Nightlife

New York's nightlife scene is an embarrassment of riches. There's so much to see and do in this city after the sun goes down that your biggest problem is probably going to be choosing among the many temptations.

There's no way that I can tell you in these pages what's going to be on the calendar while you're in town. For the latest, most comprehensive nightlife listings, from theater and performing arts to live music, and dance-club coverage, Time Out New York (www.timeoutny.com) is my favorite weekly source; a new issue hits newsstands every Thursday. The free weekly Village Voice (www.villagevoice.com), the city's legendary alterna-paper, is available late Tuesday downtown and early Wednesday in the rest of the city, with even more listings than in the paper copy online at their web site. The arts and entertainment coverage couldn't be more extensive, and just about every live-music venue advertises its shows here.

The New York Times (www.nytoday.com) features terrific entertainment coverage, particularly in the two-part Friday "Weekend" section. The cabaret, classical-music, and theater guides are particularly useful. Other great weekly sources are the New Yorker (www.newyorker.com), in its "Goings on About Town" section; and New York magazine (www.nymag.com, an excellent online source) features the latest happenings in its "The Week" section.

Bar-hoppers should get a hold of the comprehensive Shecky's New York Bar, Club & Lounge Guide, printed annually. The website (www.sheckys.com) is even more current and offers updated nightlife news at the click of a button.

Another good online bar source is www.murphguide.com. This website has all the latest happy-hour information and is a particularly good source if you are seeking out an Irish pub, of which there are many in New York.

NYC/Onstage (tel. 212/768-1818; www.tdf.org) is a recorded service providing schedules, descriptions, and other details on theater and the performing arts. The bias is toward plays, but NYC/Onstage is a good source for chamber and orchestral music (including all Lincoln Center events), dance, opera, cabaret, and family entertainment.

Author! Author! Where to Hear Spoken Word

Readings can be some of the most inexpensive and entertaining events in New York City. There are several venues dedicated to presenting spoken word, and popular series are presented in venues ranging from bars to bookstores. Many readings are free; others charge a small cover; and except for the top names, you'll rarely see a charge over $10.

The best sources for finding out who's reading include the "Books" section of Time Out New York, which spotlights top readings in its "Don't Miss" section.

To find out which author (or celebrity who's had a book ghost-written) is reading at a NYC Barnes & Noble (there's always a major author in town), go to www.barnesandnoble.com and click on "Meet the Writers."

Who are you likely to see at these venues? Everyone from bestselling authors (Candace Bushnell, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer), to spoken-word artists (Reg E. Gaines, Alix Olson) to whoever's just scribbled a poem on the back of an envelope at an open-mic event.

Below are some of the top venues/series in town:

The Unterberg Poetry Center at the 92nd Street YMHA (92nd St. at Lexington Ave.; tel. 212/415-5740; www.92y.org; subway: 4, 5, 6 to 96th St.). The 92nd Street Y has had all the heavy hitters in its lineup since 1939. In addition to talks and readings by the world's top poets, novelists, playwrights, and critics, the Y also offers "Biographers & Brunch" and "Critics & Brunch." Tickets are usually in the $20 range. The readings are in a 917-seat auditorium, which does on occasion sell out.

Nuyorican Poets Café (236 E. 3rd St., btwn aves. B and C; tel. 212/505-8183; www.nuyorican.org; subway: F or V to Second Ave.). For over 30 years, the Nuyorican, brainchild of Miguel Algarin, who still runs it, has presented poetry, drama, music, and film. The raucous, popular Poetry Slams (the cafe fields a championship Slam Team) present poetry as a sport: Aspiring stars show up and throw down their work in front of an audience and panel of judges, who score them on the quality of the work and presentation. The Friday slams begin around 10pm (cover charge $7) and feature an invited slam poet. Slam Opens are held most Wednesdays (also a $7 cover). The storefront bar gets crowded quickly, so get there early on Slam nights.

Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery (at 1st St., btwn Houston and Bleeker sts.). (tel. 212/614-0505; www.bowerypoetry.com; subway: F or V to Second Ave.). "Poetry Czar" (as anointed by the Village Voice) Bob Holman opened his "Home for Poetry" in an 1850 building on (you guessed it) the Bowery. It's open all day for snacks, coffee, and that writer essential, hanging out; a two-for-one happy hour at the bar precedes each evening's festivities. Poetry and fiction readings, open mics, monologues, words with music, and all manner of other spoken word is presented from about 5:30pm each night, with covers ranging from free to $6. National and rising stars on the poetry/spoken-word scene show up here. The space can hold up to 200 people.

KGB, 85 E. 4th St. (btwn Second and Third aves.). (tel. 212/505-3360; www.kgbbar.com; subway: F or V to Second Ave.; 6 to Astor Place). This second-floor bar (it's not wheelchair-accessible) in an old East Village brownstone was once a Ukrainian social club and is decorated with vintage Communist memorabilia. There's never a cover (but you are urged to refresh your drink often) for the readings held almost every night of the week (check the website) starting at around 7pm. It's a tiny bar, holding perhaps 40 to 50 comfortably, and double that or more for a "hot" reader (think Adam Rapp, Eileen Myles, A. M. Homes), with "nights" curated by individual writers for poetry, science fiction, and other genres.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS -- The New Yorker magazine (http://festival.newyorker.com) has gone into the readings business with its "New Yorker Festival" in early October. You'll pay dearly (up to $30) for the privilege of seeing, say Sherman Alexie or R. Crumb read from or talk about their work at one of several venues, but the events almost always sell out. There are also free events and book signings scheduled throughout the festival.

Every New Year's Day, the Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church, 131 E. 10th St. (tel. 212/674-0910; www.poetryproject.com; subway: N, R, W to Union Sq.; 6 to Astor Place), presents a marathon poetry reading starting around 2pm, and running till . . . whenever. Poets and performers ranging from Patti Smith to Eric Bogosian, Maggie Estep, Tuli Kupferberg, and many (many) more read to welcome in the new year and raise money for the Poetry Projects' readings, workshops, and other programs. Tickets run about $20.

Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th St. (tel. 212/864-5400; www.symphonyspace.org; subway: 1, 2, 3, to 96th St.; B, C to 96th St.) is the home of both Selected Shorts (Oct-Dec) and Bloomsday on Broadway. In Selected Shorts, modern and classic short stories are read by professional actors, ranging from the likes of Blair Brown, Cynthia Nixon, Eli Wallach, and John Shea, in the Peter Jay Sharpe Theater (which seats 760). Authors whose work you might hear include John Cheever, Truman Capote, and Woody Allen. Tickets range from $21 to $25, with discounts for students and seniors. And each June 16 (the day Leopold Bloom took his stroll around Dublin in 1904 in James Joyce's Ulysses) an ensemble cast of actors and avid Joyceans do a marathon reading from the masterwork. Its tickets ($20 adults, $17 students and seniors) are usually sold out well in advance.