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

Selected Events (04/10) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Tribeca

Posted on 04/10/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, APR. 10, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Art of the Real 2015 – SmartStuff/Documentary Films (various times)

E-Moves: Celebrating James Baldwin and Billie Holiday – Dance (7:30pm)

ETHEL and Friends – Classical Music (5pm)

It’s Hard Being Loved By Jerks – SmartStuff/ Film + Conversation (7pm)

“Filles A Fromage” – Photography + Food & Drink (11am-7pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

♦ “9 Notable Events-Apr.”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity Sights, Sounds and Stories visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com
======================================================

Art of the Real 2015 (April 10 – 26)
Our annual nonfiction showcase is founded on the most expansive possible view of documentary film. The second edition features new work from around the world and in a variety of genres alongside retrospective and thematic selections, including a tribute to the great French director Agnès Varda and a spotlight on the art and history of reenactment. Art of the Real is a platform for filmmakers and artists who have given us a wider view of nonfiction cinema and at the same time brought the form full circle, pointing to its early, boundary-pushing days. Co-programmed by Dennis Lim and Rachael Rakes.
Film Society of Lincoln Center, 144 W. 65th St.
various times / $14 general, $11 students/seniors
(212) 875-5610 / filmlinc.com

E-Moves: Celebrating James Baldwin and Billie Holiday (also Sat. April 11)
“The bold, the funky, the essential E-Moves is one of the best demonstrations that dance is still cookin’ in New York and will continue.” – Bill T. Jones, Choreographer, Director, New York Live

Now in its 16th year, the acclaimed dance series E-Moves commissions 4 exceptional choreographers to create works inspired by the words and ideas of Baldwin and the soulful songs of Holiday. Performed over two consecutive weekends, the series concludes with a roving performance of site-specific works by nine emerging choreographers in and outside the Gatehouse for the Harlem Stage Takeover. It all concludes with a dance party you won’t want to miss.

Artists include: modern ballet choreographer Andre Zachery/Renegade Performance Group, tap artist Brinae Ali and contemporary choreographers Malcolm Low/Formal Structure and Love/Forte (Nia Love and Marjani Forte).
Q&A with the choreographers and mentors scheduled for April 11, after the performance!
Harlem Stage Gatehouse, 150 Convent Ave.
7:30pm / $20
212-650-7100

ETHEL and Friends ( also Saturday, April 11)
A music series specifically designed for the Museum’s Balcony Bar.

ETHEL is one of the most acclaimed string quartets in the contemporary classical field. With an eye on tradition and an ear to the future, ETHEL is a leading force in concert music’s reengagement with musical vernaculars, fusing diverse traditions into a vibrant sound. Expect familiar classical tunes mixed with a fair share of the group’s signature, cutting-edge repertoire. Guest artists and collaborators will also make periodic appearances. Relax and enjoy cocktails and appetizers while looking out over the majestic Great Hall.
Works by Jones, Lawson, Farris, Kline, Lee, Hu, Friel
Ralph Farris, viola
Kip Jones, violin
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Corin Lee, violin
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd St.
5pm / FREE, with museum’s flexible admission.
212-535-7710

It’s Hard Being Loved By Jerks
Cartoonists Cabu, Charb, Tignous and Wolinski were among the Charlie Hebdo artists who were murdered on January 7, 2015. They’re interviewed in Daniel Leconte’s film It’s Hard Being Loved By Jerks, which examines the magazine’s trial for defamation in 2007, including reactions from prosecutors and Muslim nations. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman, moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos.
Screening: SVA Theater, 333 W. 23rd St.,(btw 8th and 9th Aves)
at 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm / $15.

“Filles A Fromage”
In celebration of springtime, the French Cheese Board will be transformed into a vibrant floral garden, complete with the debut of “Filles A Fromage,” a fashion-forward photography installation. The FREE event will highlight the delicious flavors of a dozen Bloomy Rind cheeses, perfectly paired with French wines and ON SALE at half-price for your at-home enjoyment. So stop by and celebrate the bloomy flavors of spring — Camembert, Brie and Triple Crème cheese!
French Cheese Board, 26 West 39th St,
11:00am – 7:00pm
thecheesesofeurope.com

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))

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 it may be a little too quiet for some. But I think it’s worth searching out if you want a place with good music, food, and especially drinks, away from the maddening crowd.

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

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

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Art of the Real 2015, “Filles A Fromage", Billie Holiday, ETHEL and Friends, Film Society of Lincoln Center, French Cheese Board, Harlem Stage Gatehouse, It’s Hard Being Loved By Jerks, James Baldwin, Metropolitan Museum of Art, SVA Theater | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/09) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 04/09/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, APR. 09, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

New York International Auto Show – Special Event (10am-10pm)

‘Diné Spotlight: A Showcase of Navajo Film’ – Film (various times) [FREE]

Senator Elizabeth Warren – SmartStuff/ Book Talk (2pm) [FREE]

New York Scandia Symphony Plays Nielsen and Sibelius – Classical Music (8pm)

Mireille Guiliano – SmartStuff/ Book Talk + (7pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

New York International Auto Show (through April 12)
“This event, which bills itself as the largest automobile show in North America, comes to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to showcase concept vehicles, models planned for 2016 and 2017, and special exhibitions. The show takes place over multiple floor levels and includes a food court.” (NYT)

“The show will be previewing over 60 new car and truck models, including the all-new Chevrolet Malibu, Jaguar XE S, Aston Martin Vulcan and McLaren 675LT. The Fire Department of New York City is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year by bringing vintage and modern fire trucks to the show for a special exhibit. The West Point Band will perform live every day of the show (except Sundays) on the North Concourse at 2 p.m.” (dnnainfo.com)
More information, along with the schedule, is at autoshowny.com.
Javits Center, 655 W. 34th St., (at 11th ave)
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. / $16
212-216-2000 / autoshowny.com

‘Diné Spotlight: A Showcase of Navajo Film’ (also April 11)
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian partners with New York University’s Center for Media, Culture and History to present screenings of recent movies by Diné (Navajo) filmmakers. It opens Thursday at 6 p.m. with Sydney Freeland’s “Drunktown’s Finest” and closes on April 11 with Blackhorse Lowe’s “Chasing the Light.”
National Museum of the American Indian, 1 Bowling Green,
At various times / FREE
212-514-3700, nmai.si.edu

Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Elizabeth Warren returns to Strand to celebrate the paperback launch of bestseller A Fighting Chance, a book heralded as “moving” by the Washington Post and “a potent mix of policy and memoir” by the New York Times, in which the senator has written arguments the New York Review of Books says “demand to be taken seriously.” In honor of its paperback release, Senator Warren will be in the Rare Book Room for a special, free-to-attend afternoon talk about the book.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the senator herself!
Strand Book Store, 3rd floor Rare Book Room, 828 Broadway, at 12th St.
2 p.m./ FREE, RSVP to Facebook required to attend
Please arrive early to ensure admittance, as we expect the room to reach capacity fairly early. The line for this event will form at 12pm the day of the event outside our store.
212-473-1452, strandbooks.com

New York Scandia Symphony Plays Nielsen and Sibelius
“The New York Scandia Symphony, under the baton of Dorrit Madsen, will honor two of Scandinavia’s greatest composers, Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen, both born in 1865. Nielsen will be represented by the Overture to Maskarade, and his Flute Concerto, featuring flutist Lisa Hansen. By Jean Sibelius is his Karelia Suite, Finlandia, and At the Castle Gate from his Pelleas and Melisande. This event is part of the many worldwide efforts that are being instituted in Finland and Denmark to share the music of these two national and beloved composers.” (ThoughtGallery.org)
Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, 2537 Broadway at 95th St.
8pm / $20, $15 for students and seniors
212-864-1414 / symphonyspace.org.

Mireille Guiliano
“Mireille Guiliano, known for her book “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” discusses her latest book, “Meet Paris Oyster: A Love Affair with the Perfect Food.” This won’t be a typical reading: Ms. Guiliano’s talk will include an oyster tasting, paired with Sancerre.” (NYT)
FIAF, Le Skyroom, 22 East 60th St.
7PM / $45
800-982-2787, fiaf.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 8.4 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)

‘Ennion: Master of Roman Glass’ (through April 13)
“Active sometime between A.D. 1 and A.D. 50, Ennion is the first known artisan to produce mold-blown glass: objects made by blowing bubbles of molten glass into patterned molds. His elegant cups, bowls, beakers, jugs and flasks decorated with geometric and botanical motifs were sought after by wealthy Romans and traded throughout the Mediterranean world. Today only about 50 to 55 Ennion pieces are known to have survived. This exhibition presents 22 of them, along with fragments of two others. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Johnson)

‘Thomas Hart Benton’s “America Today” Mural Rediscovered’ (through April 19)
The prickly American Regionalist Thomas Hart Benton had his share of detractors. But even they would probably acknowledge that his early mural “America Today” is the best of its kind, a raucous, cartwheeling, wide-angle look at 1920s America that set the standard for the Works Progress Administration’s mural program and has remained a New York City treasure. Now installed at the Met in a reconstruction of its original setting (a boardroom at the New School for Social Research), it captivates with period details (from the cut of a flapper gown to the mechanics of a blast furnace) and timely signs of socioeconomic and environmental distress (exhausted coal miners and hands reaching for coffee and bread). 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org. (Rosenberg)

Neue Galerie:
‘Egon Schiele: Portraits’ (through April 20)
“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:
Guggenheim Museum: ‘On Kawara — Silence’ (through May 3)
The first retrospective of this Conceptual Art giant turns the museum’s spiral into a vortex suffused with the consciousness of time, life’s supreme ruler, in all its quotidian daily unfoldings, historical events and almost incomprehensible grandeur. The presentation of date paintings, “I Got Up” postcards and “I AM Still Alive” telegrams echoes Mr. Kawara’s exquisite sense of discipline and craft. This is an extraordinary tribute. 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street, 212-423-3500, guggenheim.org. (Smith)

Kandinsky Before Abstraction, 1901–1911 (through spring 2015)
Early in his career Vasily Kandinsky experimented with printmaking, produced brightly-colored landscapes of the German countryside, and explored recognizable and recurrent motifs. This intimate exhibition drawn from the Guggenheim collection explores the artist’s representational origins.

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)

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

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

• 110th Street – Museum for African Art

• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio

• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York

• 92nd Street – The Jewish Museum

• 91st Street – Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

• 89th Street – National Academy Museum

• 88th Street – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

• 86th Street – Neue Galerie New York

• 83rd Street – Goethe-Institut

Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
• 82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Additionally, though technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 70th St. and the The Morgan Library & Museum on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave. Now plan your own museum crawl. ========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 04/07 and 04/05.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ‘Diné Spotlight: A Showcase of Navajo Film’, FIAF, Javits Center, Mireille Guiliano, National Museum of the American Indian, New York International Auto Show, New York Scandia Symphony, Nielsen and Sibelius, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Strand Book Store, Symphony Space | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/08) + Today’sFeaturedNeighborhood: WestVillage

Posted on 04/08/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, APR. 08, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Toward Appomattox: The Last Gasp – SmartStuff/ Discussion (6:30pm)

Eliane Elias – Bossa Nova (8:30pm) (11pm)

Sam Roberts: A History of New York in 101 Objects –
SmartStuff/ Book Talk (6:30pm) [FREE]

Tour: High Line Photography Tour – SmartStuff/ Photography (2pm-4pm)

Jasmine Lovell-Smith & Cat Toren – Jazz (9:30pm)

‘Beyond Broadway: Composers Go Choral’ – Choral Music (7:30pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

Toward Appomattox: The Last Gasp
How do wars end? A century and a half ago, Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox and set the standard for the “gentlemanly” stacking of arms. But did Grant actually give up too much in return for peace on April 9, 1865? Were too many Confederate leaders spared and the plight of African-American refugees ignored? Or, conversely, did Grant’s relentless and bloody fighting that month destroy a generation of Southern white men? For the sesquicentennial of the end of the Civil War, historians assess both the high cost of war and the debatable cost of peace.

William C. Davis is the author or editor of more than 50 books in the fields of Civil War and Southern history as well as numerous documentary screenplays. James M. McPherson is George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History Emeritus at Princeton University and the author of numerous books on the Civil War, including, most recently, The War That Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Still Matters. Harold Holzer (moderator) has written and edited more than 40 books on Lincoln and the Civil War era. His most recent book is President Lincoln Assassinated!!: The Firsthand Story of the Murder, Manhunt, Trial, and Mourning.
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West
at 6:30 pm / $34, only
212-873-3400

Eliane Elias (through April 11)
“A pianist and singer with achievements in a range of jazz and chamber-esque settings, Ms. Elias is never more sumptuously at home than when she turns to bossa nova: the subject of her new album, “Made in Brazil,” whose premise she revisits here.” (Chinen-NYT)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9ave)
At 8:30 and 11 p.m./ $
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com.

