Friday July 30
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: Seu Jorge Get Tickets Here
Show time: 7 PM
Venue: Terminal 5
Food: Eatery
Drink: Valhalla
Miscellaneous: Central Park
Brazilian samba star Seu Jorge, famous in the U.S.A. for his Bowie covers in the film The Life Aquatic performs with Almaz, songs off their new self-titled album. 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!
Friday July 30
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Primus + Gogol Bordello Get Tickets Here
Show time: 5:30 PM
Venue: Williamsburg Waterfront
Food: SEA
Drink: Zablozki’s
Miscellaneous: Hugs
Looks like Primus are back together again but luckily they sound as good as ever! Here they headline with Gogol Bordello whose crazy stage antics and gypsy punk music are a fitting yet powerful opener. Just as much fun as any show and just as big a venue, SEA is one BIG Thai restaurant. Big enough to have a pool surrounded by tables as a giant Buddha stands above it. Luckily, the food is really great. Offering traditional Pad Thai ($7) to more involved dishes like the Mummy Fish ($14). On N6th, a street full of bars and restaurants, Zablozki’s is the local bar of the bunch, with a pool table and a friendly atmosphere and 12 beers on tap. What looks like some dark basement with tables and some couches, Hugs will end up being a dance party with an awkward blend of music genres that you will grow to love quickly.
Saturday July 31
Location: Chelsea, NYC
Comedy: 12th Annual Del Close Marathon Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Food: Pop Burger
Drink: Gaslight Lounge
Miscellaneous: Amy’s Bread
The UCB Theatre hosts the 12th Annual Del Close Marathon which celebrates some of the best improv-comedy around today and will feature some great comedians like Horatio Sanz and several writers from The Colbert Report among many others in this marathon running through tomorrow. Burger joint in the front, upscale lounge in the back, the menu at Pop Burger includes basics like 2 pop burgers for $5 for a quick fix or if your lounging, the likes of tuna tartar with soy truffle jus ($15). The Gaslight Lounge, a great hotspot bar in the meatpacking district, is dark and cozy while affordable for the area. If you don’t know Amy’s Bread, when you order a sandwich at a café or restaurant in the city, ask where they got the bread. There’s a good chance it’s from Amy’s because she’s one of the best bread makers in the city.
Location: Chelsea, NYC
Art: David LaChapelle: American Jesus
Show time: Monday – Friday, 10 AM – 5 PM; Through September 18
Venue: Paul Kasmin Gallery
Food: Pop Burger
Drink: Gaslight Lounge
Miscellaneous: Amy’s Bread
In the exhibition David LaChapelle: American Jesus, the artist draws on historical references, pop culture, and current events to create provocative art including Michael Jackson as martyr. Burger joint in the front, upscale lounge in the back, the menu at Pop Burger includes basics like 2 pop burgers for $5 for a quick fix or if your lounging, the likes of tuna tartar with soy truffle jus ($15). The Gaslight Lounge, a great hotspot bar in the meatpacking district, is dark and cozy while affordable for the area. If you don’t know Amy’s Bread, when you order a sandwich at a café or restaurant in the city, ask where they got the bread. There’s a good chance it’s from Amy’s because she’s one of the best bread makers in the city.
Sunday August 1
Location: Upper West Side, NYC
Band: Los Straitjackets
Show time: 2 PM
Venue: Lincoln Center – Broadway Plaza
Food: Symposium
Drink: Broadway Dive
Miscellaneous: Sip
If you’ve never seen them, Los Straitjackets are a surf-rock band who just happen to wear Mexican wrestling masks. Aside from that they are one of the best bands around today, whether your into surf music and wrestling masks or not! Low priced anything near Columbia University is getting harder to find, but at Symposium, you’ll get Greek food that won’t force you to take a mortgage out. The Pastitsio (baked macaroni with ground meat $9.95) is out of this world. Not the kind of dive bar you’re thinking, though Broadway Dive has a single malt scotch and bourbon menu big enough that you won’t even know where you are after a few. A coffee bar that also serves liquor, tapas, and baked goods all in one place? Sip sounds good to me.
