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

Selected Events (03/20) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 03/20/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, MAR. 20, 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.”

Macaron Day — Food & Drink (various times)

Ernani — Opera (7:30pm)

Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan — Jazz (8:30pm) (10:30pm)

New York Spring Spectacular — Special Event (7:30pm)

RuPaul — SmartStuff/ Conversation (7pm)

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
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Macaron Day
“Like an Easter-egg hunt, Macaron Day, on the first day of spring, is an occasion for collecting colorful surprises. While painted eggs are pretty, they’re still eggs; macarons, those photogenic French sandwich cookies in pastel hues, are far tastier. Chic macaron shops have been popping up around the city like daffodils, and this event gives you a chance to try some of their products for free. Macaron Day also raises money for charity: the sixteen participating pâtisseries (in twenty-eight locations) are donating a share of the day’s proceeds to City Harvest, the food-rescue organization.” (NewYorker)
Various locations
macarondaynyc.com.

Opera – Ernani
Singing in 16th-century Spain.
“Ronald Reagan was president the last time Plácido Domingo sang and James Levine conducted Verdi’s tale of romantic rebels. Now the indestructible tenorissimo’s voice has dipped into baritone range; he leaves it to Francesco Meli to star opposite the phenomenal Angela Meade, while he sings the ruthless king, Don Carlo.” (Justin Davidson, NYMag)
Metropolitan Opera House, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave. @ 63rd St.
subway: #1 to 66th St./Lincoln Center; exit S end of platform, walk S
7:30pm / $25-$360
212.362.6000 / metopera.org; lincolncenter.org

Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan (through Mar 22)
“Frisell is a guitarist whose minimalist aesthetic colors each carefully chosen note he plays, and he can coat a room in mysterious yet strangely warming tones. At the Village Vanguard this week, he’s joined by a sympathetic partner, the bassist Morgan, a familiar figure from recent Frisell ensembles, in a duo format that harks back to Frisell’s very first recording as a leader, “In Line,” from 1983.” (NewYorker)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St.
8:30 pm and 10:30 pm / $30; 8:30 show has limited tickets
212-255-4037.

New York Spring Spectacular (through May 3)
“This Spectacular celebrates New York in spring through Broadway numbers, puppetry and, of course, high kicks—look out for celebrity cameos (as puppets and people) as the iconic Rockettes guide you on a virtual tour through NYC’s landmarks.” (TONY)

This is the first time for the Rockettes outside the holiday season, should be a treat.
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave. at 50th St.
7:30 / $46–$130
866-858-0007 / newyorkspringspectacular.com

RuPaul
“This mononymous cultural figure joins Paul Holdengräber of the New York Public Library as part of its Live From the NYPL series. The host of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will, as the show’s name suggests, discuss all things drag, though the evening’s talk will be open to a variety of topics.” (NYT)
New York Public Library, Main Building (with the Lions), 5th Ave. and 42nd St.
7pm / $25, $15 seniors
917-275-6975 / nypl.org/locations/schwarzman.

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had a record 56 million visitors last year and 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:
‘The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec: Prints and Posters’ (through March 22) In his printed works, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec chronicled and publicized the music halls, theaters, circuses, operas and cafes of Paris with terrific verve, sly wit and surprising subtlety. This enthralling show presents approximately 100 examples drawn from the museum’s permanent collection. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Johnson)

‘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)

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)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 03/18 and 03/16.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bill Frisell, Macaron Day, Metropolitan Opera House, New York Spring Spectacular, Opera - Ernani, Radio City Music Hall, RuPaul, Thomas Morgan, Village Vanguard | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/19) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Greenwich Village

Posted on 03/19/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, MAR. 19, 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 Directors/New Films Festival — Film (various times)

The B-Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (6pm) [FREE]

Ben Vereen — Cabaret (7pm)

Asia Week New York — SmartStuff/ Museums (various times)

Perfume Genius — Pop / Rock (7pm)

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

New Directors/New Films (March 18–29)
“Co-curated by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, this yearly festival celebrates the most innovative voices in filmmaking. Now in its 44th year, the festival has helped ignite countless careers, including those of Pedro Almodóvar, Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Darren Aronofsky and Wong Kar-wai.

Explore new works by the next generation of auteurs, including France’s Sarah Leonor (The Great Man), Ukraine’s Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (The Tribe) and the United States’ very own Charles Poekel (Christmas, Again) and Rick Alverson (Entertainment).” (nycgo.com)

The Festival started yesterday and will screen 26 international features and 16 short films.
One of the features that makes this festival unique is the extended Q&A available after most screenings with the director and cast.
FilmSocietyLincolnCenter – filmlinc.com
MoMA – moma.org
$16

The B-Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley
and the Rebirth of the Great American Song
“Acclaimed cultural historian Ben Yagoda discusses his new book, The B-Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song. Drawing on previously untapped archival sources and interviews with great artists, including Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb, Linda Ronstadt and Herb Alpert, Yagoda illuminates the broad musical trends of the 1950s: the battle between ASCAP and Broadcast Music, Inc.; the revolution in jazz after World War II; the impact of music on radio and then television; and the influence and popularity of the incomparable Frank Sinatra.” (ThoughtGallery.org)
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
212-870-1600
6 pm / FREE

Ben Vereen (through March 22)
“The multi-talented actor, singer, and dancer perfected his craft with such masters as Bob Fosse, with whom he worked in “Sweet Charity,” “Pippin,” and the film “All That Jazz.” A Tony Award winner, Vereen is old school in the best sense; he’s out to give it his all, and won’t leave the stage until he’s done so.” (NewYorker)
54 Below, 254 W. 54th St.
7pm / $55
646-476-3551.

