, but I just think that Azarenka will be more courageous again and win in three sets.

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. 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’. ”

Each night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines, but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cyrus Chestnut Trio | Leave a comment

Selected Events (09/04) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 09/04/2015 by GregD

Today’s Super 6 > FRIDAY / SEPT. 04, 2015

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
>Somi
Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St. / 7:30; 9:30PM, $
“A jazz-soul singer of cool temperament and malleable technique, Somi draws from a recent sabbatical in Nigeria on “The Lagos Music Salon,” her brooding, socially engaged new album on the Okeh label. Performing material from the album on the heels of a European tour, she appears with her excellent backing band.” (Chinen-NYT)

>Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St / 8PM + 10:30PM, $20, $35
Conga-playing trumpeter Jerry González’s fiery barrio-jazz ensemble, Fort Apache, fuses boppish melodies with the Afro-Cuban rhythms its founder picked up in the Bronx ’hood that gives the band its name.” (TONY)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:45PM, FREE
tonight: “ROMÉO ET JULIETTE”
Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna star as the title lovers in Gounod’s gorgeous Shakespeare adaptation, conducted by Plácido Domingo. (2hr, 45min)

Inaugural Exhibition: AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE (through Sept 27)
Whitney Museum, 99 Gansevoort St. / 10:30AM-6PM, $22.
“It’s finally here! The new improved Whitney home in MePa that’s supposed to finally put to rest the museum’s rep as the also-ran of New York’s major art institutions. The Whitney inaugurates its new home with this massive permanent-collection survey spanning eight decades. Covering four floors in roughly chronological order, the show relays overlapping histories about the Whitney itself, the development of modernism in America and the country’s transition from cultural backwater to overweening superpower.” (TONY)

TODAY’S TOP EVENT
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 5)
The U.S. Open continues play today (11AM) at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens and runs through Sept. 13. This is the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. Everyone is looking for the Serena slam this year.
subway: #1-2-3 to Times Square; transfer to #7 to Willets Point. (about 45 min. from Times Square)

Matches to watch today: (predictions per Matt Cronin – USOpen.org)

ASHE / BELINDA BENCIC (12) VS. VENUS WILLIAMS (23)
Bencic is coming very fast, from the look of watching the 18-year-old stun Serena Williams in the semifinals of Toronto. While Bencic has looked more flashy and composed recently – except for a brief meltdown in the previous round over contested line calls – Venus has wiped up the younger player in all three contests, including February in Dubai.

Bencic is only a teenager and already has had some lumps and bumps, but she is more composed, and when she is feeling good, she is lethal. Venus will come into the match confident, but after an hour or so, Bencic will pull away and win in three sets,

ARMSTRONG / AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA (15) VS. MADISON KEYS (19)
About two months ago, Radwanska and Keys clashed in the quarters at Wimbledon. It was very close, but in the end, Aga spun it around. The Pole isn’t very strong or tall, but she is very intelligent and get low to slap balls just over the net and into inside the corners.

Keys looked very good in the second round, smashing her serves and nailing her huge ground strokes. She can be wild at times, but if she is on the ball, she hits as well as anyone. Without a doubt, the Australian Open semifinalist can become frustrated and she can over-hit, but she is also overdue to take down a fine opponent. It won’t be easy, but Keys will best Radwanska in three sets.

ASHE / NOVAK DJOKOVIC (1) VS. ANDREAS SEPPI (25)
The Serb is 10-0 head-to-head versus Seppi, which means that he is a heavy favorite. But the Italian did shock Roger Federer at the 2015 Australian Open, so he cannot be completely counted out.

Seppi has been respectable all year and, without a doubt, he wants to shock the nine-time Grand Slam champion. But Djokovic hasn’t won a US Open since 2011 and he badly wants to raise the trophy again. Seppi will be close for two sets early on, but Djokovic will frustrated him and win in three.

