NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/29) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 06/29/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ JUNE 29, 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:  “July 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:

Kokdu: A Story of Guardian Angels
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza / 7PM, $50
“As part of the New York Asian Film Festival 2019, catch a rare screening and concert experience. Live traditional accompaniment will be performed by a 20-member ensemble from the National Gugak Center, who will play the score to the most recent film by Tae-yong Kim, Kokdu: A Story of Guardian Angels.

These artists have joined forces to acquaint Korean music and dance to an international audience by bridging several art forms and building a unique, heartwarming story of loss and redemption, steeped in local Korean folklore but with a universal appeal.”
(ThoughtGallery)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> LIZ PHAIR
>> STANLEY COWELL
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> KLENENGAN: A SINGULAR EXPERIENCE OF JAVANESE MUSIC
>> Sean Jones: Dizzy Spellz
>> Django Reinhardt Festival
>> Ann Hampton Callaway: Jazz Goes to the Movies

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

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Elsewhere, but this one sure looks worth the detour:
LIZ PHAIR
at Prospect Park Bandshell / 7 p.m.; FREE
“In the mid-90s, this renowned singer-songwriter became, as she told The New York Times last year, an “accidental feminist spokesperson.” That was due to the release of “Exile in Guyville,” a collection of scrappy guitar songs noted for what was then considered a brazen expression of sexuality and its condemnation of male apathy, penned in response to the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street.” More than a quarter-century later, Phair’s influence is manifest in young artists like Soccer Mommy and Lindsey Jordan (Snail Mail), who once played in a Phair cover band. In Prospect Park, she appears alongside the punk shape-shifter Ted Leo and the wry songwriter Caroline Rose.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

STANLEY COWELL
at Smoke / 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m.; $40
“Cowell can make the piano dance by playing in a jaggy rhythm, or simply by manipulating the tone of his harmonies, or by throwing his right and left hands into a thrashing repartee. This weekend run is billed as a look back at his 60-year career, and there’s a lot to celebrate: He came into the jazz consciousness in the 1960s, turning heads with his idiosyncratic style and bold compositional voice; co-founded the influential, independent label Strata-East; and has continued expanding ever since, composing short pieces and long suites, and sometimes experimenting with electronics. Joining him at Smoke are the trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, the saxophonist and flutist Bruce Williams, the bassist Tom DiCarlo and the drummer Vince Ector.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

American Ballet Theatre (through July 6)
Metropolitan Opera House / 2PM, +8PM, $25+
“The company winds down its spring season with two final full-length ballets on tap: This weekend is dedicated to “Swan Lake,” which closes on Saturday night with some power casting: Misty Copeland and David Hallberg perform the leads. Monday night introduces Alexei Ratmansky’s reconstruction of “The Sleeping Beauty.” In this opulent full-length dance, Aurora awakens from a 100-year sleep, but there’s another rebirth as well: The steps of Marius Petipa are brought back to life. Opening night will be led by Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside, and as the run continues, two new dancers will debut as Princess Florine: Katherine Williams on Tuesday night and Catherine Hurlin in the Wednesday matinee.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

Gamelan Kusuma Laras Presents:
KLENENGAN: A SINGULAR EXPERIENCE OF JAVANESE MUSIC
Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia, 5 East 68th Street, New York City / 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm, (45-minute intermission approximately at 7:30), FREE
“Gamelan Kusuma Laras presents an evening of Javanese music in the klenengan format – a kind of Javanese jam session, this one drawing on the classical repertoire. Guests are invited to move around, chat, enjoy Indonesian snacks, and come and go as they wish.” (ThoughtGallery)

As a former Gamelan player myself,  I think you will really enjoy this music.

Sean Jones: Dizzy Spellz (June 27–29)
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $40
“Tonight we welcome modern trumpet icon and former Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Sean Jones back to Dizzy’s Club! In the unique program called Dizzy Spellz, the music and life story of Dizzy Gillespie are used as a lens to explore an intersection of cultural and spiritual dilemmas within the African Diaspora. Created with choreographer, tap dancer, and vocalist Brinae Ali, Dizzy Spells offers an innovative, Afro–futuristic fusion of jazz, tap, and bebop.

From Dizzy’s coming of age through the racial and social dynamics in the Deep South, to his creating and curating the bebop movement in New York, to his spiritual journey to Africa, and, finally, his delving into Afro-Cuban music and the Baha’i Faith, Dizzy was a complex man well ahead of his time and with plenty of stories to tell. Don’t miss the debut performance of Dizzy Spellz at Jazz at Lincoln Center, also featuring Wendell Patrick, Obed Calvaire, and the Curtis Brothers.”

Django Reinhardt Festival (LAST DAY)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8:30PM, $40-$50
“Django Reinhardt, the original guitar hero, was a Belgian-born Romany who, despite a seriously damaged fretting hand, set a template for virtuosic jazz guitar that still casts an expansive shadow over the European musical community. This annual lovefest features the French guitarist Samson Schmitt and includes such improvisers as the saxophonist Grace Kelly and the trombonist Chris Washburne.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Ann Hampton Callaway: Jazz Goes to the Movies (LAST DAY)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $50-$80
“A swinging fixture of the cabaret world, Ann Hampton Callaway has also branched into jazz and TV theme songs (The Nanny). She has a reassuringly mellow way with the standards, sung in a wry, dark-toned contralto. Her latest set explores intersections of jazz and film, from silver-screen classics like “As Time Goes By” to songs that she herself she has recorded for soundtracks.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

More smart stuff coming soon

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/27-29 Drive-By Truckers, Brooklyn Bowl
6/29 Garland Jeffreys, City Winery
7/2 Midsummer Night Swing w/ Joe McGinty & Loser’s Lounge and Silent Disco w/FUV’s Rita Houston, Damrosch Park Lincoln Center
7/2 Matisyahu, City Winery
7/3 Bedouine, Brooklyn Mirage

==========================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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 06/27 and 06/25.
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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.

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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” (06/28) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 06/28/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JUNE 28, 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:  “June 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:

Ann Hampton Callaway: Jazz Goes to the Movies (also June 29)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $50-$80
“A swinging fixture of the cabaret world, Ann Hampton Callaway has also branched into jazz and TV theme songs (The Nanny). She has a reassuringly mellow way with the standards, sung in a wry, dark-toned contralto. Her latest set explores intersections of jazz and film, from silver-screen classics like “As Time Goes By” to songs that she herself she has recorded for soundtracks.” (TONY)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> DORIAN WIND QUINTET AND OLGA VINOKUR
>> Wadada Leo Smith
>> BELLE BRASS
>> Sean Jones: Dizzy Spellz
>> Ethan Iverson
>> Pilobolus
>> Django Reinhardt Festival

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

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Elsewhere, but this is Brooklyn’s WestSide and worth the detour:
DORIAN WIND QUINTET AND OLGA VINOKUR
at Bargemusic / 7 p.m.; $35
“Whatever you choose to see on Brooklyn’s concert hall barge, you’re assured of a unique atmosphere and a pretty good view. On Friday evening, hear Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds, K. 452; Roussel’s Divertissement; Messiaen’s “Le Merle Noir”; and transcriptions of organ works of Bach, by Mordechai Rechtman. If that doesn’t float your boat, on Sunday at 4 p.m. there’s a clever program from the pianist Jeffrey Swann, with nature-themed works by Mahler, Liszt, Messiaen and Debussy.” (NYT- David Allen)