Asia Week New York (March 13–21)
Almost missed this, but there is still time.
“For nine days, Asian art and culture take over New York City. Among the 21 local museums, galleries and cultural institutions participating (a handful of out-of-towners will join them) are the Brooklyn Museum, the Noguchi Museum, the Museum of Chinese in America and the Rubin Museum of Art. The venues will show works from the region; five major auction houses in the area will conduct sales; and art dealers from around the world will display their collections during open houses throughout the week. There will also be a full schedule of films, lectures, symposia, curator talks and tours.” (nycgo.com)

Perfume Genius
Bewitching crooner wafts through town.
“Mike Hadreas is the kind of live performer who stuns a room into rapt silence. Which is a convenient superpower to have, since his latest album, 2014’s fantastic Too Bright, is full of haunted pauses and breathe-too-loud-and-you’ll-miss-it intensity. See him at Stage 48—but maybe don’t invite that friend who’s always talking way too loudly at the movies.” (NY Magazine —L.Z.)
Stage 48, 605 West 48th St.
7pm / maybe a tough ticket; try stub hubbing it

BONUS JAZZ PICKS:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

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

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

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

It’s not difficult 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.

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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, 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.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Asia Week New York, Ben Vereen, New Directors/New Films, Perfume Genius, The B-Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/18) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 03/18/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, MAR. 18, 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.”

Revisiting the Rosenbergs: — SmartStuff/ Conversation (6:30pm)

Pentatonix — Pop / Rock (8pm)

Tantric Obsession with Scott Carney + David Vago —
SmartStuff/ Book Talk (7pm)

Marcus Miller — Jazz (7:30pm) (10pm)

Richard Price – “The Whites” — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (6:30pm)

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

Revisiting the Rosenbergs:
A Conversation with Sam Roberts and Gary Naftalis
“It’s been 75 years since Ethel and Julius Rosenberg first came to the attention of the FBI. The chief witness against them – Ethel’s brother – is now dead. But America is again struggling to reconcile national security and civil liberties, and concerned about blind loyalty to any cause and about singling out a specific group for suspicion. What have we learned? Join author and journalist Sam Roberts for a conversation about the continuing relevance of the Rosenberg case with defense lawyer Gary Naftalis. Book signing and reception to follow.

Sam Roberts is the Urban Affairs correspondent for the New York Times and the author or editor of eight previous books, including The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case (2003), reissued in a updated edition by Simon & Schuster in 2014.

Gary Naftalis is co-chair of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. One of the nation’s leading trial lawyers, Mr. Naftalis is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He successfully defended the Rosenbergs in a mock trial organized by the American Bar Association in 1993.” (ThoughtGallery.org)
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. (btw 103/104 St.)
at 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm / $16
212-534-1672

Pentatonix
“A YouTube sensation with more than seven million subscribers on its channel, this a cappella quintet covers Pharrell Williams’s “Happy,” Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” with equal harmonic joie de vivre. The band offers bluesy pop original songs on its studio albums and recently won a Grammy for best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella for its “Daft Punk” medley.” (Anderson-NYT)
Theater at Madison Square Garden,
At 8 p.m./ $41.50-$61.50
800-745-3000 / theateratmsg.com.

Tantric Obsession with Scott Carney + David Vago
“When thirty-eight-year-old Ian Thorson died on a remote Arizona mountaintop in 2012, The New York Times reported the story under the headline: “Mysterious Buddhist Retreat in the Desert Ends in a Grisly Death.” Journalist and anthropologist Scott Carney was struck by how Thorson’s death echoed other incidents that reflected the little-talked-about connection between intensive meditation and mental instability. He explores the neural implications of obsession with cognitive neuroscientist David Vago. A book signing for Scott Carney’s “A Death on Diamond Mountain” takes place after the program.” (ThoughtGallery.org)
Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th St. (btw 6/7 ave)
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm / $20
212-620-5000

Marcus Miller
“The electric bass virtuoso, bandleader and producer Marcus Miller has a new album due out on Blue Note on Tuesday, “Afrodeezia,” featuring a global perspective and an array of special guests, including the blues man Keb’ Mo’, the singer Lalah Hathaway and the rapper Chuck D. Celebrating the album’s release, he leads his airtight band.”
(Chinen-NYT)
At 7:30 and 10 p.m. / $40
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 West 42nd St. (btw 7/8 ave)
800-745-3000, bbkingblues.com.

Elsewhere – this is definitely not the WestSide, but it is Richard Price.
Mr. Price, a Bronx boy and great novelist, is worth the detour, trust me.
Richard Price – “The Whites”
Cops, criminals, and NYC—award-winning author Richard Price, returns to these themes in his new book, “The Whites.” Dennis Lehane wrote, “Whether you call it a crime novel or a mystery novel or a giraffe with polka dots is largely irrelevant–The Whites is, simply put, a great American novel.” Price, author of Lush Life and Clockers, discusses his new detective story with Henry Chang, author of an acclaimed series of Chinatown-based crime novels.
Tenement Museum, 103 Orchard St. (btw Delancey/Broome St)
subway: F train to Delancey St.; walk W 2 blocks to Orchard St.
6pm doors, 6:30pm event / This event is FREE but seating is first-come, first-served and the small space often fills up. Get there early.
212.431.0233 / tenement.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 (pop. 8.4 million) had a record 56 million visitors last year and 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 are a few current exhibition that TimeOutNY recommends:

Claudia Comte, No Melon No Lemon (until March 21, 2015)
This Swiss artist installs her elegant neomodernist sculptures within equally elegant environments consisting of neomodern paintings and wallpaper patterns. Her work visually name-checks the greats—Brancusi, Noguchi, Moore, Stella, Noland—unapologetically while bringing an added dose of rich, optically buzzy formalism to the proceedings.
Gladstone Gallery, 530 W 21st St.

