30 to Midnight

30toMidnight is the entertainment source for everyone over-30

We tell you Where to go, Who you'll find there (How old they are), What they say to us, and When to leave. Plus, we tell a good story whenever possible. Check out our Glossary to understand our parlance, and read More About Us to get to know your guides.

Robert at the Museum of Arts and Design, West Side

Friday, 8pm

Robert
museum of arts and design
2 Columbus Circle (8th Ave.), Manhattan

Generally we limit our ageism to justabouteveryoneyounger. Today we're expanding our range. The crowd at Robert, the neon-y restaurant with the insane view of Columbus Circle and the park, is really old. Really old, like bus from a nursing home old. Why? Such an unexpected Friday night site. You'd see what we were saying if Sara could ever learn to take a picture. We wanted to sit by a window and never look back, but those seats were taken and the "bar" is awkward, unexpected in a venue with "design" in its name. We hate to be so negative but our expectations were not met here. Sad. That said, true to our rules, we're calling Robert AA. Stop by if you're looking for someone to call gran.

Bark Hot Dogs, Park Slope

Friday, 4pm and 11pm

Bark Hot Dogs
474 Bergen St. (6th Ave.), Park Slope

Sara always says that the best commercially available hot dogs come from Rochester. Ok, she's been saying that for just under two years. But she appears be right. Bark has a private label dog from Hartmann's, of Rochester. It's a winner, brought down only by the lack of homemade mustard. We like Gulden's as much as the next guy (offered after the fact), but come on, what's the deal with a list of Resources (pictured) if your Kraut Dog comes with a thin line of yellow? Yellow! Still, the dog itself rocks and the $15 Friday Happy Hour would be exciting even if it wasn't mostly AA. Counter girl tells us it's "always late-20's, 30's and up" here. Late night too. We like.

Women Who Drink Gain Less Weight

Sometimes we hear Bad News, sometimes we hear Good News:

New research suggests that women who regularly consume moderate amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers and are at lower risk for obesity.

The findings, reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 19,220 United States women aged 39 or older who, at the start of the study, fell into the “normal weight” category based on their body mass index. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston tracked the women’s drinking habits over 13 years. About 60 percent of the women were light or regular drinkers, while about 40 percent reported drinking no alcohol.

Read Tara Parker-Pope's entire NYTimes story by clicking the Good News link above.

The Patriot, Tribeca

Thursday, 10pm

The Patriot Saloon
110 Chambers St. (Church St.), Manhattan

Sara loves it when her AI downstairs neighbor sits outside in the space below her bedroom window and yells at his girlfriend inside. She loves it when he does it at 10:20 and 11:35, but really enjoys it most when it's Midnight, 1, 4. Yes, this really happens. She's called her landlord saying, "I swear he's not malicious, just young and unaware." Yet it continues, and it's not even spring or summer or warm enough to bring a laptop out because you simply cannot tear yourself away from your movie while you have a cigarette. Volume up. 2am. Yes.

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.

Sfoglia, Upper East Side

Sunday, 9:15pm

Sfoglia
135 East 92nd St. (aka 1402 Lexington Ave.), Manhattan

Before we tell you how ideal the crowd (AA), how superb the food (and $$), how excellent the enlarged space (taking over that nail salon was brilliant), we must say - we do not think staff should have their post-shift drink at the bar while diners remain. When we're spending some $300 on cocktails, wine, antipasti (more rabbit pate please), ravioli, and spaghetti squash, we really really don't want to hear about how grueling it was to get it in front of us.

NYC Firemen Rule

How have we never seen such a sight before? Fireman climbed right up (see below; amazing we caught that; too bad about that big blonde noggin in the way). Six stories up. Three buildings evacuated, including someone who was clearly showering (dripping hair, overcoat). We've thought about that. Haven't you?

Manhattan's Bravest

Is it more amazing that a fire rescue is happening (Amsterdam Ave, btwn 79-80) or that a woman pitched her cigarette into the water spilling from the just opened pump? Crossed the sidewalk to contribute to pollution.

Reade Street Pub, Tribeca

Wednesday, 7:30pm

Reade Street Pub & Kitchen
135 Reade St. (Hudson St.), Manhattan

Note to women: lots of mens in this establishment for late happy hour. Lots of mens in tucked-in Oxfords (read: AA, employed). Weekends are more in balance, gender-wise, but the age is mostly the same. Yea! Tribeca is such a great neighborhood for the over-30. We've been down there quite a bit lately; will keep reporting. What we really want to do is make it to a Suckling Pig Happy Hour at Forge (134 Reade St., used to be Dekk). Tuesdays. We'll let you know. 

Racoon Lodge, Tribeca

Racoon Lodge
59 Warren St. (W. Broadway), Manhattan

Remember the Racoon Lodge up on Amsterdam Avenue (now Soldier McGee Tavern? And the one on York Avenue? Well, the Tribeca location was the first and is the last Manhattan Racoon Lodge. We like longevity. Obviously. And we like the mostly AA crowd, but we have to deem the bar AABM. Are we wrong?

Speaking of After Midnight, we have a great memory of a very late night here a few years ago.

Melt, Park Slope

On the train yesterday we overheard one guy say to another guy, "Do I know you? You look really familiar."
And the other guy said, "I'm an actor," which was quite amusing to the rest of us passengers, mostly becasue we've all done it - the slightly long stare at someone slightly familiar who turns out to have been a Law & Order extra (approximately every single actor in NYC).

Sara recently had this sort of experience in Brooklyn where she's been spending nearly every Friday since New Year's in an Age Appropriate cliche: strollering around Park Slope coffee shops with friend who is mom of twins. One Friday - after the babies were down and dad had video monitor in hand - Sara and friend went for drink and dinner at Melt. There, upon entering, Sara stared at the Chef for a solid minute before looking away. That's a stuck-in-subway minute, not a regular minute. "Who is that?" she asked her friend. "Do we know him?"
"I haven't been out in two years," said her friend.
"Ohmygod," said Sara, embarrassed. "I know who he is."

Bars in Madison Square Park on a Sunday Night

If you happen to be wandering around, thinking of grabbing a drink and a snack at a restaurant bar in Madison Square Park - SD26 (left picture) and Eleven Madison Park are closed on Sundays. Tabla is open. If that leads you to an uptown subway, please note that The Mark Restaurant (below picture) is currently open only for brunch on Sundays (that will change in the upcoming months).

Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill, Midtown West

Friday, 10:30pm

Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
6 Columbus Hotel
6 Columbus Circle (aka 308 W. 58th St.), Manhattan

Thankfully we have some smart friends who know about things like uptown Blue Ribbon when you, say, can't get a seat at the bar at Marea, or when you need a quietish-not-boring spot for a date. And not-boring doesn't always mean fire drill, though it did the night we sat at the bar drinking and snacking and meeting AA women from LA.

Sometimes we meet women, and later they contact us to say hello, which we'd attribute to female courtesy but maybe they're really interested in our press contacts because they make and sell an unusual product. Or maybe they're just friendly.  Either way, they, like us, know that you're never alone when you sit at the bar. That's a good thing. Bartender says the crowd is almost always AA. We noticed couples; he nodded. We also noticed those firemen checking us out (while we were taking pictures of them and their shiny truck). Pretty sure they are AI (we used to watch Rescue Me, as you know). AI is for looking. AA is for touching.

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