As a visitor to New York City on occasion, my comments regarding the jazz clubs and the experience offered to a visitor would be as follows:
1. Village Vanguard--the best club in terms of sound and history; they usually treat you decently.
2. Jazz Standard--this club has good sound, is quite intimate, and is the friendliest of the upscale clubs. It's now my second or third favorite club.
3. The Fez at the Time Cafe--If in town on a Thursday night, the Mingus Big Band is mandatory. A really thrilling, intense experience.
4. Sweet Rhythm--The reincarnated Sweet Basil; an excellent club.
4. Birdland--A nice club but rather pricey; they've usually treated me pretty well.
5. Iridium--again, a nice club I like, but also pricey like Birdland; their treatment of the customer varies based on how crowded the club is (that is, go there during the week, not on the weekend).
6. Blue Note--I don't care for this club much.
7. Fat Cat--This is a very informal club attached to a pool hall, kind of shabby, but has good music.
8. Jazz Gallery--I like this venue, which is a small concert room, not a club, which has interesting music and an intimate setting.
9. Knitting Factory--They don't seem to ever have jazz when I'm in town, but I used to enjoy going here.