NYC Events -“Only the Best” (01/28) + Today’s Featured Pub (Tribeca)

Posted on 01/28/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ JANUARY 28, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Paul Krugman in Conversation with Samantha Bee: Arguing with Zombies
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 7:30PM, $50
“Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman exposes the erroneous ideas that just won’t die in his new Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future. Satirist Samantha Bee joins Krugman to break down myths from tax reform to healthcare to Brexit.

Join Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman for a conversation about his new book, Arguing with Zombies—along with the most crystal-clear crash course in contemporary economics, politics and public policy you’re likely to get ahead of the 2020 election.

As the Trump administration rolls back nearly every New Deal-era law America has relied upon for a century, Krugman breaks down the myths surrounding public policy issues at home and abroad—from tax reform to healthcare to Brexit—with the characteristic intelligence, wit and passion that have been on display for two decades in his writing for The New York Times.” (ThoughtGallery)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Porgy and Bess
>> New York Philharmonic: Lunar New Year Concert
>> Jill Sobule
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> New York City Ballet
>> Ecstatic Music: Bang on a Can People’s Commissioning Fund Concert
>> Tara O’Grady

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Metropolitan Opera
Porgy and Bess (next Feb.1, 1PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $85+
(Has proved so popular that the Met has added three performances to this second run of the season.)
“One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green.”

New York Philharmonic: Lunar New Year Concert
David Geffen Hall (at Lincoln Center) / 7:30PM, $35+
“The New York Philharmonic is known for its exceptional New Year’s Concert and, for a ninth year, the renowned symphony kicks the Lunar New Year into high gear as well. The evening’s schedule includes the US Premiere of Zhou Tian’s Gift, the New York Premiere of Texu Kim’s ping pong–inspired Spin-Flip, Haochen Zhang’s take on Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and Gil Shaham in Chen Gang and He Zhanhao’s The Butterfly Lovers, the violin concerto.” (TONY)

Jill Sobule
Joe’s Pub / 9:30PM, $20
“Nostalgia can be wonderful and amazing. It’s OK to look back. But then you gotta get the fuck out of there.” So says singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, explaining the theme of her new album, Nostalgia Kills.

On 2018’s Nostalgia Kills, the woman hailed by The New York Times for making “grown-up music for an adolescent age” turns her warm wit and poet’s eye on herself more than ever before, revisiting moments from throughout her life that made her into the person she is today.”

The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Birdland / 9:30PM, $25
“Mosher is one of those talents you need to see to believe: warm, funny, biting, ferociously committed. In her weekly series at the downstairs Birdland Theater, she invites a gaggle of performers from Broadway and beyond to show their talents. Guests at the January 28 edition include Nicole Zuraitis, Jordan von Haslow, Darien Crago, Daniel Plimpton, Gretchen Reinhagen, Matt Baker, Julie Garnye, America’s Sweethearts, the Drinkwater Brothers and musical director Brad Simmons. ” (TONY)

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $78+
“The spotlight remains on George Balanchine, this company’s founding father, with more performances of “Allegro Brilliante,” “La Source” and “Firebird” (on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Sunday’s matinee program, “Stravinsky & Balanchine,” highlights collaborations between the composer and the choreographer, including “Danses Concertantes” and “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.” The “New Combinations” bill on Jan. 30 pairs Jerome Robbins’s 1979 “Opus 19/The Dreamer” with Christopher Wheeldon’s 2001 “Polyphonia” and two newer dances: Justin Peck’s “Bright,” a brief ballet for six dancers that premiered last spring, and “Voices,” a new work by Alexei Ratmansky.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Ecstatic Music: Bang on a Can People’s Commissioning Fund Concert
Bang On A Can All-Stars
@ Kaufman Center (Ecstatic Music Festival) / 7:30PM, $25
“The mother of avant-garde collectives” (Vulture), Bang on a Can’s People’s Commissioning Fund is a radical partnership between artists and audiences to commission works from adventurous composers. Founded in 1997, long before crowd-funding became the norm through Kickstarter and the like, Bang on a Can’s PCF has pooled contributions of all sizes from hundreds of friends and fans and since its inception has commissioned over 50 works of music for New York’s electric Bang on a Can All-Stars.”

PLUS one of my favorite Jazz vocalists:

Tara O’Grady
Winnie’s Jazz Bar, Refinery Hotel, 63 W38th St./ 8-11PM, no cover
An eclectic Jazz singer in a small intimate lounge. She covers Billie Holiday, and Etta James, then Jazzes up a traditional Irish ballad like “Danny Boy.” Her original songs show the heart of an accomplished, published author. She takes all kinds of requests – makes for a fun evening.
Her two accompanists are also superb, the guitar player recalls B.B. King.

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

MORE SMART STUFF TOMORROW

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/28 Jill Sobule, Joe’s Pub
1/28-29 Madison Cunningham, (le) Poisson Rouge
1/28-29 The Hot Sardines, Birdland

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
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A PremierPub / Tribeca

B-Flat / 277 Church St. (btw Franklin/White St)

b_flat4There are some places that are tough to find, then add a layer of mystery when you do find them. B-Flat has a nondescript, almost unmarked door at street level – today’s speakeasy vibe. Open this door and you face a dimly lit stairway down to their basement location. It almost takes a leap of faith to follow the stairs down to their interior door.
But open that door and a pleasant surprise awaits you.

It’s a basement jazz spot all right, but not like any traditional jazz joint you may have been to before. This place looks as fresh as today, probably because it’s only been open for 6 years. Even though it hasn’t had a chance to age gracefully, the cherry wood accents and low lighting make this small space very inviting.

There is always jazz, often progressive jazz, playing over their very discrete, stylish bose speakers, setting just the right tone as you find a seat at the bar, or one of the small tables. There is wine and beer available, but this place has some expert mixologists making some very creative cocktails, which I’m told change seasonally, a nice touch.

Come at happy hour and tasty cocktails like the el Diablo or the lychee martini are $8 – not bad. I am a sucker for any drink made with lychee and how can you not try a tequila drink named el Diablo. There is also nice selection of small bites available at happy hour and a food menu that is as innovative as the cocktail menu, so this does not have to be a happy hour only stop.

It wasn’t surprising to find a tasty prosciutto and arugula salad with yuzu dressing, but I did not expect to find such a good version of fried chicken breast on the apps menu. Here it’s called “Tatsuta.” Best bet is to sample happy hour, then dinner on a Monday or Wednesday night, when you can finish with no cover live jazz that starts around 8.

This place is tough to find (look for a small slate sandwich board on the sidewalk out front advertising happy hour) and on some nights when there is no live music it may be a little too quiet for some. But I think it’s worth searching out if you want a place with good music, food, and especially drinks, away from the maddening crowd.

