Thank you, kluurs.

TO ALL: Frank says Friday is better for him. If we hold it on Saturday he said he would still try to come but a weekday is better.

thanks for the update on that, bernard.

now we have to ask frank: if we hold it on friday do you promise to come?

and, was anyone planning to come who is excluded if we hold it on friday?

frank, my offer to take you out to dinner while i'm in nyc is still good either way.

I'll be coming back from England on the weekend of the 25th; if the meeting's Friday the 24th or Saturday the 25th I'll arrange to come through New York. I do very poorly with jet lag, however, and will probably act, if not look, half dead.

It begins to look like Friday would be slightly better than Saturday for me and the tickets to hear Alicia are pretty steep even for me. Comments?

there are several good concerts listed for friday the 17th also, including alicia de laroccha (again), on page one of this thread.

would all interested parties please peruse again and cast your votes?

whether it is friday the 17th or saturday the 18th makes no difference to me. the following weekend does NOT work for me, as my dad's concert in NJ is that weekend and i will spend a few days visiting the parents.

of the concerts listed so far for the 17th, i would enjoy going to see "traviata" at the met, or possibly the bargemusic concert (second choice), as i've never been to one of those.

on the 18th, my preference would be to see h.m.s. pinafore or the beaux arts trio (second choice).

none of this means i'm not up for going to something else, including alicia, as that seems to be the most exciting option for many forum members.

let everyone state their real preferences and then we'll tally up the results.

tell us your best day, your second choice day.

tell us your first choice concert, your second choice concert (or give choice of two).

i hope everyone who might want to join us can weigh in soon, so we can at least get the tickets issue taken care of.

i'm hoping to be leaving town for about ten days on 9/2, and won't be reachable before about the 11th, but i'm getting email notification every time someone posts here, so i'll stay tuned for as long as i'm able.

First choice day - Fri 17th.
- first choice concert - Alicia De.
- second choice - Bargemusic.

Second choice day - Sat. 18th.
- first choice concert - Beaux Arts Trio
- second choice - Bargemusic.

Bargemusic is an interesting venue, but I'm afraid it is more difficult to get to than Manhattan concerts. Also, if we decide on that, we may want to explore restaurants in that area, which I'm not too familiar with.

Bella, on the other hand is a good choice for the west side. I'm sad to hear that "The Sacred Ginmill" - Armstrong's closed a second time (maybe Jimmy lost his lease again). That was always a good place to go for food and drinks.

Once we decide on a day and concert, we should decide on a dinner place. I would be glad to handle the reservations when we decide, and have a ball park number of people.

Phlebas,
you knew armstrong's??? what do you mean, "a second time?" it was closed when i was there last october. is it possible it reopened since then?

i loved that place! it was my living room when i lived on 56th street--my place was too small to entertain, so i and my friends regularly held court at armstrong's. i was introduced to it by a friend at the ny times. he told me lots of media types go there because both cbs and pbs studios are close by.

is that your line of work, by any chance?

Edited for double post.

Anyway, back to this Oct.

No, not my line of work at all.

The best mystery novel ever written was by Lawrence Block, and was entitled "When the Sacred Ginmill Closes." It takes place in the mid-1970's, and the private-eye main character, and all his cronies hung out at Armstrong's - among other ginmills (actually, I never thought of Armstrong's as a ginmill).
Armstrong's used to be on nonth avenue, but they lost their lease in the late 1970's, and Jimmy Armstrong moved a block west to 10th avenue.

I had a roommate who bartended there for a couple years, and I loved the food and atmosphere there - Hell's Kitchen without all the sleaze.

That's my connection with Armstrong's.

You should definately read this book, if you were a regular there.

i was a regular there, and thanks for the tip on the book. who knows, phlebas, maybe we've already shared pleasantries from adjacent tables there.

i wonder if they have relocated again? is it possible they are still in the neighborhood somewhere and might still be a great place to get together?

they had the world's most eclectic menu, truly international (and the size of a novella), and very inexpensive, and a great atmosphere.

Maybe we were sitting across the room. If you saw someone who looked like a 35-40 yr old version of Brad Pitt, but with better bone structure, that was me.

If you believe that, there's a bridge on the east side, and further downtown I could sell you.

I the meantime, I'll check to make sure they did not reopen.

Hi, Pique et al.

