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

Today’s “Fab 3”/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, JAN. 03, 2014

Let it snow, Let it snow.
Today, more than ever, it will be prudent to contact the venue to see if the show will go on. If not, then a few hot toddies and a good movie from Netflix might make the most sense.

Nutcracker Rouge (through Jan 12, 2014)
Company XIV delivers a sexy Nutcracker for adults

“Even the most traditional “Nutcrackers” are treated as a young woman’s coming-of-age story with either a student or company member as the slipper-throwing mice slayer who saves her prince. Company XIV director Austin McCormick’s “Nutcracker Rouge” is no different…EXCEPT there are no mice, kids or snowflakes. They are not missed.

Pretty Marie Claire (Lauren Careless) gets lost in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve and wanders into a Burlesque House. Why not? They like celebrating, especially when performing their “Waltz of the Flowers” – a genuine waltz dressed in violet and danced with big smiles. The dancing, singing and acrobatic feats McCormick integrates has the same effect as opening presents on Christmas morning. His ability as a choreographer/director is so confident and creative that in the first act he sets dances to Tchaikovsky’s original score and adds an accompanying one from a pastiche of Big Band numbers, the Ellington/Strayhorn “Nutcracker”, and bawdy French songs (translations not necessary).

One example being Candy Cane (Courtney Giannone), who performs with and inside her Cyr wheel to the “Russian Dance” and a ballad about being someone’s candy cane. The second act is when he adds extra delicacies of champagne, macaroons, and cake. The other sweet Marie Claire discovers the Sweet Spot. There’s nothing new with sexing up the classics, but “Nutcracker Rouge” is different.” (Patricia Contino, Flavorpill)
Minetta Lane Theatre, 18-22 Minetta Ln, (btw W3rd St/Bleecker), just E of 6th ave
At 8PM / $48-$124 (ticketmaster says: “not many left tonight”)
companyxiv.com/productions

THE BAD PLUS
A dozen years ago, when this cheeky trio first shook up listeners by tweaking Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and other pop tunes, few would have thought that the group would eventually become comfortable members of the jazz establishment. (An annual New Year’s gig at the Village Vanguard, jazz’s most hallowed hall, is about all the proof anyone could ask for.) To their credit, the pianist Ethan Iverson, the bassist Reid Anderson, and the drummer Dave King hew closer to the left of center than this would suggest.
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St.
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m./ $25 and $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
(212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com

Marcus Strickland Quartet
As on the second disc of his most recent album, “Triumph of the Heavy,” the saxophonist Marcus Strickland pursues a streamlined take on postbop with a rhythm section of the pianist David Bryant; the bassist Ben Williams; and the drummer E.J. Strickland, Mr. Strickland’s twin brother.
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th ST. (Chinen-NYT)
At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m. / $38 cover.
(212) 864-6662, smokejazz.com

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – 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.

No food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip to Harlem totally worthwhile.

This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in an 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 door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of all 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 Mississippi 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. 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 humongous 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 Hwy, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner.

Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: M-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 10:00pm
Subway: #1 to 125th st
Walk 2 blk W on 125th to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway

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

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, JAN. 02, 2014

New York Boat Show (through Jan. 5)
“They say that the two happiest days in a boat owner’s life are the day the craft is bought and the day it’s sold. This annual gathering at the Javits Center gives would-be buyers a chance to extend that initial pleasure, as it presents hundreds of fibreglass wonders, from motor yachts to sailboats. A number of activities are planned, too, including appearances by Captain Dave Carraro, from National Geographic’s series “Wicked Tuna,” and by Jeff Quattrocchi, who calls himself the Swampmaster, who will handle an eight-foot, two-hundred-pound alligator armed with nothing more than his hands and a clip-on microphone.

There will also be an interactive boating simulator, hands-on workshops about engine repair, rope-tying tutorials, fishing seminars, and presentations about financing and insurance.” (NewYorker mag)
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th St.
from noon to 9 p.m./ $15; 15 and younger, free with an adult.
(212) 216-2000, javitscenter.com

Holiday Market / Train Show
The Holiday Shops are just part of the seasonal events in Bryant Park, at Avenue of the Americas and 40th Street. Hours: weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (through Jan. 5). While in Bryant Park, strap on a pair of ice skates and give it a whirl on one of Manhattan’s most scenic ice rinks.

In Grand Central Terminal check out the Holiday Train Show (through Feb. 23) which features a 34-foot-long Lionel model train layout. It’s on display at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store near the Station Master’s Office. To be honest, this year’s setup is not as good as previous years, but it is FREE and  can be viewed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. see mta.info/mta/museum. Make the trip worthwhile by stopping at the Grand Central Oyster Bar downstairs for their iconic oyster pan roast.

For Your Consideration: Foreign Oscar Hopefuls (last day)
See the foreign films that are contenders for this year’s Oscar nominations, and somehow I almost missed this series.

In an historic year, a record-high 76 countries submitted films to the Academy for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. For one week only, Film Society offers a sampling of 10 of these prestigious possibilities for your consideration. The five nominees will be announced on January 16.

You won’t see these films at your local multiplex. Today’s screenings:
Wadjda 6:30PM
Haifaa Al Mansour | 2012 | 98 mins
Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat her friend Abdullah in a race.

