Events & Things To Do

Archtober 2023: Your guide to this year’s architecture and design events

Pumpkitecture photo courtesy of Matthew Carasella Photography

September 15, 2023

Archtober 2023: Your guide to this year’s architecture and design events

By Michelle Cohen

New York City's annual Archtober festival returns October 1 through October 31 for its 13th year. The monthlong celebration of architecture and design unfolds thanks to the collaboration of over 100 partners and sponsors across the city. This year's festival offers events, exhibitions, talks, and neighborhood tours across the five boroughs to raise awareness of the importance of the city's infinite tableau of architecture and design. The 2023 theme, "Bridging Divides," serves to better organize select programming with shared goals and conceptual connections.
Archtober events, this way

A guide to Little Italy’s 97th annual Feast of San Gennaro

Photo by Tom Marvel on Flickr

September 14, 2023

A guide to Little Italy’s 97th annual Feast of San Gennaro

By Devin Gannon

One of New York City's most popular street fairs returns to Manhattan's Little Italy neighborhood this week. The 11-day Feast of San Gennaro began in 1926 as a way for immigrants in New York to maintain the Italian tradition of honoring the patron saint of Naples, Saint Januarius, with a feast every September. While Little Italy has evolved over the last century, shrinking in size from 30 blocks to about nine, the Feast of San Gennaro remains one of the city's best events of the year. Ahead, get a taste of all things Italian with our guide to one of the city's largest street fairs, which takes place September 14 through September 24.
Get the guide

Events & Things To Do

Robert Indiana’s ‘LOVE’ sculpture installed at Rockefeller Center

Photo © 6sqft

September 13, 2023

Robert Indiana’s ‘LOVE’ sculpture installed at Rockefeller Center

By Aaron Ginsburg

Robert Indiana's iconic "Love" sculpture has returned to New York City with a fresh paint job. Starting Wednesday, the 12-foot-high sculpture with its distinct slanted "O" will sit at the head of the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center for six weeks. The sculpture is one part of a larger installation featuring Indiana's work now on view, including his "One Through Zero" sculpture series on Center Plaza and images from his Peace Painting series on the 193 flags surrounding the Rink. The works will be on display through October 23.
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Fred Eversley’s first public artwork in NYC explores new dimensions in Central Park

Fred Eversley, Parabolic Light, 2023. Photo credit: © Fred Eversley. David Kordansky Gallery, New York. Photo: Nicholas Knight, courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY Presented by Public Art Fund at Doris C. Freedman Plaza, New York City, Sep 7, 2023–Aug 25, 2024.

September 8, 2023

Fred Eversley’s first public artwork in NYC explores new dimensions in Central Park

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new art installation in Central Park invites New Yorkers to perceive the environment, others, and themselves through the lens of artist Fred Eversley. Titled "Parabolic Light," Eversley's first-ever public artwork in New York City is a 12-foot-tall sculpture made of polyurethane that prompts viewers to question the way visual and physical perceptions influence connections to the world around us. The sculpture is on view in Central Park's Doris C. Freedman Plaza through August 25, 2024.
more on the captivating sculpture here

Events & Things To Do

‘Beastie Boys Square’ to be unveiled at LES block party with Ad-Rock and Mike D

Photo courtesy of Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

September 7, 2023

‘Beastie Boys Square’ to be unveiled at LES block party with Ad-Rock and Mike D

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Lower East Side intersection is being renamed "Beastie Boys Square" this weekend, with members of the famed hip-hop trio expected to make appearances during the celebration. On Saturday, September 9 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond will join Council Member Christopher Marte and fellow New Yorkers for a block party celebrating the co-naming of the corner of Ludlow and Rivington Streets. The now-iconic intersection was featured in the art for the group's second studio album "Paul's Boutique."
get the details

See the Met Museum’s new science and art play space for children

All photos courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

September 7, 2023

See the Met Museum’s new science and art play space for children

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new play space at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will open its doors to young visitors this weekend. The 81st Street Studio is a 3,500-square-foot art and science playroom located in the museum's Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education that lets children discover the Met's collections through immersive games and experiences. Debuting on September 9, the space is open during museum hours and is free to children and their caregivers.
learn more

