What to do on a Sunday or Monday night in NY?

[HorseTears]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 5:26am

Hey kids - taking only my second ever trip to NY next week (if you can believe that) and certainly my first as an adult. Last time was mid 90s when I was a kiddo. Although it's not exclusively a theatre trip, I am going to be squeezing quite a lot of theatre in. These look to have made the final cut: Pippin, Twelfth Night, Fun Home, Bad Jews or Domesticated, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and After Midnight or Matilda.

I'm also going to get in as much of the usual touristy stuff that I can -- Top of the Rock, Met Museum (or possibly MOMA), one of those ridiculous tourist bus tours (I know, I know), Central Park, The Highline. Of course, I'll also be walking around various neighborhoods in Manhattan, Brooklyn and even Queens with some NY friends, but I'll be flying solo most of the time. With that in mind, any recommendations on things to do/see/experience on a Sunday or Monday night in NY? I love all performing arts, music unique eateries, comedy, lectures/talks, fine arts, outdoorsy stuff.

Right now, Monday night theatre would be limited to After Midnight or Chicago (I'm not interested in anything else playing those rarer Monday nights). I might be seeing After Midnight on a different night. Anyone seen Chicago recently? How's it holding up? Are the actors still... alive?

Alternative non-theatre things I might be doing on Sunday or Monday are Jinx Monsoon's 'The Vaudevillians' show, Sleep No More (though there's really limited availability and I feel like I'll have an opportunity to see it again), The Mingus Orchestra playing at Jazz Standard. But would love some more suggestions for a Monday and Sunday night. And they don't need to be formal performances.

Oh, and while I really would love to see the NY Phil, go to the Met Opera or see a performance at Carnegie Hall or see an alternative/indie/edm act at The Beacon, Terminal 5, Roseland, Bowery Ballroom etc. I'm afraid that nothing on their calendars is really stoking my fires.

Updated On: 10/24/13 at 05:26 AM

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 6:08am

I don't know which Monday you are talking about..or if you are interested, but Kinky Boots has an extra performance on Monday night October 28th at 8 pm.

Every now and then shows that don't normally have Sunday night or Monday shows have extra ones to make up for a missed show during a holiday or some other random reason. You should check out all the shows you are interested in and double check the Monday/Sunday you will be there.

And thanks for calling me a "kid"..I haven't heard that in years. Makes my day...LOL

Updated On: 10/24/13 at 06:08 AM

[HorseTears]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 6:33am

Thanks for the tip on those 'make up' Sunday/Monday night shows. Will double-check all the schedules. As for 'Kinky Boots', I can't imagine a scenario in which I would willingly attend (sorry!). I'll in be in town starting tonight (Thursday, Oct 24) thru the evening of Friday, November 1. Cheers, kiddo!

Updated On: 10/24/13 at 06:33 AM

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 6:54am

No need to be sorry...it was just an option and at these prices, people should see what interests them. We all have diff shows we love and I am a KB fan...but Kinky Boots is not struggling to sell tickets regardless (haha)...so no worries.

Good luck and enjoy your trip to NY.

[dreaming]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 10:22am

Get to Fun Home. It's brilliant and original. It's really worth making room in your schedule for.

I did enjoy Bad Jews very much. (If you want to catch a play to even out the schedule.)

[HorseTears]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 10:48am

Thanks, dreaming, Sorry about my long original post. I realize it was probably "tl;dr" for most. Assuming you didn't make it through because I'm not really looking for theatre suggestions -- I've got that covered. And, yes, both Bad Jews and Fun Home are on the shortlist.

Has anyone been to the 9:30pm "Asscats 3000" show at Upright Citizen's Brigade? AC3000 is the show that often features SNL alum like Amy Poeheler, though, of course, they don't guarantee the lineup. The earlier 7:30pm show is sold out. The later 9:30pm show doesn't sell advance tickets -- apparently they're only sold at the door. Wondering how fierce the competition for tix is and how early one has to get there.

[dreaming]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 10:54am

Upright Citizens Brigade is awesome. (It tends to sell out very quickly, though, so get your ticket NOW if you want to go.)

[Jayne3]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 10:54am

I've heard that Sleep No More is excellent.

First Date has performances on Sunday nights at 7 pm - I saw it 3 times when I was in NY!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:15pm

Yeah, that's the problem, dreaming, as I noted in my post above, they don't sell advance tickets/take reservations for the 9:30pm "Asscat 3000" show at UCB. Per the website, they just give tickets out starting at 8:15pm. Hopefully if I can get there by 8, I can score a couple of tickets. I was just wondering if anyone had gone for the second Asscats 3000 show in the past and how early people started lining up for tix. Sounds like it'll be a challenge to score tix. Will have to wait and see.

