Under a blanket of late-winter snow, The Armory Show opens in New York on March 4th bringing a more defined installment of America's top contemporary art fair than in previous year. In addition to the modern and contemporary fairs held at Piers 92 and 94 between March 5th-8th, the city's top museums offer special shows including a creative retrospective on "Bjork" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and "On Kawara - Silence" at the Guggenheim Museum.<br><br>The Armory Show kicks-off with the annual Armory Arts Party on the Wednesday before, this year on March 4th, offering a creative soiree of entertainment by Hot Chip, Kelela, Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend and the 2015 Armory Show Commissioned Artist, Lawrence Abu Hamdan at MoMA's Agnes Gund Garden Lobby. Those not privy to the VIP art scene find the city's restaurants filled with arty chitchat by visiting collectors and patrons, most especially new spots for the year that include Dirty French, Cherche Midi, Narcissa and pricey-but-unstarred Kappo Masa that's co-owned by Larry Gagosian and can come with a $240-per person price tag just to sit down. Also look for longtime standards from the Waverly Inn to the Spotted Pig and Lambs Club to be especially packed.<br><br>In terms of nightlife, expect the arty-boho spots like Le Baron, Top-of-the-Standard and Leonora to be even more avant-garde from Thursday onwards. You can also still catch a glimpse of Queen of the Night at Diamond Horseshoe that running through April. And if by weekend you find yourself wondering if Armory has lost some of its steam, or the art fair concept in general, it's worth noticing that an intentionally streamlined event this year hopes to bring the focus back to art and not the party scene that has corrupted other high-profile art fairs.
