Entertainment

22 ways to entertain yourself in NYC

1. WEEP TO “LA BOHÈME” AT THE MET

It’s the perfect “starter” opera for people who think they don’t like opera, and Puccini’s toast to young, thwarted love — this was the precursor to “Rent,” after all — is never lusher than in Franco Zeffirelli’s lavish production. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry — and you’ll even love intermission, when you can pop for Champagne, ogle fellow opera-goers’ gowns and the equally dramatic fountains dancing across the Lincoln Center plaza. No need to memorize the text, either: It’s there in English (or German or Spanish) on the seat in front of you. But young love, Puccini-style, needs no translation.

2. FREAK ON LINDA BLAIR’S HEAD AT THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE

Strolling through the huge selection of artifacts from the history of movies will call up the history of your life. The Batman lunchbox! Elizabeth Taylor’s “Cleopatra” wig! And if you really want to make your head spin, check out the dummy they used to fake Linda Blair’s cranial 360 in “The Exorcist.”

3. SCREEN A MIDNIGHT MOVIE AT THE IFC CENTER

A student-y crowd of fired-up cinephiles and its Greenwich Village location make this one of the most attractive movie venues in town. (Take that, Film Forum!) Plus, it offers a rotating selection of classic counterculture films, such as “Taxi Driver” and “Fight Club.” What’s not to love?

4. CONTEMPLATE “EARLY SUNDAYMORNING” AT THE WHITNEY

No one saw New York quite the way Edward Hopper did, and no NYC gallery has as much Hopper as the Whitney Museum of American Art. Granted, it doesn’t have the name recognition of the Met or MoMA, but it does have a first-rate collection of America’s best and brightest — including Hopper’s “Early Sunday Morning” (above) and other masterpieces of melancholy.

5. CATCH WYATT CENAC’S NIGHT TRAIN

Now that he’s left “The Daily Show,” ex-correspondent Wyatt Cenac hosts a Monday night stand-up show with the funniest comics in the city. Upcoming guests include Reggie Watts, Seth Herzog, and “Chappelle’s Show” co-creator Neal Brennan — but his sharp wit is reason enough to make the trek to Littlefield in Gowanus.

6. ROCK OUT TO A SHOW AT BOWERY BALLROOM

It’s not just NYC’s best rock venue, it’s one of the best in the world. The sound is impeccable, the bookers bring in the best talent (like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, right) and unless you behave like a massive tool, the staff know how to treat their patrons. For the best view, push yourself past the bottleneck at the entrance, and walk to the left side of the room where the bands often stash their gear.

7. TAKE THE CARNEGIE HALL STAGE (WITHOUT PRACTICING)

There are no bad seats in the world-famous hall, but the most breathtaking view is with your back pressed against the stage, looking out at the jewelbox balconies and private boxes. Built by native Scot Andrew Carnegie, it has bagpipes on the proscenium arches. At intermission, tour the rest of the theater, where photos of nearly everyone who’s performed there — like The Beatles — line the walls.

8. WAIT FOR A STAR BY THE STAGE DOOR

Unless you work as a paparazzo, you’ll never have clearer intel about exactly where a big movie star will be and when — like Scarlett Johansson, appearing in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on Broadway now. And who knows? When you catch them at the stage door, unlike on the street, they just might sign an autograph or answer a question. It’s celebrity interaction done right.

9. HAVE A COCKTAIL AT THE NITEHAWK CINEMA

The city’s only theater where you can legally drink (and eat a gourmet dinner at a table) while watching a flick is in this cozy art-house complex in Williamsburg. Food and drink are themed to the movies being shown, and there are special brunch screenings of revivals on weekends, sometimes with live pre-show entertainment.

10. LISTEN TO THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC IN CENTRAL PARK

Our celebrated hometown orchestra is even more fun to hear al fresco (and free) on summer nights when the musicians roll up their sleeves and tour the city’s parks. Top-line soloists and much-loved music, such as Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” are just part of the draw. Don’t discount the heady effect of spreading a blanket, picnicking under the stars and watching fireworks explode after — and sometimes during — the Phil’s finale.

11. CHANNEL YOUR INNER COWBOY AT RODEO BAR

Ever tried busting out your line-dance moves at the Mercury Lounge? We didn’t think so. As a rule, New York’s not too country-friendly, which is why Hank Williams lovers gravitate to the long-running East Side honky-tonk Rodeo Bar. Grab one of their potent margaritas and catch whatever down-home band happens to be taking the stage — Rodeo features free live music every night.

