Events &amp; Things To Do

This morning, hundreds of local residents, news outlets, and local school children packed into Riverside Park at 120th Street to see a herd of 24 goats released into the park. The spectacle kicked off the Riverside Park Conservancy's GOaTHAM, an initiative to use "retired" goats from a local farm to help clear out a surge of invasive species from a hard-to-access area of the park. From today until August 30th, the team of goats will be noshing on poison ivy, bittersweet, wineberry, and more.
Watch the hungry goats in action

Events & Things To Do

The best things to do this Memorial Day weekend in NYC

Image: United States Marine Corps Official Page via photopin cc

May 21, 2019

The best things to do this Memorial Day weekend in NYC

The weather has finally gotten the memo, the city's beaches, parks, and urban islands are open for the season and you’ve got a day off. There’s no need to get complicated; just head for the nearest beach with a picnic for two, attend an outdoor concert, find a BBQ bash or a rooftop rave–or celebrate the day with a parade. What you do with the long weekend is up to you, of course, but you'll find some ideas below to get you started.
a bounty of events, this way

Events & Things To Do

VIDEO: Take a tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty’s new museum

Photo of the Immigrant Museum at Ellis Island; Photo © James and Karla Murray

May 17, 2019

VIDEO: Take a tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty’s new museum

As part of a new video series, photographers and longtime New Yorkers James and Karla Murray take us on a tour of one of the few NYC sites they have never visited: Liberty Island. During a press visit with 6sqft last week, the duo toured and documented the recently opened Statue of Liberty Museum, taking in the interactive galleries, views of Lady Liberty, and the statue's original torch. And as part of a preview with Untapped Cities, James and Karla got a behind-the-scenes look at the abandoned Ellis Island hospital as well as its Immigration Museum. Ahead, ride the Statue Cruises ferry with them from Bowling Green to Liberty and Ellis Islands, taking in all of the historic sites along the way.
See the video

Events & Things To Do

NYC is getting 50 new murals in celebration of Pride next month

Buff Monster’s Lower East Side mural; Photo courtesy of NYC Pride

May 16, 2019

NYC is getting 50 new murals in celebration of Pride next month

To celebrate WorldPride and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising next month, 50 murals will be painted on walls across New York City. As amNY first reported, the new street art is an initiative from NYC Pride for the World Mural Project. According to the organization, the murals will "reflect and honor the beauty, struggle, and strides of the LGBTQIA+ community." The first mural designed by local artist Buff Monster was completed last week and can be viewed on the corner of Chrystie and Broome Street on the Lower East Side.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

PHOTOS: The TWA Hotel at JFK is officially open!

Looking down on the terminal from the London Club; Photo courtesy of TWA Hotel/David Mitchell

May 15, 2019

PHOTOS: The TWA Hotel at JFK is officially open!

The much-anticipated rebirth of Eero Saarinen's historic TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport is complete. The TWA Hotel officially opened on Wednesday, more than two years after the project broke ground in Queens and over 18 years since the iconic 1962 terminal shuttered. The project was developed by MCR and MORSE Development and designed by architecture firm LUBRANO CIAVARRA. Beyer Blinder Belle Architects handled the restoration of the original Flight Center to prepare for the hotel. The two six-story crescent-shaped buildings contain 512 rooms, a rooftop infinity pool and observation deck, event space, food hall, luxury fitness center, and retro cocktail bar.
Take the tour

Events & Things To Do

May 14, 2019

See inside the Statue of Liberty’s new museum ahead of this week’s opening

The Statue of Liberty is a universally recognized structure and symbol. But do most people know the story of its creation? Opening this Thursday, the new Statue of Liberty Museum aims to educate visitors about the history and legacy of the statue through immersive gallery spaces and artifacts. During a press preview last week, 6sqft toured the 26,000-square-foot museum and its landscaped roof, located on Liberty Island across from Lady Liberty herself.
Get a peek

