NV

289 Spring St at Hudson St (212-929-NVNV)


Subway: 1, 9 to Houston St; C, E to Spring St. Wed-Fri 4:30pm-4am; Sat 8pm-4am.





NV, located just west of Soho, caters mainly to Eurotrash, yuppies, sports stars and model-worshippers, but worthwhile parties do take place on occasion. The Sunday-night Passion event draws an upscale, good-looking mixed-to-black crowd, there to groove to the music (hip-hop, R&B, classics) and each other.

Hotel Nacional

Calle O, esquina a 21 (333564/333567)


Open Comedor de Aguiar noon-4pm, 7pm-midnight daily. Buffet Veranda 7-10am, 11.30am-3pm, 7-10pm daily. Cafeter'a El Rincón del Cine 24hrs daily. Main courses Comedor de Aguiar $11-$36. Buffet Veranda $13 (set breakfast); $15 (set lunch); $25 (set dinner). Cafeter'a El Rincón del Cine $6-$10.

Air-conditioning. Outside tables.





This remarkable building optimises all that Havana used to be. Grand, elegant and swanky, it's a great place to swan around and pretend to be wealthy. There are three restaurants here, offering food in varying price brackets, but note that drinks prices are in keeping with the surroundings ($2.50 for a Cristal). For details of the Hotel Nacional, .
The Comedor de Aguiar is built on the site where Don Luis José Aguiar kicked the Brits' butts during the 1762 occupation. It's so elite that there's hardly ever anyone in it; possibly something to do with the intimidating, immaculately dressed waiters guarding the doors. Starters, such as smoked salmon with capers and onion, cost $6 to $11; main courses (butterfly lobster, for example) are up to $36, and the drinks add a further ouch factor. The quality is good (for Cuba) and the service is second to none. You get the drift. Downstairs is the more relaxed, all-you-can-eat, self-service Buffet Veranda . (On the way down, look out for the cheesy photo of South London's finest: 'Naomi Campbell. Top Model'.) Equally top quality and self-confident is the food, including a good selection of fruits, salad and nine sorts of bread. The buffet gains extra points for three different potato dishes (unbelievably rare in Cuba). Round the corner from the buffet is the cinema-themed, American diner-style Cafeter'a el Rincón del Cine . Here you can scoff down a full American brekky for $9.50, or choose from a selection of well-prepared and moderately priced burgers, pizzas and sandwiches.

Cocteau & Spain

Poet, playwright and cineaste Jean Cocteau spent long periods living on the Costa del Sol in the 1950s and 1960s. His long relationship with Spain is captured in this exhibition. Picasso, bullfighting and flamenco were all facets of Spain that fascinated Cocteau and served as a source of inspiration for his own work. During his spells here he rubbed shoulders with painters, bullfighters, flamenco dancers and singers and portrayed them in the photos and quick sketches that are on display.

Vinopolis, City of Wine

1 Bank End, SE1 (0870 4444777)


London Bridge tube/rail. Open 10am-5pm daily (last entry 4.30pm). Admission £11.50; £4.50 5s-18s; £10.50 OAPs; £1 discount if booked in advance. Credit AmEx, JCB, MC, £TC, V.

Website: http://www.vinopolis.co.uk





The motto of this oenophile's attraction, which opened in July 1999, is åExplore, taste, enjoy'. They got the first two right. You pick up a headset and, later, a wine glass and embark on a tour of the history of wine across the world. Huge blow-up photos of vineyards and luxury chateaux set the scene, but the commentary, from the likes of famous wine experts Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson et al, is made up of soundbites so short that you don't feel like you're learning much. Still, on the plus side, included in the (not inconsiderable) entry fee are vouchers to taste five wines, provided by informative servers (try, if you dare, a Romanian or a Georgian). The much-publicised trip through a vineyard on a Vespa, is, frankly, a bit of a waste of time. Still, it's all a good excuse to drink during the day. There are further attempts to push booze in your face in the form of a Majestic wine warehouse at the end of the tour, in addition to a rather good shop selling all manner of vinous accoutrements (corkscrews, wine racks, books, etc), and gourmet food.

