Selected Events + Gallery Special Exhibits: Chelsea (10/11)

Posted on 10/10/2014 by GregD

Today’s “TOP 3″/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, OCT. 11, 2014
“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.”

Brianna Thomas
Ms. Thomas, a confident and well-seasoned young jazz singer, recently turned heads with her debut album, “You Must Believe in Love.” But her command of an audience might be her greatest strength, and it should be in full effect here.” (Chinen-NYT)
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m./ $15 cover.
Ginny’s Supper Club, 310 Lenox Avenue, near 125th Street, Harlem,
212-421-3821, ginnyssupperclub.com

Betty Buckley
“Betty Buckley is a genuinely eccentric, eccentrically genuine Broadway diva, with a persona that yo-yos between fragility and imperiousness. Her instantly recognizable voice can sound haunted in its lower registers, then rise to a steely belt, with a pulsing, magisterial vibrato. At Joe’s this week she marks the release of Ghostlight, an album of jazz standards produced by T Bone Burnett.” (TONY)
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater
425 Lafayette St. between Astor Pl and E 4th St.
7pm & 9pm / $25-$75 + $12 minimum
212-539-8778 / joespub.com

Archtober / October 1–31
“To New York City’s architects and building buffs, October is Archtober, or Architecture and Design Month. For 31 days, the City’s design community opens its doors for more than 150 tours, lectures, films and celebrations, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that give this metropolis its distinct character.” (nycgo.com)
For a complete calendar see: archtober.org/2014-calendar
For “20 Great Events to Check out at 2014 Archtober Festival in NYC” see: untappedcities.com

Highlight’s from Today’s Events:

-AIANY / Center for Architecture
Between the Clocks: Park Avenue South from Grand Central to Union Square –
10:30am-12:30pm
Between the exuberant clock on the façade of Grand Central Terminal and the modern interpretation of time on the façade at the end of Park Avenue South lies an encyclopedia of the architecture of New York City. Urban and architectural issues will be discussed including zoning, the Manhattan grid, bonus plazas, class A and Class B office buildings, and façade organizing principles.

Dwell
Dwell on Design NY 2014 Home Tours / 10:00am-4:00pm
For the third consecutive year, Dwell Home Tours take place across Manhattan on Saturday, October 11. It’s a rare opportunity to experience a group of private homes curated by Dwell’s editors, from a converted industrial building in Tribeca to a green renovation in Harlem. Dwell Home Tours allow design seekers to immerse themselves in “Dwell-like” domestic spaces.

The Municipal Art Society of New York
Walking Tour: Art Wars: The Founding of the Met, MoMA, and the Whitney / 2:00pm
This tour with popular Jane’s Walk host and Grand Central docent Deborah Zelcer will focus on how the keepers of our first cultural collections defined art and decided what would or would not hang within their walls.

editor’s note: a 2nd hard drive failure in 7 months (what’s going on here Apple!) requires a reduction in daily event info on this site until the hardware issues have been resolved. while we use borrowed equipment and until further notice, the daily “Fab 5” is now the “Top 3”. we look forward to restoring full service soon.

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors, where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================================

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 – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

Current Exhibitions recommended by the NYT critics:

Roxy Paine: ‘Denuded Lens’ (through Oct. 18)
The main attraction is a spectacular, life-size diorama representing an airport security gateway with X-ray machinery, conveyors, plastic bins and so forth, all replicated in wood. Furthermore, it’s all been rendered in perspective: objects get smaller toward the back end, and right angles are skewed so that the whole tableau seems to exist between two and three dimensions. It induces a dreamy, slightly dizzying sensation. Marianne Boesky Gallery, 509 West 24th Street, 212-680-9889, marianneboeskygallery.com. (Johnson)

Lily van der Stokker: ‘Huh’ (through Oct. 18)
LvdStokker_KoenigClintonInstallationView5_72DPI.-700x539Cartoonish, subversive and irrepressible, the latest painting-drawing-sculpture installation from this ingenious Dutch artist is all Pepto-girly pink and spiced with mixed signals of longing, conflict and complacency. Set in the bathroom — a space shared by home and studio — it meditates on the illusion of equality between the sexes, and artists in general. The resulting mood of asexual delusion is shattered by a single shop sign. Koenig & Clinton, 459 West 19th Street, 212-334-9255, koenigandclinton.com. (Smith)

Jim Shaw: ‘I Only Wanted You to Love Me’ (through Oct. 25)
MP_SHAW_Install_023This uncannily imaginative Los Angeles painter and sculptor has what the Romantic poet John Keats called negative capability: the ability to be “in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.” He also has exceptional drawing and graphic skills, an expansive sense of humor, an acute moral compass and a connoisseurial eye for weird kitsch. This show of dizzyingly complex, Pop-Surrealist, mural-scale paintings is one of his best New York outings ever. Metro Pictures, 519 West 24th Street, 212-206-7100, metropicturesgallery.com. (Johnson)

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (10/07) and (10/09).
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Selected Events + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Tribeca (10/10)

Posted on 10/10/2014 by GregD

Today’s “TOP 3″/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, OCT. 10, 2014
“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.”

Hugh Masakela+Vusi Mahlasela
“Ubuntu: Music and Arts of South Africa”

“This year, the 20th anniversary of South African democracy’s beginning and apartheid’s end, Carnegie Hall wrestles with that legacy in an ambitious, month-long festival dedicated to the music and culture of South Africa. The programming ranges from jazz and classical to traditional and pop, and includes both South African stars—the male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and jazz greats Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim —and music rarely heard in the U.S., like that from the Cape Malay community, based in Cape Town. Paul Simon and Dave Matthews, who was born in South Africa, will also make appearances.” (WSJ)

for the full festival schedule see: www.carnegiehall.org/ubuntu/

“Mr. Masekela, the South African fluegelhorn player, is among the most statesman-like of jazz musicians, a melodist forever aware of his transaction with an audience. He will perform on Friday night with the singer-songwriter and activist Vusi Mahlasela at Carnegie Hall as part of its UBUNTU: Music and Arts of South Africa festival. They will also be joined by Dave Matthews and Somi in this celebration of 20 years of democracy and the end of apartheid in South Africa.” (NYT)
Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall,
212-247-7800, carnegiehall.org
at 8 p.m./ limited ticket availability.

