30 to Midnight

Roosevelt Island Tram Service Suspended March 1 - August 31

The 33 year old Roosevelt Island Tram will undergo 6 months of "modernization and upgrades" starting tomorrow, March1st. That's all of summer 2010 without one of our favorite tourist to-dos.

Anyone who needs to get to/from Roosevelt Island can take the F-train or the Q102 bus. There will be a temporary shuttle bus too.

Here's something good to know: The AA Tram travels 3,100 feet at a speed of 16 miles per hour in 4.5 minutes.

The Odeon, TriBeCa

Tuesday, Midnight and Wednesday, 7pm

The Odeon
145 West Broadway (Thomas St.), Manhattan

Remember when every birthday party was at the Odeon? Was that forever ago? We think we want to have a party there this year. Hmm. But not eating, just space-using. Anyway, happy hourish is Age Appropriate here. And later too. Or, Acting-Age Appropriate. Suits can do that. And they can spend the money. Or, act like they can. Either way, someone drinking here needs to have a job or a benefactor because cheap it is not.
Bartender agress that AA is the norm, and tells us brunch can still be riotous. But that's just because strollers take up so much space, right?

Sandwiched, Whitney Museum, Upper East Side

Thursday, 3pm

Sandwiched
Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Ave. (75th St.), Manhattan

Neither rain nor snow, nor sleet nor dark of night shall stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds. Yes we're talking about the snowstorm that accompanied the opening day of the Whitney Biennial and the opening day of Sandwiched, the USHG cafe temporarily filling the lower gallery (pictured right), to be replaced with a real (meaning full service) restaurant in the fall. That's a mouthful.

The biennial features such masterpieces as Wood on Pedestal. If that's too high concept for you, run downstairs to such masterpieces as Chicken Schnitzel with Black Truffle-Celery Slaw and Gruyere on Toasted Brioche (pictured left, seemingly sans Gruyere and certainly sans toasting, but satisfying nonetheless). $14.95 for that sandwich created by the chef of Eleven Madison Park. About $9 for most others - Egg, Tuna, Turkey & Gouda, Ham & Cheddar, Cured Salmon, PB&J - created by other USHG chefs. $6.50 for Brooklyn Lager, Pilsner and Abita Light (why is there no regular Abita in this town?). $2 for chips. Cash only, for now.

And who was out on this slushy day? Wet, attractive Age Appropriates not speaking English. But we're designating Sandwiched and the Whitney *Best* because we don't want you to forget how lucky you are to be in a city where you can check out art work by James Casebere and Duane Hanson. No link for Woman With Dog but we suggest you find it. Really. And we suggest you look out from your umbrella and up from the swampy curbs to catch moments like this one:

Sandwiched is open 11-5 (T-Th), 11-9 (F), 10-5 (S,S). Everything is closed Mondays. Museum galleries are open 11-6 (W, Th, S, S), 1-9 (F).

Bar Carrera, Greenwich Village

Tuesday, 8pm

Bar Carrera
146 West Houston St. (MacDougal St.), Manhattan

Is this our worst picture yet? We're seriously considering a photography class, but that means seriously considering a new camera, which we'd like to do after said class, which is the dilemma we find ourselves in every few months for the last few years. Which should come first - the camera or the class? Anyway, this location of Bar Carrera is dang close to the Holland TUNNEL. Get it? Particularly if it's a weekend. It's pretty well AA in here, which bartender says is usual, but your new relationship might take place across the Hudson, which means really great views of Manhattan. Really. Did you ever see how amazing midtown looks from, say, Weehawken?

Aburiya Kinnosuke, Midtown East

Monday, 8pm

Aburiya Kinnosuke
213 E. 45th St. (Third Ave.), Manhattan

We've been talking about restaurants quite a bit lately. Is that a problem for you? People often ask us dating-related questions. That's fine but they're irrelevant if you're sitting at a table in a dining room. We always investigate a restaurant's bar (where meeting people happens), but in the case of Aburiya Kinnosuke (sibling of Yakitori Totto) there isn't one. There is, however, a roomful of Age Appropriates all close enough to interact, which we actually dislike while eating here. Hmm. Why are we writing about this place, you ask? Because the point is to surround yourself with your peers. Better the person next to you is taking her companion's ear off about her divorce and second wedding than having to hear anything that at any point has a sentence starting with "Last year, at school..." Plus, the food is tasty, though we find Totto a more enjoyable experience (from chicken parts to vibe).