Heli 8:45PM
Amat Escalante | 2013 | 105 mins
New York Premiere!
Twelve-year-old Estela has fallen madly in love with a young police cadet with whom she wants to run away and marry. As she pursues her dream, one deadly mistake leads to another, and she unwittingly drags her family into the horror of devastating drug violence.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th St.
$13 general public; $9 senior

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATRE (through Jan. 5)
The final week of the annual City Center encampment offers a few more chances to see the company dance new works and works new to the company: Aszure Barton’s quirky, neo-primitive romp, “Lift”; Wayne McGregor’s hyperextended ultra-modern ballet, “Chroma”; and Bill T. Jones’s aerobic late-eighties show of resilience, “D-Man in the Waters.” The final night, on the late founder’s birthday, combines the season’s highlights with the run’s last performance of his “Revelations.”
City Center, 131 West 55th St.
at 7:30 p.m. / $25-$135
(212) 581-1212, nycitycenter.org, alvinailey.org

Kenny Werner Quintet* (through Jan. 5)
“A well-seasoned pianist who tempers fearsome technique with abundant wit, Kenny Werner digs in here not only with a fierce rhythm section — Scott Colley on bass, Ari Hoenig on drums — but also with a front line consisting of the trumpeter Randy Brecker and the saxophonist David Sánchez.” (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St. and Broadway,
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.,  / $35 to $45 cover, with a $5 minimum
258-9595, jalc.org

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change. ===============================================================================

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.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here are 3 Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Bing Wright (through Jan 18)
Over the years, Wright’s photography has been marked by a focus on surface as metaphor for the photograph itself, with his work achieving a poetical stillness as a result. The photos here, for example, include his color series “Broken Mirror/Evening Sky,” in which the setting sun is seen reflected within the cracks of a shattered mirror, scattering the oranges and violets of dusk to an almost stained-glass effect.
Paula Cooper Gallery 521 W 21st St, (between Tenth and Eleventh Aves)
Tue-Sat 10am-6pm
212-255-1105 / paulacoopergallery.com

“Martin Thompson: Positive/Negative” (through Jan 18)
This self-taught artist and mathematician from New Zealand creates mind-bogglingly intricate felt-tip pen drawings on graph paper that resemble the pixelated results of an Amish quilt mating with an old-school video game such as Pac-Man or Space Invaders.

Each piece is made according to a numerical formula that Thompson follows as he precisely fills in each square. When he makes a mistake, which he sometimes does, he excises the offending part of the composition with a scalpel, replacing it with a Scotch-taped piece of corrected paper that exactly fits over the elided area—creating, in the bargain, a textural effect. Suffering from a mental disorder that makes it difficult for him to interact with people, Thompson views making art as a coping mechanism for dealing with the world.
Ricco/Maresca Gallery, 529 W 20th St, third floor, (btw 10th/11th ave)
Tue–Sat 11am–6pm
212-627-4819 / riccomaresca.com

Richard Serra, “New Sculpture” (until Sat. Jan. 25, 2014)
Gagosian’s double dose of Richard Serra presents dueling sides of the sculptor: the popular artist name checked in a Vampire Weekend song, and the confrontational figure familiar from his earlier career.

The gallery’s West 21st Street location presents the former in fine form, with a single massive work. Curling ribbons of steel, set on edge and towering to ceiling height, nestle together to create Serra’s signature bowing and curving of space. They swallow viewers up in a phenomenological ecstasy one usually associates with, say, walking along a narrow canyon. The metal’s russet color only adds to the sensation of experiencing something more natural than man-made.

The tone, if not the scale, of the work shifts on West 24th Street, with a group of sculptures and nary a bend in sight. Hard-edged steel plates, patinated a carceral gray, get in your way like barricades around a government building. A set of enormous blocks serves as a memorial to the recently deceased sculptor Walter De Maria, a friend of Serra’s. Experiential warmth gives way to cold truths as Serra employs his legendary toughness to challenge not only gravity, but death itself.—(Howard Halle/TONY mag)
Gagosian Gallery, 522 W 21st St, btw 10th/11th Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-741-1717 / gagosian.com

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.

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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 (12/31) and (12/29).

Today’s “Fab 4”/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, JAN. 01, 2014

Circus Der Sinne (through Jan. 5)
Fans of contemporary circus may be used to the surreal worlds of Cirque du Soleil, but “Mother Africa” by Circus Der Sinne (“Circus of the Senses”) offers a warmer and more spirited journey through a specific cultural landscape. Riding a wave of propulsive rhythms, the show mixes the spectacle of contortionists, jugglers and other tricksters with live African music and dance.” (Schaefer-NYT)
New Victory Theater,  209 West 42nd St. (btw 7th/8th ave)
at 2 and 7 p.m. / $17 to $60
223-3010, newvictory.org

Happy New Year’s Day Hike
“Join Shorewalkers on a shortened version of the environmental group’s annual Great Saunter, a 32-mile walk around Manhattan’s rim. This six-mile, all-levels hike takes three to four hours, but participants can opt out around the two-hour mark at 207th Street.

A bottle of water and weather-appropriate duds are all you’ll need to gaze at the picturesque Harlem River shoreline, as well as historical sites at Inwood Hill (which features the city’s largest glacial pothole) and Highbridge Parks (home to New York’s oldest standing bridge).” (TONY mag)
Meet at the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal Information Booth,
178th St at Broadway.
At 12:00pm / $3, members free
Shorewalkers.org

Chris Botti (through Jan. 5)
“Mr. Botti, whose adult-pop savvy and controlled but brooding trumpet sound have made him a high-gloss global superstar, descends on the Blue Note each year around this time for an extended run. As usual he has a slick but substantial band, and the clout to call on the occasional unbilled celebrity guest. $75 cover at tables, $40 at the bar, with a $5 minimum.” (Chinen-NYT)
Blue Note, 131 West Third St., Greenwich Village
At 8 and 10:30 p.m., $75 cover at tables (8pm sold out), 
$40 at the bar, with a $5 minimum. (sound is fine at these bar seats, vision decent)
475-8592, bluenote.net

Joseph Arthur & Bobby Bare Jr
Nursing a bit of a hangover today? Singer-songwriters Bobby Bare Jr. and Joseph Arthur are the perfect balm for an achey brain. Catch them at the City Winery tonight.
Joseph Arthur is joined by Mike Mills (REM) on bass and Bill Dobrow on drums.

For every song Joseph Arthur has released in a critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated career that has spanned nine full-length albums and 11 EPs, he’s probably kept three others in the vault for safekeeping. Indeed, Arthur has been known to start working on a new album — or two — while simultaneously trying to finish another.