Sam Roberts: A History of New York in 101 Objects
Join the Gotham Center and Sam Roberts of the New York Times for an inside look at his popular book A History of New York in 101 Objects. It tells a vibrant history of America’s great metropolis through its iconic items—the bagel, the Checker taxicab, the conductor’s baton, and the “I Love NY” logo, to name a few. Inspired by A History of the World in 100 Objects, Roberts’s book collects fifty articles he wrote for the Times, plus readers’ suggestions of objects that epitomize the Big Apple. He is the urban affairs correspondent for the Times and host of The New York Times Close Up on New York 1.
Co-sponsored by the Gotham Center for NYC History.
The Graduate Center CUNY, 365 Fifth Ave. at 34th St.
6:30pm / FREE
212-817-7000

Tour: High Line Photography Tour
“No matter what kind of camera you’re packing – cellphone, digital or old-school film – you’re welcome to join the High Line’s experienced photographer-guide on a tour of the elevated-railway-turned-park. The tour is optimized to get you the best views – and shots – of the Hudson River and West Side revitalization. Click here to reserve a spot.” (seniorplanet.org)
Jackson Square Park, W 13th St and Eighth Ave
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM / FREE, RSVP required

Jasmine Lovell-Smith & Cat Toren
Playing as a duo this evening, rather than as part of their “Towering Poppies” quintet,
soprano saxophonist Jasmine Lovell-Smith’s and pianist/songwriter Cat Toren should give us something special. I think we can expect some fine jazz along with music informed by folk, rock, & free improvisation.
Caffe Vivaldi, 32 Jones St, (near corner of Bleecker St and 7th Ave),
9:30 pm – 11:00 pm / never a cover, but please find the tip jar
caffevivaldi.com / (212) 691-7538

‘Beyond Broadway: Composers Go Choral’
“Essential Voices USA presents an evening of music and conversation with some of Broadway’s most widely known names. Some of the guests include the lyricist Sheldon Harnick (“Fiddler on the Roof”), as well as the composer-lyricists Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”) and Andrew Lippa (“The Wild Party”). The program will also lead with a premiere from Marvin Hamlisch (“A Chorus Line”), who died in 2012.” (NYT)
DiMenna Center for Classical Music, 450 West 37th St. (btw 9/10 ave)
At 7:30 p.m./ $40
essentialvoicesusa.com.

====================================================================================
♦ 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 ‘Beyond Broadway: Composers Go Choral’, Eliane Elias, Jasmine Lovell-Smith & Cat Toren, Sam Roberts: A History of New York in 101 Objects, Tour: High Line Photography Tour, Toward Appomattox: The Last Gasp | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/07) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 04/07/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, APR. 07, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

An Evening with Renata Adler – SmartStuff/ Book Talk (7pm)

Steve Earle – Country Music (8pm)

An Evening With the Cast of ‘Veep’ – SmartStuff/ Discussion (6pm)

Five Boroughs Food Talk: Street Food – SmartStuff/ Discussion (7:30pm)

“American Pie” Auction – Special Event (10am)

National Beer Day – Food & Drink (various times)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

The NYRB Classics and McNally Jackson Present:
An Evening with Renata Adler

The inimitable Renata Adler discusses her career as a journalist and essayist, from being a staff writer at The New Yorker, to being chief film critic at The New York Times, to reporting on momentous historical events such as the march to Selma, the Six-Day War and the Vietnam War. Adler will be signing copies of her latest book, After the Tall Timber: Collected Nonfiction
McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince St. (btw Lafayette/Mulberry St.)
7PM / FREE
212-274-1160, mcnallyjackson.com

Steve Earle
“The roots/country renegade who once growled, “If you buy me a strong drink of whiskey/I will tell you the tale of my life” (in “The Gringo’s Tale”) kicks up his dusty heels at City Winery, his preferred local club. His hardscrabble vagabond stories and baleful slide guitars were on the soundtracks for “True Detective” and “The Wire.” (NYT-Anderson)
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, near Spring Street, South Village,
8pm / $ – may have to wait list or stub hub this one.
212-608-0555, citywinery.com.

An Evening With the Cast of ‘Veep’
“The HBO comedy “Veep” earned nine Emmy nominations in its third season, and is about to enter its fourth. The cast of this political satire, including the Emmy-winning Julia Louis-Dreyfus, will be joined by Alan Sepinwall of HitFix.com for a discussion following a screening of the coming season’s premiere.” (NYT)
At 6 p.m.,
Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52nd St. (BTW 5/6 AVE)
212-621-6800, paleycenter.org.

Five Boroughs Food Talk: Street Food
Feed your brain during discussion about the evolution of street eats led by Every Day with Rachel Ray food features editor Gabriella Gershenson.

So much of our city-dweller lives take place in shared spaces, including our meals! Street food is part of our urban landscape, whether it’s grabbing a hot dog outside the park or seeking out the hottest food trucks. Join host Gabriella Gershenson as she takes food talk to the streets with panelists including: Cesar Fuentes, Executive Director, Red Hook Food Vendors, Vendy Plaza Manager; Matthew Shapiro, Staff Attorney, Street Vendor Project; Suzanne Wasserman, Director, Gotham Center for New York City History; and Doug Quint, co-owner of Big Gay Ice Cream.
Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St.
7:30pm / $15
(212) 864-5400

“American Pie” Auction
If you’ve ever wanted to know what “American Pie” is REALLY about, Tuesday may be your day. Don McLean is selling his original manuscript and notes to “American Pie.”

The handwritten lyrics to the famous song are scheduled to be auctioned off by Christie’s.
McLean is selling 16 pages that include the original working manuscript and typed drafts of the song. The song is dense with symbolism; McLean says lyrics will reveal meaning. The lyrics are expected to bring $1.5 million

Over the years, “American Pie” has become one of the most dissected and argued-about songs in the pop music canon. McLean has said that the opening lines were inspired by the death of Buddy Holly, but after that, it’s all been conjecture — which hasn’t stopped a marching band’s worth of analysts from trying to parse the symbols in the 8-minute, 33-second opus.-songwriter
Christie’s Saleroom, 20 Rockefeller Plaza
10:00am, Lots 1-1

National Beer Day
The shops and restaurants at Grand Central are celebrating National Beer Day with specials and offerings highlighted by local beers and brewers, as well as discounted beers throughout the Terminal. Commuters, visitors and tourists are all invited to take advantage of special National Beer Day offerings.