Unfortunately, this is the last year for the Grandstand court, which is being replaced by a larger, less intimate court. It will be sorely missed. Make sure you find your way over there to see some matches while you can.

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:
‘One-Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and Other Visions of the Great Movement North’ (through Sept. 7)
“In the early 20th century, tens of thousands of African Americans left the rural South for the industrial North in search of jobs, homes and respect. Officially, this MoMA show is meant to mark the centennial of that immense population shift, though it also marks another anniversary: the first time in two decades that all 60 paintings in Jacob Lawrence’s great “Migration Series,” now divided between New York and Washington, D.C., have been shown together at the museum. Here they are surrounded by period photographs, books and fabulous music in a display as stimulating to the mind and the ear as it is to the eye. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Cotter)

Museum of Arts and Design:
‘Richard Estes: Painting New York City’ (through Sept. 20)
“The core of this show is a selection of vivid, Photorealist paintings of urban subjects like glass and chrome storefronts, movie theater marquees, cars and trucks, subways, the Brooklyn Bridge, views from the Staten Island Ferry and idyllic images of Central Park made between 1965 and 2015. The exhibition also includes didactic sections about the craft and technique that go into Mr. Estes painting and prints, but that aspect doesn’t fully deliver what it promises. 2 Columbus Circle, Manhattan, 212-299-7777,madmuseum.org.”(Johnson).
I LOVE THIS ONE.

Whitney Museum of American Art:
‘America Is Hard to See’ (through Sept. 27)
“With high ceilings, soft pine-plank floors and light-flooded windows and terraces, the galleries of the new Renzo Piano-designed Whitney Museum in the meatpacking district are as airy as 19th-century sailmakers’ lofts. Art feels at home in them, and the work in the museum’s top-to-bottom inaugural exhibition is homegrown. Culled from the permanent collection, it mixes bookmarked favorites by Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe and Jasper Johns with objects and artists that the Whitney had all but forgotten or just brought in. As a vision of a larger America, the show is far from comprehensive; as a musing on the history of a particular New York institution over nearly a century, it is very fine, smartly detailed and superbly presented. 99 Gansevoort Street, at Washington Street, 212-570-3600, whitney.org.” (Cotter)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 09/02 and 08/31.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE, Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band, MIGUEL ZENÓN QUARTET, Somi, Summer HD Festival, U.S. TENNIS OPEN | Leave a comment

Selected Events (09/03) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper WestSide)

Posted on 09/03/2015 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > THURSDAY / SEPT. 03, 2015

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
>Miguel Zenón Quartet (through Sept. 6)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave South, at 11th St. / 8:30PM+10:30PM, $30
“Identities Are Changeable” is the most recent album by the alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, who has turned the exploration of Puerto Rican culture into an aesthetic signature. His focus on the album is the Nuyorican experience, with snippets of oral history woven into his state-of-the-art big band arrangements — which he compresses here to their core, with his longtime quartet.” (Chinen-NYT)

>Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St / 8PM + 10:30PM, $20, $35
Conga-playing trumpeter Jerry González’s fiery barrio-jazz ensemble, Fort Apache, fuses boppish melodies with the Afro-Cuban rhythms its founder picked up in the Bronx ’hood that gives the band its name.” (TONY)

Misty Copeland: ‘On the Town’ (through Sept. 6)
Lyric Theatre, 213 W42nd St./ 7PM, $62.50-$157.50
“Broadway’s dance-heavy musical revival about sailors making the most of shore leave in NYC is closing its doors after Sept. 6. But audiences catching the show before then are in for a treat, as American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland — recently named the world’s first African-American principal ballerina — takes on the role of Ivy Smith for the final 12 performances, starting Aug. 25. It’s Copeland’s Broadway debut, fittingly in the show that boasted one of the first-ever racially integrated casts in 1944.” (Metro)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:45PM, FREE
tonight: “IL TRITTICO”
Puccini’s classic triple bill is seen in Jack O’Brien’s spectacular production, conducted by James Levine.