Expect to hear songs from his “The Ballad of Boogie Christ” album. At the center of the project is the autobiographical “King of Cleveland,” a classic story song that connects Boogie Christ the character with Arthur the flesh-and-blood artist. On it, the narrator apprentices alongside a big fish in a small pond, “playing blues in the back seats, from biker bars to limousines” — much like Arthur did in his early professional career in Northeast Ohio. Says Arthur, “He’s just starting to live the life he’s imagined, playing roots boogie in the real America — Ohio.”
City Winery, 155 Varick St.
At 8PM / $25, $18 at the bar
608-0555 / http://www.citywinery.com/newyork/

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
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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’ ”.

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. I should note that 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, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges  – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

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

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

Fish – 280 Bleecker St (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $8 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. 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”

That covers a wide range of food – pizza,  burgers,  food trucks/carts,  vegetarian/falafel,  ramen,  chopped salad & salad bars,  hot dogs,  bbq,  soup & sandwiches,  picnic fixins’,  raw bars &  lobster rolls. No reservations needed. ================================================================================

There are also some casual dining, chain restaurant locations in this neighborhood that have decent food, provide a good hotel breakfast alternative, and have free Wi-FI:

A. Pret a Manger @ 821 Broadway (betw 12/13 st)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/q/r to 14th st/union sq

B. Potbelly @ 41 W14th st (betw 5th/6th ave)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th st

C. Cosi @ 53 E 8th st (betw greene/mercer)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/r to 8th st

◊ For a few more PremierPubs and Good Eating places see previous Featured Neighborhoods in the right sidebar.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods (plus 27 casual dining places with free Wi-Fi) order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99).
(available Spring 2014)

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, DEC. 31, 2013

New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace, featuring Grammy Winner Judy Collins
Founded by Leonard Bernstein in 1984, the annual New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace is a signature event, gathering old friends and new for over a quarter of a century. The music, the candles, and the spirit of peace send audiences out into the chill January night feeling connected, uplifted, and ready to communicate and uphold that spirit.
With: Cathedral Choir and Orchestra
Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, Handel’s Organ Concerto in F and selections from Franz Joseph Haydn’s oratorio “The Creation.”
Harry Smith, host
Judy Collins, guest artist
Jamet Pittman, soprano
John Michael Moore, baritone
Raymond Nagem, organ
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, at 112th ST.
At 7 p.m. / a limited number of seats are free and available on a first come first served basis; ticketed seats start at $30.
316-7490, stjohndivine.org

BIG APPLE CIRCUS
New Year’s Eve performance Luminocity
Come join the Big Apple Circus for a festive, one-of-a-kind New Year’s Eve event!  The Big Top at Lincoln Center will be filled with music, magic and memories to last a lifetime.  First, enjoy a performance of the Big Apple Circus’s 36th season show, the all–new LUMINOCITY.

Afterwards, guests are invited into the ring to count down to the year 2013, led by our Ringmaster, John Kennedy Kane. At midnight, welcome in the New Year with a champagne or sparkling cider toast, and join our cast of circus performers in the ring for dancing and merriment with live music provided by Rob Slowik and the Big Apple Circus Band.  Special New Year’s Eve goody bags will also be provided. All ages.
Lincoln Center, Damrosch Park.
at 9:30pm. $45-$175.
bigapplecircus.org

New York Road Runners Midnight Run
“Warm up for this four-mile run with dancing and a costume parade before setting off at the stroke of midnight under a blanket of fireworks. The celebratory race begins on the 72nd Street Transverse, swings past Cat Hill toward the reservoir, gives its participants a complimentary glass of sparkling cider on the 102nd Street Transverse, and finishes after a series of hills heading south along West Drive. Pre-race and post-race festivities are scheduled at the Central Park Bandshell from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Runners can register at New York Road Runners (9 East 89th Street) today from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.” (NYT)
Central Park, 70th Street at Mineral Springs
Central Park, Bandshell, South of the 72nd Street Transverse
registration fees range from $25 to $65.
569-6977, nyrr.org

For you other fit folks who prefer biking:
New Year’s Eve Party Ride
“Grassroots environmental organization Time’s Up organizes this under-the-stars bike ride, which begins in Washington Square Park (and a few satellite locations) and ends at Central Park’s Belvedere Castle at 11:45pm. Participants are encouraged to wear festive outfits and bring treats for the outdoor after-party.” (TONY mag)
Washington Square Park, W 4th St / Waverly Pl, (btw MacDougal St. / University Pl)
nycgovparks.org/parks/washingtonsquarepark / 212-802-8222
times-up.org

NYE – only in NYC
Oh Yes. There is one more thing happening here on Manhattan’s WestSide on New Year’s Eve. Something involving a crystal ball, this year being dropped by local Bronx girl, Sonia Sotomayor of the Supremes.

Below the geodesic sphere, 12 feet across, Miley Cyrus, Macklemore, Blondie and many others will perform. A spectacular Chinese cultural performance featuring Kung Fu and a colorful fan dance will kick off the festivities at 6 p.m. If you want to attend, get to Times Square before the streets close in the afternoon. Or file in at these access points. Or join the billion people who will watch it on television (ABC, locally).