Alec Soth, “Songbook” (through Mar. 21)
“The photographer takes a road trip through the heartland with black-and-white images of people (some posing formally for portraits, others caught candidly) and landscapes, all with the aim of capturing the “American community.”
Sean Kelly Gallery, Hudson Yards 475 Tenth Ave. (btw 36th/37th St.)
Tu-Sa // 11am-6pm

“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

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.

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).

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 03/16 and 03/14.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Marcus Miller, Pentatonix, Revisiting the Rosenbergs:, Richard Price - “The Whites”, Tantric Obsession with Scott Carney + David Vago | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/17) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Midtown West

Posted on 03/17/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, MAR. 17, 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.”

St. Patrick’s Day — Special Event (starts 11am)

Maceo Parker — Jazz (8pm) (10:30pm)

Scenes through the Cinema Lens — SmartStuff/ Film (7:30pm) [FREE]

Barney Frank — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (7pm) [FREE]

Jazz Age Manhattan — SmartStuff/ Lecture (6:30pm)

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

St. Patrick’s Day
Of course, there is the parade.

The world’s largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade may also be the oldest civilian parade in the world. From 11 a.m to 5 p.m., on Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 79th Street.

But you may prefer these other options today (see ThoughtGallery.org)
Get a sense of the Irish gift of gab at Too Ra Loo Ra Loo, a gathering of gossip, storytelling and song—much of it improvised on the spot—by the talents of the Peoples Improv Theater.

Catch up on your reading, courtesy of the Irish Arts Center. They’ll be distributing free books by Irish and American-Irish authors and playwrights—from Samuel Beckett to Maeve Binchy, from Pete Hamill to Edna O’Brien—all around town, near major subway stations and transit hubs, all day.…Or, head to the IAC itself: Two artists—one Irish, one of Irish heritage—meet in the middle in Trasatlantacha, an art exhibit that explores the themes of immigration and diaspora, through April.

Two Irish expat colleens teach you all about Irish cheese and the unique way it goes with—well, everything, at this class sponsored by the Bedford Cheese Shop. We’d be surprised if samples were not served. The Homestead.

See the Thought Gallery for a comprehensive discussion of St. Pat Day alternatives, including some events happening after Mar 17. They always do an excellent job alerting us to cultural events happening in NYCity. I am especially interested in the April 2 lecture on James Joyce, and the intrinsic “Irishness” of his stream-of-consciousness style at the Glucksman Ireland House NYU.

If you’re looking to taste a pint of Guinness it won’t be hard to find today, but this may be one of the better spots – A St. Patrick’s Day feast at the Dead Rabbit downtown, featuring absinthe cocktails, $1 oysters and three floors of Irish music. All day.
All Three Floors! Starting from 11am in the Taproom. Specialty Jameson Black Barrel Cocktail Menu, Our Famous Irish Coffee, Complimentary Corned Beef Sandwiches and Irish Stew.

Today doesn’t have to be all Irish, all day.

Tonight is the first night of the NCAA tournament and the local Manhattan Jaspers play the Hampton Pirates in Dayton, OH at 6:40 pm (Tru TV). Go Jaspers!

Maceo Parker (through March 22)
“Mr. Parker, the alto saxophonist best known for his longtime service with James Brown, has soldiered on in the name of funk, and his live show never fails to connect. His most recent album, “Soul Classics,” features him in the company of a spit-and-polish big band; he works here with a smaller but still potent crew.” (Chinen-NYT)
At 8 and 10:30 p.m.,
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
212-475-8592 bluenote.net.

Scenes through the Cinema Lens – Kubrick’s Music
Few filmmakers have been as sensitive to the power of music as Stanley Kubrick. He changed cinema forever when he rejected the music that film composer Alex North had written for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and used pre-existing recordings of classical music. He continued to make striking use of new and specially commissioned music in A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut. We will go back to earlier films such as Paths of Glory and Dr. Strangelove to hear how he was already taking chances with music, even before he made 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St.
7:30PM / FREE

Barney Frank
Mr. Frank, the longtime Democratic representative from Massachusetts, discusses his autobiography, “Frank: A Life in Politics From the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage.” In the book, Mr. Frank writes about how he managed to have a long, effective career in politics while reconciling his homosexuality and navigating combative relationships in Washington.
Barnes & Noble, Union Square, 33 East 17th St.
7pm / FREE
212-253-0810, barnesandnoble.com.

Jazz Age Manhattan
“Get jazzed learning about the structures that grew up in Jazz Era Manhattan in this talk by an architectural historian and Cooper Union prof. From the Chanin to the Chrysler Building to Rockefeller Center, join Barry Lewis for a vividly illustrated look at “Jazz Age” Manhattan and the German Expressionist origins of many of the city’s beloved icons.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

I have taken two semester long classes with Barry and I can assure you that this guy knows his stuff and is very entertaining.
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West,
at 6:30 pm / $38
212-873-3400

====================================================================================
♦ 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 / Midtown West.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s the kind of place where the noise gets louder and the crowd gets happier as the happy hour goes on. I’m generally a beer guy, but I like to come here with a group of friends. We find a table in the back room near the piano man; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).