Archtober / October 1–31
“To New York City’s architects and building buffs, October is Archtober, or Architecture and Design Month. For 31 days, the City’s design community opens its doors for more than 150 tours, lectures, films and celebrations, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that give this metropolis its distinct character.” (nycgo.com)
For a complete calendar see: archtober.org/2014-calendar
For “20 Great Events to Check out at 2014 Archtober Festival in NYC” see: untappedcities.com

Highlight’s from Today’s Events:

Building of the Day: The Barbarian Group / 11:00am
The Barbarian Group, a new generation internet advertising agency, required a workspace design that would foster collaboration and transparency in their growing company, and challenge their creativity. They leased a 23,000 SF loft in the New York garment district to house their 125 employees which we surgically gutted to create a large open space. Since […]

American Society of Landscape Achitects, New York Chapter
Insider’s Tour of Washington Square and Union Square Parks / 3:00pm-5:00pm
Many of NYC’s parks have undergone dramatic transformations over the past few decades. Adrian Benepe, former Parks Dept. Commissioner, will lead a tour of two of the city’s most historic and famous parks focusing on his own experiences working to improve NYC’s parks and surrounding neighborhoods.

Tom Harrell Quintet (through Sunday)
“The trumpeter Tom Harrell favors a precise but shadowy sort of post-bop, sonorous and warm and alert. This weekend he leads an excellent quintet with Wayne Escoffery on saxophone, Danny Grissett on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St., West Village,
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m./ $25 and $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum

editor’s note: a 2nd hard drive failure in 7 months (what’s going on here Apple!) requires a reduction in daily event info on this site until the hardware issues have been resolved. while we use borrowed equipment and until further notice, the daily “Fab 5” is now the “Top 3”. we look forward to restoring full service soon.

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors, where 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

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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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Selected Events + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue (10/09)

Posted on 10/09/2014 by GregD

Today’s “TOP 2″/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, OCT. 09, 2014
“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.”

Archtober / October 1–31

“To New York City’s architects and building buffs, October is Archtober, or Architecture and Design Month. For 31 days, the City’s design community opens its doors for more than 150 tours, lectures, films and celebrations, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that give this metropolis its distinct character.” (nycgo.com)
For a complete calendar see: archtober.org/2014-calendar
For “20 Great Events to Check out at 2014 Archtober Festival in NYC” see: untappedcities.com

Highlight’s from Today’s Events:

Building of the Day: Kickstarter / 12:00
This 29,000 SF adaptive re-use of one of Greenpoint’s landmarked pencil factories provides a multi-functional work environment for all of Kickstarter’s 120 employees and operations. The design includes an 8,500sf habitable green roof and 17-ft high interior spaces which house a gallery, a theater, offices, conference rooms, indoor bicycle parking, cafeteria and library. Steel trusses […]

-Institute of Classical Architecture & Art
The Artful Campus: Part I / 6:30pm-8:00pm
New York City boasts two premier examples of campus design by McKim, Mead, & White: Columbia University and Bronx Community College. Join Thomas Noble, Senior Designer at Allan Greenberg Architect, LLC, as he examines the artful approach to the design of these two campuses within the context of the late 19th century reinvention of American architecture.

-Bernard & Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at City College of New York
Jordi Fauli Fall 2014 Sciame Lecture Series on Gaudí’s Unfinished Masterpiece: The Sagrada Família Church / 6:30pm-8:30pm
A lecture series on Gaudí’s work. Gaudí’s masterwork, The Sagrada Família Church in Barcelona is a design across time. Gaudí redesigned the church & oversaw the construction through the late 1920’s. The work both by Antoni Gaudí & the current team have produced an astonishing level of design.

Nicholas Payton Trio (through Oct. 12)
“A trumpeter of incisive prowess — and, in recent seasons, dauntless provocation — Nicholas Payton has often sounded best in the sparest settings, which bodes well for this engagement. Working with no pianist, he’ll lead a trio with two veteran collaborators, the bassist Vicente Archer and the drummer Bill Stewart.” (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St and Broadway,
212-258-9595, jalc.org
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m./$35 to $45, with a $10 minimum

editor’s note: a 2nd hard drive failure in 7 months (what’s going on here Apple!) requires a reduction in daily event info on this site until the hardware issues have been resolved. while we use borrowed equipment and until further notice, the daily “Fab 5” is now the “Top 2”. we look forward to restoring full service soon.

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors, where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================================

What’s on View:
Special Exhibitions @ 3 Museum Mile / Fifth Ave. Museums:
‘The Pre-Raphaelite Legacy’ (through Oct. 26)
‘Early American Guitars: The Instruments of C.F. Martin’ (through Dec. 7)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, at 82nd St.
(212) 535-7710 / metmuseum.org
—————————————————————————————————————————————-

‘Men in Armor: El Greco and Pulzone Face to Face’ (through Oct. 26)
Scipione_Pulzone_Jacopo_Boncompagni_1574_2000The 400th anniversary celebration of El Greco’s death begins with a stunning clarification of the youthful greatness of his portrait “Vincenzo Anastagi” — a Frick Collection stalwart — that also teaches much about radicalism, fame and painting. This is done simply by pairing it with the obsessively detailed “Jacopo Boncompagni,” a rarely seen portrait by Scipione Pulzone, the now-forgotten artist of the moment in 1570s Rome, where both works were made. (Roberta Smith-NYT)
Frick Collection: 1 East 70th St. (btw 5th/Madison)
212-288-0700, frick.org.
——————————————————————————————————————————-

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.
Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th St.
(212) 423-3500 / guggenheim.org.

========================================================== 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: “NYCity Events: Manhattan’s WestSide” dated 10/07 and 10/05.
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Selected Events + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide (10/07)

Posted on 10/07/2014 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, OCT. 07, 2014
“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.”

Betty Buckley (through Oct. 11)
14733900“The return of the much-missed Betty Buckley — with six concerts at Joe’s Pub in support of her superior pop album, “Ghostlight,” is a special occasion. The record, produced by her fellow Texan, T-Bone Burnett, touches all four corners of Ms. Buckley’s complicated sensibility: the Texan country girl, the Broadway diva, the New Age jazz singer and the aficionado of great, offbeat pop songs. The songwriters include Abbey Lincoln, Tom Waits, Jacques Brel and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Tuesday through Oct. 11 at 7 p.m., with a 9 p.m. set on Thursday and Oct. 11.” (NYT)
Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place
212-967-7555, joespub.com; $25 to $75.

