NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/27) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 09/27/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

Andrea McArdle and Donna McKechnie Celebrate Sondheim & Hamlisch (Sept. 26-28)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $50+
“After a brilliant career as one of the all-time great Broadway dancers, McKechnie has refocused her energies on singing; McArdle has a performanent place in our hearts for her performance as the big-belting moppet in Annie. Now the two troupers team up for a salute to Stephen Sondheim and Marvin Hamlisch. Expect songs from Company and A Chorus Line—McKechnie was in the original casts of both—as well as Follies, A Little Night Music, They’re Playing Our Song and more.” (TONY)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

>> New York Burlesque Festival
>> “Our Sinatra.”
>> AYODELE CASEL AND ARTURO O’FARRILL
>> New York City Ballet
>> The Affordable Art Fair
>> Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb: Brooklyn & Beyond
>> Square Dance
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

New York Burlesque Festival (Sept.26-29)
Multiple locations / Four-day VIP passes are $155; individual ticket prices vary
“The 17th Annual New York Burlesque Festival is a celebration of sequins and skin. With shows all over the city — including a Premiere Party at Brooklyn Bowl and a showcase at Sony Hall — you can get a hit of glamour every night of the weekend. On Sunday, dress up in your Oscar best to attend the Golden Pasties awards at Le Poisson Rouge. There’ll be live performances, incredible gowns, and (of course) an awards show with categories like “Positively Perfect Posterior” and “Most Likely to Win RuPaul’s Drag Race.” (thrillist)

“Our Sinatra.”
Spend a night with Ol’ Blue Eyes
Birdland / 9:45pm, $20
“Ol’ Blue Eyes is back at Birdland’s 20th anniversary of “Our Sinatra.” The original cast will reunite to play more than 50 of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits like “All or Nothing at All” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” Since the show’s inception in 1999, they’ve played over 1,500 shows in New York and on national tours. Seating is first come, first served, so get there early to get a good view of the Chairmans of the Board.” (thrillist)

AYODELE CASEL AND ARTURO O’FARRILL (through Sept. 29).
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $
“O’Farrill, a jazz pianist and composer who has won multiple Grammys, is celebrated for his performances of, and contributions to, Afro-Latin music. Casel — “a spectacular tap artist,” according to The New York Times dance critic Gia Kourlas — also draws from her African-American and Puerto Rican roots in her dancing. Given their shared cultural background and artistic focus, the two are a natural team. Their collaboration, which debuts at the Joyce on Tuesday and features live music and a squad of stellar dancers, explores the relationship between tap, jazz and Afro-Latin culture through various musical and dance styles.” (NYT)

New York City Ballet (thru Oct.13)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 3PM, $35
“Performances of Balanchine’s treasured triptych “Jewels” continue on Friday and Saturday, followed on Sunday and Tuesday by a program pairing Mr. B with the acclaimed British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. Wednesday brings an all-Balanchine program of “Valse Fantaisie,” “Kammermusik No. 2” and “Union Jack.” On Thursday, City Ballet hosts its eighth Fall Fashion Gala, which features new works from the principal dancer Lauren Lovette and the former soloist Edwaard Liang, and costumes by Zac Posen and Anna Sui. Rounding out the evening is the Balanchine classic “Symphony in C.” (NYT)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

The Affordable Art Fair (Sept. 26-29)
Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St./ 12-6PM, $18
“When you visit Affordable Art Fair NYC you’ll find an inspiring and friendly atmosphere where you can browse thousands of original contemporary paintings, sculptures, photographs and prints showcased by 74 local, national and international galleries. With contemporary artwork by over 400 established artists and rising stars, and price points ranging from $100-$10,000 – there is something to suit every taste and wallet whether you are a first-time art buyer or a seasoned collector” (cityguide)

Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb: Brooklyn & Beyond
Aperture Gallery and Bookstore, 547 W. 27th St., 4th Floor / 7PM, FREE
“Photographer couple Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb, creators of 19 books between them, give an artist talk on their forthcoming Aperture book, Brooklyn: The City Within, with images of the borough they’ve called home for 20 years.” (ThoughtGallery)

Square Dance
Go square dancing in the middle of Manhattan
Bryant Park / 5-10pm, FREE
“Bryant Park’s eighth annual square dance is back with dancing lessons, live music, cornhole competitions, mechanical bull riding, trick-roping and lassoing instruction and free cowboy hats to the first 1,000 attendees.” (amNY)

Continuing Events

HARLEM COMEDY FESTIVAL (Sept. 22-29)
at various locations
“There’s more to stand-up in Harlem than the long-running amateur night at the Apollo Theater, as this celebration aims to demonstrate in the coming week at places such as Under Bar and the Chipped Cup. The preliminary rounds of the festival’s contest for aspiring stand-ups will be held from Monday to Wednesday, culminating with the finale on Sept. 29 at Harlem Nights. Other shows, meanwhile, will feature proven headliners such as Tony Woods.” (NYT-Sean L. McCarthy)

New York Oyster Week (thru Sept.29)
Multiple venues
“Whether you love to slurp them straight out of the shell or just happen to appreciate their role in the ocean’s ecosystem, Oyster Week has an event for you. The week kicks off with a fundraiser for the Billion Oyster Project and their plan to replenish the oyster population in New York harbor by 2035 at Pier A Harbor House, mingle with oyster experts while tasting signature bites and enjoying premium cocktails. Other events include a SHUCKeasy pairing oysters with cocktails, a rare showcase of Mexican oysters and Oystoberfest with all-you-can-drink Radeberger beer.” (TONY)

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/27 Graham Nash, Town Hall
9/27-28, 10/1-2,4 Tedeschi Trucks Band, Beacon Theatre
9/28 “Live From Here” with Chris Thile, Town Hall
9/28 Joseph, Webster Hall
9/30 Debbie Harry, Town Hall
9/30-10/1 Built To Spill, Webster Hall
10/1-2 Maggie Rogers, Radio City Music Hall
10/2 Mason Jennings, Sony Hall
10/2 Built To Spill, Music Hall of Williamsburg

==========================================================================
♦ 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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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 these 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” (thru Oct.4, 2020)

“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.”

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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 09/25 and 09/23.
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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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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/26) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 09/26/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

MARC RIBOT
at the Iridium / 8 p.m.; $32.50
“Irritation befits Ribot, a restless gadfly of a guitarist, who has become one of downtown New York’s most esteemed elders. His instrument has always writhed with distorted fury, and recently he’s begun pointing it more squarely at the political discontents of his era. His most recent album is titled “Songs of Resistance, 1942-2018,” boasting guest appearances from some of his best-known collaborators: Tom Waits, Meshell Ndegeocello, Steve Earle and others. At the Iridium, Ribot appears in a small group, with the organist Greg Lewis and the drummers Nasheet Waits (on Wednesday) and Chad Taylor (on Thursday).” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

>> Jazztopad Festival Featuring Amir ElSaffar with Ksawery Wójciński, Wacław Zimpel, and the Lutosławski Quartet
>> LONG BEARD
>>Andrea McArdle and Donna McKechnie Celebrate Sondheim & Hamlisch
>> Arca
>> AYODELE CASEL AND ARTURO O’FARRILL
>> New York City Ballet
>> The Affordable Art Fair

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

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

Jazztopad Festival Featuring Amir ElSaffar with Ksawery Wójciński, Wacław Zimpel, and the Lutosławski Quartet
Opening set by Wacław Zimpel
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“Explore the newest music in today’s jazz scene at the renowned Polish jazz festival, Jazztopad Festival. Tonight’s performance will feature an original work by Amir ElSaffar, an Atrium alum and classically trained trumpet player who developed his artistic language by combining jazz with the aesthetics derived from traditional music of the Middle East. ElSaffar’s new piece “Ahwaal”—or “states of consciousness,” an important concept in Sufism—fuses the microtonal resonances of Iraqi maqam with a subtle nod to Beethoven’s late quartets. For this special engagement, ElSaffar is joined by Polish artists Ksawery Wójciński, Wacław Zimpel, and the Lutosławski Quartet. The night will open with a solo electronic set by multi-award winner Wacław Zimpel.”

