The best things to do in NYC this weekend

MoMA PS1's Warm Up is taking a new form this year as Summer Fridays! Each Friday, there will be DJ sets in the museum's Long Island City courtyard, from new performers to veteran acts from Warm Up, and access to exhibitions and outdoor installations as well as specialty cocktails and bites from Mina’s. Friday night will have Venus X, Akua and DJ Undocubougie spinning jams.

End your work week at Eataly Flatiron, which will be hosting a cocktail party with cool mini-cocktail classes and free sips throughout the store on Friday, August 12, from 5:30-7:30pm. A guest bartender from Epistrophy will showcase some of their famed drinks and summer drinks will start at $10 in all the restaurants, too! 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is even more of a hotspot for younger patrons these days. This weekly music series will feature DJs such as Liondub, Kristin Barilli, the Brooklyn-based DJ collective Uklon, who are originally from Kyiv, Dominican-American DJ Toribio, and more. The Sun Sets series will run this summer on Friday and Saturday evenings, 5:30-8:30pm, from July 1 through September 3, and no reservations are required.

Friday, August 5: Journeyman
Saturday, August 6: Joy Presents Douglas Sherman, Nari, Yuji, and Takaya
Friday, August 12: MKL
Saturday, August 13: Jenifa Mayanja
Friday, August 19: Rambo Springsteen
Saturday, August 20: Elon
Friday, August 26: Malik Hendricks
Saturday, August 27: Pablo Romero
Friday, September 2: Musclecars
Saturday, September 3: Analog Soul

Head to Coney Island for the 30th Annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Competition on Saturday, August 13, starting at 11am. You can build your own creation to win one of four categories (Adult Group, Family, Individual and People’s Choice) or watch and vote on your favorite sand sculpture. It goes until 4pm!

Five of New York City's leading dance companies—Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem and New York City Ballet—perform together in the second annual edition of the BAAND Festival, sharing an outdoor stage at Lincoln Center in a run that consists of five free shows. Each lineup is slightly different, but they all include a performance of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's One for All, a world-premiere commission that features dancers from all five troupes. Admission is free and mostly first-come-first-served, but a limited number of advance reservations are available.

Get a free cannoli upon purchase of a coffee beverage at Masseria Caffè (891 9th Avenue, Hell’s Kitchen) on Saturday between 10 and 2pm! The caffè serves authentic Italian pastries made fresh daily, featuring best sellers from La Masseria restaurant’s dessert selection like bomboloni, an Italian doughnut filled with Nutella, custard cream, and marmalade and Cannolo Siciliano filled with sheep’s milk ricotta.

Enjoy a day-long celebration of Pan-African artistry, intellectuality, and musicality on Saturday, August 13, from the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), in partnership with the Friends of Harlem Art Park
Alliance (FAPA). From 11:30am to 7pm, at the Harlem Art Park and throughout E 120th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, artists will perform such as Eddie Montalvo y Su Orquesta, Batalá New York, Legacy Women, BombaYo, Rasin Okan, Sidiki Conde and the Tokounou Dance Company. There will also be live DJ sets by Madame Vacile and DJ Mickey Perez while the smell of comfort food from the SoulFull Food Plaza will entice attendees to enjoy the savory, sweet and spicy flavors of a wide variety of Diasporic dishes. Best of all, it’s free for everyone.

Opening through August 28 by the plaza on Broadway between 32nd and 33rd Streets, the custom-built installation is a 120-foot-long walk-through experience featuring a variety of sections, each one “an immersive and abstract take on New York, its people and its culture,” according to an official press release. Visitors will kick-start their experience descending a giant slide that will catapult them into an ocean of 500,000 translucent balls. Talk about a unique ball pit. Other standout moments include a peek at the "glitterball dome" consisting of 100 shimmering disco balls suspended from the ceiling, a sight inspired by the city's iconic Studio 54. A rotating cast of DJs and MCs will take the stage by the dome, so participants will actually get to catch live musical acts throughout the day as well.

The Brooklyn Beach Sports Festival is back with the National Calisthenics Awards to host competitive and non-competitive activities along Coney Island beach on Saturday (9am-5pm), including adips, pull-up, and push-up competition, a Tug-of-War competition (city agencies vs. the city), flag football, Ultimate Frisbee, soccer clinics and games, volleyball, Parkour/obstacle course open play, cornhole and senior dancing. It’s free to participate and watch and open to all ages, you just need to register on-site the day of the festival.

On four consecutive Saturdays, August 13–September 3 (3-6pm) head to The Park Avenue Underpass (between 124th & 125th Street), for a Silent Disco/Portrait Series from the National Black Theatre. You’ll hear original, commissioned sonic soundscapes from five artists that’ll be incorporated into a three-hour mix session by DJ Stormin’ Norman that you’ll hear through headphones. When you’re not dancing, you can get a free portrait taken of you and your friends by a master portrait photographer.