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

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

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

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Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

I MEMORIALIZE THESE TWO WONDERFUL CLUBS AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/27) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 01/27/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > MONDAY/ JANUARY 27, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

STEFON HARRIS AND BLACKOUT
at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / 7 p.m.; FREE
“With Blackout, Harris, a virtuoso vibraphonist and marimba player, has long been proposing a kind of fusion that links contemporary jazz with R&B and hip-hop — often by way of the Caribbean, subtly. At this free performance, presented at the Schomburg by Carnegie Hall Citywide, the group will likely draw from their strong 2018 album, “Sonic Creed,” which marked their return from a nine-year hiatus. Blackout features Casey Benjamin on saxophone and vocoder, Marc Cary on piano and keyboards, Luques Curtis on bass and Terreon Gully on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Lance Horne: Mondays in the Pub with Lance
>> Andy Karl & Orfeh: Legally Bound
>> Lyrics & Lyricists: Yip Harburg—Follow the Fellow Who Follows a Dream
>> The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> Inside NYCB
>> Monday Night Magic

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Lance Horne: Mondays in the Pub with Lance
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater / 7PM, $15
“Pianist, songwriter and bon vivant Horne takes up residency at Joe’s Pub with a pack of his friends—let’s call them the Horne dogs—to share highlights from the past two years of his wild weekly open-mike nights on Mondays at Club Cumming. Expect singing, semi-dancing, makeshift props and costumes and joyful show-tune geekery. Proceeds benefit volunteer firefighters in Australia.” (TONY)

Andy Karl & Orfeh: Legally Bound
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“One of musical theater’s royal couples—power belter and blue-eyed-soul recording artist Orfeh (soon to be seen in Pretty Woman) and her charming husband, Rocky dreamboat Andy Karl (most recently of Groundhog Day)—share some of their love.” (TONY)

Lyrics & Lyricists: Yip Harburg—Follow the Fellow Who Follows a Dream (Jan.25-27)
92nd Street Y / 2PM, +7PM,$45+
“The 92nd Street Y’s estimable Lyrics & Lyricists series begins its new season with a salute to Great American Songbook giant and leftist social activist Yip Harburg, who gave us the words to “Over the Rainbow” as well as “April in Paris,” “Paper Moon,” and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” The singers are Mikaela Bennett, Clifton Duncan, Desi Oakley, Megan Sikora and Nick Spangler; Matt Kunkel directs, and Paul Masse is the musical director.” (TONY)

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30PM +10:30PM, $35
“World class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition.” (NYT)

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Cabaret)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave) / 9:30PM, $20-$30
“The witty host attracts broadway stars on their night off, along with up and comers.”
“Part cabaret, part piano bar and part social set, Cast Party offers a chance to hear rising and established talents step up to the microphone (backed by the slap and tickle of Steve Doyle on bass and Billy Stritch at the ivories, plus the bang of Daniel Glass on drums). The waggish Caruso presides as host.” (TONY)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

New York City Ballet
Inside NYCB
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 6:30PM, $20
“These one-hour onstage presentations explore the history and inner workings of New York City Ballet through performance and discussion, offering audiences unique access to the esteemed performers and collaborators of NYCB. Whether you’re new to ballet or a seasoned aficionado, these thought-provoking presentations promise to engage and enlighten.”

Monday Night Magic
Players Theatre, West Village / 8PM, $42.50
“For more than two decades,, this proudly old-school series has offered a different lineup of professional magicians every week: opening acts, a headliner and a host, plus two or three close-up magicians to wow the audience at intermission. Housed for the past seven years at the unprepossessing Players Theatre, it is an heir to the vaudeville tradition.

Many of the acts incorporate comedic elements, and audience participation is common. (If you have young children, bring them; they make especially adorable assistants.) Shows cost just $37.50 in advance and typically last well over two hours, so you get a lot of value and variety for your magic dollar. In contrast to some fancier magic shows, this one feels like comfort food: an all-you-can eat buffet to which you’re encouraged to return until you’re as stuffed as a hat full of rabbits.” (TONY)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/28 Jill Sobule, Joe’s Pub
1/28-29 Madison Cunningham, (le) Poisson Rouge
1/28-29 The Hot Sardines, Birdland

================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world. Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues. Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art.

Here are two exhibitions the Vulture (NY Magazine) likes:

coming soon

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

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but better plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm). OR try this NYT recommendation: “When you’re done, adjourn to the newly renovated Bottino , the Chelsea art world’s unofficial canteen on 10th Avenue (btw 24/25 St.) “

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 01/25 and 01/23.
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8 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/23/20)

Must-see theater coming to New York City stages this fall (amNY)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

m

NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

and, drum roll, here are all the media critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

For good, comprehensive and current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the headout blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/26) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper West Side)

Posted on 01/26/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ JANUARY 26, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
Practice your pas de deux at the ballet
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 3PM, $78+
“New York City Ballet’s “Stravinsky & Balanchine” features the rarely performed Danses Concertantes, a spectacular, colorful collaboration between choreographer George Balanchine and composer Igor Stravinsky. Starring soloists Brittany Pollack and Daniel Applebaum, the ballet — first mounted for the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo at New York’s City Center Theater in 1944 — is presented with the original costumes and scenery by artist Eugene Berman. A more classic Balanchine piece, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, highlights the choreographer’s breathtaking pas de deux.” (thrillist)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars
>> La Traviata
>> Lyrics & Lyricists: Yip Harburg—Follow the Fellow Who Follows a Dream
>> JOE LOVANO AND DAVE DOUGLAS SOUND PRINTS
>> New York Times Travel Show
>> Sunday Platform – Jason Haber – FutureCity: A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of NYC and Cities Around the World
>> BroadwayCon 2020

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars (LAST DAY)
at the Blue Note / 8 and 10:30PM, $20-$35
“As a performer, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie left behind an incredible record of innovation and inspiration and as a composer, a broad repository of musical masterpieces.

For Dizzy Gillespie, playing in a small combo was never enough. His artistry compelled him to seek and to create larger ensembles because as a composer and arranger, a big band was the ultimate vehicle for self-expression.

The Dizzy Gillespie™ Big Band and Alumni All-Star group (small group) is the direct descendant of these ventures, and happily, the tradition lives on, nurtured by Gillespie alumni and executive director, producer, and bassist John Lee.”

La Traviata (next Jan.31, 8PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 3PM, $30+
“Michael Mayer’s sumptuous staging, a highlight of the 2018–19 season, returns with two casts of bright stars. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak and Lisette Oropesa share the role of Violetta, the opera’s tragic heroine, opposite tenors Dmytro Popov and Vittorio Grigolo as her ardent lover, Alfredo, and baritones Quinn Kelsey and Luca Salsi as Alfredo’s stern father, Germont. Karel Mark Chichon and Bertrand de Billy conduct one of opera’s greatest scores.”

Lyrics & Lyricists: Yip Harburg—Follow the Fellow Who Follows a Dream (Jan.25-27)
92nd Street Y / 2PM, +7PM,$45+
“The 92nd Street Y’s estimable Lyrics & Lyricists series begins its new season with a salute to Great American Songbook giant and leftist social activist Yip Harburg, who gave us the words to “Over the Rainbow” as well as “April in Paris,” “Paper Moon,” and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” The singers are Mikaela Bennett, Clifton Duncan, Desi Oakley, Megan Sikora and Nick Spangler; Matt Kunkel directs, and Paul Masse is the musical director.” (TONY)

JOE LOVANO AND DAVE DOUGLAS SOUND PRINTS (through Jan. 26)
at the Village Vanguard / 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; $
“Two leading voices in jazz since the 1980s, the trumpeter Douglas and the saxophonist Lovano teamed up close to 10 years ago to establish this quintet, a fertile playground for their wily post-bop compositions. The group features Lawrence Fields on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass and Joey Baron on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

New York Times Travel Show (Jan.24-26)
Travel the world (or just the Javits Center)
Javits Center / $20 for a one-day pass; $25 for two-day pass
“Can’t wait to plan your next big trip? Head to the New York Times Travel Show, where you’ll find seminars — “So You Think You Know Paris?”, “Pack Like a Pro”, “How to Travel to Cuba in 2020” — and special onsite deals to Alaska, Africa, the Finger Lakes, and Chernobyl. If all that travel talk makes you a little peckish, the Taste of the World presentations let you try bites from all corners of the globe. With 747 exhibitors from over 176 countries, you’ll come away inspired, informed, and ready to pack your suitcase for a trip to the exclusion zone.” (thrillist)

Sunday Platform – Jason Haber – FutureCity: A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of NYC and Cities Around the World
New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St./11AM, FREE
“Social entrepreneur Jason Haber (The Business of Good) visits the New York Society for Ethical Culture for a Sunday Platform looking at the past, present, and future of NYC and cities around the world.” (thoughtgallery)

BroadwayCon 2020
at the New York Hilton Midtown.
“It’s a three-day meet & greet fest with your favorite Broadway stars!” (cityguideny.com)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/23-26 Toshi Reagon’s 36th Annual Birthday Concerts, Joe’s Pub
1/28 Jill Sobule, Joe’s Pub
1/28-29 Madison Cunningham, (le) Poisson Rouge
1/28-29 The Hot Sardines, Birdland

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. But quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
================================================================================

A PremierPub / Upper West Side

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.

