A Night at the Village Vanguard

Down a narrow staircase off Seventh Avenue South is a wedge-shaped basement room that has been presenting jazz since 1935. Coltrane recorded here. So did Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, and most of the music's modern history. The Village Vanguard is not a themed recreation of a jazz club — it is the thing itself, red curtains and all, with acoustics musicians still talk about.

Sets are short, the room is small, and people come to listen; conversation waits for the break. Buy tickets in advance on the club's site, arrive early for a good table, and order simply — the music is the menu. Two sets run most nights, and the late one has its own hushed charm.