30 to Midnight

Christmas Tree Lighting, Rockefeller Center

Wednesday, 7pm

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
30 Rockefeller Center (5th-6th Ave.), Manhattan

We love the City and we love Christmas, but we do not love crowds. True, the absence of Justin Bieber likely means slightly smaller and older crowds at the 2011 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, but not smaller and older enough to get us anywhere within ten blocks of this event. Street closures begin at 4pm. This is what the area looked like at 9am. Nice, huh? Will be just as nice when you (a) watch on TV, and/or (b) come back tomorrow to see the 30,000 lights.

Astor Center: Wine Bar Wednesdays

Wednesday, 5:30pm

Wine Bar Wednesdays
Astor Center
399 Lafayette St. (East 4th St.), Manhattan

Soave Classico, Roero Arneis (aka Bianchetto di Alba), Barbera d'Alba, Nebbiolo. One of these things is not like the other. If you'd been to Wine Bar Wednesday you'd know. Hint: Soave Classico is a region within a region (Veneto) while the others are grape varieties. Answer: The three varietals are from Piedmont.

There's knowledge to be attained, if you wish, at this social wine tasting. Mingle with Age Appropriates or arrive early for a semi-private table. We sat next to an excited, nervous gentleman not quite introducing his boyfriend to his mom. "He's a friend from the neighborhood," she told us. "Isn't he terrible? He seems like he's about to have a heart attack." We don't like taking sides but it seemed she was about to have a heart attack. The rest of us were simply having fun with Italian favorites. Organizers tell us events are mostly AA. We'll be back for sure.

Craigslist Used Car Sales

Let's say you're tired of arguing with rental car agency employees and your day-trips are frequent in summer. Then let's say you look to Craigslist to see what's out there. Here's what you might get in response when you contact the sellers of used vehicles:

New York’s Ultimate Kentucky Derby Watch Party at Eleven Madison Park

Saturday, May 1st, 3-7pm

Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave. (24th St.), Manhattan

The Kentucky Derby watch party will include: live coverage of the race at Churchill Downs (flat screen tvs in a 4-star restaurant!), Chef Daniel Humm’s take on Southern cuisine, Maker’s Mark Mint Juleps, bourbon 101 presentations, an outdoor Cigar Lounge by Nat Sherman, custom Derby hats by The Hat Shop’s Linda Pagan, live Kentucky Bluegrass, and a silent auction benefitting New York Horse Rescue.

Price per person is $175, plus tax. To purchase tickets email: derby@elevenmadisonpark.com.

Related news: The New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. board will meet in special session Saturday (tomorrow), a day before the agency is scheduled to end operations and lay off 1,300 workers. They say they've lost $45million in the past five years, an excuse for not returning millions of dollars to the state and racing industry. OTB said that some branches would remain open to cash winning tickets for six days after any closing date.

Tax Day Drink Deals at BLT

BLT restaurants are offering 50% off on all cocktails, beer and wine (by the glass in Manhattan and bottle elsewhere) all day on April 15th, Tax Day.

Manhattan Locations:
BLT Burger - 470 6th Ave., 11th St.
BLT Fish (and Fish Shack) - 21 West 17th St., 6th Ave.
BLT Market - 1430 Avenue of the Americas (Ritz Carlton Hotel, Central Park)
BLT Prime - 111 East 22nd St., Park Ave.
BLT Steak - 106 East 57th St., Park Ave.

Doing your taxes is Age Appropriate.

This Year's Ringling Elephant Walk Through The Midtown Tunnel

The elephants are coming! The elephants are coming! According to Gothamist, a site you can trust, and not just for asking questions like: Do 20-Somethings Know Who Alan Alda Is?, though that is a good reason to trust them...
Uh, what were we saying?
Oh, yes, while we wait to hear back from the Ringling press people (you already know we're the research/fact-checking type), we're using Gothamist's info to tell you the Ringling elephants will walk through the Midtown Tunnel (34th? 36th? 37th St and 2nd Ave.) this year on March 24th.

This is one of those only-in-NYC events. Some of these events we endeavor to avoid. But this one, though it's at the Midnight hour, is worth staying up for, we think. And if we make it there this year, we will replace this Daily News photo with one of our own.

Note: The Walk Will be Monday March 22nd.

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.

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).

Chinese New Year 4708 - Year of the Tiger

If you've never been in Chinatown (Manhattan, Flushing, Sunset Park) for Lunar New Year, you're missing out. Yes it's crowded but it's exciting and fun and loud (firecrackers and bang-snaps scare away evil spirits). Every restaurant and store gets a visit from the dragon and the entire neighborhood is dressed in red (and firecracker remnants). We highly recommend getting dim sum or dinner during the next week of festivities. Tomorrow is the first day of 4708.

Manhattan Chinatown Chinese New Year Cracker Show:
Sunday 2/14/2010, 11:30am - 3:30pm
Roosevelt Park

Italian Wine in NYC, Happening Now

It's Italian Wine Week in NYC.
30toMidnight is going to start an education column, everything from Art to Wine. While we work on that we have to tell you about a variety -pun! get it, varietal? funny because it sort of means the opposite thing. hmm- of wine promotions at bars, restaurants and shops throughout Manhattan, until February 10th: Flights, Pairings, By-The-Glass specials on wines from Apulia, Calabria, Tuscany and Veneto here:

Bull & Bear Steakhouse (Lexington Ave at 49th St., Manhattan)
Le Cirque (Bloomberg Building, 151 East 58th St., Lexington Ave., Manhattan)
SD26 (19 East 26th St., Madison Square Park, Manhattan)
Salumeria Rosi (283 Amsterdam Ave., 74th St., Manhattan)
Serafina (29 East 61st St., Madison Ave., Manhattan)

Click to check out the complete Vino 2010 list.