Walk only five minutes from the 125th St. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Not so. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: Mo-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:30pm
Subway: #1 to 125th St.
Walk 2 blk W on 125th St. to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway.
========================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

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

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Triad – 158 W72nd Street (btw Amsterdam/Columbus Ave.)

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/25) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 01/25/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ JANUARY 25, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Lunar New Year: 21st New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival
Scare off all the monsters in 2020
Grand St. Sara Roosevelt Park / 11AM-3:30PM, FREE
“At the Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival, the LES kicks off the Lunar New Year with singing, dancing, live performances, and food. In the earliest days, firecrackers were meant to scare off any coming evil with their noise and fire — and frankly, we could all use some of that energy in the new year. Channel the spirit of pizza rat, Splinter, or Remy from Ratatouille and kick off the Year of the Rat with no toxic friends in 2020.” (thrillist)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> La Bohème
>> BECCA STEVENS
>> Lyrics & Lyricists: Yip Harburg—Follow the Fellow Who Follows a Dream
>> JOE LOVANO AND DAVE DOUGLAS SOUND PRINTS
>> Andy Karl & Orfeh: Legally Bound
>> One Day University Medical School
>> New York Times Travel Show

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Metropolitan Opera
La Bohème (next Apr.29, 7:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 8PM, $30+
“Three casts of captivating artists bring Puccini’s classic tragedy of bohemian friends and lovers to life in Franco Zeffirelli’s immortal staging. Tenors Matthew Polenzani, Roberto Alagna, and Joseph Calleja trade off as the exuberant Rodolfo, alongside sopranos Ailyn Pérez, Hei-Kyung Hong, and Maria Agresta as the fragile Mimì. Marco Armiliato and Emmanuel Villaume share conducting duties.”

BECCA STEVENS (Jan. 24-25)
at the Jazz Gallery / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $35-$45
“In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Jazz Gallery — which has always been an advocacy organization for New York’s young creative improvisers as much it’s simply been a jazz club — is inviting many musicians to revisit some of the works they have composed with commissions by the Gallery. This weekend, Stevens — a vocalist with a strong, dusty voice and an affinity for all sorts of jazz, folk and indie rock — will perform music from her 2017 release, “Regina,” which began with an award from the Gallery.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Lyrics & Lyricists: Yip Harburg—Follow the Fellow Who Follows a Dream (Jan.25-27)
92nd Street Y / 8PM, $45+
“The 92nd Street Y’s estimable Lyrics & Lyricists series begins its new season with a salute to Great American Songbook giant and leftist social activist Yip Harburg, who gave us the words to “Over the Rainbow” as well as “April in Paris,” “Paper Moon,” and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” The singers are Mikaela Bennett, Clifton Duncan, Desi Oakley, Megan Sikora and Nick Spangler; Matt Kunkel directs, and Paul Masse is the musical director.” (TONY)

JOE LOVANO AND DAVE DOUGLAS SOUND PRINTS (through Jan. 26)
at the Village Vanguard / 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; $
“Two leading voices in jazz since the 1980s, the trumpeter Douglas and the saxophonist Lovano teamed up close to 10 years ago to establish this quintet, a fertile playground for their wily post-bop compositions. The group features Lawrence Fields on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass and Joey Baron on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Andy Karl & Orfeh: Legally Bound (Jan.23-25, 27)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“One of musical theater’s royal couples—power belter and blue-eyed-soul recording artist Orfeh (soon to be seen in Pretty Woman) and her charming husband, Rocky dreamboat Andy Karl (most recently of Groundhog Day)—share some of their love.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

One Day University Medical School
The Amazing/Terrifying Future of Medicine
Fordham University, 140 W. 62nd St./ 10AM-1PM, $65 each class or $119 for both
“Cram a semester into a day as One Day University hosts two talks on medicine. Lawyer, physician, and bioethicist Jacob Appel shares cutting-edge innovations in “The Amazing/Terrifying Future of Medicine,” followed by Stanford Professor of Surgery Jill Helms on “Forever Young: How Scientists Are Learning to Keep Us From Getting Old.” (ThoughtGallery)

New York Times Travel Show (Jan.24-26)
Travel the world (or just the Javits Center)
Javits Center / $20 for a one-day pass; $25 for two-day pass
“Can’t wait to plan your next big trip? Head to the New York Times Travel Show, where you’ll find seminars — “So You Think You Know Paris?”, “Pack Like a Pro”, “How to Travel to Cuba in 2020” — and special onsite deals to Alaska, Africa, the Finger Lakes, and Chernobyl. If all that travel talk makes you a little peckish, the Taste of the World presentations let you try bites from all corners of the globe. With 747 exhibitors from over 176 countries, you’ll come away inspired, informed, and ready to pack your suitcase for a trip to the exclusion zone.” (thrillist)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/23-26 Toshi Reagon’s 36th Annual Birthday Concerts, Joe’s Pub
1/28 Jill Sobule, Joe’s Pub
1/28-29 Madison Cunningham, (le) Poisson Rouge
1/28-29 The Hot Sardines, Birdland

=================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change. Always wise to double-check before heading out.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

“In Praise of Painting”  (through Oct.4)

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435717

Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913

“How great are the Met’s holdings in the Dutch golden age? Very. This long-term installation rings the lower level of the Lehman Wing with scores of lesser-known gems from the mid-seventeenth century, many of them rarely on view before, amid masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Ruisdael. The period, vivified here, began in 1648, when the end of the Eighty Years’ War with Spain brought a boom in wealth and morale, expressed by genre paintings that exalt the national ideal of gezelligheid—social warmth, comfort, belonging. A key figure was Gerard ter Borch, who had travelled widely and worked at the court of Philip IV, in company with Velázquez. Ter Borch’s lustrous, ineffably witty domestic scenes inspired a generation of masters, notably Vermeer, whose genius rather eclipsed his elder’s. The pictures often star ter Borch’s younger sister Gesina, preening in satins or enigmatically musing. Herself a painter, she is cutely funny-looking—pointy nose, weak chin—and desperately lovable. There’s much to be said for a world with such a family in it.” (

“Making Marvels”  (through March 1)

“This immense exhibition features a trove of impossibly opulent European objects from the mid-sixteenth to the eighteenth century, showcasing the scientific theories and technologies of the time—as well as the wealth of royal collectors. The parade of curiosities begins with “The Imser Clock,” ca. 1554-61, which astounded the imperial court of Ferdinand I with its representation of planetary positions. A projected montage of closeup footage shows the complex, gilded timepiece in action, ticking and chiming as its mechanical figurines rotate. (The show, which might otherwise be weighed down by its abundance of inert filigree, is enlivened by beautifully produced videos like this one.) Presented among the automata, astrolabes, and spring-powered models of the universe are wonders of the natural world. The astonishing Dresden Green, the world’s largest diamond of its kind, was acquired by August III of Poland, in 1722, and later set in a fantastic ornament for a hat. The Kunstkammer treasures on view may have been primarily intended to entertain, and, indeed, delightfully garish works like the South German “Automaton Clock in the Form of Diana on Her Chariot,” ca. 1610—which shot tiny arrows as part of an aristocratic drinking game—still do.” (, NewYorker)

===========================================================
Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/23 and 01/21.
==============================================================

8 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/23/20)

Must-see theater coming to New York City stages this fall (amNY)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

m

NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

and, drum roll, here are all the critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

For good, comprehensive and current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the headout blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets 

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/24) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 01/24/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JANUARY 24, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

The Metropolitan Opera
Porgy and Bess (next Jan.28, 7:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $85+
(Has proved so popular that the Met has added three performances to this second run of the season.)
“One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green.”