Catch great music at this weekend’s Empire State Music and Arts Festival, which will be headlined by Juice, Abby Jasmine, and Francis Aud across seven days at venues like Webster Hall, The Wild Project, Engine Room Audio, Heaven Can Wait,
Thames Gallery and Fifth House Brooklyn. In its eighth year, it’ll bring more than 30 artists, 10 panel speakers, and for the first time ever, a fashion show with local New York designers, including Clinton Ballard of Lyfestyle Streetwear. Tickets are $20 in advance.

Dave’s Lesbian Bar is throwing a day-long celebration of queer hospitality with food, music, performances, film, workshops, conversations, and yoga at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City on Saturday (noon to sunset).

Brooklyn vinyl lovers are in luck because the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library has just opened a Vinyl Lending Library to its cardholders, giving them access to 400 albums spanning genres (hip-hop, pop, classical, country, show tunes and more) that they can listen to on-site as well as borrow for up to three weeks. You just need your library card. Listening stations can be found on the first floor.

The free annual Battery Dance Festival, formerly known as the Downtown Dance Festival, takes place outdoors at Robert F. Wagner Park, in front of the sparkling New York Harbor. For its 41st edition this year, it is offering both in-person and streaming options. The lineup includes multiple U.S. or world premieres, and the participating companies include visiting groups from Singapore, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Canada. The first seven shows are general admission, but reservations are required for the 6pm finale on August 20 (which is held indoors at the Schimmel Center). 

The Nigel Sylvester Foundation is hosting a community bike ride throughout New York City to raise awareness for underserved youth in the city. The free ride will begin at noon but if you arrive at 11am, you can catch opening remarks as well as partner activations such as Hyperice, which will be on-site with the new Hypervolt Go 2, the ultimate portable percussion massager, to help riders warm up before they get going. Registration is open and available to anyone interested in participating.

Summer Streets is back for 2022! Summer Streets is the epic Manhattan tradition that opens up miles of thoroughfares for walkers, runners, bicyclists and people-watchers of all ages. You won’t want to miss the complimentary rest stops which normally include fitness classes, a dog park, arts and crafts workshops, plus walking tours that explore NYC parks and some of the most beautiful NYC buildings. This is truly one of the best NYC events in August! And did we mention it’s free? No RSVP or tickets are necessary, just come and enjoy all that the wide-open outdoor space of the city has to offer.

Harlem’s historic community’s rich artistic heritage on full display during this “week” that is actually 10 days of live events celebrating the people, arts, culture and food of Harlem. Themed around “Inspiration, Impact, and Legacy,’ the first week will include a salute to Harlem luminaries, featured musical performances, virtual dance parties, livestreams and cornerstone events such as the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run/Anti-Gun Violence Health Walk, and A Great Day in Harlem. This year’s celebration will also commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the NBA, legendary Rucker Park and Harlem inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a teen takeover of the Apollo Theater, Great Jazz on the Great Hill in Central Park and more.

The 2022 Sans Bar 12-city tour is back for the fifth year with zero-proof cocktails and community at Studio Arte (265 W. 37th St.) on Friday from 7 to 10pm. The night will include a major announcement about the future of Sans Bar in NYC and Brooklyn-based Reprive Party will get the party started with mocktails and dancing. Sans Bar, an Austin-based alcohol-free bar, says it’ll be “the biggest boozeless party NYC has ever seen.” Tickets start at $35.

What happens when two excellent local food purveyors join forces? New Yorkers are treated to a creative, delicious and culinary memorable creation. Case in point: the iced cafe coffee and tahini donut by Brooklyn darlings Edith’s and Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop. Made using Peter Pan’s standard sour cream cake donut as a base, the dessert is meant to evoke Edith’s popular coffee tahini slushie. As of now, the donut, which also marks Edith's second birthday celebration, is available during the week at both Edith's locations throughout the week. Limited quantities will be up for purchase throughout weekends at the destinations as well and at Peter Pan on Manhattan Avenue also. Good news: there is no limit to how many of these puppies each customer can buy at once!

The New-York Historical Society is screening films on Fridays this summer to celebrate women in sports. Head out to its Robert H. Smith Auditorium on August 12 at 7pm for Love & Basketball (2000) ($8).

Frigid New York presents pares down the Bard in a festival dedicated to Shakespeare-inspired shows with casts of five or less. On the roster are the improv comedy As You Will, Sister Shakes Productions' gender-blind Romeo & Juliet, Lorena Marín's bilingual solo Unspoken Garden El Jardin que calla and the double bill Brawls & Burlesque, which pairs swordplay with seduction. All of the shows will be available to livestream from home.