 

Archtober / October 1–31
“To New York City’s architects and building buffs, October is Archtober, or Architecture and Design Month. For 31 days, the City’s design community opens its doors for more than 150 tours, lectures, films and celebrations, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that give this metropolis its distinct character.” (nycgo.com)
For a complete calendar try: archtober.org/2014-calendar
For “20 Great Events to Check out at 2014 Archtober Festival in NYC” try: untappedcities.com

Highlight’s from Today’s Events:
Building of the Day: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at JFK / 1:30pm
Tour Guides: Jeremy Brown. Senior Design Manager – Customer Experience, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.; Hayes Slade, AIA; James Slade, AIA, LEED-AP; Callie Tedder-Hares, Senior Designer, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd and Clementina Cracroft, US Regional Clubhouse Manager, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. Price: $10 All attendees must register online and send names and birthdates to Julia Cohen, Archtober […]

Center for Architecture Foundation
What to Expect When You’re Renovating / 6:00pm-8:00pm
Aimed at homeowners contemplating a renovation project, this informative 2-hour session provides an overview of the process of renovating an apartment in NYC, from start to finish. Whether you are planning a kitchen redo or a more substantial addition or gut renovation, your project will go more smoothly if you know how the process works and what to anticipate before you get started.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
National Design Awards Winners’ Panel / 7:00pm-8:30pm
A panel discussion with 2014 National Design Award winners about their inspiration and drive as designers. Panelists include John Edson (LUNAR), Aaron Koblin, Narciso Rodriguez, and Robin Standefer (Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors).

Evan Christopher
“The New Orleans resident is one of the world’s major clarinetists, a musician who regards the Crescent City as the uppermost area of the Caribbean and plays accordingly, bringing a Jamaican-Haitian accent to traditional jazz and swing. On Tuesday Mr. Christopher joins forces with the excellent pianist Eli Yamin and the seriously superior blues singer Catherine Russell in a benefit for the Jazz Drama Program at the DiMenna Center.” (WSJ-Will Friedwald)
Mary Cary Flagler Hall at The DiMenna Center
450 West 450 37th St. (btw 9/10 ave)
Wine, beer and hors d’oeuvre will be served and guests will have an opportunity to interact with the artists and a newly created Nora’s Ark made of recycled materials…
6:30PM / Admission is $150, $100 is considered a tax deductible contribution.

Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood+Mac+2014+a“Calling this tour “On With the Show” is significant for Fleetwood Mac in more ways than one. Following their 2013 tour, bassist and founding member John McVie was diagnosed with cancer. Within a few months, former keyboardist and singer Christine McVie announced her return to the Mac after spending years away due to a crippling fear of flying. Very little can keep this classic band down, and their trials are used as fuel for their material.

Just look at Rumours, their legendary ’77 album all about the two nasty splits between the pair of romantic couples in the band. Even after so bitingly addressing their love issues and heartbreak on songs that they would make their exes play alongside them for decades to come, the members of the group’s original lineup always find a way back to one another. Guess you can’t go your own way for too long.” (Brittany Spanos-VillageVoice)
Madison Square Garden,
866-858-0008, thegarden.com
At 8 p.m./ $49.50 to $199.50.

Elsewhere, but looks worth the detour:

Marlo+Thomas+Matt+Lauer+Marlo+Thomas+Outside+AjD5PkG12U-l‘The Visionary: Marlo Thomas,
TV’s First Independent Woman’
“Ms. Thomas, who created, produced and starred in “That Girl,” the 1960s television comedy about a young actress living and working in New York City, will talk about the show’s influence on the women’s liberation movement with Gloria Steinem — one of the leaders of that movement — and Debra Messing, an actress now appearing in the NBC series “The Mysteries of Laura.” (NYT)
Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Avenue at 37th Street, Astoria, Queens,
718-784-0077, movingimage.us
At 7 p.m. / $25, $15 for 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 is a big town with many visitors, where 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 wonderful Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

American Folk Art Museum:
Fasanella-Bridges‘Ralph Fasanella: Lest We Forget’ (through Nov. 30) The centenary of the birth of this formidable self-taught urban visionary, activist and New Yorker is celebrated with a riveting selection of his largest, most epic paintings. Their teeming compositions crowd searing events from 20th-century American life into complex amalgams of time, space and color and conduct a fertile exchange with the museum’s Willem van Genk show. 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue at 66th Street, 212-595-9533, folkartmuseum.org. (Roberta Smith)

van_genk‘Willem van Genk: Mind Traffic’ (through Nov. 30) Brilliantly paired with the Ralph Fasanella exhibition, the American solo debut of this outstanding Dutch artist, who died in 2005 at 78, adds a bright star to the outsider firmament. A draftsman of extraordinary talent, a hoarder and mystic obsessed with maps, travel and transportation, van Genk obsessively recycled found imagery and materials and his own drawings into collages and fanatically textured paintings that convey the sights, sounds and very static of modern life. 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue at 66th Street, 212-595-9533, folkartmuseum.org. (Smith)

Museum of Arts and Design:
‘NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial’ (through Oct. 12) This plunge into the biennial format makes a big, messy splash sampling the visual culture across the city, whether opera set design, art or new technologies. An expansive, invigorating move, it still contains too much that is fun, cute, clutter-making or useless, aimed at those with plenty of disposable income and homes to decorate. 2 Columbus Circle, 212-299-7777, madmuseum.org. (Smith)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘Designing Modern Women 1890-1990’ (through Oct. 19) Shoehorned into half the museum’s design department, this conversation-starting display of objects from MoMA’s permanent collection features items designed by more than 60 women, many of whom worked with male partners. Some, like Marianne Brandt and Eileen Gray, are well known to design aficionados, but most will be unfamiliar to a general audience. Most objects were created for domestic consumption. The pièce de résistance is a kitchen designed by Charlotte Perriand for the apartments in Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation in Marseille, France. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Johnson)

‘Christopher Williams: The Production Line of Happiness’ (through Nov. 2) This meticulously considered and assembled survey of one of the deepest thinkers of the Pictures Generation is as beautiful as it is demanding. No aspect of photography — as art, craft, science or commerce — or of exhibition-making has been left unturned, yielding a show that is a big, brainy work of art unto itself. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Smith)