What a great idea. I just happened on this thread. Actually, I just got back from Europe yesterday, so my brain is sort of mush right now.

Oct. 17 and 18 both look good for me right now. I don't know that I'm psyched for going to a concert, especially an expensive one, but I'm up for a piano-store crawl and dinner and/or wine/cheese. If y'all are doing a concert, I may join you for it, if inexpensive, or just join you for the other activities.

For you out-of-towners, note that going to a less-expensive ethnic restaurant in NYC doesn't mean you won't get a great meal. Many of them are fabulous -- but I will defer to Manhattanites to offer specific recommendations (I'm in an "outer borough.")

Note that Faust/Harrison has an intermittent piano concert series on Friday nights at 7. That means one could attend this 1-hour concert and still go to another concert at 8! However, I don't know if they have a concert scheduled there for Oct. 17. I myself will be playing there in December (end of commercial).

There's a buzz that Klavierhaus is starting to have concerts there, some being of contemporary music. Sorry, I have no further info as to actual dates. Maybe they have a website?

It's not relevant to this particular weekend, but FYI, there's going to be a big multi-piano event at the Winter Garden in Lower Manhattan (World Financial Center, opposite the WTC site) -- 25 pianos, I think, and the date's something like Sept. 25 or Oct. 25. I was asked to be part of it but I couldn't make some of the rehearsals, so now I'm sort of blanking out on the date. Anyway, it sounds like a "must-see" for piano lovers.

RealPlayer,
If you get any more details on upcoming concerts,
could you post them under the "Concert News and Reviews" forum?

I'm also thinking of adding a Calendar to the forums so we can easily track dates.

Thanks,

- Frank B.
Piano World

Friday or Saturday are equally good for me, so:

First choice: Friday, 17th: Traviata
Second choice: Saturday, 18th: De Larrocha
Third choice: Friday, 17th: De Larrocha
Fourth choice: Saturday, 18th: Figaro's Nose

i heard from derick that he's returning from europe on the 17th, so there's a chance he could join us on the 18th.

also, rich d. from arlington has said he'll see if he can make it up, but i know it would have to be a saturday for him. this might be true for other out of towners as well.

neither is committed to coming if we make it saturday, at this point.

lucy, care to weigh in on this issue? i suspect you wouldn't be able to make it for the daytime part of the gathering if it were a friday...?

has frank committed to coming if it is friday?

frank, don't be shy about weighing in with your preferences....

Hi pique,

A couple o' points.

I don't know where I'll be so I can't commit,

BUT if you want the use of a piano you can play on the one on which I had my NYC concert debut. A Yamaha 5 footer. It's in the McDonald's on 56th and 8th--no kidding. Just go in there and tell the manager you want to play and then bang away to your hearts content.

Also, the best Chinese restaurant in NYC, the China Regency is on 55th and 7th, next to the Carnage Deli. Also, the best pizza is John's on 44th and 8th--the place used to be an old Baptist church, it has a huge rose window in the ceiling.

(I'll think of more stuff later.)

But anyway, you should definitely hit the McDonald's.

Don't base the plans on me, base them on what
works for the majority.
I'll do my best to join in.

- Frank B.
Piano World

how about we promise not to base them on you. but we would like to have your input to weigh in the final tally. you get one vote, like everyone else. will that work for you?

i just KNEW it. i KNEW you were one of those dangerous types. come here and seduce us all with your silver tongue, then noncommittal when it comes to fulfilling our dreams.... how i'd dreamed of being on your arm when you introduced me to placido... you in your tux, me in my jeans and sweats. i hope apple is reading this.

:rolleyes:
i can see it now: our glamorous pianoworld night on the town--at mcdonald's playing a toy-sized yamaha. :rolleyes:

seriously, that sounds like a fun diversion. i never noticed a piano in there before. keep the ideas coming!

hm, interesting slip of the tongue. is that where you make your surprise appearance with your tools of the florida smuggler's trade?

gosh dang it, tomk, with your guidance, i'm going to know nyc better now than when i lived there. i definitely plan to check out all these places during my visit. thanks for the tips!!!!!

realplayer,
so glad you stumbled on this thread. until forum members get used to the idea of checking this new area out, i'm afraid our profile is a bit low.

so glad you will be able to make it, whether for just a part of or the whole evening. it will be good to meet you, and hear you play. [making mental note to feign a sprained hand and lose score the day before...]

i'm also on a budget, and i agree with you that some of the best food in the city is at the small, hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurants. but i don't think bella will be too dear. at least, when i was living in hell's kitchen as a freelancer i managed to eat there fairly regularly (and i'm pretty sure my dad was not always picking up the tab. )

could you find out if any of the piano showrooms are having concerts during our planned dates? that could significantly impact if and when they can accommodate us, and also might fit nicely with our plans to go to a concert together. i would love to attend one.

could you also report to us on when the winter garden piano event is happening? it sounds very interesting! do they have a web site for the concert?

