Friday January 25
Location: Chelsea, NYC
Music: The XX
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Hammerstein Ballroom
Food: Supermac
Drink: Stout
Miscellaneous: Jack’s 99 Cent Store
English indie pop band The XX have been receiving great reviews of their recently released album Coexist, and they are well worth seeing live as they have a dreamy and moody pop sound. Also, opening is the fantastic Austra. Though small, Supermac packs a hearty punch with it’s gourmet mac & cheese’s like the Mac Cheesesteak with shaved steak, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, cremini/shitake, provolone, and white American ($8.25 mini; $10.95 mega). A great place in NYC to get a full-bodied dark beer is at Stout. With a very detailed beer list with descriptions, I’ve never had a bad pint at this bar and restaurant, plus the food menu is American and quite good. Probably the biggest 99-cent store in NYC, Jack’s 99 Cent Store is three floors of some of the finest values you can find, especially in an overpriced area like Herald Square.
Friday January 25
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Music: Iceage
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: 285 Kent Ave
Food: Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café
Drink: Teddy’s Bar & Grill
Miscellaneous: Verb Café
An awesome punk rock band from Copenhagen, Denmark, Iceage offer an intensity not seen in that genre a while. Also on board are Nomad and Raspberry Bulbs. For vegetarians and those not in the mood for meat, Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café offers Pan-Asian cuisine in a relaxed earth-toned environment with a menu featuring veggies, tofu, seitan, and soy. The best thing about Teddy’s Bar & Grill is that it’s just got this great neighborhood vibe that’s warm and friendly, while also having a great menu of drinks and American bar food favorites like burgers, salads, sandwiches, and steak. A great place to get good coffee, take a seat, and watch the passing hipsters stroll by, Verb Café even has excellent sandwiches and baked goods to snack on before the show.
Saturday January 26
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Music: Body/Head (Kim Gordon & Bill Nace)
Show time: 9 PM
Venue: Union Pool
Food: Fette Sau
Drink: Spuyten Duyvil
Accessory: Union Pool
Body/Head (Kim Gordon & Bill Nace) is a collaboration between these two musicians who have each paved their way through music utilizing noise and experimentation. Also on board is Sightings. If you’re feeling German BBQ, you can head over to Fette Sau (fat pig in German), where the owners of nearby bar Spuyten Duyvil have opened up this meat only restaurant serving up some of the best pork and beef in NYC. For drinks, Spuyten Duyvil is a beer lovers dream, with a selection from all over the world, friendly and knowledgeable bartenders and a neighborhood feel, it’s no wonder this place has been so successful. If you’re still ready for more, you can always just stay at Union Pool, where there’s always a DJ playing, a huge outdoor area to drink in, a Taco truck if you’re hungry, and plenty of action.
Saturday January 26
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 January 27
Location: Astoria, Queens
Event: Spacewar! Video Games Blast Off
Show time: See website for schedule; Through March 3, 2013
Venue: Museum of the Moving Image
Food: Sanford Restaurant
Drink: Café Bar
Miscellaneous: Cavo Café Lounge
Spacewar! Video Games Blast Off looks at the first 50 years of video games through the lens of Spacewar!, the first digital video game, its development, and the culture from which it sprang. In addition to a model of the original PDP-1 (Programmed Data Processor-1) computer running a playable simulation of Spacewar!, the exhibition presents 20 playable video games ranging in platform (arcade, console, handheld, PC), genre (shooters, platformers, action, arcade) and developer (commercial, independent, experimental). While Sanford Restaurant has been around for 75 years, you’d never know it with it’s modern décor and its very forward thinking diner fare. Try the Organic Asian Noodle Salad ($14.95) or the Pork Osso Bucco ($17.95) for just a taste of the delicious dishes that this place offers. For a drink, try Café Bar for something surprisingly different. On the outside it looks upscale but inside it’s a funky mix of couches, art, coffee shop, and Ikea-like design making for a super relaxing place for a drink or meal. At Cavo Café Lounge grab some traditional Greek and Mediterranean dishes off the menu and sit inside or outdoors in their Mediterranean themed backyard that is simply amazing.