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates, and times, as schedules are subject to change. ==========================================================================================

What’s on View:
Special Exhibitions @ 3 Museum Mile / Fifth Ave. Museums:

“Julia Margaret Cameron” (through Jan. 5, 2014)
“Medieval Treasures From Hildesheim” (through Jan. 5, 2014)
“Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800″ (through Jan. 5, 2014)
‘Balthus: Cats and Girls — Paintings and Provocations’ (through Jan. 12, 2014)
“Brush Writing in the Arts of Japan” (through Jan. 12, 2014)
“Venetian Glass by Carlo Scarpa, The Venini Co., 1932–1947” (through March 2, 2014)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, at 82nd St.
(212) 535-7710 / metmuseum.org

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‘Robert Motherwell: Early Collages’ (through Jan. 5, 2014)
‘Christopher Wool’ (through Jan. 22, 2014)
“Kandinsky in Paris, 1934–1944“ (through Apr. 23, 2014)

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

‘Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting From the Mauritshuis’ (through Jan. 19, 2014)
Frick Collection, 1 East 70th St., at Fifth Ave.
admission is by timed tickets.
288-0700 / frick.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. ==========================================================

What’s on View: Top Photography Exhibitions
(NYCity / Manhattan’s WestSide)   

Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53rd Street / 212-708-9400
XL: 19NewAcquisitions in Photography (last day)
Walker Evans: American Photographs (through Jan. 26, 2014) 

Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street) / 212-535-7710
Julia Margaret Cameron (through Jan. 5, 2014)
Everyday Ephiphanies: Photography and Daily Life Since 1969  (through Jan. 26, 2014)

ICP 1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street / 212-857-0000
Lewis Hine
The Future of America: Lewis Hine’s New Deal Photographs
JFK November 22, 1963: A Bystander’s View of History
Zoe Strauss: 10 Years
All these exhibitions run from Oct 4, 2013–Jan 19, 2014

American Museum Natural History 
79th St. And Central Park West / (212) 313-7278
Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies (through May 31, 2014)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar: “NYCity Events: Manhattan’s WestSide” dated 12/29 and 12/27.

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, DEC. 30, 2013

Bach at One: Twelfth Night Festival
Trinity’s Twelfth Night Festival returns, celebrating the twelve days of the nativity with a full program of events from December 26 through January 6. Julian Wachner leads the Choir of Trinity Wall Street and the Trinity Baroque Orchestra in performances of seasonal Bach cantatas, and holiday-themed choral works by English composer Benjamin Britten, whose centennial Trinity has been honoring since September with “Celebrating Britten,” “a most exciting and worthy project” (New York Times).

Today’s performance is at St. Paul’s Chapel:
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity
Baroque Orchestra present the cantatas of J.S. Bach.
Julian Wachner, conductor
At 1PM / FREE
trinitywallstreet.org//twelfthnight

An Evening of Tango, Music, and Art 
Get an early start on your New Year’s festivities! Grab your dancing shoes and join us for a festive evening of tango, live music, beautiful art, and Argentinian inspired tapas and wine.

Start the evening with an after-hours viewing of artist Janet Ruttenberg’s monumental paintings of Central Park, including her dreamlike depiction of the tango dancers who congregate every summer Saturday night in Central Park. Enjoy a live performance by a group of master tango artists headlined by tango singer Pablo Pereyra, with dancers Jorge Torres and Maria Blanco, violinist Sergio Reyes, bassist Alexis Cuadrado, bandoneon player Ayelen Pais Negrin, and pianist Juan Manuel Santisteban. A group tango lesson will follow the performance — no experience required! Delicious empanadas, eggplant escabeche, Spanish cheeses, and Argentinian wine will be available from the Museum Café.

Co-sponsored by the Tango Factory, Malbec & Tango House, and the Astoria Tango School and presented in conjunction with Picturing Central Park: Paintings by Janet Ruttenberg.
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave.,
at 7:00pm / Reservations required.
$20 for Museum members & seniors; $30 general public.
212-534-1672

“Happy Birthday, Maestro Giuseppe Verdi!”
With Cesare Civetta, the music director of the Beethoven Festival Orchestra in New York City and the author of “The Real Toscanini: Musicians Reveal the Maestro.”

In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth, this multi-media presentation highlights his life and work, including little known facts about his humanitarianism and philanthropy.  It features excerpts from Verdi’s operas Nabucco, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Macbeth, Don Carlo, Otello and La Forza del Destino.  The patriotic elements in Verdi’s operas played a significant role in the unification of Italy, a struggle for which Verdi fought, climaxing in the 1867 premiere of his operatic adaptation of Schiller’s play, Don Carlos
Mid-Manhattan Library (Map and directions)
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. / FREE

Nutcracker Rouge (through Jan 12, 2014)
Company XIV delivers a sexy Nutcracker for adults

“Even the most traditional “Nutcrackers” are treated as a young woman’s coming-of-age story with either a student or company member as the slipper-throwing mice slayer who saves her prince. Company XIV director Austin McCormick’s “Nutcracker Rouge” is no different…EXCEPT there are no mice, kids or snowflakes. They are not missed.

Pretty Marie Claire (Lauren Careless) gets lost in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve and wanders into a Burlesque House. Why not? They like celebrating, especially when performing their “Waltz of the Flowers” – a genuine waltz dressed in violet and danced with big smiles. The dancing, singing and acrobatic feats McCormick integrates has the same effect as opening presents on Christmas morning. His ability as a choreographer/director is so confident and creative that in the first act he sets dances to Tchaikovsky’s original score and adds an accompanying one from a pastiche of Big Band numbers, the Ellington/Strayhorn “Nutcracker”, and bawdy French songs (translations not necessary).

One example being Candy Cane (Courtney Giannone), who performs with and inside her Cyr wheel to the “Russian Dance” and a ballad about being someone’s candy cane. The second act is when he adds extra delicacies of champagne, macaroons, and cake. The other sweet Marie Claire discovers the Sweet Spot. There’s nothing new with sexing up the classics, but “Nutcracker Rouge” is different.” (Patricia Contino, Flavorpill)
Minetta Lane Theatre, 18-22 Minetta Ln, (btw W3rd St/Bleecker), just E of 6th ave
At 8PM / $48-$124 (ticketmaster says: “not many left tonight”)
companyxiv.com/productions

Wynton Marsalis Septet* (through Dec. 31)
“Every now and again the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center steps into the center spotlight as a composer-bandleader, reminding everyone why he became such a force in the first place. Taking over the organization’s in-house club, Wynton Marsalis regroups the ensemble with which he has made some of his finest albums, like “The Marciac Suite,” from 2000.