====================================================================================
♦ 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 8.4 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================

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 the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:

‘Modern Photographs from the Thomas Walther Collection, 1909-1949’ (through April 19) Overflowing with prints by Berenice Abbott, Andre Kertesz, Edward Weston and other luminaries from the first half of the 20th century, this exhibition would seem to be a straightforward look at photography’s past. But the show, packaged with a book, a symposium and an engrossing interactive website, is really a bold attempt to visualize the future of photography inside the museum as it reckons with the unwieldy, image-saturated culture outside the galleries. With works by Aleksandr Rodchenko, Ms. Abbott, Alvin Langdon Coburn and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy that explore cities from unusual angles or abstract their infrastructure, the show’s largest section, “Dynamics of the City,” best encapsulates the Walther Collection’s distinctly urban, peripatetic take on Modernism. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Rosenberg)

Museum of Biblical Art:
‘Sculpture in the Age of Donatello: Renaissance Masterpieces From Florence Cathedral’ (through June 14) This terrific 23-piece show features three major works by the early Renaissance sculptor Donatello (1386-1466), including the life-size statue of a bald prophet known as “lo Zuccone” or “Pumpkin Head,” which is widely considered the sculptor’s greatest work. Along with a half-dozen other works by or attributed to Donatello are sculptures by Nanni di Banco (circa 1386-1421), Donatello’s main competitor, including his monumental representation in marble of St. Luke. With the addition of a series of octagonal marble reliefs by Luca della Robbia and wooden models of the Florence Cathedral’s enormous dome attributed to its designer, Filippo Brunelleschi, the exhibition amounts to a tightly cropped snapshot of the birth of the Renaissance. 1865 Broadway, at 61st Street, 212-408-1500, mobia.org. (Johnson)

New-York Historical Society:
‘Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein’ (through April 19) Almost 50 years ago, the picture editor of a campus newspaper at City College of New York assigned himself a breaking story: coverage of what promised to be a massive march in Alabama, led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to demand free-and-clear voting rights for African-Americans. On short notice the editor, Stephen Somerstein, grabbed his cameras, climbed on a bus, and headed south. The 55 pictures of black leaders and everyday people in this show, installed in a hallway and small gallery, are some that he shot that day. The image of Dr. King’s head seen in monumental silhouette that has become a virtual logo of the film “Selma” is based on a Somerstein original. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org. (Cotter)

Rubin Museum of Art:
‘The All-Knowing Buddha: A Secret Guide’ (through April 13) This show presents 54 paintings that illustrate step-by-step instructions for followers of Tibetan Buddhism. Delicately painted on 10-by-10-inch paper sheets, most of the pages depict a monk having fabulous visions in a verdant landscape. Thought to have been commissioned by a Mongolian patron and executed by unidentified artists in a Chinese workshop sometime in the 18th century, it is a fascinating and remarkably thorough manual for seekers of higher consciousness. 150 West 17th Street, Chelsea, 212-620-5000,rubinmuseum.org. (Johnson)

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 04/05 and 04/03.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "American Pie” Auction, An Evening with Renata Adler, An Evening With the Cast of ‘Veep’, City Winery, Five Boroughs Food Talk: Street Food, McNally Jackson Books, National Beer Day, Paley Center for Media, Steve Earle, Symphony Space | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/06) + Today’sFeaturedNeighborhood: Upper WestSide

Posted on 04/06/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, APR. 06, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Classic Conversations — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (7pm)

‘Team Dance: The Dance Critics of The New York Times’ —
SmartStuff/ Discussion (7pm) [FREE]

David Foster Wallace Symposium — SmartStuff/ Symposium (2pm) [FREE]

Richard Eyre and Heather Berlin — SmartStuff/ Discussion (7pm)

Brooklyn Brewery Tour — SmartStuff/ Tour (5pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

Classic Conversations: Simon Critchley & Jamieson Webster on “Stay, Illusion! The Hamlet Doctrine”
In conjunction with Classic Stage Company’s production of HAMLET, authors Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster discuss their book STAY, ILLUSION! THE HAMLET DOCTRINE.

The figure of Hamlet haunts our culture like the Ghost haunts him. Arguably, no literary work, not even the Bible, is more familiar to us than Shakespeare’s HAMLET. Everyone knows at least six words from the play; often people know many more. Yet the play–Shakespeare’s longest–is more than “passing strange” and becomes deeply unfamiliar when considered closely. Reading HAMLET alongside other writers, philosophers, and psychoanalysts—Carl Schmitt, Walter Benjamin, Freud, Lacan, Nietzsche, Melville, and Joyce—Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster consider the political context and stakes of Shakespeare’s play, its relation to religion, the movement of desire, and the incapacity to love.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd St.
7:00pm / $15
212-535-7710

‘Team Dance: The Dance Critics of The New York Times’
“Alastair Macaulay, the chief dance critic for The New York Times, is joined by Gia Kourlas, Brian Seibert and Siobhan Burke, who contribute dance reviews to The Times — discuss the purpose of criticism. They will explore such ideas as gender, the critic’s role in shaping the experience of watching dance and whether a critic even has the power to make a difference.” (NYT)
Julius S. Held Auditorium, Barnard Hall, 3009 Broadway, (btw 116th and 120th St.)
At 7 p.m. / FREE
barnard.edu

David Foster Wallace Symposium
Whether you’ve tackled Infinite Jest or just adore his tongue-in-cheek essay on cruises, every DFW fan should drop into this diverse afternoon of events celebrating his work and influence. The day includes a round table on Wallace and religion, a discussion with the author’s biographer D.T. Max, and a very special sneak peek of the upcoming Wallace-inspired play A (radically condensed and expanded) Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.” (TONY)
NYU Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts, 1 Washington Pl (nr W4th / Bway)
2pm./ FREE
212-998-7370 / nyu.edu

Richard Eyre and Heather Berlin
“The British film director Richard Eyre is taking to the stage to direct Henrik Ibsen’s “Ghosts” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mr. Eyre, who directed “Notes on a Scandal,” is no stranger to Ibsen’s themes of attachment and desire. Heather Berlin, a neuroscientist, will join Mr. Eyre in conversation and provide a biological perspective on those feelings.” (NYT)
Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th Street, Chelsea,
At 7 p.m./ $25
212-620-5000, rubinmuseum.org.

Elsewhere, but this is definitely worth the short detour:
Brooklyn Brewery Tour
ArtLab is proud to partner with Brooklyn Brewery to host an evening exploring the magic + mystery behind crafting the perfect brew. Join us for a deep dive into a drink that helped establish civilization itself, and then sustained it for thousands of years: beer. Today’s craft brewing is a perfect blend of scientific stringency and pure creative energy, where art is a constant inspiration.

Join Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver—a former filmmaker—for a behind-the-scenes look at how Brooklyn Brewery transforms humble ingredients and ornery microbes into a vast array of delicious flavors.
Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th St. (btw Berry St and Wythe Ave)
subway: 1-2-3 to 14th St.; transfer to L to Bedford Ave. (1st stop in Bklyn)
5:00 pm / $21
718-486-7422 / brooklynbrewery.com

====================================================================================
♦ 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 was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================

A PremierPub / 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.