‘A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio’ (through Nov. 2) This mostly lively if repetitive overview traces the history of photography as the Modern never has — with images taken in the studio rather than out in the world. Its roughly 180 works span 160 years and represent some 90 portraitists, commercial photographers, lovers of still life, darkroom experimenters, Conceptual artists and several generations of postmodernists. Including film and video, it offers much to look at but dwells too much in the past, becoming increasingly blinkered and cautious as it approaches the present. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Smith)

107508‘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)

New-York Historical Society:
‘A Brief History of New York: Selections From ‘A History of New York in 101 Objects’ (through Nov. 30) Every object tells a story. If New York City is or ever was your home, you’ll find 30 eloquent items in this absorbing, jewel box of an exhibition based on “A History of New York in 101 Objects,” a new book by Sam Roberts, an urban affairs correspondent for The New York Times. Illuminated behind glass walls is an intriguingly eclectic collection, including an arrowhead, a short section of the first transatlantic cable, the pink rubber ball called the Spaldeen and a jar containing dust gathered from near the World Trade Center shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org. (Johnson)

Skyscraper Museum:
TS84_IntroWall‘Times Square, 1984: The Postmodern Moment’ (through Jan. 18) In this smart, pithy show, 20 architectural panels capture the essence of another show, the “Times Tower Site Competition” held by New York’s Municipal Art Society 30 years ago, when over 500 architects made proposals for the famous triangular site in Times Square. Philip Johnson and John Burgee were proposing a suave 4.2 million-square-foot ensemble of four skyscrapers that would help “clean up” the surrounding urban squalor, and they favored an open square at the center of their project. The Municipal Art Society protested the proposal by asking for alternatives to replace the Times Tower. The dispute proved a turning point in New York’s urban history and, more broadly, in American architectural history, as the postmodernism of the Johnson towers gave way to a highly eclectic, free-for-all postmodernism devoid of his mansards or triumphal arches. 39 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, 212-968-1961, skyscraper.org. (Joseph Giovannini)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (10/03) and (10/05).
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Events + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Upper WestSide (10/06)

Posted on 10/06/2014 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, OCT. 06, 2014
“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.”

Fleetwood Mac (also Tuesday)
Fleetwood+Mac+2014+a“Calling this tour “On With the Show” is significant for Fleetwood Mac in more ways than one. Following their 2013 tour, bassist and founding member John McVie was diagnosed with cancer. Within a few months, former keyboardist and singer Christine McVie announced her return to the Mac after spending years away due to a crippling fear of flying. Very little can keep this classic band down, and their trials are used as fuel for their material.

Just look at Rumours, their legendary ’77 album all about the two nasty splits between the pair of romantic couples in the band. Even after so bitingly addressing their love issues and heartbreak on songs that they would make their exes play alongside them for decades to come, the members of the group’s original lineup always find a way back to one another. Guess you can’t go your own way for too long.” (Brittany Spanos-VillageVoice)
Madison Square Garden,
866-858-0008, thegarden.com
At 8 p.m./ $49.50 to $199.50.

Christine Pedi
“This most versatile of entertainers has been doing many things for many years; hosting for SiriusXM Radio, baking ziti for Bobby Baccalieri on “The Sopranos,” and running a prison full of merry murderesses in Broadway’s “Chicago.” She’s also been “doing” many people, in shows like “Forbidden Broadway” and “NEWSical The Musical,” in which she specializes in uncannily accurate (and hysterical) impressions of larger-than-life divas from Liza Minnelli and Bernadette Peters to Lady Gaga.

This particular show, however, is timed to the release of her new album, “Good to Mama,” and will spotlight her outstanding singing more than the other aspects of her talent. However, Miss Pedi has such an irrepressible sense of humor that you can rest assured Monday’s show will include no shortage of laughs.” (WSJ-WillFriedwald)
Birdland, 315 W 44th St., (btw 8/9 ave.)
At 7PM / $25, +$10 food/drink minimum
birdlandjazz.com

New York Super Week (through Oct. 12).
“Last year, New York Comic Con drew more than 130,000 fans to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center over four days (up from 30,000 in 2006, its inaugural year). The demand for this gathering is now so great that it is no wonder that ReedPop, the company that organizes it, has put together a sister festival, New York Super Week, to celebrate pop culture at venues around the city. Here is a selective guide to Super Week. Get your tickets early. New York Comic Con (next Thursday to Sunday) is mostly sold out; only Thursday tickets ($35) were available at press time.” (NYT-GeorgeGustines)

MONDAY: The title says it all: “Celebrity Karaoke: An Epic Evening With the Stars.” Songs from Broadway performers, including James Iglehart (the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin”), and aspiring amateurs.
Hard Rock Cafe, 1501 Broadway (btw 43rd and 44th St.)
7 p.m./ $35-$50

Metropolitan Museum of Art:
Marty Stuart, Steve Miller and Laurence Juber in Concert
“More than 20 guitars made by the 19th-century German-born craftsman Christian Frederick Martin are included in “Early American Guitars: The Instruments of C.F. Martin,” a display of vintage instruments drawn from the museum’s permanent collection (as well as the Martin Guitar Museum in Nazareth, Pa., and private collections) that include a 1939 model that was played by Eric Clapton; the exhibition will be up through Dec. 7.

A related concert is planned on Monday at 7 p.m. with the country musician Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives as well as the rock guitarist Steve Miller and Laurence Juber, lead guitarist of Wings.” (NYT)
Tickets are $65. Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.,
212-535-7710, metmuseum.org; suggested admission: $25, $17 for 65+,

Archtober / October 1–31
“To New York City’s architects and building buffs, October is Archtober, or Architecture and Design Month. For 31 days, the City’s design community opens its doors for more than 150 tours, lectures, films and celebrations, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that give this metropolis its distinct character.” (nycgo.com)
For a complete calendar try: archtober.org/2014-calendar
For “20 Great Events to Check out at 2014 Archtober Festival in NYC”
try: untappedcities.com

Highlight’s from Today’s Events:

Building of the Day: Tavern on the Green / 10:00am
Michael Patrick Finley
Originally designed as a sheepfold with caretaker’s housing by Jacob Wrey Mould in 1871, Tavern on the Green is one of the city’s finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture and one of the park’s most treasured landmark buildings. Sixty years later, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses relocated the sheep to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and converted […]

Museum of the City of New York
A New Terminal Under Grand Central: The East Side Access Project / 6:30pm-8:30pm
Join architect Frank Prial Jr., AIA, MTA Program Manager Douglas Tilden, MTA Associate Director of Planning Jack Dean, LIRR Chief Planning Officer Elisa Picca, Edith Hsu-Chen, Director for Manhattan Borough at City Planning, and moderator Maxinne Leighton, Ass. AIA, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. for a talk about the East Side Access Project, one of the nation’s largest transportation infrastructures.

