5 Things to do on a Saturday Night as a Student at Manhattan School of Music

Let’s face it: you’ve finished a week full of rehearsals, classes, and performances. You survived your lesson (hoorah!) in one piece. To reach your goal of maximum productivity, it’s probably your best bet to let yourself unwind. After all, you must pull the bow back and let go to shoot an arrow! But what’s wrong with having a little fun while you put your brain to rest? According to how you spent your week at MSM, choose the option below to check out some fun new ways to spend your weekend.

1. I have abused my poor stomach on mediocre cafeteria food and deli sandwiches all week.

Now, we all know how that feels. And if you need a refresh, check out #4 in my article on things to avoid at MSM. Treat yourself with some southern comfort food at Jacob’s Pickles! Located on 85th and Amsterdam (only a 15-minute subway ride from school), this restaurant offers amazing food (including some mind-blowing pickles) for a really good price. It’s a pretty popular spot, so if you’ve got six awesome friends, make a reservation rather than dealing with their average waiting time of forty-five minutes to an hour on a weekend night. If you’ve just had a long day and want a quick fix around campus to sit down and eat, Bettolona on Broadway between La Salle and Tiemann is a great place to go. The Italian restaurant gives student discounts if you show your MSM ID!

2. To go into details about my week will require a drink.

Pop into Paddy’s near 125th Street and Broadway! This little neighborhood bar has been inviting musicians for years to perform on their stage. On Saturday night jam sessions, you could definitely see some familiar faces shredding it. The drinks are certainly cheaper than at some hip Alphabet City or Bushwick bars, too. Fancy getting out of the neighborhood? Take the NQR train downtown and check out The Ginger Man on 36th between Fifth and Madison. In a bar space uncharacteristically large for NYC, The Ginger Man provides a comfortable social environment equipped with no fewer than 80 draft beers, living room-style furniture, and some elbow room. Its prices, beer variety, and atmosphere accommodate the hipster, the Wall Street worker, and everyone in between (i.e. you).

3. It’s been ages since I’ve been to a theater of any kind! HELP!

Fear not! Go to the Student Life Office and ask for discount movie tickets. They’re sold for $8.50 flat, which is almost half the original price. They’ve also got some serious discount brochures for Broadway musicals. Another fail-proof way to get musical tickets is to line up at a TKTS booth in Times Square; day-of tickets are sold at 40-70% off.

4. I REALLY need to change the scenery and watch some live sports.

Great, because New York is home to some amazing sports teams, including the Knicks and Yankees! They have a game almost every weekend. Knicks games are held in Madison Square Garden (super easy to get there on the 1 train) and the Yankees are just 20 minutes away in the Bronx by way of the D train to ‘161st Street Yankee Stadium.’

5. I am a hopeless musician and would love even more music in my life!

You’re in the right city! The New York City Ballet, Met Opera, and New York Philharmonic offer world-class music AND have student rush/discount tickets! Get yourself down to midtown west, go to the box office about two or three hours in advance, and whip out your student ID to get the best bang for your buck. Wanna chill low-key in uptown instead? Come to the Postcrypt Coffeehouse at Columbia University and discover some up-and-coming artists! Established in 1964, the ‘coffeehouse’ features amateurs and pro musicians and artists all together every Friday and Saturday. Everything is acoustic, and admission is always free. They only let about thirty people in due to space, so get there early and call “dibs” on your seat.

If you need more to do than party, here’s a list of some things you can’t ignore at MSM.

It’s surprisingly easy and convenient to find something fun to do without traveling so far; that’s why you’ve moved to NYC! Go out and take advantage of the nightlife scene in the city that never sleeps.

Sara Hong is a New York City based classical pianist, teacher, translator, and writer. She has graduated from Manhattan School of Music with a Bachelor’s (2011), Master’s (2013), and Professional Studies degree (2014). She specializes in short stories, travel journals, good-eats recipes, and articles on performance and pedagogy.