Friday September 7
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Music: Bob Mould
Show time: 6 PM; FREE
Venue: Williamsburg Park
Food: Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café
Drink: Teddy’s Bar & Grill
Miscellaneous: Verb Café
Bob Mould’s career has seen him front Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s, while building a strong solo catalog. At this point, you know the name and being that it’s a FREE show, you owe it to yourself to see this man perform some classic and new material from his storied career. 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.
Friday September 7
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Bands: Gospel Queens of Brooklyn
Show time: 8:30 PM
Venue: Fat Cat
Food: Tortilla Flats
Drink: White Horse Tavern
Miscellaneous: Magnolia Bakery
If you haven’t experiences the Gospel Queens of Brooklyn you are missing out as it’s like going to church . . .minus the religion and skipping to the great music. Dinner before a show like this should be just as awesome. Check out Tortilla Flats. The food is Mexican and delicious, but it’s the insanity within (bingo and hula-hoop nights) that is the real calling for this place. For drinks afterwards, hit the White Horse Tavern, a great bar and the old haunting grounds for Dylan Thomas. If you somehow have time before all of this, stop by Magnolia Bakery for some of the best tasting cupcakes in the city.
Saturday September 8
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Theater: Hot Mess in Manhattan
Show time: 8 PM; Through September 8
Venue: Delacorte Theater
Food: Little Shubert Theare
Drink: Café des Artistes
Miscellaneous: Magnolia Bakery
Hot Mess in Manhattan is billed as a high-heeled, low-brow musical comedy following one 20-something woman trying to conquer the big city the only way she knows how: the Way of Carrie Bradshaw. The music is supplied by contributions from 14 of New York’s hottest emerging musical theatre writers. Fondue lovers, Swizz Restaurant & Wine Bar is the place to go and the menu is just as extensive as its wine. It’s romantic and cheesy. Get it! Café des Artistes is one of those old historic bars that’s as New York as it gets. This bar/restaurant was the meeting place of artists going all the way back to 1917. Today, it serves up new American dishes and cocktails to those in the know. To soothe your sweet tooth, check the uptown location of Magnolia Bakery and sink your teeth into one of the city’s best cupcakes.
Saturday September 8
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 September 9
Location: Soho, NYC
Art: Miami Makeover: Almost Anything for Beauty
Show time: See website for schedule
Venue: The Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art
Food: Nha Trang
Drink: Naked Lunch
Miscellaneous: La Esquina
Miami Makeover: Almost Anything for Beauty is a collaborative exhibit featuring the work of Aline Kominsky-Crumb and Dominique Sapel. Enthralled by the cultural standards of accepted beauty and what some women are willing to do to achieve it, Kominsky-Crumb and Sapel set out to entirely re-imagine their body image. Donning new outfits, wigs, jewelry, nails, makeup and padding in just the right places, the two artists remade themselves in the image of a modern Miami woman. One of the best affordable Vietnamese restaurants in the city, Nha Trang is right near the downtown courthouse, making it a high volume place. Despite that, the food is great and the Pho (rice noodle soup) dishes are $5 and under. Named after William S. Burroughs novel, Naked Lunch is a cool and comfortable bar where local artists usually gather. No shooting up though! One of the best taqueria’s in the city, the Mexican food at La Esquina is authentic and to die for. While tacos will set you back $3, plates are in the $6 to $7.25 range.
