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Biltmore Theater
Pockmarked in the 1980s by arson and vandalism, the once grand Biltmore seemed destined for the wrecking ball, despite its landmarked interior. A face-lift and fresh infusion of cash revived it in the 1990s, and now it's one of the premiere theaters on Broadway. Home to the Manhattan Theater Club, it covers American and European works.
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Birdland
Named for Charlie Parker, or 'Bird,' this jazz club has been turning out big-name acts since 1949 when Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Stan Getz and others made music and cut records in front of a live audience. Today you're likely to catch big names from European festivals, like Montreux, North Sea Jazz and other up-and-coming local talent. Regular performers include Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band, Barry Harris and David Berger's Sultans of Swing.
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Blue Bar At Bayard's
A dark-hued bar with a maritime theme, Blue Bar is tucked inside the opulent brownstone that houses Bayard, a highly-acclaimed restaurant. Blue Bar's sedate atmosphere lightens a bit on Wednesday nights, thanks to the live piano, but it's always a great place for a quiet, romantic drink.
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Bouwerie Lane Theater
An off-Broadway theatre venue that's presently inhabited by the Jean Cocteau Review, the Bouwerie was designed more than 100 years ago by Henry Engelbert. Its cast-iron facade is a rare standing example of the French Second Empire style. It was occupied by a bank and then in the 1960s converted to a theater, but nonetheless has great sight lines.
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Bowery Ballroom
The clue to the Bowery's success, besides its cool location and look, is that it's the kind of place you want to hang in before and after the show, as well as during. Drinks are long and strong, acoustics are grand, and the list of talent is phenomenal. Dirty Pretty Things and Ziggy Marley play regularly, and the Losers Lounge nights (The Cure vs The Smiths) sells out instantly.
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Bowlmor Lanes
Bowling is just the beginning at this sprawling alley complex, where you can visit just to take a candy-colored mod-style seat at the lengthy bar and watch glow-in-the-dark games through a massive glass window. The retro atmosphere is popular for large groups, and the groovy DJs might even inspire you to pick up a ball yourself.
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Brass Monkey
While most Meatpacking District bars tend toward chic, the Monkey is down-to-earth, appealing more to folks who put more thought into their favorite beer than which shoes to wear. The small, stripped-wood facade is comforting, and the interior just keeps putting you at ease: low, wood-beam ceilings, friendly bartenders and a nice long list of beer and scotch. A small bar menu offers snacks from mussels to bangers and mash.
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Brick Theater
Formerly an auto-body shop, a yoga studio and various storage spaces, this brick-walled garage has been completely refurbished into a state-of-the-art dance and theater complex, with a large sprung floor, professional lighting and sound package. Now it does critically acclaimed productions like Jenna is Nuts , Habitat , I n a Strange Room (based on Faulkner's As I Lay Dying), stagings of Chekhov's Three Sisters and O'Neill's Beyond the Horizon .
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C Tabac
Smoking is allowed (and encouraged) at C Tabac, where more than 150 types of smokes are sold. It makes specialty drinks like the Gingersnap (ginger-infused vodka, crystallized ginger and champagne), or you can just grab a beer and hang out in the art deco lounge with its bamboo walls.
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Cafe Carlyle
Monday nights its Woody Allen on the clarinet, playing with his jazz ensemble; sometimes Ute Lemper's headlining, and if she's unavailable, it could be Eartha Kitt, although that depends on whether or not she's doing a Broadway show. In short, it's an A-list crowd all the way.
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Cain
Plenty of wanna-be partiers would commit fratricide for a glimpse of the safari-themed interior of Cain, known for its rather hoity-toity entrance policies as much as for its wild dancing, a DJ booth carved out of a boulder, and live drummers accompanying the funk, house and rock music. Don't miss a Tuesday night if you're a fan of celeb sightings, but be prepared to work some magic at the door if you want to get in.
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Campbell Apartment
Take the lift beside the Oyster Bar, or the stairs to the West Balcony, and head out the doors to the left to reach this sublime cocktail spot. This used to be the apartment of a landed railroad magnate and has the velvet, mahogany and murals to prove it. Cigars are welcome, but sneakers and jeans are not. The Apartment is a great way to enjoy the grandeur of the train station, martini in hand.