TODAY’S TOP EVENT
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 4)
The U.S. Open continues play today (11AM) at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens and runs through Sept. 13. This is the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. Everyone is looking for the Serena slam this year.
subway: #1-2-3 to Times Square; transfer to #7 to Willets Point. (about 45 min. from Times Square)

Matches to watch today in Louis Armstrong stadium (LA) & the Grandstand (GS):
(predictions per Matt Cronin – USOpen.org)

GS – BERNARD TOMIC (24) VS. LLEYTON HEWITT
The 2001 US Open champion, Lleyton Hewitt, said he’s not pleased at having to go up against the young Aussies. Hewitt is playing his last US Open tournament, as he will retire after the 2016 Australian Open. Right now, Hewitt is helping coach the young guns, including Tomic, and says they are very good buddies.

Hewitt is a quality player, but he hasn’t played much this season and he’s pushing balls short quite a bit. This is the 15th time that Hewitt has played at the US Open and he has had some wonderful moments, but Tomic is too strong and will beat his older buddy in straight sets.

LA – JOHN ISNER (13) VS. MIKHAIL YOUZHNY
Believe it or not, Youzhny has reached the the US Open semifinal twice–in 2006 and 2010. Youzhny isn’t as fast as he used to be, and he doesn’t crush the balls, but he mixes it up well and he can stroke deep off both sides. He can pass his opponents and can rush the net effectively.

The 30-year-old Isner dominates with his huge serve, his forehand is massive, and when he can make it up close to the net, he can bury it. I do think Youzhny will play extremely well and really push Isner, but big John will set up during the big points and come through, all in tiebreakers in five dramatic sets,

LA – PETRA KVITOVA (5) VS. NICOLE GIBBS
The Czech, a two-time Wimbledon champion, can take down anyone, anytime, but Kvitova has never played fantastic at the US Open and has yet to figure out NYC.

Gibbs was a two-time NCAA champion while at Stanford University, and since she’s joined the tour, she’s shown glimmers of promise but has yet to figure out how to compete with the big girls. Petra, coming off a win in New Haven last week, is playing with a boost of confidence and will win easily in straight sets.

Some other matches worth seeing:
GS – Jack Sock (28) vs Ruben Bemelmans.
Jack may be America’s best player these days.

Court 17 – Donald Young vs Aljaz Bedene.
Donald came back from 2 sets down and 0-3 in the first round.

Today’s tips: Arrive early. Security screening was brutal on Monday, with long delays to enter. The best, most comprehensive review of the tournament and the current state of tennis can be found at the NYTimes/Sports.

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.

No 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.

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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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE, Blue Note, Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band, Lincoln Center, MIGUEL ZENÓN QUARTET, Misty Copeland: ‘On the Town’, Summer HD Festival, U.S. TENNIS OPEN, Village Vanguard, Whitney Museum | Leave a comment

Selected Events (09/02) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 09/02/2015 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > WEDNESDAY / SEPT. 02, 2015

SummerStage
>Lake Street Dive
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, mid-Park at 69th St. / 6PM, FREE
“Lake Street Dive is a Brooklyn-via-Boston indie foursome that keeps one leg in jazz while the other is dipping into blue-eyed soul. Led by the powerful vocals of Rachael Price, Lake Street Dive play with conviction as they perform “Bad Self Portraits,” the opening track off their recent record of the same name. This summer may be through, but let’s have this swan song ring loud until the next.” (Silas Valentino-VillageVoice)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:30PM, FREE
tonight: “COSÌ FAN TUTTE”
Mozart’s brilliant comedy of love, trust, and disguise, featuring a cast of young Met stars.

