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

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, NOV. 04, 2013

‘StarTalk Live!’: Space and Comedy
The latest installment of this talk-show series featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, and the comedian Eugene Mirman, will take place at 8 p.m. at Town Hall. Others are expected to join the two hosts, whose discussions are usually heard on startalkradio.net.
Town Hall, 123 West 43rd St. (btw. 6th/B’way)
At 8PM / $45.45 to $50.60
982-2787, the-townhall-nyc.org

Big Dance Theater* (through Nov. 9)
“Forget hay rides and trick-or-treating. The best way to observe Halloween is with an outing to “Ich, Kürbisgeist,” Big Dance Theater’s autumnally decked-out play about a reclusive peasant clan and its supernatural pumpkin harvest. Paul Lazar directs, Annie-B Parson choreographs and Sibyl Kempson provides the delightfully unintelligible text, written in an invented language. The work had its premiere at the Chocolate Factory last year, and now New York Live Arts has resurrected it as part of the Replay Series. Can this please happen every year?” (Siobhan Burke-NYT)
New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th St. (btw. 7th/8th ave), Chelsea,
At 7:30 p.m., with 10 p.m. shows on Fridays and Saturdays,/ $15 to $30
212-924-0077, newyorklivearts.org

Steep Canyon Rangers
“The members of this traditional bluegrass group from North Carolina have demonstrated talent for more than sonorous harmony and breakneck fiddle instrumentals. They also served as world-class straight men as Steve Martin’s backing band during his prominent festival dates. Their 2011 record with Mr. Martin, “Rare Bird Alert,” was whimsical and adroit. This performance will revolve around the lead vocals of the band member Woody Platt, who is quite the charmer himself, and the band’s recent release, “Tell the Ones I Love.” (Anderson-NYT)
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, near Spring St.
At 8 p.m., $20 to $28. (Anderson)
608-0555, citywinery.com

JoAnne Brackeen And Ravi Coltrane
“The spirit of Art Blakey hovers directly over this inspired duo, who first (and last) performed together more than 10 years ago: JoAnne Brackeen, justifiably celebrated as the first female Jazz Messenger, was a worthy successor to the band’s great pianists, especially the late Cedar Walton. And although Ravi Coltrane is too young to have actually played with Blakey (his father, John Coltrane, did on several occasions), he started his career as a saxophonist very much in the mold of such famous tenor Messengers as Hank Mobley, Benny Golson and Wayne Shorter.

The piano-tenor duet format will surely bring out the best in both halves of this equation, especially as Ms. Brackeen has repeatedly showed her mettle in purely solo settings, as on her 1999 album “Popsicle Illusion.” Her 1989 solo “Live at Maybeck Recital Hall” is full of wonderful moments, as when she makes “I’m Old Fashioned” sound anything but old-fashioned and renders “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” as if it were autobiographical.’ (WSJ-WILL FRIEDWALD”
The Blue Note, 131 W. Third St.,
At 8 and 10:30PM / $15 at the bar (which have good acoustics); $25 at a table
(212) 475-8592 / bluenote.net

SEAMUS HEANEY TRIBUTES
Various locations
“Heaney, who has been called the greatest Irish poet since Yeats, died in August, at age seventy-four. A number of events are planned in his honor.

The celebrations commence on Nov. 4 at 7, at the Irish Repertory Theatre, where Paul Muldoon, the poetry editor of this magazine, hosts a gathering that includes the writer Colum McCann, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, and members of the theatrical community. (irishrep.org.)

[Unfortunately, the Irish Rep Theater has a small capacity and this event is sold out. Better get to the Cooper Union memorial early (see below). Doors open at 6:15PM, so bring a book of his poetry to read and be sure to get a seat.]

Just about every literary organization in the city has a hand in the event at the Great Hall at Cooper Union on Nov. 11 at 7, featuring Frank Bidart, Sven Birkerts, Eavan Boland, Lucie Brock-Broido, Greg Delanty, Jonathan Galassi, Eamon Grennan, Edward Hirsch, Jane Hirshfield, Yusef Komunyakaa, Atsuro Riley, Tom Sleigh, Tracy K. Smith, Colm Tóibín, Jean Valentine, Anne Waldman, and Kevin Young. Irish pipes will be played, and Paul Simon will be making a guest appearance. (poets.org.)

On Nov. 15 at 8, the actor Gabriel Byrne, the playwright Enda Walsh, and the writers Alice McDermott and Colum McCann join Colette Bryce, Henri Cole, Mark Doty, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Meghan O’Rourke, Elise Paschen, Brenda Shaughnessy, Matthew Sweeney, and many other poets at St. Ann’s Warehouse. (irishartscenter.org.)” – (NewYorker mag)

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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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 – SUNDAY, NOV. 03, 2013

ING New York City Marathon
The marathon is back after being canceled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy last year, and there are ample opportunities to cheer on the participants. Sponsored by ING and the New York Road Runners, the run has a few changes this year: the start time for professional female runners is 9:10 a.m., and at 9:40 a.m. for the first wave of runners that includes professional male athletes. (The second wave begins at 10:05, the third at 10:30 and the fourth at 10:55.)