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors, where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================================

A PremierPub – Upper West Side

Dinosaur / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Selected Events + Gallery Special Exhibits: Chelsea (10/05)

Posted on 10/05/2014 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, OCT. 05, 2014
“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.”

Lincoln Center Autumn Crafts Festival (also Oct. 11-12.)
This festival in its 25th year, will feature 250 displays in Hearst Plaza, Columbus Avenue and 64th Street, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. craftsatlincoln.org

Ravi Coltrane Quartet
e190bc_6c55b3343eee4b1dbeb889a74c081788.jpg_srz_406_270_85_22_0.50_1.20_0“A tenor and soprano saxophonist with a dry tone and a sleek but undemonstrative style, Ravi Coltrane leads a quartet with several sharp-minded partners: the young Cuban pianist David Virelles, the bassist Dezron Douglas and the drummer Johnathan Blake. “ (Chinen-NYT)

x
VillageVanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St., West Village,
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. / $25 and $30 cover, with a $10 minimum

Tony DeSare, ‘Night Life’
“The singer-pianist’s key role models, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, both recorded many classic ballad albums, but as far as is known, never attempted what Mr. DeSare is doing this week at 54, which is to do an entire show of romantic ballads in a nocturnal mood. He departs from the general theme occasionally, as in “Sabre Dance Boogie,” Lou Busch ’s finger-busting adaptation of Khachaturian’s balletic warhorse.

Mr. DeSare is especially skillful at expanding the general crooner’s canon, when he interprets more modern songs that Cole or Sinatra would never have done, but, as he shows, should have considered, like Willie Nelson ’s “Night Life” and Bob Dylan ’s “To Make You Feel My Love.” (WSJ- Will Friedwald)
54 Below, 254 W. 54th St. (btw Broadway/8th ave)
7PM / $35-$45, with a $25 minimum.
646-476-3551 / 54below.com

Marilyn Crispell and Raymond MacDonald
Guy-Crispell-Lytton -An Odyssey in Music“Ms. Crispell, a veteran pianist equally celebrated for aggressive atonality and delicate lyricism, teams up with Mr. MacDonald, a well-traveled Scottish saxophonist, on “Parallel Moments” (Babel), their dry but lyrically engaging new album. Here they reunite for a duo concert as part of the Sound It Out series.” (Chinen-NYT)

x
Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow Street, West Village,
212-242-4770, greenwichhouse.org
At 8 p.m. / $20

Archtober / October 1–31
To New York City’s architects and building buffs, October is Archtober, or Architecture and Design Month. For 31 days, the City’s design community opens its doors for more than 150 tours, lectures, films and celebrations, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that give this metropolis its distinct character.

One feature is a rotating “building of the day”—among the honorees this month are Queens’ Glen Oaks Branch Library, the 9/11 Memorial Museum in Lower Manhattan and Kings County Distillery at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. (nycgo.com)
For a complete calendar try: archtober.org/2014-calendar
For “20 Great Events to Check out at 2014 Archtober Festival in NYC” (this is outstanding) try: untappedcities.com

Highlight’s from Today’s Events:
The Municipal Art Society of New York
Walking Tour: Grand Concourse in the Bronx / 11:00am
Join urban planner and lifelong Bronx resident Sam Goodman to learn more about one of New York City’s most celebrated boulevards; the Grand Concourse of Bronx County.

Building of the Day: Sportime/John McEnroe Tennis Academy / 12:00
Norman McGrath
The Sportime/John McEnroe Tennis Academy is the largest public tennis facility built in New York City in half a century. The project is a key component of the redevelopment of Randall’s Island into a city wide destination for sports and active recreation. Built on a six acre site, the design includes a 20-court complex with […]

The Municipal Art Society of New York
Walking Tour: Art Deco on Central Park West / 2:00pm
Take a pleasant stroll along Central Park West with architectural historian Anthony W. Robins for a closer look at the buildings that form Manhattan’s major residential skyline.

AIANY / Classic Harbor Line
AIANY Lower Manhattan Architecture Boat Tour / 5:00pm
While viewing the major sites of Lower Manhattan aboard Classic Harbor Line’s elegant yachts, attendees pass beneath the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges. AIANY guides discuss historic monuments, more recent waterfront architecture, infrastructure and more. Continuing education credits and additional dates are available

Elsewhere, but I am curious about this:

Rogue Taxidermy Fair & Book Release
imageArtist Robert Marbury is your guide to all things macabre at this taxidermy celebration of Taxidermy Art: A Rogue’s Guide to the Work, the Culture, and How to Do It Yourself, the first survey of the bizarre art movement. You’ll see martini-sipping monkeys, jewel-encrusted piglets and even a live demo by taxidermist Katie Innamorato. Check out booths from organizations such as Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists and the popular Brooklyn spot Morbid Anatomy Museum. Stick around for a dance, soundtracked by the Lucky Chops Brass Band.
x
The Bell House, 149 7th St. Gowanus, Bklyn (btw Second and Third Aves.)
3pm / $10-$30
718-643-6510 / thebellhouseny.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 is a big town with many visitors, where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================================

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 – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

Current Exhibitions recommended by the NYT critics:

Roxy Paine: ‘Denuded Lens’ (through Oct. 18)
The main attraction is a spectacular, life-size diorama representing an airport security gateway with X-ray machinery, conveyors, plastic bins and so forth, all replicated in wood. Furthermore, it’s all been rendered in perspective: objects get smaller toward the back end, and right angles are skewed so that the whole tableau seems to exist between two and three dimensions. It induces a dreamy, slightly dizzying sensation. Marianne Boesky Gallery, 509 West 24th Street, 212-680-9889, marianneboeskygallery.com. (Johnson)

Lily van der Stokker: ‘Huh’ (through Oct. 18)
LvdStokker_KoenigClintonInstallationView5_72DPI.-700x539Cartoonish, subversive and irrepressible, the latest painting-drawing-sculpture installation from this ingenious Dutch artist is all Pepto-girly pink and spiced with mixed signals of longing, conflict and complacency. Set in the bathroom — a space shared by home and studio — it meditates on the illusion of equality between the sexes, and artists in general. The resulting mood of asexual delusion is shattered by a single shop sign. Koenig & Clinton, 459 West 19th Street, 212-334-9255, koenigandclinton.com. (Smith)

Jim Shaw: ‘I Only Wanted You to Love Me’ (through Oct. 25)
MP_SHAW_Install_023This uncannily imaginative Los Angeles painter and sculptor has what the Romantic poet John Keats called negative capability: the ability to be “in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.” He also has exceptional drawing and graphic skills, an expansive sense of humor, an acute moral compass and a connoisseurial eye for weird kitsch. This show of dizzyingly complex, Pop-Surrealist, mural-scale paintings is one of his best New York outings ever. Metro Pictures, 519 West 24th Street, 212-206-7100, metropicturesgallery.com. (Johnson)

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (10/03) and (10/01).
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on 10/04/2014 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, OCT. 04, 2014
“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.”