You know nothing. But here's what I want to know--your husband going to be in town with you--if not, maybe I could save you a couple of bucks on your hotel bill.

unfortunately, tomk, my husband will not be in town with me. he'll be home babysitting the pooches and watering the roses and earning the money. but i will not be staying at a hotel.

still, i'm intrigued. what do you propose?

Pique,

I will do my best to find out if concerts are happening at Faust or Kl-haus. I'll look into the multi-piano thing too.

Sorry to interrupt the intrigue , but I wanted to thank Pique and Bernard for doing most of the legwork on this. Either Friday or Saturday would work for me. I've saved both dates on my calendar. Pique, I'm not sure what you are referring to when you write about the daytime part of the gathering. Regarding Fridays, I can try to schedule a shorter work day. If I get hit with a crisis that afternoon, I could meet up with everyone at a later time.

daytime part of the gathering = piano showroom crawl.

the idea was we'd get together mid-afternoon for a few hours of piano showroom time before dinner, with enough time to make an 8 pm curtain.

that's a factor others should consider in deciding if friday or saturday is a better day for them.

I checked the 92nd Street Y, no concert on the 17th.

Merkin Hall, same.

The Metropolitan, nothing on the 17th, the Beaux Arts Trio of course on the 18th. This would be my first choice if we decide it's to be Saturday.

Joan Baez will be at Town Hall which is in the neighborhood. Last time I saw her was, let me see, in 1972 at Stanford University in California. Probably not to everyone's taste.

Lincoln Center: Alicia at Fisher, La Traviata at the Met, The Magic Flute at the New York State Theater, another possibility though possibly not to everyone's taste. Julliard has nothing scheduled.

Carnegie Hall: Céleste Zewald, Clarinet and Jaap Kooi, Piano (love the name) will play this program
ARNOLD Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 29
REGER Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in B-flat Major, Op. 107
SCHUMANN Three Romances, Op. 94
RAAFF New work (US Premiere)
POULENC Clarinet Sonata
starting at 7:30 in Weill Recital Hall, tickets are $24
The Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra will be playing in the Isaac Stern Auditorium (that's the big hall there) starting at 8:00PM, tickets range from $20 to $40.

Symphony Space has nothing on either day.

Manhattan School of Music (I've heard many great budding talents there) unfortunately has nothing for either date.

My preference is still Friday (because I can get a date with a friend that day and would then plan to ride back upstate on Saturday with her) but if its Saturday the concert at the Metropolitan Museum - Beaux Arts Trio is my first choice.

If Friday I'll probably be swayed by general consensus.

I'd be happy with visiting piano showrooms, banging (I mean playing) the piano at McD's, having a cocktail or two, and maybe dropping into a club with a jazz pianist.

But that's just me:-)

I'm not sure I'm up for a formal concert.
Getting a little pricey for me as it is:
Train $100.00
Hotel $ 225.00+
Drinks $ ??.00
Cabs ?
Meals ?

As I've said before, don't base the plans on me.
I might come for part of it anyway.

- Frank B.
Piano World

we're still awaiting info on if/when any of the piano showrooms are having concerts on those dates. we might want to plan around that, either to time ourselves to attend one of the concerts, or to avoid them so we can play the pianos ourselves.

Does anyone else work on Fridays? Maybe then we should consider Saturday, as many work a 5-day week ( I know I teach until late on Fridays). And that way those of us that are 2 hours away can have time to travel in the morning.
Anyway, that is just my opinion. Feel free to approve or dissaprove!

Yes, I work on Fri. as well.
If the group opts for that day, I will probably not make any afternoon things.
Also, even though I am off Sat., I will probably still not be able to go to everything on the agenda.