Entertainment in North America
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A
Cineforum
Though there have been a few attempts to shut it down, an off-the-wall experience (or perhaps on-the-wall) still awaits at Cineforum. Irascible Torontonian character Reg Hartt wraps posters around telephone poles advertising his cinema – the front room of his house where he showcases classic and avant-garde films. Animation retrospectives are his specialty, as are Salvador Dalí prints. Come prepared for idiosyncratic lectures designed to expand your consciousness (like ‘What I Learned from LSD’), sometimes delivered while movies are playing. Seats 20; bring your own food and drink.
reviewed
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B
Rio
The name of this wildly popular casino hotel says a lot about the Rio. The corny Masquerade Village, the center of the action, offers an ongoing carnaval atmosphere. In the free ‘Show in the Sky, ’ Mardi Gras floats suspended from tracks in the ceiling parade above the gaming tables while racily costumed performers dance and lip-synch to pop rock and jazzy numbers, and toss shiny beaded necklaces to the crowds. The rambunctious fun is infectious. You can even ride along in one of the floats while having your souvenir photo taken for a fee (reservations required).
reviewed
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C
Abrons Art Center
This venerable cultural hub has three theaters, the largest being the Harry de Jur Playhouse (a national landmark), with its own lobby, fixed seats on a rise, a large, deep stage and good visibility. A mainstay of the downtown Fringe Festival, Abrons Art Center is also your best bet to catch experimental and community productions – including avant-garde jazz brought to you by the former Tonic nightclub, which was driven out of the Lower East Side by rising rents. Not afraid of difficult subjects, Abrons sponsors plays and dance and photography exhibits that don't get much play elsewhere.
reviewed
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New York Giants
One of the NFL’s oldest teams, the Giants (part of the NFC conference) shocked the world (and themselves) with a 2008 Super Bowl championship won off their stingy defense and the sometimes maligned arm of quarterback Eli Manning. Like other sports franchises in the NY region, the Giants longed for a new stadium and their wish was granted. Barring any unexpected delays, the new $1.6 billion Meadowlands Stadium (no name change here) should be up and running by the time you read this. Double in size to the old stadium, it has a handy new rail link to the city courtesy of NJ Transit.
reviewed
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D
Citi Performing Arts Center
Boston’s biggest music and dance venue, the Citi Performing Arts Center is comprised of two theaters which face off across Tremont St. The opulent and enormous Wang Theatre, built in 1925, has one of the largest stages in the country. The Wang hosts extravagant music and modern dance productions, as well as occasional giant-screen movies (the center was originally built as a movie palace). The Citi Center also includes the more intimate Shubert Theatre across the street.
reviewed
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E
Biograph Theater
In 1934, the ‘lady in red’ betrayed gangster John Dillinger at this theater, which used to show movies. It started out as a date – Dillinger took new girlfriend Polly Hamilton to the show, and Polly’s roommate Anna Sage tagged along, wearing a red dress. Alas, Dillinger was a notorious bank robber and the FBI’s very first ‘Public Enemy Number One.’ Sage also had troubles with the law, and was about to be deported. To avoid it, she agreed to set Dillinger up. FBI agents shot him in the alley beside the theater. The venue now hosts plays by the Victory Gardens Theater.
reviewed
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F
Bally’s
Unless it’s ‘bigger is better, ’ there’s no real theme at the Strip’s most staid megaresort, with a football-field-sized casino overhung by twinkling chandeliers and overstuffed blue-velvet chairs. But Bally’s biggest attractions are not about gaming. Jubilee! is one of Vegas’ long-running showgirl extravaganzas. After performances, the leggy dancers often pose for their over-the-hill admirers at the casino’s Indigo lounge. Or visitors can peek behind the curtains on a backstage tour. The monorail station is at the back, and an interior walkway connects to Paris Las Vegas.
reviewed
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G
Harrah’s Casino
You’d think all manner of vice would be welcome in the Big Easy, but Harrah’s, near the foot of Canal St, doesn’t get much local love. In spite of its best efforts to fit in – there’s a perfunctory Mardi Gras parade every night – Harrah’s still manages to make guests feel like they’re in Sparks, Nevada. It’s a big ol’ casino that’s part of a national chain, and it pretty much feels exactly like that. Nevertheless, people do trickle in for the casino gambling, buffet dining, free parking and hotel discounts.
