The Weekend Shortlist October 18 to 20
Friday October 18
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Music: Danzig
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Roseland Ballroom
Food GoGo Curry
Drink Stitch
Miscellaneous Leisure Time Bowl
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of rock music’s most gruesome bands as Danzig performs with ex-Danzig guitarist Doyle. The owner of GoGo Curry is obsessed with the Yankees Hideki Matsui and his Jersey (55). The menu’s theme is baseball and katsu, a fried meat, chicken, or shrimp cutlet served in a curry sauce is the specialty here. Portion sizes are Walk (small), Single (Med.), Double (L), and Triple (XL) and are inexpensive. The mascot, a gorilla for some reason, is plastered everywhere, making this place even quirkier. In the heart of the garment district, Stitch, a cozy after-work bar/lounge, stocks a cocktail menu with a design theme. If you still have energy and are in the mood to bowl, check out Leisure Time Bowl. Located in the Port Authority, this place is stylish and fun.
Friday October 18
Lower East Side, NYC
Music: Yuck
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Mercury Lounge
Food: The Stanton Social
Drink: The Magician
Miscellaneous: The Pink Pony
Part of the 2013 CMJ festival, this show features Yuck, Eagulls, Willis Earl Beal, Absolutely Free, Pete Bauer, and PUP. The Stanton Social has earned a reputation for being a beautifully designed restaurant/lounge while serving up some delicious multi-ethnic cuisine. For drinks, a favorite of mine is The Magician, this bar’s chill atmosphere just may be the cure for a well-earned night of rocking. A great way to end the night? Stop by The Pink Pony. This boho café has been serving French food and coffee since the 80s and has a relaxing vibe. It’s as punk as that neighborhood gets nowadays.
Saturday October 19
Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Music: Pearl Jam
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Barclays Center
Food: El Viejo Yayo
Drink: The Gate
Miscellaneous: Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.
Pearl Jam playing live is more than an event, it’s sort of like a religious experience in the way that I’d imagine seeing the Grateful Dead would be but with more rock. To sum up, see them if you can! Keeping the night going with Latin flavor, try El Viejo Yayo for dinner. This gorgeous and warm restaurant has an elegant dining room and an affordable menu offering Dominican/Latin cuisine. The Gate is a great Park Slope bar with excellent beers on tap and a outdoor courtyard to chill. If time permits, you must, and I mean MUST go to the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., a non-profit organization that helps kids with their writing, that’s fronted by a store selling super powers.
Saturday October 19
Location: Union Square, NYC
Event: The Awesome 80s Prom
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Webster Hall
Food: Thai Me Up Sandwich Bar
Drink: McSorley’s Old Ale House
Miscellaneous: Mudd Cafe
Relive the best and worst of coming of age in high school at The Awesome 80s Prom. This interactive show is part musical and full-on party as the audience gets to drink, dance and vote for the Prom King and Queen. For eats, check out Thai Me Up Sandwich Bar, a sandwich shop offering Thai sandwiches with 7 Steamed Fried Vegetables and a choice of chicken, veggie, tofu or beef on a baguette with 3 types of sauces for $7. One of the city’s oldest bars, at McSorley’s Old Ale House you can feel the history when you enter as memorabilia, since its beginnings in 1854, are all over the walls. Aside from it being a frat hangout nowadays, it’s worth the trip. You’ve seen that orange Mudd coffee truck parked on Astor Place and on various other streets, but check out their Mudd Cafe on East 9th for coffee and a healthy, vegan, and vegetarian menu.
Sunday October 20
Location: Midtown East, NYC
Art: Dorothea Rockburne: Drawing Which Makes Itself
Show time: See website for schedule; Through January 20, 2014
Venue: MOMA
Food: Eatery
Drink: Valhalla
Miscellaneous: Central Park
“How could drawing be of itself and not about something else?†Having asked this question in 1973, the painter Dorothea Rockburne (American, born Canada 1932) went on to answer it in visually compelling and intellectually provocative ways that tested the bounds of traditional drawing practice. This exhibition, Dorothea Rockburne: Drawing Which Makes Itself, examines her groundbreaking project Drawing Which Makes Itself, of 1972–73, while highlighting the ideas that she has pursued throughout her career. Nearby and delicious, Eatery offers a new American menu that’s asian influenced. Try the Red Curry Chicken Breast over roti pancake, with baby carrots and red curry coconut sauce ($16.95). Valhalla’s minimalist space is chill, letting the 24 brands of beer from all over the world on tap be the main attraction at this bar. While its warm out, waste a little time walking through Central Park, relax, and get out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Just watch your step. The working horses tend to leave surprises behind them!