TODAY’S TOP EVENT
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 3)

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 31: Eugenie Bouchard returns a shot against Alison Riske of the United States during their Woman’s Singles First Round match on Day One of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Matches to watch today in Louis Armstrong stadium (LA) & the Grandstand (GS):
(predictions per Matt Cronin – USOpen.org)

GS – MILOS RAONIC (10) VS. FERNANDO VERDASCO
“The powerful Canadian can hold time and time again with his huge serve, he can crush his forehand and he can hustle to the net, but his backhand is spotty and his return is sporadic. He will need to mix it up against Verdasco, the Spanish veteran (and former Top 10 player) who can crush his forehand, and can find the corners and take down just about anyone. Verdasco doesn’t return as well as he once did, and this will be his undoing. The Spaniard will grab a set, but Raonic will punch him out in four sets.”

GS -GENIE BOUCHARD (25) VS. POLONA HERCOG
“It seems like ages ago that Bouchard was incredibly good, when she stood on the baseline and ripped winners side to side. In 2014, the then 20-year-old reached the semis of the Australian Open and French Open, and the final at Wimbledon. This year has been a struggle for the Canadian who hasn’t won consecutive matches since Indian Wells in March.

Bouchard played well in her opening-round win over a solid Alison Riske. She will need to summon that level again Wednesday against Hercog who is a big basher and can mix it up. Still, Bouchard is overdue; while she will be pushed hard, in the end she will grab the win in three tough sets.”

LA – FELICIANO LOPEZ (18) VS. MARDY FISH
“These two men have played each other for a very long time, starting in 2002 when Lopez downed Fish in Tokyo in two tight sets. Back then, they were both young and crushing their serves; Fish was kissing the lines with his smooth backhand and Lopez was busy ripping his forehand and taking every chance to rush the net.

The American has barely played since the end of 2012 and it’s hard to beat the Top 20 competitors when you’re not match-tough. Fish will leave everything on the court, and he could even push Lopez into the fifth set while the home court fans go wild. But Lopez will out-rush Fish and win in four fun sets. Fish plans to retire at the end of the tournament and that’s too bad, because he’s a terrific guy and a fine competitor.”

LA – COCO VANDEWEGHE VS. BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS
“This should be a very close match between two players who love to attack. Both can be super aggressive: Mattek-Sands approaches the net at every chance and Vandeweghe loves to bomb her first serves. Coco looked terrific in taking down Sloane Stephens in the first round and will win in three sets.”

For doubles fans today is the start of doubles competition with the great Bryan brothers playing the last match of the day on LA.

Forget mismatches in the Big House (Arthur Ashe Stadium) early in the tournament. Get a grounds pass and once inside check out one of the electronic scoreboards listing matches in progress. Find a match or players that interest you. Head over to their court for some great tennis, because in this tournament even the qualifiers are great players. There is no other major sporting event where you can get so close to world class athletes as at the U.S. Open – on the outer field courts, the Grandstand court, or even Louis Armstrong stadium. Courts where you can get a real sense of the pace of the game.

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.

This is a current exhibitions that the NYT recommends:

Elmer Bischoff: ‘Figurative Paintings’ (through Sept 12)
“During the heyday of Abstract Expressionism in the 1950s, a number of painters in San Francisco turned away from abstraction and back to representational painting, thereby founding what came to be known as Bay Area Figuration. Elmer Bischoff (1916-1991) was one of the leaders of the movement. This show reveals a visionary, unabashedly romantic painter working under the influences of Edward Hopper and Albert Pinkham Ryder. He created images of poetic nostalgia and spiritual yearning grounded in robustly applied, richly sensuous paint. George Adams Gallery, 525-531 West 26th Street, Chelsea, 212-564-8480, georgeadamsgallery.com.” (Johnson)

For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com) Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view.

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but 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 08/31 and 08/29.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE, ‘On the Town’, Central Park, Lake Street Dive, Lincoln Center, Lyric Theater, MIGUEL ZENÓN QUARTET, Misty Copeland, Summer HD Festival, U.S. TENNIS OPEN, Village Vanguard, Whitney Museum | Leave a comment

Selected Events (09/01) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 09/01/2015 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > TUESDAY / SEPT. 01, 2015

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
>Delta Rae + Liz Longley
Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N6th St, Bklyn / 8PM, $20
“Fronted by velvet-voiced singer Brittany Hölljes, the rootsy, harmonious ensemble Delta Rae brings its folksy power pop to celebrate its recent second disc, After It All.” (TONY)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:30PM, FREE
tonight: “Iolanta/Bluebeard’s Castle”
a compelling and chilling two-in-one opera, Tchaikovsky’s fairy tale “Iolanta” followed by the story of a troubled wife in Bartok’s “Bluebeard’s Castle.”