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Carnegie Hall
Step through the arched doors and fluttering flags into the lobby, and you've entered the world of Toscanini, Tchaikovsky, Ravi Shankar and Frank Sinatra. The Carnegie has hosted some of the world's greatest musicians and continues to fill its cream-colored, multitiered main hall with crowd-pleasing performers.
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Cattyshack
Two floors of pulsing beats, raw industrial views and a queer friendly atmosphere that's mainly for the ladies but also welcoming to gays, trannies and heterosexuals. Weekend nights turn into a dance party; weeknights tend to be slower and more communal.
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Cherry Lane Theater
A theater with a distinctive charm hidden in the West Village, Cherry Lane has a long and distinguished history. It was started by poet Edna St Vincent Millay and has given a voice to numerous playwrights and actors over the years. It remains true to its mission of creating 'live' theater that's accessible to the public. Readings, plays and spoken-word performances rotate frequently.
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Chi Chiz
A small Christopher St favorite, especially for African-American gays, Chi Chiz offers the best drinking deal in the Village: everything half price from until closing on Sundays. Monday its karaoke, Tuesday its bingo, and it's a favorite late-night munchie hangout any day of the week.
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Chibi's Bar
This tiny, romantic sake spot has a delicately curved wooden bar with ice-blue stools, plus a loungier room to one side. It works its magic through smooth jazz sounds (live on Sundays) and the dangerously delicious flavors of specialty sakes, saketinis , and a unique bar menu boasting treats from edamame (fresh soybeans) to salmon caviar.
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Cielo
House music lovers of the world unite! Thanks to your support Cielo is still here, pulling in its regulars with fantastic' Deep House' Monday nights and monthly 'Turntables on the Hudson' danceathons. Regular DJs include Willie Graff and the celebrated François K; their alluring, hypnotic sounds draw everyone, sooner or later, to the dancefloor.
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City Center
This red-domed wonder almost went the way of the wrecking ball in 1943, but was saved by preservationists, only to face extinction again when its major ballet companies departed for Lincoln Center. Today, this overlooked treasure hosts Paul Taylor Dance Company, Alvin Ailey and American Ballet Theater, as well as the New York Flamenco Festival in February and other dance performances.
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Cleopatra's Needle
Late-night and open-mic jams are a hallmark at Cleopatra's Needle, where the music goes until . Some of the best band views are from the bar, where you can have a pint on tap and nosh on surprisingly good Mediterranean-influenced fare. There's never a cover, but mind the around US$10 drink and/or food minimum, as well as the fact that some performers resent being seen as background music to your dinner conversation.
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Clubhouse
Dance the night away at this straight-but-gay-friendly hotspot that has a rotating cadre of clever DJs and an open, welcoming design that has cute nooks to collapse in when the beat has worn you down.
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Comedy Cellar
A Greenwich Village staple for decades, the Comedy Cellar has seen quite a few careers come and go over the years, and is still filled nightly with wannabes, has-beens and hot-for-the-moment comics. Celebrity drop-ins are pretty frequent; keep an eye out for Jon Lovitz or Colin Quinn.
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D.B.A
While you're here, see if you can get owner Ray Deter to tell you if the name stands for 'doing business as,' 'don't bother asking,' or 'drink better ale.' The third choice is the most obvious, since Deter specializes in British-style ales in casks. He's got more than 150 at hand, including some microbrews like 'High and Mighty Ale.' Other standouts include the single malts and smooth tequilas. A slapdash garden in back doubles as a beer garden.
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Dead Poet
Good beers on tap (Smithwicks, Blue Moon, Brooklyn Lager), tons of Irish Whiskey, and a narrow, bookish bar where literary types (and even better, serious readers) come to leaf through old pages and compare interpretations of Proust.
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Double Happiness
Enter down a flight of stone steps that lead into a dark basement with no sign - it's all part of the fun though, and the well-mannered crowd inside enjoys the joke enough to come back again and again. The narrow room is filled with flickering candles, lending it a sexy and sinister air.