Carnegie Deli and ‘Mrs. Maisel’ team up on a pastrami food truck this week

Photo courtesy of Prime Video

May 13, 2019

Carnegie Deli and ‘Mrs. Maisel’ team up on a pastrami food truck this week

If you watched "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," you know that Midge loves herself a good old pastrami sandwich when she dines at her favorite Jewish deli, which is why the iconic Carnegie Deli is back for its second pop-up with Amazon. Ahead of the second season's launch in December, the former Midtown deli (which closed in 2016 after 80 years) returned for an eight-day stint in a Nolita storefront. And now Prime Video has created a Carnegie Deli food truck so that New Yorkers "can enjoy the 'sandwich worth the schlep' without too much of a schlep." From today until Wednesday the retro pink truck will be serving up two signature sandwiches, black-and-white cookies, and vintage sodas.
Get your order ready

Macy’s moves July 4th fireworks to Brooklyn Bridge

Photo from the 2014 Brooklyn Bridge display, via Flickr cc

May 10, 2019

Macy’s moves July 4th fireworks to Brooklyn Bridge

For the first time since 2014, Macy's will move its Fourth of July fireworks to the Brooklyn Bridge, and this year's display will "add three times more pyrotechnic firepower," according to a press release, with more spectacular effects being set off across the entire bridge, as well as from four barges off the shore of the South Street Seaport District's Pier 17. The 43rd annual event, the largest July 4th celebration in the nation, will see the launch of "tens of thousands of shells and effects."
More details

Events & Things To Do

100 artists will open their studio doors at Industry City this month

Image of Micol Hernandez in her ceramics studio; image courtesy of Industry City Open Studios

May 10, 2019

100 artists will open their studio doors at Industry City this month

By Alexandra Alexa

Understanding an artist’s process can really expand the extent to which we understand and appreciate art, and getting the chance to spend some time with an artist in their studio is the best way to do that. For the sixth year, one of the city’s largest artist enclaves is opening its doors to the public next weekend for Industry City Open Studios, where visitors will see how artists shape their studio environments, take a closer look at finished pieces and maybe even glimpse some in-process work. More than 100 of the artists in the Sunset Park industrial complex will participate in the event, which is happening alongside the Industry City Design Festival by WantedDesign during the citywide NYCxDESIGN festivities.
More info

Events & Things To Do

Historic Districts Council to host symposium on immigrant-run businesses in NYC

Nearly half of New York City's 220,000 small businesses are owned by immigrants. To celebrate this community, the Historic Districts Council is hosting an event this weekend that highlights immigrant-run businesses in New York City. Taking place at the Bohemian National Hall on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the symposium will discuss the ins and outs of running a business in a city that is constantly changing.
Learn more

Events & Things To Do

Brooklyn’s Weeksville Heritage Center launches crowd-funding campaign to stay afloat

The Hunterfly Road Houses, part of the Center, via Wiki Commons

May 7, 2019

Brooklyn’s Weeksville Heritage Center launches crowd-funding campaign to stay afloat

By Lucie Levine

The Weeksville Heritage Center is dedicated to documenting, preserving and interpreting the history of free African American communities in central Brooklyn and beyond. Built on the site of Weeksville, once the second-largest free black community in Antebellum America, the center maintains the landmarked Hunterfly Road Houses, which are the last standing historical remnants of that remarkable community, and mounts exhibitions, installations, and community programs. But rising operational costs have left the Center in a precarious financial position, and without support, the organization may have to close its doors as early as July. To meet its short-term operating costs, the Weeksville Heritage Center has launched a crowd-funding campaign in the hopes of raising at least $200,000 by June 30th.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

May 6, 2019

Robert Indiana’s famous ‘LOVE’ sculptures arrive along the High Line

This past fall, the Kasmin Gallery opened a 5,000-square-foot space + rooftop sculpture garden next to Zaha Hadid's futuristic condo 520 West 28th Street. And to kick off the summer season, the High Line-adjacent space has just announced a new sculpture garden show--a trio of works from Robert Indiana's famous "Love" series. The pieces showcase the word in English (Love), Spanish (Amor), and Hebrew (Ahava), which, according to a press release "represent three of New York’s most historic and influential dialects, celebrating immigration and lingual diversity in one of the most visited public art spaces in the city."
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