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

Website: http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/
Phone #: 212-307-5835
Hours: 4pm-2am; Fri-Sun closes 4am (that could be trouble)
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day
$4 shots infused vodka (2oz), $5 cosmos; $4 czech draft beer
Music: FR-SU; TU-WE / 7pm-12am
Subway: #1 to 50th St.
Walk 2 blk N. on B’way to 52nd St.; 1 blk W. to RVR
Confusingly, the Russian Samovar is right across the street, on the S. side of 52nd St.
The RVR, your destination, is on the N. side of 52nd St.
Update: music now includes a sax player with a younger, trimmer piano man. “tiny” we miss you.

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

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Barnes & Noble, Barney Frank, Blue Note, Irish Arts Center, Jazz Age Manhattan, Maceo Parker, New-York Historical Society, Scenes through the Cinema Lens, St. Patrick’s Day, Tribeca Performing Arts Center | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/16) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 03/16/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, MAR. 16, 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.”

David Blaine | Paul Holdengräber — SmartStuff/ Discussion (7pm)

The Second Annual Black Irish Ball — Jazz + Burlesque (9pm)

Red Wine Making — Food & Drink (6pm)

The Mathematical Interplay of Accelerated Bodies —
SmartStuff/ Lecture (6pm)

Brisket King NYC — Food & Drink (6pm)

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

LIVE FROM THE NYPL
David Blaine | Paul Holdengräber
“Known for his endurance stunts, many of them televised, Mr. Blaine will open the spring season of LIVE From the NYPL. This event will be more on the open-air side of things, unlike a previous outing in which he was buried alive for a week. He will be joined in conversation by Paul Holdengräber, director of this series.” (NYT)
New York Public Library, 5th ave @ 42nd St.
7pm / $25
917-275-6975 // nypl.org/locations/schwarzman.

Dandy Wellington Presents: The Second Annual Black Irish Ball
“You’d think such a fancy, Irish-themed burlesque show and jazz performance would cost you, but this one is free. Just make a dinner reservation at Macao Trading Co. and soak in the talent.

Opt for a sultry pre–St. Patrick’s evening of hot jazz with Harlem mad-hatter Dandy Wellington and his band, with burlesque performances by Poison Ivory, Genie Adagio, Kita St. Cyr and Voodoo Onyx. Admission is free but Macao Trading Co. advises dinner reservations, so why not chow down on some pork chops and hoisin noodles before the show? ” (TONY)
Macao Trading Co., 311 Church St. (btw Lispenard and Walker Sts.)
9pm. / FREE, recommended with dinner reservation.

Red Wine Making
“Learn how tannins are extracted, three main maceration techniques and an introduction to the tasting “triangle” of red wines. “Students” can arrive at 5:45pm for an informal informational session about viticulture and the chance to taste a few “faulty” wines. Lesson will start at 6pm sharp and will last 1 hour and 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute Q&A session. Two flights of wine tastings will illustrate each lesson. Bread will be provided but no additional food is included.” (ThoughtGallery.org)
City Winery, 155 Varick St.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm / $75
212-608-0555

“The Mathematical Interplay of Accelerated Bodies”
“The popularity of professional sports has made them key proving grounds for how to make video, stats and other content engaging for fans. Chief technology officer of major league baseball Joe Inzerillo has the last word on the sport’s digital presence; he oversees the 30 team sites in addition to all of the mobile, video and interactive content across numerous platforms. His talk tonight is subtitled “How I Learned Not To Slide Into First Base.” (seniorplanet.org)
New School, Kellen Auditorium, 66 Fifth Ave
6pm / FREE
mlb.online

Elsewhere, but who doesn’t love barbecued brisket:
Brisket King NYC
“Who makes the best brisket in the city? You’ll have to taste a ton of barbecue to find out. This annual event brings together 20+ chefs and restaurants to battle for the title of best brisket, along with tastes from craft distilleries and breweries to chase it all down.” (amny.com)
Irondale Center, 85 S. Oxford St., Brooklyn
subway: C train to lafayette ave.
6pm / $85
brisketkingnyc.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 (pop. 8.4 million) had a record 56 million visitors last year and 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 03/14 and 03/12.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Brisket King NYC, City Winery, David Blaine | Paul Holdengräber, New School, New York Public Library, Red Wine Making, The Mathematical Interplay of Accelerated Bodies, The Second Annual Black Irish Ball | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/15) + Today’sFeaturedNeighborhood: WestVillage

Posted on 03/15/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, MAR. 15, 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.”

Village Vanguard 80th Anniversary with Jason Moran — Jazz (8:30pm) (10:30pm)

Asia Week New York — SmartStuff/ Art (various times)

James Beard Foundation’s annual cookbook sale — SmartStuff/ Books (to 3pm)

Sunday at the Met — SmartStuff/ Art (3pm)

New York City FC vs New England Revolution — SportingLife (5pm)

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

Village Vanguard 80th Anniversary with Jason Moran
“We couldn’t think of an artist better qualified than Jason Moran to help iconic West Village jazz room the Village Vanguard celebrate its 80th birthday. Moran, a pianist with an uncanny knack for animating history, has curated a fascinating anniversary series, featuring a night of solo piano (Mar 10), an all-Monk evening (Mar 13), collaborations with poets and comedians (Mar 11 and 12, respectively), guest turns from vocalist Alicia Hall Moran and guitarist Bill Frisell (Mar 14), and a rare club appearance from saxist Charles Lloyd’s New Quartet (Mar 15), which features Moran on the keys.” (TONY)
Village Vanguard, West Village,
8:30pm and 10:30pm. / $40, plus one-drink minimum.

Asia Week New York
This nine-day celebration of Asian art throughout metropolitan New York started on Friday with non-stop exhibitions, auctions and special events presented by leading international Asian art specialists, major auction houses, and world-renowned museums and cultural institutions (22 in all).

