New York City April '08 w/ The Verve & Elbow

[jim]

This is a short essay on the going ons in NYC the last weekend of April 2008.My wife and I flew into La Guardia Saturday the 26th.We were in town primarily to see The Verve on Monday night at WAMU Theatre at Madison Square Garden.We arrived at are friends apartment on W.52 St.dropped the bags off and headed for Canal St & Chinatown.It was a busy day on Canal and the little green turtles have started showing up on the streets.A sure sign of warm weather arriving.We shopped abit and went to Mulberry Street for a noodle bowl.Cant remember the name of the place but it was very good.We than headed up thru Soho and back to the apartment to get ready for the evening show w/ Elbow.Elbow was fantastic.They played at Webster Hall in The East Village or St. Marks neighborhood.Did not reallly care for their first or last song but the rest was great.They also did not play "Fugitive Motel" which is my favorite Elbow song.Oh well....it was agreat show even if you could here the disco cranking below the room Elbow played in.The night was finished with a few pints at Druids in Hells Kitchen.Sunday we got up and Q'ed for tickets to a play.We selected Spamalot w/ Clay Aiken.It was the best show I have seen.Super funny and in a great old theatre,Shubert.Had dinner that night at Peter Lugers Steakhouse in Brooklyn which we arrived an hour late for our reservation due to missing a train.Lugers is known as the best steakhouse in NYC and the US....it did not live up to the hype.Steak was good,drinks were good,ambiance was good,service was lacking and uncaring,appetizers and sides were poor.The only dissapointment of the trip.We finished the night at The Snug also in Hells Kitchen.Monday brought the torential rain.We got soaked on the way to Les Halles for breakfast.Les Halles is where Anthony Bourdain worked for many years.It was superb in every way.We than went to McSorleys Old Ale House for light & dark beers for the rest of the afternoon.We had dinner that night at Rice & Beans in Hells Kitchen which was very good and than hopped the subway to Madison Square Garden for The Verve.The WAMU Theatre is OK.Kinda big and wide w/ low ceilings.I did not care for the place.It gave you a sterile feeling.The Verve came on at 9 after a DJ played for an hour.Opened w/ "This is Music" and played all their hits.I especially loved "Rolling People & Sonnet & The Drugs Dont Work".They were very good.They closed with Bitter Sweet Symphony as their first encore and another new song for the closer.We managed to get their dressing room sign but failed to work are way back stage.That night we had a pint on the 30 floor sundeck of the aprtment we were staying at that overlooked midtown Manhattan and Times Square.It was cool.It was a cool weekend in NYC.