Wadada Leo Smith (June 25-29)
The Stone at the New School, 55 W. 13th St./ 8:30PM, $20
“Best known as a magisterial improvising trumpeter, Wadada Leo Smith has, in recent years, begun to receive his due as a composer of substantial large-scale works, including “Rosa Parks: Pure Love,” the ambitious, moving oratorio he brought to the Kitchen in April. His five-night Stone residency includes chamber music, intimate tributes to Thelonious Monk and Ed Blackwell, and a cosmos-storming electric band anchored by the bassists Melvin Gibbs and Bill Laswell.” (Steve Smith, NewYorker)

BELLE BRASS
Catch a summer sunset
Hudson River Park Pier 45 / 7PM, FREE
“Watch the sun fall over the Hudson River as you’re serenaded by Belle Brass, New York’s new all-female brass band. Commissioned by The Hum — a female and non-binary concert series that offers the chance for artists to create “dream bands” — Belle Brass will have their world premiere along with vocalists to set the summer scene. Bring a blanket and a sandwich, or just watch from along the pier. A sunset in the city doesn’t need a lot of trappings — it’s perfect on its own.” (Thrillist)

Sean Jones: Dizzy Spellz (June 27–29)
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $40
“Tonight we welcome modern trumpet icon and former Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Sean Jones back to Dizzy’s Club! In the unique program called Dizzy Spellz, the music and life story of Dizzy Gillespie are used as a lens to explore an intersection of cultural and spiritual dilemmas within the African Diaspora. Created with choreographer, tap dancer, and vocalist Brinae Ali, Dizzy Spells offers an innovative, Afro–futuristic fusion of jazz, tap, and bebop.

From Dizzy’s coming of age through the racial and social dynamics in the Deep South, to his creating and curating the bebop movement in New York, to his spiritual journey to Africa, and, finally, his delving into Afro-Cuban music and the Baha’i Faith, Dizzy was a complex man well ahead of his time and with plenty of stories to tell. Don’t miss the debut performance of Dizzy Spellz at Jazz at Lincoln Center, also featuring Wendell Patrick, Obed Calvaire, and the Curtis Brothers.”

Ethan Iverson (June 25-29)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“Ethan Iverson, the former pianist of the Bad Plus—which, in a new incarnation, is playing at Jazz Standard this week—goes minimal for the first three nights of this engagement, pairing up with the tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, with whom he cut the engrossing duo recording “Temporary Kings” last year. For the remainder of the residency, Iverson fronts a quartet and delves into standards with another challenging soloist, the trumpeter Tom Harrell.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Pilobolus (through June 29)
Joyce Theatre, 175 Eighth Ave. / 7:30PM, $55+
“For a long time, summer at the Joyce was synonymous with a monthlong encampment by this popular troupe of acrobat-illusionists. But five years have passed since the company’s last visit. How has the group evolved in the meantime? Its two comeback programs don’t offer many chances to find out; the most recent item is “Branches,” an ebb-and-flow nature study, from 2017. The most reliable selections, in any case, come from the better, stranger early period: “Day 2” (1980), with its primordial creatures and Slip ‘N Slide coda; “Walklyndon” (1971), with its silly stage crossings; and, best of all, “Untitled” (1972), a Victorian picnic for giantesses.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

Django Reinhardt Festival (June 25-29)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8:30PM, $40-$50
“Django Reinhardt, the original guitar hero, was a Belgian-born Romany who, despite a seriously damaged fretting hand, set a template for virtuosic jazz guitar that still casts an expansive shadow over the European musical community. This annual lovefest features the French guitarist Samson Schmitt and includes such improvisers as the saxophonist Grace Kelly and the trombonist Chris Washburne.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

More smart stuff coming soon

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/27-29 Drive-By Truckers, Brooklyn Bowl
6/28 Jackson Browne w/Lucius, Beacon Theatre
6/28, Gov’t Mule, Stone Pony Summerstage
6/29 Liz Phair w/Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
6/29 Garland Jeffreys, City Winery
7/2 Midsummer Night Swing w/ Joe McGinty & Loser’s Lounge and Silent Disco w/FUV’s Rita Houston, Damrosch Park Lincoln Center
7/2 Matisyahu, City Winery
7/3 Bedouine, Brooklyn Mirage

==========================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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 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.
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 FALL 2019).
◊ Order before NOV. 30, 2019 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):
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/27) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 06/27/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ JUNE 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:  “June 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:

Sean Jones: Dizzy Spellz (June 27–29)
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $40
“Tonight we welcome modern trumpet icon and former Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Sean Jones back to Dizzy’s Club! In the unique program called Dizzy Spellz, the music and life story of Dizzy Gillespie are used as a lens to explore an intersection of cultural and spiritual dilemmas within the African Diaspora. Created with choreographer, tap dancer, and vocalist Brinae Ali, Dizzy Spells offers an innovative, Afro–futuristic fusion of jazz, tap, and bebop.

From Dizzy’s coming of age through the racial and social dynamics in the Deep South, to his creating and curating the bebop movement in New York, to his spiritual journey to Africa, and, finally, his delving into Afro-Cuban music and the Baha’i Faith, Dizzy was a complex man well ahead of his time and with plenty of stories to tell. Don’t miss the debut performance of Dizzy Spellz at Jazz at Lincoln Center, also featuring Wendell Patrick, Obed Calvaire, and the Curtis Brothers.”

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> France Rocks Festival: KOKI NAKANO + ¿QUE VOLA?
>> Ethan Iverson
>> Django Reinhardt Festival
>> Above and Beyond: Ceiling Painting in the History of Art
>> How to Stay Human in a F*cked-Up World: Mindfulness Practices for Real Life
>> Charles Ebbetts The Man Behind the Dodgers
>> Whose Streets? Reclaiming NYC for Cyclists

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

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

France Rocks Festival: KOKI NAKANO + ¿QUE VOLA?
Nø Førmat! 15th Anniversary
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“¿Que Vola?, or “What’s Up?” in the argot of La Havana, is a unique musical project that brings together seven of France’s best young jazz musicians with a trio of highly skilled Cuban percussionists. The brainchild of trombonist Fidel Fourneyron, ¿Que Vola? takes the magnetic power of sacred Afro-Cuban rhythms, with their invocations to African gods, and envelopes them in the poesy of John Coltrane. Brass and wind take the place of chants and voices in a trance-inducing dialogue with the deep rhythms of the bata drums. Experience their unique, raw, and captivating sound at this 15th anniversary celebration of the Nø Førmat record label.”