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
LONG BEARD
at Baby’s All Right / 6:30 p.m.; $12
“Leslie Bear’s musical path has not been a direct one: After graduating from college, the New Jersey native, who performs under the moniker Long Beard, released her debut album, then took a job as a computer programmer instead of taking to the road. Four years and a turn as Japanese Breakfast’s touring bassist later, Bear has just put out her sophomore album, “Means to Me.” Produced with Japanese Breakfast’s Craig Hendrix, it’s an ambling and inviting set of dream-pop tunes that examine ideas about home, growing up and growing apart.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

Andrea McArdle and Donna McKechnie Celebrate Sondheim & Hamlisch (Sept. 26-28)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $50+
“After a brilliant career as one of the all-time great Broadway dancers, McKechnie has refocused her energies on singing; McArdle has a performanent place in our hearts for her performance as the big-belting moppet in Annie. Now the two troupers team up for a salute to Stephen Sondheim and Marvin Hamlisch. Expect songs from Company and A Chorus Line—McKechnie was in the original casts of both—as well as Follies, A Little Night Music, They’re Playing Our Song and more.” (TONY)

Arca (Sept. 25-28)
The Shed, 545 W. 30th St./ 8PM, $47
“The Venezuelan singer-songwriter, producer, and performance artist Arca defies easy description; she has shaped her career around the experimental and the enigmatic, transforming with each new release (the latest of which was her self-titled album, from 2017). Here, she presents “Mutant;Faith,” an immersive four-part residency offering a unique experience every night. She débuts some of her latest work, and, with assistance from a team of artistic disruptors—including the d.j. Total Freedom and the interaction designer Daito Manabe—she continues probing the boundaries of art, technology, and sound.” (Briana Younger, NewYorker)

AYODELE CASEL AND ARTURO O’FARRILL (through Sept. 29).
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $
“O’Farrill, a jazz pianist and composer who has won multiple Grammys, is celebrated for his performances of, and contributions to, Afro-Latin music. Casel — “a spectacular tap artist,” according to The New York Times dance critic Gia Kourlas — also draws from her African-American and Puerto Rican roots in her dancing. Given their shared cultural background and artistic focus, the two are a natural team. Their collaboration, which debuts at the Joyce on Tuesday and features live music and a squad of stellar dancers, explores the relationship between tap, jazz and Afro-Latin culture through various musical and dance styles.” (NYT)

New York City Ballet (thru Oct.13)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 3PM, $35
“Performances of Balanchine’s treasured triptych “Jewels” continue on Friday and Saturday, followed on Sunday and Tuesday by a program pairing Mr. B with the acclaimed British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. Wednesday brings an all-Balanchine program of “Valse Fantaisie,” “Kammermusik No. 2” and “Union Jack.” On Thursday, City Ballet hosts its eighth Fall Fashion Gala, which features new works from the principal dancer Lauren Lovette and the former soloist Edwaard Liang, and costumes by Zac Posen and Anna Sui. Rounding out the evening is the Balanchine classic “Symphony in C.” (NYT)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

The Affordable Art Fair (Sept. 26-29)
Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St./ 12-6PM, $18
“When you visit Affordable Art Fair NYC you’ll find an inspiring and friendly atmosphere where you can browse thousands of original contemporary paintings, sculptures, photographs and prints showcased by 74 local, national and international galleries. With contemporary artwork by over 400 established artists and rising stars, and price points ranging from $100-$10,000 – there is something to suit every taste and wallet whether you are a first-time art buyer or a seasoned collector” (cityguide)

Continuing Events

HARLEM COMEDY FESTIVAL (Sept. 22-29)
at various locations
“There’s more to stand-up in Harlem than the long-running amateur night at the Apollo Theater, as this celebration aims to demonstrate in the coming week at places such as Under Bar and the Chipped Cup. The preliminary rounds of the festival’s contest for aspiring stand-ups will be held from Monday to Wednesday, culminating with the finale on Sept. 29 at Harlem Nights. Other shows, meanwhile, will feature proven headliners such as Tony Woods.” (NYT-Sean L. McCarthy)

New York Oyster Week (thru Sept.29)
Multiple venues
“Whether you love to slurp them straight out of the shell or just happen to appreciate their role in the ocean’s ecosystem, Oyster Week has an event for you. The week kicks off with a fundraiser for the Billion Oyster Project and their plan to replenish the oyster population in New York harbor by 2035 at Pier A Harbor House, mingle with oyster experts while tasting signature bites and enjoying premium cocktails. Other events include a SHUCKeasy pairing oysters with cocktails, a rare showcase of Mexican oysters and Oystoberfest with all-you-can-drink Radeberger beer.” (TONY)

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/26 Brian Wilson & The Zombies, Beacon Theatre
9/26 UB40, Sony Hall
9/27 Graham Nash, Town Hall
9/27-28, 10/1-2,4 Tedeschi Trucks Band, Beacon Theatre
9/28 “Live From Here” with Chris Thile, Town Hall
9/28 Joseph, Webster Hall
9/30 Debbie Harry, Town Hall
9/30-10/1 Built To Spill, Webster Hall
10/1-2 Maggie Rogers, Radio City Music Hall
10/2 Mason Jennings, Sony Hall
10/2 Built To Spill, Music Hall of Williamsburg

==========================================================================
♦ 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 WINTER 2020).
◊ Order before FEB. 28, 2020 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th 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.”

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

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

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/25) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 09/25/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
New York Live Arts, 219 w19 St./ 7:30Pm, $35
“Internationally acclaimed choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker highlights the season opening of New York Live Arts (Live Arts) with two early benchmarks of postmodern dance, Fase (September 24-28, 2019) and Rosas danst Rosas (October 1-5, 2019).

Premiering in 1982, Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich was Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s first performance. Building upon four repetitive compositions by the minimalist Steve Reich, De Keersmaeker strings three duets and one solo into an independent movement idiom that both illustrates the music and builds new dimensions. Starting from the principle of phase shifting, both the music and dance are born from a place of complete synchronicity that soon ventures into slips and slides of changed forms and patterns. First iterations of Fase were seen in Live Arts’ legacy program Fresh Tracks in 1982, which at the time was known as Choreographers Showcase.” (NYC-arts.org)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)

>> Arca
>> Evan Christopher
>> AYODELE CASEL AND ARTURO O’FARRILL
>> STEVE LEHMAN TRIO WITH CRAIG TABORN
>> New York City Ballet
>> DAVID NASAW: MY THREE MOGULS
>> Taste of the Dining Concourse

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

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Arca (Sept. 25-28)
The Shed, 545 W. 30th St./ 8PM, $47
“The Venezuelan singer-songwriter, producer, and performance artist Arca defies easy description; she has shaped her career around the experimental and the enigmatic, transforming with each new release (the latest of which was her self-titled album, from 2017). Here, she presents “Mutant;Faith,” an immersive four-part residency offering a unique experience every night. She débuts some of her latest work, and, with assistance from a team of artistic disruptors—including the d.j. Total Freedom and the interaction designer Daito Manabe—she continues probing the boundaries of art, technology, and sound.” (Briana Younger, NewYorker)

Evan Christopher
Mezzrow, 163 W. 10th St./ M
“The rich musical heritage of New Orleans provides lifeblood to such dedicated musicians as the clarinettist and soprano saxophonist Evan Christopher and his fellow Big Easy collaborator, the pianist David Torkanowsky—two wizardly players who draw upon a century of fertile inspiration in their music. Allegiance to tradition may be admirable, but what makes this pair exceptional is the vitality they bring to venerable work; together, they pay forward a legacy.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

AYODELE CASEL AND ARTURO O’FARRILL (through Sept. 29).
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $
“O’Farrill, a jazz pianist and composer who has won multiple Grammys, is celebrated for his performances of, and contributions to, Afro-Latin music. Casel — “a spectacular tap artist,” according to The New York Times dance critic Gia Kourlas — also draws from her African-American and Puerto Rican roots in her dancing. Given their shared cultural background and artistic focus, the two are a natural team. Their collaboration, which debuts at the Joyce on Tuesday and features live music and a squad of stellar dancers, explores the relationship between tap, jazz and Afro-Latin culture through various musical and dance styles.” (NYT)

STEVE LEHMAN TRIO WITH CRAIG TABORN (Sept. 24-25)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“In Lehman’s scattered, tone-smearing saxophone style, a lot of influences swim to the surface. He nods to a broad saxophone tradition — the blossoming flow of Charlie Parker; the clean, darting intellect of Steve Coleman — but also draws from today’s electronic avant-garde. You can sense that he’s probably listened to the rough, worried noise music of Ben Frost and to the drifting ambient sounds of Tim Hecker. On “The People I Love,” his latest album, Lehman takes on a range of sources — from the jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland to the electronica duo Autechre. Taborn, a stellar pianist, joins Lehman’s trio (the bassist Matt Brewer and the drummer Damion Reid) for that recording; the same lineup appears at these shows.” (NYT- GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

New York City Ballet (thru Oct.13)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 3PM, $35
“Performances of Balanchine’s treasured triptych “Jewels” continue on Friday and Saturday, followed on Sunday and Tuesday by a program pairing Mr. B with the acclaimed British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. Wednesday brings an all-Balanchine program of “Valse Fantaisie,” “Kammermusik No. 2” and “Union Jack.” On Thursday, City Ballet hosts its eighth Fall Fashion Gala, which features new works from the principal dancer Lauren Lovette and the former soloist Edwaard Liang, and costumes by Zac Posen and Anna Sui. Rounding out the evening is the Balanchine classic “Symphony in C.” (NYT)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

DAVID NASAW: MY THREE MOGULS
12TH ANNUAL LEON LEVY BIOGRAPHY LECTURE
CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium / 6:30PM,
“In telling the stories of three powerful men—Andrew Carnegie, William Randolph Hearst, and Joseph P. Kennedy—David Nasaw discovered that individuals, no matter how rich and politically influential, do not make history by themselves. Nasaw—who is the Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Distinguished Professor at The Graduate Center—reveals what he learned about the exercise and limits of power in this year’s annual talk on writing and researching biography. His highly acclaimed and best-selling books include The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy; Andrew Carnegie; and The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst.”

Taste of the Dining Concourse – Dine for $5
Grand Central Terminal, Lower Level Dining Concourse merchants.
“Grand Central Terminal food vendors are offering items for just $5 on Wednesdays from 2:30-4:30 p.m. They are all listed HERE.”