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010101

With technology increasingly inserting itself into all aspects of life, the San Francisco Museum of Modern takes the occasion of the first year in the new millennium to examine its influence on art. '010101' is a major exhibition that charts new developments in contemporary art, architecture, design and the involvement of technology in the creative process. Examining the evolution, the current state and the future of digital media and art, the exhibition is presented in the galleries as well as online by some 35 artists and designers, including many newly commissioned pieces.

Grand Hotel dei Dogi

Tucked away in the heart of Cannaregio, the most unspoilt area of Venice the beautiful and sumptuously decorated Grand Hotel dei Dogi is a recent and exciting addition to the city's hotel scene. The building housed the French Embassy during the 17th-century and became a convent in the 19th. It has an extraordinarily peaceful garden whose original landscaping, with fountains and rose bushes, has been lovingly restored by horticultural historians from the nearby University of Padua. Bedrooms have inlaid wooden doors, huge antique mirrors, and 18th-century frescoed walls and ceilings, but still manage to offer a wide range of modern comforts.

Boston Cyberarts Festival

High technology and high art come together once again at the Boston Cyberarts Festival, which takes place at locations throughout the city including the Institute of the Contemporary Art, Symphony Hall, Boston City Hall and the Boston Architectural Center. Events include everything from exhibitions to film and video screenings, from discussions to musical performances. The Festival kicks off on 20 April at the University Park Hotel@MIT with a reception for artists and a sampling of some of their works.

Eric Clapton

The grand-daddy of guitar-based rock will surely have no trouble selling out the Pavilhão Atlântico, despite its huge size, but whether he will be able to warm up this rather cool venue with a solo show is open to question. Clapton may sound like dated guitar rubbish to some listeners, but his latest collaboration with BB King has proven that there's life in the old dog yet. Tickets available at the usual agencies, including the ABEP kiosk in Praça dos Restauradores and at Fnac.

British Museum - Getting to grips with the BM

The cardinal rule is: don't try to see everything on one visit

Even if it were physically possible to do so, you'd end up with
nothing but glazed eyes, throbbing feet and only the haziest of
memories of anything you had seen. You should focus your attention on
specific areas of interest. If you're not sure what you want to see,
buy one of the excellent souvenir guides (?5) and take your pick of the
highlights, or try one of the four suggested tours on the ?1 leaflets.
Alternatively, book one of the 90-minute tours of the museum's top
treasures at the information desk (?7) or join one of the free 'Eye
Openers' tours, which concentrate on one aspect of the museum's
collections (such as 'Europe: Medieval to Modern' or 'Treasures of the
Islamic World').

Banana Cabaret

The Bedford, 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 (020 8673 8904)


Balham tube/rail. Performances 9pm Fri, Sat. Admission ?10; ?7 concs.

Website: http://www.bananacabaret.co.uk




The Banana Cabaret is
one of the most enterprising and enjoyable clubs on the London comedy
scene, with two separate spaces running simultaneously in the same
building on Saturday nights. It also serves as the current studio for
the Mark Thomas Comedy Product. You need to arrive for the show by
8.45pm on Fridays and 8pm on Saturdays. Food orders are taken until
9pm. There's a disco and DJ until 2am after the show.

Inscribed Cotton from Yemen

It is hard to believe that the intricately decorated cotton hangings that make up this new show at the Textile Museum were produced in the 9th and 10th centuries, since their ink-drawn patterns and gilded edges seem as neat as something produced on a Macintosh computer. In addition to the religious invocations and elegies the words of these artifacts present, the show focuses on the patterns the words create, as well as the amazing craft of the weavers and goldsmiths that all contributed to this unusual and often breathtaking art.