A 6-foot platform has taken residence smack-dab in the middle of one of Brooklyn’s most iconic blocks by Washington Street in Dumbo. The podium, dubbed the Six Foot Platform, functions as a stage for 11 different interactive art exhibits that run the gamut in terms of genre. Expect dance performances, music-related shows, painting installations, poetry sessions and much more to make use of the platform as a home base through September 10 from 1pm through 8pm.  You can a calendar of performances right here.

On the first Friday of each month, NYC’s top jazz, soul, and funk musicians play at the lounge in Great Jones Distilling Co. This month’s musical guest is Scatter the Atoms That Remain, which is co-led by acclaimed pianist Davis Whitfield along with drummer and composer Franklin Kiermyer. During their set, nibble on a curated menu of ‘jazz club bites’ and artisanal cocktails using mostly locally sourced and house-made ingredients, including the Great Jones whiskey that’s distilled onsite. Reservation Slots are 7-8:30pm and 9-10:30pm. It’s $25 plus a two-drink minimum.

You’ll want to visit vegan Mexican restaurant Jajaja in the West Village at 63 Carmine Street this weekend, when it’ll serve up its own vegan Choco Taco for a limited time for $13 a pop. The dessert is made using a hard wafer “taco” shell and filled with vegan vanilla Helado that is dipped in chocolate coating and topped with macadamia crumble. Yum indeed. New Yorkers can get their hands on the order starting this Friday through the end of the weekend, while the limited supplies last.

As one of the fastest-growing independent film festivals in New York, Festival of Cinema has made a name for itself. In its sixth year, between August 5 and 14, the event aims to get filmmakers and their works as much exposure as possible, from all independent genres—drama, comedy, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, documentary, experimental, LGBTQ and animation. It’s back at the Regal UA Midway cinema in Queens with panels and workshops that strongly appeal to filmmakers. 

The Queens Craft Brigade is back in time for its five year anniversary market in Astoria, Queens. The independent, queer-owned market brings together talented makers exclusively from around the borough and has created monthly curated events featuring artwork, jewelry, fashion, crafts, and more at Katch Astoria. This time, vendors include Camille at the Wheel, Paige’s Candle Co, Cissy’s Art Cafe, Lilasuds, Caryn Cast, Kate Durkin, Paulina Pizza, and more.

Times Square already feels like a jungle but, this August, expect to see parrots, elephants, giraffes, lions and crocodiles in the neighborhood as well—albeit virtually. A new app-based augmented reality experience called Concrete Jungle has just debuted, literally transforming the public plazas into a playground for animals. After downloading the app, users will get to access five different viewing environments, each one home to a different group of animals plus virtual games and in-app photo capabilities alongside a virtual animal companion. The zones include birds, insects, jungle, reptiles and savanna.

A former Cold Stone Creamery employee has mastered the specific art of throwing ice cream in the air and catching it with scoopers before serving it to customers. Now, he has decided to turn his art into a brick-and-mortar business with CATCH’N Ice Cream at his new shop in SoHo at 65 Bleecker Street. Customers can expect the staffers at CATCH'N to chop, fold and throw the treat (with toppings!) before serving it in a cup. Interestingly enough, the balls of ice cream will be pre-scooped by a dedicated machine, so the spotlight will really fall on the acrobatics after a customer places an order.

ArtsDistrict Brooklyn, also referred to as AD/BK, is a new immersive arts venue set that opens this week. To celebrate the opening of the venue, sure to become part and parcel of New York’s larger devotion to all things experiential, AD/BK will host the U.S. premiere of Limitless AI, a 70-minute show that first debuted at the Atelier des Lumières museum in Paris. Two other shows will be mounted on premise simultaneously: Flight and Séance. Both created by London-based company Darkfield, the two immersive, audio experiences will be presented in complete darkness inside customized 40-foot shipping containers. How cool!

Choco Taco has gone the way of the Kudos bars, chocolate Dunkaroos and too many other beloved ’90s snacks. Klondike announced on Monday, July 25, that what many believed to be an ice cream truck staple is no longer being made. Don’t give up all hope—Choco Taco devotees can still find the ice cream taco treat atop (where else?) an elaborate shake in midtown, where it’s been a staple of the Black Tap menu. Until supplies imminently run out, Black Tap Midtown will be serving their Churro Choco Taco CrazyShake. The $17 dessert (more like a meal) is a cinnamon toast crunch shake served in a cup with a vanilla frosted cinnamon toast crunch rim topped with a Choco Taco, churros, whipped cream and dulce de leche. Choco Tacos will not be sold separately. 

Your next vacation may be just two blocks off the L Train, thanks to this new venue. Vacations Bar and Rooftop, at 321 Starr Street in Bushwick unites the lively Bushwick spirit and charm with the nostalgia and relaxation of that perfect vacation spot. Lightly tropical-themed, the venue is colorful and bright and decorated with postcards across three separate bars—each their own destination. The bars are inspired by islands near and far (think Manhattan and Puerto Rico, and a few Caribbean destinations in between).