>Dylan’s Candy Bar: Union Square Grand Opening
33 Union Square West / 11AM, FREE
“Grab a signature goody box of gummy bears, rainbow sour belts, and chocolate-covered candies at the brand new location of one of New York’s favorite candy stores! ) The ribbon cutting will be accompanied by Brooklyn United Marching Band.” (TONY)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour on a late summer day:
>Wave Hill: Gallery Tour
Wave Hill, W249th St and Independence Avenue, the Bronx / 2PM, “This guided tour of the garden’s Glyndor Gallery includes a walk through the exhibition “Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath — Force of Nature,” a painting and sculpture exploration of anxieties about extreme weather and the environment.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

TODAY’S TOP EVENT
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:
U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 2)
The U.S. Open continues play today (11AM) at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens and runs through Sept. 13. This is the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. Everyone is looking for the Serena slam this year.
subway: #1-2-3 to Times Square; transfer to #7 to Willets Point. (about 45 min. from Times Square)

Matches to watch today in Louis Armstrong stadium (LA) & the Grandstand (GS):
(predictions per Matt Cronin (USOpen.org)

xx
GS – JACK SOCK (28) VS. VICTOR ESTRELLA BURGOS
“The 22-year-old Sock has been pretty consistent this year, which is how he managed to get into the Top 30. He will face Estrella Burgos from the Dominican Republic, who is 35 years old and might be playing his best ball ever. The American will be pushed but win in four long sets.”

LA – VICTORIA AZARENKA (20) VS. LUCIE HRADECKA
“Azarenka’s serves have been erratic and she isn’t running like the wind the way she was back in 2012 and 2013, when she reached the final at the US Open twice in a row. Now, the former two-time Australian Open champion is struggling.

Still, Azarenka should be able to best the veteran Czech Hradecka, who has one of the biggest first serves but who can be yanked around. Hradecka can move into the net and she can threaten her, but the Belarussian has too much game for her, assuming she will be healthy. Azarenka will win in two sets.”

I think Court 17 looks to have some interesting matches today:
Donald Young (USA) vs. Gilles Simon (FRA) [11]
Sam Querrey (USA) vs. Nicolas Mahut (FRA)
Timea Babos (HUN) vs. Samantha Stosur (AUS) [22]

Forget mismatches in the Big House (Arthur Ashe Stadium) early in the tournament. Get a grounds pass and once inside check out one of the electronic scoreboards listing matches in progress. Find a match or players that interest you. Head over to their court for some great tennis, because in this tournament even the qualifiers are great players.There is no other major sporting event where you can get so close to world class athletes as at the U.S. Open – on the outer field courts, the Grandstand court, or even Louis Armstrong stadium. Courts where you can get a real sense of the pace of the game.

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.

In 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 Delta Rae + Liz Longley, Dylan’s Candy Bar, Lincoln Center, MIGUEL ZENÓN QUARTET, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Summer HD Festival, U.S. TENNIS OPEN, Village Vanguard, Wave Hill: Gallery Tour | Leave a comment

Selected Events (08/31) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 08/31/2015 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 > MONDAY / AUGUST 31, 2015

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
>Victoria Shaw “Under the Covers”, with Special Guest Pam Tillis
Birdland, 315 W44th St / 7PM, $30
“The Broadway at Birdland concert series with country superstar Pam Tillis. Hosted by award winning songwriter Victoria Shaw, “Under The Covers” has become a favorite recurring highlight at Birdland, featuring a wide variety of top-selling songwriters and musical acts from across the pop, rock and country worlds, and offering intimate acoustic performances of huge hit songs – along with the little-known stories behind them.”

