Friday November 8
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Music: Spindrift
Show time: 11:30 PM
Venue: Glasslands
Food: Dumont Burger
Drink: Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Miscellaneous: Verb Cafe
Fans of spaghetti western psych music will love Spindrift, who will be celebrating the release of their new album Ghosts of the West. Also on board are Blaak Heat Shujaa, Mirror Queen, and Jay Space (DJ Set). With one of the best burgers in Williamsburg, Dumont Burger offers theirs with gourmet toppings, sandwiches, salads, and their amazing mac & cheese. So you consider yourself a beer connoisseur and like to party. You can do all that and eat at Radegast Hall & Biergarten. The Austrian/German menu perfectly complements the 12 beers on tap and more than 30 German and Austrian bottles at this large beer hall. One of the oldest and best hipster hangout coffee shops, The Verb Cafe offers up excellent coffee and baked goods, a boho vibe, and big windows to watch the days pass while collecting unemployment!
Friday November 8
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Music: Mick Turner
Show time: 9 PM
Venue: Union Pool
Food: Fette Sau
Drink: Spuyten Duyvil
Accessory: Union Pool
Looks like Melbourne guitarist Mick Turner will be playing Union Pool, on his first tour since 2008. The Dirty Three member is playing in support of his new album Don’t Tell The Driver. Also performing are Mike Wexler and Matteah Baim. 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 November 9
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Comedy: Neil Hamburger and Tim Heidecker
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Food: San Loco
Drink: Max Fish
Miscellaneous: Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Two of the weirdest and funniest comedians out there, Neil Hamburger and Tim Heidecker headline this show. Expect bad pacing and Tony Cliftonesque humor from Hamburger and zaniness from Heidecker, one half of the Adult Swim show Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! At San Loco, the Mexican food is inexpensive, you can get a heaping amount of nachos for as little as $3.75, and telling by the heavy traffic, the place is doing just fine. What I like about Max Fish is that it’s a local bar for local artists. It’s walls play host monthly for art exhibitions, there’s a pool table in the back, and drinks aren’t pricey, like many new bars springing up in this neighborhood. For one of the best cupcakes in the city, Sugar Sweet Sunshine has 10 varieties, on top of cakes. Try the Sexy Red Velvet or the Bob, a yellow cupcake with chocolate almond buttercream.
Saturday November 9
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 November 10
Location: Upper West Side, NYC
Art: Here Is Where We Jump
Show time: 8 PM; Through January 4, 2014
Venue: El Museo del Barrio
Food: Hummus Place
Drink: Jake’s Dilemmal
Miscellaneous: Alice’s Tea Cup
This is the seventh edition of El Museo’s biennial exhibition. Under the title Here Is Where We Jump! La Bienal features work by artists, from newly-minted to mid-career, who live and work in the greater metropolitan area of New York City. Cheap yet not too heavy, Hummus Place serves up surprisingly great hummus in the uptown version of their original downtown location. More a game room for adults than a sports bar, Jake’s Dilemmal offers more than 50 beers to choose from while you can play pool, video games, or foosball. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Alice’s Tea Cup is as much for adults as it is for kids. Get one of a vast assortment of teas flown in from around the world here or a gorgeously designed slice of cake.