Ethan Iverson (June 25-29)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“Ethan Iverson, the former pianist of the Bad Plus—which, in a new incarnation, is playing at Jazz Standard this week—goes minimal for the first three nights of this engagement, pairing up with the tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, with whom he cut the engrossing duo recording “Temporary Kings” last year. For the remainder of the residency, Iverson fronts a quartet and delves into standards with another challenging soloist, the trumpeter Tom Harrell.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Django Reinhardt Festival (June 25-29)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8:30PM, $40-$50
“Django Reinhardt, the original guitar hero, was a Belgian-born Romany who, despite a seriously damaged fretting hand, set a template for virtuosic jazz guitar that still casts an expansive shadow over the European musical community. This annual lovefest features the French guitarist Samson Schmitt and includes such improvisers as the saxophonist Grace Kelly and the trombonist Chris Washburne.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Above and Beyond: Ceiling Painting in the History of Art
The Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St./ 2-6PM, FREE, registration required
“Inspired by the special exhibition Tiepolo in Milan: The Lost Frescoes of Palazzo Archinto, this symposium examines the practice of ceiling painting across time and place. Speakers include early-career university and museum professionals, as well as doctoral candidates.” (ThoughtGallery)

How to Stay Human in a F*cked-Up World: Mindfulness Practices for Real Life
Bryant Park/Bryant Park Reading Room
Between 40th & 42nd Sts. and Fifth and Sixth Aves./ 12;30PM, FREE
“Buddhist philosopher and psychology lecturer Tim Desmond talks about his new book, How to Stay Human in a F*cked-Up World: Mindfulness Practices for Real Life. Join him for a lunchtime presentation that offers practical paths to self-growth and connection.” (ThoughtGallery)

“Despite an absent father, childhood homelessness, and losing a wife to cancer, Desmond has emerged with not only inner strength and joyful resilience, but also a deep understanding of human suffering necessary to advocate for those hurting all over the world. Through his work, Desmond realized the truth: we don’t need a mindfulness practice for productivity or sleep, and it shouldn’t come from religion, philosophy, or hypothetical situations. Instead, mindfulness should be rooted in the pain, sadness, loneliness, and trauma of the here and now, because it is the only true antidote for this sometimes-miserable world we call home.”

Author Talk: Charles Ebbetts The Man Behind the Dodgers
New York Public Library—Grand Central Library, 135 E. 46th St./ 6PM, FREE
“Society for American Baseball Research Ron Gabriel Award-winning author John Zinn talks about his new biography spotlighting Charles Ebbets. Ebbets was as vital a figure as there was in Major League Baseball’s Deadball Era, organizing four pennant-winning clubs and developing one of the most profitable franchises in the game—while building two state-of-the-art ballparks in Brooklyn.”

Whose Streets? Reclaiming NYC for Cyclists
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave./ 7PM, $12
“Over 800,000 New Yorkers are now riding a bicycle regularly (NYC DOT). As the subways falter, transit fares increase and the streets grow ever more congested, cycling offers a more efficient way to get around the city, becoming a key part of the city’s commuting network. However, cyclists’ attempts to share the streets with cars and pedestrians continue to stir intense community debates around issues of safety and regulation.

How can we rethink the relationship between cycling and the city for the benefit of all? Join us for a conversation with urban planners, biking advocates and experts about how New York City could achieve a shared “right to the road” for everyone, on two wheels or otherwise.”

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/27-29 Drive-By Truckers, Brooklyn Bowl
6/28 Jackson Browne w/Lucius, Beacon Theatre
6/28, Gov’t Mule, Stone Pony Summerstage
6/29 Liz Phair w/Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
6/29 Garland Jeffreys, City Winery
7/2 Midsummer Night Swing w/ Joe McGinty & Loser’s Lounge and Silent Disco w/FUV’s Rita Houston, Damrosch Park Lincoln Center
7/2 Matisyahu, City Winery
7/3 Bedouine, Brooklyn Mirage

==========================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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)

American Museum of Natural History

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’  (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)

——————————————————————————————–

‘ART AFTER STONEWALL, 1969-1989’
at Grey Art Gallery (through July 20) and at Leslie-Lohman Museum (through July 21).
“For this summer’s half-century anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, substantial displays of art produced in the long wake of the uprising are filling New York City museums and public spaces. The largest is this two-part exhibition, organized by Jonathan Weinberg and shared by Grey Art Gallery at N.Y.U. and Leslie-Lohman Museum. The Leslie-Lohman half, which focuses on the 1970s and has lots of archival matter, feels tight and combustible. Much of what’s in it was hot off the political burner, responsive to crisis conditions. The pace at Grey, where much of the work dates from the 1980s, is more measured, but has tensions of its own as the story encompasses AIDS and the culture wars. (NYT-Holland Cotter)

‘2019 WHITNEY BIENNIAL’
at the Whitney Museum of American Art (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)

————————————————————————————————

‘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)

================================================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Posts in right Sidebar dated 06/25 and 06/23.

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

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.”

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

Bonus#2 – 9 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend New York Times (06/20/19)

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” (06/26) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 06/26/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ JUNE 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:  “June 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:

Ann Hampton Callaway: Jazz Goes to the Movies (also June 28,29)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $50-$80
“A swinging fixture of the cabaret world, Ann Hampton Callaway has also branched into jazz and TV theme songs (The Nanny). She has a reassuringly mellow way with the standards, sung in a wry, dark-toned contralto. Her latest set explores intersections of jazz and film, from silver-screen classics like “As Time Goes By” to songs that she herself she has recorded for soundtracks.” (TONY)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Regina Spektor
>> Wadada Leo Smith
>> Django Reinhardt Festival
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> The Dictionary as Data: What the Online Dictionary Tells Us About English
>> Lisa Duggan | Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed
>> Washington Insiders: Carl Hulse in Conversation with Maureen Dowd on the Supreme Court

More Smart Stuff coming soon.
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Regina Spektor
Lunt-Fontanne, 205 W. 46th St. / 8PM, $54+
“The latest badge of prestige for a singer-songwriter is a miniature Broadway residency to call one’s own. Following Morrissey’s run, last month, Regina Spektor sets up her band at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The pianist, who grew up in the Soviet Union and the Bronx, seems a natural fit for such gilded confines: even when she was playing modest clubs, in the early two-thousands, her songs, with their small moments of big drama, conveyed a faded grandeur that seemed beamed in from a bygone Manhattan.” (Jay Ruttenberg, NewYorker)

Wadada Leo Smith (June 25-29)
The Stone at the New School, 55 W. 13th St./ 8:30PM, $20
“Best known as a magisterial improvising trumpeter, Wadada Leo Smith has, in recent years, begun to receive his due as a composer of substantial large-scale works, including “Rosa Parks: Pure Love,” the ambitious, moving oratorio he brought to the Kitchen in April. His five-night Stone residency includes chamber music, intimate tributes to Thelonious Monk and Ed Blackwell, and a cosmos-storming electric band anchored by the bassists Melvin Gibbs and Bill Laswell.” (Steve Smith, NewYorker)

Django Reinhardt Festival (June 25-29)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8:30PM, $40-$50
“Django Reinhardt, the original guitar hero, was a Belgian-born Romany who, despite a seriously damaged fretting hand, set a template for virtuosic jazz guitar that still casts an expansive shadow over the European musical community. This annual lovefest features the French guitarist Samson Schmitt and includes such improvisers as the saxophonist Grace Kelly and the trombonist Chris Washburne.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

American Ballet Theatre (through July 6)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $25+
“Beginning on Monday, Ballet Theater embarks on its annual pilgrimage to the lake — “Swan Lake” — for which the company’s top ballerinas offer individual interpretations of the double role of Odette/Odile. Some excel at evoking the poignant longing of the former, while others take great pleasure in depicting the devilishness of the latter. Year after year, it’s a joy to see fine artists grow and experiment in these roles.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

The Dictionary as Data: What the Online Dictionary Tells Us About English
New York Public Library—Grand Central Library, 135 E. 46th St./ 6PM, FREE
“In 2018, Merriam-Webster selected “justice” as its word of the year. Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large at Merriam-Webster, talks about the “dictionary as data“: what language can teach us about popular culture.” (ThoughtGallery)

Lisa Duggan | Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed
The Strand, 828 Broadway / 7:30PM, $15
“How much of this nation’s current thrall to selfishness can be traced back to Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum? A new book from historian, journalist, activist, and NYU professor Lisa Duggan, Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed, explores Rand’s adventures, from the Russian Revolution to Cold War America.” (ThoughtGallery)

Washington Insiders: Carl Hulse in Conversation with Maureen Dowd on the Supreme Court
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 7PM, $40
“Carl Hulse, whose new book is Confirmation Bias: Inside Washington’s War Over the Supreme Court, knows more about the machinations of Washington than virtually anyone. The veteran New York Times Chief Washington Correspondent argues that the pitched political fight surrounding Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation was unprecedented. He’s joined by Pullitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd to go behind the news reports and share the full story of how the Supreme Court has now been transformed into another branch of the federal government—riven by partisanship—and the implications for the future of our very democracy.”