Continuing Events

HARLEM COMEDY FESTIVAL (Sept. 22-29)
at various locations
“There’s more to stand-up in Harlem than the long-running amateur night at the Apollo Theater, as this celebration aims to demonstrate in the coming week at places such as Under Bar and the Chipped Cup. The preliminary rounds of the festival’s contest for aspiring stand-ups will be held from Monday to Wednesday, culminating with the finale on Sept. 29 at Harlem Nights. Other shows, meanwhile, will feature proven headliners such as Tony Woods.” (NYT-Sean L. McCarthy)

New York Oyster Week (thru Sept.29)
Multiple venues
“Whether you love to slurp them straight out of the shell or just happen to appreciate their role in the ocean’s ecosystem, Oyster Week has an event for you. The week kicks off with a fundraiser for the Billion Oyster Project and their plan to replenish the oyster population in New York harbor by 2035 at Pier A Harbor House, mingle with oyster experts while tasting signature bites and enjoying premium cocktails. Other events include a SHUCKeasy pairing oysters with cocktails, a rare showcase of Mexican oysters and Oystoberfest with all-you-can-drink Radeberger beer.” (TONY)

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/25 Janelle Monae, The Rooftop at Pier 17
9/25 Michael Kiwanuka, Brooklyn Steel
9/25 Xavier Rudd, Music Hall of Williamsburg

==========================================================================
♦ 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)

‘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)

————————————————————————————————

‘AUSCHWITZ. NOT LONG AGO. NOT FAR AWAY’
at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (through Jan. 3).
“Killing as a communal business, made widely lucrative by the Third Reich, permeates this traveling exhibition about the largest German death camp, Auschwitz, whose yawning gatehouse, with its converging rail tracks, has become emblematic of the Holocaust. Well timed, during a worldwide surge of anti-Semitism, the harrowing installation strives, successfully, for fresh relevance. The exhibition illuminates the topography of evil, the deliberate designing of a hell on earth by fanatical racists and compliant architects and provisioners, while also highlighting the strenuous struggle for survival in a place where, as Primo Levi learned, “there is no why.” (NYT-Ralph Blumenthal)

————————————————————————————————–

‘LIFE: SIX WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS’
at the New-York Historical Society (through Oct. 6).
“In the three-decade-plus golden age of Life magazine, only six of its full-time photographers were women. On the face of it, this exhibition at the historical society is half an excuse to air some gorgeous, previously unpublished silver prints, half a broad hint about how much talent we’ve lost to discrimination over the years. But cheery photo essays, produced by professional women, about other women hesitating to join the work force make a subtler point: that the actual mechanics of discrimination tend to be more complicated than they appear from a distance.” (NYT-Will Heinrich)

================================================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Posts in right Sidebar dated 09/23 and 09/21.

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

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

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th 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.”

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

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

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/24) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 09/24/2019 by GregD

Today’s Super 6 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

AYODELE CASEL AND ARTURO O’FARRILL (through Sept. 29).
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $
“O’Farrill, a jazz pianist and composer who has won multiple Grammys, is celebrated for his performances of, and contributions to, Afro-Latin music. Casel — “a spectacular tap artist,” according to The New York Times dance critic Gia Kourlas — also draws from her African-American and Puerto Rican roots in her dancing. Given their shared cultural background and artistic focus, the two are a natural team. Their collaboration, which debuts at the Joyce on Tuesday and features live music and a squad of stellar dancers, explores the relationship between tap, jazz and Afro-Latin culture through various musical and dance styles.” (NYT)

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

5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> STEVE LEHMAN TRIO WITH CRAIG TABORN
>> LIZZO
>> New York City Ballet
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> Philharmonic Insights at the Atrium: “Staging Tales of Darkness”

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

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

STEVE LEHMAN TRIO WITH CRAIG TABORN (Sept. 24-25)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“In Lehman’s scattered, tone-smearing saxophone style, a lot of influences swim to the surface. He nods to a broad saxophone tradition — the blossoming flow of Charlie Parker; the clean, darting intellect of Steve Coleman — but also draws from today’s electronic avant-garde. You can sense that he’s probably listened to the rough, worried noise music of Ben Frost and to the drifting ambient sounds of Tim Hecker. On “The People I Love,” his latest album, Lehman takes on a range of sources — from the jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland to the electronica duo Autechre. Taborn, a stellar pianist, joins Lehman’s trio (the bassist Matt Brewer and the drummer Damion Reid) for that recording; the same lineup appears at these shows.” (NYT- GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

LIZZO
at Radio City Music Hall / 8 p.m.; $
By all accounts, this multihyphenate is the world’s hottest classically trained flutist; in addition to trilling on her instrument, she sings, raps and twerks. Though she dropped her first album in 2013 and earned major label backing in early 2016, Lizzo has truly found her light this year. Her Atlantic Records debut, “Cuz I Love You,” came out in April, and she earned her first Billboard No. 1 with “Truth Hurts” this month. Fans have embraced Lizzo’s up-tempo anthems and message of self-love. In May, they snatched up all the tickets for her back-to-back shows at Brooklyn Steel, and did it again for her Sunday night performance at Radio City, but tickets for Tuesday’s show are still available.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

New York City Ballet (thru Oct.13)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 3PM, $35
“Performances of Balanchine’s treasured triptych “Jewels” continue on Friday and Saturday, followed on Sunday and Tuesday by a program pairing Mr. B with the acclaimed British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. Wednesday brings an all-Balanchine program of “Valse Fantaisie,” “Kammermusik No. 2” and “Union Jack.” On Thursday, City Ballet hosts its eighth Fall Fashion Gala, which features new works from the principal dancer Lauren Lovette and the former soloist Edwaard Liang, and costumes by Zac Posen and Anna Sui. Rounding out the evening is the Balanchine classic “Symphony in C.” (NYT)

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 September 24 edition include Jaime Cepero, Christina Wheeler, Florrie Bagel, Joseph Redd, Marquee Five, Anthony Nunziata, Jessica Fishenfeld, Benny Benack III, Erin Maguire and musical director Brad Simmons.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Philharmonic Insights at the Atrium: “Staging Tales of Darkness”
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“Bengt Gomér — director / set and lighting designer of the staging of Bluebeard’s Castle and Erwartung that the New York Philharmonic will present in its US Stage Premiere September 26–28 — and Nina Stemme, who plays Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle — will go behind-the-scenes to discuss the making of this new production with New York Philharmonic Vice President, Artistic Planning, Isaac Thompson.”

Continuing Events

HARLEM COMEDY FESTIVAL (Sept. 22-29)
at various locations
“There’s more to stand-up in Harlem than the long-running amateur night at the Apollo Theater, as this celebration aims to demonstrate in the coming week at places such as Under Bar and the Chipped Cup. The preliminary rounds of the festival’s contest for aspiring stand-ups will be held from Monday to Wednesday, culminating with the finale on Sept. 29 at Harlem Nights. Other shows, meanwhile, will feature proven headliners such as Tony Woods.” (NYT-Sean L. McCarthy)

New York Oyster Week (thru Sept.29)
Multiple venues
“Whether you love to slurp them straight out of the shell or just happen to appreciate their role in the ocean’s ecosystem, Oyster Week has an event for you. The week kicks off with a fundraiser for the Billion Oyster Project and their plan to replenish the oyster population in New York harbor by 2035 at Pier A Harbor House, mingle with oyster experts while tasting signature bites and enjoying premium cocktails. Other events include a SHUCKeasy pairing oysters with cocktails, a rare showcase of Mexican oysters and Oystoberfest with all-you-can-drink Radeberger beer.” (TONY)

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/24 Jade Bird, Webster Hall
9/24 Brittany Howard, Beacon Theatre
9/24 The B-52s, SummerStage Central Park
9/24 Tegan and Sara, The Murmrr
9/25 Janelle Monae, The Rooftop at Pier 17
9/25 Michael Kiwanuka, Brooklyn Steel
9/25 Xavier Rudd, Music Hall of Williamsburg

==========================================================================
♦ 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).
=========================================================
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.

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

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

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

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

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/23) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 09/23/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > MONDAY/ SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

Keyon Harrold
Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $20-$35
“Cited by Wynton Marsalis as the “future of the trumpet” and “one of the most sought after trumpeters in the world”, this St. Louis native and Mannes School of Music graduate is an eclectic trumpeter/music producer/arranger/songwriter who is known for pushing musical boundaries through his compositions and improvisational style.”

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Natalie Douglas: Tributes – Nancy Wilson
>> Theo Croker Big Brother Big Band with special guest Jazzmeia Horn
>> The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> The Inescapable Climate Revolution: Are We Finally There
>> Monday Night Magic
>> Cyan & The History of German Posters
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Natalie Douglas: Tributes – Nancy Wilson
Birdland / 7PM, $35
“In her monthly Tributes series, MAC Award collector Douglas will honor Miss Nancy Wilson, along with Music Director, Jon Weber, and her band of all-star musicians. Natalie will celebrate the artistry, brilliance and singular achievements of the beloved, honey-voiced and elegant Miss Nancy Wilson.” (cityguide)

Monday Nights with WBGO: Theo Croker Big Brother Big Band with special guest Jazzmeia Horn
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, 9:30PM, $35
“There are good, great, and nice musical players, but then there are phenomenal instrumentalists such as Theo. I would place Theo in a class of musicians who will redirect the flow, change and alter the current of today’s New Jazz.” – Donald Byrd

Theo Croker is a trumpeter and composer who has thoroughly captivated audiences, critics, and fellow musicians since the very beginning of his career. He’s worked consistently with stars like Dee Dee Bridgewater, leads acclaimed groups of his own, and works as a trumpeter and producer with some of his hippest contemporaries when he has the time.”