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> JOE LOVANO AND DAVE DOUGLAS SOUND PRINTS
>> Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars
>> New York City Ballet
>> Andy Karl & Orfeh: Legally Bound
>> New York Times Travel Show
>> Lunar New Year
>> BroadwayCon 2020

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

JOE LOVANO AND DAVE DOUGLAS SOUND PRINTS (through Jan. 26)
at the Village Vanguard / 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; $
“Two leading voices in jazz since the 1980s, the trumpeter Douglas and the saxophonist Lovano teamed up close to 10 years ago to establish this quintet, a fertile playground for their wily post-bop compositions. The group features Lawrence Fields on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass and Joey Baron on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars (Jan.21-26)
at the Blue Note / 8 and 10:30PM, $20-$35
“As a performer, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie left behind an incredible record of innovation and inspiration and as a composer, a broad repository of musical masterpieces.

For Dizzy Gillespie, playing in a small combo was never enough. His artistry compelled him to seek and to create larger ensembles because as a composer and arranger, a big band was the ultimate vehicle for self-expression.

The Dizzy Gillespie™ Big Band and Alumni All-Star group (small group) is the direct descendant of these ventures, and happily, the tradition lives on, nurtured by Gillespie alumni and executive director, producer, and bassist John Lee.”

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 8PM, $78+
“In the opening week of the winter season, the company goes back to basics with two alternating programs of ballets by its founding choreographer, George Balanchine. The first features four of his ballets set to music by Igor Stravinsky, from the strutting, high-spirited “Danses Concertantes” (originally from 1944, but rechoreographed in 1972) to the delicate and courtly “Monumentum pro Gesualdo” (1960). The second program offers more variety, and yet another ballet with music by Stravinsky: the 1949 piece “Firebird,” with ravishing costumes by Marc Chagall. (Try to catch Teresa Reichlen in the title role.) It also includes the seldom seen “La Source,” a pas de deux (plus corps) overflowing with refinement and charm, set to sunny music by Léo Delibes, the composer of such ballets as “Coppélia” and “Sylvia.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

Andy Karl & Orfeh: Legally Bound (Jan.23-25, 27)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“One of musical theater’s royal couples—power belter and blue-eyed-soul recording artist Orfeh (soon to be seen in Pretty Woman) and her charming husband, Rocky dreamboat Andy Karl (most recently of Groundhog Day)—share some of their love.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

New York Times Travel Show (Jan.24-26)
Travel the world (or just the Javits Center)
Javits Center / $20 for a one-day pass; $25 for two-day pass
“Can’t wait to plan your next big trip? Head to the New York Times Travel Show, where you’ll find seminars — “So You Think You Know Paris?”, “Pack Like a Pro”, “How to Travel to Cuba in 2020” — and special onsite deals to Alaska, Africa, the Finger Lakes, and Chernobyl. If all that travel talk makes you a little peckish, the Taste of the World presentations let you try bites from all corners of the globe. With 747 exhibitors from over 176 countries, you’ll come away inspired, informed, and ready to pack your suitcase for a trip to the exclusion zone.” (thrillist)

Lunar New Year (Jan.24-25)
Celebrate the Year of the Rat
Tang Hotpot / dinner only: $75/person; $99/person includes 3 glasses of beer, wine, or sake
“Lunar New Year begins on Saturday, officially ushering in the Year of the Rat. In China, the New Year is celebrated with New Year’s Eve dinner (年夜饭 – Nián yèfàn), where the family gathers to eat and celebrate the coming spring. Traditional foods include dumplings, fish, and rice cakes (年糕 – nián gāo). At Tang Hotpot, you can join in the celebration — the $75 prix fixe includes a seafood platter, veggie dumplings, and rice balls with black sesame.” (thrillist)

BroadwayCon 2020
at the New York Hilton Midtown.
“It’s a three-day meet & greet fest with your favorite Broadway stars!” (cityguideny.com)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/23-26 Toshi Reagon’s 36th Annual Birthday Concerts, Joe’s Pub
1/24 Greensky Bluegrass, Beacon Theatre
1/28 Jill Sobule, Joe’s Pub
1/28-29 Madison Cunningham, (le) Poisson Rouge
1/28-29 The Hot Sardines, Birdland

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♦ Before making final plans we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

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

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

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

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

CAFFE VIVALDI HAS CLOSED, VERY SAD.
I HAVE LEFT THIS REVIEW ON MY SITE AS A KIND OF MEMORIAL and A WARNING. WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

As reported in the “Gothamist”:
“Caffe Vivaldi, one of the last bohemian bastions of the West Village, is set to close this weekend. During its 35 years on Jones Street, the casual cafe won the hearts of locals and celebs alike, including Oscar Isaac, Bette Midler, and Al Pacino.

Despite that friendly communal atmosphere, the owners ultimately struggled to survive under their notorious vulture landlord Steve Croman, who they say waged a harassment campaign against the restaurant, and eventually tripled their rent.”
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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

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

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

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
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NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available SUMMER 2020).
◊ Order before AUGUST 31, 2020 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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Bonus NYC Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/23) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 01/23/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ JANUARY 23, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars (Jan.21-26)
at the Blue Note / 8 and 10:30PM, $20-$35
“As a performer, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie left behind an incredible record of innovation and inspiration and as a composer, a broad repository of musical masterpieces.

For Dizzy Gillespie, playing in a small combo was never enough. His artistry compelled him to seek and to create larger ensembles because as a composer and arranger, a big band was the ultimate vehicle for self-expression.

The Dizzy Gillespie™ Big Band and Alumni All-Star group (small group) is the direct descendant of these ventures, and happily, the tradition lives on, nurtured by Gillespie alumni and executive director, producer, and bassist John Lee.”

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Los Cumpleaños
>> La Traviata
>> Remembering John Abercrombie
>> Andy Karl & Orfeh: Legally Bound
>> MOCATalks: Chinese Almanac—Year of the Rat with Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith
>> Micropolis: Does NYC Have the Best Chinese Food Scene (Outside of China)?
>> coming soon

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

¡VAYA! 63
Los Cumpleaños
Opening Set by dj tres dos
Atrium @Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE, better get there early for a seat.
“Los Cumpleaños play tropical rhythms from Colombia infused with psychedelic soundscapes. They seamlessly transform heavy grooves and experimental sounds into an energetic, danceable, one-of-a-kind musical experience. Los Cumpleaños features virtuoso percussionist/vocalist Nestor Gomez from Barranquilla, Colombia; Lautaro Burgos from Chaco, Argentina on drum set; Eric Lane on keyboard; and Alex Asher on trombone from the U.S. Members of Los Cumpleaños have played with a variety of notable artists, including Aníbal Velásquez, Lisandro Meza, Porfi Baloa y sus Adolescentes, Juan Piña, Alfredo Gutiérrez, M.A.K.U. Soundsystem, Orquesta Dee Jay, Beyoncé, Joan as Police Woman, People’s Champs, and The Superpowers.”