12. SEE A SHOW PROMOTED BY TODD P

If you long for the old days of nightclubbing, with indoor smoking and cheap drinks, you need to seek out concert organizer Todd P. Over the last few years, he’s hosted artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Tanlines in loft apartments and other out of the way venues (mainly in Brooklyn). He’s not as prolific as he used to be, but when a Todd P show is scheduled, it’ll probably be like nothing you’ve heard before.

13. TAKE A BACKSTAGE TOUR OF A BROADWAY SHOW

You think a Broadway musical is a complex undertaking? You should see what it looks like behind the curtain! The sets weigh up to two tons, hydraulic lifts can be found beneath the orchestra pit — and cute chorus girls scamper about! But unless you know someone in the show, getting past the stage doorman isn’t going to happen. And yet twice a year — once in the fall, once in the spring — Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS holds two-week-long fundraisers. For a $250 donation, the producers of “Wicked” offer backstage tours. So why not hitch a ride on Glinda’s bubble? It’s one way to make your Broadway debut.

14. HAVE A PICKLEBACK AT BUSHWICK COUNTRY CLUB

It’s impossible to tell who decided to pair a shot of whiskey with a shot of pickle juice, but most lore traces its recent origins to bartenders at Williamsburg’s Bushwick Country Club. The combo has become a distinctly NYC addition to bar culture, and this dive still does it best, pairing Old Crow with the brine of McClure’s pickles.

15. CHECK OUT A VINTAGE MOVIE PALACE…IN A CHURCH

Midtown’s vintage movie palaces long ago met the wrecker’s ball, except for 1930’s magnificent Warner Hollywood, which has been home to the non-denominational Times Square Church since 1989. No movies anymore, but Sunday services provide ample opportunity to worship the ornate 1,603-seat auditorium and three-story French baroque-style rotunda lobby.

16. FIND COLE PORTER’S SONG THE SHUBERT ARCHIVE

The Shubert Organization is the world’s most powerful producing and theater-owning company. Above the Lyceum Theater on West 45th Street is the Shubert archive, filled with a century of Shubert letters and memorabilia. Among the gems are Al Jolson’s contracts Cole Porter’s original scores. The archive is open to scholars and students; visits are by appointment only.

17. WANDER THE SIX DISORIENTING FLOORS OF “SLEEP NO MORE”

The spooky “McKittrick Hotel” is full of some 100 meticulously art-directed rooms with decor that appears to have been sourced from a haunted Brooklyn thrift shop. Among them is a can’t-miss rave room lit by strobe and populated by bloody, topless witches and a naked man wearing a bull mask. Be judicious in your exploration: To even partially understand the unfolding story requires being in the right place and with the right performer at the right time.


18. VISIT “LITTLE ODESSA” IN BRIGHTON BEACH

Joan Rivers says:

“I adore Brighton Beach. I just love it. It’s absolute madness. Everybody is talking Russian. I went one time, a whole group of us, and we just walked the boardwalk and watched everybody. You can also buy a hot purse. We once went to a Russian nightclub there, which is so good, because all the ladies are 20 pounds overweight and you feel great about yourself.”

19. HIT THE FUNDAY PARTY AT GOLDBAR

Sundays are a drag, but they don’t have to be. Stop by GoldBar for club partner Jonny Lennon’s (right) celeb-studded bashes. While most New Yorkers are plopped in front of their TVs bemoaning the week to come, dance the day away with Rita Ora, Lindsay Lohan and other peeps who don’t care about the Monday blues.

20. CATCH A FLICK AT THE ZIEGFELD

There’s no competition for the best place in town to see blockbusters. The best projection and sound can be found at this 1969 homage to an old-time movie palace, which is losing $1 million a year — so get there soon. There’s not a bad seat in the place, but the sweetest one is 15 rows back on the left-side aisle in the center of the orchestra.

21. DANCE ON THE CATWALK AT WESTWAY

The former strip club right off the West Side Highway has been going strong in its reincarnation as a late-night dance party den for hipsters and fashionistas. While the stripper poles have been taken down, the dancers’ catwalk still exists in all its lit-up glory. Step up, and pop a move in homage to Westway’s sexxxy roots.

22. GET JAZZED WITH WOODY ALLEN AND THE EDDY DAVIS NEW ORLEANS JAZZ BAND

In between churning out a movie almost every year, Woody Allen still finds time to indulge in his other passion: hot jazz. On Mondays, he plays a mean clarinet for the benefit of dinner guests at the Carlyle Hotel. While it’s not cheap (table seatings are $145 per person), it’s worth it just to see the reclusive director so close up.

— Additional reporting by Tim Donnelly, Larry Getlen, Barbara Hoffman, Dana Schuster, Kyle Smith, Sara Stewart and Reed Tucker