The run begins at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on Staten Island and ends in Central Park at 67th Street and Central Park West, near the site of the old Tavern on Green.

The best viewing areas: in Brooklyn, near 92nd Street in Bay Ridge and along Fourth Avenue; in Manhattan, along First Avenue, from the Queensboro Bridge to the Willis Avenue Bridge, and along Fifth Avenue, from the northern end of Central Park to 89th Street; in Queens, along 44th Road and 44th Drive and Crescent Street to the Queensboro Bridge in Long Island City; in the Bronx, 138th Street from Willis Avenue to the Madison Avenue Bridge, in the Mott Haven section.

A live broadcast begins at 9 a.m. on Channel 7 and ESPN 2; pre-run programming begins at 7 a.m. on Channel 7. (212) 860-4455, nycmarathon.org. (NYT)

NYC Comedy Festival (Nov. 6-10)
Buy tickets now.
Performances by Wanda Sykes, John Mulaney and Whitney Cummings, and a conversation between Larry David and David Steinberg are among the highlights of this year’s New York Comedy Festival, which is now in its 10th year and is presented in association with Comedy Central and produced by Carolines on Broadway.

Drama and Discussion: a Public Forum
The playwright Tony Kushner will be among those taking part in this event that is part of the Public Forum series sponsored by the Public Theater. A reading of “Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy,” Mr. Kushner’s play about the George W. Bush presidency, will be followed by a discussion about it with Rachel Maddow and the actors Denis O’Hare and Elizabeth Marvel. It is the second of a three-part program called the Drama Club, which features different plays and speakers. The last installment, on Dec. 10, will focus on Thornton Wilder’s “Long Christmas Dinner.”

At 7 p.m., Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, joespub.com; $40. (NYT)

JOE LOVANO’S US FIVE (last day!)
“Even without the presence of Esperanza Spalding, the quintet’s original bassist (a post now occupied by Peter Slavlov), this ensemble still packs a mighty punch, propelled by two trap drummers, a vivacious pianist—James Weidman—and the audacious leader. (In addition to his tenor and soprano saxophones, Lovano has been known to pick up the aulochrome, a recently invented hybrid instrument that allows him to play two soprano saxes simultaneously.) Us Five satisfies the need for both daring musicianship and infectious rhythmic verve—a rare combination.”(NewYorker mag)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St.
At 8:30PM and 10:30PM / $25
212-255-4037

Matthew Bourne’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (last day!)
“Though best known for his all-male version of “Swan Lake,” Matthew Bourne has been reinventing the classics for years. Now “Sleeping Beauty,” set to the beloved Tchaikovsky score, has been given a new Bourne identity: cheeky humor, cartoonish sets and the occasionally goofy movement. But the man knows how to put on an entertaining show.” (Schaefer-NYT)
City Center, 131 West 55th St.
Wednesday and Friday at 8 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m./$30 to $130.
(212) 581-1212, nycitycenter.org

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 is one Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Karl Wirsum* (through Nov. 16)
“In the 1960s when he was a member of the Chicago imagist group the Hairy Who, Karl Wirsum made graphically bristling paintings resembling banners for an underground freak show. His eye-popping and mind-bending first exhibition of new paintings and drawings in New York since 1988 finds him still rambunctiously animated.” (Johnson-NYT)
Derek Eller Gallery, 615 West 27th St. (W of 11th ave.)
(212) 206-6411, derekeller.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) ==========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (11/01) and (10/30).

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, NOV. 02, 2013

Shorewalkers: ‘Great Manhattan Bridges Walk’
“This walk of all bridges that traverse Manhattan, beginning at the George Washington Bridge and ending at the Brooklyn Bridge, will cover more than 27 miles and take about 12 hours to complete. The group will meet at 9 a.m. near the main floor restrooms at the George Washington Bridge Port Authority Bus Station, Fort Washington Avenue, between 178th and 179th Streets, Washington Heights. Walkers should take along water, food and a MetroCard. (917) 783-6540 or (212) 330-7686, shorewalkers.org; $3 donation.”