reviewed
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H
Duke of Duckworth
'The Duke,' as it's known, is an unpretentious English-style pub that represents all that's great about Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders. Stop in on a Friday night and you'll see a mix of blue-collar, white-collar, young and old, even band members from Great Big Sea plunked down on the well-worn, red-velour bar stools. The kitchen cooks the ultimate in chicken pot pie, fish and chips and other comfort foods, and 14 beers (including the local Quidi Vidi) flow through the taps.
reviewed
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I
Love
Where does Beyoncé play when she’s in DC? Yo, where is the Love? If you’re going to go to a multifloor megaclub in DC, make it this gorgeous spot, where you’re basically the star of your own Usher video. Dress to impress (the code is strict, no sneakers or baggy jeans allowed) as this club attracts thousands and lines form out the door. Friday nights see a predominantly hip-hop-heavy menu and African American crowd. Saturdays are more diverse, with international electronica pumped through the speakers and a mixed crowd. You need to drive or taxi out here.
reviewed
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J
Stella's Tap & Tapas Bar
Leading the Drive's friendly neighborhood bars, Stella's is a pilgrimage spot for fans of great Belgian brews. Leffe and Stella Artois are on tap but it's the multipage bottled list that'll do you in. Try fruity Mort Subite Kriek, coppery Chimay Rouge, strong Golden Draak and dark X.O., a brooding, end-of-the-night beer made with cognac. And don't forget that other nutrient group: moules et frites (mussels and fries) is recommended, or a cone of addictive fries (served Euro-style with mayonnaise) is always a good idea. There's also a more food-forward Stella's on Cambie.
reviewed
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K
Santa Fe Opera
Many come to Santa Fe for this and this alone: the theater is an architectural marvel, with nearly 360-degree views of wind-carved sandstone wilderness crowned with sunsets and moonrises, and at center stage the world's finest talent performs Western civilization's masterworks. It's still the Wild West, though; you can even wear jeans – just try that in New York City.
Gala festivities begin two hours before the curtain rises, when the ritual tailgate party is rendered glamorous in true Santa Fe style right in the parking lot. Bring your own caviar and brie, make reservations for the buffet dinner and lecture or a picnic dinner, or have your own private caterer – several…
reviewed
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L
Brickhouse
On a sketchy strip of Main St that most people avoid, you'd expect the Brickhouse to be just as skuzzy as the nasty-ass dive bars surrounding it. But stepping inside here is a revelation. In Vancouver's most eclectic bar, you'll find redbrick walls lined with Christmas lights and fish tanks. The room is studded with junk-shop coffee tables and sagging couches. Popular with artsy locals and in-the- know hipsters, it's like hanging out in someone's old-school den. Grab a Storm Scottish Ale at the bar, slide onto a perch and start chatting: you're bound to meet someone interesting.
reviewed
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M
Harrah’s
Though it’s not nearly as rambunctious as Vegas’ carnaval casino hotel, the Rio, Harrah’s may be the brightest, friendliest and most playful casino on the Strip – and it’s swimming with gamblers. An enormous backlit mural over the hotel’s front desk depicts the greatest Las Vegas entertainers of all time, and entertainment is still the name of the game here, with the Improv comedy club and other headliner comics and magicians. After dark, try out for TJ’s All-Star Karaoke at the piano bar or get soused in the outdoor Carnaval Court, where flair bartenders juggle fire.
reviewed
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N
Bōl
Set in the striking, new Solaris condo complex, there has never ever been a sleeker more upscale bowling alley. Ever! This is damn near space age and at research time was by far the dopest hang in Vail.
With high energy, progressive rock pumping, balls decorated like billiard balls (finger size printed large and central), big-screen TVs strobing at the end of the lanes, and a sleek bar in the neon lobby, Vail's young and pretty hang here. And it serves food too. Think pork buns with ponzu sauce, honey-glazed ribs, balsamic-tossed arugula and pan-roasted baby artichokes.
reviewed
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O
Bimini’s Public House
A Kitsilano institution that’s been drawing the locals like a booze-soaked magnet for years, Bimini’s is a trad-looking bar-restaurant where you’ll feel equally comfortable sipping cocktails or knocking back a couple of beers. Drop by on Tuesday, when all draft domestic beer and hi-balls are $3 each, and consider busting your weekend hangover by returning to the scene of the crime for Sunday brunch. A devastating fire had just wrecked the joint during the write-up period for this book, but the owners were planning to rebuild and reopen as soon as possible.