Events & Things To Do

You can ride retro NYC subway trains this weekend

Image courtesy of the New York Transit Museum

September 5, 2023

You can ride retro NYC subway trains this weekend

By Aaron Ginsburg

This weekend, take a special ride on a historic New York City subway train. The New York Transit Museum's annual Parade of Trains event returns on September 9 and September 10 with a selection of vintage trains running between Brighton Beach and Kings Highway on the B and Q lines. Admission is free with subway fare.
All ABoard

16 things to do in NYC this Labor Day Weekend

September 1, 2023

16 things to do in NYC this Labor Day Weekend

By Aaron Ginsburg

Labor Day is a holiday spent recognizing American workers. The holiday's history can be traced to New York City in the late 19th century as unions and labor movements gained traction within the working class. Calls for a national holiday resounded amongst laborers, and the first Labor Day Parade was held in Union Square on September 5, 1882. In addition to being a celebration of unions, the holiday also represents the unofficial last weekend of summer. Ahead, find out some of the best ways to celebrate the long weekend in NYC, from attending the historic Labor Day Parade on Fifth Avenue to witnessing "one-wheel madness" at the NYC Unicycle Festival.
Full list here

Events & Things To Do

Everything you need to know about this year’s Caribbean Carnival in NYC

Photo by Brian Lin on Flickr

August 31, 2023

Everything you need to know about this year’s Caribbean Carnival in NYC

By Devin Gannon

New York City's West Indian-American Day Carnival and Parade returns to Brooklyn this Labor Day. The festival, which typically attracts over a million spectators, takes over a stretch of Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, celebrating the diversity of Caribbean culture with dancing, elaborate costumes, traditional music, and food.
What you need to know

Events & Things To Do

25 best rooftop bars in New York City

August 29, 2023

25 best rooftop bars in New York City

The city’s rooftop bars and restaurants provide some of the best views of iconic landmarks, all while enjoying delicious food and drinks with the skyline as a backdrop. Ahead, find a rooftop watering hole that checks all of the boxes, whether you're looking for a swanky terrace to impress out-of-towners or a more relaxed seaside bar with views of the Atlantic.
Full list ahead

Popular Articles

It’s U.S. Open time in NYC: What to know before you go

Image courtesy of Michael Vadon on Flickr

August 25, 2023

It’s U.S. Open time in NYC: What to know before you go

The U.S. Open is upon us. In New York City, it’s one of the big social events on the calendar with a guest list that includes everyone from A-listers to the average New Yorker. The U.S. Open is part of the Grand Slam of tennis: the Australian, French, and U.S. Opens and Wimbledon Championships.
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The Met announces major Harlem Renaissance exhibition

Archibald J. Motley, Jr. (American, 1891–1981), Black Belt, 1934, Oil on canvas, Framed: 33 in. × 40 5/8 in. × 1 3/4 in. (83.8 × 103.2 × 4.4 cm), Collection of the Hampton University Museum, Hampton, Virginia, © Estate of Archibald John Motley Jr. All reserved rights 2023 / Bridgeman Images Image courtesy Hampton University

August 23, 2023

The Met announces major Harlem Renaissance exhibition

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Museum of Art next year will host an exhibition establishing the Harlem Renaissance as the first-ever African-American-led international art movement. Debuting in February 2024, "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism" will explore the ways in which Black artists depicted everyday life in the new Black cities that developed across the United States from the 1920s through the 1940s, like New York City's Harlem and Chicago's South Side. As the first art museum survey of the Harlem Renaissance in the city since 1987, the exhibition includes roughly 160 works of painting, sculpture, film, photography, and more.
learn more this way

Events & Things To Do

Inside the trendy Rockaway Hotel, a laid-back beach getaway in NYC

Photos courtesy of Kyle Knodell unless otherwise noted.