===========================================================================================
“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 ‘Team Dance: The Dance Critics of The New York Times’, Barnard Hall, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery Tour, Classic Conversations, David Foster Wallace Symposium, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Richard Eyre and Heather Berlin, Rubin Museum of Art | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/05) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 04/05/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, APR. 05, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Fifth Avenue Easter Parade — Special Event (10am-4pm)

Christian McBride Big Band — Jazz (7:30pm) (9:30pm)

Robby Krieger — Rock / Pop (7pm)

ASSSSCAT 3000 — Comedy (7:30pm) (9:30pm)

Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros — Salsa / Mombo (2-8pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

♦ “9 Notable Events-Mar.”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity Sights, Sounds and Stories visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com
======================================================

Fifth Avenue Easter Parade
“The Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival is a New York City tradition that stretches back to the 1870s. Paraders, their families and often pets too, wander along Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets in various Easter bonnets and their Sunday best. A great place to catch the action is at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue (between East 50th and 51st Streets.) From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., FREE.” (dnainfo.com)

Christian McBride Big Band
“This spit-and-polish outfit, which won a recent Grammy for best large-jazz-ensemble album, thrives on the robust energies of the bassist-bandleader for which it is named. It also relies on the diligence of a lineup that includes stalwarts like the saxophonist Ron Blake, the trumpeter Freddie Hendrix and the trombonist Steve Davis.” (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St. and Broadway,
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. / $40
212-258-9595, jazz.org

Robby Krieger
“Robby Krieger wasn’t the most attention-getting member of the Doors, but as the group’s guitarist, he helped drive a sound as distinctive as any in ’60s rock. Jim Morrison was the show-stealer as the frontman and self-appointed “lizard king,” and Ray Manzarek cut a striking figure with his unusual keyboard sound, but Mr. Krieger laid down many of the band’s most memorable musical moments with guitar-playing that could swerve from clear and jangly to fuzzy and gnarled and back again.

Mr. Krieger has remained active with solo albums in the decades since—2010’s “Singularity” is the most recent—and he even collaborated on a song with the electronic dance music artist Skrillex in 2012. Here, the 69-year-old guitarist will play a set focused on the Doors’ greatest hits.” (WSJ)
City Winery, 155 Varick St.
7pm / $ may need to wait list or stub hub this one.
(212) 608-0555

ASSSSCAT 3000
“This wildly popular show, hosted by Leo Allen, is known for always featuring the city’s best up-and-coming comedians. But it’s the surprise special guests—Chris Rock, Louis C.K. and David Cross have appeared—who keep audiences hooked.”

“One of the city’s most popular comedy nights sees NYC’s long-form improv royalty (think folks from Saturday Night Live and some adored Upright Citizens Brigade regulars) play pickup-game–style in this famous long-running show.” (TONY)
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 307 W 26th St. (btw 8/9 ave)
7:30pm/ $10; 9:30/ FREE – limited number of tickets are distributed at 8:15pm
(212) 366-9176 / chelsea.ucbtheatre.com

Elsewhere, but this looks too good to miss:
Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros
“Celebrate Easter in Spanish Harlem—dancing to salsa and mambo. This weekend, the Cuban trumpeter Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros turns 87, and appropriately his birthday is being honored with an Easter “danzette.” Señor Chocolate is best known for his tenure as bandleader for his cousin Benny Moré (one of the greatest of all Cuban vocalists) but his career spans virtually the entire history of Afro-Cuban music, from the rumba bands of the 1930s to the mambo in the great years of the Palladium and the salsa explosion of the 1960s and ’70s. (He’s worked with North American jazzmen as well; he’s also played with Wynton Marsalis.)

On Sunday, there will be a daylong birthday party and dance in which he’ll play for dancers with the 13 musicians of Zon del Barrio (directed by David Fernandez).” (WSJ)
Julia de Burgos Cultural Center, 680 Lexington Ave. (btw 105/106)
2pm-8pm / $20
zondelbarrio.com

====================================================================================
♦ 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 8.4 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================

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 a current exhibition that TimeOutNY recommends:
“Santu Mofokeng: A Metaphorical Biography” (through May 23)
Photojournaism becomes art.
“Since 2011, the New York outpost of Germany’s Walther Collection has been an important showcase for modern and contemporary African photography. Case in point: this excellent minisurvey of the work of Santu Mofokeng, titled, “A Metaphorical Biography.” It positions him as both a photojournalist and an artist concerned with questions of meaning and representation. Born in Johannesburg in 1956, Mofokeng began his professional career in the mid-1980s as a member of the photo agency Afrapix. In the turbulent decade leading up to apartheid’s end, he produced photo essays on South African townships, offering a more complex view of their inhabitants’ lives than the coverage found in the global media.

During the 1990s Mofokeng began to collect late-19th- and early-20th-century studio portraits of middle-class black South Africans. These became his 1997 slide show, The Black Photo Album/Look at Me: 1890–1950, in which intertitles provide biographical information on some of the subjects, while also questioning what their real-life experiences might have been.” (Anne Doran)
The Walther Collection, 526 W 26th St. (btw 10/11 ave)
We-Su // 11am-6pm

Here is a current exhibition that the NYT recommends:
‘In the Studio: Paintings’ (through April 18)
“Organized by a veteran scholar and curator of modern art, this show roams across several centuries and between academic and advanced, well-known and rarely-seen. Full of gems and telling juxtapositions, it explores the studio as subject, beloved sanctuary, container for art and stand-in for the artist. Do not miss it. Gagosian Gallery, 522 West 21st Street, Chelsea, 212-741-1717, gagosian.com.” (Smith)

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 Tue. through Sat., most galleries are closed Sun. and Mon.

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 tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm).

