I don't wanna be a homebody while away from home

March 10, 2010 11:01 AM

My wife and I will be taking a trip to New York City next week and don't really know what to do with ourselves after dinner. Please keep us from watching late night TV in our hotel room!

We have the daytime covered—museums that we haven't been to before and shopping that we can't get back home—It's just the nightlife that we have a problem with.

The both of us are quite introverted; we don't like clubs or loud bars and would rather not wade through large crowds without a sensible reward on the other side. I would love to see some sort of show/performance/concert/comedy but have no idea where to start.

Is there anything unmissable that will be going on next week (specifically the 17th-21st)? How about any great regular events that we can catch?

We are also a little on the poor side, so free or dirt cheap is definitely preferable.

Also, tips for daytime activities are welcome if you think it sounds like something we would like. We have been to New York before, so we sort of know what we are doing.

posted by AtomicBee to travel & transportation around New York, NY (14 answers total)

The next time I'm in New York, I'm hoping to go to Marie's Crisis. From the description: To walk downstairs into this old West Village bar is to step out of time a bit. As an amicable regular might tell you, the room first opened in the 1850s as a prostitutes' den, became a boy bar by the 1890s, and lasted through Prohibition, when it was known as Marie's (the "Crisis" came from "The Crisis Papers," by Thomas Paine, who died in the same house). For the past 35 years, it's plowed through as a piano joint in which neighboring gay men and musical theater performers gather round the keys nightly and sing solo—numbers like "Stranger in Paradise" or "You're the Top"—to create a mood of both giddiness and longing.
posted by ColdChef at 11:04 AM on March 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

Where will you be in the city?

I like the Upright Citizen's Brigade, you can reserve online. Here is their schedule. All are reasonably priced or free.
posted by internet fraud detective squad, station number 9 at 11:06 AM on March 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

John Zorn is playing the Stone on the 20th. You can look him up on YouTube. Great improv jazz sax. Tickets at the Stone are $10. There is no bar, there is one bathroom, behind the stage (so you have to wait until after the show) but a lot of avante garde acts play this fun spot on the lower east side.
posted by caddis at 11:11 AM on March 10, 2010

If not the Upright Citizen's Brigade, both Magnet Theater, and the PIT are worthy alternatives.
posted by josher71 at 11:13 AM on March 10, 2010

Right now we will be in Brooklyn, less than a mile from the Brooklyn Bridge, though we may switch to a hotel in Manhattan if we can get a great last minute deal.
posted by AtomicBee at 11:14 AM on March 10, 2010

Th Moth, if it fits into your schedule, will be an unforgettable night. A lot of the story slams are at Brooklyn's Southpaw, which is basically a dive music venue but great for these slams.

I would go to ANY Moth event that I could get into.
posted by Danf at 11:18 AM on March 10, 2010

On Friday evenings after 7pm the Morgan Library & Museum is free. It's not late late night, but it's really worth spending a couple of hours there, and having a late dinner after that.

On a clear night, the Staten Island Ferry is great - it's free, takes about half an hour to cross from Manhattan to Staten Island, then you get off, wait for the next ferry and come back again - with a fantastic view of one of the most beautiful nighttime cities in the world and an amazing photo opportunity if you're keen photographers. The last ferry departs Staten Island at 11.30pm so don't leave it too late.

The Ferry is also a great daytime trip with an excellent view of the Statue of Liberty.
posted by essexjan at 11:21 AM on March 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

Re above comment, here is the Moth event that fits your visit:


Thursday, March 18, 2010
NY Moth StorySLAM
Green

at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
126 Crosby Street

7:00 Doors / 7:30 Stories Begin

$7 tickets at the door

Get there plenty early. . .from Brooklyn, looks like the orange or yellow line over to whatever stop is nearest to Houston and B'way.
posted by Danf at 11:25 AM on March 10, 2010

Marie's Crisis is super fun. :-)

If it's nice, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge after dinner would be wonderful.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:27 AM on March 10, 2010

I would love to see some sort of show/performance/concert/comedy but have no idea where to start.

It sounds very tourist-y, but the TKTS booth in Times Square sells same-day discount tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

It may be hard to get availability for one of the "big name" shows but the prices for the Off-Broadway shows are cheaper and they are more likely to be available. This is not "free" or "dirt cheap" by any stretch of the imagination but it is definitely cheaper than the box office prices.
posted by QuantumMeruit at 11:30 AM on March 10, 2010

Pick up a Time Out New York magazine when you arrive and look through it to see if any events interest you. It shouldn't be difficult at all to find non-club/bar evening events worth checking out and that are inexpensive. Last night, for instance, I went to Secret Science Club in Brooklyn and had a beer while listening to two lectures on how the brain processes fear. It was free. Definitely check out something at UCB, their shows are always inexpensive and usually worth the $5 or whatever. The 92nd St. Y often has interesting lectures or interviews. I also second the Moth, but get there early if they aren't selling tickets before hand.
posted by Falconetti at 12:43 PM on March 10, 2010

It sounds like you'll be around my neighborhood.

So, can I recommend The Floating Kabarette at Galapagos in DUMBO (under the Brooklyn Bridge)

Or there are always interesting shows at the Bell House or at BAM
posted by Unred at 2:53 PM on March 10, 2010

Nthing Timeout NY.

Also, I give this answer every month, but nonsense NYC email list has great stuff.
posted by lalochezia at 2:54 PM on March 10, 2010

The Upright Citizen's Brigade and the Floating Kabarette were both great and well worth the price (free). I'm sure the other suggestions were great too, but those are the two that we had time for and we were not disappointed.
posted by AtomicBee at 9:33 AM on March 23, 2010