New York City Nightlife Tips by BeatChick

Caffe Vivaldi: Caffe Vivaldi

Stopped here to rest my dogs while Megs stood in line for Johns Pizzeria (she texted me when she got to the front of the line - good lass)!

The service here is excellent with a nice view of the streets. They served me up a nice strong rum & coke just like I'd asked for and all with smiles & friendliness.

They play great music so this is a great stopover for music in the Village. Not a bad idea to dine on a pizza pie at John's on Bleecker then stop by here afterwards. But come early as the place fills up FAST!

They also have a menu!

Address: 32 Jones St, NYC, NY 10014

Directions: On a little side street in the West Village just off Bleecker St leading off John's Pizzeria.

Other Contact: listeningroom32@aol.com

Phone: (212) 691-7538

Theme: Nightclub

Website: http://www.caffevivaldi.com/

Times Square: Times Square

Hung out in Times Square, man! Being out in Times Square at 3:30am is a mind-blowing experience!!

Walking from there to Madison Square Garden, we supposedly met the cousin of the ODB who claims he'll hook us up with some tix & backstage passes for the upcoming Wu Tang Clan concert here in Cincy (uh huh).

We thought we were in Times Square the 2nd night (hey, that's what the subway stop said) but were actually just on 42nd street. Which I guess is technically part of Times Square but to see the big huge billboards, tall buildings and bright lights you'll have to walk around the corner and a few blocks to find it! When we did this on the 3rd night, we were all like, "Yeah, this is OUR New York!"

And I also forgot to mention the story of when I needed something to drink and we stopped by this late-night grocer stand. I walked up to the guy with this huge bottle of water and asked him how much? "$350!" he blurted out. So I gasped "350 DOLLARS!!".
"Welcome to Times Square!!" he said!! I laughed so hard for like 10 minutes!! He loved me.
The bottled water was only $3.50; not a bad price in comparison. ;D

I placed this tip under "Family Spot" because Times Square feels so safe, even at 3:30am! Tons of people milling about, police everywhere, and no sign of streetwalkers (not that *I'm* attuned to find them!).

Mr. Connolly relates a story that not long after Giuliani cleaned up NYC, he was walking around Times Square when 2 ladies dressed up in fur coats approached him and asked him if he wanted to "party" (wink wink nudge nudge). While he was walking along trying to figure out a gentle way to extricate himself from such an invitation, they asked him point-blank, "You do realize we're hookers, right?" The point being that a) we're probably rubes being from the midwest, or b) that they didn't look like pros (we certainly know how to pick them out on Vine St here in Cincy).

Dress Code: Casual - duh, it's Times Square!

Theme: Family Spot

42nd Street

Megs was a bit disappointed because all the huge buildings were in the financial district & we didn't venture down that way. We thought we were in Times Square the 2nd night (hey, that's what the subway stop said) but were actually just on 42nd street. We tried the next night (I'm sure it's where Broadway crosses, I said) and THEN she found HER New York - and she was happy!! :)

Theme: People Watching

Madison Square Garden: Madison Square Garden

hoofed it to Madison Square Garden (where Megs was disappointed as it didn't "look" like it was supposed to).

Theme: Concert

Ha! Comedy Club - formerly Sweet Caroline's

We went to a Ha! Comedy Club on Times Square - saw about 5 or 6 comics (THAT was a lot of fun - we stayed up all night our last night).

Theme: Nightclub