Jayne - thanks, yes, I might try for Sleep No More one night as well, though most timeslots are sold out.

[dreaming]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:15pm

check your PMs, HorseTears.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:37pm

Thanks, dreaming, responded.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 2:42pm

If you like comedy, check out a show at the Comedy Cellar. They have shows 7 nights a week and draw some of the top comedians. If you decide to go, be sure to make reservations.

http://www.comedycellar.com/


Updated On: 10/24/13 at 02:42 PM

[HorseTears]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 3:16pm

Thanks, Fisherman! Good suggestion! Their current lineup for my week is, well, pretty weak, but there's always an off-chance that Louis CK might show up for an impromptu set, eh?

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 10/25/13 at 8:19am

The best and funniest play in New York, BUYER AND CELLAR, has just started performances on Monday nights (they've cancelled Thursdays). Go to Playbill for discount code, but even at full price, watching the brilliant Michael Urie is one of the supreme pleasures of NY theatergoing right now.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 1:14am

Hey folks - indulge me with a few more newb questions. Just settling in to my hotel. Holy ****. I can't believe how loud the city is at 12:10am. Ha. I feel so provincial. Oh, LA....

Questions:
[*]Any recommended/must-have New York apps for one's smartphone? Android, if it matters. I've got the TimeOut, CabSense, WayFinder NYC, TKTS apps.
[*]Midtown East restaurant and bar recommendations? (both high-end and reasonable)
[*]Theatre district (or nearby) restaurant/bar recommendations? (high-end and reasonable)
[*]Restaurant/bar recommendations near any of these attractions - Met Museum, MOMA, Highline, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (high-end and reasonable)
[*]Favorite late night (open 2am and later) restaurants, cafes, bars etc throughout Manhattan?
[/LIST]

jayinchelsea - you're not the first person to recommend Buyer & Cellar to me. I'm kind of reluctant to give up one of my few slots for this show, though. I am not a one-man show guy. I don't really care about Streisand (I know, I know, I watched Friday Night Lights religiously and I've never been to a football game) and I believe Urie is bringing B&C to LA. So, I'll probably stick with 'After Midnight' for Monday. But appreciate the mention.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 2:48pm

If you plan to take the subway at all (and do, it's great) get Hop Stop as an app. It will help you navigate everything.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 5:28pm

I highly, highly recommend Sleep No More, and a Sunday or Monday night is likely to be less crowded and it's cheaper!

Also, re: restaurants, Bareburger on 46th between 8th and 9th is really good for moderately priced food. I'm a poor college student and I eat there all the time, and everyone I've taken there has loved the food.

For Sunday/Monday activities, check what's happening at Joe's Pub, Birdland, or 54 Below and see if there's anything that strikes your fancy. I especially love 54 Below, it's a really beautiful room and a great atmosphere to see concerts and cabaret acts. The food there is also delicious.

[jwsel]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 4:24am

You might reconsider Monday night and try to see Norma at the Met. It's with the second cast, but the soprano, Angela Meade, is noted for her performance of the role. (You also might consider the Met on Nov. 1, when the first cast returns with Sondra Radvanovsky. She is an amazing talent. My 75-year-old mom loves opera and has seen a lot of the great singers of the last 40 years, but had never seen Norma and always wanted to. So as her birthday present, I arranged for us to come to New York and see it with Radvanovsky. My mom described Radvanovsky's voice as the most incredible she has ever heard.)

I also agree with your assessment about Kinky Boots. It was the one disappointing show we saw on that trip (we also saw Pippin, Glass Menagerie, and Twelfth Night).

[inception]

Posted: 11/2/13 at 2:25am

Just wondering how your trip went as I was reading this the other week while planning my own upcoming visit and trying to figure out what to do on a Monday night.

I have booked a ticket to Buyer & Cellar - a show that caught my eye last summer but which originally wasn't playing during my stay.

I also found some other great recommendations on this site.

I have tickets to: Good Person of Szechuan, Book of M., Buyer & Cellar, Die Frau @ Met, Pippin, Macbeth, Peter and Starcatcher, Bad Jews, A Bed and a Chair (Sondheim jazz concert with Bernadette Peters), and Fun Home.

I still have a couple Saturday matinees that I can fill and am trying to decide what else might be good. The photos of the dancers in After Midnight make me overlook Fantasia.

Also curious about how much time I need to get between venues if I want to see some late night things. For example Lady Miss Bunny's Friday night show at XL says it starts at 10. At drag shows here if you haven't booked a table and are just standing you can come in late no problem. Same with the Skivies at 54 below, how picky are cabarets etc in NY about letting you in late?

Thanks all

Updated On: 11/2/13 at 02:25 AM