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 04/03 and 04/01.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros, ASSSSCAT 3000, Christian McBride Big Band, City Winery, Dizzy's Club, Fifth Avenue Easter Parade, Robby Krieger, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/04) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Greenwich Village

Posted on 04/04/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, APR. 04, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Damien Rice — Folk / Rock (8pm)

“Birdman” — Special Event / Film & Music (8pm)

Sara Serpa — Jazz (8:30pm)

Macy’s Flower Show — Special Event

Back in the Bronx featuring Arlene Alda — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (12pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

Damien Rice
“Remember that tender moment during the first season of Lost when good guy Hurley is enjoying Damien Rice as he contentedly looks upon his fellow castaways? The Irish singer-songwriter specializes in crafting calm, acoustic beauties ready to soundtrack the significant little moments. For his third album, last October’s My Favorite Faded Fantasy, he worked with Rick Rubin to vamp up the production and instrumentation for a meatier record. Few artists can make melancholy sound this appealing. Opening is the Icelandic/Swedish duo My Bubba, who yarn delightful café-ready folk.” (Silas Valentino, VillageVoice)
Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, at 74th Street,
800-745-3000, beacontheatre.com.
8 p.m., $45.00–$69.50

“Birdman”
“There’s plenty to love in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning black comedy “Birdman,” not least of which is the original score, a visceral, improvised set of percussive jazz written and performed by the Grammy-winning drummer Antonio Sánchez. His music, which was not eligible for a Best Original Score Oscar (the film also features more than a half hour of non-original classical material), flutters in fits and starts across a traditional trap set, with each character granted a recurring rhythmic theme.

While the soundtrack does stand on its own, it soars underneath Michael Keaton and Ed Norton’s spontaneous, feverish performances, and this week Sánchez comes to the Upper West Side for a rare performance of his score while the film is screened.” (NewYorker)
New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St.
at 8PM/ need to stub hub / craig’s list this one
wordlessmusic.org.

Sara Serpa
“This singer doesn’t have an overpowering voice, but her subtlety and sureness command serious attention. Her City Fragments ensemble, at the Cornelia Street Café on April 4, unites her with two other singers, Sofia Rei and Aubrey Johnson, who are backed by a notable instrumental trio of the guitarist André Matos, the bassist Thomas Morgan, and the drummer Tyshawn Sorey.” (NewYorker)
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St.
8:30pm / $10
212-989-9319.

Macy’s Flower Show (Last Day)
“This two-week floral display titled “Art in Bloom” features ceiling-to-floor greenery, fresh blooms as well as free workshops including terrarium making and floral design.” (TONY)

“For two weeks, the clothing and accessories at Macy’s won’t be the only colorful items on display by the iconic department store. Outside in Broadway Plaza, beautifully bright floral arrangements will announce this year’s Macy’s Flower Show. Check macys.com for updates. Expect live music, kids’ activities and various “bouquets of the day” throughout the show.” (NYCGO)

“Get a taste of spring while shopping till you drop at the 2015 Macy’s Flower Show at Macy’s Herald Square. This year’s theme is Art in Bloom.” (flavorpill.com)

Elsewhere, but if you were a “Kid From the Bronx”, you’ve got to be there:
BACK IN THE BRONX FEATURING ARLENE ALDA
Author and photographer Arlene Alda joins us for a signing of her new book “Just Kids from the Bronx.” Alda will share personal anecdotes about growing up in the borough, and read excerpts and sign copies of her book. Rick Meyerowitz, Bronxite and New Yorker cartoonist featured in Alda’s book, will be a special guest. Lunch by David Greco’s Arthur Avenue Caterers is included in the ticket purchase.
Bronx Museum, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th St.
2nd floor North Wing
12:00pm to 1:30pm / Free admission for members; $10 lunch for non-members

====================================================================================
♦ 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 was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================

A PremierPub 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 wines and lite meals, fairly priced, 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, NYC 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 S/left on Bleecker to Jones st, 50 yards E/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 (except for certain jazz clubs).

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

3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult 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)
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 Sq 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, with expanded descriptions, maps with contact info, 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” ($3.99, available Sumer 2015).
◊ Order before May 31, 2015 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places on Manhattan’s WestSide with free Wi-Fi.
=========================================================

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged “Birdman”, Beacon Theater, Bronx Museum, Cornelia Street Café, Damien Rice, Macy’s Flower Show, New York Society for Ethical Culture, Sara Serpa | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/03) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 04/03/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, APR. 03, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Tom Harrell Quintet with Ambrose Akinmusire —
Jazz (8:30pm) (10:30pm)

New York International Auto Show — Special Event (10am-10pm)

Chelsea Nights Concert Series — Pop / Rock (7pm)

Ethics and the Film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” —
SmartStuff/ Film Discussion (7pm)

Benjamin Booker — Pop / Rock (9pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

Tom Harrell Quintet with Ambrose Akinmusire (through Sunday)
“At 68, Tom Harrell—whose early years with Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Mel Lewis signify the last gasp of the big band era—has firmly established himself as a composer whose tunes are as much worth hearing as his playing; Last year’s “Trip” is loaded with inspired, harmonically rich melodic lines, from the dark, heavy bass vamp on “Sunday” that starts the album to the intriguing waltz figure that drives “The Duke and Duchess” a few tracks later. Ambrose Akinmusire’s presence should drive the quintet even deeper into the realms of the unexpected, since we haven’t heard Mr. Harrell in a two-trumpet lineup in many a season.” (WSJ)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village,
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. / $30
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com.

Chelsea Nights Concert Series
Started this February, the halls of Chelsea Market on the first Friday of every month host a live concert featuring local artists and presented to you by Brooklyn’s own Paper Garden Records! Tonight: Dawn Landes, Mree, The City and Horses

Alongside the High Line, this is one classy market with all kinds of food and wine. Their artisanal cheese delicacies and fresh lobster rolls make this a personal favorite. And now the music is a wonderful bonus. When the weather is nice, a stroll on the High Line is a great finish.
The Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave. (btw 15/16 St.)
7PM, first Fri. of every month / FREE
chelseamarket.com

Ethics and the Film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956)
Moderator: Chris Everett
“In this classic (although low-budget) science-fiction thriller, emotionless aliens from outer space are using large seed pods to duplicate human bodies and take them over. While rekindling an old romance, a small-town physician discovers the pods, and soon he and his girlfriend realize that the aliens have targeted them for takeover. Directed by Don Siegel. A discussion follows the film.” (ThoughtGallery.org)
New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St.
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm / $5 suggested donation includes snacks and beverages
212-874-5210

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the short detour:
Benjamin Booker
“Violent Shiver” is a fitting name for the first song on Benjamin Booker’s self-titled debut, which bristles and stomps through a raw assemblage of blues, boogie and garage-rock. The sound takes guitar as its starting point and then spins in numerous different directions from there, with evocations of everything from old Stax records from the ’60s, grunge from the ’90s and the propulsive pop drive of the Strokes. Mr. Booker, based in New Orleans, sings in a consistently battered manner, with an impressive capacity to shout in key and keep the words going while his hands fret and strum like mad. Opening act Olivia Jean is a Nashville-based rocker with a debut album, “Bathtub Love Killings,” out on Jack White’s label Third Man Records.” (WSJ)
Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N. Sixth St., Brooklyn
800-745-3000; 718-486-5400 / musichallofwilliamsburg.com
9 p.m. /
this is not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it is Brooklyn’s WestSide.
subway: #1-2-3 to 14th St.; transfer to L to Bedford St., (1st stop in Bklyn).
short walk to venue – 2.5 blks West on N 6th St.xx

