New York is a wide city
but very easy to understand. The rules to know for the people who look for
music, gigs and "alternative" culture are the following:
1) buy a confortable, resistant
and handly map, to mark the several place to visit on, in a very strategic
way. Mark the pathway to make, and do it by walk, if it's possible..
2) buy the Village Voice, if you didn't find it
free along the street or inside Tower records or in other recordshops: it's
a must if you want to know all the NY gigs, recordshops etc etc. It
costs 1,50 dollars. The alternative is Time Out....but V.V. is better.
Place to visit
The coolest place in Manhattam
is DOWNTOWN. From West Downtown to East everithing is great!!!!! The Greenwich
Village, SoHo, the East Village (very punk 77) with St. Marks Place, contain
the best recordshops, venues, pubs and oddest and interesting people of the
city. No problem if you decide to visit them the night (of course, stay where
the crowd is!). Cross the Brooklin bridge to
see the city from the Brooklin Promenade.
In front of it there is the Pier 17. If you have planned to do some cheap
shopping go around Canal st. and the East Village.
Cultural Intermission: if
you have not seen any, you have to go to the Manhattam museum, from the one
of Natural History to the MOMA. No excuse to avoid to see them! If you are
from Europe you can skip some.
Recordshops
Generation records, 210 Thompson
st. (best value!). In the parallel streets (i.e. in the middle of the Greenwich
Village) there are many used and new cds shops: you have just to spend some
time to find them. More or less 1 day. Another one is Second Hand, on Sullivan
st. 200 and more (I found it close, but the people say it's good),
St Marks place: is the "alternative" street…there are more or less 4/5
used recordshops… you have to spend at least 1/2 a day there: be sure you'll
never be bored!! it's close to Soho, Bleeker st., Bowery st. etc. etc…
Cool Venues
DON'T FORGET to bring ALWAYS
with you an IDENTITY CARD!!! In USA there is an age limit both to drink
alcool and (incredible) to attend a gig in a venue. Even if you look like
40 you're not allowed to get into a venue and/or drink without an identity
card!!!
You can't loose the chanse
to see the CBGB!!! All the great musicians
played there! It's at 313 Bowery street. There are 2 CBGBs, one at # 313
(the hystorical one) the other is at #315 (it's like a little art gallery
which hosts also concerts). If you can't go there the night, visit it during
the day: you have just to kindly knock and ask to enter for few minuits:
it's wonderful!!
Other cool venues:
Wetlands
161
Hudson Street
Coney Island
High
15 St. Marks
Place
Continental
at the
beginning of St. Marks Place
Tramps
51 West e
21st Street
Hammerstein
Ballroom
311 West e
34th Street
Bowery Ballroom
6 (?)
Delancey Street
Go to the leaflets page to have an idea about the shows
you can find in these places.