It’s a special booking, with a special price structure: $125 per person includes $35 cover and a tax-deductible contribution of $90 (except of course on New Year’s Eve, when you’ll drop a cool $375 for the 7:30 p.m. set and $550 for the 11 p.m. set).” (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St. and Broadway,
Tonight at 7 and 9:30 p.m.
258-9595, jalc.org

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
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A PremierPub + 3 Good Eating places / 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; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).

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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 some nights includes a sax player with a younger, trimmer piano man.

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

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, DEC. 29, 2013

Radio City Christmas Spectacular (last 2 days)

This holiday institution has new numbers and updated classics, and tickets for  these final performances are on sale!
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave, at 50th St
At 2pm, 5pm, 8pm / $42.50-$57.50
212-247-4777 / radiocity.com
866-858-0007 / radiocitychristmas.com

The Birdland Jazz Party featuring vocalist Hilary Gardner
Birdland’s very own jazz quartet hits the stage every Sunday to wrap up the weekend with jazz classics! This quartet features John Hart (Guitar), Paul Gil (bass), Carmen Intorre (Drums) & Jon Davis (Piano), and tonight is joined by special guest vocalist Hillary Gardner! She is a NYCity treasure, and tonight, a holiday treat.
Birdland, 315 West 44th St
At 6:00 PM / $25

Jennifer Holliday
“Jennifer Holliday’s literally breathtaking performance of Dreamgirls‘ rafter-ripping Act I finale, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” fixed her instantly in the pantheon of Broadway divas. Her body may be slimmer now, but her voice remains a thing of rough majesty. This week she soars and growls at 54 Below.” (TONY mag)
54 Below, 254 W 54th St. (btw Broadway and Eighth Ave)
At 7PM / $50-$85, $25 food or drink minimum
866-468-7619 / 54below.com

Tracy Morgan
When the hilarious, unpredictable former 30 Rock star and author of the memoir I Am the New Black takes the stage, he rants about, among other things, sex, drugs and his love of porn. If you’re still unsure about what kind of show you’re in for, the Carolines website warns that he’s “for mature audiences only.”
Carolines on Broadway, 1626 Broadway, (btw 49th and 50th St.)
At 7:30PM / $33 plus two-drink minimum
212-757-4100 / carolines.com

Eric Alexander Quartet featuring Louis Hayes
To kickoff the third annual “Countdown: A John Coltrane Festival,” Saxophonist Eric Alexander leads a quartet featuring the legendary Louis Hayes. Louis Hayes, a drummer at the heart of straight-ahead jazz for the past 50 years, established his reputation in the 1950’s and 60’s during extended stints with Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, and Cannonball Adderley.

His innate swing and effortless feel sometimes make it seem like he invented jazz drumming. He has worked with everyone from Dizzy and Newk to Ravi Shankar and, of course, Trane. As The New York Times reports, “You know the drummer Louis Hayes if you have a halfway decent jazz record collection.”
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th St.
At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m./ $45 cover
(212) 864-6662, smokejazz.com

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
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WHAT’S ON VIEW: Special Exhibitions @ 4 MUSEUMS (Manhattan’s WestSide) 

‘Walker Evans: American Photographs’ (through Jan. 26, 2014)
American Modern: Hopper to O’Keefe (through Jan. 26, 2014)
America’s cultural landscape shifted rapidly in the early 20th century. American Modern at the Museum of Modern Art looks at this change via some of the iconic works produced between 1915 and 1950. Artists highlighted include George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alfred Stieglitz and Andrew Wyeth. In organizing the art thematically, American Modern will highlight the connections between the artists’ works.
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W 53rd St. (btw 5th /6th Ave.)
(212) 708-9400 / moma.org.
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‘The Armory Show at 100: Modern Art and Revolution’ (through Feb. 23, 2014)
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, at 77th St.
(212) 873-3400 / nyhistory.org.

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New York Public Library for the Performing Arts: Al Hirschfeld Exhibition
(through Jan. 4, 2014)
“The Line King’s Library,” a display of work by Al Hirschfeld, whose specialty was theatrical caricatures, includes rare works as well as those familiar to theatergoers and readers of various publications, including The New York Times. The exhibition also includes video interviews with Mr. Hirschfeld, who died in 2003 at 99, and works by some of his contemporaries.”
NY Public Library for the Performing Arts, at Lincoln Center
111 Amsterdam Ave and 65th St.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.,
until 8 on Mondays and Thursdays
(917) 275-6975, nypl.org/events/exhibitions/line-kings-library.

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The Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya (ongoing)
This exhibition by artist Nathan Sawaya is a critically acclaimed collection of intriguing and inspiring works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world — LEGO® bricks. The Discovery Times Square exhibit is the world’s biggest and most elaborate display of LEGO® art ever and features brand-new, never-before-seen pieces by Sawaya. This show was named ‘One of CNN’s Ten Global Must-See Exhibitions.’
Discovery Times Square, 226 West 44th St. (btw 7th/8th ave)
866.987.9692 / http://www.discoverytsx.com

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WHAT’S ON VIEW: Top Photography Exhibitions
(NYCity / Manhattan’s WestSide)

  Museum of Modern Art
XL: 19NewAcquisitions in Photography (through Dec. 31)
Walker Evans: American Photographs (through Jan. 26, 2014)
New Photography 2013 (through Jan. 6, 2014)
11 West 53rd Street / 212-708-9400

  Metropolitan Museum of Art
Julia Margaret Cameron (through Jan. 5, 2014)
Everyday Ephiphanies: Photography and Daily Life Since 1969 
(through January 26, 2014)
1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street) / 212-535-7710

  American Museum Natural History 
Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies          
(through May 31, 2014)
79th St. And Central Park West / (212) 313-7278 

   International Center Photography
Lewis Hine
The Future of America: Lewis Hine’s New Deal Photographs
JFK November 22, 1963: A Bystander’s View of History
Zoe Strauss: 10 Years
All these exhibitions run through Jan. 19, 2014
1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street / 212-857-0000

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : … …” dated (12/23) and (12/27).

