Events & Things To Do

October 31, 2019

The Shed, the Whitney, and the Apollo join IDNYC’s free membership program

Beginning in 2020, the list of 50+ cultural institutions offering free membership through the city's IDNYC program will grow to include the Apollo Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, National Sawdust, The Shed, and the Whitney Museum. Started in 2015 as a way to provide identification cards to those who may not otherwise have access, such as the homeless and undocumented immigrants, IDNYC now has more than 1.3 million cardholders (it's the country's largest municipal ID program) who have saved over $55 million on memberships, discounts, and other fees.
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October 29, 2019

9 best dog breeds for NYC apartments

Many New Yorkers live in spaces that barely appear large enough for their human occupants, but this doesn’t prevent them from adopting dogs of all breeds and sizes. By one estimate, there are more than half a million dogs in New York City (that’s more than the human population of Atlanta and most U.S. cities). To find out which dogs are best for NYC’s finicky indoor and outdoor environments, 6sqft reached out to Lauren McDevitt, the founder of Good Dog, which is, in essence, an online platform designed to promote responsible breeding and make it easier for people looking to adopt a dog to avoid scams. Ahead, McDevitt shares some tips for New Yorkers looking to adopt a canine companion and helps us put together a list of the best dog breeds for apartment dwellers (French Bulldogs, Boxers, and Golden Retrievers all made the cut!).
Check out the full list
October 28, 2019

Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Love Flies Up to the Sky’ balloon to join Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Work by Yayoi Kusama, the celebrated contemporary artist who gave us those famous polka-dot pumpkins and insanely popular Infinity Rooms, will be brightening the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Japanese artist's creation, “Love Flies Up to the Sky,” will be part of the parade's Blue Sky Gallery, a series of balloons that reflect art from the world's best-known contemporary artists.
Inflatable art, this way
October 25, 2019

The restoration of Keith Haring’s ‘Crack is Wack’ mural is now complete

After a couple of months of work, Keith Haring’s iconic “Crack is Wack” mural in East Harlem is now fully restored. As 6sqft previously reported, Haring painted the 16-foot by 26-foot mural on a handball court at East 128th Street and the Harlem River Drive in 1986 to draw attention to the crack cocaine epidemic. Composed with the artist’s signature kinetic figures and bold abstract forms, the piece has been celebrated as one of his most important works. It was refurbished and repainted by artists Louise Hunnicutt and William Tibbals, with support from the Keith Haring Foundation.
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October 25, 2019

PHOTOS: See the best costumes from this year’s Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade

Some were spooky, others political, all were adorable. The 29th annual Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade took place last Sunday, bringing together hundreds of New Yorkers and their furry friends from all over. While the parade is no longer really a parade nor held at Tompkins Square Park, the event remains one of the year's best. Photographers James and Karla Murray witnessed first hand the canine costumes and shared with 6sqft photos of the cutest and most creative choices, including the ultimate winners: two Yorkshire terries as Snoopy and the Red Baron.
More dressed-up pups this way
October 23, 2019

This year’s best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween trick-or-treating

October 31 brings New Yorkers of all sizes out of their crypts and crannies in search of treats and fun. This year, long-running favorite neighborhoods rise to the occasion once again, with a few recent additions. Trick-or-treating in the big city has its advantages: Apartment buildings can be like hitting the jackpot and friendly neighbors, stores, businesses and neighborhood events keep the little tricksters busy. Technology helps keep things safe and fun: Local-social site Nextdoor's annual trick-or-treat map is back; neighbors can add themselves to if they're handing out candy. Like so many other topics, New Yorkers love to argue over which neighborhoods offer the best bounty. Below are a few picks for the best treats.
Score more treats this Halloween
October 22, 2019

D.C.’s Newseum is closing, but it won’t give WTC Antenna to 9/11 Museum

The Newseum in Washington D.C. will close for good at the end of this year due to financial issues, and when it does, it will put a piece of the World Trade Center antenna in storage instead of giving it to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum here in New York City, as Gothamist reports. The 360-foot television and radio antenna, which was located on the North Tower, has been part of the Newseum's September 11th exhibit since it opened at its current location in 2008.
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October 22, 2019

City approves design for Central Park’s first statue of women

New York City's most famous park will get a new statue honoring women for the first time ever. The city's Public Design Commission on Monday approved a design for a new Central Park monument that depicts women's rights activists, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Set to debut next summer on the 100th-anniversary of the 19th amendment's ratification, the statue's approval comes as the city looks to address the lack of women honored in public spaces. Currently, all 23 historical monuments in Central Park are of men.
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October 21, 2019