A new exhibit at the Jewish Museum presents a pivotal three-year period in the history of art and culture in New York City 1962-1964, when the world was rapidly changing. Across two floors, the immersive exhibition presents more than 180 works of art, including painting, sculpture, photography, and film, alongside fashion, design, dance, poetry, and ephemera.

The Opera Next Door is continuing its outdoor performance legacy with a Summer Stoop Concert Series, free for all to enjoy. To enjoy the performance, neighbors bring blankets and chairs, plus picnics if they desire, filling the public space with an attentive audience eager to listen to the free music. Follow @theoperanextdoor on Instagram for performance updates and clips of the spectacular city acoustics.

New York City Restaurant Week is among the five boroughs’ best food holidays. Traditionally, New Yorkers (and a few lucky tourists) clear their dining schedules and make reservations at the city’s best special occasion spots, newcomers and all-time favorite restaurants for deals unseen the rest of the year. Hundreds of destinations participate citywide, with menu prices below their typical tabs. 

A roving cat robot that sings, tells jokes and serves food at Dimmer & Summer, a new dim sum spot in Cobble Hill at 196 Smith Street between Baltic and Warren Streets. Opened by restaurateur Kenny Mei this past weekend as an homage to his Chinese roots, Dimmer & Summer offers traditional Northern and Southern Chinese dishes with a New York flair (like the robo-cat server, of course). It works. There’s just something about robots serving you delicious fare that excites us just so.

NYC Cycleboats is back in New York Harbor this summer with the only boat you can drink and cycle on in the city’s waters. You and your crew can sign up (individually starting at $39 or $649 for the whole boat) for a 90-minute, boozed-up jaunt across the water. It’s completely BYOB so you can enjoy the beer, wine or hard seltzer of your choice (there’s ice, water coolers and cup holders on board) and take a seat on your respective pedal stations. You move your legs like you would on a bike and with your collective power, you help move the boat.

NYC Ferry has just announced a new express route that’ll pick up beachgoers in Manhattan and bring them straight to Rockaway for just $8 a ticket. Starting this weekend on Saturday, July 23, the Rockaway Rocket will take riders from Pier 11/Wall St. to Rockaway Beach 108th Street at Beach Channel Drive every Saturday, Sunday and holiday through September 11. There are no stops in between!

ImageNation Cinema Foundation’s 20th ImageNation Outdoors Festival is back July 9-September 18 with free film screenings about Harlem and music in outdoor venues. This year's theme is "The Soul of Harlem." 
 

There's nothing more "summer in NYC" than taking in a movie in the great outdoors, under the hardly-seen stars and set to the humming soundtrack of the city. Looking to see a new movie any night of the week? We've got you.

Get a closer look at more than 60 kimonos at the Met Museum that will show how these traditional Japanese garments transformed over their history. Across the gallery, these gorgeous kimonos will be paired along with Western garments, Japanese paintings, prints, and decorative art objects in thematic and chronological order, from the costumes worn for Japan’s traditional forms of theater, Noh and Kyōgen, to the western-influence of the second half of the 20th century.

MoMA has reunited the six paintings, ceramic and three sculptures that Matisse depicted in his 1911 "The Red Studio" painting for the first time in over 100 years! Matisse painted a large canvas to depict his studio in the outskirts of Paris that was filled with his paintings and sculptures, furniture, and decorative objects. These objects have been saved and are finally back together since they left the studio. Created between 1898 and 1911, these objects range from familiar paintings, such as "Young Sailor (II)" (1906) to lesser-known works such as "Corsica, The Old Mill" (1898) and other objects.

There's a new spot in NYC to take in the gorgeous summer sunsets—it's on Governors Island. Now through October 31, the island's historic Soissons Landing and its bars and restaurants will be open late every night of the week. Previously, the last ferry off the island typically left before the sun set. The area will be open until 10pm Sunday through Thursday, and until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays so that visitors can enjoy delicious food and drink from Island Oyster, Taco Vista and Gitano Island, and stay later at QC NY Spa.

ImageNation Cinema Foundation’s 20th ImageNation Outdoors Festival is back July 9-September 18 with free film screenings about Harlem and music in outdoor venues

This year's theme is "The Soul of Harlem" and highlights include films by local directors such as the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect directed by Harlem-resident Tommy Leisl (July 9); Forty Year-Old Version by Harlem’s own Radha Blank (August 27); a talkback and special advance screening of Stanley Nelson’s Becoming Frederick Douglass (September 10).  There will also be a Soul Train tribute with Shaka King’s Academy-Award winner Judas and the Black Messiah (August 11th, Marcus Garvey Park) with live music, DJ and Soul Train Line; the debut of African Redemption: The Life and Legacy of Marcus Garvey on Garvey’s birthday in collaboration with Jazz Mobile (August 17, Marcus Garvey Park); a screening of West Side Story (July 10) and Encanto (August 7) with drive-in and open seating at East River Plaza Mall; a Kids Night Out screening of Encanto at Bronx Terminal Market (July 22); 20th Anniversary Throwback Thursday screenings of Brown Sugar and Drumline at Von King Park in Brooklyn; and Black Anime Con (August 28) with cosplay, an anime market, fusion food, and more at Von King Park.
 