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, DEC. 28, 2013

Circus Der Sinne (through Jan. 5)
Fans of contemporary circus may be used to the surreal worlds of Cirque du Soleil, but “Mother Africa” by Circus Der Sinne (“Circus of the Senses”) offers a warmer and more spirited journey through a specific cultural landscape. Riding a wave of propulsive rhythms, the show mixes the spectacle of contortionists, jugglers and other tricksters with live African music and dance.” (Schaefer-NYT)
New Victory Theater,  209 West 42nd St. (btw 7th/8th ave)
at 2 and 7 p.m. / $17 to $60
223-3010, newvictory.org

Barb Jungr ‘Dancing in the Dark’ (through Dec 29)
“Easily one of our major contemporary vocal artists, the Rochdale-born Barb Jungr is as much provocateur as she is a singer, as evidenced the way she builds her latest show around “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen, rather than the 1931 standard that most cabaret goers would expect—and darned if she doesn’t succeed in making the Springsteen song sound almost as compelling as the Schwartz & Dietz classic. In fact, in reinterpreting the music of the leading singer-songwriters, she typically makes the songs sound more meaningful than the composers themselves—apparently no one told her that’s not the way it’s supposed to work.

This current show follows an arch of exceedingly melancholy seasonal texts, from Joni Mitchell’s “River” to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” all of which emphasize the bleakness of the midwinter solstice. She might have been tempted to title it “Christmas Night of the Soul,” but that would be giving too much away. As always, Ms. Jungr is the alternative to alt-cabaret.” (WSJ)
59E59, 59 E. 59th St.,
At 5:15 & 8:15PM / $35
(212) 279-4200

Open Loose 
“Mark Helias is a bassist equally committed to the causes of momentum and texture, and in that sense he has a very good thing in Open Loose, a band with Tony Malaby on tenor saxophone and Tom Rainey on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village
At 9 and 10:30 p.m./ $10 cover, with $10 minimum.
corneliastreetcafe.com, (212) 989-9319

PHISH (through Dec 31)
“It’s becoming a tradition for this iconic jam band to ring in the New Year with a multi-day extravaganza at Madison Square Garden, but “phans” (as they have come to be called) of the Vermont quartet may take extra delight in these anniversary performances. It was nearly thirty years ago this month that Phish played its first gig. Since then, the act has created a legacy of concerts (the show on Dec. 30 is its thirtieth at the Garden) that puts them in the Pantheon of great rock acts, thanks, in part, to their knack for never playing a song the same way twice.” (NewYorker mag)
Madison Square Garden, 4 Penn Plaza,7th Ave. at 33rd St.
At 7:30PM / $65
800-745-3000 / (212) 465-6741

The Disco Biscuits
“Camp Bisco” is in temporary session with this, the Disco Biscuits’s annual Manhattan engagement. The eccentric funk-dance group from Philadelphia promises theatrics directly at odds with their jam-roots musical foundation; it’s a strange, groovy alchemy.” (Anderson-NYT)
Best Buy Theater, 1515 Broadway, at 44th Street,
AT 11PM / $37.50-$45
If you can handle the late start and the young crowd, this might be fun.
929-7849, bestbuytheater.com
Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change ================================================================================

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, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges  – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

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

It’s not difficult 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 (Betw 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 NYC 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 (Betw 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 none of the insane lines that you find at the Madison Sq. Park location. Plus, it may be the cleanest joint to eat in all of Hell’s Kitchen.

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

That covers a wide range of food – pizza,  burgers,  food trucks/carts,  vegetarian/falafel,  ramen,  chopped salad & salad bars,  hot dogs,  bbq,  soup & sandwiches,  picnic fixins’,  raw bars & lobster rolls. No reservations needed. ================================================================================

There are other casual dining options in this neighborhood that provide good food, especially as alternatives to overpriced hotel breakfasts, and most importantly,
have free Wi-FI:

>Pret a Manger @ 11 W 42nd st (Betw 5th/6th)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st / times square

>Potbelly @ 30 Rockefeller Plaza (Betw 49/48 st)
Subway: #1 to 50th st

>Pret a Manger @ 1200 6th ave (Betw 47/48)
Subway: #1 to 50th st

◊ For a few more PremierPubs and Good Eating places see previous Featured Neighborhoods in the right sidebar.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods (plus 27 casual dining places with free Wi-Fi) order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99).
(available Winter 2013)

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, DEC. 27, 2013

‘Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting From the Mauritshuis’ (through Jan. 19)
This is one of the most anticipated shows of the year.

Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” has not been seen in New York for nearly 30 years, but it’s only one of 15 quality paintings in this show on loan from the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague, which is under renovation.

The NYT art critic thinks that Carel Fabritius’s palpitating little “Goldfinch” is the star of the show, but there are also four Rembrandt’s and Jacob van Ruisdael’s well respected “View of Haarlem With Bleaching Grounds,” among others. Pick your own favorite.
Frick Collection, 1 East 70th Street, Manhattan,
The Frick has been tweeting: “psst: insider tip: we’re keeping the show open free next 2 Friday evenings 6-9pm. Tends to be oddly quiet after 7pm”. Sounds like a plan
288-0700, frick.org

Holiday Markets
More than 150 vendors are selling their goods in Union Square Park, bordered by Park Avenue South, Broadway and 14th Streets, through Christmas Eve. Hours: weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; urbanspacenyc.com. (through Dec 24)

The Holiday Shops are just part of the seasonal events in Bryant Park, at Avenue of the Americas and 40th Street, through Jan. 5. Hours: weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (through Jan. 5)

In Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal, the 14th annual Holiday Fair offers 76 stalls of goods through Christmas Eve. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. These shops have some nice stuff. Try to shop before noon and avoid the lunch time worker bee crowds. (through Dec 24)

While in GrandCentral check out the Holiday Train Show (through Feb. 23) which features a 34-foot-long Lionel model train layout. It’s on display at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store near the Station Master’s Office. To be honest, this year’s setup is not as good as previous years and not worth a special trip to GCT. But it is FREE and  can be viewed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. see mta.info/mta/museum.