To plan your visit:
Browse the Calendar of Events to get a snapshot of each day’s events, and add items to your personal Outlook or Google calendar;
Visit the Dealers, Auction Houses and Museums & Institutions sections to identify the gallery exhibitions, auctions and programs that interest you;
Consult the Map to craft your itinerary.
asiaweekny.com

James Beard Foundation’s annual cookbook sale
Shop from over a thousand new + used cookbooks at ‘bargain prices’ at the james beard foundation’s annual cookbook sale.
James Beard Foundation, 167 w. 12th st. (bet. 6th + 7th aves),
10am-3pm / FREE admission.

Sunday at the Met, The Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky
“Discover how contemporary artists are redefining Plains Indians’ artistic traditions and explore issues related to Native American life in the twenty-first century.”
(ThoughtGallery.org)
Speakers include:
Mario A. Caro, Assistant Professor, John W. Draper Interdisciplinary Master’s Program in Humanities and Social Thought, New York University
Dana Claxton, artist
Edgar Heap of Birds, artist
Judith Ostrowitz, Research Associate, Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, MMA
Metropolitan Museum of Art,1000 Fifth Ave.
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm / Free with museum admission
212-535-7710

Elsewhere, but this is the return of professional soccer to NYCity:
New York City FC vs New England Revolution
New York City F.C. (that’s Major League Soccer) makes its home debut at Yankee Stadium. NYCFC announced on Monday that they will open the 400 level at Yankee Stadium due to the high demand for their first home game against the New England Revolution.Though normal capacity for NYCFC games at the stadium is expected to be be 27,528, more than 30,000 tickets have been sold already for the game.

“What to expect: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Big-name foreign imports tick off the first box with their years of experience—namely, deft Spanish forward David Villa and, once the English Premier League season ends, longtime Chelsea stalwart Frank Lampard (currently playing for Manchester City). For a dash of the new, there’s the young tandem of USMNT midfielder Mix Diskerud and forward Tony Taylor, who, like Diskerud, has national team (albeit on the under-20 and -23 squads) and European league experience. The team will be borrowing Yankee Stadium until a new arena is completed, probably no earlier than 2018 (and where, we don’t know). And what’s blue? The home uniforms, which are near duplicates of the ones their storied counterparts over in Manchester City proudly don.” (nycgo.com)
Yankee Stadium, 161st St,. and River Ave. (the Bronx)
subway: #4 to 161st St.
5 pm / $30 and up

====================================================================================
♦ 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 Asia Week New York, James Beard Foundation, James Beard Foundation’s annual cookbook sale, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City FC vs New England Revolution, Sunday at the Met, Village Vanguard, Village Vanguard 80th Anniversary with Jason Moran | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/14) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 03/14/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, MAR. 14, 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.”

Björk — Rock / Pop (12pm)

NYC Vegetarian Food Festival — Food & Drink (11am-6pm)

New York City FIRST Robotics Competition — SmartStuff/ Robots (9am)

The Celtic Appalachia — Bluegrass / Pop / Rock (2:30pm) (8pm)

NYC Craft Beer Festival: Spring Seasonal — Food & Drink (6pm-9:30pm)

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

Björk
“It is startling to hear Björk — an artist who specializes in mercurial, brilliant electro-symphonics and opaquely cerebral lyrics — expose her heart so thoroughly on her morose new album, “Vulnicura.” Yet when this Icelandic star poses the devastating question, “Did I love you too much?/Devotion bent me broken,” on the song “Black Lake” — over heavy, elegiac strings, warped voices and fractured synth production from the upstart talent Arca — she creates her finest art in a decade. Her sorrow is terrible and gorgeous.”
(Anderson-NYT)
Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall,
12PM / Limited Availability. Please call CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800
212-247-7800 / carnegiehall.org.

NYC Vegetarian Food Festival (also Sunday)
“The fifth annual fete showcases two days of meat-free samples, cooking demonstrations and seminars on vegan and vegetarian living

Opens Saturday, offering vegetarian samples and a full program of expert speakers across three stages. Included in Saturday’s program is “Unlock Your Best Self With Plant-Based Nutrition,” presented by ultra-distance triathlete and bestselling author Rich Roll at 2 p.m., and “How to Go Vegan, The Right Way: The Basics of Vegan Nutrition” with chef and health coach Maria Marlowe. There’s also a kid’s stage with fun activities, games, stories and kids’ cooking classes.” (dnainfo.com)
The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St. (btw 6/7ave) Chelsea.
A one-day pass is $30 and a two-day pass is $50 for tickets purchased online in advance.
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. / nycvegfoodfest.com

New York City FIRST Robotics Competition (also Sunday)
“It’s only a matter of time before robots rule the earth. Witness how technology has progressed so far at this competition.

Thousands of talented local and international students from 66 different schools descend upon the Javits Center for nonprofit organization NYC First’s 15th annual robotics competition. See the droids square off in games and navigate obstacles.” (TONY)
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 W 34th St. at 11th Ave.
9am. / FREE.
nycfirst.org

The Celtic Appalachia
“Expect a lively night at The Celtic Appalachia where Irish-inspired bands from all over rock out for your listening pleasure.

One of the best-known Irish American bands from the heart of West Virginia, The Bing Brothers Band, will be strummin’ at Symphony Space. Accompanied by The Green Fields of America and special guests Kyle Alden and Jake Krack, the concert will be a true Celtic celebration.” (TONY)
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th St.
2:30pm and 8pm / $40-$60.

Elsewhere and a repeat, but this big craft beer fest is so worth the short detour:
NYC Craft Beer Festival: Spring Seasonal
“At this suds celebration, beer buffs can sip unlimited samples of nearly 150 local (Braven, Gun Hill, Dyckman) and cross-country brews (Founders, Down East Cider House), plus sit in on brewing and tasting seminars led by suds experts.