"The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do" is a new 12,000-square-foot exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage that features over 750 original objects and survivor testimonies from the cultural center's own collection. In an effort to educate folks of all ages and backgrounds about the horrific events that led to the possibility of the Holocaust even happening, the exhibit is, according to an official press release, "rooted in the objects donated by survivors and their families, many of whom settled in New York and nearby places." 

Portside, Brookfield Place's second seasonal waterfront pop-up, is officially open for business now through September and its on-site schedule of activities and programs looks incredibly fun. From 9am through 9pm daily, the free and open-to-the-public outpost will look like a nautical-inspired oasis complete with beautiful views of the New York Harbor. You can see the full roster of events right here, but we'd be remiss not to mention some standouts, including the beach read book club, which will offer participants a complimentary library of free books (one per person!). You can also sip on champagne while learning how to shuck oysters from professionals that belong to Red Oyster USA, enjoy an outdoor dance party, create a monogrammed beach tote that you'll likely use for the rest of the summer and partake in a seashell crafts hour. Outdoor seatings for groups of any size plus food and beverage options from Tartinery round out the awesome experience.

Superstorm Sandy devastated New York City, destroying homes and businesses, but it also flooded the New York Aquarium so badly that parts of it have been closed to the public for the past decade. Now, after completely rebuilding these galleries with help from FEMA, New York State and New York City, NY Aquarium is finally reopening in full, complete with a new climate change exhibit called "Sea Change." The exhibit is in the space beneath the Sea Cliffs exhibit and features underwater viewing of the California sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters and African penguins. This is the final public exhibit to reopen from damage by Sandy, the aquarium says.

Governors Island continues to be the hottest destination in New York this season, with a new beach club dubbed Gitano Island officially staking its claim in the area. The effort follows the Tulum-inspired tropical jungle restaurant, Gitano Garden of Love, which operated four successful seasons smack-dab in the middle of SoHo in Manhattan. The new venue on Governors Island is over 27,000 square feet of space on the island, right next to the ferry terminal overlooking the Manhattan skyline.  Warning: When visiting, you'll feel like you've traveled to Mexico via ferry. Expect 30-feet-tall coconut palm trees to line your surroundings, plus a mezcal bar, two dining patios, a state-of-the-art DJ tent and a VIP all centered around a serene water feature.

Open as of June 25 at the Museum of the Moving Image, "Living with The Walking Dead" features original costumes and props, concept art, storyboards, scripts and prosthetic makeup material that highlight the show’s origins, production and impact. It'll also has multiple screening series and public events over a six-month span for those interested in the show and learning more about behind the scenes. All in all, there are 500 objects including more than 300 props and production materials to see.

The Museum of Modern Art is hosting a horror film screening series now through September 5 with more than 100 features and a selection of short films.

Set in the museum’s Titus Theaters in the Black Family Film Center will have weekly themes— Slasher, Horror of Place, the Undead, Creatures, Folk Tales, Women Make Horror, Body Horror, Eco Horror, Messaging Race, and Messaging Gender—that show how the genre expresses our society's lurking fears and anxieties.

The exhibition features films from 19 countries, including genre benchmarks from the U.S., Europe, and Asia, starting with Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and spanning the 1970s into the 1990s; 21st-century films from emerging voices in Guatemala, Ireland, Iran, Laos, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and Zambia; and a focused look at emerging independent women filmmakers making horror over the last decade.

Tickets to individual showings must be reserved in advance.

Central Park has opened a new immersive, musical and theatrical experience at its own Wollman Rink! The ongoing happening is officially dubbed The DiscOasis and it will stay put through October 1. First off, New Yorkers will get to partake in a variety of programs and theatrical performances with live DJs and special guests throughout the experience's run. There will also be open skate sessions during the day and food and beverage offerings all around the area. The iconic Nile Rodgers joins in on the fun as well, curating a special playlist of "skate-worthy, groove-inducing tracks for each night's local DJ to spin fresh for skaters and dancers."

Most New Yorkers know that Fraunces Tavern is the site of General George Washington’s famous farewell to his officers at the end of the American Revolution, but most don't realize it was also home to the nation’s first executive governmental building that housed three offices of the Confederation Congress. It housed the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of War and offices of the Board of Treasury from 1785 to 1788. To recreate what that was like, Fraunces Tavern has a new exhibit (open as of June 22) that recreates the Department of Foreign Affairs' office based on a cashbook that detailed the purchases for the department. The exhibit features about 60 objects, most of which are authentic to the period and many of which have never before been on public display, including tables, chairs, desks, maps, newspapers and other items.

