glamrgal

Could anyone suggest some fun evening outing ideas for my daughter and myself, when I visit her next week? I have a pretty varied itinerary for us to choose from for daytime fun (depending on our mood that day)...but it just occured to me that I haven't thought about the evenings.

Her place is a tiny dorm room, so hanging out & catching up at her place isn't an option. And we won't want to sit around in my hotel room, when there's a whole city to explore. I have zero interest in going to a club, and I can't really swing an ultra-expensive dinner at a top restaurant this trip (even if I could get reservations at this late date.)

I've thought about checking to see what theatre tickets we could score at TKTS. And I plan to scour previous postings for restaurant ideas. (I'm sure my daughter has found a few places on her own, as well.)

I'd really appreciate some ideas for night-time places/activities that both a 23-year-old and a 46-year-old would enjoy. Maybe somewhere we could have a glass of wine (or coffee), chat and people-watch.

Her neighborhood is the UWS, but we are willing to venture out to wherever. (She tells me that she now "totally knows the subway".)

That's a good thing, right?

lisettemac

Well, there are plenty of places on the UWS for dinner or even to hang out. I like La Bicyclette on Amsterdam (I think) around 84. It is a pseudo-French cafe where you can get steak frites, mussels, etc. They also have nice wines by the glass. It isn't expensive and they have outdoor seating if the weather is nice.

Ouest is a relatively new place on the UWS. I think it's also French (can you tell what kind of food I like?), but probably pricier. You could also just "hang out" at Drip. It's a coffee bar and they have yummy desserts.

One of my favorite evening activities on the weekend is the Metropolitan museum. It's open until 8:45 on Fridays and Saturdays and they have a bar on the rooftop (check to see if it's still open). It's a wonderful view of the city. They also have a bar and a quintet on the mezzanine level. The Metropolitan is "pay what you wish" so if you're just going for a drink in the evening, you don't need to pay full price (and she can probably get in cheap with a student ID). It's great people watching. The Guggenheim also used to have free jazz on Thursday evenings with drinks -- it's just a nice way to kick off the evening or to enjoy some art and unwind.

TKTS is also a great idea. Then there are lots of "art-house" movie theatres with interesting offerings that you might not have at home. The one near Lincoln Center will be closest to her dorm, but there is also the Angelika and the Film Forum downtown.

mclaurie

Hi glamrgal. As a frequent poster, I assume you know you can score discount theater tickets (both on & off Broadway) online rather than having to stand on line in Times Square, right? Go to Playbill.com, theatermania.com etc. & get discount codes. Then you can buy online, on the phone, OR at the theater box office with the code.

"The Thing About Men" is playing at the Promenade theater in "your" neighborhood.

Many of the museums are open late on Fri night. The Met is open late Fri & Sat.& they have live chamber music in the evening. Here's a website that lists most (but not all) museums & hours. If you haven't been to the Frick yet, you should go. They have a wine bar in the courtyard.

http://www.in-newyorkmag.com/museums/NYC_Museums1.htm

You said no clubs, but what about a comedy club? There's one right in "your" neighborhood. http://www.standupny.com/

Compass on 70th betw Amsterdam & West End is a great rest. in the neighborhood. A nice place for a drink or have their $30 prix fixe dinner. Cafe Luxembourg on the same street is also good. Pasha on 71 betw Columbus & CPW is a good Turkish rest., that's
usually not crowded & not terribly expensive.

A nice place for a drink & great view (although it tends to be a romantic spot) is the bar at the top of the Beekman Tower Hotel at 49th & 1st ave. Their food is just "passable".

Patrick

Classical music? Check out Julliard for totally free evening concerts.

Gekko

Head down to the Lower East Side. Dinner at Punch & Judy (excellent wine list) or Paladar would be perfect. Plus the area offers great people watching, and it's something different from the usual. Both restaurants are described in Shecky's, www.sheckys.com or I'm sure Citysearch.
Enjoy NYC!

glamrgal

Thank you to all who replied. I appreciate your suggestions.

It's off to NYC tomorrow, but only for a few days this time. I will report back if I find some "hidden treasures".

Thanks again!

jtp

I caught the opening preview night of WICKED, and can't rave enough -- it is fresh, exciting and a great story reagrdless of what depth you take the story line! It will clean -up at the Tony's, tickets were available at decent rates for previews ($52 orchestra is what we payed) - it would be a great stay at the theater and provide for good talk afterwards!

Patrick

jtp, I'm so jealous. As I posted on another thread, I booked discount tickets for Wicked for that same night (last Wednesday) about three weeks ago. I got nervous when they cancelled Tuesday night's preview, making the one I had tickets for the first one, so went to pick up my tickets at the box office a day early and they didn't have them. They suggested I called Ticketmaster, which I did and they told me my online sale never went through. So even though I had their confirmation number that meant nothing -- there were no tickets left. Sure enough, it was never billed to my credit card either. I tried at the box office, but there were only a few really bad singles for any performances for any dates we had left till we leave this Friday.

Guess now I'll have to wait to see Wicked until I'm back in April!!