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, $25-$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

The Inescapable Climate Revolution: Are We Finally There
The Cooper Union, 7 E. 7th St. | 41 Cooper Sq./ 6:30PM, FREE
Located in The Great Hall, in the Foundation Building, 7 East 7th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues
“Bill McKibben, environmental author and founder of 350.org, sits down with marine biologist, policy expert, and strategist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson to discuss the current climate movement. They’ll talk about recent changes (a majority of Americans have finally taken notice) and promising solutions. It’s all part of the citywide series of programming for Climate Week 2019.”

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)

Cyan & The History of German Posters
Poster House, 119 W. 23rd St./ 6PM, $20
“Acclaimed art historian Paul Stirton will talk about the museum’s exhibition Designing Through The Wall: Cyan in the 1990s as it relates to the larger trajectory of German poster and print-making heritage. Copies of his book Jan Tschichold and the New Typography as well as our companion exhibition booklet which he contributed to will be available for purchase and signing. Your ticket includes a complimentary glass of wine.”

Continuing Events

COMING SOON.

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/23 Nick Cave, The Town Hall
9/24 Jade Bird, Webster Hall
9/24 Brittany Howard, Beacon Theatre
9/24 The B-52s, SummerStage Central Park
9/24 Tegan and Sara, The Murmrr
9/25 Janelle Monae, The Rooftop at Pier 17
9/25 Michael Kiwanuka, Brooklyn Steel
9/25 Xavier Rudd, Music Hall of Williamsburg

=============================================================================
♦ 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 is one exhibition the New Yorker likes:

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

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 09/21 and 09/19.
=====================================================

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.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening discovery and enjoyment.
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.

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

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

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

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/22) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 09/22/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

Ravi Coltrane (last day)
Village Vanguard / 8:30, +10:30PM, $35
“Expect plenty of inside-outside postbop intrigue here, as the subtly commanding sax star distills the innovative spirit from his jazz-royalty legacy into a distinctly modern style with a killer quartet.” (TONY)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> New York City Ballet
>> Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene
>> Houston Person
>> JAPANFes’ Konamon Street Food Festival
>> Brooklyn Book Festival
>> Animation Block Party 2019
>> Queens County Fair
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

New York City Ballet (thru Oct.13)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 3PM, $35
“Performances of Balanchine’s treasured triptych “Jewels” continue on Friday and Saturday, followed on Sunday and Tuesday by a program pairing Mr. B with the acclaimed British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. Wednesday brings an all-Balanchine program of “Valse Fantaisie,” “Kammermusik No. 2” and “Union Jack.” On Thursday, City Ballet hosts its eighth Fall Fashion Gala, which features new works from the principal dancer Lauren Lovette and the former soloist Edwaard Liang, and costumes by Zac Posen and Anna Sui. Rounding out the evening is the Balanchine classic “Symphony in C.” (NYT)

Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene (Sept.18-22)
York Theatre Company at St. Peter’s Church / 2:30PM, $40
“Whether attracting or repelling her audiences, international chanteuse Lemper is never less than magnetic. Her style is perversely polymorphic: One moment she might tear into a song with predatory hunger, then she might purr out a dreamy croon or toss back her head for a brassy squeal of jazz. Her newest set is inspired by a long conversation she shared with languid legend Marlene Dietrich in 1988.” (TONY)

Houston Person (Sept. 19-22)
Jazz Standard,116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $30
You don’t come to Houston Person in search of innovation; you merely bask in a surplus of old-school warmth and melodic charm and in a generosity of tone that emanates from precious few saxophonists of any age. For this outing, the eighty-four-year-old tenor master likely dips into the blues-drenched ballads that make up his characteristic new album, “I’m Just a Lucky So and So.” (Steve Futterman, New Yorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

JAPANFes’ Konamon Street Food Festival
Lexington Ave., btw 83rd and 84th st. / 10AM-6PM, FREE
“Celebrate Nisei culture with this two-day festival and competition featuring five of the top Japanese “flour shop” chefs, who use flour in their dishes like okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) and takoyaki (bite-size balls filled with octopus). Chefs will be visiting from across Japan and chefs from Karl’s Balls, BentON, Fuji Yakisoba and Osaka-ya will represent New York.” (amNY)

Oh baby, such good stuff elsewhere, and these three look worth the detour:

Brooklyn Book Festival
Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St./ 10AM, FREE
“It’s the most bookish day of the year: Brooklyn Book Festival, the largest free literary fest in NYC. More than 300 authors writing in every category will participate in readings, discussions, signings, tabling, and assorted events, including the festival on Sunday, Children’s Day on Saturday, and myriad Bookend Events surrounding the weekend. A tiny fraction of this year’s authors include Alexander Chee, Edwidge Danticat, Jonathan Safran Foer, Mira Jacob, Marlon James, Lucy Knisley, DeRay Mckesson, Bill McKibben, Joyce Carol Oates, Matt Taibbi, and Nell Zink.” (gothamist)

Animation Block Party 2019 (Sept.20-22)
Watch the Road Runner in action
Multiple venues
“BAM’s 16th annual Animation Block Party brings three days of animated shorts and features to Brooklyn’s screens. Catch a collection of shorts from female animators, a 35mm print of the 40-year-old Looney Tunes classic Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, and an exploration of the world’s most experimental animation. This surprising and thoughtful curation is ideal for both cartoon buffs and those of us who are starting to get bored by the late-summer movie season.” (thrillist)

Elsewhere, but this is our only state fair, and looks worth the detour:

Queens County Fair (Sept.21-22)
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy./ 11am-6pm, $10
“One of this country’s first-ever agrarian fairs took place in Queens in 1693. Keep the tradition alive at the Queens County Farm Museum’s 37th-annual Queens County Fair. The two-day extravaganza offers family-friendly fun, with live comedy, music, juggling, acrobats, and clowns, plus carnival rides and midway games, pie-eating and corn-husking contests, hayrides, horseback rides, tractor pulls, and relay races. There will be a beer garden sponsored by Bridge & Tunnel Brewery and featuring signature craft beer 1697 Adriance Ale, as well as tours and demos at the 18th-century Adriance Farmhouse. It’s also the season-opening of this year’s Amazing Maize Maze.” (gothamist)

Continuing Events

Photoville @ Brooklyn Bridge Plaza (LAST DAY)

It’s the eighth year for the gargantuan photography show Photoville, featuring 80 exhibits and work by more than 600 artists, nightly outdoor programming, site-specific installations, talks, demonstrations, workshops, and more. It’s all installed in and around 60+ shipping containers scattered throughout Brooklyn Bridge Plaza. The huge opening night celebration, presented by United Photo Industries, showcases work from the Magnum Foundation, For Freedoms, Bronx Documentary Center, Batsi’ Lab, and Facing Change: Documenting America. The festival will run through September 22nd.

Feast of San Gennaro (LAST DAY)

“Where: Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston streets; on Hester Street, between Baxter and Centre streets; and on Grand Avenue, between Baxter Street and Centre Market Place. The stage is at the corner of Grand and Mott streets.

What it’s all about: The Feast of San Gennaro dates to 1926 when Neapolitan immigrants wanted to continue the September 19 feast day observed back home. The feast also was a way for Italian immigrants to celebrate their heritage. After being told they would be relegated to worship in the basement of other churches, dominated by Irish Catholics, the community built its own church.

Over the years, the Feast of San Gennaro has grown to 11 full days of celebration, food and drink. Speaking of which, vendors you’ll see include: Cannoli King Caffe Palermo, Grotta Azzurra, Umberto’s Clam House, Lombardi’s, Capri, Alleva Dairy, DiPalo, Ferrara Bakery and more.” Iconic eats to celebrate the feast.(amNY)

Mangia at the 93rd annual San Gennaro Feast

There’ll be food, glorious food, as the 93rd annual Feast of San Gennaro honoring the patron saint of Naples kicks off in Little Italy. The 11-night fest features live music and food on top of food on top of food. Activities include a cannoli-eating contest (2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13), as well as a parade (2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 with “The Sopranos” star Steve Schirripa serving as grand marshal), a zeppole-eating competition (1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 18) and a High Mass in the name of San Gennaro (6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19). (Free; food and other items available for purchase; sangennaronyc.org)

Brooklyn Americana Music Festival @ Various venues (LAST DAY)

“Get ready for plenty of hand-clapping and foot-stomping at the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival, touching down all across Dumbo and Red Hook for the fifth year running. The fest promises 50 shows in nine venues over four days, all free of charge except for the opening-night gala. Some highlights include Female Songwriter of the Year Dayna Kurtz, Americana-folk troubadours Underhill Rose, NOLA R&B group Sabine McCalla and the Dew Drops, classic country crooners the Haggard Kings, country-blues outfit Cari Ray and the Shaky Legs, a Green Chile Bluegrass Brunch, and much, much more.” (gothamist)

Opens Thursday, September 19th // Various venues // Free

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/22 & 24 Lizzo, Radio City Music Hall
9/22 Cat Power, Webster Hall
9/23 Nick Cave, The Town Hall
9/24 Jade Bird, Webster Hall
9/24 Brittany Howard, Beacon Theatre
9/24 The B-52s, SummerStage Central Park
9/24 Tegan and Sara, The Murmrr
9/25 Janelle Monae, The Rooftop at Pier 17
9/25 Michael Kiwanuka, Brooklyn Steel
9/25 Xavier Rudd, Music Hall of Williamsburg

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

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th 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.”