>Mario Pavone: ‘Blue Dialect’
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St. / 8:30PM, $10
“The rock-solid yet deeply exploratory bassist Mario Pavone has an excellent new album, “Blue Dialect,” featuring his trio with Matt Mitchell on piano and Tyshawn Sorey on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)

>Aaron Neville
City Winery, 155 Varick St. nr. Spring St / 8PM, $70-$80
“Built like a linebacker but with a nimble, angelic and aching tenor that could climb into a falsetto, Aaron Neville’s first major single from 1967, “Tell It Like It Is,” became a standard… In 2013, he signed to Blue Note Records and released “My True Story,” which explored the era of doo-wop and vocal pop that preceded his own career, featuring renditions of classics like “Under the Boardwalk” and “Goodnight My Love.” (Andy Beta-WSJ)

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

Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:45PM, FREE
tonight: LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN
“Star tenor Vittorio Grigolo is the poet-adventurer whose string of failed romances are the subject of Offenbach’s sparkling operetta.”

TODAY’S TOP EVENT
Elsewhere, but absolutely worth the detour:

U.S. TENNIS OPEN (Day 1)
The U.S. Open begins play today (11AM) at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens (about 45 min. from Times Square) and runs through Sept. 13.This is the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. Everyone is looking for the Serena slam this year.
subway: #1-2-3 to Times Square; transfer to #7 to Willets Point.

Matches to watch today in Louis Armstrong stadium (LA) & the outside field courts:
(prediction per Matt Cronin (USOpen.org)

(LA) KEI NISHIKORI (4) VS. BENOIT PAIRE
“Paire will play ambitiously and make sure that Nishikori will have to run around a lot, but in the end, Nishikori, the 2014 US Open finalist, will get through in four sets.”
(LA) COCO VANDEWEGHE VS. SLOANE STEPHENS (29)
(LA) GAEL MONFILS (16) VS ILLYA MARCHENKO
I never miss the chance to watch the entertaining Monfils.

For those of you (like me) hoping to see Maria Sharapova play today in Louis Armstrong stadium, “there is no joy in Mudville.” Maria scratched due to a leg injury.

Today’s tips: Arrive Early. Security screening seemed to have been ratcheted up last week during qualifying which may cause delays to enter. The best, most comprehensive review of the tournament and the current state of tennis can be found at the NYTimes/Sports.

Early in the tournament forget the Big House (Arthur Ashe Stadium). Get a grounds pass and once inside check out one of the electronic scoreboards listing matches in progress. Find a match or players that interest you. Head over to their court for some great tennis, because in this tournament even the qualifiers are great players.There is no other major sporting event where you can get so close to world class athletes as at the U.S. Open – on the outer field courts, the Grandstand court, or even Louis Armstrong stadium. Courts where you can get a real sense of the pace of the game.

==================================================================================
♦ 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.
==================================================================================

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.

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

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:

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 08/29 and 08/27.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aaron Neville, AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE, Birdland, City Winery, Cornelia Street Café, Lincoln Center, Mario Pavone: ‘Blue Dialect’, Pam Tillis, Summer HD Festival, U.S. TENNIS OPEN, Victoria Shaw, Whitney Museum | Leave a comment

Selected Events (08/30) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 08/30/2015 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 > SUNDAY / AUGUST 30, 2015

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

>Aaron Neville (also Monday)
City Winery, 155 Varick St. nr. Spring St / 8PM, $70-$80
“Built like a linebacker but with a nimble, angelic and aching tenor that could climb into a falsetto, Aaron Neville’s first major single from 1967, “Tell It Like It Is,” became a standard. Ten years on, he enjoyed moderate success as part of the Neville Brothers, didn’t find the top of the charts again until 22 years later, when he performed with Linda Ronstadt. In 2013, he signed to Blue Note Records and released “My True Story,” which explored the era of doo-wop and vocal pop that preceded his own career, featuring renditions of classics like “Under the Boardwalk” and “Goodnight My Love.” (WSJ)