The craft-beer revival is like a happy hour that never ends—this is the tenth edition of the biannual event. Driven by a renewed interest in the fermented beverage, the gathering features seventy-five breweries from around the nation. More than a hundred and fifty brews will be available for tasting, with an emphasis on seasonal and limited releases. Artisanal food, music from the High and Mighty Brass Band, and cocktail-making tips from Jonathan Pogash will also be on tap.”(TONY)
Lexington Avenue Armory, 68 Lexington Ave. (btw 25/26 St.)
handcraftedtasting.com
Afternoon session SOLD OUT
Evening session General Admission ($65 / 7PM Entry-9:30PM) SOLD OUT
Evening session VIP ($85 / 6PM Entry-9:30PM) only tickets available

moral of this story – next year buy your tickets in advance, and also save money:
Pre Sale General Admission ($45 / 7PM Entry)
Pre Sale VIP ($60/ 6PM Entry)

===========================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had a record 56 million visitors last year and 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 03/12 and 03/10.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Björk, New York City FIRST Robotics Competition, NYC Craft Beer Festival, NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, The Celtic Appalachia | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/13) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Times Square/ Theater District

Posted on 03/13/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, MAR. 13, 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.”

The New York Pops with Sutton Foster — Pop (8pm)

Art Spiegelman and Phillip Johnston: Wordless! — Performance (7:30pm)

Keb’ Mo’ – Blues (8pm)

Transylvanian Blues with Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri — Jazz/Blues (8pm)

NYC Craft Beer Festival: Spring Seasonal — Food & Drink (8pm-10:30pm)

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

♦ “9 Notable Events-Feb.”, 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
======================================================

The New York Pops with Sutton Foster
“Does starring in seven Broadway musicals count as practice? In any case, Sutton Foster finally gets to Carnegie Hall in a concert with the New York Pops. Her program features numbers familiar from those shows, like “Anything Goes,” and a visit from Violet co-star Joshua Henry, who may threaten the hallowed rafters with “Let It Sing.”
(J.G.-NY Magazine)

Sutton Foster is an award-winning actor, singer, and dancer who has performed in 11 Broadway shows-most recently the revival of Violet-and originated roles in the Broadway productions of The Drowsy Chaperone, Little Women, Young Frankenstein, Shrek The Musical, and her Tony Award-winning performances in Anything Goes and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Carnegie Hall, 881 Seventh Ave., @ 57th St.
8pm / limited availability, call 212-247-7800.

Art Spiegelman and Phillip Johnston: Wordless!
In his Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece, Maus—a moving father-son memoir about the Holocaust drawn with cats and mice—Art Spiegelman changed the definition of comics forever. In “WORDLESS!” — a new and stimulating hybrid of slides, talk, and musical performance — he probes further into the nature and possibilities of his medium.

Spiegelman, noted as a historian and theorist of comics as well as an artist, collaborates with Phillip Johnston, the critically acclaimed jazz composer who wrote all-new scores performed live with his sextet. Johnston’s music accompanies the cartoonist’s personal tour of the first legitimate “graphic novels”— silent picture stories made by early 20th century masters like Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward, and Milt Gross—and their influence on him.
“WORDLESS!” was originally commissioned by The Sydney Opera House for GRAPHIC.
Columbia University, Miller Theatre, 2960 Broadway at 116th St.
7:30pm / $25-$45
212-854-7799

Keb’ Mo’ (also Saturday)
“Few musicians emblematize the blues like Kevin Moore. During his twenty-year career as Keb’ Mo’, he has won three Grammys, appeared on “Sesame Street,” collaborated with Martin Scorsese for the miniseries “The Blues,” and earned his own Gibson signature acoustic guitar. He even portrayed the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson in the 1998 documentary “Can’t You Hear the Wind Howl?” As closely associated with the blues as he is, folk, pop, jazz, and rock also inform his music, which is as accomplished as it is accessible.” (NewYorker)
B. B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St.
212-997-4144.

Transylvanian Blues with Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri
Transylvania might conjure images for you of Count Dracula and the macabre. But for pianist and Romanian transplant Lucian Ban it’s home, a place where local music retains its old-world melancholic grandeur. A few years ago Ban teamed up with jazz violinist Mat Maneri to explore what Transylvanian music and the blues have in common; they turned the results into an album of music that will be on display tonight. Some folks like to call it “Goth jazz.” (seniorplanet.org)
Greenwich House Music, 46 Barrow St
8pm / $15, $12 seniors 62+

Elsewhere, but this big craft beer fest is so worth the short detour:
NYC Craft Beer Festival: Spring Seasonal (also Saturday)
“At this suds celebration, beer buffs can sip unlimited samples of nearly 150 local (Braven, Gun Hill, Dyckman) and cross-country brews (Founders, Down East Cider House), plus sit in on brewing and tasting seminars led by suds experts.

The craft-beer revival is like a happy hour that never ends—this is the tenth edition of the biannual event. Driven by a renewed interest in the fermented beverage, the gathering features seventy-five breweries from around the nation. More than a hundred and fifty brews will be available for tasting, with an emphasis on seasonal and limited releases. Artisanal food, music from the High and Mighty Brass Band, and cocktail-making tips from Jonathan Pogash will also be on tap.” (TONY)
Lexington Avenue Armory, 68 Lexington Ave.
8pm-10:30pm / $65
handcraftedtasting.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 + 3 Good Eating places

Jimmy’s Corner / 140 W 44th St (btw B’way & 7th ave)

Jimmy’s Corner is right in the heart of Times Square, but you won’t find it on the corner, it’s mid-block. Enter this long narrow bar and you are struck by the walls covered with mostly black-and-white boxing photographs, and memorabilia. Soon enough you learn that “Corner” refers to proprietor Jimmy Glenn’s long career as a corner man for some of boxing greats – Liston, Tyson, even “the greatest”, Ali.