====================================================================================
♦ 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 8.4 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================

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

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

• 110th Street – Museum for African Art

• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio

• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York

• 92nd Street – The Jewish Museum

• 91st Street – Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

• 89th Street – National Academy Museum

• 88th Street – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

• 86th Street – Neue Galerie New York

• 83rd Street – Goethe-Institut

Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
• 82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 04/01 and 03/30.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Ambrose Akinmusire, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, Benjamin Booker, Chelsea Market, Chelsea Nights Concert Series, Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York International Auto Show, New York Society for Ethical Culture, Tom Harrell Quintet, Village Vanguard | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/02) + Today’sFeaturedNeighborhood: WestVillage

Posted on 04/02/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, APR. 02, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Revenge of the User: Hacking Consumer Goods —
SmartStuff/ Discussion (6:30pm)

Sheila Jordan with the Steve Kuhn Trio — Jazz (8:30pm) (11pm)

Jim White vs. The Parkway Handle Band — Pop / Rock (6pm)

Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer — SmartStuff/ Art Talk (11am)

Daedalus Quartet — Classical (6pm)

Prof. Luke Gibbons on ‘Joyce’s Ghosts’ — SmartStuff/ Literary Talk (7pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

Beautiful Users | Revenge of the User: Hacking Consumer Goods
Personal 3D printing technologies are moving design and manufacturing into the hands of users, allowing makers to create—and share—digital files for producing physical objects. Hacking, long associated with penetrating the secrets of software, has extended its conquest to the world of physical things. Users are now taking apart and reassembling consumer products, treating the world of manufactured goods as a kit of parts to be reworked and rewritten.

Please join us for what promises to be a fascinating discussion about hacking consumer goods, moderated by Ellen Lupton (Designer, Curator of Contemporary Design at Cooper Hewitt, and Professor at Maryland Institute College of Art). Panelists include Avinash Rajagopal (author of Hacking Design, published by Cooper Hewitt), Golan Levin (creator of Free Universal Construction Kit and professor of design at Carnegie Mellon University), and Eric Rosenbaum (co-inventor of MaKey MaKey and member of MIT Media Lab).
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 2 East 91st St. at 5th Ave.
6:30pm / $15
212-849-8400

Sheila Jordan with the Steve Kuhn Trio (through April 4)
“Ms. Jordan, 86, is an eminent and exploratory singer — she was recently anointed a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts — whose approach to jazz skews nearly kaleidoscopic. She has a good rapport with the pianist Steve Kuhn, who joins her here with his blue-chip trio.” (NYT-Chinen)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave)
At 8:30 and 11 p.m./ $40
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com.

Jim White vs. The Parkway Handle Band
“This project is a fruitful collaboration between White—a mystical, expressive singer-songwriter whose experiences include stints in the worlds of theology, boxing, fashion, and N.Y.C. cab-driving—and the Packway Handle Band, a modern bluegrass quintet out of Athens, Georgia.

The Packways asked White to produce a record, and he was so taken with their approach that he decided to join their band. As it happened, White had an old collection of bluegrass tunes that he wanted to try out, and the group had some originals of their own that fit White’s voice. So they got together for a fine new album, “Take It Like a Man,” and a tour.” (NewYorker)
(Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St.
6pm / $20
212-505-3474 / lepoissonrouge.com

Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer: “The Woman in Gold”
“Klimt’s portrait, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, serves as centerpiece for this show timed to coincide with the Woman in Gold, the story of the repatriation of Klimt paintings looted by the Nazis.

This show is timed to coincide with the release of the Helen Mirren vehicle Woman in Gold, which tells the true story of Maria Altmann, who successfully sued Austria to repatriate five Gustav Klimt paintings looted by the Nazis. Altmann was also the niece of Adele Bloch-Bauer, the only subject Klimt painted twice. His Adele Bloch-Bauer I serves as centerpiece for this roundup of 50 works, including paintings, related drawings, vintage photographs, decorative arts and archival material.” (TONY)
Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Ave. at 86th St.
11am. / $20, seniors and students with ID $10.

Daedalus Quartet
Praised by The New Yorker as “a fresh and vital young participant in what is a golden age of American string quartets,” the Daedalus Quartet has established itself as a leader among the new generation of string ensembles. In the thirteen years of its existence the Daedalus Quartet has received plaudits from critics and listeners alike for the security, technical finish, interpretive unity, and sheer gusto of its performances.

The New York Times has praised the Daedalus Quartet’s “insightful and vibrant” Haydn, the “impressive intensity” of their Beethoven, their “luminous” Berg, and the “riveting focus” of their Dutilleux. The Washington Post in turn has acclaimed their performance of Mendelssohn for its “rockets of blistering virtuosity,” while the Houston Chronicle has described the “silvery beauty” of their Schubert and the “magic that hushed the audience” when they played Ravel, the Boston Globe the “finesse and fury” of their Shostakovich, the Toronto Globe and Mail the “thrilling revelation” of their Hindemith, and the Cincinnati Enquirer the “tremendous emotional power” of their Brahms.
Barnard College, Diana Event Oval, 3009 Broadway
8:00pm / FREE

Prof. Luke Gibbons on ‘Joyce’s Ghosts’
A professor of literary and cultural studies comes all the way from the Emerald Isle’s Maynooth University to lecture on James Joyce, and the intrinsic “Irishness” of his stream-of-consciousness style.

In his lecture, “Joyce’s Ghosts,” Luke Gibbons proposes that Joyce’s Irishness is intrinsic to his modernism, and is not just a source of subject matter but of form itself. Joyce’s stylistic innovations are haunted by memory that slips its moorings in inner life, and circulates through the silences and shadows of a colonial counter-public sphere.

Luke Gibbons is professor of Irish literary and cultural studies at Maynooth University, Ireland, and the author of several books. He is Visiting Professor at NYU for Spring 2015.
Introduction by Professor John P. Waters, Clinical Assistant Professor of Irish Studies, NYU.
Glucksman Ireland House NYU, 1 Washington Mews, and 5th Ave. (near 8th St.)
7:00 p.m. / $10, For non-members, and non students of NYU

====================================================================================
♦ 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 was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================

A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro/ 331 W. 4th St.

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.