And if you are not quite up to a 27 mile jaunt, you may prefer this walkabout:
Wallabout District Walking Tour
“This Brooklyn neighborhood near the former Navy Yards, which has one of the largest concentrations of pre-Civil War wood-frame houses in New York City, is the focus of this 11 a.m. walking tour sponsored by the Brooklyn Historical Society and the Wooden House Project, an advocacy group. The meeting place will be given with reservations, which can be made at wallabouttour-pp.eventbrite.com, (718) 222-4111; $25, $15 for members of the Brooklyn Historical Society and of Historic Green-Wood.” (NYT-Anne Mancuso)

BORIS CHARMATZ: WEEK THREE
“Musée de la Danse: Three Collective Gestures,” the French choreographer’s audacious three-weekend series at the Museum of Modern Art, finishes with “Flip Book,” a curious take on Merce Cunningham’s choreography. The three hundred photographs of Cunningham dances in David Vaughan’s career-spanning book “Fifty Years” are embodied in sequence by seven dancers, including the regal Cunningham veteran Valda Setterfield. What will the concept animate?” (NewYorker mag)
Museum of Modern Art
At 3 p.m. / museum admission: $25, $18 for 65+, $14 for students, free for members.
The performance will be followed, at 4 p.m., by a panel discussion with Mr. Charmatz, Ms. Setterfield and others.
212-708-9400, moma.org

Gary Bartz Quintet
“A soulful alto and soprano saxophonist whose career has taken him through postbop, jazz-funk and free jazz, Gary Bartz, 73, has continued to draw connections in his music; look no further than “Coltrane Rules: Tao of a Music Warrior,” an album released last year. For this engagement he enlists a younger alto saxophonist, Vincent Herring, along with Sullivan Fortner on piano, James King on bass and Greg Bandy on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th St.
At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m./ $38 cover
864-6662, smokejazz.com

STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES
“Like many singer-songwriters of legendary status, the fifty-eight-year-old Grammy-award-winning artist has had nine lives and nearly as many wives (his fellow-musician Allison Moorer is his seventh). He’s spent time in prison, been an actor, and written fiction, and he delivers rollicking and raw songs that tell a gritty, unmistakably American story. And, as if he’s been making up for lost time, Earle has had a busy year. In April, he released “The Low Highway,” which reprised his old backing band the Dukes, and brought on the Duchesses. In June, he issued “Steve Earle: The Warner Bros. Years,” a boxed set featuring three albums. Also included is the DVD “To Hell and Back,” a recording of his 1996 concert at the Cold Creek Correctional Facility in Tennessee.” (NewYorker mag)
Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St.
At 8PM / $35-$50
212-840-2824

Performa 13

“Performa is dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of 20th-century art and to encouraging new directions in performance for the 21st century. For its fifth biennial, Performa 13 will feature more than 100 contemporary artists, including 12 Performa commissions along with premieres and a multitude of new works by up-and-comers. This year’s biennial takes place at more than 60 venues throughout New York City. For a full list of today’s performances, see the event’s website.” (nycgo.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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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 Winter 2013)

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, NOV. 01, 2013

Mathematics and ‘The Simpsons’
A discussion on how writers for “The Simpsons” incorporated mathematical concepts into scripts for the show will feature Simon Singh, author of “The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets,” released this week.
National Museum of Mathematics, 11 East 26th St.
At 7 p.m./ $12, $10 for members; limited availability.
542-0566, singh.momath.org

Canstruction at Brookfield Place (through Nov. 13)
“The purpose of this annual event at the former World Financial Center is twofold: families can admire exquisite structures designed entirely from cans of food (past creations have included giant electric mixers, rocket ships, cartoon characters and castles), and each can will be donated to City Harvest at the end of the exhibit. While the event is free, families are encouraged to contribute a can or two of their own to feed the hungry.” (nycgo.com)

Find time for this one – the structures that are created solely from cans are amazing!

TED NASH BIG BAND
“The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is full of talented instrumentalists who regularly step out on their own, but few have the ambition of Ted Nash, who plays all varieties of saxophone and reed instruments in the ensemble. As on his new release, “Chakra,” Nash helms his own seventeen-piece big band, whose healthy size enables him to realize his evolving gifts as a composer and arranger.” (NewYorker mag)
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 $10 minimum
258-9595, jalc.org

CHRIS HADFIELD
Colonel Chris Hadfield, who has spent more than four thousand hours in space, talks with the journalist Miles O’Brien about his new book, “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything.”
Barnes & Noble—Union Square, 33 E. 17th St.
at 7PM / FREE
212-253-0810

Colin Meloy
“The frontman of the indie-rock band the Decemberists embarks on his first solo tour in five years. He’ll draw from his decade-long solo and group catalogs, as well as perform covers of songs by the Kinks — the latest subject of his fan-favorite series of cover EPs, which are recorded exclusively for the road.” (Anderson-NYT)
Town Hall, 123 West 43rd St.
At 8 p.m./ $33.50 to $40.
982-2787, the-townhall-nyc.org

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

What’s on View:
Special Exhibitions @ 4 Museum Mile / Fifth Ave. Museums:

“Legends of the Dead Ball Era” (1900-1919) (through Dec. 1)
“Eighteenth Century Pastels” (through Dec. 29)
“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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Metropolitan’s northern branch at the Cloisters – special mention:
Janet Cardiff / The Forty Part Motet (through Dec 8)
The Forty Part Motet (2001), a sound installation by Janet Cardiff, is the first presentation of contemporary art at The Cloisters. Regarded as the artist’s masterwork, and consisting of forty high-fidelity speakers positioned on stands in a large oval configuration throughout the Fuentidueña Chapel, the fourteen-minute work, with a three-minute spoken interlude, continuously plays an eleven-minute reworking of the forty-part motet Spem in alium numquam habui (1556?/1573?) by Tudor composer Thomas Tallis.
Visitors are encouraged to walk among the loudspeakers and hear the individual unaccompanied voices—bass, baritone, alto, tenor, and child soprano—one part per speaker—as well as the polyphonic choral effect of the combined singers in an immersive experience. The Forty Part Motet is most often presented in a neutral gallery setting, but in this case the setting is the Cloisters’ Fuentidueña Chapel, which features the late twelfth-century apse from the church of San Martín at Fuentidueña, near Segovia, Spain, on permanent loan from the Spanish Government. Set within a churchlike gallery space, and with superb acoustics, it has for more than fifty years proved a fine venue for concerts of early music.
Worth the trip to far northern manhattan.
subway: #1 to 59th St,, transfer, “take the A train” to 190th St,
walk about ½ mile N to the Cloisters, a beautiful location, esp in the fall, overlooking the Hudson Palisades.
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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

‘The Armory Show at 100: Modern Art and Revolution’ (through Feb. 23)
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, at 77th St.
(212) 873-3400 / nyhistory.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 (through Dec. 31)
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 10/24 and 10/22.

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

Archtober (last day!)
To the design world, October is Archtober, or Design and Architecture Month, in New York City. For 31 days, the entire city opened its doors for design tours, lectures, films and celebrations, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that give this metropolis its distinct character. This month’s activities have been fascinating. Presented by the American Institute of Architects New York and the Center for Architecture, more than 50 organizations participated this year, including the Museum of Arts and Design, Queens Museum, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art.
A schedule is at archtober.org/calendar.

Among today’s activities:
Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture
Rousham: Sitting in and Sauntering through a Pleasure Ground, A lecture by Magda Salvesen
6:00pm Reception; 6:30pm Lecture
Building of the Day: Sean Kelly Gallery / Tour Time: 12:00-1:00pm

Power, Privacy and the Internet
The Edward Snowden affair, and the willingness of the US government to violate the privacy of internet communications on a gigantic scale in the interests of national security, have propelled internet technologies to the center of our political, and civic concerns. There is growing concern about the threat to the privacy of the citizen posed by the unauthorized accumulation of internet-based information by private businesses for their own uses.

This conference will look at the role of the internet both as a vehicle of political and cultural dissent and, in the hands of the state, as a weapon of repression and control.
Welcoming Remarks
Robert Silvers, Editor of The New York Review of Books
Panel III: 9:30–11:00
The Internet, Repression, and Dissent
Chair: Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director, PEN American Center, New York
Perry Link, Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Riverside
Wen Yunchao, Chinese writer and internet activist
Amy Knight, historian of Russia
Panel IV: 11:15–12:45
The Internet and the Future of the Press
The Internet, the Book, the University and the Library
Chair: Robert Silvers
Robert Darnton, Carl H Pforzheimer Professor of History and University Librarian at Harvard
Anthony Grafton, Henry Putnam University Professor of History at Princeton
Panel V: 1:45–3:15
The Internet, the Economy and Production
Chair: Philip Howard, Chair, Common Good
Jeff Madrick, Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, New York; Editor of Challenge Magazine
Morten Kyng, Professor of Computer Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark
Simon Head, Senior Fellow, Institute for Public Knowledge, NYU; Director of Programs, The New York Review of Books Foundation
Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue, (btw 37/38)
Free and open to all but registration required

Tonight is Halloween, here’s What’s Happening for all you ghouls and partygoers:

NEW YORK’S VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARADE
This is the granddady of all Halloween events.
“It might be hard for anyone who’s braved the crowds to fathom, but this tradition began when a puppet-and-mask maker, Ralph Lee, was looking for something to do with his children on Halloween. That was in 1974. The parade, which now draws thousands of participants and supporters, marks its fortieth anniversary this year, an accomplishment made all the more significant after last year’s event was cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy. The storm, which devastated the lives of countless New Yorkers, also had a severe impact on the parade’s finances. After a recent Kickstarter campaign, however, it is roaring back to life. According to the parade’s longtime artistic and producing director, Jeanne Fleming, it’s the best place to “watch every creature imaginable—whether human, alien or animal—frolic, perform, shake, strut, or shimmy.” (NewYorker mag)
Sixth Ave. from Spring St. to 16th St.
starting at 7 / halloween-nyc.com

Halloween-Related Events 
a Venetian carnival, with dramatic readings, costume contests and silent movies will begin at 7 p.m. at the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, near Houston Street, SoHo, (212) 334-3324, housingworksbookstore.org; FREE.

at Trinity Church, Broadway and Wall Street, a screening at 6:30 p.m. of the 1920 silent film “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” will have organ accompaniment by Rob Ridgell. (212) 602-0800, trinitywallstreet.org. FREE

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

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

Power, Privacy and the Internet
The Edward Snowden affair, and the willingness of the US government to violate the privacy of internet communications on a gigantic scale in the interests of national security, have propelled internet technologies to the center of our political, and civic concerns. There is growing concern about the threat to the privacy of the citizen posed by the unauthorized accumulation of internet-based information by private businesses for their own uses.