Insects are misunderstood but a new macro photography exhibition at AMNH hopes to change that. Photographer Levon Biss has photographed 40 endangered species (selected from specimens in the Museum’s world-class research collection), which will be shown as large-format photographs as large as 4.5 by 8 feet in the Akeley Gallery and the adjacent East Galleria.

The William Vale just launched a new bespoke, nine-hole mini-golf course dubbed VALE(mini)GOLF. For $15 per round ($10 for kids 12 and younger), guests will get to play on the new course on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon through 9pm and Fridays and Sundays from 11am through 9pm. Bonus points: $1 of each player's admission fee will be donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC). The organization has actually partnered with the hotel to launch the new endeavor.

A bucolic 1920s English country golf club is on its way to NYC's concrete jungle! But with a twist. Swingers NoMad, a "crazy mini-golf course" and entertainment complex straight from London, opened on Friday, June 17 and bringing with it three nine-hole golf courses across 23,000 square feet under 20-foot-high ceilings. "Crazy golf" is a British spin on mini-golf, but it's for a 21-and-over audience since craft cocktails are served by caddies on the course, and at Swingers NoMad, there will be six cocktail bars with signature classic cocktails from London and D.C., as well as 12 cocktails created specifically for Swingers NoMad, private rooms you can rent, an opulent clubhouse and four gourmet street food vendors—Sauce Pizzeria, Miznon, Fonda and Mah Ze Dahr Bakery.

A new New-York Historical Society exhibit commemorates the 50th anniversary of "Title IX," an addition to the Education Amendments Act of 1972 that banned discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal assistance. From now through September 4, you can see how activists and lawmakers helped secure the advantages of education for all students. On view in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery, the exhibition immerses visitors in the spaces shaped most profoundly by the legislation and highlights the crucial work of activists in demanding that their institutions and government live up to the law’s promises.

Brooklyn brewery Talea Beer Co. opened its first taproom in Williamsburg in early 2021, two years after it went from an idea to “the only exclusively female-founded brewery in NYC” by co-owners LeAnn Darland and Tara Hankinson. The duo set out to create “easy to love” beers that “cater to the palettes of both craft beer newcomers and connoisseurs.” Their light, bright, airy space quickly became a local favorite for its fruit-forward brews and seasonal suds. And on Tuesday June 14, Talea expanded south with a new spot in Cobble Hill.

When the city heats up, so too does SummerStage, one of the most anticipated summer concerts known for its free tickets and stellar line-up. The scope of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage 2022 is so vast we wouldn't blame you for being a bit bewildered by the whole thing. Here's a quick FAQ to get you started with SummerStage 2022...

Art from some of the top African-American artists in the comic book industry is now on view at the Society of Illustrators until October 29. The exhibit is co-curated by journalist and writer Karama Horne ("Marvel’s Protectors of Wakanda: A History and Training Manual of the Dora Milaje") and artist/writer Shawn Martinbrough ("How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling," "Thief of Thieves," and "Red Hood"), whose work will be featured along with over sixteen other talented artists. It'll showcase both independent and mainstream creators, such as Dawud Anyabwile, founder of the landmark Brotherman Comics, the longest-running, independently published American Black comic book and Eisner Award-winning, DC Comics and Marvel artist Denys Cowan, co-founder of Milestone Media. Also featured are Eisner Award-winning artists Afua Richardson ("Black Panther World of Wakanda," HBO’s Lovecraft Country), Alitha Martinez ("Batgirl," "World of Wakanda") and John Jennings (Octavia Butler’s "Parable of the Sower"), as well as veteran artists Larry Stroman ("Alien Legion," "X-Factor") and Darryl Banks ("Green Lantern") and more.

It's going to be a full summer of concerts on The Rooftop at Pier 17.  The Seaport's summer concert series under the stars will feature more than 60 shows including from artists like Simple Plan, Sum 41, The Offspring, Pusha T, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Blondie, DEVO, Deftones, The Head and the Heart, Flogging Molly, Bikini Kill, Mayday Parade, Jason Mraz, Rise Against, The Used, Dashboard Confessional, Franz Ferdinand, Jason Isbell and more. 

• June 11: Grits & Biscuits Block Party
• June 12: Bayside / Thrice

If you're looking to cool off at some place other than the best public pools and the top hotel and rooftop pools in NYC, consider a visit to Roosevelt Island, where the annual Pop Up Pool Party installation just debuted by the body of water. Artist, Hratch Arbach actually painted the entire pool deck by himself with assistance from folks within the Roosevelt Island community. It took them two weeks and 75 gallons of paint to complete the project. Both Manhattan Park residents and visitors will be able to enjoy the pool. Find more information about how to register for a pass right here.

