I'm planning/hoping to attend a concert at 54 Below in April and will likely be going alone. Having read other discussions here on the board about how single parties are seated with other people, I wonder if I'm better off getting a ticket for the Main Dining Room (linked to a reservation time) or the Premium Seating, which I gathered means the Booths. (I spoke to someone at 54 Below who said you have to look up at the stage if seated in the Premium Ringside Seating, so it sounds like those aren't ideal).
Would it be more awkward to be seated at a booth with another group rather than a table? I gather people are very friendly, but Inwouldnt want to awkwardly crowd a group in a booth. The price difference in booths vs. Main Dining Room makes me think booth seating is better, but maybe that's not true.
Alternatively, would anyone argue that the Ringside seats are actually my best option?
I've (obviously) never been to 54 Below before so I was hoping to get advice from some people who might know better!
I think you would be fine at a table. Very close quarters and you are almost forced to speak to those around you, which is nice. Or you could get a bar or bar rail seat. I did that once. But get a table seat. You will be closer.
The premium booths are nice, but the view/experience isn't any nicer than a good seat (get an early reservation and be nice to the maitre'd). Definitely not worth twice the price, and no different in experience alone. I've gone alone and in groups and you generally will chat with the people you sit with but it has never been awkward sitting with others for me.
I've been at 54 Below many times and while I've never paid for premium seating (booth or premium section on the tables) I don't really see the advantage, especially since they are quite a bit more expensive.
The view from the bar rail seating is actually excellent (they are the same price as main dining room) and if you're worried about it being awkward, this might be the best option. It's what I opted for the one time I went by myself.
However, I've seen people by themselves many times, any everybody is lovely. It might be a little awkward if you end up on one of those 4-person tables in the main dining room vs. the long tables in the center (only the front half is premium) because there you're setting is rows of people and you'll likely have another single person sitting across from you. But 54 Below doesn't let you choose which.
I think the booth has the biggest risk of being awkward because that's often times where family and friends of the performer are seating, and they are almost always bigger group, while in the main dining you're more likely to be seating with small groups or other singles (at a 4-person table e.g. with a couple or 2 people together, and another single person).
Come early, have dinner before the show starts (I find it awkward to eat during the concert), and chat with the people seated around you, you might make friends! Or end up sitting next to someone famous (happened to my friend and me at the Marin Mazzie show haha)
Thanks for the tips, everyone! In the end, I've gone with a reservation in the Main Dining Room. Looking forward to going, and it helps that multiple people have said fellow concertgoers are friendly and usually up for a chat.
I have the exact opposite problem, or question. I'm attending a concert there next week. I purchased bar rail seating, specifically because I am attending alone and really don't want to be forced in to mindless chatter and Fake-Friends-For-Tonight mode at a table or booth. If I wanted a companion, I'd bring one. Is it OK for me to bring a book or magazine with me to read pre-show? I haven't crossed the threshhold since 1980-81, so really have no idea what to expect. Thanks!
Susanswerphone said: "Is it OK for me to bring a book or magazine with me to read pre-show? I haven't crossed the threshhold since 1980-81, so really have no idea what to expect. Thanks!"
Yeah that wouldn't be a problem. I sat at bar rail seating once for the same reason, since I attended that show alone. Good view, trade off being a bit further away from the stage than the main dining. Ordered dinner and a drink and proceeded to read on my phone until the concert started.
Yea, I don't see the difference between reading a book/magazine and playing games on your phone or reading and e-book or chatting or whatever. I've done all of the above pre-show when attending things alone to pass time.
Most of my 54 Below trips have been solo, and the group seating is no problem at all. I've found I actually have a slight preference for the 4 tops because they give you a bit more distance and perspective (especially if it's a large cast performance) but I've also had a great view from the long tables. As others mentioned, you never know who you'll end up seated next to, which can be a nice surprise. I've been seated with Broadway performers there to support their friends as well as family members of the cast, and even randomly ended up with people I had sat next to at a previous 54 Below show.
I always go alone and choose the bar rail seats and they are great. I'm not really into chit-chat with strangers, so it's perfect. Seats are not as close but they are perfectly fine, elevated and a great venue for shows.
I also don't like to be seated at a table with strangers. I've never been to 54 Below, but if I ever do, I now know what to do. This is the reason I didn't go to "Cabaret"--I didn't want to sit at a table with people I didn't know. And when I take a long-distance Amtrak trip, I never go in the dining car for that reason.