August 21, 2023

Inside the trendy Rockaway Hotel, a laid-back beach getaway in NYC

The lobby of The Rockaway Hotel and Spa has a distinct scent – fresh and perfumy. It’s reminiscent of walking into a posh hotel on Miami Beach. But Rockaway Beach is not Miami. It’s a true Queens neighborhood with bungalows lining the streets leading over to the boardwalk and expansive Atlantic Ocean-facing beach. Locals lugging sandy beach chairs or grocery bags to and from their houses greet each other by name. Directly across the street from The Rockaway is Happy Jack’s Burger Bar, serving pub food and named for a former NYPD police officer and Korean War veteran. Attached to the hotel is the Greenhouse Cafe selling matcha lattes and “rocket fuel” coffee. The hotel, by architect Morris Adjmi, is tall and modern but fits into the neighborhood well from the outside. The interior is much trendier than anything else on its block — or any of the nearby blocks for that matter.
see inside

Chandeliers made of repurposed plastic bottles hang above Park Avenue

All photos courtesy of Zach Pontz

August 14, 2023

Chandeliers made of repurposed plastic bottles hang above Park Avenue

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new installation along Park Avenue transforms trash into environmentally-mindful works of art. Artist Willie Cole designed four large-scale chandeliers made of 9,000 recycled plastic water bottles that can now be seen on the medians at 69th and 70th Streets. Titled "3000 Buddha Chandelier," "Liberty Lantern," "Soul Catcher," and "Dirt Devil," the sculptures aim to address the need for clean drinking water while recognizing the environmental damage caused by plastic bottles.
Details here

Events & Things To Do

Here’s everything you need to know about NYC’s Dominican Day Parade

Dominican Day Parade 2019. Photo courtesy of S Pakhrin on Flickr

August 11, 2023

Here’s everything you need to know about NYC’s Dominican Day Parade

By Aaron Ginsburg

The 41st annual Dominican Day Parade returns to Midtown this Sunday, August 13. The parade brings together New York City’s Dominican community, the largest in the country, to celebrate their heritage with live music, parade floats, vibrant costumes, traditional dance, food, and more. First held in 1982, the parade started as a small celebration in Washington Heights. Hosted on the second Sunday in August, the parade commemorates the start of the Dominican Republic's fight for independence from Spain in 1863. The theme for this year’s event is “Our History, Our People,” and for the first time in the parade’s history, the procession will be headed by Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, who will serve as Grand Marshal.
MORE HERE

Events & Things To Do

See breathtaking photos of humpback whales in front of the NYC skyline

Photo © Sarah Trabue, WCS Ocean Giants/Activities conducted pursuant to NMFS ESA/MMP Permit No. 27507

August 11, 2023

See breathtaking photos of humpback whales in front of the NYC skyline

By Aaron Ginsburg

With the waters around New York City both cleaner and warmer in recent years, whale and dolphin spottings are becoming more common. The Wildlife Conservation Society this week released photos showing humpback whales just a few miles off New York City’s coasts. The images were taken on Wednesday, August 2 on a clear day roughly five miles from Coney Island’s New York Aquarium with the Manhattan skyline visible in the background.
see them here

Events & Things To Do

Open-air night market returns to Chinatown with 30+ vendors

Photo credit: Adrian Childress

August 9, 2023

Open-air night market returns to Chinatown with 30+ vendors

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Chinatown Night Market is returning this week with its largest outing yet. Taking place on Friday, August 11 in Forsyth Plaza, the Chinatown Night Market is a free monthly summer series hosted by Think!Chinatown. This month's event, which will run from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., includes more than 30 vendors offering delicious food, breathtaking live performances, and folk art.
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The Four Seasons in Midtown set to reopen next fall

Photo by Acediscovery on Wikimedia

August 8, 2023

The Four Seasons in Midtown set to reopen next fall

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Four Seasons hotel in Midtown will reopen next year after being closed since 2020. Following a dispute, hotel owner Ty Warner and Four Seasons management on Thursday announced an agreement was reached to reopen the hotel in the fall of 2024. Located at 57 East 57th Street, the 52-story building designed by I.M. Pei closed in March 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and is one of the last high-end hotels to reopen. Early on during the pandemic, the hotel was used as an emergency location for doctors caring for Covid-19 patients coming from the Upper East Side.
Learn more

NYC’s latest pickleball club coming to Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point

Renderings courtesy of Court 16.