A massive retrospective of William Klein's work featuring nearly 300 works including photographs, paintings, films, photo books, and other media from his expansive and boundary-pushing six-decade career will be on view at ICP until September 12. 

The summer destination is one of the best day trips from NYC, so when you go, hit must-visit stops like Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand for a bite, attend a crazy Coney Island Cyclone game and check out New York City's only aquarium.

Many incredible eating and drinking destinations are poised in the sky like treehouses with cover charges. Among these rooftop bars are old New York throwbacks, party destinations and seaside terraces practically fashioned for Instagram. They each offer booze, some kind of view and an invitation for you to get high. Read on to see which ones are worth your time.

Get ready for another summer of fun in the sun! New York City beaches are opening for swimming and sunbathing starting Memorial Day weekend! A visit to one—if not all—of the best beaches NYC has to offer is needed when temperatures become hot and sticky. Whether you’re planning weekend getaways, a camping trip, a stay at an oceanfront Airbnb or just looking for ways to cool off or with friends, these beaches in New York are a quick subway, ferry or bus trip away.

Equinox is actually offering a broader NutriDrip menu that could confer you other extraordinary powers. Think pre-workout energy boosts, for example, or a vitamin cocktail meant to recover your muscles after a harsh training session. The staff will also offer a concoction meant to support immunity after a long weekend out East perhaps. You'll be able to get the drip at the Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards and at the gym's East 74th Street location.

What are likely to become the most popular features of QC NY, the luxury spa that launched on Governors Island just a few months ago, are officially open for business: two sprawling outdoor tempered infinity spa pools looking over Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey. New Yorkers have been hearing about the bodies of water since the spa first debuted, although they haven't been able to make use of them—until now. Beginning this Saturday, the pools will be accessible for the very first time since QC NY opened. Expect each pool to feature proprietary underwater hydro seats and loungers that massage, relax, increase lymphatic circulation and revitalize the body and mind. Yes, they will be heated as well.

NYC's beloved summer film series finally returns this month with live music, immersive performances, and filmmaker Q&As at 40 outdoor events! The Summer Series, running through the end of August, will see New York premieres of festival hits. This weekend, see Neptune Frost on The Roof of the Old American Can Factory on May 27. "A group of escaped coltan miners form an anti-colonialist computer hacker collective. From their camp in an otherworldly e-waste dump, they attempt a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region's natural resources – and its people. When an intersex runaway and an escaped coltan miner find each other through cosmic forces, their connection sparks glitches within the greater divine circuitry."

The exhibit, which opened on Friday, explores NYC before computers when industries grew through pneumatic tubes, telephone operators, linotype and teletype machines, and card catalogs. The exhibit records how the city thrived in the 20th century without the use of digital technology (like smartphones and computers) but through the use of the time's own technology. It's broken up into four sections—libraries, the news media and journalism,  the New York Stock Exchange, and the age of skyscrapers and infrastructure—that outline what tools were used to build them up and keep them up with the times.

Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge's entry to its adjacent Elephant Room has been rechristened The Hidden Gem, has been polished into a new point among the constellation of NYC’s latter-day speakeasy conceits. Cloistered from Magic Hour’s skyline view outside, The Hidden Gem is past a double set of pink doors. A bouquet of disco balls is arranged overhead with more on tables at curved leather banquettes and on the bar, which is also appointed with blooms and greenery. Its lighting is appropriately dim and its lines are sleek, in contrast to the characteristically Instagrammable cocktails like the bright red Cloud Nine with prosecco, cotton candy and a glitter rim and the Sex Panther with rum, pineapple, punch, lime and coconut cream, served in a vessel that mirrors the fruit, and copiously garnished. Both of those cocktails, and four more new additions, are available exclusively in The Hidden Gem, which is open Wednesday-Sunday from 3pm-12am. 

Putting Green, an 18-hole course on a 15,000-square-foot tiered deck on the North Williamsburg riverfront has reopened at the former Con Edison site that now belongs to developer Two Trees. The course aims to serve two purposes—one, to provide a fun time to New Yorkers, and two, to teach them about climate change, green and blue infrastructure, animal habitats, energy, and emissions. Each hole offers up a different scene—hole 1 is "Down the drain," showing how litter and debris get washed down storm drains and into waterways. Hole 2, "Whale Fall Feast," shows what happens when a whale dies and sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Hole 15, is "The Big Oyster" by you guessed it, the Billion Oyster Project. Other holes feature polar bears, a windmill, a cow, and a depiction of sea-level rise. 

