The Weekend Shortlist December 23 to 25

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Friday December 23

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Music: Hip-Hop Legends” hosted by Funkmaster Flex
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: B.B. Kings
Food: Junior’s Restaurant
Drink: The View
Miscellaneous: Madame Tussaud’s

Renowned hip-hop DJ, rapper, musician, and producer Funkmaster Flex hosts Hip-Hop Legends, a night of legendary hip-hop artists, with music by the legendary DJ Hollywood and performances by Kurtis Blow, Cold Crush Brothers, The Sugarhill Gang, Rob Base, Joeski Love, and Lovebug Starski. While the original Junior’s Restaurant in Brooklyn is best, this midtown location offers a nearly identical menu of deli sandwiches, diner entrees, and of course soul food fixin’s, on top of some of the best cheesecake in NYC, which is saying a lot! For drinks check out The View . Not the TV show, but the bar high atop the Marriot Marquis. Plus it revolves. If you’re looking for something to do, go to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. Yes, it’s a cheesy tourist attraction, but where else are you going to get a picture with Nicholas Cage or Samuel L. Jackson?

Friday December 23

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Music: Bernie Worrell
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: The Bowery Electric
Food: The Stanton Social
Drink: The Magician
Miscellaneous: The Pink Pony

Legendary funketeer Bernie Worrell has been a non-stop funk music making machine since his days with Parliament and having recently worked with the likes of Buckethead, Les Claypool and others. The man still makes great music. For dinner, 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 December 24

Location: Union Square, NYC
Art: Hero, Villain, Yeti: Tibet in Comics
Show time: See website for schedule; Through June 11, 2012
Venue: Rubin Museum of Art
Food: Momofuku
Drink: The Village Pourhouse
Miscellaneous: Sundaes and Cones

Hero, Villain, Yeti: Tibet in Comics features the most complete collection of comics related to Tibet ever assembled, with examples ranging from the 1940s to the present. More than fifty comic books from Belgium, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, and the United States reflect on the depiction of Tibet, tracing the historical roots of prevailing perceptions and stereotypes and their visual and narrative evolution over time. If you like ramen noodles and pork, then Momofuku is your spot for food. The Berkshire pork is the best I’ve had and it’s the only place I’ll eat pork period, which should tell you just how good Momofuku really is! The Village Pourhouse looks like a neighborhood bar to watch sports but is actually has three more rooms, where you can order food or find a quiet place to smooch! For dessert a little left of the dial, Sundaes and Cones offers eclectic flavors like wasabi and corn and many more flavors that are familiar.

Saturday December 24

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Photo: Harper’s Bazaar: A Decade of Style
Show time: See website for schedule; Through January 8, 2012
Venue: International Center of Photography
Food: Zip Burger
Drink: Subway Inn
Miscellaneous: Kinokuniya Bookstore

In the ten years since Glenda Bailey became Editor in Chief of Harper’s Bazaar, she and Creative Director Stephen Gan have carried on the magazine’s tradition of publishing high-impact photography. This exhibition, Harper’s Bazaar: A Decade of Style, distills that decade into a choice group of nearly thirty images by some of the most important photographers working today, including Peter Lindbergh, Jean-Paul Goude, David Bailey, William Klein, Patrick Demarchelier, Sølve Sundsbø, Tim Walker, Mario Sorrenti, Hiro, Melvin Sokolsky, and Karl Lagerfeld. Among the artists represented are Nan Goldin, Ralph Gibson, and Chuck Close. At Zip Burger they offer farm-raised, organic, and grass-fed meat and poultry, letting you build your own burger with plenty of gourmet toppings. The first time I went to Subway Inn I thought it was completely strange that there was a dive bar off Lexington Avenue, especially in this neck of the woods, but somehow it works. Born in the 30s, this bar has somehow remained, and thank god, as it’s easily the cheapest place in the area for a drink. For fans of Japanese pop-culture, Kinokuniya Bookstore has a large selection of Japanese themed books, videos, CDs, magazines, comics, and stationary.

Sunday December 25

Location: Midtown East, NYC
Fashion: Lady Gaga’s Workshop
Show time: See website for schedule; Through January
Venue: Barney’s New York
Food: Peking Duck House
Drink: Blackstones Pub & Restaurant
Miscellaneous: New York Milkshake Company

Lady Gaga, with the help of her stylist Nicola Formichetti gets her own fashion wing at Barney’s this holiday season with Lady Gaga’s Workshop, where fans and the forward fashion minded can get their hands on exclusive, special edition items designed by Gaga herself. At one of my favorite places to get duck, The Peking Duck House, the meat is succulent and the skin crunches like a potato chip. Sometimes you just want to grab a pint without paying a cover charge or playing host to a group of people after work, which is why I like Blackstones Pub & Restaurant. It looks like an old-time saloon and has two pool tables in the back and plenty of other games, while also being big enough to grab traditional American food from the menu. If you’re still hungry, check out the New York Milkshake Company for one of the best $6 shakes of your life.

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