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/26 Canada Day w/ Alvvays & Foxwarren, SummmerStage Central Park

==========================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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.

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

Bonus#2 – 9 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend New York Times (06/20/19)

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” (06/25) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 06/25/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ JUNE 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:  “June 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:

‘MONK ON GUITARS’
at the Greenwich House Music School / 7 p.m.; $35
“Though frustratingly unsung, the Sound It Out concert series consistently brings some of New York’s boldest and brightest improvisers to a welcoming little room in the heart of the West Village. This show marks the seventh anniversary of the series, and it features a startling roll call of guitarists, all of whom will play music from the Thelonious Monk songbook: Andy Summers (best known as one-third of the Police), Miles Okazaki (who last year released “Work,” a landmark, six-disc collection featuring every known composition by Monk), Steve Cardenas (who compiled a book of lead sheets of all Monk’s tunes), David Gilmore and others.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Regina Spektor
>> Django Reinhardt Festival
>> Ann Hampton Callaway: Jazz Goes to the Movies
>> Pilobolus
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> Ethan Iverson
>> American Ballet Theatre

More Smart Stuff coming soon.
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Regina Spektor (also June 26)
Lunt-Fontanne, 205 W. 46th St. / 8PM, $54+
“The latest badge of prestige for a singer-songwriter is a miniature Broadway residency to call one’s own. Following Morrissey’s run, last month, Regina Spektor sets up her band at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The pianist, who grew up in the Soviet Union and the Bronx, seems a natural fit for such gilded confines: even when she was playing modest clubs, in the early two-thousands, her songs, with their small moments of big drama, conveyed a faded grandeur that seemed beamed in from a bygone Manhattan.” (Jay Ruttenberg, NewYorker)

Django Reinhardt Festival (June 25-29)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ 8:30PM, $40-$50
“Django Reinhardt, the original guitar hero, was a Belgian-born Romany who, despite a seriously damaged fretting hand, set a template for virtuosic jazz guitar that still casts an expansive shadow over the European musical community. This annual lovefest features the French guitarist Samson Schmitt and includes such improvisers as the saxophonist Grace Kelly and the trombonist Chris Washburne.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Ann Hampton Callaway: Jazz Goes to the Movies (also June 26,28,29)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $50-$80
“A swinging fixture of the cabaret world, Ann Hampton Callaway has also branched into jazz and TV theme songs (The Nanny). She has a reassuringly mellow way with the standards, sung in a wry, dark-toned contralto. Her latest set explores intersections of jazz and film, from silver-screen classics like “As Time Goes By” to songs that she herself she has recorded for soundtracks.” (TONY)

Pilobolus (through June 29)
Joyce Theatre, 175 Eighth Ave. / 7:30PM, $55+
“For a long time, summer at the Joyce was synonymous with a monthlong encampment by this popular troupe of acrobat-illusionists. But five years have passed since the company’s last visit. How has the group evolved in the meantime? Its two comeback programs don’t offer many chances to find out; the most recent item is “Branches,” an ebb-and-flow nature study, from 2017. The most reliable selections, in any case, come from the better, stranger early period: “Day 2” (1980), with its primordial creatures and Slip ‘N Slide coda; “Walklyndon” (1971), with its silly stage crossings; and, best of all, “Untitled” (1972), a Victorian picnic for giantesses.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

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 June 25 edition include Joshua Stackhouse, Jordan Wolfe, Chiara Izzi, Lauren Chapman, Marquee Five, Elaine Brier, Anastacia McCleskey, Chadwick Johnson, Kenn Boisinger and Castrada.” (TONY)

Ethan Iverson (June 25-29)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“Ethan Iverson, the former pianist of the Bad Plus—which, in a new incarnation, is playing at Jazz Standard this week—goes minimal for the first three nights of this engagement, pairing up with the tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, with whom he cut the engrossing duo recording “Temporary Kings” last year. For the remainder of the residency, Iverson fronts a quartet and delves into standards with another challenging soloist, the trumpeter Tom Harrell.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

American Ballet Theatre (through July 6)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $25+
“Beginning on Monday, Ballet Theater embarks on its annual pilgrimage to the lake — “Swan Lake” — for which the company’s top ballerinas offer individual interpretations of the double role of Odette/Odile. Some excel at evoking the poignant longing of the former, while others take great pleasure in depicting the devilishness of the latter. Year after year, it’s a joy to see fine artists grow and experiment in these roles.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

More smart stuff coming soon.

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/24-26 Regina Spektor on Broadway, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
6/23-24 Jackson Browne w/ Lucius, Beacon Theatre
6/24 Japanese Breakfast/Hatchie, SummerStage Central Park
6/25 Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Midsummer Night Swing Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
6/25 The Bad Plus, The Jazz Standard
6/26 Canada Day w/ Alvvays & Foxwarren, SummmerStage Central Park

============================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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:

and one the NYTimes likes:

‘JEFF WALL’ (extended through July 26)

“Rumination and risk-taking, in equal measure, mark this conceptual photographer’s spellbinding new exhibition. The show, Wall’s first at this Chelsea gallery since ending a 25-year run with the rival dealer Marian Goodman, feels decidedly introspective. Figures alone in contemplative trances, or alienated from their partners in scenes of evident tension, define most of the works. The encyclopedic visual literacy that has long characterized Wall’s pictures (with their compositional echoes of old master paintings) has been pared back, allowing more psychological complexity to emerge. Just as new is an emphasis on narrative and sequence; among the pieces are two diptychs and an enveloping, cinematic triptych.” (Karen Rosenberg)
212-741-1717, gagosian.com

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

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

*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 06/23 and 06/21.
=====================================================

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.