This conference will look at the role of the internet both as a vehicle of political and cultural dissent and, in the hands of the state, as a weapon of repression and control.
Welcoming Remarks
Robert Silvers, Editor of The New York Review of Books
Panel I: 2:00–3:30
Governments, Corporations and Hackers: the Internet and Threats to the Privacy and Dignity of the Citizen
Chair: Eric Klinenberg, Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University
James Bamford, author and expert on the National Security Agency
Alice Marwick, Professor of Communications, Fordham University
Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
Panel II: 4:00–5:30
The Internet and the Future of the Press
Chair: Robert Silvers
Michael Schudson, Profesor at the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University
Nicholas Lemann, Professor and former Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia; staff writer at The New Yorker
Michael Massing, Contributing Editor at Columbia Journalism Review.
Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue, (btw 37/38)
Free and open to all but registration required

Concert: Master Class: Nicholas McGegan, Harpsichordist
Conductor, harpsichordist, and early music authority Nicholas McGegan hosts a public master class featuring instrumental period performances by college musicians.
Juilliard School, Paul Hall, 155 W. 65th St.
At 5:00PM / FREE
1-212-769-7406

Antonio Sanchez and Migration*
“Mr. Sanchez, a supple dynamo of a drummer, recently released his ambitious but grounded third album, “New Life,” featuring the most of the same intuitive personnel found here: David Binney on saxophone, John Escreet on piano and Matt Brewer on bass. The vocalist Thana Alexa will join them for this engagement.” (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St. and Broadway,
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. / $35 cover, with a $10 minimum
258-9595, jalc.org

ICP Lecture Series: Trevor Paglen
Trevor Paglen combines visual art, journalism, and geography to illuminate the clandestine world of top-secret U.S. military operations, providing his audience with a new way to understand this shrouded and unsettling facet of state secrecy. In his latest book, The Last Pictures, Paglen explores the blending of politics, art, and the concept of geologic time.

Trevor Paglen lives and works in New York. He holds an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Ph.D in Geography from U.C. Berkeley; he has exhibited widely in both solo and group shows, and is the author of five books.
International Center of Photography, 1133 Avenue of the Americas
at 7:00pm / $15
212-857-0000

JOE LOVANO’S US FIVE (through Nov.3)
“Even without the presence of Esperanza Spalding, the quintet’s original bassist (a post now occupied by Peter Slavlov), this ensemble still packs a mighty punch, propelled by two trap drummers, a vivacious pianist—James Weidman—and the audacious leader. (In addition to his tenor and soprano saxophones, Lovano has been known to pick up the aulochrome, a recently invented hybrid instrument that allows him to play two soprano saxes simultaneously.) Us Five satisfies the need for both daring musicianship and infectious rhythmic verve—a rare combination.”(NewYorker mag)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St.
At 8:30PM and 10:30PM / $25
212-255-4037

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 & the BrooklynMuseum) 

‘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 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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‘Connecting Cultures: A World in Brooklyn’ (continuing)
This eclectic, imaginatively thought-out one-gallery immersion experience in world art, all from Brooklyn’s collection and installed in the museum’s revamped Great Hall, serves as a teaser to the fabulous collections in the galleries beyond.
‘Divine Felines: Cats of AncientEgypt’ (through Dec. 29)
Brooklyn Museum: 200 Eastern Parkway, at Prospect Park,
(subway: easy ride from midtown on #2 or #3 express to Eastern Pkway/Bklyn Museum)
(718) 638-5000 / brooklynmuseum.org

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts: Al Hirschfeld Exhibition (through Jan. 4)
“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, 111 Amsterdam Ave, at 65th St, Lincoln Center,
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.

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 

   ICP
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 (10/22) and (10/20).

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, OCT. 29, 2013

The Joy of Cheese and Gastronomie 491 Present the 12 Percent Solution
During the last few years, Brooklyn-based 12 Percent Imports, essentially a two person company, has established itself as one of the leading portfolios in the beer world.  They began with small Belgian breweries and expanded their book to include extraordinary beers from Scandinavia, Canada, and now many parts of the United States as well.  Only a few of their beers are actually 12% in Alcohol per Beer Volume, but all of their beers are delicious.

Taste and compare six beers paired with six cheeses. Maggie Fuller of 12 Percent will introduce and discuss the beers. Martin Johnson, the lead cheesemonger at Gastronomie 491, and according to the NY Times, one of the leading cheese wits in the city, http://bit.ly/VSYuhe, will present and discuss the cheese.  Good times will ensue.
Gastronomie 491, 491 Columbus Avenue @ W 84th St.
At 7PM / $20

BEYOND THE SPEED OF SOUND: MUSIC IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Over the past three decades, digital technologies have refashioned every link in the chain of the music industry, including the concept of “fandom,” which is often overlooked.