Stay at the creepy and kooky ‘Addams Family Mansion’ in Clinton Hill this Halloween

A 19th-century townhouse in Brooklyn has undergone a creepy and kooky makeover just in time for Halloween. Travel company Booking.com transformed the Clinton Hill home at 272 Lafayette Avenue into a real-life replica of The Addams Family Mansion from the hit 1960s comedy sitcom. For just over $100 per night, guests can spend Halloween playing with Wednesday's beheaded dolls, calling Lurch on his "you rang" bell, and getting scared by Thing.
It's creepy and it's kooky
October 18, 2019

Prospect Park will host first-ever ‘bike day’ this weekend

Does your child want to ditch the training wheels? Need a new helmet? Head to Prospect Park this weekend for the park's first annual "Bike Day." Hosted by the Prospect Park Alliance with Citi Bike and Bike New York, the free event on Sunday, Oct. 20 hopes to encourage a more diverse group of New Yorkers to take up biking by offering demonstrations, classes, prizes, and a one-month free trial of Citi Bike.
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October 16, 2019

Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea will set up for the winter at Williamsburg’s new 25 Kent

Earlier this month, we got a look at the completed 25 Kent, Williamsburg’s first ground-up commercial project in 50+ years. The eight-story building is notable for its bi-partite, ziggurat-like design, as well as its prime waterfront location and open space--all of which make it the perfect spot for an outpost of Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea. The markets announced today that beginning November 2nd and lasting through March 2020, they'll be operating out of a 25,000-square-foot, top-floor space at the building.
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October 15, 2019

The Arches of Harlem aims to turn the Riverside Drive Viaduct into a public light-art installation

Harlem-based architectural lighting firm Focus Lighting has worked on some pretty impressive projects here in NYC, from the Times Square ball to the Waldorf Astoria. But they're also getting involved in their local community, thinking about how they can transform the Riverside Drive Viaduct--a 50-foot-tall elevated steel roadway that runs from 125th to 135th Streets. As the firm notes, during the day, the structure's grand arches serve as a picturesque background to the neighborhood and the Hudson River, but at night, they "go completely unlit and unutilized." Their proposal, called The Arches of Harlem, seeks to incorporate a new programmable lighting composition every three months, each one "inspired by select works of historic artists and emerging local talent."
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October 14, 2019

See inside MoMA’s $450M revamped, expanded campus

Following the completion of a $450 million renovation project, the Museum of Modern Art is set to reopen next week on October 21. In addition to expanding gallery space by nearly 50,000 square feet, the project reorganized the layout of exhibits, which now will be displayed chronologically instead of by discipline. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, the new museum expanded west into the former site of the American Folk Art Museum and within the base of Jean Nouvel's new residential tower, 53W53.
See inside
October 14, 2019

Cuomo announces state commission to build Mother Cabrini statue following ‘She Built NYC’ snub

Despite garnering the most votes in a public poll, Mother Frances Cabrini will not be memorialized as part of the She Built NYC program run by First Lady Chirlane McCray. Controversy has followed the decision to not include Cabrini in recent days, with Mayor Bill de Blasio stepping in to suggest she would be a contender in future editions of the program during The Brian Lehrer Show last Friday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded by calling the decision an “affront” to the Italian-American community. During Monday's Columbus Day Parade, the governor announced a new state commission that will lead the creation of a separate memorial for Cabrini.
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October 11, 2019

What you need to know about Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day events in NYC

A three-day weekend is upon us as New Yorkers get ready to celebrate Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, Oct. 14. Major events include the 75th annual Columbus Day parade on Fifth Avenue and the two-day Indigenous Peoples' Celebration of New York City on Randall's Island. Ahead, get the low-down on both holidays, including additional planned activities, how to get around, and street closure information.
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October 10, 2019

Jenny Holzer explores gun violence in a new public artwork at Rockefeller Center

Artist Jenny Holzer—known for her practice of displaying text in the public sphere—is partnering with Creative Time for the third time on a new public art project at Rockefeller Center. VIGIL is a series of light projections addressing gun violence in America through first-hand accounts, poems, and responses by Americans who have had to reckon with the everyday reality of gun violence. The words will be beamed across the iconic Midtown destination each night from October 10 to 12 beginning at 8 p.m.
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October 9, 2019