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

Bonus#2 – 9 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend New York Times (06/20/19)

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” (06/24) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 06/24/2019 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > MONDAY/ JUNE 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:  “June 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:

American Ballet Theatre (through July 6)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $25+
“Beginning on Monday, Ballet Theater embarks on its annual pilgrimage to the lake — “Swan Lake” — for which the company’s top ballerinas offer individual interpretations of the double role of Odette/Odile. Some excel at evoking the poignant longing of the former, while others take great pleasure in depicting the devilishness of the latter. Year after year, it’s a joy to see fine artists grow and experiment in these roles.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Natalie Douglas Tributes: ‘Judy’ with Mark Hartman
>> Randy Napoleon’s Midwest Guitar Legacy: Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party 
>> Jason Robert Brown W/ Special Guest Stephen Sondheim Feat. Katrina Lenk
>> Laura Osnes & Tony Yazbeck: An Evening of Gershwin Greats and Other Favorites
More Smart Stuff coming soon.
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Natalie Douglas Tributes: ‘Judy’ with Mark Hartman
Birdland Jazz Club / 7PM, $35
“Natalie Douglas – the acclaimed vocalist hailed as “a true, true star” by BBC London Radio, “a true force of nature” by The Times (UK), “sensational” by Time Out New York, “a monstrous talent” by Next Magazine and “simply everything” by The Daily News, – continues her smash monthly residency in her home perch at Birdland Jazz Club as part of the Broadway at Birdland concert series with another edition of her hit series entitled “Tributes.” One Monday each month, Natalie will perform a different tribute show.” (cityguideny.com)

Randy Napoleon’s Midwest Guitar Legacy: Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $30
“George Benson: “I like the guitar player who’s playing with Freddy Cole [Randy Napoleon]. He has an all-fingers approach; he doesn’t use just thumb or pick. He’s spectacular.” Widely recognized for touring with the iconic Freddy Cole, guitarist Randy Napoleon also successfully leads multiple groups of his own. He has performed and recorded with greats all across the jazz spectrum, and tonight he pays tributes to the Midwest jazz guitar masters: Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, and Kenny Burrell. Though he approaches the instrument and tonight’s program with a voice of his own, the influence of these guitar legends is unmistakable in his playing. This performance, also featuring Jeb Patton, Rodney Whitaker, and Quincy Davis, will be a treat for all jazz guitar lovers and anyone interested in swinging, straight-ahead jazz.” (cityguideny.com)

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party 
Birdland Jazz Club / 9:30PM, $25-$30
“Jim Caruso’s Cast Party is the best thing to happen to nightlife since prohibition ended.” Think “American Idol” meets “The Tonight Show.” Imagine Martin Short and Liza throw a hip house party around the baby grand…and you’re invited! Cast Party is a wildly popular happening that has brought Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night since 2003. It is the ultimate spot to mix and mingle with show folk and the people who love them. Cast Party is a hilariously impromptu variety show where showbiz superstars and up-and-comers deliver jaw-dropping musical performances and razzle-dazzle.” (cityguideny.com)

Jason Robert Brown W/ Special Guest Stephen Sondheim Feat. Katrina Lenk
at the Town Hall / 8 p.m.; $165
“In 2014, this Tony Award-winning composer, who wrote “The Last Five Years” and “Songs for a New World,” began what he thought was a yearlong residency at SubCulture, the Greenwich Village performance space favored by the contemporary classical crowd. A half-decade later, Brown is preparing for the 50th concert of his tenure. To honor the occasion, on Monday he will play this much-larger stage in Midtown, joined by another storied Broadway songwriter: Stephen Sondheim. The two will perform songs from their respective repertoires, accompanied by a 16-piece orchestra and a guest vocalist, the actress Katrina Lenk.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

All proceeds from the evening will be donated to Brady, the national organization uniting gun owners and non-gun owners alike in the comprehensive solutions that will end the gun violence epidemic.

Laura Osnes & Tony Yazbeck: An Evening of Gershwin Greats and Other Favorites
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“After leapfrogging to Broadway in Grease as the winner of a reality-TV casting series, versatile soprano Osnes has proved the snobs and cynics wrong in a succession of winsome turns in shows including Bandstand, South Pacific and Cinderella; Broadway hoofer-actor-singer Yazbeck has brightened such revivals as Gypsy, A Chorus Line and On the Town. Having teamed up for a sucessful double act last year, the two stars reunite for another evening of Great American Songbook fare.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

More smart stuff coming soon.

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/24-26 Regina Spektor on Broadway, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
6/23-24 Jackson Browne w/ Lucius, Beacon Theatre
6/24 Japanese Breakfast/Hatchie, SummerStage Central Park
6/25 Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Midsummer Night Swing Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
6/25 The Bad Plus, The Jazz Standard
6/26 Canada Day w/ Alvvays & Foxwarren, SummmerStage Central Park

============================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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.”

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

Bonus#2 – 9 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend New York Times (06/20/19)

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” (06/23) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 06/23/2019 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ JUNE 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:  “June 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:

Laura Osnes & Tony Yazbeck: An Evening of Gershwin Greats and Other Favorites  (also June 24)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“After leapfrogging to Broadway in Grease as the winner of a reality-TV casting series, versatile soprano Osnes has proved the snobs and cynics wrong in a succession of winsome turns in shows including Bandstand, South Pacific and Cinderella; Broadway hoofer-actor-singer Yazbeck has brightened such revivals as Gypsy, A Chorus Line and On the Town. Having teamed up for a sucessful double act last year, the two stars reunite for another evening of Great American Songbook fare.” (TONY)

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

5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> JAZZMEIA HORN
>> CIRCUIT DES YEUX
>> Pilobolus
>> BARBEZ
>> Renegade Craft Fair
More Coming soon.
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

JAZZMEIA HORN
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Horn is among the most exciting young vocalists in jazz, with a proud traditionalism that keeps her tightly linked to the sound of classic figures like Nancy Wilson and Betty Carter, but a vivacity of spirit and conviction that places her firmly in the present. This August she will release a new album, “Love and Liberation,” that maintains the classicist sound that guided her debut album (“A Social Call,” from 2017), but puts a heavier focus on Horn’s original compositions. She’ll draw upon that new material at the Standard, where she’s joined by Irwin Hall on tenor saxophone, Josh Evans on trumpet, Keith Brown on piano, Ben Williams on bass and Anwar Marshall on drums. (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

CIRCUIT DES YEUX
Union Pool / 2 p.m.; FREE
“The summertime outdoor music landscape in New York seems to expand every year, but Summer Thunder — Union Pool’s contribution to the crowded market, running every Sunday afternoon until September — has been around for nearly a decade. This week, the bill is topped by this experimental folk project from Haley Fohr. Performing as Circuit des Yeux, she pairs dense, foggy electronic soundscapes with acoustic instruments and lays her greatest musical asset — her rich, operatic baritone — on top. The results, heard on songs like “Philo” and “Paper Bag” from her recent album, “Reaching for Indigo,” are transfixing.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

Pilobolus (through June 29)
Joyce Theatre, 175 Eighth Ave. / 2PM, +7:30PM, $55+
“For a long time, summer at the Joyce was synonymous with a monthlong encampment by this popular troupe of acrobat-illusionists. But five years have passed since the company’s last visit. How has the group evolved in the meantime? Its two comeback programs don’t offer many chances to find out; the most recent item is “Branches,” an ebb-and-flow nature study, from 2017. The most reliable selections, in any case, come from the better, stranger early period: “Day 2” (1980), with its primordial creatures and Slip ‘N Slide coda; “Walklyndon” (1971), with its silly stage crossings; and, best of all, “Untitled” (1972), a Victorian picnic for giantesses.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

BARBEZ
at Joe’s Pub / 9:30 p.m.; $15
“About two years have passed since this mostly New York-based band cast their spell of musical intoxication, in the form of either live performance or recorded material (though they are at work on new songs about the state of the Middle East in the wake of 9/11 for an album they hope to release next year). Seeing as their theramin player now lives in Vienna, a follow-up concert to this show at Joe’s won’t be soon in the offing, so now would be the right time to catch their bewitching brew within which the instrumentation of civilizations — East and West, ancient and modern, the Old World and the New — clash and dance and meld into works of stunning beauty.” (NYT-DANIELLE DOWLING)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

Renegade Craft Fair (June22-23)
Shop your friendly local fair
Brooklyn Expo Center / 11AM-6PM, FREE to enter; food, drinks, and crafts available for purchase.
“With delicate porcelain jewelry from Elmhurst artist Mier Luo, leather and seagrass bags from Brooklyn-based Banoll, and sustainable baby clothes from Queens clothier Kiboro, the Renegade Craft Fair features almost enough local New York artists and makers to counteract your bottomless Amazon Prime addiction. If you find yourself needing to refuel between credit card swipes, stop for a sandwich at Deli N’ Dogz hot pastrami truck or a stiff drink from Donna’s Cocktail Club.” (thrillist.com)

More smart stuff coming soon.

