Arts: The Armory Show in its 14th Year

Photos from www.thearmoryshow.com

The 14th Annual Armory Show is taking place next weekend in New York from Thursday, March 8th through Sunday March, 11th.  The Armory Show features some of the best of today's modern and contemporary art from living artists around the world. It takes place on Piers 92 & 94 in Manhattan.  Highlights will include: 2012 Commissioned Artist Theastre Gates, art of the Nordic countries in Armory Focus, and a re-design of the space by architect Bade Stageberg Cox.  I am particularly excited to see the Armory Focus exhibition, which will be curated by the director of Malmö Konsthall in Sweden, one of the largest exhibition halls for contemporary art in Europe.  Each year, the region in focus changes.  In the last couple years the Armory Focus has been on Berlin (2010) and Latin America (2011). The Armory Show had over 65,000 visitors last year - so be sure you don't miss out & buy your tickets this week!

Time Out New York is currently offering a deal on tickets to The Armory Show.  Tickets are available on their site for the next two days (ends 3/4) at a 25% discount.  Buy your General Admission ticket today for $22.50 here: Time Out NY Deals: The Armory Show.


To find out more about the exhibits, visit the The Armory Show Official Site and look at their 2012 Prospectus.  
Today's Featured Event on Twitter: @TheArmoryShow, @TimeOutNewYork

Events: American Express Mix-n-Match

The American Express / NYC&Co Mix-n-Match event ends on Wednesday. Check it out this weekend before it's too late. Over 400 restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues are participating in this deal. American Express card holders will receive a $50 credit on their next statement when spending $200 or more at any 2 of the participating locations. 

My picks would be:

- The 21 Club: The perfect lunch in a charming & historic setting
- 92nd Street Y: Join the May Center Gym & take one of their great classes
- Banana Republic: Refresh your work ensemble - loving their Feb. windows!
- Bloomingdale's: Shop 'til you drop w/ my favorite personal shopper, Mary Tierney (visit At Your Service); also Lord & Taylor and Macy's
- The Book of Mormon: See Broadway's most popular musical of the moment
- Brasserie: A fantastic French meal at a reasonable price (for midtown)
- The Cloisters Museum: Enjoy a breath of fresh air in the busy city
- Costco: Stock up on goodies for cold/rainy winter days
- Dave & Buster's: Have an original date night w/ dinner, drinks, & games
- French Roast or L'Express: Enjoy a very reasonably priced French meal - open 24 hours!
- The Frick Collection: View some of the best art on the Upper East Side
- H&M: Gather up all your basics & essentials without breaking the bank
- Jonathan Adler: Find fantastic home accessories for your apartment
- Mount Vernon Hotel Museum: Explore the colonial era in Midtown
- Scully & Scully: Not the cheapest for home decor & furniture but hands down the best
- Tory Burch: Pick up some ballet flats or one of her signature tunics
- Wall & Water: Have a meal at this Financial District favorite in the Andaz
- Zabar's: Find some gourmet goodies at this NYC staple

For a full list and to read more about the deal, visit:
http://www.nycgo.com/mix-n-match

Arts: Diego Rivera Exhibit & MOMA New York Tips

Over the next couple months the Museum of Modern Art is doing a spotlight on the work of Mexican painter Diego Rivera (ends May 12th).  If you are not familiar with Rivera, I would suggest that you first look up the story about his paintings originally commissioned for Rockefeller Center in 1932.  Although a famous artist in his own right, he is also well known as the husband of another famous Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo.  Perhaps you've even seen the 2002 film Frida starring Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina and have already learned something about his personal life.
The MOMA will have a series of murals that Rivera painted in 1931 for his solo show at the Museum which have not been shown to the public in 80 years.  In conjunction with the exhibition, MOMA will also be hosting one free lecture and a lecture series.  The free lecture that will be running regularly is entitled "Diego Rivera: Murals for the Museum of Modern Art" (Feb. 3rd at 3:30pm, Feb. 9th at 11:30am, and Feb. 10th at 3:30pm) [FREE with museum admission].  There is also a paid 3-part lecture series entitled "Diego Rivera: From Mexico to Manhattan" that includes:  "Rivera at Rockefeller Center" (Feb. 8th at 6pm; Daniel Okrent, Writer), "Rivera and Mexico" (Mar. 22nd at 6pm; Elena Poniatowska, Writer/Journalist), and "The Revolutionary Life and Times of Diego Rivera" (April 23rd at 6pm; Alan Knight, Oxford University). [$10 regular ticket/$8 members/$5 students & seniors].

You can enjoy this work at a cheaper rate by exploring the many discounted ticket and membership offers that MOMA has available.  General admission tickets can be purchased at a discount if you are a Senior 65+ ($18), hold a valid Student ID ($14), or are a Guest of a Member ($5).  The full rate is $25.  Memberships are available at a discount if you are an Artist ($50), National/International Visitor ($70), or if you hold a valid Student ID ($50).  The full rate for membership is $85 for an Individual, $140 for a Dual, and $175 for a Family.  All memberships are tax deductible.  So, if you only want to visit once with your family of 3+ or just a few times during the year, it might make the most sense to have one of you purchase a discounted membership and the rest to buy the $5 member guest tickets.  Membership also provides discounts on lectures & other special events.  The MOMA is my personal favorite art museum in New York and a definite must-have on any "New York in 24 Hours" list.

To find out more, visit MOMA and Time Out NY:
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1168
http://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/art/1922415/diego-rivera-murals-for-the-museum-of-modern-art

Arts: Broadway & Off-Broadway Week in NYC

Many may not realize that this is the perfect time of year to suggest that relatives & friends come visit you in New York.  After the rush of the holidays in New York, many hotels do not expect copious amounts of tourists in January and February.  So, this works to your benefit if you're looking for some great hotel deals. In addition, not only do we have Restaurant Week going on January 16th-February 12th, but also Broadway Week January 17th-February 4th and Off-Broadway Week January 30th-February 12th.  What more could you ask for in a New York vacation? All of the participating shows offer 2-for-1 tickets during this time.  Highlights of Broadway Week include some very popular shows: Wicked, The Lion King, and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, for example.  Highlights of Off-Broadway Week include: Rent, Avenue Q, and The Fantasticks.  I personally went to see Wicked this week and it was truly fantastic - one of the best shows I have ever seen! You just can't beat $60 each for orchestra seats at one of the hottest shows in town.

Can't make it during Broadway Week?  Don't worry!  There are several ways to get half price tickets to shows.  You can always wait in line the day of one of the shows at the TKTS Booths located in Times Square, South Street Seaport, or Downtown Brooklyn.  Many theaters also release "rush tickets" on the day of the show if you show up at the show of your choice's box office.  To find out more on that, visit the website of the particular show you are interested in seeing.  For those of you who aren't too thrilled at the idea of waiting in line on a cold February day, there is also a 2for1 promotion going on to see Rock of Ages.  Every Tuesday night you can purchase 2for1 tickets and will receive 2 free tequila drinks, courtesy of Avión Tequila.  Simply call 212-947-8844 and mention the code "RATEQ241" (as advertised in Time Out Magazine).  The movie version of Rock of Ages will be coming out this spring with Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Paul Giamatti - so this is sure to be a hot ticket!