===========================================================================================
“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 Daedalus Quartet, Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer, Jim White vs. The Parkway Handle Band, Prof. Luke Gibbons on 'Joyce’s Ghosts', Revenge of the User: Hacking Consumer Goods, Sheila Jordan with the Steve Kuhn Trio | Leave a comment

Selected Events (04/01) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 04/01/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, APR. 01, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

La Maison du Chocolat Tasting Afternoon — Food & Drink (2-6pm) [FREE]

‘Selected Shorts: April Foolery!’ — SmartStuff/ Readings (7:30pm)

Fred Hersch Jazz Pianist with Trio — Jazz (2-4:30pm) [FREE]

April Fool’s Day Comedy Show — Comedy (8pm)

T.C. Boyle — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (12pm) [FREE]

A Taste of Fifth — Food & Drink (6:30-9:30pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:

La Maison du Chocolat Tasting Afternoon
Get in the mood for Easter. The five Manhattan La Maison du Chocolat boutiques in Manhattan are offering a free tasting of select chocolates and pastries. In addition, they will be having a raffle for a chocolate gift valued at $60. You don’t want to miss this!
Various locations in Manhattan
02:00 P.M. – 06:00 P.M./ FREE
Boutique Locations:
30 Rockefeller Center (at 49th St)
63 Wall St
The Plaza Food Hall: One West 58th St
The Shops at Columbus Circle: 10 Columbus Circle
1018 Madison Ave (at 78th St)

‘Selected Shorts: April Foolery!’
“Matthew Love hosts a live recording of “Selected Shorts,” the radio program from WNYC and Public Radio International. The show brings together voices from film, theater and comedy to read short fiction both classic and contemporary. This time around the guests include Sigourney Weaver, Colin Quinn and Jon Glaser.” (NYT)
At 7:30 p.m. / $29
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th St.
212-864-5400, symphonyspace.org.

Fred Hersch Jazz Pianist with Trio; Concert and Master Class
Acclaimed Jazz Pianist Fred Hersch to appear with Trio at CCNY

Jazz Pianist/Composer Fred Hersch and his trio with John Hebert (bass) and Eric McPherson (drums) will perform at 2:00 PM,
and then conduct a master class from 3:00 – 4:30 PM.

Fred Hersch has been described by the NY Times as “…a pianist, composer and conceptualist of rare imaginative power,” and by Vanity Fair as “…the most arrestingly innovative pianist over the last decade or so.” The Fred Hersch Trio, whose most recent recording “Floating” was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards, has been described by the Wall Street Journal as “One of the major ensembles of our times.”

Fred has given a master class at City College every semester since 2003. His master class has become an important part of the semester and vital in the development of the hundreds of students who have participated and observed.This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the great ensembles in jazz and watch a master teacher work with our gifted jazz majors.
City College, Shepard Hall, Room 95.
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM. / FREE

April Fool’s Day Comedy Show
Watch how the professionals do April Fools Day, hosted by Corey Halcomb, stand-up artist and self-proclaimed “ghetto Dr. Phil.”
“Hot 97 FM and Carolines on Broadway teamed up to gather all-star comedians including Sinbad, Lavell Crawford, Damon Waynes Jr., Deon Cole, Donnell Rawlings and more to guarantee this April Fool’s Day is full of laughs.” (TONY)
Theater at Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, 32nd St. at 8th Ave
8pm./ $36.75-$125

T.C. Boyle
“The New York Public Library’s Books at Noon series continues with Mr. Boyle, who will read from his new work, “The Harder They Come.” The novelist and short story writer is a winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, and this latest work is his 25th book.’ (NYT)
New York Public Library, Main Building (with the Lions), 5th Avenue, 42nd St.
Books at Noon events are standing room only and take place under the center arch in historic Astor Hall. An audience Q&A and book-signing will follow each half-hour program. / FREE
917-275-6975, nypl.org/locations/schwarzman

Elsewhere, but your tummy will thank you for the detour:
A Taste of Fifth
Forty of Park Slope’s best bars and restaurants will once again set up shop tomorrow at Grand Prospect Hall for A Taste of Fifth, which benefits 15 neighborhood charities. Participating restaurants include Stone Park Café, Taco Santo, Luke’s Lobster, Bricolage, Grand Central Oyster Bar Brooklyn, Beygl, Jakes’s Handcrafted, Bogota Latin Bistro, Freddy’s Bar, M & S Prime Meats and The Chocolate Room. Wine and beer are included.
Grand Prospect Hall, 263 Prospect Ave., (btw 4th/5th Ave), Brooklyn
subway: R train to Prospect Ave.
6:30-9:30 p.m. / $55, $20 of which goes to a charity of the purchaser’s choice

====================================================================================
♦ 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 8.4 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================

Museum of Modern Art:
‘Jean Dubuffet: Soul of the Underground’ (through April 5) “Look at what lies at your feet!” Jean Dubuffet wrote in a 1957 essay. “A crack in the ground, sparkling gravel, a tuft of grass, some crushed debris, offer equally worthy subjects for your applause and admiration.” In MoMA’s stimulating show, drawn entirely from its collection, we can see how Dubuffet’s earthbound gaze nourished his reinvention of the painted surface. On view are several canvases smeared with a mixture of oil, putty, sand and gravel, some of them with incised drawings that seem to equate painting with plowing. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Rosenberg)

‘The Forever Now: Contemporary Painting in an Atemporal World’(through April 5) Despite being predictable and market-oriented in its choice of 17 artists, this museum’s first painting survey in decades is well worth seeing. About half the artists are exceptional and the rest are represented by their best work. Based on the premise that all historical painting styles are equally available today, the exhibition has been smartly installed to juxtapose different approaches: figurative and abstract, digital and handmade, spare and opulent. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Smith)

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 03/30 and 03/28.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged A Taste of Fifth, April Fool's Day Comedy Show, ‘Selected Shorts: April Foolery!’, Fred Hersch Jazz Pianist with Trio, La Maison du Chocolat Tasting Afternoon, T.C. Boyle | Leave a comment

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

Selected Events (04/10) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Tribeca

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

Selected Events (04/09) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 04/07 and 04/05.

Selected Events (04/08) + Today’sFeaturedNeighborhood: WestVillage

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.

Selected Events (04/07) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Selected Events (04/06) + Today’sFeaturedNeighborhood: Upper WestSide

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

Selected Events (04/05) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Selected Events (04/04) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Greenwich Village

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”

Selected Events (04/03) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 04/01 and 03/30.

Selected Events (04/02) + Today’sFeaturedNeighborhood: WestVillage

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.

Selected Events (04/01) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Recent Posts

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

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 04/07 and 04/05.

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.

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

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”

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 04/01 and 03/30.

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.

Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Recent Posts

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

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

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”