The Game Plan

What to do

Take the stairs up in a nondescript building in Midtown West, enter a library with a rectangular stage in the middle and take a seat along the perimeter.

You’re here for a meeting of the Drunk Shakespeare Society, self-described as “a drinking club with a Shakespeare problem.” Turns out that’s pretty apt. This play-turned-drinking-game feels like hanging out with cool theater nerds at their kind of party; you might not get all the jokes, but you sure will have a good time.

Amid niche challenges (“Recite all of Shakespeare’s titles in alphabetical order in a minute — or take a shot!”) and haphazardly inserted rules (“Speak with a different accent every time you come onstage”), the cast, one of whom will have started the show with four whiskey shots, speeds through a highly silly rendition of “Macbeth.” Some of it is in the original Shakespearean English, but there’s also no shortage of dirty puns or current event references, keeping the performance engaging whether or not you’ve experienced a play since high school.

Clever as the actors may be, don’t forget that you’re a part of this club too. Not only can you drink alongside (order from a slip underneath your seat), but you’ll also contribute to the show with group chants or onstage as a human prop, if you’re lucky.

You may even bid your way into the role of king or queen, a position that buys you caviar and champagne, as well as the ability to bestow more shots on the main character.

Royalty or layperson, this is your next date activity. Tickets on the website start at $55, though a quick Google search shows various ticket resellers offering slightly cheaper prices.

Yes, it’s more expensive than free, but at least you know you have a seat.

Use our Google Map to get directions to Drunk Shakespeare.

Where to eat

It’s cold-noodle season in New York and Hooni Kim’s gem, Danji, is just the place to get away from the hot, crowded avenues of Midtown. Try the kimchi poutine with bacon and corn, or the chilled wheat noodles covered with sweet and spicy pork, a dish that landed on the menu last week.

It’s standing room only at Los Tacos No. 1. Put your order in at the register, then hand your receipt over to the expediter at the counter. Don’t miss the crackly edged pork, shaved from the vertical spit right onto tender corn tortillas.

China Xiang is a great spot for a group with its Hunanese cuisine served family-style. Look out for dishes in the “smoked” section of the menu — the pork with dried bean curd — as well as the spicy trotters and the lamb sautéed with cumin.

See the restaurants on our Google Map.

Where to drink

The best bars in this area are the no-nonsense, friendly dive bars like Rudy’s Bar & Grill (where hot dogs come free with the beer and you can always sit outside on the patio if the bar is too crowded) and Jimmy’s Corner, which is tiny, cheap and beloved.

If you’re looking for something a little fancier, fine, O.K.: Consider the Rum House in the historic Hotel Edison for classic cocktails and live music.

See the bars on our Google Map.

What to check out nearby

• Visit Mood Fabrics, just south in the garment district. With floors of spools labeled “solid shirting” and “fancy lace,” this store is a fun and dizzying dip into the world of fashion. No wonder they go here on “Project Runway.” (Note, you see the furniture division on street level. Go next door to the Bricken Arcade building and head to the third floor for the fashion textiles.)

• You’re usually trying to get out of Midtown; we all are. So relish the fact that you have nothing to accomplish right now and enjoy your surroundings. Go spend a minute in Paley Park, a little pocket park on 53rd Street. It has a waterfall!

• If the party’s still going, bring it to Frames, a bowling alley on 40th and Ninth. It is very Midtown (neon lights and basic soundtracks), but that could still be very fun.

See the nearby spots on our Google Map.

Do you have thoughts, tips or suggestions? Write us at [email protected].

This edition of Summer was written by Margot Boyer-Dry and Tejal Rao. In real life, Margot writes the New York-based newsletter Lorem Ipsum on what’s cool and why, while Tejal is a Dining reporter at The New York Times and an Eat columnist for The New York Times Magazine. Both take having a good time very seriously.

Margot: Twitter | Instagram

Tejal: Twitter | Instagram

Source: Read Full Article