Ancient Chinese Arts Today: Ribbon Dancing
Children will discover the art and athleticism of ribbon dancing, a thousand-year-old art that is performed during times of celebration in China. This tradition has now spread far beyond the borders of China and is being enjoyed by people all across the globe. Families will explore the fascinating history of trade and immigration between China and the United States in the exhibition Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion and take part in keeping the ancient art of ribbon dancing alive through a class led by a professional dancer from the New York Chinese Cultural Center. During the lesson, children will learn ribbon dancing techniques along with some simple Chinese vocabulary.
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West
Adults $19; Children $15 / 2:00pm
212-873-3400

Cosi Fan Tutte
Love and Seduction.

Ferrando and Guglielmo two young officers discuss the true faithfulmess of their fiancees, Fiordilgo and Dorabella. A cynical man, Don Alfonso, joins in their conversation and bets them that if they give him one day’s time, he can prove to them that all women are fickle.
The production directed by Tony-nominated Hope Clarke will feature Martin Bakari as Ferrando, Anthony Turner as Guglielmo and Stefan Szkafarowsky as the manipulative Don Alfonso. The performance will be staged with orchestra.
Aaron Davis Hall, West 135th Street & Convent Ave.
$25 / 7:00pm

‘Irish Film New York’ (through Sunday)
Here is something for a rainy day.
“A day devoted to the career of the director Jim Sheridan is a highlight of this festival.  A discussion with Mr. Sheridan, on Saturday at 7 p.m., will be followed by a screening of “In America” (2002), and preceded by “My Left Foot” (1989), at 1 p.m., and “In the Name of the Father” (1993), at 3:30 p.m. Other films at the festival include “Love Eternal,” by Brendan Muldowney (Saturday at 6 p.m.); and “Out of Here,” by Donal Foreman (Sunday at 7 p.m.). A schedule is at irishfilmnyc.com; screenings are $12, $10 for students, $8 for New York University students and members; festival passes are $50, $40 for members and students. Tickets to Saturday’s talk, $15, include the post-discussion screening.” (NYT)
Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Greenwich Village

Chick Corea & the Vigil (through Sunday)
With “The Vigil,” released last year, the keyboardist Chick Corea began another chapter in his fusion odyssey, exploring mytho-cosmic themes with an ace young band. This run will likewise feature the guitarist Charles Altura, the saxophonist Tim Garland, the bassist Carlitos Del Puerto, the drummer Marcus Gilmore and the percussionist Luisito Quintero.” (Chinen-NYT)
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
212-475-8592, bluenote.net;
At 8 and 10:30 p.m. / $65 and $75 cover at tables, $45 at the bar, with a $5 minimum.

Elsewhere, but looks worth the detour:

“¡Viva Brooklyn!”
“The Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays programs start each month with an evening of free activities and entertainment. The next one is a celebration of the borough’s Latino communities.

Highlights include live music by Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and his youth orchestra, Fat Afro Latin Jazz Cats, La Mecánica Popular, and Los Rakas; interactive performances by the artists Miguel Luciano, who’s showing “Pimp My Piragua,” his mobile art project commemorating Latino street venders, and Caecilia Tripp, who will present her project “Music for (Prepared) Bicycles”’; dance by Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana; a pop-up social club featuring specialty cocktails and offering salsa and rhumba lessons, provided by Global Rhythms; and an interactive mural by the artist Don Rimx, presented by Brooklyn Street Art.

There will also be gallery talks by Latino artists, a hands-on Mayan art class, and a lecture by the filmmaker William Caballero.” (NewYorker)
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway.
brooklynmuseum.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 is a big town with many visitors, where 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/W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’ ”.

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

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

There is also a good selection of 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, bbq, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, vegetarian / falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars – – no reservations needed. ================================================================================

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99, available Fall 2014).

Order before December 31, 2014 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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

Selected Events + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue (10/03)

Posted on 10/03/2014 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, OCT. 03, 2014
“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 Super Week
“Last year, New York Comic Con drew more than 130,000 fans to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center over four days (up from 30,000 in 2006, its inaugural year). The demand for this gathering is now so great that it is no wonder that ReedPop, the company that organizes it, has put together a sister festival, New York Super Week, to celebrate pop culture at venues around the city.

Here is a selective guide to Super Week (Friday through Oct. 12). Get your tickets early. New York Comic Con (next Thursday to Sunday) is mostly sold out; only Thursday tickets ($35) were available at press time.” (NYT-GEORGE GENE GUSTINES)
FRIDAY: Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium and host of “Cosmos,” will appear at the Hammerstein Ballroom with his popular radio program “StarTalk Live!” The comedian Eugene Mirman will co-host, with the author Malcolm Gladwell and the comedian Wyatt Cenac joining them;
Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 West 34th St. (btw 8/9 ave)
8 p.m. / $35-$55.

Fall Open House – Schomburg Center
“Part of the center’s First Friday series of free events, this evening will include extended gallery hours, refreshments and a performance and discussion with the poet and performance artist Jessica Care Moore and the musician Greg Tate.

Current exhibitions include “i found god in myself: The 40th Anniversary of Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls,” with artworks based on that literary work; “Going Home, Coming Home: Remembering,” a display of photographs, manuscripts and artwork honoring notable figures who died this year, like Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka and Ruby Dee; “Question Bridge: Black Males,” a transmedia project on black male identity in America; and “The Slave Route,” a historical display about slavery and the slave trade.” (NYT)
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 515 Lenox Avenue, at 135th St.,
At 6 p.m. / FREE
212-491-2206, schomburgcenter.org.