August 4, 2023

NYC’s latest pickleball club coming to Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point

By Aaron Ginsburg

Downtown Brooklyn will be home to New York City's newest pickleball club. Located on the fourth floor of the mixed-use complex City Point, the 26,000-square-foot Court 16 will offer seven tennis and pickleball courts for kids and adults, with each court ranging in size from 36 feet for young players to full-sized courts for experienced players. The club’s August 28 grand opening coincides with the start of the 2023 U.S. Open Tennis Tournament finals.
Learn MORE

Events & Things To Do

14 ways to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary in NYC

Photo of Big Pun mural in the Bronx by Nicholas Knight

July 31, 2023

14 ways to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

On August 11, 1973, when DJing his sister's back-to-school party at an apartment building in the Bronx, DJ Kool Herc tried something new on the turntables, switching back and forth repeatedly between the same record. The pioneering technique, now known as the breakbeat, led to the creation of hip-hop. Now 50 years later, the genre has become a cultural phenomenon beyond music. As the birthplace of hip-hop, New York City has a ton in store for the genre's 50th anniversary, from massive concerts and block parties to immersive art and film screenings.
All the hip-hop happenings here

Events & Things To Do

NYC libraries to give out 15,000 free books this weekend

The book giveaway from 2022. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

July 28, 2023

NYC libraries to give out 15,000 free books this weekend

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City public libraries are giving away 15,000 books to families this weekend. The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library are gifting the books as part of the annual summer reading and learning programs, which motivate kids and teens to maintain their reading and critical thinking skills while on summer break. The free books will be available on a first-come first-served basis at select library branches on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.
See more here

Events & Things To Do

NYC memorial honoring Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire victims to be unveiled this fall

Renderings courtesy of Uri Wegman and Richard Joon Yoo

July 28, 2023

NYC memorial honoring Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire victims to be unveiled this fall

By Aaron Ginsburg

A permanent memorial in Greenwich Village honoring the lives lost to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire will finally be built. Designed by artists Richard Joon Yoo and Uri Wegman and commissioned nearly a decade ago by the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition, the tribute will feature the names of all 146 workers who died, cut into steel panels outside of 23-29 Washington Place, the building where the tragedy happened over 100 years ago. As first reported by the New York Times, a dedication ceremony for the new memorial is scheduled for October 11.
Details here

You can board a pre-World War II vessel at the South Street Seaport

Photo courtesy of the United States Coast Guard Academy on Wikimedia

July 27, 2023

You can board a pre-World War II vessel at the South Street Seaport

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers are invited to board a pre-World War II United States Coast Guard ship as it docks at the South Street Seaport this weekend. Known as the Eagle, the vessel is America's largest tall ship and the only active square-rigger currently in the country's service. The Coast Guard is inviting New Yorkers to board the Eagle, which will be docked at the Heineken Riverdeck at Pier 17 from Saturday, July 29 through Monday, July 31.
See more here

Events & Things To Do

8 ways to stay cool (and safe) during NYC’s heat wave

Photo by Barney Bishop on Flickr

July 26, 2023

8 ways to stay cool (and safe) during NYC’s heat wave

By Aaron Ginsburg

Another heat wave is here. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for New York City starting this week, with temperatures expected to reach over 90 degrees. Staying cool on a hot day is no joke, as heat contributes to the deaths of roughly 350 New Yorkers each year. Ahead, find some ways to beat the heat, from taking a swim in one of the city's free outdoor pools to running through spray showers and sprinklers at your local park.
Beat the heat

10 best under-the-radar picnic spots in NYC

Photo by Tatiana Rodriguez on Unsplash

July 25, 2023

10 best under-the-radar picnic spots in NYC

By Michelle Cohen

The city is filled with picnic possibilities in the form of parks and gardens. New York City is also known for its accessible secrets, and our shortlist of urban escapes–whether hidden in plain sight or tucked away–are great to visit any time, but as off-the-beaten-path picnic spots, they shine.
Discover a new favorite picnic place

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