An asterisk (*) at the end of the listing indicates that it's a good place to bring children (my children, anyway, what do I know?)

Ars Nova
511 West 54th St, 212.489.9800
Years of doing and seeing theater in black-walled rooms makes me a prime candidate for Ars Nova, a gorgeous little bon-bon box that attracts all sorts of nifty performers, including our boy, monologuist Mike Daisey.

The Upright Citizen's Brigade
307 West 26th St, 212-366-9176
Ever since we caught one of the original citizens demonstrating his "mass-odge" techniques on an increasingly unwilling audience participant in a free show in Tompkins Square, we've been ardent admirers of these comedic loose cannons. I'm so glad they have a permanent home in which to practice their mass-odge techniques.

Coney Island Circus Sideshow
Surf Ave & West 12th St, Brooklyn, 718 372 5159
Freak out! It ain't the same when Rok Rock-it's not around to swing rusty buckets full of bike chains, water bottles and rubber chickens from his earlobes, but it's still an electrifying, sword-swallowing, mouse-trap-snapping good time. Sure hope that dang developer doesn't pee in our Wheaties by closing down the last 10-in-1 sideshow in America.
*

Dixon Place
258 Bowery, 2nd floor, 212-219-0736
Kick it old skool on a thrifted settee in a teeny tiny performance space that has withstood the test of time! Plus they let me and Uncle Bill hit each other with fir trees and frying pans as Inky and Milo discovered the true identity of their "real" father, if not exactly the meaning of Christmas.

Issue Project Room
232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, 718-330-0313
A wee touch of the philistine bars me from truly appreciating experimental, avant-garde, and/or free-form musical composition, but if such sonic adventures are to occur, I'd just as soon it be in something that appears to be a converted industrial silo on the banks of the Gowanus canal. Plus they have yoga and Steve Buscemi. Rent it out! Have a party and don't forget to invite your old pal, Ayun Halliday.

The Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 E Houston, 212-777-FILM #687
Just when I move out of the East Village, the best movie theater in NYC sets up shop on Houston and 2nd Avenue. According to cinema buffs, this lovely-to-look-at space gets straight As for focus, seat comfort and popcorn not to mention showing at least three films I'm interested in seeing at any given time.

St. Ann's Warehouse
38 Water St, Brooklyn, 718-858-2424
I used to wish American theaters could be more like their engaging Scottish counterparts, with bars and nice snacks and exposed brick walls that make you feel all arty-like. Now I don't have to wish anymore. There's always something intriguing going on here, from a one night stand by The Tiger Lillies to Al Pacino corralling all his famous pals for a reading of Salome. Tickets won't eat up a week's worth of grocery budget either.

Film Forum
Houston St, west of Sixth Avenue, 212-727-8110
Every now and then they have a Satjayit Ray film festival and I can pretend I live in a small black and white subtitled village in India

Cinema Village 22 East 12th Street
Haven't actually been here since the infant Inky started squawking through a showing of "The Sweet Hereafter," which I enjoyed as a radio play when the kind manager insisted that it was okay for us to hang out in the stairwells leading to the lobby.

The Quad
34 W. 13th St, 212-255-8800
Hey, we saw a packed screening of Blood Simple here when I was in the early stages of labor with Milo!

Cobble Hill Cinema
265 Court St, 718-596-9113
Hilarious ghastly paintings of Judy Garland, Vivian Leigh, Laurel & Hardy, John Wayne and other bygone stars adorn the front of this neighborhood quad which, rare in New York, offers bargain matinees and cheap all-day admissions on certain weekdays.

BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100
I thought I was going to give birth to Milo on a plush red seat during a screening of Jesus' Son the night before my due date! Little did I know I'd see one more movie before he came out. World class live performance, film festivals, gospel brunches and nighttime music on the weekends in the café and inspiring kids events in a beautiful old opera house.

PS122
150 First Ave, 212-477-5288
Frequently funny, out-on-the-edge performance and dance can be had here for extremely reasonable ticket prices! Eric Bogosian, Spalding Gray, John Leguizamo, Karen Finley and a buncha other big gorillas cut their milk teeth on PS122's stage and occasionally still book themselves in here for old times sake. You can peek out the window of the main performance space and wave hello to the slum building where Inky, Greg, Jambo and I once lived.

Blue Man Group
Astor Pl. Theatre, 434 Lafayette, 212-254-4370
So what if it's been running for years and it's a "tourist" show? It's really fun, even if you worry that a firebug might do something bad when the entire theatre is swathed in toilet paper.
*

The Public Theatre
425 Lafayette Ave, 212-239-6200
Go to the box office and see if you can get twenty dollar seats the day of the performance. This usually works with Broadway theatres too, particularly if you have a student ID, or go in previews, before the show gets a rave review. (Their in-house bar, Joe's Pub is a great intimate place to check out music, but it's cramped and the food tanks.)

The New Victory Theater
209 W 42nd St, 212-239-6200
Nifty kids shows that adults will enjoy too (international acrobats, gorgeous puppetry, that kind of thing) in a renovated Broadway theatre. Check Time Out's Kids listings to see what's playing.
*

TKTS booth
Times Sq at 47th St 3pm-8pm for evening shows, 10am-2pm for Wednesday and Saturday matinees, 11am-7pm Sundays. You can get half price tickets (plus a hefty service charge) to performances scheduled for later in the day to Broadway shows, as well as performances at the Public, Lincoln Center and the larger Off-Broadway venues that need butts in the seats. Prepare yourself for a long, anxious line.