Jimmy’s is a sort of time machine, taking you back to a time and place that no longer exists. All around you Times Square has cleaned up, grown up, assumed a new identity. Jimmy’s probably hasn’t changed a bit since it first opened in 1971. Certainly the bar itself looks original and the prices haven’t changed much either. When I brought a friend, who owns her own bar, she was surprised when she got the small tab for a round of drinks. Figured there must be a mistake, that maybe they forgot to charge for all the drinks.

Times Square today is filled with neon glitz and wandering tourists from Dubuque, but not Jimmy’s. You’ll likely find some old timer’s at the bar nursing their drinks, some younger locals at tables in the back, and maybe a few adventuresome tourists clutching their trusty guidebooks. There’s no food served here because this is just a bar, and sometimes that’s all you need.

On nights when no local team is playing, it’s a fine place to sip some drafts and listen to a great old time jukebox (40s, 50s, R&B, and soul). On sports nights this very narrow bar can get a bit claustrophobic, filled with excited fans watching their team on the TVs. Either way, Jimmy’s is the place to be if you are looking for an old time bar in the new Times Square.
————————————————————————————————————————
Website: are you kidding !
(although there is a facebook page with lots of photos –
facebook.com/jimmyscornernyc)
Phone #: 212-221-9510
Hours: 11am – 4 am, except Sunday they open 12 noon
Happy Hour: not necessary, low prices all day, every day
Subway: #1,2,3 to TimesSquare 42nd st
walk 2 blks N on 7th ave to 44th st; ½ blk E to Jimmy’s

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

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

3 Good Eating places

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

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

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

Xi’an Famous Foods – 24 W45th St. (Btw 5th/6th ave)
Try to avoid long lunch lines. Order lamb hand ripped noodles and warm your insides at one of the tables in the back. You’ll return, just remember that even mild is pretty spicy.
==============================================================

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

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Art Spiegelman, B.B. King Blues Club, Carnegie Hall, Columbia University, Greenwich House Music School, Keb' Mo', Lexington Avenue Armory, Lucian Ban, Miller Theatre, NYC Craft Beer Festival, Phillip Johnston, Sutton Foster, The New York Pops | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/12) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 03/12/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, MAR. 12, 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.”

Alabama Shakes — Pop / Rock (8pm)

Maureen McGovern — Cabaret (7pm)

‘Vintage: What a Difference a Year Makes’ — Food & Drink (7pm)

Brandee Younger – Classical Music (8pm)

Linda Purl ~ Midnight Caravan — Cabaret (7pm)

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

Alabama Shakes
“While Muscle Shoals, Ala., was a hotbed of soul and southern rock in the 1960s and ’70s, few sounds arose from neighboring Athens. Enter Alabama Shakes, who took a page from their neighboring city’s sound. High-school classmates Brittany Howard and Zac Cockrell formed the band in 2009; its 2012 debut “Boys & Girls” delivered the goods and then some. Ms. Howard’s gospel-strong vocals range from crystalline to gravelly, emotionally wrenching to testifying, in the tradition of Otis Redding and Janis Joplin. A follow-up album, “Sound & Color,” will be released next month.” (WSJ)
The Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, at 74th St.
8pm /
(212) 465-6500 / beacontheatrenyc.com.

Maureen McGovern (through Saturday)
“At 54 Below, Maureen McGovern performs her new show, “Sing, My Sisters, Sing!” The program, celebrating women singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Annie Lennox and Amanda McBroom, includes a jazz sidebar.” (Stephen Holden-NYT)
54 Below, 254 West 54th St.
7pm /
646-476-3551 / 54below.com

‘Vintage: What a Difference a Year Makes’
“The French Institute Alliance Française hosts a class about what makes a good vintage wine. Tastings will complement instructions about what to look out for when selecting wines that get better (or don’t) with age. This is, of course, for the 21 and older crowd.” (NYT)
Le Skyroom, French Institute Alliance Française, 22 East 60th Street,
212-355-6100 / fiaf.org / At 7 p.m.

Brandee Younger
“Ms. Younger is a harpist who has explored the spiritual side of her instrument’s legacy, as well as its improvisational potential. She inaugurates “Uncharted” — a new series of premiere performances, every Thursday through the end of April — with excerpts from her piece “Prophetika,” featuring a fellow harpist, Mia Theodoratus, and Courtney Bryan on piano.” (Chinen-NYT)
Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow Street, West Village,
At 8 p.m.,
212-242-4770 / greenwichhouse.org.

Linda Purl ~ Midnight Caravan
Linda Purl is thrilled to be back on the road with her new concert tour Midnight Caravan: Celebrating the Great Ladies of the Glamorous Nightclub Era. Midnight Caravan salutes the great women singing stars of the 1940s and ’50s – from Ella Fitzgerald to Judy Garland to Rosemary Clooney – as they reign over the swanky, sexy supper clubs of the era. From sultry ballads to hot Latin jazz arrangements of Broadway tunes, the show features classic standards like My Romance, Shall We Dance and Caravan, and conjures a nighttime world where the surroundings are posh, the drinks keep flowing, and nobody goes to bed before three.
Metropolitan Room, 34 W 22nd St. (btw Fifth and Sixth Aves)
7PM / $22.50
212-206-0440 / metropolitanroom.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 (pop. 8.4 million) had a record 56 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District

Here are a few current exhibition that TimeOutNY recommends:

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 03/10 and 03/08.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 54 Below, Alabama Shakes, ‘Vintage: What a Difference a Year Makes’, Beacon Theater, Brandee Younger, Greenwich House Music School, Linda Purl ~ Midnight Caravan, Maureen McGovern, Metropolitan Room | Leave a comment

Selected Events (03/11) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Tribeca

Posted on 03/11/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, MAR. 11, 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.”