Photo courtesy of NYCxDESIGN

May 6, 2019

NYCxDESIGN 2019: A guide to New York City’s annual celebration of design

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

You can expect to see the stars of NYCxDESIGN–sinuous sofas, luminous lighting, fab furniture, terrific textiles, and amazing accessories–for the next several years in magazines, blogs and showrooms, but you'll be seeing them here first. It’s not strictly for design geeks only, but if modern objects are your thing, get out your calendar and get ready for design heaven. ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) anchors an international celebration on a par with the Milan Furniture Fair and Stockholm Design Week, with hundreds of thousands of attendees and designers from across the globe converging on the city's five boroughs from May 10–22; much of the mid-May action happens in Manhattan, but Brooklyn weighs in with a full calendar of collective events in hotspots like the Navy Yard and Industry City that serve as design hubs 365 days a year. Read on for a handful of highlights.
What's next in design, this way

Go inside 7 landmarked houses in Greenwich Village this weekend

Image of a past house tour courtesy of Village Preservation

May 2, 2019

Go inside 7 landmarked houses in Greenwich Village this weekend

This Sunday, Village Preservation will hold its 21st annual Spring Benefit House Tour. As this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District, all the homes and the reception site are landmarked structures located within the district. The tour is the main annual fundraiser for Village Preservation, allowing us to conduct hundreds of educational programs throughout the year and work to protect the irreplaceable history and architecture of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Noho. The addresses of the homes are kept secret to all but ticket buyers, and until the tour. But we can offer a sneak peek at some of the amazing historic homes you will be able to see on the tour--from the current home of Linda Ellerbee and the former residence of Marlon Brando to a one-time speakeasy and a sleek, modern renovation.
What you can expect on this year's tour

Events & Things To Do

Latest MCNY exhibit explores the labor movement in New York

Picketing ILGWU members outside Macy’s department store urge shoppers not to buy Judy Bond blouses. Circa 1965. Courtesy Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives, Cornell University.

April 30, 2019

Latest MCNY exhibit explores the labor movement in New York

By Lucie Levine

The Museum of the City of New York will kick off its new exhibit, "City of Workers, City of Struggle," on May 1st, a date celebrated by workers around the world as May Day. The exhibit will explore how labor movements transformed New York and made it the most unionized large city in the United States. A robust public events calendar and moonlight movie series will add more exciting dimensions to this exploration of 200 years of labor politics in New York.
READ MORE

Six of the season’s best neighborhood food festivals

Image courtesy of Gary Petersen

April 29, 2019

Six of the season’s best neighborhood food festivals

By Alexandra Alexa

The city really comes alive during the spring, and neighborhood food festivals offer a fun and exciting way to toast the warm weather and try some new, seasonal bites from the city's best restaurants. With live music, celebrity chefs in attendance, and activities for the whole family, food festivals have something to offer every palate. Below, we've rounded up the season's best indoor and alfresco events for your tastebuds, from the Upper West and Lower East Sides to Cobble Hill to Harlem.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

Jane’s Walk Weekend offers nearly 300 free walking tours around NYC

Jane’s Walk photo courtesy of MAS

April 29, 2019

Jane’s Walk Weekend offers nearly 300 free walking tours around NYC

By Lucie Levine

Jane's Walk photo courtesy of MAS Get ready to walk! The great urbanist Jane Jacobs advocated for livable, walkable cities, and the Municipal Art Society invites you to do just that during the first weekend in May. MAS's 9th annual Jane's Walk weekend, a three-day festival of free, public, volunteer-led walking tours, kicks off Friday, May 3rd. The Jane's Walk festival is a global event honoring Jane Jacobs' legacy of urban exploration, local history, and civic engagement. This year, Jane's Walks will take place in 200 cities around the world, and New Yorkers will have nearly 300 walks to choose from!
READ MORE