All the cool and spooky Halloween happenings in NYC this year

Some say Halloween is New York City’s favorite holiday. And while those who indulge in its fright-fraught fun may celebrate in different ways, there’s a scare out there for everyone. We’re all under the spell of the fabulous Village Halloween Parade, from its history to its most avid participants; if that doesn’t satisfy your craving for fright-week fun, peruse our list of Halloween happenings from family-friendly to extra freaky.
Find something to BOO
October 8, 2019

NYPL celebrates centennial of J.D. Salinger’s birth with archive of 200 rare items from the author

The life of famously private author J.D. Salinger will be the focus of a new New York Public Library exhibit. To mark the centennial of The Catcher in the Rye writer's birth, the library will display more than 200 items from Salinger's life, most of which have never before been seen by the public. The exhibition, "J.D. Salinger," includes family photographs from his time growing up in Manhattan, his own typewriter, and original typescript and proofs.
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October 4, 2019

Winter festivities come early to NYC, with ice rinks and holiday markets opening this month

Before it's even truly felt like fall, winter is coming to New York City. Ice skating rinks and holiday markets will open this month, giving an early taste of cold-weather activities. The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park, which includes holiday vendors and 17,000-square-foot ice rink, officially opens on Oct. 31, letting you trade trick-or-treating for shopping and skating. The iconic skating rink at Rockefeller Center will open on Oct. 12 for the fall and winter season and Lasker Rink in Central Park will open sometime later this month.
Who's ready?
October 4, 2019

+POOL’s public art installation in the East River illuminates water quality

Designed by PLAYLAB, INC. and Family New York in collaboration with Floating Point, a new project from the team behind the +POOL concept makes it possible for anyone to visualize water conditions in NYC's Harbor using a light installation and an interactive website. The 50-foot x 50-foot plus-shaped "+POOL Light" is installed at the Seaport District at Lower Manhattan's Pier 17, continuously changing color based on the condition of the water in which it floats, from great for swimming to not-so-great. The installation debuted last night and will be on view until January 3rd.
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October 2, 2019

The 2019 Open House New York Weekend schedule is here!

The annual Open House New York Weekend is around the corner, and the calendar and guide to tours, events, and access to typically off-limits sites have been released. OHNY Weekend is Friday, October 18, Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. Highlights include new sites like Pier 35 eco-park , the TWA Hotel, The Spur High Line (the last section of the original High Line rail structure to be converted into public space) and 277 Mott, a new core and shell project by Toshiko Mori Architect with a twisting facade that appears to shift as pedestrians approach. There are also featured sites like the Brooklyn Navy Yard and special curated series like Factory Fridays and Open Studios. Tools to help you plan your weekend include an event guide, an interactive map showing where "open access" sites and events are located throughout the five boroughs, and an itinerary planner.
Some highlights to look for during OHNY 2019 this way
October 1, 2019

New virtual art exhibition at High Line Nine highlights multiple artists at once

A new art exhibit that opened last week at the High Line Nine in Chelsea appears to be an empty room of blank walls. But the exhibition, titled "Art Has No Limits," actually features art hidden in plain sight. Through the augmented reality art app Aery, visitors have access to multiple shows by different artists in the same space, at the same time. The new exhibit, which opened at the gallery between West 27th and West 28th Streets on Sunday, shows off work by photographer Shuli Sadé and neo-conceptual artist Richard Humann.
Details here
October 1, 2019

Over 200 FDNY firehouses will welcome open house visitors this weekend

If you–or your favorite fire truck-loving kid–would like a behind-the-scenes look at where New York's bravest get to work, keep your calendar open this weekend: On Saturday, October 5th, and Sunday, October 6th, the FDNY will be hosting their fifth annual citywide open house.  More than 200 firehouses and EMS stations will open their doors to the public from 11:00am to 1:00pm or 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
Find a participating firehouse near you, this way
September 30, 2019

Artist Kehinde Wiley unveils ‘Rumors of War’ sculpture in Times Square

The artist widely known for his portrait of former President Barack Obama unveiled last week his first public sculpture. Nigerian-American visual artist Kehinde Wiley's "Rumors of War" will be on display in Times Square until December. Standing 27 feet high, the artwork features a young African American man dressed in ripped jeans and a hoodie sitting on a horse, a direct response to the controversial Confederate monuments found all over the United States.
Details this way
September 27, 2019

Get to know Bay Ridge in the Urban Archive scavenger hunt

A scavenger hunt can be a great way to get to know a new neighborhood–or discover things about its history that you might never have learned. Join Urban Archive, the Historic Districts Council, and the New York City Department of Records for a scavenger hunt using the Urban Archive app in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on Sunday, October 6th.
Start hunting, this way