reviewed
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P
Gusman Center for the Performing Arts
This elegantly renovated 1920s movie palace services a huge variety of performing arts including film festivals, symphonies, ballets and touring shows. The acoustics are excellent.
reviewed
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Q
Rio Theatre
A recently restored 1980s movie house with very comfy seats, the one-screen Rio shows one Hollywood blockbuster every night. Even better are its extras: there's a baby-friendly screening for parents and their mewling progeny every other Wednesday, while Friday night brings a midnight double bill of classics like A Clockwork Orange, Back to the Future and, of course, the Rocky Horror Picture Show – there's a $2 discount if you arrive in costume. Check the website for additional special events. All matinees are $7, as are all Tuesday shows.
reviewed
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Malamute Saloon
Rowdy saloons that are throwbacks from the mining days are this area's specialty. The Malamute Saloon, 7mi west of Fairbanks in Ester, offers honky-tonk music, skits, vaudeville and a ritual reading of Robert Service poetry. The bar is a classic, and the show is perhaps one of the best locally produced acts in Alaska. They'll have you laughing in the sawdust by the end of the evening.
There's free bus transportation from Fairbanks that stops at major hotels, including the Bridgewater. Or you can make it an evening by booking a room or a tent site at Ester Gold Camp.
reviewed
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R
Motherloaded Tavern
The choice dive in Breckenridge isn't all that divey. Sure it's a bare bones tavern, but it also attracts the local hipsters and anyone else who dreams of a tastier, well-crafted brand of comfort food best paired with something buzz-inducing: black bean burgers, grilled PB&Js, homemade mac-and-cheese, meatloaf paninis and a menu of martinis, shooters and hot, steaming boozey sips.
Surprisingly, there are no microbrews on tap so it'll have to be a Pabst, Hank. There's live music every Friday and Saturday night, and Trivia Night draws draws a crowd on Tuesday.
reviewed
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S
Hard Rock
The world’s first rock ’n’ roll casino, the hot, hot, hot Hard Rock embraces what may be the most impressive collection of rock-star memorabilia ever assembled under one roof. Among the priceless items being watched over by the ‘eye in the sky’ and eagle-eyed security guards suited up like bouncers are some of the more bodacious fashion statements by Elvis and Britney Spears; a custom motorcycle (donated by Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe) that once belonged to the Hell’s Angels gang; and Jim Morrison’s handwritten lyrics to one of The Doors’ greatest hits.
reviewed
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T
Mo Pitkins
Words really can't do justice to the whacked out, high energy shows that appear at Mo Pitkins, a 'Judeo-Latin' restaurant/cabaret/literary salon. Mo Knows Songwriters is a popular weekly crooner event, but you'll also see acoustic sets and all-out big band swing on other nights. Either way, it's innovative entertainment with some kicking kosher Latin food. Monday night is literary night; expect live readings.
Dishes include mac-n-cheese, garlic fries with manchego, fried artichokes, rotisserie kosher chicken and other delights, like flourless chocolate cake.
reviewed
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U
Balcony Music Club
Balcony is all about the acts; if there’s a dud band playing you can pass it up, but on good nights it forms a very convenient crux in the French Quarter–Faubourg Marigny Decatur St stumble o’ fun. The 1920s flapper nights, held on a semi-regular basis, are the best; if you’ve ever seen the 1996 movie Swingers, it’s kind of exactly like the scene in the Brown Derby. If that cultural reference soared past, imagine walking into a speakeasy circa the Al Capone days and you’ve got an idea of what’s going on.
reviewed
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V
Nevermind
Casual-but-cavernous, this dark, subterranean bar is popular with University of British Columbia (UBC) students. They come for the cozy log-lined back room – there's also a large patio outside for summer quaffing – and a large drinks list that covers all the bases. Sleeman and Okanagan Springs beers are available but there's also a large and well-priced cocktail selection – some are available by the pitcher for group imbibing. The food menu is equally intriguing, having standard burgers and pizzas alongside lesser-expected recommendations like mahi mahi tacos.
reviewed
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W
Chicago Blackhawks
The 2010 Stanley Cup winners skate in front of big crowds. They share the United Center with the Bulls.
reviewed