La Traviata (next Jan.26, 3PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $30+
“Michael Mayer’s sumptuous staging, a highlight of the 2018–19 season, returns with two casts of bright stars. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak and Lisette Oropesa share the role of Violetta, the opera’s tragic heroine, opposite tenors Dmytro Popov and Vittorio Grigolo as her ardent lover, Alfredo, and baritones Quinn Kelsey and Luca Salsi as Alfredo’s stern father, Germont. Karel Mark Chichon and Bertrand de Billy conduct one of opera’s greatest scores.”

Remembering John Abercrombie
Birdland Theatre, 315 W. 44th St./ m
The seventies were knee-deep in influential jazz guitarists; notable among them was John Abercrombie, who died in 2017. To celebrate what would have been the deeply thoughtful and ever-lyrical improviser’s seventy-fifth birthday, a group of past collaborators, including Jack DeJohnette, Dave Liebman, and Mark Feldman as well as such musical beneficiaries as Ben Monder, Bob DeVos, and Rale Micic, assemble.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Andy Karl & Orfeh: Legally Bound (Jan.23-25, 27)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“One of musical theater’s royal couples—power belter and blue-eyed-soul recording artist Orfeh (soon to be seen in Pretty Woman) and her charming husband, Rocky dreamboat Andy Karl (most recently of Groundhog Day)—share some of their love.” (TONY)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

MOCATalks: Chinese Almanac—Year of the Rat with Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith
Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St./ 6:30PM, $15
Authors Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith join us to translate and decode the almanac’s predictions with daily listings for 2020, the Year of the Rat. The Rat is the first of all 12 zodiac animals. Come learn about the myth of how the Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride and then jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first as they arrived at the Jade Emperor’s party.

The program is moderated by Nancy Yao Maasbach, MOCA President.”

Micropolis: Does NYC Have the Best Chinese Food Scene (Outside of China)?
The Greene Space, 44 Charlton St./ 7PM, $20
“We have been obsessed with Chinese food for generations, but in recent years this obsession has hit entirely new heights. Thanks to an immigration boom and the Sichuan revolution, we now inhabit a vast empire of deliciousness, stretching from Little Neck to Bensonhurst to the East Village. How exactly did we get here?

As we near Lunar New Year, join Micropolis host Arun Venugopal and EATER NY editor Serena Dai for an evening of conversation and of course, amazing food. They and their guests will explore the early history of Chinese food in New York — starting with a cluster of restaurants around Mott Street — to the present day, when online influencers are driving traffic and new business in ways that Yelp and The New York Times could only dream of, and culinary trends emerge in China and New York almost simultaneously.

What’s more, you’ll hear directly from these digital tastemakers, restaurateurs and app developers that are often side-stepping traditional English-language press and catering directly to their Chinese(-American) customers.”

more coming soon.

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/23 G Love & Special Sauce, Brooklyn Bowl
1/23 James Vincent McMorrow, Mumrr Theatre
1/23-26 Toshi Reagon’s 36th Annual Birthday Concerts, Joe’s Pub
1/24 Greensky Bluegrass, Beacon Theatre
1/28 Jill Sobule, Joe’s Pub
1/28-29 Madison Cunningham, (le) Poisson Rouge
1/28-29 The Hot Sardines, Birdland

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of exhibitions)

‘Worlds Beyond Earth’
at the American Museum of Natural History. (thru Dec.31, 2024)

“The museum’s first space show in six years takes viewers on a tour of our solar system from the comfort of their seats in the Hayden Planetarium. Narrated by Lupita Nyong’o, the film explores the nature of the planets and moons in our solar system and the conditions that make life on Earth possible.” (NYT)   amnh.org.

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’
American Museum of Natural History (through Aug. 9, 2020).

“Everyone’s favorite 18,000-pound prehistoric killer gets the star treatment in this eye-opening exhibition, which presents the latest scientific research on T. rex and also introduces many other tyrannosaurs, some discovered only this century in China and Mongolia. T. rex evolved mainly during the Cretaceous Period to have keen eyes, spindly arms and massive conical teeth, which could bear down on prey with the force of a U-Haul truck; the dinosaur could even swallow whole bones, as affirmed here by a kid-friendly display of fossilized excrement. The show mixes 66-million-year-old teeth with the latest 3-D prints of dino bones, and also presents new models of T. rex as a baby, a juvenile and a full-grown annihilator. Turns out this most savage beast was covered with — believe it! — a soft coat of beige or white feathers.” (Farago-NYT)

‘MEMORY PALACES: INSIDE THE COLLECTION OF AUDREY B. HECKLER’  (through Jan. 26).
at the American Folk Art Museum

“Outsider art” is more of a sociological phenomenon than a genre. But in this exhibition, you do find a certain consistency. Heckler, a trustee of the museum, began collecting around the time of New York’s first Outsider Art Fair, in 1993, and she’s assembled a comprehensive introduction to all the category’s varieties, from the stark, primordial silhouettes of Bill Traylor to the exacting architectural drawings of Achilles G. Rizzoli; from Henry Darger’s uniquely majestic epic of little girls battling evil to George Widener’s endless numerology. With about 160 works, from all over the world, the show can be hard to take in, unless you fix your attention on a few favorites. My own would be a handful of sublime paintings and drawings by Thornton Dial Sr. and by Martín Ramírez, the Mexican rancher who spent half his life confined to midcentury American psychiatric institutions. (Heinrich)
212-595-9533, folkartmuseum.org

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In the Company of Harold Prince

A prince with no heir.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (through March 31)

“Losing Hal Prince this year meant the end of an era. No other producer-director will ever again have Prince’s string of stupendous hits; no one man will ever again become so closely identified with Broadway stagecraft. He worked on everything, from West Side Story to The Phantom of the Opera, from Cabaret to Sweeney Todd, and if not everything he touched turned to gold — nonetheless, he did have the golden touch. This exhibition at the NYPL is a dragon’s hoard of scripts, photographs, set models, and even re-creations of his paperwork. Study it closely and you might become the next great theatrical mind … if not a Prince, then possibly a really talented duchess.” (Vulture, NY Magazine-H.S.)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/21 and 01/19.

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15 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/16/20)

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Must-see theater coming to New York City stages this fall (amNY)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

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NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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and, drum roll, here are all the media critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

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For good, comprehensive, current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

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finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the “headout” blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/22) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 01/22/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ JANUARY 22, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $
“In the opening week of the winter season, the company goes back to basics with two alternating programs of ballets by its founding choreographer, George Balanchine. The first features four of his ballets set to music by Igor Stravinsky, from the strutting, high-spirited “Danses Concertantes” (originally from 1944, but rechoreographed in 1972) to the delicate and courtly “Monumentum pro Gesualdo” (1960). The second program offers more variety, and yet another ballet with music by Stravinsky: the 1949 piece “Firebird,” with ravishing costumes by Marc Chagall. (Try to catch Teresa Reichlen in the title role.) It also includes the seldom seen “La Source,” a pas de deux (plus corps) overflowing with refinement and charm, set to sunny music by Léo Delibes, the composer of such ballets as “Coppélia” and “Sylvia.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> LARRY WILLIS: A LIFE IN JAZZ’
>> Rufus Wainwright
>> ‘WOZZECK’ 
>> RANDY BRECKER
>> Tony Yazbeck Both Feet Off the Ground
>> Grand Illusions: Nora Ephron’s Magical Manhattan on Film
>> How to Keep Your Cool