Rockefeller Center office tower will be converted into Airbnb rentals

75 Rockefeller Plaza via Google Street View

April 29, 2019

Rockefeller Center office tower will be converted into Airbnb rentals

Ten floors of an office tower in Rockefeller Center will be converted into short-term rentals, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. RXR Realty, which has leased the tower at 75 Rockefeller Plaza since 2012, has partnered with Airbnb to transform a portion of the 87-year-old building into roughly 200 units of high-end lodging. In a press release, RXR CEO Scott Rechler described the new venture as a "travel experience that immerses guests in a dynamic, thriving community in the heart of Rockefeller Center that's vastly different than anything else in the market today."
Get the scoop

Noguchi Museum to expand LIC campus, open the sculptor’s studio to the public for the first time

Rendering of the Noguchi Museum campus by Büro Koray Duman

April 26, 2019

Noguchi Museum to expand LIC campus, open the sculptor’s studio to the public for the first time

The original studio and pied-à-terre of Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi will open to the public for the first time as part of a new unified campus, the Noguchi Museum announced earlier this month. The Long Island City museum plans to expand its existing museum and sculpture garden, founded by Noguchi in 1985, by adding a new 6,000-square-foot building and restoring the sculptor's studio.
Get the details

NYC spring art guide 2019: Don’t-miss exhibits, events, and installations

Alicja Kwade, ParaPivot. Image credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Hyla Skopitz.

April 26, 2019

NYC spring art guide 2019: Don’t-miss exhibits, events, and installations

New York City's art scene blossoms anew in springtime, with fresh ways to look at classic museum collections, international art fairs, cutting-edge installations and everything in between. And new public works pop up in the city's parks and gardens, making it possible to enjoy both the outdoors and the art. We've rounded up a list of must-see exhibits, fairs, and installations to get you started.
Check out our top spring picks

Events & Things To Do

Photo via Pixabay

April 25, 2019

French Embassy celebrates Notre Dame with special St. Patrick’s Cathedral concert

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

The French Embassy in the United States has organized a series of solidarity concerts throughout the country as a way to celebrate the international significance of Notre-Dame following the April 15th fire that ravaged the Medieval wooden roof and iconic pinnacle. In the spirit of French-American friendship, each concert--in NYC, Washington DC, San Francisco, and New Orleans--will be held at an American Cathedral and will feature a French organist. Here in NYC, the free April 26th concert will be held at none other than St. Patrick's Cathedral.
All the details

Events & Things To Do

Artists chosen for Shirley Chisholm statue in Prospect Park

Rendering by Amanda Williams and Olalekan Jeyifous.

April 24, 2019

Artists chosen for Shirley Chisholm statue in Prospect Park

In New York City's five boroughs, only five out of 150 monuments of historic figures depict women. Launched last year, a program from Women.nyc called She Built NYC is attempting to narrow that gap by commissioning monuments throughout the city honoring visionary women who have helped define the city and made an impact on the world. To that end, acclaimed artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan Jeyifous have been selected to design the first of these monuments, which will honor celebrated New York congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.
More of the winning design, this way

Get your sweet fix while exploring downtown Manhattan on an Underground Donut Tour

Photos courtesy of Underground Donut Tour

April 22, 2019

Get your sweet fix while exploring downtown Manhattan on an Underground Donut Tour

By Alexandra Alexa

After finding success in Chicago and Philadelphia, the Underground Donut Tour has officially launched in New York City (h/t amNY), where there’s no shortage of both modern and classic takes on the popular dessert. And while it’s the perfect way to fulfill your cravings and try new flavor profiles, you don’t have to be a donut fanatic (or a cop) to enjoy yourself. During the two-hour tour, participants will hit up four of the city’s best donut shops while traversing several historic neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan and learning a fun array of facts about the city.
Donut details this way

Events & Things To Do

Parts of every NYC borough will go car free next weekend for Earth Day

Photo courtesy of NYC DOT on Flickr

April 19, 2019

Parts of every NYC borough will go car free next weekend for Earth Day