The Birdland Big Band (Guest Conductor, Rob Middleton)
The BBB roars into action every Friday, playing the finest Jazz, Latin and Brazilian music from the world’s best arrangers. After work or before a show, come hear one of the world’s best drummers driving the hardest swinging band in New York.

Kick off your weekend with what critics are calling “the best live music bargain in all of NYC!” Time Out New York called the BBB, “a completely unique experience… there isn’t another band like this anywhere”
Birdland, 315 W 44th St., (btw 8/9 ave.)
At 5:15PM / All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum
birdlandjazz.com

Mary Halvorson’s Reverse Blue
“Thanks to constant work, the guitarist’s ideas are boundless these days. She’s built this quartet around reed player Chris Speed, bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Tomas Fujiwara to enjoy textural gambits and counterpoint experiments. Abstraction is the welcome mat of their new album on the Relative Pitch label, but poignant moments and defined landscapes are always popping up.” (Jim Macnie- VillageVoice)
Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia St. (btw W4th St./BleeckerSt.)
9:00pm & 10:30pm / $10.00, plus $10 minimum.
212-731-0574/corneliastreetcafe.com

Chita Rivera
“She’s just back from Williamstown, where she once again paraded as Claire Zachanassian in the never-quite-gets-to-Manhattan musical, The Visit. In recognition of the classy gig, she’ll tribute its tunesmiths John Kander and Fred Ebb, who’ve written for her several times now. She’s heralding the return as “Chita’s Back,” and, although she may not dance as much as she has in her past cabaret shows, she remains Broadway’s leading spitfire.” (David Finkle-VillageVoice)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9ave)
212-581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com
At 8:30 p.m. / $40.00-$50.00cover, with a $10 minimum.

‘Funland: Pleasures and Perils of the Erotic Fairground’ (through next spring)
“This exhibition, organized by the Conceptual artists Sam Bombas and Harry Parr, explores the eroticism of carnivals and fairs through films and interactive displays. In his review for The New York Times, Edward Rothstein wrote, “though it encloses just 2,000 square feet, with five ‘attractions,’ there is no body part commonly thought private that is not here publicly grasped, modeled or bounced against, with a mixture of vulgarity, playfulness, inventiveness, crudity, childishness and mischievous provocation.” That said, this show is for those 18 and older.” (NYT)
Museum of Sex, 233 Fifth Avenue, at 27th Street,
212-689-6337, museumofsex.com
From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays,
$17.50, or $15.25 for students.

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors, where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================================

What’s on View:
Special Exhibitions @ 3 Museum Mile / Fifth Ave. Museums:
‘The Pre-Raphaelite Legacy’ (through Oct. 26)
‘Early American Guitars: The Instruments of C.F. Martin’ (through Dec. 7)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, at 82nd St.
(212) 535-7710 / metmuseum.org
—————————————————————————————————————————————-

‘Men in Armor: El Greco and Pulzone Face to Face’ (through Oct. 26)
Scipione_Pulzone_Jacopo_Boncompagni_1574_2000The 400th anniversary celebration of El Greco’s death begins with a stunning clarification of the youthful greatness of his portrait “Vincenzo Anastagi” — a Frick Collection stalwart — that also teaches much about radicalism, fame and painting. This is done simply by pairing it with the obsessively detailed “Jacopo Boncompagni,” a rarely seen portrait by Scipione Pulzone, the now-forgotten artist of the moment in 1570s Rome, where both works were made. (Roberta Smith-NYT)
Frick Collection: 1 East 70th St. (btw 5th/Madison)
212-288-0700, frick.org.
——————————————————————————————————————————-

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.
Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th St.
(212) 423-3500 / guggenheim.org.

========================================================== 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: “NYCity Events: Manhattan’s WestSide” dated 10/01 and 09/29.
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Selected Events + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: WestVillage (10/02)

Posted on 10/02/2014 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, OCT. 02, 2014
“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.”

For other useful and curated NYCity info, be sure to check out info in the headers above.
For NYCity Stories, Sights and Sounds visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com

Duchess
“Lately the most overlooked ensemble format in jazz is the vocal harmony group—you’re more likely to hear a band with three drummers or accordionists than a trio comprised of three singers. This recently organized threesome, Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou, devises original arrangements of mostly vintage songs, both familiar and offbeat. They understand that swinging music goes hand in hand with an audacious sense of humor.” (Will Friedwald, WSJ)

Hillary Gardner is one of my fave NYCity jazz singers. But it’s not just me.
This is what Terry Teachout, author of “Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong” and ”Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington” has to say: “…an absolutely first-class singer. She swings effortlessly without making a big deal of it, and she has a knack for hunting down off-center tunes…Yet she’s just as adept at making something fresh and surprising out of an oft-heard chestnut.”
55 BAR, 55 Christopher St. (btw Sixth/Seventh Avenue)
A prohibition era dive bar with live jazz and blues nightly.
7pm / NO COVER
(212 ) 929-9883 / 55bar.co

‘Nerd Nite NYC’
Some fun-yet-smart evening entertainment.
The T-shirts will stay dry during this evening of science questions, drinks and socializing aboard the Frying Pan. Nerd Nite brings three marine-themed presentations:
…Stomatopods: What’s up with those Eyes and why is my Thumb Bleeding?
…..by Dr. Peter Thompson
…A Journey Through Liquid Space: The Disney 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Ride
…..by David Shuff
…The Bizarre War Against Pinball by Seth Porges

Sponsored by the Park and the New York Hall of Science, this event is a precursor to the Submerge! NYC Marine Science Festival, a day of free interactive science activities planned for Oct. 5 at Pier 26, at North Moore Street in Lower Manhattan.
Frying Pan, which is docked at Pier 66, at the Hudson River and West 26th St.
8 p.m. / $10
More details: nysci.org.

Ravi Coltrane Quartet (through Oct. 5)
“Offsetting an analytic nature with a fervid spirit, Coltrane lends an inviting balance to his involving improvisations on tenor and soprano saxophones. His wiry bands have always included able players, and his current quartet’s inclusion of the far-reaching pianist David Virelles is of special interest.” (NewYorker)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St.
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.,/$25 and $30 cover, with a $10 minimum.