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

LARRY WILLIS: A LIFE IN JAZZ’
at Dizzy’s Club / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Willis was a pianist whose impact was perhaps best measured by the achievements of those around him: He played on and contributed compositions to landmark recordings by Jackie McLean, Hugh Masekela and others. He mentored Roy Hargrove, the younger trumpeter whose career would come to define a jazz generation. But Willis also led a distinguished — if less prominent — career as a bandleader, recording close to two dozen albums and assembling a thick book of original compositions. He died last year at 76, and at this concert an intergenerational squad of musicians will pay homage to the work of a musician whom many knew as “Prof.” Led by the drummer Willie Jones III, the band will also include Justin Robinson on alto saxophone, Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Steve Davis on trombone, George Cables on piano and Gerald Cannon on bass.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Rufus Wainwright
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $
Lincoln Center’s annual “American Songbook” series crackles most when it pushes against the parameters suggested by its title to encompass an expansive view of American music. Appropriately, this year’s edition opens with Rufus Wainwright, a proud habitant of bygone pop who was born into folk (via his parents, Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle) and has engaged with some daunting artistic entities: opera, Shakespeare, Judy Garland. For his series début, Wainwright presents a unique set that includes “songs that shaped [his] identity” and glimpses of his forthcoming album.” (Jay Ruttenberg, NewYorker)

‘WOZZECK’ (LAST CHANCE)
at the Metropolitan Opera House / 8 p.m.; $30+
“The artist William Kentridge follows up his pioneering productions of “Lulu” and “The Nose” with Berg’s first opera, a take that my colleague Zachary Woolfe called extraordinary on its debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2017. The Met’s music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, wields the baton for this run, with Peter Mattei as Wozzeck, Elza van den Heever as Marie, Christopher Ventris as the Drum Major, Gerhard Siegel as the Captain, Andrew Staples as Andres and Tamara Mumford as Margret. Also at the Met are “Der Rosenkavalier” on Saturday and Wednesday evening and the family-friendly “Magic Flute” on Saturday and Thursday afternoon.” (NYT-David Allen)

RANDY BRECKER (Jan. 21-22)
at the Iridium / 8 p.m.;
“This trumpeter was one of the most versatile studio musicians of the 1970s and ’80s, and together with his sibling — the influential saxophonist Michael Brecker — he led a successful fusion group, the Brecker Brothers, in which he served as primary songwriter. That band became known for its balance of pop sensibilities and jazz sophistication, a calculus that has remained Brecker’s calling card. At the Iridium he will perform with a modern-day iteration of the Brecker Brothers band, playing music from that group’s back catalog as well as newer compositions, including some by himself and others by the tenor saxophonist Ada Rovatti, his wife and longtime collaborator.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Tony Yazbeck Both Feet Off the Ground (Jan.21-22)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $45+
“Broadway hoofer-actor-singer Yazbeck has brightened such revivals as Gypsy, A Chorus Line and On the Town. Now he returns to F/54 with a new evening of old-fashioned song and dance.” (TONY)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Grand Illusions: Nora Ephron’s Magical Manhattan on Film
Landmark West! 45 West 67th St./ 6:30PM, $20
“See how filmmaker Nora Ephron turned sites in Manhattan’s Upper West Side into iconic film settings at the Landmark West! multimedia presentation, Grand Illusions: Nora Ephron’s Magical Manhattan on Film. Historian and author Paula Uruburu revisits will look back on Ephron’s love affair with some of the city’s beloved landmarks that make appearances in her films where the Upper West Side is as much a character as its enchanted inhabitants.” (untappedcities)

How to Keep Your Cool
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 7PM, $29
“As much as this is an age of anxiety it’s an age of anger. Bard College classics professor James Romm talks about his forthcoming book, How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers). He’ll share insight into Seneca’s belief that anger is our most destructive passion, and ways to avoid and control it.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/22 Rufus Wainwright, Alice Tully Hall, NYC
1/22 J Roddy Walston, The Bowery Ballroom
1/22 Toshi Reagon, Joe’s Pub

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

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

kac_120405_phude_corner_bistro_bar_1000-600x450In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town.

The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro celebrated it’s 55th anniversary last year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $9.75, 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: 1 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:
==============================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

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

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Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

I MEMORIALIZE THESE TWO WONDERFUL CLUBS AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/21) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 01/21/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ JANUARY 21, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

LAUREN CAULEY
at Miller Theater / 6 p.m.; FREE
“Miller’s first free pop-up concert of the year showcases this violinist, a mainstay of the local new-music scene and a member of Ensemble Signal. She performs six recent works for solo violin, including world premieres by Richard Carrick and Piyawat Louilarpprasert and pieces by Clara Iannotta and Jessie Montgomery.” (NYT-David Allen)

“The spellbinding violinist Lauren Cauley is no stranger to Miller audiences; she is a celebrated member of many ensembles including Ensemble Signal, and is the former violinist of the Mivos Quartet. Here, she gets the spotlight, in an adventurous program of recent works for solo violin that shows the breadth of sonic potential of her instrument.”

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> La Bohème
>> RANDY BRECKER
>> Tony Yazbeck Both Feet Off the Ground 
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> Tara O’Grady
>> All the Powers of the Earth: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, 1856–1860
>> Immigration in 2020: A Civil Talk About the Biggest Controversy

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Metropolitan Opera
La Bohème (next Jan.25, 8PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $30+
“Three casts of captivating artists bring Puccini’s classic tragedy of bohemian friends and lovers to life in Franco Zeffirelli’s immortal staging. Tenors Matthew Polenzani, Roberto Alagna, and Joseph Calleja trade off as the exuberant Rodolfo, alongside sopranos Ailyn Pérez, Hei-Kyung Hong, and Maria Agresta as the fragile Mimì. Marco Armiliato and Emmanuel Villaume share conducting duties.”

RANDY BRECKER (Jan. 21-22)
at the Iridium / 8 p.m.;
“This trumpeter was one of the most versatile studio musicians of the 1970s and ’80s, and together with his sibling — the influential saxophonist Michael Brecker — he led a successful fusion group, the Brecker Brothers, in which he served as primary songwriter. That band became known for its balance of pop sensibilities and jazz sophistication, a calculus that has remained Brecker’s calling card. At the Iridium he will perform with a modern-day iteration of the Brecker Brothers band, playing music from that group’s back catalog as well as newer compositions, including some by himself and others by the tenor saxophonist Ada Rovatti, his wife and longtime collaborator.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Tony Yazbeck Both Feet Off the Ground (Jan.21-22)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $45+
“Broadway hoofer-actor-singer Yazbeck has brightened such revivals as Gypsy, A Chorus Line and On the Town. Now he returns to F/54 with a new evening of old-fashioned song and dance.” (TONY)

The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Birdland / 9:30PM, $25
“Mosher is one of those talents you need to see to believe: warm, funny, biting, ferociously committed. In her weekly series at the downstairs Birdland Theater, she invites a gaggle of performers from Broadway and beyond to show their talents. Guests at the January 21 edition include Spencer Glass, Josh Daniel, the Golden Gays, Anais Reno, Anne Steele, Monica PassinCatherine Porter, Jim Vallance, Michael Garin, Mardie Millet and musical director Brad Simmons.” (TONY)

PLUS one of my favorite Jazz vocalists:

Tara O’Grady
Winnie’s Jazz Bar, Refinery Hotel, 63 W38th St./ 8-11PM, no cover
An eclectic Jazz singer in a small intimate lounge. She covers Billie Holiday, and Etta James, then Jazzes up a traditional Irish ballad like “Danny Boy.” Her original songs show the heart of an accomplished, published author. She takes all kinds of requests – makes for a fun evening.
Her two accompanists are also superb, the guitar player recalls B.B. King.