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

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

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/21) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 09/21/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ SEPTEMBER 21, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

Food & Ideas Festival
China Institute, 100 Washington St./ 1:45PM, $10
“Get a huge helping of the modern Chinese foodie scene at the Food & Ideas Festival, an afternoon of delicious talks, tabling, and interviews. You’ll hear from chefs, sustainability experts, artists, educators, and influencers on topics like China’s “experimental culinary zeitgeist,” its green revolution, and its new urban lifestyles. Then the space will transform into a Mid-Autumn Festival Night Market, with cocktails and bites, vendors, mahjong tables, and Chinese hip-hop. Tickets include a free drink.” (gothamist)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> MATT MITCHELL
>> RODNEY WHITAKER
>> Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene
>> Free Museum Day
>> MACHINE HALLUCINATION
>> Animation Block Party 2019
>> Queens County Fair
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

MATT MITCHELL (Sept.17-21)
at the Stone / 8:30 p.m.; $20
“Few pianists today are more elegant or more ominous than Mitchell, who has a style that resonates. It is a small miracle that he finds time to lead ensembles as often as he does, considering how called-upon he is as a side musician. In the coming week at the Stone, he will put a few of his own projects on display: He plays on Tuesday with a quartet featuring Craig Taborn on synthesizer and Ches Smith and Dan Weiss on drums; on Wednesday and Sept. 20 with different iterations of Snark Horse, his project with the drummer Kate Gentile; on Thursday in a chamber quintet; and on Sept. 21 with the band from his latest release, “Phalanx Ambassadors.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

RODNEY WHITAKER (Sept. 20-21)
at Smalls / 7:30 and 9 p.m.; $20
“A redoubtable bassist and influential jazz educator at Michigan State University, Whitaker recently released “Common Ground,” a collection of lively post-bop tunes written by the Michigan-based composer Gregg Hill. He’s likely to draw from that songbook when he performs here with Stacy Dillard on tenor saxophone, Luther S. Allison on piano and Michael Reed on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene (Sept.18-22)
York Theatre Company at St. Peter’s Church / 8PM, $40
“Whether attracting or repelling her audiences, international chanteuse Lemper is never less than magnetic. Her style is perversely polymorphic: One moment she might tear into a song with predatory hunger, then she might purr out a dreamy croon or toss back her head for a brassy squeal of jazz. Her newest set is inspired by a long conversation she shared with languid legend Marlene Dietrich in 1988.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Free Museum Day
Multiple venues
“Devised by the minds at Smithsonian magazine, Free Museum Day takes place across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., providing free entry for two to participating museums and cultural establishments. Of course, New York City is home to a number of extraordinary museums, including Van Cortlandt House Museum in the Bronx. So if there’s an arts center or history-focused institution you want to experience, check to see if it’s on Smithsonian’s list here.” (amNY)

MACHINE HALLUCINATION – by Refik Anadol
Augment the reality of your weekend (Sept.20-22)
ARTECHOUSE / 10am-11pm, $24
“Machine Hallucination,” a new installation by Turkish artist Refik Anadol, is now open at ARTECHOUSE. Housed in the boiler room space beneath Chelsea Market, the exhibition is an experiment in augmented reality and machine learning — which is to say that it’s trippy, beautiful Instagram bait. Just in case you don’t feel sufficiently stoned after your visit, you can grab a drink at the AR bar, which uses augmented reality to create cocktails that are, by all accounts, extremely online.’ (thrillist)

Animation Block Party 2019 (Sept.20-22)
Watch the Road Runner in action
Multiple venues
“BAM’s 16th annual Animation Block Party brings three days of animated shorts and features to Brooklyn’s screens. Catch a collection of shorts from female animators, a 35mm print of the 40-year-old Looney Tunes classic Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, and an exploration of the world’s most experimental animation. This surprising and thoughtful curation is ideal for both cartoon buffs and those of us who are starting to get bored by the late-summer movie season.” (thrillist)

Elsewhere, but this is our only state fair, and looks worth the detour:

Queens County Fair (Sept.21-22)
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy./ 11am-6pm, $10
“One of this country’s first-ever agrarian fairs took place in Queens in 1693. Keep the tradition alive at the Queens County Farm Museum’s 37th-annual Queens County Fair. The two-day extravaganza offers family-friendly fun, with live comedy, music, juggling, acrobats, and clowns, plus carnival rides and midway games, pie-eating and corn-husking contests, hayrides, horseback rides, tractor pulls, and relay races. There will be a beer garden sponsored by Bridge & Tunnel Brewery and featuring signature craft beer 1697 Adriance Ale, as well as tours and demos at the 18th-century Adriance Farmhouse. It’s also the season-opening of this year’s Amazing Maize Maze.” (gothamist)

Continuing Events

Photoville @ Brooklyn Bridge Plaza (LAST WEEK – thru Sept.22)

It’s the eighth year for the gargantuan photography show Photoville, featuring 80 exhibits and work by more than 600 artists, nightly outdoor programming, site-specific installations, talks, demonstrations, workshops, and more. It’s all installed in and around 60+ shipping containers scattered throughout Brooklyn Bridge Plaza. The huge opening night celebration, presented by United Photo Industries, showcases work from the Magnum Foundation, For Freedoms, Bronx Documentary Center, Batsi’ Lab, and Facing Change: Documenting America. The festival will run through September 22nd.

Feast of San Gennaro (LAST DAYS-through Sept. 22)

“Where: Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston streets; on Hester Street, between Baxter and Centre streets; and on Grand Avenue, between Baxter Street and Centre Market Place. The stage is at the corner of Grand and Mott streets.

What it’s all about: The Feast of San Gennaro dates to 1926 when Neapolitan immigrants wanted to continue the September 19 feast day observed back home. The feast also was a way for Italian immigrants to celebrate their heritage. After being told they would be relegated to worship in the basement of other churches, dominated by Irish Catholics, the community built its own church.

Over the years, the Feast of San Gennaro has grown to 11 full days of celebration, food and drink. Speaking of which, vendors you’ll see include: Cannoli King Caffe Palermo, Grotta Azzurra, Umberto’s Clam House, Lombardi’s, Capri, Alleva Dairy, DiPalo, Ferrara Bakery and more.” Iconic eats to celebrate the feast.(amNY)

Mangia at the 93rd annual San Gennaro Feast

There’ll be food, glorious food, as the 93rd annual Feast of San Gennaro honoring the patron saint of Naples kicks off in Little Italy. The 11-night fest features live music and food on top of food on top of food. Activities include a cannoli-eating contest (2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13), as well as a parade (2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 with “The Sopranos” star Steve Schirripa serving as grand marshal), a zeppole-eating competition (1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 18) and a High Mass in the name of San Gennaro (6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19). (Free; food and other items available for purchase; sangennaronyc.org)

Brooklyn Americana Music Festival @ Various venues (thru Sept.22)

“Get ready for plenty of hand-clapping and foot-stomping at the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival, touching down all across Dumbo and Red Hook for the fifth year running. The fest promises 50 shows in nine venues over four days, all free of charge except for the opening-night gala. Some highlights include Female Songwriter of the Year Dayna Kurtz, Americana-folk troubadours Underhill Rose, NOLA R&B group Sabine McCalla and the Dew Drops, classic country crooners the Haggard Kings, country-blues outfit Cari Ray and the Shaky Legs, a Green Chile Bluegrass Brunch, and much, much more.” (gothamist)

Opens Thursday, September 19th // Various venues // Free

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/21 Josh Ritter, Beacon Theatre
9/21 Kermit Ruffins, Sony Hall
9/22 & 24 Lizzo, Radio City Music Hall
9/22 Cat Power, Webster Hall
9/23 Nick Cave, The Town Hall
9/24 Jade Bird, Webster Hall
9/24 Brittany Howard, Beacon Theatre
9/24 The B-52s, SummerStage Central Park
9/24 Tegan and Sara, The Murmrr
9/25 Janelle Monae, The Rooftop at Pier 17
9/25 Michael Kiwanuka, Brooklyn Steel
9/25 Xavier Rudd, Music Hall of Williamsburg

==========================================================================
♦ 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
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 these 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” (thru Oct.4, 2020)

“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.”