Mivos Quartet & Kate Soper — Classical Music (7pm)

A Taste of Italy — Food & Drink (6pm)

Jason Moran Celebrates the 80th Anniversary of the Village Vanguard —
Jazz (8:30pm) (10:30pm)

National Book Critics Circle Finalist’s Reading 2015 –
SmartStuff/ Readings (6pm)

The Noble Hustle: An Evening with Colson Whitehead —
SmartStuff/ Book Talk (7pm)

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

Mivos Quartet & Kate Soper
“The Italian Academy at Columbia keeps on delivering some of the most intriguing classical programs in town. (And you can’t beat the price, either.) Tonight the adventurous Mivos players present works by Berg, Gesualdo and Iannotta, plus a world premiere by the wildly talented composer-soprano Kate Soper (who will join Mivos in performance).” (TONY)

Kate Soper, a 2012 Guggenheim Laureate, is quickly gaining recognition as one of the most important composers of her generation. Her work, effortlessly theatrical and dazzling in its virtuosity, explores the integration of drama and rhetoric into musical structure. Soper’s timbral fusion of voice and instruments and her development of extreme vocal techniques have created a new frontier for the vocal repertoire
Italian Academy (at Columbia University), 1161 Amsterdam Ave. (btw 116/118 St.)
7pm / FREE

A Taste of Italy
Celebrate Italy with our walk-around tasting devoted to Europe’s famous boot. Italy’s legendary winemaking covers over 2,000 native grape varieties as well as varied terrain. You can only imagine the passion this country has for its wine. From Veneto to Tuscany to Piedmont-and all of the areas in between-we’ll explore the wonderful regions (and grapes) that make Italy such a prominent force in the industry.

Of course, no tasting would be complete without some bites to complement our liquid offerings. Join us for an evening of bountiful wine, cheese, charcuterie, and good company. We’re pouring 24 wines at this walk-around event, our tip-of-the-hat to one of the most diverse wine regions around. Sounds good to me – I’ll be there.
Astor Center, 399 Lafayette St. (at East 4th St.)
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM / $45
(212) 674-7501 / astorcenternyc.com

Jason Moran Celebrates the 80th Anniversary of the Village Vanguard (through March 15)
“As part of the Village Vanguard’s anniversary festivities, the club commissioned this tribute from the pianist Jason Moran, who never met a programming challenge he couldn’t enliven. Mr. Moran decided to feature a different part of the Vanguard legacy each night — starting on Tuesday with an evening of solo piano, featuring himself along with Kenny Barron, Stanley Cowell, Fred Hersch and Ethan Iverson. On Wednesday, Mr. Moran’s trio, the Bandwagon, will accompany the poets Elizabeth Alexander and Yusef Komunyakaa; on Thursday the band will appear with the comedians Marina Franklin, David Alan Grier and Keith Robinson.” (Chinen-NYT)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St, West Village,
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m./$30
212-255-4037 / villagevanguard.com

National Book Critics Circle Finalist’s Reading 2015
Every year, the National Book Critics Circle presents awards for the finest books published in English in the categories of: Fiction, General Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism. On Wednesday finalists will read from their work.The stellar lineup includes Marlon James, John Lahr, Roz Chast, Lynne Tillman and Elizabeth Kolbert.
The New School (Alvin Johnson/J. M. Kaplan Hall), 66 West 12th St., room 510
6pm / FREE
212-229-5488

The Noble Hustle: An Evening with Colson Whitehead
Join Colson Whitehead for a reading and discussion to celebrate the paperback release of “The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death”, a gritty, grimly funny account of Whitehead’s adventures in poker, from an amateur run at seedy $2 tables in Atlantic City to the World Poker Series in Las Vegas, with a few diversions for beef jerky and contemplations of mortality along the way. A brilliantly insightful foray into an odd American subculture, The Noble Hustle comes nothing close to a gamble: a hugely entertaining social satire whose main target is the author himself.
McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince St.
7:00pm / FREE
212-274-1160

====================================================================================
♦ 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 A Taste of Italy, Colson Whitehead, Jason Moran, Mivos Quartet & Kate Soper, National Book Critics Circle Finalist’s Reading 2015, The Noble Hustle: An Evening with Colson Whitehead | Leave a comment

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

Selected Events (03/20) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Selected Events (03/19) + 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 (03/18) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Selected Events (03/17) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Midtown West

A PremierPub / Midtown West.

Russian Vodka Room / 265 W 52nd St (btw 7th/8th 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 (03/16) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 03/14 and 03/12.

Selected Events (03/15) + 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 (03/14) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Selected Events (03/13) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Times Square/ Theater District

A PremierPub + 3 Good Eating places

Jimmy’s Corner / 140 W 44th St (btw B’way & 7th 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.
===========================================================================================

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

“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.

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

Selected Events (03/12) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Selected Events (03/11) + 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.
===========================================================================================

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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”

A PremierPub / Midtown West.

Russian Vodka Room / 265 W 52nd St (btw 7th/8th 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. ===========================================================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 03/14 and 03/12.

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 + 3 Good Eating places

Jimmy’s Corner / 140 W 44th St (btw B’way & 7th 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. ===========================================================================================

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

“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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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