“The Grammy Award-winning soul and R&B singer Aaron Neville yearned to make a doo-wop album for 30 years, yet he was turned down by record labels despite his celebrated career. He finally released the passion project, titled “My True Story,” in 2013. Don Was and Keith Richards helped produce the pleasant, unhurried outing.“
(Anderson-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

>Trio da Paz and Friends (LAST DAY)
Dizzy’s Club, 60th St. and Broadway / 7:30PM +9:30PM, $40
“Effervescence comes easily to Trio da Paz, a samba-jazz cooperative consisting of Romero Lubambo on guitar, Nilson Matta on bass and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. This engagement, a celebration of bossa nova standards, will augment the band with familiar reinforcements: the trumpeter Claudio Roditi, the saxophonist Harry Allen and the vocalist Maucha Adnet.“ (NYT-Chinen)

>Gerald Clayton Quintet (LAST DAY)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave South, at 11th St. / 8:30PM +10:30PM, $30
“While there are certainly more daringly original pianists on the scene, Clayton has an unapologetic vivacity that’s hard to resist. Where trios were once his ensemble of choice, Clayton is now thinking like a commanding small-group leader: his sharp quintet includes the saxophonists Ben Wendel and Logan Richardson.” (NewYorker)

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

>Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:45PM, FREE
tonight: Anna Netrebko in Verdi’s “Macbeth.”
“For 11 nights the Metropolitan Opera will take over Lincoln Center Plaza to bring some of the company’s most memorable recent performances to the masses. The series features 10 screenings of previously recorded operas, including Anna Netrebko in Verdi’s “Macbeth” (8 p.m. Sunday) and Vittorio Grigolo in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” (7:45 p.m. Monday ). Seating is first come first served. At various times, 212-721-6500, metopera.org” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Elsewhere, but these look worth the detours:
>Waku Waku +NYC fest (also Sunday)
Various Locations and Times / $45
Experience the overlap between Japanese and Brooklyn culture this weekend. The celebration looks at anime and manga, with forays into food, film and fashion, at venues around Greenpoint and Williamsburg. There are several talks in the mix, kicking off Saturday morning with Abby Denson on “Discovering Cool Japan.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

>Commemoration of the Battle of Brooklyn
Green-Wood Cemetery, 5th Avenue and 25th St., Bklyn / FREE
Activities honoring this early-Revolutionary War battle are being held on grounds where some its fighting took place — Green-Wood Cemetery. Historical re-enactments begin at 12:30 p.m.; a parade led by the Regimental Band of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at 1:30 p.m.; and a commemorative ceremony at 2 p.m.

==================================================================================
♦ 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’. ”

==================================================================================
“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:

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aaron Neville, Commemoration of the Battle of Brooklyn | Leave a comment

Selected Events (08/29) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 08/29/2015 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 > SATURDAY / AUGUST 29, 2015

Have time for only one event today? Do this:

Tonight Special Gallery Program @ 8PM:
99 OBJECTS: LOREN CONNORS ON FOUR DARKS IN RED BY MARK ROTHKO
Analyze Mark Rothko’s breakthrough work Four Darks in Red along with guitarist/composer Loren Connors, whose music (on albums like Blues: The “Dark Paintings” of Mark Rothko) has been called the aural equivalent of the Abstract Expressionist’s painting.