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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 09/19 and 09/17.
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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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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/20) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 09/20/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

Easy Rider Live
@ Radio City Music Hall  1260 Sixth Ave./ 8PM, $20

“Pay a fitting tribute to a legend at Easy Rider Live, a live-music and cinematic experience in celebration of the classic film’s 50th anniversary. The film will be shown on the world’s largest installed LED screen, while its legendary soundtrack—including “Born To Be Wild,” “The Weight,” and “Ballad of Easy Rider”—is performed live onstage by John Kay, Roger McGuinn, and special guests, produced by T Bone Burnett. The evening was originally planned to include opening remarks by Peter Fonda, who passed away last month; his wife Parky Fonda has praised the event, saying, “The celebration of a cinematic masterpiece, a Hollywood icon, and my beloved husband [will be] exactly what he wanted.”  (gothamist)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Bobby Sanabria
>> RODNEY WHITAKER
>> Houston Person
>> Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene
>> Ravi Coltrane
>> New York City Ballet
>> Listening Party: John Coltrane’s Blue World
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

¡VAYA! 63
Bobby Sanabria
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE, but get there early for a seat.
“¡VAYA! 63 Led by renowned percussionist, composer, arranger, and educator Bobby Sanabria, the 21-piece multi-Grammy-nominated Multiverse Big Band has been hailed by DownBeat magazine as a “force of nature.” Uniquely known for its versatility, the orchestra can seamlessly transition from complex concert repertoire to swinging big-band dance music. On the heels of the Grammy-nominated West Side Story Reimagined double CD, Bobby Sanabria and his Multiverse Big Band will pay tribute to the mecca of all Latin dance halls, the legendary Palladium Ballroom, where the fusion of big-band mambo and jazz reigned supreme.Kick off the fifth season of ¡VAYA! 63, the Atrium’s popular Latin dance party, with this stellar band.“

RODNEY WHITAKER (Sept. 20-21)
at Smalls / 7:30 and 9 p.m.; $20
“A redoubtable bassist and influential jazz educator at Michigan State University, Whitaker recently released “Common Ground,” a collection of lively post-bop tunes written by the Michigan-based composer Gregg Hill. He’s likely to draw from that songbook when he performs here with Stacy Dillard on tenor saxophone, Luther S. Allison on piano and Michael Reed on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Houston Person (Sept. 19-22)
Jazz Standard,116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $30
You don’t come to Houston Person in search of innovation; you merely bask in a surplus of old-school warmth and melodic charm and in a generosity of tone that emanates from precious few saxophonists of any age. For this outing, the eighty-four-year-old tenor master likely dips into the blues-drenched ballads that make up his characteristic new album, “I’m Just a Lucky So and So.” (Steve Futterman, New Yorker)

Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene (Sept.18-22)
York Theatre Company at St. Peter’s Church / 2:30PM, $40
“Whether attracting or repelling her audiences, international chanteuse Lemper is never less than magnetic. Her style is perversely polymorphic: One moment she might tear into a song with predatory hunger, then she might purr out a dreamy croon or toss back her head for a brassy squeal of jazz. Her newest set is inspired by a long conversation she shared with languid legend Marlene Dietrich in 1988.” (TONY)

Ravi Coltrane (Sept.17-22)
Village Vanguard / 8:30, +10:30PM, $35
“Expect plenty of inside-outside postbop intrigue here, as the subtly commanding sax star distills the innovative spirit from his jazz-royalty legacy into a distinctly modern style with a killer quartet.” (TONY)

New York City Ballet
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $
“For a company that tends to eschew evening-length ballets, “Jewels,” created by the choreographer George Balanchine, in 1967, is an exception. More than a single ballet, it is composed of three separate but thematically connected works, inspired by the qualities of gemstones and by contrasting musical worlds. “Emeralds,” set to music by Fauré, is quietly mysterious. “Rubies,” all sharp angles and brazenness, is meant to evoke the energy of New York. And “Diamonds” reflects the opulence and wistfulness of the Russia of Balanchine’s imagination. In recent years, both Maria Kowroski and Sara Mearns have dominated “Diamonds”; Kowroski is remote and regal, Mearns urgent, almost feverish in her approach. The tall, phlegmatic Teresa Reichlen has come to define the cool glamour of “Rubies.” Few ballets give a better sense of the company as a whole.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Listening Party: John Coltrane’s Blue World
Education Center at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall / 7PM, FREE, but get there early for a seat.
“Join host Ashley Kahn as we celebrate the release of the John Coltrane album Blue World. Conceived as a film soundtrack, we will discuss the album and screen Le chat dans le sac, the film it accompanied! Please note that seating is on a first come, first served basis, and there are no reservations.”

Continuing Events

Photoville @ Brooklyn Bridge Plaza (LAST WEEK – thru Sept.22)

It’s the eighth year for the gargantuan photography show Photoville, featuring 80 exhibits and work by more than 600 artists, nightly outdoor programming, site-specific installations, talks, demonstrations, workshops, and more. It’s all installed in and around 60+ shipping containers scattered throughout Brooklyn Bridge Plaza. The huge opening night celebration, presented by United Photo Industries, showcases work from the Magnum Foundation, For Freedoms, Bronx Documentary Center, Batsi’ Lab, and Facing Change: Documenting America. The festival will run through September 22nd.

Feast of San Gennaro (LAST DAYS-through Sept. 22)

“Where: Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston streets; on Hester Street, between Baxter and Centre streets; and on Grand Avenue, between Baxter Street and Centre Market Place. The stage is at the corner of Grand and Mott streets.

What it’s all about: The Feast of San Gennaro dates to 1926 when Neapolitan immigrants wanted to continue the September 19 feast day observed back home. The feast also was a way for Italian immigrants to celebrate their heritage. After being told they would be relegated to worship in the basement of other churches, dominated by Irish Catholics, the community built its own church.

Over the years, the Feast of San Gennaro has grown to 11 full days of celebration, food and drink. Speaking of which, vendors you’ll see include: Cannoli King Caffe Palermo, Grotta Azzurra, Umberto’s Clam House, Lombardi’s, Capri, Alleva Dairy, DiPalo, Ferrara Bakery and more.” Iconic eats to celebrate the feast.(amNY)

Mangia at the 93rd annual San Gennaro Feast

There’ll be food, glorious food, as the 93rd annual Feast of San Gennaro honoring the patron saint of Naples kicks off in Little Italy. The 11-night fest features live music and food on top of food on top of food. Activities include a cannoli-eating contest (2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13), as well as a parade (2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 with “The Sopranos” star Steve Schirripa serving as grand marshal), a zeppole-eating competition (1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 18) and a High Mass in the name of San Gennaro (6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19). (Free; food and other items available for purchase; sangennaronyc.org)

Brooklyn Americana Music Festival @ Various venues (thru Sept.22)

“Get ready for plenty of hand-clapping and foot-stomping at the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival, touching down all across Dumbo and Red Hook for the fifth year running. The fest promises 50 shows in nine venues over four days, all free of charge except for the opening-night gala. Some highlights include Female Songwriter of the Year Dayna Kurtz, Americana-folk troubadours Underhill Rose, NOLA R&B group Sabine McCalla and the Dew Drops, classic country crooners the Haggard Kings, country-blues outfit Cari Ray and the Shaky Legs, a Green Chile Bluegrass Brunch, and much, much more.” (gothamist)

Opens Thursday, September 19th // Various venues // Free

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/20 Bloc Party, SummerStage Central Park
9/20 Orville Peck, Music Hall of Williamsburg
9/21 Josh Ritter, Beacon Theatre
9/21 Kermit Ruffins, Sony Hall
9/22 & 24 Lizzo, Radio City Music Hall
9/22 Cat Power, Webster Hall
9/23 Nick Cave, The Town Hall
9/24 Jade Bird, Webster Hall
9/24 Brittany Howard, Beacon Theatre
9/24 The B-52s, SummerStage Central Park
9/24 Tegan and Sara, The Murmrr
9/25 Janelle Monae, The Rooftop at Pier 17
9/25 Michael Kiwanuka, Brooklyn Steel
9/25 Xavier Rudd, Music Hall of Williamsburg

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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.”
==============================================================
“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 WINTER 2020).
◊ Order before FEB. 28, 2020 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th 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.”

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

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

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/19) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 09/19/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

Harvest in the Square
Union Square Park’s North Plaza / 6-9PM, $99+
“Taste the best of Union Square eateries have to offer at this local foodie festival in September. Chefs from eateries like Almond, Barbounia, Boccie, Croque Monsieur, Gramercy Tavern, Hill Country Barbecue Market, Kyma, Nur, Gupshup, Barbacon by Union Square, Ole & Steen, Nutella Cafe and others will serve up tastings of signature dishes featuring fresh produce from the Union Square GreenMarket. Food will also be paired with wine and microbrews from New York State and beyond.” (amNY)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Houston Person
>> Kim So Ra
>> HELEN SUNG
>> Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene
>> Ravi Coltrane
>> New York City Ballet
>> New York City Ballet

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

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Houston Person (Sept. 19-22)
Jazz Standard,116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $30
You don’t come to Houston Person in search of innovation; you merely bask in a surplus of old-school warmth and melodic charm and in a generosity of tone that emanates from precious few saxophonists of any age. For this outing, the eighty-four-year-old tenor master likely dips into the blues-drenched ballads that make up his characteristic new album, “I’m Just a Lucky So and So.” (Steve Futterman, New Yorker)

Kim So Ra
Atrium @ Lincoln Center/ 7:30PM, FREE, but get there early for a seat.
“A multi-award-winning Korean traditional percussionist, composer, and ambassador of Honam Province Jeongeup folk music, Kim So Ra is one of the most skilled and prominent Janggu (Korean double-headed drum) players in Korea. Known for her genre-bending performances combining Korean traditional sounds with creative, charismatic, and modern interpretations, she has received eight first-place awards from major national music competitions since 2005. This performance at the Atrium will also feature master drummer Hyun Seung Hun, joined by Lim Ji Hye on gayageum (Korean zither) and Lee Hye Joong on piri (Korean bamboo oboe).”