DR. MICHAEL WHITE AND
THE ORIGINAL LIBERTY JAZZ BAND OF NEW ORLEANS
“The Village Vanguard winds down December in what has become a traditional fashion. The clarinettist and musicologist White is a proud scion of the Crescent City, who lives to celebrate the riches of jazz’s first golden era. Hurricane Katrina laid waste much of his archival material, but he is exuberant in his renditions of classics by Armstrong, Bechet, King Oliver, and other Big Easy icons. His band plays with gusto, unhindered by historical pieties.” (NewYorker mag)
Village Vanguard,  178 Seventh Ave S, at 11th Street, West Village,
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., $25 and $30 cover, with a $10 minimum.
(212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com

Michael Feinstein (through Dec. 28)
“It wouldn’t be the holidays without Michael Feinstein —he’s no less a seasonal landmark than the tree at Rockefeller Center. Chances are you know people who’ve come from all over the country to see the decorations on Fifth Avenue, and the Feinstein Holiday show, no less than Radio City’s annual holiday pagent (which, this year, features the excellent singer Jennifer Sheehan ) is always on their must-see list.

Although Feinstein’s at the Regency has shuttered its chimney, the good news is that Mr. Feinstein himself is bringing his traditional holiday package to Times Square, and he always puts together a stunning mix of the old-time holiday standards we expect and something new and/or offbeat. And yes, there’s always Tom Lehrer’s classic “Chanukah in Santa Monica.” (WSJ)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St. (btw 8/9 Ave.)
At 8:30 PM / $75 (at the bar) – $200
(212) 581-3080

HOT TICKET / Darlene Love ON JAN 4*
“Her lovelorn “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is a holiday rock showstopper for the ages; her annual year-end festivities are a New York institution. Truly, Ms. Love, Phil Spector’s former protégée, has been an indelible voice in pop from the 1960s onward, and has reaped extra rewards lately — the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted her in 2011 and the documentary “20 Feet From Stardom,” released this year, followed her rise reverently.”(Anderson-NYT)
B. B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 West 42nd St
Her Friday Dec. 20 show sold out early – get your tickets now.
bbkingblues.com, (800) 745-3000

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change. ===============================================================================

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.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here are 3 Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Bing Wright (through Jan 18)
Over the years, Wright’s photography has been marked by a focus on surface as metaphor for the photograph itself, with his work achieving a poetical stillness as a result. The photos here, for example, include his color series “Broken Mirror/Evening Sky,” in which the setting sun is seen reflected within the cracks of a shattered mirror, scattering the oranges and violets of dusk to an almost stained-glass effect.
Paula Cooper Gallery 521 W 21st St, (between Tenth and Eleventh Aves)
Tue-Sat 10am-6pm
212-255-1105 / paulacoopergallery.com

Richard Serra, “New Sculpture” (until Sat. Jan. 25, 2014)
Gagosian’s double dose of Richard Serra presents dueling sides of the sculptor: the popular artist name checked in a Vampire Weekend song, and the confrontational figure familiar from his earlier career.

The gallery’s West 21st Street location presents the former in fine form, with a single massive work. Curling ribbons of steel, set on edge and towering to ceiling height, nestle together to create Serra’s signature bowing and curving of space. They swallow viewers up in a phenomenological ecstasy one usually associates with, say, walking along a narrow canyon. The metal’s russet color only adds to the sensation of experiencing something more natural than man-made.

The tone, if not the scale, of the work shifts on West 24th Street, with a group of sculptures and nary a bend in sight. Hard-edged steel plates, patinated a carceral gray, get in your way like barricades around a government building. A set of enormous blocks serves as a memorial to the recently deceased sculptor Walter De Maria, a friend of Serra’s. Experiential warmth gives way to cold truths as Serra employs his legendary toughness to challenge not only gravity, but death itself.—(Howard Halle/TONY mag)
Gagosian Gallery, 522 W 21st St, btw 10th/11th Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-741-1717 / gagosian.com

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.

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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 (12/23) and (12/21).

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, DEC. 26, 2013

For Your Consideration: Documentary Oscar Hopefuls (last day)
See the documentaries that made this year’s Oscar shortlist, and somehow I almost missed this series.

This year, 147 nonfiction films officially qualified for the Best Documentary Oscar. After a preliminary round of voting, members of the Academy’s Documentary Branch whittled that list down to just 15. For one week only, Film Society presents all 15 of the shortlisted titles for your consideration. The five nominees will be announced on January 16.

You won’t see these films at your local multiplex. Today’s screenings:
The Act of Killing 1:30PM
Joshua Oppenheimer | 2013 | 115 mins
What is one to make of men who freely admit their involvement in the mass killing of millions of Indonesians in a bloody anti-Communist campaign in the 1960s? The Act of Killing bypasses the usual documentary tropes of exposing injustice, instead provoking the viewer to consider the murderers’ sense of responsibility for their crimes.

The Armstrong Lie 4:00PM
Alex Gibney | 2013 | 124 mins
The Armstrong Lie presents a riveting, insider’s view of the unraveling of one of the most extraordinary stories in the history of sports. As Lance Armstrong says himself, “I didn’t live a lot of lies, but I lived one big one.”

Dirty Wars 6:30PM
Rick Rowley | 2013 | 87 mins
Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill traces the rise of the Joint Special Operations Command, the most secret fighting force in U.S. history, exposing operations carried out by men who do not exist on paper and will never appear before Congress.  Dirty Wars is a battle cry for the soul and conscience of an America few of us know exists.