Listen to a discussion of  music in the digital age featuring Travis Morrison, digital entrepreneur, musician, and lead singer of The Dismemberment Plan; Jake Ottmann, senior vice president for A & R, Warner/Chappell Music; and Randal Doane (Graduate Center Ph.D. in Sociology, 2003), author of Stealing All Transmissions: A Secret History of The Clash. Moderated by Amanda Petrusich, author of It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways, and the Search for the Next American Music.
The Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, Skylight Room
at 6:30 PM / FREE, Reservations Required
212-817-8215

Pete Hamill /The Christmas Kid: And Other Brooklyn Stories
Best-selling author Pete Hamill reads from his magical story collection, The Christmas Kid: And Other Brooklyn Stories, a short-story collection which focuses on his childhood memories. These stories about Brooklyn present a New York almost lost but not forgotten. Any chance to hear Pete, maybe NewYork’s most accomplished raconteur, reminisce is a chance not to be missed.
Barnes & Noble Tribeca. 97 Warren St. at Greenwich St.
At 6:00 PM / FREE
212-587-5389

The Cookers
“This all-star hard-bop crew — David Weiss and Terell Stafford on trumpet, Gary Bartz on alto saxophone, Billy Harper on tenor saxophone, George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass and Billy Hart on drums — favors a hard-tumbling aggression of the sort that used to be a lot more common in the jazz mainstream. This one-nighter, part of the WBGO Jazz Series at 54 Below, will draw partly from the band’s third album, “Believe,” released last year.” (Chinen – NYT)
54 Below, 254 West 54th St.
At 7 p.m., $25 to $35 cover, with a $15 minimum
(646) 476-3551, 54below.com

The Horszowski Trio (violin, cello, piano)
Program:
Joan Tower: For Daniel (2004)
John Harbison: Piano Trio No.2, “Short Stories”
I. Tale
II. Ballad
III. Rumors and Reports
IV. Enigma
Noam Sivan: “A Lightning Whisper” from Poems Without Words for piano trio – world premiere

The Horszowski Trio makes their Miller debut with a program examining the myriad ways composers use music to not just evoke a feeling, but also to tell a story. Pairing Joan Tower’s moving and personal work for her late nephew with John Harbinson’s playful Piano Trio No. 2. and other works, the Horszowski Trio takes the audience on a journey in this engaging program.
Columbia University, Miller Theatre, 2960 Broadway at 116th St.
AT 6:00PM / FREE
1-212-854-7799

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

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 4”/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, OCT. 28, 2013

Archtober /October 1–31
To the design world, October is Archtober, or Design and Architecture Month, in New York City. For 31 days, the entire city opens its doors for design tours, lectures, films and celebrations, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that give this metropolis its distinct character. Presented by the American Institute of Architects New York and the Center for Architecture, more than 50 organizations are participating this year, including the Museum of Arts and Design, Queens Museum, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art.
A schedule is at archtober.org/calendar.

Among today’s activities:
AIANY/Center for Architecture
Around Manhattan Boat Tour: NYC Architecture- online promo code ARCHOB5 for $5 off
10:00am, 1:45pm
AIANY/Center for Architecture / DOCOMOMO New York/Tri-State
Oculus Book Talk: Phyllis Lambert, Building Seagram in Conversation with Barry Bergdoll
6:00-8:00pm
Building of the Day: Judd Foundation / Tour Time: 1:00-3:00pm

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
A popular weekly soiree that brings a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland every Monday night. For the past nine years, it’s been the spot to mix and mingle with Manhattan show folk and their fans.

The buoyant, sharp and charming Broadway impresario Jim Caruso hosts a combination open-mic, networking event and party, where some nights you may hear the biggest stars on Broadway relax on their night off by performing their favorite songs in an informal setting. Always fun.
Birdland – 315 West 44th St (btw 8th/9th ave)
9:30 pm / $20 (includes a drink if you sit at the bar, which are not bad seats)
(212) 581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com

Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
“If you haven’t yet checked out the Nighthawks’ new digs, the two shows before Halloween are the perfect opportunity. The band (which has just released their second volume of music from HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”) now actually sounds better, audio-wise, and the menu is a vast improvement over the band’s previous venue—overall, it is a step up, to the second floor, rather than a flight down, to the basement.

