101 things to do in the summer in New York City 2012
Our picks for the best events and things to do in the summer in NYC. Make a checklist, keep track on our Facebook app... just get outside and get started.
Fri May 25 2012
Go for postwork bites on Thursday nights
Enjoy the cool night air and delicious treats at Hester Nights, a weekly food market in the Hotel Eventi open-air hotel plaza, formerly occupied by Beerparc. Hester Street Fair’s food purveyors make the trip from the LES to Midtown West, serving irresistible offerings like the chicken biscuit from Pies ’n’ Thighs and gourmet grilled cheese from Little Muenster. For dessert, buy a treat from the Macaron Parlour, or if we’re suffering through a heat wave, an ice-cream cookie sandwich from Melt Bakery. Keep an eye out for announcements of special fashion and style events throughout the summer. • hesterstreetfair.com
- 851 Sixth Ave, (at 30th St), 10001
See bands and flicks in McCarren Park
- Free
Each summer, hipsters flock to the outdoor film series Summerscreen. And fittingly, this year’s schedule pairs ironic favorites—Cruel Intentions (July 11), Dirty Dancing (July 25) and Top Gun (Aug 8)—along with crowd-pleasing comedy classics, such as Raising Arizona (July 18) and The Princess Bride (Aug 1). Before each screening, a different local act plays a short set. Don’t forget to vote for Summerscreen’s closing-night film on Facebook. Empire Records is currently in the lead; join us in stuffing the ballot boxes for Showgirls. • summerscreen.org
- Bayard St to Nassau Ave, (between Leonard and North 12 Sts)
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bryant Park with a huge game of musical chairs
- Critics choice
- Free
In 1992, this once crime-ridden green space reopened to the public after a dramatic redesign and renovation. See the change unfold for yourself with the park’s exhibit of 86 images along the outer fence that charts the transformation from blight to the emerald jewel of midtown’s crown. One of the major changes was the addition of moveable lawn seating, a feature that’s celebrated with a mass game of musical chairs (June 20 at 8pm; free; registration required via bryantpark.org).
- Sixth Ave, (between 40th and 42nd Sts)
Visit the new homes of a Coney Island favorite
- Critics choice
- Free
Once a boardwalk staple, dive bar Cha-Cha’s of Coney Island lost its lease last year, but returns bigger and better than ever. It’s launched a restaurant (1315 Surf Ave between Stillwell Ave and W 15th St; chachasofconeyisland.com) with brick-oven pizza and opened outdoor drinking spot Club Atlantis Bar (3070 Stillwell Ave between Surf Ave and the Boardwalk). If that’s not enough, there’s also a theme park in the space formerly occupied by the flea market (Stillwell Ave between Surf Ave and the Boardwalk) with ten rides, including the MegaWhirl. Good news for sufferers of vertigo: It never leaves the ground. Bad news for sufferers of motion sickness: You’ll be spun 360 degrees.
- Various venues
Quaff brews in the Brooklyn Historical Society’s back garden
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
BHS and Brooklyn Brewery team up for this monthly pop-up beer garden. While tossing back $5 pours of lager and summer ale, you’ll be able to explore exhibitions such as “Inventing Brooklyn: People, Places, Progress” (which traces 400 years of the borough’s history) and take in live music from folk trio the Tres Amigos (May 31) and funk band Kids on a Hill (July 26).
- 128 Pierrepont St, (at Clinton St)
Snap your new profile pic on Randall’s Island
- Price band: 2/4
- Free
The outdoor art installation Flow returns to this green and pleasant park with five new interactive works. Among them, Gabriela Bertiller’s playful red-and-white checkered picnic benches and Nathan Gwynne’s “Famous Faces of Randall’s Island.” The latter consists of life-size cutouts of a motley crew of luminaries such as Jesse Owens, Jimi Hendrix and Robert Moses; the faces have been removed, so you can stick your mug in their place and have your friend take a snap. Expect to see it on your social-media feeds all summer long. Randalls Island (randallsisland.org).
- Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, (at Randalls Island)











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