Last note: the Michelin review says "you won't be rushed through your meal" but at Aburiya Kinnosuke they do kick you out after two hours. If you're a party of two, that's probably not a problem. Just letting you know.

Women Lose 90-percent Of Their Eggs By Age 30

Here's a 30toMidnight public service message from The Washington Post: A study from the University of St. Andrews and Edinburgh University, published last month by PLoS ONE, tracked the human ovarian reserve -- or a woman's potential number of eggs -- from conception through menopause. Using a mathematical model and data from 325 women, the researchers found that the average woman is born with around 300,000 eggs and steadily loses them as she ages, with just 12 percent of those eggs remaining at the age of 30, and only 3 percent left by 40.

Read Carolyn Butler's entire story: Ovaries have not adjusted to many women's decision to delay having children

The Fantasticks, Off-Broadway (but On Broadway)

M, T, F, Sa, 8pm (other times too)

The Fantasticks
Jerry Orbach Theater
Snapple Theatre Center
210 W. 50th St (Broadway), Manhattan

Most Age Appropriates we know saw The Fantasticks at the Sullivan Street Playhouse (181 Sullivan near Houston; a pre-Civil War bulding that's now a modern-luxury apartment building). The show ran there for almost 42 years. The revival is up in the theatre district, in the theatre named for Jerry Orbach, who was in the original production (see picture with Rita Gardner and Kenneth Nelson). We're linking you to all those actors because today's post is a bit of schooling. Here's another actor to know - Jennifer Mintzer. She's seen The Fantasticks 50 times, and has played The Girl too. She was our date this time (Sara's 3rd). We were among the 40 people in the audience; small crowd even for a theatre that maybe seats 200. Honestly, we miss Sullivan Street but you should still get yourself a discount ticket and remember how fun the play is. And smart. And considerate of Age and life experience.

Park Avenue Winter, Upper East Side

Sunday, 8pm

Park Avenue Winter
100 East 63rd St. (Park Ave.), Manhattan

In twenty days (that's March 14th) Park Avenue Winter will shut down after brunch. They'll reopen on March 16th for dinner as Park Avenue Spring. Everyone knows that means a complete transformation - menu, uniforms, wallpaper - and almost everyone enjoys Spring best (unless it's Autumn). But we think you should stop by each reincarnation because the food is good and the company is great - almost exclusively Age Appropriate. Don't believe us? A Sous Chef tells us it's a veritable ghost town 'round midnight. It's true. We saw it happen. Packed house near 8pm; empty in the 11's (bar empty before that). Bed by 12. Perfect.

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Midtown East

Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Fifth Ave between 50th and 51st Streets (and Madison Ave too)

It's great to be spoiled, to live in a place where every walk is amazing if you only look up. Not lookupandstopwalkingmakeotherpeoplecrazy. We're talking lookupandsmelltheair to appreciate where you are. You can go in too. St. Patrick's has tours, masses, music, candles, history. It's the largest Catholic-Gothic cathedral in the US (they need to qualify 'Catholic' because St. John the Divine is the largest of any denomination). Here are some words to throw around when looking at the exterior of either of these mega structures: pinnacle (the pointy things on top), buttress (the supports against the wall), flying buttress  (the free-standing buttresses attached to wall by an arch or a half-arc). Want to have your wedding or baby's baptism here? You need to be a member of the congregation, need not be in a hurry, and need not care if strangers walk in on you.

Molly's, Gramercy

Friday, 11pm

Molly's
287 Third Ave. (St.), Manhattan

Fireplace! Age Appropriates! Beer! The feeling that you're not in Manhattan! (should that have an exclamation point? but it's pretty, the sequence). History: Opened as a bar in 1895. Operated as a grocery during Prohibition. Named after an Irish folk song in the 60's (Molly Malone's). Renamed in 1991 (Molly’s Shebeen; a shebeen is an illegal drinking establishment). That was the year Sara graduated from high school. Also the year Seinfeld debuted. Also the year Elizabeth Taylor has her eighth wedding.