HELEN SUNG
at Smalls / 7:30 and 9 p.m.; $20
“Sung began as a classical pianist, but she eventually developed a sturdy, grooving style of jazz playing and an impressive book of imaginative compositions. At Smalls she will turn to the standard American songbook and lesser-covered tunes from jazz’s past, reinterpreting old fare with a project she calls (Re)Conception. Joining her are the trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, the soprano saxophonist John Ellis, the bassist David Wong and the drummer Terreon Gully.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene (Sept.18-22)
York Theatre Company at St. Peter’s Church / 2:30PM, $40
“Whether attracting or repelling her audiences, international chanteuse Lemper is never less than magnetic. Her style is perversely polymorphic: One moment she might tear into a song with predatory hunger, then she might purr out a dreamy croon or toss back her head for a brassy squeal of jazz. Her newest set is inspired by a long conversation she shared with languid legend Marlene Dietrich in 1988.” (TONY)

Ravi Coltrane (Sept.17-22)
Village Vanguard / 8:30, +10:30PM, $35
“Expect plenty of inside-outside postbop intrigue here, as the subtly commanding sax star distills the innovative spirit from his jazz-royalty legacy into a distinctly modern style with a killer quartet.” (TONY)

New York City Ballet
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $
“For a company that tends to eschew evening-length ballets, “Jewels,” created by the choreographer George Balanchine, in 1967, is an exception. More than a single ballet, it is composed of three separate but thematically connected works, inspired by the qualities of gemstones and by contrasting musical worlds. “Emeralds,” set to music by Fauré, is quietly mysterious. “Rubies,” all sharp angles and brazenness, is meant to evoke the energy of New York. And “Diamonds” reflects the opulence and wistfulness of the Russia of Balanchine’s imagination. In recent years, both Maria Kowroski and Sara Mearns have dominated “Diamonds”; Kowroski is remote and regal, Mearns urgent, almost feverish in her approach. The tall, phlegmatic Teresa Reichlen has come to define the cool glamour of “Rubies.” Few ballets give a better sense of the company as a whole.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

NYRB Classics 20th Anniversary
@ Murmrr Theater, 17 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn // 6:30PM, Free or $17.95 with a copy of the book.
“Book publishing is a tough business these days, so a hearty congratulations is in order to the NYRB Classics for making it two decades and still going strong. Celebrate their 20th Anniversary with an evening of readings from the series’ newest anthology, The Red Thread, which collects highlights from their 500+ books. Readers include Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Eugenides, Meg Wolitzer, Amit Chaudhuri, Deborah Eisenberg, and more. Special guest DJ Tim Mohr will close out the show.” (gothamist)

Continuing Events

Photoville @ Brooklyn Bridge Plaza (LAST WEEK – thru Sept.22)

It’s the eighth year for the gargantuan photography show Photoville, featuring 80 exhibits and work by more than 600 artists, nightly outdoor programming, site-specific installations, talks, demonstrations, workshops, and more. It’s all installed in and around 60+ shipping containers scattered throughout Brooklyn Bridge Plaza. The huge opening night celebration, presented by United Photo Industries, showcases work from the Magnum Foundation, For Freedoms, Bronx Documentary Center, Batsi’ Lab, and Facing Change: Documenting America. The festival will run through September 22nd.

Feast of San Gennaro (Sept. 12 through Sept. 22)

“Where: Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston streets; on Hester Street, between Baxter and Centre streets; and on Grand Avenue, between Baxter Street and Centre Market Place. The stage is at the corner of Grand and Mott streets.

What it’s all about: The Feast of San Gennaro dates to 1926 when Neapolitan immigrants wanted to continue the September 19 feast day observed back home. The feast also was a way for Italian immigrants to celebrate their heritage. After being told they would be relegated to worship in the basement of other churches, dominated by Irish Catholics, the community built its own church.

Over the years, the Feast of San Gennaro has grown to 11 full days of celebration, food and drink. Speaking of which, vendors you’ll see include: Cannoli King Caffe Palermo, Grotta Azzurra, Umberto’s Clam House, Lombardi’s, Capri, Alleva Dairy, DiPalo, Ferrara Bakery and more.” Iconic eats to celebrate the feast.(amNY)

Mangia at the 93rd annual San Gennaro Feast

There’ll be food, glorious food, as the 93rd annual Feast of San Gennaro honoring the patron saint of Naples kicks off in Little Italy. The 11-night fest features live music and food on top of food on top of food. Activities include a cannoli-eating contest (2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13), as well as a parade (2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 with “The Sopranos” star Steve Schirripa serving as grand marshal), a zeppole-eating competition (1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 18) and a High Mass in the name of San Gennaro (6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19). (Free; food and other items available for purchase; sangennaronyc.org)

Brooklyn Americana Music Festival @ Various venues (thru Sept.22)

“Get ready for plenty of hand-clapping and foot-stomping at the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival, touching down all across Dumbo and Red Hook for the fifth year running. The fest promises 50 shows in nine venues over four days, all free of charge except for the opening-night gala. Some highlights include Female Songwriter of the Year Dayna Kurtz, Americana-folk troubadours Underhill Rose, NOLA R&B group Sabine McCalla and the Dew Drops, classic country crooners the Haggard Kings, country-blues outfit Cari Ray and the Shaky Legs, a Green Chile Bluegrass Brunch, and much, much more.” (gothamist)

Opens Thursday, September 19th // Various venues // Free

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/19 Mac DeMarco, Brooklyn Steel
9/19 Adam Ant, Beacon Theatre
9/20 Bloc Party, SummerStage Central Park
9/20 Orville Peck, Music Hall of Williamsburg
9/21 Josh Ritter, Beacon Theatre
9/21 Kermit Ruffins, Sony Hall
9/22 & 24 Lizzo, Radio City Music Hall
9/22 Cat Power, Webster Hall
9/23 Nick Cave, The Town Hall
9/24 Jade Bird, Webster Hall
9/24 Brittany Howard, Beacon Theatre
9/24 The B-52s, SummerStage Central Park
9/24 Tegan and Sara, The Murmrr
9/25 Janelle Monae, The Rooftop at Pier 17
9/25 Michael Kiwanuka, Brooklyn Steel
9/25 Xavier Rudd, Music Hall of Williamsburg

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Easy Rider Live @ Radio City Music Hall

“Pay a fitting tribute to a legend at Easy Rider Live, a live-music and cinematic experience in celebration of the classic film’s 50th anniversary. The film will be shown on the world’s largest installed LED screen, while its legendary soundtrack—including “Born To Be Wild,” “The Weight,” and “Ballad of Easy Rider”—is performed live onstage by John Kay, Roger McGuinn, and special guests, produced by T Bone Burnett. The evening was originally planned to include opening remarks by Peter Fonda, who passed away last month; his wife Parky Fonda has praised the event, saying, “The celebration of a cinematic masterpiece, a Hollywood icon, and my beloved husband [will be] exactly what he wanted.”  (gothamist)

Friday, September 20th, 8 p.m. // Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave., Manhattan // Tickets: $20

==========================================================================
♦ 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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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)

‘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)

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‘2019 WHITNEY BIENNIAL’
at the Whitney Museum of American Art (CLOSES SOON – through Sept. 22).
“Given the political tensions that have sent spasms through the nation over the past two years, you might have expected — hoped — that this year’s biennial would be one big, sharp Occupy-style yawp. It isn’t. Politics are present but, with a few notable exceptions, murmured, coded, stitched into the weave of fastidiously form-conscious, labor-intensive work. As a result, the exhibition, organized by two young Whitney curators, Rujeko Hockley and Jane Panetta, gives the initial impression of being a well-groomed group show rather than a statement of resistance. But once you start looking closely, the impression changes artist by artist, piece by piece — there’s quiet agitation in the air.” (NYT-Cotter)

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‘AUSCHWITZ. NOT LONG AGO. NOT FAR AWAY’
at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (through Jan. 3).
“Killing as a communal business, made widely lucrative by the Third Reich, permeates this traveling exhibition about the largest German death camp, Auschwitz, whose yawning gatehouse, with its converging rail tracks, has become emblematic of the Holocaust. Well timed, during a worldwide surge of anti-Semitism, the harrowing installation strives, successfully, for fresh relevance. The exhibition illuminates the topography of evil, the deliberate designing of a hell on earth by fanatical racists and compliant architects and provisioners, while also highlighting the strenuous struggle for survival in a place where, as Primo Levi learned, “there is no why.” (NYT-Ralph Blumenthal)

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‘LIFE: SIX WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS’
at the New-York Historical Society (through Oct. 6).
“In the three-decade-plus golden age of Life magazine, only six of its full-time photographers were women. On the face of it, this exhibition at the historical society is half an excuse to air some gorgeous, previously unpublished silver prints, half a broad hint about how much talent we’ve lost to discrimination over the years. But cheery photo essays, produced by professional women, about other women hesitating to join the work force make a subtler point: that the actual mechanics of discrimination tend to be more complicated than they appear from a distance.” (NYT-Will Heinrich)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Posts in right Sidebar dated 09/17 and 09/15.