NYU Creative Writing Presents: Amy Bloom and Brian Morton
Amy Bloom, a nominee for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, is most recently the author of “Lucky Us” (Random House, 2014).
Brian Morton’s books include Starting Out in the Evening, which received the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and his latest title, “Florence Gordon” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014).
Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House,
58 West 10th St., between 5th and 6th Avenues,
7PM / FREE
212-998-8816

Elsewhere, but looks like a fun detour:

Power Play: Steampunk and the Transit System
At an after-hours event tonight at the New York Transit Museum, explore the Museum’s artifacts from the history of public transportation in New York, including vintage turnstiles and historically-preserved subway cars. A specially-curated selection of items from the Museum of Interesting Things are also included along with an open bar of Victorian-inspired cocktails and live music from NYC gypsy punks Amour Obscur. Reservations are essential.
New York Transit Museum,
…at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn Heights.
From 7 p.m. / $35

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors, where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================================

A PremierPub – West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

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

kac_120405_phude_corner_bistro_bar_1000-600x450

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.
===========================================================================================
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Selected Events + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide (10/01)

Posted on 10/01/2014 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, OCT. 01, 2014
“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.”

For other useful and curated NYCity info, be sure to check out info in the headers above.
For NYCity Stories, Sights and Sounds visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com

Bryan Ferry
“Freshly anointed a Commander of the British Empire by her highness, Queen Elizabeth II, Mr. Ferry retains the haughty stage presence that made him a thrilling frontman of Roxy Music. His suave art-pop is muddled by an excessive number of guest artists and their ensuing solos on his latest disc of originals, “Olympia,” but the record does reunite him with his Roxy archnemesis, Brian Eno. With Dawn Landes.” (Anderson-NYT)
Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, at 74th Street,
212-465-6500, beacontheatre.com;
At 8 p.m. / $59 to $200

David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band
Inspired by the noble jazz pioneers Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton and their colleagues, David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band breathes life and passion into America’s own great art form.

Legendary record producer George Avakian describes the band in this way:
“There has never been a band quite like this one. Most groups, past and present, stick to one style. Some current groups attempt to recreate early recordings in their entirety. These guys do neither. Inspired by divergent bands of the 1920s and 30s, you’ll hear them swing a variety of styles in music by a wide range of composers, always true to the joy and heart of the music.”

Now in its 14th year of residency at Birdland, the weekly post-workday engagement is the city’s best musical bargain! Tuba player David Ostwald leads a rotating lineup that features talents such as clarinetist Anat Cohen, trombonist/vocalist Wycliffe Gordon, pianist Ehud Asherie, drummer Marion Felder and more!
Birdland, 315 W 44th St., (btw 8/9 ave.)
At 5:30PM / $25
birdlandjazz.com

x
Mac Conner: A New York Life (through Jan. 09, 2015)
Mac1McCauley (“Mac”) Conner is considered by many to be one of New York’s original “MAD Men”. Born in 1913, Conner grew up admiring Norman Rockwell magazine covers in his father’s general store. He arrived in New York as a young man to work on wartime Navy publications and stayed on to make a career in the city’s vibrant publishing industry. The exhibition presents Conner’s hand-painted illustrations for advertising campaigns and women’s magazines like Redbook and McCall’s, made during the years after World War II when commercial artists helped to redefine American style and culture.
Museum of City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, at 103rd St.
From 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.,/ $10.
(212) 534-1672 /

Cia. Unión Tanguera (through Oct. 5)
Cia. Unión Tanguera, the celebrated French/Argentinean company, is an ensemble of extraordinary dancers and musicians who weave together sensuality and human emotion through the dance and music of contemporary and traditional Argentinean tango. Set to classic tango recordings and original compositions played live by a quartet of Buenos Aires’ finest musicians, Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night) examines with humor the desires and fears that are revealed in the course of a late-night milonga.
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th St., Chelsea,
at 8p.m./ $10 to $59.
(212) 242-0800 / joyce.org

Chita Rivera (through Friday)
“She’s just back from Williamstown, where she once again paraded as Claire Zachanassian in the never-quite-gets-to-Manhattan musical, The Visit. In recognition of the classy gig, she’ll tribute its tunesmiths John Kander and Fred Ebb, who’ve written for her several times now. She’s heralding the return as “Chita’s Back,” and, although she may not dance as much as she has in her past cabaret shows, she remains Broadway’s leading spitfire.” (David Finkle-VillageVoice)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9ave)
212-581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com
At 8:30 p.m. / $40.00-$50.00cover, with a $10 minimum.

Lonesome George – American Museum of Natural History (through Jan. 4)
“Before a species goes extinct, one animal always has to be the last survivor. For the Pinta Island tortoise, that survivor was the male known as Lonesome George. When he died in June 2012 he was more than 100 years of age, and he has now become the face of the more than 20,000 species of plants and animals around the world currently under threat of extinction.

ipad-art-wide-lonesome20george-420x0The American Museum Of Natural History is now displaying the remains of Lonesome George as part of a new exhibition highlighting Galapagos tortoises, evolution, and the process of extinction.” (DNA info)

Think about it. For 41 years George had been the last of his kind—a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise, living only on Pinta Island—and a zoological celebrity.
Astor Turret, on the AMNH’s fourth floor. 79th St. and Central Park West
From 10 a.m. until 5:45 p.m. / $22.

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors, where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Special Exhibitions @ 2 MUSEUMS (Manhattan’s WestSide)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio’ (through Oct. 5)
Here’s what the NYT said about ‘A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio’
“This mostly lively if repetitive overview traces the history of photography as the Modern never has — with images taken in the studio rather than out in the world. Its roughly 180 works span 160 years and represent some 90 portraitists, commercial photographers, lovers of still life, darkroom experimenters, Conceptual artists and several generations of postmodernists. Including film and video, it offers much to look at but dwells too much in the past, becoming increasingly blinkered and cautious as it approaches the present. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith-NYT)
‘Designing Modern Women 1890-1990’(through Oct. 5)
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W 53rd St. (btw 5th /6th Ave.)
(212) 708-9400 / moma.org.

Designing Modern Women 1890-1990:

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Museum of Arts and Design: ‘NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial’ (through Oct. 12) This plunge into the biennial format makes a big, messy splash sampling the visual culture across the city — whether opera set design, art or new technologies. An expansive, invigorating move, it still contains too much that is fun, cute, clutter-making or useless, aimed at those with plenty of disposable income and homes to decorate.
Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle,
212-299-7777, madmuseum.org. (Smith-NYT)

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (09/23) and (09/21).
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