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Joyce Theater
An offbeat, intimate venue in Chelsea with clean sight lines from every corner, the Joyce is blessed with annual visits from Merce Cunningham and Pilobolus dance companies, comfortably seen from any of the renovated theater's 470 seats.
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Kgb Bar
Back in the 1940s, this space housed the local headquarters of a Ukrainian socialist party; it's dingy red walls and bright yellow propaganda banners are the real thing. KGB reinvented itself as a literary bar a few years ago and hasn't looked back; its readings are marquee events, and the crowd laps up the vodka.
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La MaMa E.T.C.
Led by founder Ellen Stewart and begun in a small East Village basement, this home for onstage experimentation (the 'ETC' stands for 'experimental theater club') has grown into a complex of three theaters, a cafe, an art gallery and a separate rehearsal studio building. The place to find cutting-edge dramas, sketch-comedy acts and readings of all kinds.
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Landmark Sunshine Cinema
Built in the late 1800s, Sunshine Cinema used to be a Yiddish vaudeville house until it closed in the 1950s. It reopened as a movie theater in 2001 with comfy chairs, great sight lines and a Japanese rock garden. It's a great place to catch a flick, and it leans toward independent and limited-release films, although will also carry big blockbusters.
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Lenox Lounge
The classic art deco Lounge, which frequently hosts big names, is an old favorite of local jazz cats, though it's a beautiful and historic house for anyone who wants a nice place to imbibe. Don't miss the luxe Zebra Room in the back.
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Leonard Nimoy Thalia
Want to see a double feature of Rear Window and On the Waterfront ? How about The Big Heat and Mean Streets ? The Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater at Symphony Space can be counted on to provide the most eclectic and entertaining showings in town. A film buff's fantasy come true.
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Level V
Waaay underground, in all senses of the word, Level V is actually hidden beneath Vento Trattoria, a fine-looking Italian restaurant on Hudson St. Get past the doorman and you descend into a super-cool dungeon-like club, with bright red puffy couches, sexy bartenders (men and women) and a DJ working the dancefloor.
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Little Branch
You might have heard of Milk & Honey, an unmarked Lower East Side bar that famously made patrons call ahead using a secret phone number to gain entry. The same owner Sasha Petraske, a West Village native whose mother worked at The Village Voice newspaper alongside Sylvia Plachy for years, just opened his third bar. The homey and welcoming Little Branch serves perfectly-mixed cocktails.
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Lotus
The big night at this slick, VIP-crowd club is Friday, when GBH (not to be confused with GHB) rocks the place with a fresh mix of house, disco and garage for groovy downtown hipsters. There's also a sophisticated restaurant and an outdoor cafe.
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Low-Bar
Low-Bar, an offshoot of the popular Rice eatery in Manhattan, serves the same delicious mixtures of black, green and long-grain rice, but it also has a secret gathering spot in its basement that's a popular nightclub on weekends. It starts out slow but generally heats up after midnight, when the dancing breaks out and people start to live a little.
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Lowes 42nd St E-Walk Theater
A massive, 13-screen theatre in Times Sq, the E-Walk dishes out all the latest Hollywood pabulum in state-of-the-art facilities. It's a good place to catch indies, as they're not as crowded as the mainstream fare, and the digs are plush, with excellent sightlines.
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Magician
Pick out an old classic on the jukebox, take your pick of microbrewed beers or specialty cocktails (mixed with a generous hand) and enjoy the spacious, never-crowded bar at Magician's, a low-key neighborhood joint that hasn't been discovered by the 'in' crowd.
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Majestic Theater
A fabled performance house that saw the likes of Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews and several Barrymores on its stage, the Majestic is still (still!) selling out every night for Phantom of the Opera, 20 years after Andrew Lloyd Webber's creation debuted.
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Manchester Pub
Thirsty for a taste of England? Head to this popular, cozy pub then, where you'll find solid pub grub, icy pints (Guinness included, natch) and a really cool Internet jukebox that lets you download any song you fancy. Get here early, though, as local fans mob the place by .
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Mare Chiaro
Take a moment and pay your respects to Ol' Blue Eyes - Frank Sinatra used to belly up to this very same bar and charm the gruff waiters into giving him a double.
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Marie's Crisis
Aging Broadway queens, wide-eyed out-of-town gay boys, giggly tourist girls and various other fans of musical theater assemble around the piano here and take turns belting out campy numbers, often joined by the entire crowd. It's old-school fun that'll put a spring in your step, no matter how jaded you were when you walked in.
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Maritime Café At Pier 1
Come the warm season, this ingenious use of the Riverside Park esplanade - an outdoor café with grilled grub, fruity cocktails and lounge chairs set up on the grass to those who reserve in advance - is totally hopping. It's no wonder, as there are few better city spots for a front-row view of the sunset, let alone those with such service. Summertime brings frequent live music, as well as movies, shown al fresco at the end of the connecting pier.
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Marquee
Glamorous masses, with their fair share of A-listers, try to slip past the velvet rope at this roomy space, where mainstream fare rocks the house and voyeurs gather on the mezzanine to peer through a glass wall at the 1st-floor action.
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Mercbar
An intimate hideaway where you can actually hold a conversation without having to scream over the soundtrack is a big draw for the after-work publishing crowd, which likes to sip martinis and rub tweedy elbows.
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Mercury Lounge
Some former Mercury Lounge acts have hit the big time, like The Strokes. A few others are on the verge, like Beirut, but this is generally the place to hear bands that are still several leagues away from stardom. That doesn't mean they're not good though. The Mercury's got a good eye (and ear) for talent, so expect to be entertained, if not enthralled.
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Milano's
For nearly a century, hole-in-the-wall Milano's has withstood the hipster onslaught and stayed true to its divey self - with offerings like $3 Pabst Blue Ribbon beers and a selection of potato chips that hang behind the worn, wooden bar. Crusty regulars and curious young visitors mix it up easily.
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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.
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Mobay Uptown
An extension of MoBay's in Brooklyn, this Caribbean eatery (with Jamaican, Haitian and vegetarian dishes) likes to add a little jazz to its cooking. It has jazz nights every Tuesday to Sunday from until midnight in the lounge (where you can order nibbles) and gospel brunches every Sunday from to , and then a live band comes in for the evening.
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Moca
Save your best moves for Moca because you're going to need them! The thumping sound system (no live music) really has the dancefloor heaving on weekend nights, mostly to reggae, salsa and hip hop. Don't let the security frisk at the door bother you - it's just standard procedure. Two drink minimum on weekends, but there's a nightly happy hour, too.
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Morrell Wine Bar & Café
This mega grape-geeks' haven was one of the pioneers of the wine-bar craze in NYC. There are 2000 bottles of wine to choose from, with a whopping 150 wines available by the glass. And the airy, split-level room, right across from the famous skating rink, is as lovely as the vino.