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

>Trio da Paz and Friends (through Aug. 30)
Dizzy’s Club, 60th St. and Broadway / 7:30PM +9:30PM, $40
“Effervescence comes easily to Trio da Paz, a samba-jazz cooperative consisting of Romero Lubambo on guitar, Nilson Matta on bass and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. This engagement, a celebration of bossa nova standards, will augment the band with familiar reinforcements: the trumpeter Claudio Roditi, the saxophonist Harry Allen and the vocalist Maucha Adnet.“ (NYT-Chinen)

>Gerald Clayton Quintet (through Aug. 30)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave South, at 11th St. / 8:30PM +10:30PM, $30
“While there are certainly more daringly original pianists on the scene, Clayton has an unapologetic vivacity that’s hard to resist. Where trios were once his ensemble of choice, Clayton is now thinking like a commanding small-group leader: his sharp quintet includes the saxophonists Ben Wendel and Logan Richardson.” (NewYorker)

>Charlie Parker Birthday Celebration Sextet (through Aug. 29)
Birdland, 315 W44th St. / 8:30PM +11PM, $40
two prominent alto saxophonists, Greg Osby and Vincent Herring, in an all star tribute to the music of the “Birdman.”

>New York International Fringe Festival (through Aug 30)
Various Locations and Times
“Catch more than 200 shows from emerging theater troupes and dance companies from around the world when FringeNYC returns this weekend. Productions range in topics and genres, including drama, comedy and satire. It’s $18 per ticket, with discount passes for multiple shows.” (dnainfo.com)

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

>Summer HD Festival (through Sept. 7)
Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave and W63rd St / 7:45PM, FREE
tonight: “Carmen” features Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagna.
“For 11 nights the Metropolitan Opera will take over Lincoln Center Plaza to bring some of the company’s most memorable recent performances to the masses. The series features 10 screenings of previously recorded operas, including Anna Netrebko in Verdi’s “Macbeth” (8 p.m. Sunday) and Vittorio Grigolo in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” (7:45 p.m. Monday ). Seating is first come first served. At various times, 212-721-6500, metopera.org” (NYT-SpareTimes)

>‘Casablanca’
Museum of Modern Art, 11 W53rd St. / 4:30PM, $12
“Ingrid Bergman’s 1942 performance as lsa Lund became her most enduring role. Hear from two of Bergman’s daughters ahead of a screening of Casablanca as part of the Museum of Modern Art’s ongoing “Ingrid Bergman: A Centennial Celebration.”

Elsewhere, but this looks uniquely worth the detour:
>Waku Waku +NYC fest (also Sunday)
Various Locations and Times / $45
Experience the overlap between Japanese and Brooklyn culture this weekend. The celebration looks at anime and manga, with forays into food, film and fashion, at venues around Greenpoint and Williamsburg. There are several talks in the mix, kicking off Saturday morning with Abby Denson on “Discovering Cool Japan.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

==================================================================================
♦ 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.
==================================================================================

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 08/27 and 08/25.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE, ‘Casablanca’, Charlie Parker Birthday Celebration Sextet, Gerald Clayton Quintet, New York International Fringe Festival, Summer HD Festival, Trio da Paz and Friends, Waku Waku +NYC fest | Leave a comment

	Darin on October NYC Events + NYC Weeke…
	Darin on Selected Events (10/13) + Toda…

Today’s Super 6 > MONDAY / SEPT. 07, 2015

A PremierPub / Tribeca

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

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

Today’s Super 6 > SUNDAY / SEPT. 06, 2015

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 09/04 and 09/02.

Today’s Super 6 > SATURDAY / SEPT. 05, 2015

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

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

=========================================================================== “3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

Today’s Super 6 > FRIDAY / SEPT. 04, 2015

Today’s Sweet 6 > THURSDAY / SEPT. 03, 2015

A PremierPub / Upper West Side

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

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

Today’s Sweet 6 > WEDNESDAY / SEPT. 02, 2015

Today’s Sweet 6 > TUESDAY / SEPT. 01, 2015

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

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

Today’s Sweet 6 > MONDAY / AUGUST 31, 2015

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 08/29 and 08/27.

Today’s Elite 8 > SUNDAY / AUGUST 30, 2015

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

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

=========================================================================== “3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

Today’s Elite 8 > SATURDAY / AUGUST 29, 2015

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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” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

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” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”