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

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th 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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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (09/18) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square / Theater District)

Posted on 09/18/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

“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:  “September 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:

DANIEL CAESAR
at Radio City Music Hall / 8 p.m.; $
“With a voice like warm bathwater and the influence of gospel looming large in his music, this rising Canadian R&B singer captivated audiences when he released his debut album, “Freudian,” in 2017. Caesar’s take on the genre, best represented by songs like the uplifting “We Find Love” and the blissfully romantic duet “Best Part,” offers a softer alternative to the digitized, nihilistic version popularized by artists like the Weeknd. “Case Study 01,” which came out in June, is a headier album, but it’s packed with enough transcendent falsetto moments to distract from the controversy in which Caesar found himself embroiled in March, when he made some poorly received remarks about race.”
(NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Pasquale Grasso Trio featuring Peter Washington and Kenny Washington
>> Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene
>> Ravi Coltrane
>> Rubberband
>> MATT MITCHELL
>> New York City Ballet
>> New York City Ballet

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

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

Pasquale Grasso Trio featuring Peter Washington and Kenny Washington
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“Guitarist Pasquale Grasso performs at Dizzy’s Club with the dream-team rhythm section of Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, who are also well known for supporting Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes.

“The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso. This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult. Mostly what I hear now are guitar players who sound a little bit like me mixed with a little bit of [John Scofield] and a little bit of [Bill Frisell].

What’s interesting about Pasquale is that he doesn’t sound anything like that at all. In a way, it is a little bit of a throwback, because his model—which is an incredible model to have—is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years.” – Pat Metheny, 2016, Vintage Guitar magazine”

Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene (Sept.18-22)
York Theatre Company at St. Peter’s Church / 7PM, $40
“Whether attracting or repelling her audiences, international chanteuse Lemper is never less than magnetic. Her style is perversely polymorphic: One moment she might tear into a song with predatory hunger, then she might purr out a dreamy croon or toss back her head for a brassy squeal of jazz. Her newest set is inspired by a long conversation she shared with languid legend Marlene Dietrich in 1988.” (TONY)

Ravi Coltrane (Sept.17-22)
Village Vanguard / 8:30, +10:30PM, $35
“Expect plenty of inside-outside postbop intrigue here, as the subtly commanding sax star distills the innovative spirit from his jazz-royalty legacy into a distinctly modern style with a killer quartet.” (TONY)

Rubberband (Sept.17-22)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $30+
“How do we find calm in the storm of our daily lives? The choreographer Victor Quijada ponders that question in his Joyce debut with the recent work “Ever So Slightly.” While it may not offer solutions, his turbulent movement vividly illustrates the challenge. Quijada, who was born in Los Angeles and is now based in Montreal, melds his B-boy background and contemporary dance chops to create a seething theatrical piece in which 10 powerful performers struggle against society’s relentless pace and their own internal turmoil.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

MATT MITCHELL (Sept.17-21)
at the Stone / 8:30 p.m.; $20
“Few pianists today are more elegant or more ominous than Mitchell, who has a style that resonates. It is a small miracle that he finds time to lead ensembles as often as he does, considering how called-upon he is as a side musician. In the coming week at the Stone, he will put a few of his own projects on display: He plays on Tuesday with a quartet featuring Craig Taborn on synthesizer and Ches Smith and Dan Weiss on drums; on Wednesday and Sept. 20 with different iterations of Snark Horse, his project with the drummer Kate Gentile; on Thursday in a chamber quintet; and on Sept. 21 with the band from his latest release, “Phalanx Ambassadors.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

New York City Ballet
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $
“For a company that tends to eschew evening-length ballets, “Jewels,” created by the choreographer George Balanchine, in 1967, is an exception. More than a single ballet, it is composed of three separate but thematically connected works, inspired by the qualities of gemstones and by contrasting musical worlds. “Emeralds,” set to music by Fauré, is quietly mysterious. “Rubies,” all sharp angles and brazenness, is meant to evoke the energy of New York. And “Diamonds” reflects the opulence and wistfulness of the Russia of Balanchine’s imagination. In recent years, both Maria Kowroski and Sara Mearns have dominated “Diamonds”; Kowroski is remote and regal, Mearns urgent, almost feverish in her approach. The tall, phlegmatic Teresa Reichlen has come to define the cool glamour of “Rubies.” Few ballets give a better sense of the company as a whole.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Taste of the Dining Concourse – Dine for $5
Grand Central Terminal, Lower Level Dining Concourse merchants.
“Grand Central Terminal food vendors are offering items for just $5 on Wednesdays from 2:30-4:30 p.m. They are all listed HERE.”

Continuing Events

Photoville @ Brooklyn Bridge Plaza (thru Sept.22)

It’s the eighth year for the gargantuan photography show Photoville, featuring 80 exhibits and work by more than 600 artists, nightly outdoor programming, site-specific installations, talks, demonstrations, workshops, and more. It’s all installed in and around 60+ shipping containers scattered throughout Brooklyn Bridge Plaza. The huge opening night celebration, presented by United Photo Industries, showcases work from the Magnum Foundation, For Freedoms, Bronx Documentary Center, Batsi’ Lab, and Facing Change: Documenting America. The festival will run through September 22nd.

Feast of San Gennaro (Sept. 12 through Sept. 22)

“Where: Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston streets; on Hester Street, between Baxter and Centre streets; and on Grand Avenue, between Baxter Street and Centre Market Place. The stage is at the corner of Grand and Mott streets.

What it’s all about: The Feast of San Gennaro dates to 1926 when Neapolitan immigrants wanted to continue the September 19 feast day observed back home. The feast also was a way for Italian immigrants to celebrate their heritage. After being told they would be relegated to worship in the basement of other churches, dominated by Irish Catholics, the community built its own church.

Over the years, the Feast of San Gennaro has grown to 11 full days of celebration, food and drink. Speaking of which, vendors you’ll see include: Cannoli King Caffe Palermo, Grotta Azzurra, Umberto’s Clam House, Lombardi’s, Capri, Alleva Dairy, DiPalo, Ferrara Bakery and more.” Iconic eats to celebrate the feast.(amNY)

Mangia at the 93rd annual San Gennaro Feast

There’ll be food, glorious food, as the 93rd annual Feast of San Gennaro honoring the patron saint of Naples kicks off in Little Italy. The 11-night fest features live music and food on top of food on top of food. Activities include a cannoli-eating contest (2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13), as well as a parade (2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 with “The Sopranos” star Steve Schirripa serving as grand marshal), a zeppole-eating competition (1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 18) and a High Mass in the name of San Gennaro (6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19). (Free; food and other items available for purchase; sangennaronyc.org)

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

9/18 Andrew Bird, Brooklyn Steel
9/18 Shawn Colvin, The Cutting Room

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Brooklyn Americana Music Festival @ Various venues

“Get ready for plenty of hand-clapping and foot-stomping at the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival, touching down all across Dumbo and Red Hook for the fifth year running. The fest promises 50 shows in nine venues over four days, all free of charge except for the opening-night gala. Some highlights include Female Songwriter of the Year Dayna Kurtz, Americana-folk troubadours Underhill Rose, NOLA R&B group Sabine McCalla and the Dew Drops, classic country crooners the Haggard Kings, country-blues outfit Cari Ray and the Shaky Legs, a Green Chile Bluegrass Brunch, and much, much more.” (gothamist)

Opens Thursday, September 19th // Various venues // Free

Easy Rider Live @ Radio City Music Hall

“Pay a fitting tribute to a legend at Easy Rider Live, a live-music and cinematic experience in celebration of the classic film’s 50th anniversary. The film will be shown on the world’s largest installed LED screen, while its legendary soundtrack—including “Born To Be Wild,” “The Weight,” and “Ballad of Easy Rider”—is performed live onstage by John Kay, Roger McGuinn, and special guests, produced by T Bone Burnett. The evening was originally planned to include opening remarks by Peter Fonda, who passed away last month; his wife Parky Fonda has praised the event, saying, “The celebration of a cinematic masterpiece, a Hollywood icon, and my beloved husband [will be] exactly what he wanted.”  (gothamist)

Friday, September 20th, 8 p.m. // Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave., Manhattan // Tickets: $20

=============================================================================
♦ 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. 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

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

IMG_2083Jimmy’s Corner is right in the heart of Times Square, but you won’t find it on the corner, it’s mid-block. Enter this long narrow bar and you are struck by the walls covered with mostly black-and-white boxing photographs, and memorabilia. Soon enough you learn that “Corner” refers to proprietor Jimmy Glenn’s long career as a corner man for some of boxing greats – Liston, Tyson, even “the greatest,” Ali.

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

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

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

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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.

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

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

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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