Although longtime fans are currently referring to the Nighthawks as “The Iguana Troubadours,” they continue to play with the same amazing combination of skin-tight historical authenticity and sheer, relentless energy, plus a tempo that has always characterized Mr. Giordano’s bands. For two nights a year, bass and tuba virtuoso (and part-time vampire hunter) Vince Giordano disinters some of the more ghoulish charts from his vast secret crypt of vintage orchestrations, including such cobweb-covered curios as “Hell’s Bells” and “The House is Haunted.” (WSJ-WILL FRIEDWALD)
Iguana, 240 W. 54th St., (Btw 8th/B’way)
8pm-11pm / $15 cover, $20 food/drink minimum
(212) 765-5454 / iguananyc.com

Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
There’s a tradition in many New York City jazz clubs – Monday nights are reserved for big bands. The Village Vanguard, the most storied of clubs, has observed this practice since 1966. The Grammy-winning Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, established by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, is definitely a big band with 4 trumpets, and 4 trombones to accompany 6 reed players. Why not make it your tradition, too.
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Avenue South, just below West 11th St.
At 8:30 and 10:30 pm / $25
212-255-4037 / villagevanguard.com

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 is one Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Karl Wirsum* (through Nov. 16)
“In the 1960s when he was a member of the Chicago imagist group the Hairy Who, Karl Wirsum made graphically bristling paintings resembling banners for an underground freak show. His eye-popping and mind-bending first exhibition of new paintings and drawings in New York since 1988 finds him still rambunctiously animated.” (Johnson-NYT)
Derek Eller Gallery, 615 West 27th St. (W of 11th ave.)
(212) 206-6411, derekeller.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) ==========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (10/24) and (10/26).

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

NYC Food Film Festival 2013: 
Farm to Film to Table & Matt Timms’ Green Chile Takedown
“The New York Food Film Festival goes out in a blaze of fiery green chiles as Takedown starter Matt Timms stops in to host one his signature food fights. 15 home cooks are handed 100 lbs of green chiles from New Mexico to cook up something special for the occasion. In addition to feasting on their concoctions, catch some short films about farmers in Long Island, the husband & wife team behind the Amagansett Sea Salt Co., and the cheese producers of Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont. And if all that isn’t enough to wet your whistle, La Newyorkina is supplying a dessert bar, a fine assortment of alcoholic beverages are being poured, and the winners of the festival’s film awards are to be announced. Proceeds from the closing night go to the Food Bank of New York City.” (Mindy Bond, Flavorpill)
THE FILMS
The Chile Film (La Sangre Rojo y Verde de Nuevo Mexico)
FarmTina
Growing Farmers
Letting Salt Just Be Salt: Amagansett Sea Salt Co.
Smoochie Sauce
The Northeast Kingdom
THE FOODS
Matt Timms Presents The Green Chile Takedown
15 Home Cooks + 100 lbs of Green Chiles from New Mexico + the one and only Matt Timms = HOT!
Plus a special dish from La Palapa and cool off with a special dessert bar by La Newyorkina featuring horchata ice cream and more!
A selection of drinks, including beers by Warsteiner, the exclusive imported beer of the 2013 NYC Food Film Festival and sustainable wines by Frei Brothers Reserve. Be sure to grab a drink from Rev at the Idle Hands In-theater Bar!
AMC Loews Village 7 at 5:30pm
BENEFITING THE FOOD BANK FOR NEW YORK CITY / TICKETS: $75
Festival tickets are all-inclusive of food, beverages and entry to film screenings.

BILL MCHENRY (last day!)
“The saxophonist has been a leading member of his generation since the early nineties, his strong sound and willingness to stretch stylistic boundaries garnering him considerable attention from peers and listeners alike. His quartet, documented on last year’s album, “La Peur du Vide,” draws much of its inventive focus from its brilliant drummer, the seventy-three-year-old Andrew Cyrille, an acclaimed avant-garde rhythm avatar of the nineteen-sixties.” (NewYorker mag)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St., West Village,
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., $25 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
255-4037, villagevanguard.com

Matthew Bourne’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (through Nov. 3)
“Though best known for his all-male version of “Swan Lake,” Matthew Bourne has been reinventing the classics for years. Now “Sleeping Beauty,” set to the beloved Tchaikovsky score, has been given a new Bourne identity: cheeky humor, cartoonish sets and the occasionally goofy movement. But the man knows how to put on an entertaining show.” (Schaefer-NYT)
City Center, 131 West 55th St.
Wednesday and Friday at 8 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m./$30 to $130.
(212) 581-1212, nycitycenter.org

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE (last day!)
“The Fred Astaire of the acoustic bass, McBride makes his extraordinary playing look easy. He might be a great illusionist, but he’s accomplished something else that’s grand, too: he’s one of the few highly touted “young lions” of the nineties jazz scene to have made good on all his promise. His sharp mainstream trio includes the pianist Christian Sands.” (NewYorker mag)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St./Broadway
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $35 to $45 cover, with a $10 minimum
(212) 258-9595, jalc.org

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 better burgers in town.