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

All the Powers of the Earth: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, 1856–1860
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West / 6:30PM, $38
“A pair of esteemed historians come to the New-York Historical Society to discuss Abraham Lincoln’s rise to power, from the Douglas debates to the U.S. Senate to Lincoln’s Republican Party nomination for the presidency in 1860.” (ThoughtGallery)

Immigration in 2020: A Civil Talk About the Biggest Controversy
The Greene Space, 44 Charlton St./ 7PM, FREE
“Although immigration remains hugely polarizing in America, many specific policy proposals have widespread support. WNYC immigration reporters Matt Katz and Beth Fertig lead a panel of experts sharing some possible solutions.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/21 Temples, Webster Hall
1/22 Rufus Wainwright, Alice Tully Hall, NYC
1/22 J Roddy Walston, The Bowery Ballroom
1/22 Toshi Reagon, Joe’s Pub

================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world. Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues. Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art.

Here are two exhibitions the Vulture (NY Magazine) likes:

Mike Kelley
Timelessness.
‘As organized by the vastly undersung curator Jenelle Porter, this survey of work by the late artist Mike Kelley, “Timeless Painting,” gives us so many different ideas about what a painting could and still can be. Packed with passion and visual wisdom, this could inspire scores of future artists, just as his decades-long oeuvre did. ‘(Jerry Saltz, NY Mag)
Hauser & Wirth, 548 West 22nd Street, through January 25.

Rashid Johnson
Monumental.
“At 42, Rashid Johnson is a world-famous artist whose work sells for around a half-million dollars apiece and is featured in museums, biennials, outdoor installations, and more. Johnson’s sheer ambition pushes him to keep expanding his scale, subject matter, and materials (which have included paints, plants, CB radios, shea butter, and mosaics) so much so that his art takes on a shining life of its own.” (Jerry Saltz, NY Mag)
Hauser & Wirth, 548 West 22nd Street, through January 25.

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

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but better plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm). OR try this NYT recommendation: “When you’re done, adjourn to the newly renovated Bottino , the Chelsea art world’s unofficial canteen on 10th Avenue (btw 24/25 St.) “

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 01/19 and 01/17.
=======================================================

15 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/16/20)

Must-see theater coming to New York City stages this fall (amNY)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

m

NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

and, drum roll, here are all the media critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

For good, comprehensive and current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the headout blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/20) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 01/20/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > MONDAY/ JANUARY 20, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

34th Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
at the Brooklyn Academy of Music / 10:30AM
“This full day of free events commemorating King’s legacy will feature a keynote speech by Nikole Hannah-Jones, a domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, focusing on racial injustice. The musical performers include Son Little and the Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir. As usual, free tickets will be distributed on a first come, first seated basis.” (NYT)
========================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Natalie Douglas: Tributes – Ella Fitzgerald.
>> Harlem Gospel Choir celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
>> The Glorious Death of Comrade What’s-His-Name
>> Beth Leavel: It’s Not About Me
>> The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> MLK & Mary Shelley

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Natalie Douglas: Tributes – Ella Fitzgerald.
Birdland / 7PM, $35
“The Broadway at Birdland concert series is proud to announce that singer Natalie Douglas will return to the historic music room with more “Tributes!” On Monday, January 20 at 7pm, she will celebrate the music and magic of the one and Ella Fitzgerald.

Natalie Douglas – the acclaimed vocalist hailed as “a true, true star” by BBC London Radio, “a true force of nature” by The Times (UK), “sensational” by Time Out New York, “a monstrous talent” by Next Magazine and “simply everything” by The Daily News, – will return to her home perch at Birdland Jazz Club with a new monthly residency as part of Jim Caruso’s Broadway at Birdland Series with another edition of her hit series entitled “TRIBUTES.” One Monday each month, Natalie will perform a new tribute show.”

Harlem Gospel Choir celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Sony Hall / 12:30PM, $35
“The Harlem Gospel Choir will mark the day joyfully with a concert featuring the sounds and singers from Harlem’s black churches. The choir itself was founded in 1986 when its founder Allen Bailey attended a celebration in honor of MLK at the Cotton Club.” (TONY)

The Glorious Death of Comrade What’s-His-Name
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 9:30PM, $45+
“A miserable man in Stalin’s Soviet Union contemplates ending it all—as his communist friends and neighbors try to capitalize on his demise—in this one-night concert of a musical by David Bridel, Simon Gray and Raymond Bokhour. The cast, directed by Don Stephenson, includes Bokhour, Drew McVety, Jim Borstelmann, John Jellison and Madeleine Doherty.” (TONY)

Beth Leavel: It’s Not About Me (LAST DAY)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $85
“The gutsy, funny Tony-winning star of The Drowsy Chaperone (and survivor of Baby, It’s You!) does her Leavel best to entertain in a show that surveys the ups and downs of her three-decade career onstage.” (TONY)

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30PM +10:30PM, $35
“World class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition.” (NYT)

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Cabaret)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave) / 9:30PM, $20-$30
“The witty host attracts broadway stars on their night off, along with up and comers.”
“Part cabaret, part piano bar and part social set, Cast Party offers a chance to hear rising and established talents step up to the microphone (backed by the slap and tickle of Steve Doyle on bass and Billy Stritch at the ivories, plus the bang of Daniel Glass on drums). The waggish Caruso presides as host.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

MLK & Mary Shelley
Patricia Kim at Federal Hall / 2PM, FREE, but RSVP to reserve a seat.
“Social worker/professor Patricia Kim hosts a Think Olio session that looks at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s observations on society through the lens of Frankenstein. MLK Day is a perfect time to consider “our obligation to remain maladjusted to racism, religious bigotry, economic inequality, and violence.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

COMING SOON.

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/21 Temples, Webster Hall
1/22 Rufus Wainwright, Alice Tully Hall, NYC
1/22 J Roddy Walston, The Bowery Ballroom
1/22 Toshi Reagon, Joe’s Pub

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
LAST DAY
Hudson Theatre
“The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.”

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

A PremierPub / Midtown West

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

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

From the outside this place looks a bit drab, and with no windows, a bit mysterious. Midtown tourists walk right by on their way to see “Jersey Boys,” just down the block.
(Alas, no more. After 10 years, “Jersey Boys” finally closed, now it’s “Mean Girls.”)

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

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

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

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

It’s the kind of place where the noise gets louder and the crowd gets happier as the happy hour goes on. I’m generally a beer guy, but I like to come here with a group of friends. We find a table in the back room near the piano man; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).
=======================================================
Website: http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/
Phone #: 212-307-5835
Hours: 4pm-2am; Fri-Sun closes 4am (that could be trouble)
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day
$4 shots infused vodka (2oz), $5 cosmos; $4 czech draft beer
Music: FR-SU; TU-WE / 7pm-12am
Subway: #1 to 50th St.
Walk 2 blk N. on B’way to 52nd St.; 1 blk W. to RVR
Confusingly, the Russian Samovar is right across the street, on the S. side of 52nd St.
The RVR, your destination, is on the N. side of 52nd St.
Update: music now includes a younger, trimmer piano man. “Tiny” we miss you.

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

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

Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Triad – 158 W72nd Street (btw Amsterdam/Columbus Ave.)