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

‘MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING’
at the Delacorte Theater (thru June 23).
“Sigh no more, Shakespeare fans. Shakespeare in the Park — its tickets distributed free by line and lottery — returns with this sparkling comedy of sparring lovers. In postwar Messina, Beatrice (Danielle Brooks) and Benedick (Grantham Coleman) are a couple who despise each other. Until they don’t. Kenny Leon directs. ” (NYT-Alexis Soloski)
212-967-7555, publictheater.org
===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/20-26 Regina Spektor on Broadway, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
6/23-24 Jackson Browne w/ Lucius, Beacon Theatre
6/24 Japanese Breakfast/Hatchie, SummerStage Central Park
6/25 Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Midsummer Night Swing Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
6/25 The Bad Plus, The Jazz Standard
6/26 Canada Day w/ Alvvays & Foxwarren, SummmerStage Central Park

==========================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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)

‘THE WORLD BETWEEN EMPIRES: ART AND IDENTITY IN THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST’ (LAST DAY).

“The Met excels at epic-scale archaeological exhibitions, and this is a prime example. It brings together work made between 100 B.C. and A.D. 250 in what we now know as Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. In the ancient world, all were in the sphere of two competing superpowers — Rome to the west and Parthia to the east — and though imperial influence was strong, it was far from all-determining. Each of the subject territories selectively grafted it onto local traditions to create distinctive new grass-roots cultural blends. Equally important, the show addresses the fate of art from the past in a politically fraught present.” (NYT-Cotter)

“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.”

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

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 06/21 and 06/19.
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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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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/22) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 06/22/2019 by GregD

Today’s Nifty 9 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ JUNE 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:  “June 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:

This is not only elsewhere, but it is downright crazy. Who could drink $100 worth of beer in one sitting? but they are IPAs and wouldn’t you love to try, so it’s worth the detour:

Green City 2019
Drink IPAs all day
Industry City, Sunset Park / 11AM—4PM, $100
“Other Half Brewing — known for millennial-bait cans as much craft beer — is throwing a salute to all things IPA. The Green City party, a nod to its flagship All Green Everything IPA (a hazy, fruity, high-ABV favorite), offers a four-hour chance to taste some hoppy goodness from more than 70 breweries. Other Half will open up two floors of its Industry City factory as well as the outdoor courtyard, with over 50,000 square feet dedicated to your day drinking.” (thrillist.com)
Cost: $100 for General Admission (includes unlimited beer tasting), food available for purchase.

PS: they’ve also brought on NY Wrestling Connection to provide the entertainment, Ends Meat will be roasting pigs, and Excell’s Kingston Eatery will serve jerk chicken.

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

8 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> MELANIE CHARLES
>> Pilobolus
>> Regina Spektor
>> Andrea McArdle
>> Paul Winter’s 24th Annual Summer Solstice Celebration
>> The 37th Annual Mermaid Parade
>> Renegade Craft Fair
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

American Ballet Theatre (through July 6)
Metropolitan Opera House/2PM, +8PM, $22+
“The company continues its Lincoln Center spring season with “Le Corsaire” through Saturday, followed by eight performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s sumptuous “Manon” beginning on Monday. In that performance, Hee Seo makes her debut in the titular role, opposite Roberto Bolle as Des Grieux. The full-length production is also Bolle’s swan song at Ballet Theater: On Thursday, he gives his farewell performance. And Wednesday’s matinee will surely be a hot ticket, too, with debuts by Misty Copeland, Catherine Hurlin and Calvin Royal III.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)
Tonight: “Manon”

MELANIE CHARLES (LAST DAY)
at Dizzy’s Club / 11:15 p.m. $10
“Charles, a vocalist, flutist and multi-instrumentalist, takes a prismatic view of black music, turning the past into the future and letting the sounds of the Caribbean beam into her versions of classic American jazz standards. At this late-night show, she will celebrate the legacy of Abbey Lincoln — a landmark vocalist and composer who died in 2010 — with help from the thrilling pianist Marc Cary, who played in Lincoln’s band for many years; the bassist Jonathan Michel; and the drummer Diego Ramirez.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Pilobolus (through June 29)
Joyce Theatre, 175 Eighth Ave. / 2PM, +8PM, $55+
“For a long time, summer at the Joyce was synonymous with a monthlong encampment by this popular troupe of acrobat-illusionists. But five years have passed since the company’s last visit. How has the group evolved in the meantime? Its two comeback programs don’t offer many chances to find out; the most recent item is “Branches,” an ebb-and-flow nature study, from 2017. The most reliable selections, in any case, come from the better, stranger early period: “Day 2” (1980), with its primordial creatures and Slip ‘N Slide coda; “Walklyndon” (1971), with its silly stage crossings; and, best of all, “Untitled” (1972), a Victorian picnic for giantesses.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

Regina Spektor (also June 25-26)
Lunt-Fontanne, 205 W. 46th St. / 8PM, $54+
“The latest badge of prestige for a singer-songwriter is a miniature Broadway residency to call one’s own. Following Morrissey’s run, last month, Regina Spektor sets up her band at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The pianist, who grew up in the Soviet Union and the Bronx, seems a natural fit for such gilded confines: even when she was playing modest clubs, in the early two-thousands, her songs, with their small moments of big drama, conveyed a faded grandeur that seemed beamed in from a bygone Manhattan.” (Jay Ruttenberg, NewYorker)

Andrea McArdle (June 20-22)
Feinstein’s/54 Below /7PM, $45+
“Though she has appeared in many productions since—including Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast and Starlight Express—Andrea McArdle will probably always be remembered most fondly as the big-belting moppet who stole our hearts in the original Annie. (“Tomorrow” belongs to her.) In this new set at F/54, she performs contemporary songs alongside standards and show tunes, and shares stories from her long showbiz journey.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Paul Winter’s 24th Annual Summer Solstice Celebration
Celebrate the summer solstice
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine / mm, $20
“Ring in the summer at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine — the largest cathedral in the world — with ecstatic music that begins in the middle of the night and lasts until the morning. Featuring the cathedral’s gigantic organ, a euphonium player, and a Balinese gong, it’s a euphoric experience for the early-risers and insomniacs among us. Bring a yoga mat, eat a magic brownie, and prepare yourself to sing up the sun.” (thrillist.com)

Elsewhere, but these two look worth the detour:

The 37th Annual Mermaid Parade
Flip your fins at the Mermaid Parade
Coney Island / 1PM, FREEllation. This year, it’s on, and you’ll know it — on Mermaid Parade day, it seem
“The Mermaid Parade, which began in 1983, has had a hard time these last few years; revelers in wigs and skimpy shell bikinis have marched on the boardwalk despite damage from Hurricane Sandy and continued threats of cances like half of New York is in their best Ariel cosplay. Follow their fins to the beach, where you can cheer on the merfolk or even dress like one yourself.” (thrillist.com)
NB: King Neptune – Arlo Guthrie

Renegade Craft Fair (June22-23)
Shop your friendly local fair
Brooklyn Expo Center / 11AM-6PM, FREE to enter; food, drinks, and crafts available for purchase.
“With delicate porcelain jewelry from Elmhurst artist Mier Luo, leather and seagrass bags from Brooklyn-based Banoll, and sustainable baby clothes from Queens clothier Kiboro, the Renegade Craft Fair features almost enough local New York artists and makers to counteract your bottomless Amazon Prime addiction. If you find yourself needing to refuel between credit card swipes, stop for a sandwich at Deli N’ Dogz hot pastrami truck or a stiff drink from Donna’s Cocktail Club.” (thrillist.com)

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

‘MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING’
at the Delacorte Theater (thru June 23).
“Sigh no more, Shakespeare fans. Shakespeare in the Park — its tickets distributed free by line and lottery — returns with this sparkling comedy of sparring lovers. In postwar Messina, Beatrice (Danielle Brooks) and Benedick (Grantham Coleman) are a couple who despise each other. Until they don’t. Kenny Leon directs. ” (NYT-Alexis Soloski)
212-967-7555, publictheater.org
===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/20-22 Drive By Truckers, Brooklyn Bowl
6/20-26 Regina Spektor on Broadway, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
6/23-24 Jackson Browne w/ Lucius, Beacon Theatre
6/24 Japanese Breakfast/Hatchie, SummerStage Central Park
6/25 Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Midsummer Night Swing Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
6/25 The Bad Plus, The Jazz Standard
6/26 Canada Day w/ Alvvays & Foxwarren, SummmerStage Central Park

==========================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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 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.
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.
========================================================

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.

========================================================
“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
========================================================
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 FALL 2019).
◊ Order before NOV. 30, 2019 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

=====================================================
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” (06/21) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 06/21/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JUNE 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:  “June 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:

Andrea McArdle (June 20-22)
Feinstein’s/54 Below /7PM, $45+
“Though she has appeared in many productions since—including Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast and Starlight Express—Andrea McArdle will probably always be remembered most fondly as the big-belting moppet who stole our hearts in the original Annie. (“Tomorrow” belongs to her.) In this new set at F/54, she performs contemporary songs alongside standards and show tunes, and shares stories from her long showbiz journey.” (TONY)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> MELANIE CHARLES
>> Pilobolus
>> Regina Spektor
>> SummerStage
>> Tibetan Mantra Healing with Drukmo Gyal

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

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK
at various locations
“This event has become an essential part of the city soundscape, showcasing all kinds of music all over the city every solstice. Check the website for the full schedule, but highlights include a participatory, meditative offering of Pauline Oliveros’s “The Heart Chant” at the Oculus (noon), a bring-your-instruments-and-voices Mozart “Requiem” at the Naumburg Bandshell (6 p.m.) and Eric Whitacre’s “Water Night,” performed by vocalists floating on canoes up the Gowanus Canal (8 p.m.). Walk around the city, and you’re bound to find something else, too.” (NYT-David Allen)

American Ballet Theatre (through July 6)
Metropolitan Opera House/ 7:30PM, $22+
“The company continues its Lincoln Center spring season with “Le Corsaire” through Saturday, followed by eight performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s sumptuous “Manon” beginning on Monday. In that performance, Hee Seo makes her debut in the titular role, opposite Roberto Bolle as Des Grieux. The full-length production is also Bolle’s swan song at Ballet Theater: On Thursday, he gives his farewell performance. And Wednesday’s matinee will surely be a hot ticket, too, with debuts by Misty Copeland, Catherine Hurlin and Calvin Royal III.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)
Tonight: “Manon”

MELANIE CHARLES (June 18-22)
at Dizzy’s Club / 11:15 p.m. $10
“Charles, a vocalist, flutist and multi-instrumentalist, takes a prismatic view of black music, turning the past into the future and letting the sounds of the Caribbean beam into her versions of classic American jazz standards. At this late-night show, she will celebrate the legacy of Abbey Lincoln — a landmark vocalist and composer who died in 2010 — with help from the thrilling pianist Marc Cary, who played in Lincoln’s band for many years; the bassist Jonathan Michel; and the drummer Diego Ramirez.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Pilobolus (through June 29)
Joyce Theatre, 175 Eighth Ave. / 8PM, $55+
“For a long time, summer at the Joyce was synonymous with a monthlong encampment by this popular troupe of acrobat-illusionists. But five years have passed since the company’s last visit. How has the group evolved in the meantime? Its two comeback programs don’t offer many chances to find out; the most recent item is “Branches,” an ebb-and-flow nature study, from 2017. The most reliable selections, in any case, come from the better, stranger early period: “Day 2” (1980), with its primordial creatures and Slip ‘N Slide coda; “Walklyndon” (1971), with its silly stage crossings; and, best of all, “Untitled” (1972), a Victorian picnic for giantesses.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

Regina Spektor (June 20-22 and June 25-26)
Lunt-Fontanne, 205 W. 46th St. / 8PM, $54+
“The latest badge of prestige for a singer-songwriter is a miniature Broadway residency to call one’s own. Following Morrissey’s run, last month, Regina Spektor sets up her band at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The pianist, who grew up in the Soviet Union and the Bronx, seems a natural fit for such gilded confines: even when she was playing modest clubs, in the early two-thousands, her songs, with their small moments of big drama, conveyed a faded grandeur that seemed beamed in from a bygone Manhattan.” (Jay Ruttenberg, NewYorker)

SummerStage
Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
Von King Park, 670 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn / 7PM, FREE
RONALD K. BROWN/EVIDENCE
“This treasured troupe makes an appearance in Brooklyn as part of the SummerStage lineup of free performances at parks around the city. Following a brief, open-to-all dance lesson onstage featuring Brown’s signature blend of African and contemporary dance, the company will perform three works: “New Conversations,” from 2018; “For You,” from 2003; and “Four Corners,” a powerful, pulsating work about the presence of angels around us, originally made for the Alvin Ailey company in 2013.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Tibetan Mantra Healing with Drukmo Gyal
Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th St./ 7PM, $25
“A singer and practitioner of Tibetan medicine specializing in mantra healing, Drukmo Gyal brings together ancient tradition and emerging science. Join her as she shares Tibetan and Sanskrit mantras and explains how they can be employed for healing in a combined lecture-performance at the Rubin Museum of Art. (She returns Saturday morning for an intensive mantra workshop.)” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (through June 29).