In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town. The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro 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 5”+1/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, OCT. 26, 2013

PhotoPlus Expo 2013 (last day!)
The PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo is the largest photography and imaging show in North America, attended by over 24,000 professional photographers and enthusiasts. Attend and learn to improve your personal style at any of more than 90 conference seminars. Explore over 250 exhibits, see thousands of new products, attend keynote presentations, special events & much more.
Javits Convention Center, far west 34th St. at 11th ave
10AM-5PM, Thur & Fri; 10AM-4PM Sat
photoplusexpo.com

New York Television Festival, (last day!)
“The boob tube has long been derided as a haven of mindless entertainment, but the field is shifting and television has largely supplanted film as the go-to medium for intelligent, original storytelling. The ninth-annual New York Television Festival caters to TV tastes both highbrow and lowbrow, with seminars, parties, an Independent Pilot Competition and high-profile screenings galore for industry types, aspiring creators and fans alike. For more information, visit nytvf.com.” (nycgo.com)
Multiple locations

Houston Ballet* (last 2 days!)
One of the country’s top ballet companies pays a visit to New York with an impressively diverse program of one-word dances: “Pacific” by Mark Morris; “Play” by the Houston Ballet director Stanton Welch, set to the music of Moby; “Twilight,” a romantic duet by Ben Stevenson; and “Solo” (it actually features three men), a rare opportunity to see work by the Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen.” (Schaefer-NYT)
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th Street, Chelsea
Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. / $10 to $69.
(212) 242-0800, joyce.org

A Night of Afro Dominican Jazz: Honoring & Remembering ‘El Commandante’ Mario Rivera* 
Mario Rivera, who died in 2007, was a saxophonist of almost peerless ability in Latin jazz, as well as a gifted flutist, trumpeter, pianist and percussionist — and a founding member of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, which salutes him here, as the kickoff to its 12th concert season.

The orchestra, led by the pianist Arturo O’Farrill, will revisit music from Rivera’s 1996 album “El Comandante,” welcoming an array of guests that includes the trombonist Papo Vazquez.” (Chinen-NYT)
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street,
At 8 p.m./$20
(212) 864-5400, symphonyspace.org

Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra
“Although Saturday’s concert isn’t billed specifically as a Halloween show, this ensemble (this time featuring nine musicians and a six-member vocal choir) isn’t called the Ghost Train Orchestra for nothing.

No matter what time of year it is, trumpeter-leader Brian Carpenter displays a propensity for resurrecting some of the scarier and more marginal figures out the shadowy history of jazz, such as Charlie Johnson and his wailingly sexual “The Boy in the Boat” on their 2011 debut album “Hothouse Stomp.”

For the band’s new release, “Book of Rhapsodies,” they’ve exhumed the coffins of such long dormant chamber jazz mavericks as Raymond Scott, Alec Wilder, Reginald Foresythe, and John Kirby, who deliberately encourage a costume party in such titles as “At An Arabian House Party” and “Celebration on the Planet Mars.” To drive home the point even further, the Raymond Scott Orchestrette, dedicated to Scott’s proto-third-stream compositions of the 1930s, will open the evening.” (WSJ-WILL FRIEDWALD)
SubCulture, 45 Bleecker St. at Lafayette St.
At 8:30PM / $15 – $20
533-5470 / subculturenewyork.com/
subway: #1-2-3 to TimesSquare, transfer to N/R southbound to Prince St.
walk 2 blks N to Bleecker St., 1 Blk E to venue.

Eva Ayllòn
“A guiding force of música criolla — an amorous and delicate blend of Peruvian regional forms — Ms. Ayllón has nearly two dozen albums and multiple Latin Grammy nominations to her name. She performs favorites from her 40 years in the business.” (Anderson-NYT)
Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Ave @ 57th St.
At 8 p.m., $15 to $75.
(212) 247-7800, carnegiehall.org

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

What’s on View:
Special Exhibitions @ 4 Museum Mile / Fifth Ave. Museums:

‘The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi” (through Nov. 3)
“Legends of the Dead Ball Era” (1900-1919) (through Dec. 1)
“Eighteenth Century Pastels” (through Dec. 29)
“Julia Margaret Cameron” (through Jan. 5, 2014)
“Medieval Treasurse From Hildesheim” (through Jan. 5, 2014)
“Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800” (through Jan. 5, 2014)
“Brush Writing in the Arts of Japan” (through Jan. 12, 2014)
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1000 5th Ave, at 82nd St.
(212) 535-7710 / metmuseum.org

“Monika Grzymala, Volumen” (through Nov. 3)
‘Tiepolo, Guardi, and Their World: Eighteenth Century Venetian Drawings’ (ends Jan. 5)
Morgan Library & Museum: 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th St.
(212) 685-0008 / themorgan.org.

“Kandinsky in Paris, 1934–1944” (through Apr.23, 2014)
Guggenheim Museum: 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th St.
(212) 423-3500 / guggenheim.org.

“La Bienal 2013: Here Is Where We Jump” (through Jan. 4, 2014)
El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue, at 104th St.
(212) 831-7272 / elmuseo.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 (through Dec. 31)
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 10/24 and 10/22.