With the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie gracing its stage since it opened in 1981, Blue Note is one of NYC's premier jazz clubs. Most shows are $20 to $45 at the bar or $35 to $55 at a table, but prices rise for the biggest stars. There's jazz brunch ($40) at 11:30am and 1:30pm Sunday.

　　Such is Blue Note's cachet that there are offshoot clubs in Rio, Milan, Hawaii, Napa, Beijing, Tokyo and Nagoya. Go on an off night, and don't talk – all attention is on the stage!