“Hurricane Sandy hit South Street Seaport hard in 2012. Now that event is part subject and that site is part performance space for Jennifer Monson’s new work, “Ditch,” which also explores gentrification and income inequality. One performance takes place at sunrise on Sunday at Pier 35 on the East River Esplanade; two more occur at the South Street Seaport Museum on Wednesday and June 28 at 7 p.m. Also this week, the witty, rigorous Sarah Michelson presents the New York premiere of “june2019:/\” for three performances on Monday and two on Wednesday, the location of which will be divulged only to those who R.S.V.P.” (NYT-Brian Schaeffer)
lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival

‘MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING’
at the Delacorte Theater (thru June 23).
“Sigh no more, Shakespeare fans. Shakespeare in the Park — its tickets distributed free by line and lottery — returns with this sparkling comedy of sparring lovers. In postwar Messina, Beatrice (Danielle Brooks) and Benedick (Grantham Coleman) are a couple who despise each other. Until they don’t. Kenny Leon directs. ” (NYT-Alexis Soloski)
212-967-7555, publictheater.org
===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/20-22 Drive By Truckers, Brooklyn Bowl
6/20-26 Regina Spektor on Broadway, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
6/21 Calexico and Iron & Wine with Adia Victoria, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
6/23-24 Jackson Browne w/ Lucius, Beacon Theatre
6/24 Japanese Breakfast/Hatchie, SummerStage Central Park
6/25 Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Midsummer Night Swing Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
6/25 The Bad Plus, The Jazz Standard
6/26 Canada Day w/ Alvvays & Foxwarren, SummmerStage Central Park

==========================================================================
♦ 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 2018 – awesome! 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)

American Museum of Natural History

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’  (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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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Posts in right Sidebar dated 06/19 and 06/17.

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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.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/20) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square / Theater District)

Posted on 06/20/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ JUNE 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:  “June 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:

Regina Spektor (June 20-22 and June 25-26)
Lunt-Fontanne, 205 W. 46th St. / 8PM, $54+
“The latest badge of prestige for a singer-songwriter is a miniature Broadway residency to call one’s own. Following Morrissey’s run, last month, Regina Spektor sets up her band at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The pianist, who grew up in the Soviet Union and the Bronx, seems a natural fit for such gilded confines: even when she was playing modest clubs, in the early two-thousands, her songs, with their small moments of big drama, conveyed a faded grandeur that seemed beamed in from a bygone Manhattan.” (Jay Ruttenberg, NewYorker)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Andrea McArdle
>> MELANIE CHARLES
>> TANK AND THE BANGAS
>> Pilobolus
>> Travis Moser: Just One Look—The Songs of Linda Ronstadt
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> Step in, Stand Clear, Drink Up!

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

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

Andrea McArdle (June 20-22)
Feinstein’s/54 Below /8:30PM, $45+
“Though she has appeared in many productions since—including Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast and Starlight Express—Andrea McArdle will probably always be remembered most fondly as the big-belting moppet who stole our hearts in the original Annie. (“Tomorrow” belongs to her.) In this new set at F/54, she performs contemporary songs alongside standards and show tunes, and shares stories from her long showbiz journey.” (TONY)

MELANIE CHARLES (June 18-22)
at Dizzy’s Club / 11:15 p.m. $10
“Charles, a vocalist, flutist and multi-instrumentalist, takes a prismatic view of black music, turning the past into the future and letting the sounds of the Caribbean beam into her versions of classic American jazz standards. At this late-night show, she will celebrate the legacy of Abbey Lincoln — a landmark vocalist and composer who died in 2010 — with help from the thrilling pianist Marc Cary, who played in Lincoln’s band for many years; the bassist Jonathan Michel; and the drummer Diego Ramirez.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

TANK AND THE BANGAS
at the Prospect Park Bandshell / 7:30 p.m. FREE
“In 2017, this band from New Orleans won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest on the strength of “Quick,” a maximalist story-song that coalesces around the singing, rapping and ineffable charm of the group’s frontwoman: Tarriona Ball, a.k.a. Tank. At the victor’s podium — which is to say, standing behind a desk at NPR headquarters — Ball described her group as a roller coaster of “sound and rhythm and love and light, expression, and things that make you feel whole.” Their free performance in Prospect Park, presented by BRIC as part of its Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, is sure to be lively.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

“The topical, serious, joyful and powerful 5-piece from New Orleans,..” WFUV

Pilobolus (through June 29)
Joyce Theatre, 175 Eighth Ave. / 7:30PM, $55+
“For a long time, summer at the Joyce was synonymous with a monthlong encampment by this popular troupe of acrobat-illusionists. But five years have passed since the company’s last visit. How has the group evolved in the meantime? Its two comeback programs don’t offer many chances to find out; the most recent item is “Branches,” an ebb-and-flow nature study, from 2017. The most reliable selections, in any case, come from the better, stranger early period: “Day 2” (1980), with its primordial creatures and Slip ‘N Slide coda; “Walklyndon” (1971), with its silly stage crossings; and, best of all, “Untitled” (1972), a Victorian picnic for giantesses.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

Travis Moser: Just One Look—The Songs of Linda Ronstadt
The Green Room 42 / 7PM, $22.50+
“Moser salutes the underrated queen of 1970s pop with help from pianist Drew Wutke and guest singers Molly Pope, Cathy Cervenka, Daryl Glenn and Jack Bartholet.” (TONY)

American Ballet Theatre (through July 6)
Metropolitan Opera House/ 2PM,+7:30PM, $22+
“The company continues its Lincoln Center spring season with “Le Corsaire” through Saturday, followed by eight performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s sumptuous “Manon” beginning on Monday. In that performance, Hee Seo makes her debut in the titular role, opposite Roberto Bolle as Des Grieux. The full-length production is also Bolle’s swan song at Ballet Theater: On Thursday, he gives his farewell performance. And Wednesday’s matinee will surely be a hot ticket, too, with debuts by Misty Copeland, Catherine Hurlin and Calvin Royal III.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)
Tonight: “Manon”

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Step in, Stand Clear, Drink Up!
Ryan’s Daughter, 350 E85thSt. / 6:30PM, $25
“Join architectural historian Francis Morrone for a history talk and beer tasting at Ryan’s Daughter. Presented by the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, Step in, Stand Clear, Drink Up! will be an informal talk celebrating the new line of the Second Avenue Subway, which can take you all the way from the Upper East Side to Coney Island. Morrone will trace the development of transit on the Upper East Side from horse cars to steam engines to subways. We’ll find out how the 2nd and 3rd Avenue Els carried newcomers to Yorkville, helping the neighborhood’s immigrant communities flourish; see how transit on Park Avenue “went electric” and made the area one of the most prestigious addresses in the country, and discover who’s behind the MTA’s new spectacular subway art.” (untappedcities.com)

Continuing Events

‘MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING’
at the Delacorte Theater (thru June 23).
“Sigh no more, Shakespeare fans. Shakespeare in the Park — its tickets distributed free by line and lottery — returns with this sparkling comedy of sparring lovers. In postwar Messina, Beatrice (Danielle Brooks) and Benedick (Grantham Coleman) are a couple who despise each other. Until they don’t. Kenny Leon directs. ” (NYT-Alexis Soloski)
212-967-7555, publictheater.org
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COMING SOON (WFUV)

6/20 Tank & The Bangas, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
6/20-22 Drive By Truckers, Brooklyn Bowl
6/20-26 Regina Spektor on Broadway, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
6/21 Calexico and Iron & Wine with Adia Victoria, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
6/23-24 Jackson Browne w/ Lucius, Beacon Theatre
6/24 Japanese Breakfast/Hatchie, SummerStage Central Park
6/25 Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Midsummer Night Swing Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
6/25 The Bad Plus, The Jazz Standard
6/26 Canada Day w/ Alvvays & Foxwarren, SummmerStage Central Park

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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 2018 – awesome! 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

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.

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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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