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (01/19) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 01/19/2020 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ JANUARY 19, 2020

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “January NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do This:

Let it all out at a Colombian Carnaval celebration
(Le) Poisson Rouge / $28
Colombia’s Barranquilla Carnival is the world’s second-largest carnival, after only Rio de Janeiro’s. Featuring costumes, music, and dancing in the streets, it’s a four-day celebration of life and renewal. New York is having its very own Barranquilla Carnival (on a much smaller scale, of course) on the dance floor of (Le) Poisson Rouge. There’ll be dancers in authentic Colombian costumes, live music, and a DJ spinning salsa, reggaeton, and Colombian tropipop. Best of all? It’s a three-day weekend, so you can sleep it all off on Monday.” (thrillist)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Cyrus Chestnut
>> Beth Leavel: It’s Not About Me
>> Julian Lage Trio
>> 4th Mediterranean Jazz Festival
>> Soul to Soul
>> Under the Radar 2020
>> Documentary & Discussion – The Green Book: Guide to Freedom

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Cyrus Chestnut (Jan. 16-19)
Smoke, 2751 Broadway / 7PM, +9PM, $38
“The pianist Cyrus Chestnut exudes such cherubic ebullience in both his appearance and his playing that it’s sobering to learn he’s turning fifty-seven. His ever-joyous blend of jazz, blues, classical, and gospel influences may be best appreciated when he’s in charge of a trio; at this birthday celebration, he’s joined by the bassist Eric Wheeler and the drummer Chris Beck.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Beth Leavel: It’s Not About Me (Jan.14-20)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $85
“The gutsy, funny Tony-winning star of The Drowsy Chaperone (and survivor of Baby, It’s You!) does her Leavel best to entertain in a show that surveys the ups and downs of her three-decade career onstage.” (TONY)

Julian Lage Trio (Jan.14-19)
Village Vanguard / 8PM, +10:30PM, $30
“Guitarist Lage has been a musician’s musician since youth. He’s graduated from child-prodigy appearances with Carlos Santana and Pat Metheny to grown-up sideman gigs with Gary Burton and his pianist pal Taylor Eigsti. Expect shimmery fireworks, as Lage leads a hot trio that includes the Bad Plus’ maestro drummer Dave King.” (TONY)

4th Mediterranean Jazz Festival (Jan.18-19)
DROM / 6:30PM, $20+
“The Mediterranean Jazz Festival takes you on a musical tour of the region with performers from all over the globe. Multi-instrumentalist Adam Maalouf takes the stage along with the a capella Bulgarian Voices Trio of Vlada Tomova, Valentina Kvasova, and Shelley Thomas; jazz pianist Angelo di Loreto; and Catalan clarinetist and singer Carola Ortiz. Now in its 4th year, the festival continues to give a platform to global artists worth discovering right here in New York City.” (thrillist)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Soul to Soul
@ Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Pl./ 2PM, $35
“Get a jump-start on MLK Day at Soul to Soul, a theatrical concert exploring the parallels between African-American and Jewish communities, experiences, and history. Produced by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, the performance features Yiddish theater songs, classic spirituals, an interwoven narrative, and multimedia imagery and video celebrating diversity and strength in unity. Performers include singer and actress Lisa Fishman, cantor Magda Fishman, Broadway veteran Elmore James, Yiddish folk authority Zalmen Mlotek, and actor Tony Perry.” (Gothamist)

Under the Radar 2020 (LAST DAY)
See new works from the world’s best playwrights
Public Theater / various times and prices
“The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival presents cutting-edge contemporary work from artists around the world. This weekend, you can catch Grey Rock, written by Palestinian playwright Amir Nizar Zuabi, a play about a man who builds a rocket to the moon in a shed on the West Bank; a production of Samuel Beckett’s Not I that explores neurodiversity; or salt., the show that emerged from two artists boarding a cargo ship to trace the route of the Transatlantic Slave Triangle.” (thrillist)

Documentary & Discussion – The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St./ 1:30PM, FREE
Get the real story, not covered by the Academy Award-winning film, at a screening of the Smithsonian Channel documentary The Green Book: Guide to Freedom. A discussion of Harlem postal carrier Victor Green’s travel/survival guide will follow.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

Prototype
Opera but make it fashion.
“Theater and opera aficionados know that January is the right time to get a hit of all the wildest, newest experiments in music-performance: The Prototype festival has been blowing minds for seven years. Even if you’re not typically an operagoer, you should dabble here. You like poetry? Try Ellen West, with a libretto by Frank Bidart. You like taiko drumming and puppetry? It’s got Ellen McLaughlin and Garrett Fisher’s Blood Moon. There’s even a confrontation between Zakes Mda’s novel Cion and Ravel’s Boléro by the South African choreographer Gregory Vuyani Maqoma, which should tick every single box a culture vulture’s got. ” (Helen Shaw, NYMag)
Various locations, LAST DAY.

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/16-19 Public Theater’s “Under The Radar” Festival
1/19 Umphrey’s McGee, Brooklyn Bowl
1/19 Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven, Sony Hall
1/21 Temples, Webster Hall
1/22 Rufus Wainwright, Alice Tully Hall, NYC
1/22 J Roddy Walston, The Bowery Ballroom
1/22 Toshi Reagon, Joe’s Pub

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
PENULTIMATE DAY
Hudson Theatre
“The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.”

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change. Always wise to double-check before heading out.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

“In Praise of Painting”  (through Oct.4)

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435717

Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913

“How great are the Met’s holdings in the Dutch golden age? Very. This long-term installation rings the lower level of the Lehman Wing with scores of lesser-known gems from the mid-seventeenth century, many of them rarely on view before, amid masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Ruisdael. The period, vivified here, began in 1648, when the end of the Eighty Years’ War with Spain brought a boom in wealth and morale, expressed by genre paintings that exalt the national ideal of gezelligheid—social warmth, comfort, belonging. A key figure was Gerard ter Borch, who had travelled widely and worked at the court of Philip IV, in company with Velázquez. Ter Borch’s lustrous, ineffably witty domestic scenes inspired a generation of masters, notably Vermeer, whose genius rather eclipsed his elder’s. The pictures often star ter Borch’s younger sister Gesina, preening in satins or enigmatically musing. Herself a painter, she is cutely funny-looking—pointy nose, weak chin—and desperately lovable. There’s much to be said for a world with such a family in it.” (

“Making Marvels”  (through March 1)

“This immense exhibition features a trove of impossibly opulent European objects from the mid-sixteenth to the eighteenth century, showcasing the scientific theories and technologies of the time—as well as the wealth of royal collectors. The parade of curiosities begins with “The Imser Clock,” ca. 1554-61, which astounded the imperial court of Ferdinand I with its representation of planetary positions. A projected montage of closeup footage shows the complex, gilded timepiece in action, ticking and chiming as its mechanical figurines rotate. (The show, which might otherwise be weighed down by its abundance of inert filigree, is enlivened by beautifully produced videos like this one.) Presented among the automata, astrolabes, and spring-powered models of the universe are wonders of the natural world. The astonishing Dresden Green, the world’s largest diamond of its kind, was acquired by August III of Poland, in 1722, and later set in a fantastic ornament for a hat. The Kunstkammer treasures on view may have been primarily intended to entertain, and, indeed, delightfully garish works like the South German “Automaton Clock in the Form of Diana on Her Chariot,” ca. 1610—which shot tiny arrows as part of an aristocratic drinking game—still do.” (, NewYorker)

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Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/17 and 01/15.
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15 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend – NewYorkTimes (01/16/20)

Must-see theater coming to New York City stages this fall (amNY)

10 must-see Off-Broadway shows (amNY)

m

NYT Theater Reviews – NYT theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

and, drum roll, here are all the critics opinions on all the plays – Playbill’s “the Verdict”

For good, comprehensive and current info:

Broadway Shows: What to See and How to Get Cheap Tickets (NYT)

finally, lot’s of useful info on TKTS discount tickets from the headout blog:

Everything You Need to Know About TKTS Broadway Tickets 

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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