The Crash Reel 8:30PM
Lucy Walker | 2013 | 109 mins
This eye-popping, yet intimate, story of U.S. champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce uses years of vérité footage to expose the potentially high price of participating in extreme-action sports.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th St.
$13 general public; $9 senior

Sofía Rei, Argentine Singer
Sofía Rei of Buenos Aires inventively explores and charismatically connects the various traditions of South American folklore, jazz and electronic sounds. With a new creative series described as “philosophical wanderings,” she delivers a haunting yet uplifting performance, sharing with us Latin American stories filled with loneliness and laughter, religious doubt, political protest and true love.
David Rubenstein Atrium, 61 W. 62nd St.
At 7:30 pm / FREE
Performances at the DR Atrium are popular, so show up early.

WILLIE NILE
“One of the most brilliant (and most confounding) singer-songwriters of the last thirty years, Nile released his self-titled début album in 1980. It was hailed as a masterpiece of the form, and his follow-up a year later, “Golden Door,” was almost as strong. After that, Nile vanished for a decade, returned for another brief period of recording, and then vanished again. Like a comet, though, he reappeared this year with “American Ride,” another stellar album of tough, insightful rock and roll.” (NewYorker mag)
Highline Ballroom, 431 W. 16th St.
At 8PM / $25-$50
212-414-5994.

Wynton Marsalis Septet* (through Dec. 31)
“Every now and again the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center steps into the center spotlight as a composer-bandleader, reminding everyone why he became such a force in the first place. Taking over the organization’s in-house club, Wynton Marsalis regroups the ensemble with which he has made some of his finest albums, like “The Marciac Suite,” from 2000.

It’s a special booking, with a special price structure: $125 per person includes $35 cover and a tax-deductible contribution of $90 (except of course on New Year’s Eve, when you’ll drop a cool $375 for the 7:30 p.m. set and $550 for the 11 p.m. set).” (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St. and Broadway,
Tonight at 7 and 9:30 p.m.
258-9595, jalc.org

Nutcracker Rouge through Jan 12, 2014
Company XIV delivers a sexy Nutcracker for adults

Even the most traditional “Nutcrackers” are treated as a young woman’s coming-of-age story with either a student or company member as the slipper-throwing mice slayer who saves her prince. Company XIV director Austin McCormick’s “Nutcracker Rouge” is no different…EXCEPT there are no mice, kids or snowflakes. They are not missed.

Pretty Marie Claire (Lauren Careless) gets lost in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve and wanders into a Burlesque House. Why not? They like celebrating, especially when performing their “Waltz of the Flowers” – a genuine waltz dressed in violet and danced with big smiles. The dancing, singing and acrobatic feats McCormick integrates has the same effect as opening presents on Christmas morning. His ability as a choreographer/director is so confident and creative that in the first act he sets dances to Tchaikovsky’s original score and adds an accompanying one from a pastiche of Big Band numbers, the Ellington/Strayhorn “Nutcracker”, and bawdy French songs (translations not necessary).

One example being Candy Cane (Courtney Giannone), who performs with and inside her Cyr wheel to the “Russian Dance” and a ballad about being someone’s candy cane. The second act is when he adds extra delicacies of champagne, macaroons, and cake. The other sweet Marie Claire discovers the Sweet Spot. There’s nothing new with sexing up the classics, but “Nutcracker Rouge” is different.” (Patricia Contino, Flavorpill)
Minetta Lane Theatre, 18-22 Minetta Ln, (btw W3rd St/Bleecker), just E of 6th ave
At 8PMM / $48-$124
companyxiv.com/productions

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change. ===========================================================================================

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating places – 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 best 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 will be celebrating it’s 50th anniversary next 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).

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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:

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

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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Today’s “Fab 4”/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25, 2013

It’s Christmas Day, when most folks are home with family and friends, but there are some hard working musicians performing this evening, if you get the urge.

Eric Alexander Quartet featuring Louis Hayes
To kickoff the third annual “Countdown: A John Coltrane Festival,” Saxophonist Eric Alexander leads a quartet featuring the legendary Louis Hayes. Louis Hayes, a drummer at the heart of straight-ahead jazz for the past 50 years, established his reputation in the 1950’s and 60’s during extended stints with Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, and Cannonball Adderley.

His innate swing and effortless feel sometimes make it seem like he invented jazz drumming. He has worked with everyone from Dizzy and Newk to Ravi Shankar and, of course, Trane. As The New York Times reports, “You know the drummer Louis Hayes if you have a halfway decent jazz record collection.”
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th St.
At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m./ $40 cover
(212) 864-6662, smokejazz.com

Chris Botti (through Jan. 5)
“Mr. Botti, whose adult-pop savvy and controlled but brooding trumpet sound have made him a high-gloss global superstar, descends on the Blue Note each year around this time for an extended run. As usual he has a slick but substantial band, and the clout to call on the occasional unbilled celebrity guest. $75 cover at tables, $40 at the bar, with a $5 minimum.” (Chinen-NYT)
Blue Note, 131 West Third St., Greenwich Village
At 8 and 10:30 p.m., $75 cover at tables (8pm sold out), 
$40 at the bar, with a $5 minimum. (sound is fine at these bar seats, vision decent)
475-8592, bluenote.net

Christmas at Birdland (variations through Dec. 28)
Holiday music will be the theme of several sets at the Birdland jazz club.

Tonight at 6PM: “A Swinging Birdland Christmas” will feature the cabaret performers Klea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch.

In the tradition of beloved seasonal specials, Blackhurst, Caruso and Stritch will perform swinging arrangements of “Christmas Waltz,” Kay Thompson’s “Holiday Season,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” among other favorites. The singers will be joined by Steve Doyle on bass and Carmen Intorre on drums.

Tonight at 9PM: The pianist and singer Michael Feinstein will present his “Holiday @ Birdland”

Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” is considered one of the premier interpreters of American standards. His 200-plus shows a year have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl as well as the White House and Buckingham Palace.

More than simply a performer, Feinstein has received national recognition for his commitment to celebrating America’s popular song and preserving its legacy for the next generation.
Birdland – 315 West 44th St (btw 8th/9th ave)
at 6 p.m./$30 cover (includes a drink if you sit at the bar, which are not bad seats)
At 9PM / $100-$150, $75 at the bar
(212) 581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.