New Yorkers will get to enjoy more than 260 free (and awesome!) events through November, including sunset salsa lessons, a BBQ festival, fitness classes, science-related programs and tours of the park itself. Add to it all the new giant public rooftop park that will open at Hudson River Park's Pier 57 and you've got yourself a new must-visit summer destination. You can find the entire lineup of free programs right here, but we'd be remiss not to mention some standouts, including the always-popular Dance in HRPK event, which transforms the piers into large-scale dance floors. Bike lessons, live music concerts, yoga and mindfulness classes are also on the docket—completely gratis. It's worth mentioning that three of the park's most popular offerings—the Hudson River Dance Festival, the Blues BBQ Festival and the SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival—are all returning in-person this year.

The latest entrant to the speakeasy-theme scene opens tonight, Wednesday, May 11, in Times Square, with a couple more conceits on top of that designation: Sex and the 80s. Inside, The Woo Woo aims to evoke that last decade before widespread internet, its surrounding neighborhood of Times Square in those same, pre-Disney days, sex shops and, the reason for the season, speakeasies. These themes are executed with a combination of graffiti that reasonably approximates the style of the time, vintage nude mags and video tapes, rouge neon, throwback punk show posters and the whole password thing. Drinks include odes to the era like the Donkey Kong cocktail and a Prince-inspired tipple with a butterfly pea flower “purple rain” ice cube. They’re also doing a cotton candy-topped cosmo and snacks like sliders and spring rolls. The sex shop elements are ornamental at the moment, but may turn retail in the future. 

Prepare to take a walk inside your brain when visiting "Life of a Neuron," ARTECHOUSE's latest immersive exhibition opening inside Chelsea Market on May 14. The show, mounted in collaboration with the Society for Neuroscience, took three years to create—and for good reason. Neuroscientists and artists came together to reconstruct a human neuron from the prefrontal cortex, which anchors the exhibit and will help visitors follow the development of an "average" brain from pre-birth to death. That's no small feat.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute is back with part two of this year’s flagship exhibition “In America” with “An Anthology of Fashion,” and the new iteration of the show is an even more expansive look at what has defined American fashion over the years. It is a visually splendid tour through hundreds of years of this country’s history told through clothes designed and worn by its citizens. Building on last year’s spartan, intellectually rigorous presentation of garments categorized by the expression of various themes, this year’s show explodes across most of the American Wing of the museum.

On select Friday nights from April to October, the Intrepid Museum opens its doors for free (tickets are usually $33), allowing visitors can explore the Museum and enjoy free after-hours programming. This month, visitors can head to the Space Shuttle Pavilion for a special presentation from "Astronautica: Voices of Women in Space"—a work of music, voice, and video by women composers that was based on the words of women astronauts and includes videos taken by the astronauts while onboard space shuttles. Museum educators will also be on hand with demonstrations and hands-on activities and local astronomers will be on the flight deck with high-powered telescopes to help visitors navigate the night sky and answer questions about astronomy and stargazing. Guests are welcome to bring their own binoculars or look through the telescopes of the experts. (There will be no access to the Submarine Growler or Concorde during Free Fridays and last entry is 8:30pm). Check the program schedule at intrepidmuseum.org.

With about 164 open streets (closed to traffic) around the five boroughs, New Yorkers have found new ways to utilize these new open spaces, from holding farmers' markets and free programming to live music and community barbecues. Street Lab even brought pop-up reading rooms, art studios, chalk murals and more, transforming city streets and other public spaces into vibrant community hubs of artistic expression, learning and fun. Now that things are heating up in NYC, we've teamed up with Jackson Chabot the Director Public Space Advocacy at OpenPlans, a non-profit group that advocates for livable streets and neighborhoods, to identify the 10 best Open Streets in the city that you should hit up this spring and summer...

Greenpoint Terminal Market, an outdoor flea located on the waterfront with gorgeous views of the Manhattan skyline, is back starting May 1 with more programming than ever, including a brand-new kids’ zone, vintage and antiques, local art and design, fresh fashion and a variety of international food.

Seven years after first opening its doors in Riverside Park at West 105th Street, Ellington in the Park has sprung back into action. Its sprawling beach-lite design remains the same, but new menu items abound, including drinks made to embrace NYC’s recently resurrected to-go drink program. Each of the restaurant’s cocktails will be available to take away, reps say. A very springtime-appropriate Lillet spritz is among new selections joining returning tipples like the margarita and fruity mimosa varieties. A trio of pizzas including the Margherita variety, hot dog options like the “old-fashioned” with brown mustard and sauerkraut and pretzel bites touch on some of NYC’s famous foodstuff categories. Salads, sandwiches and burgers are also available on the general interest menu. Ice cream is, of course, also featured on the returning bill of fare. 

The days of ice skating at Rockefeller Center are over—a groovy roller skating rink is opening in its place this April with live DJs, concerts and performances as well as lessons. Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace, an iconic West Hollywood roller rink that became a "mecca of uninhibited fun," will operate a new roller rink between April 15 through October, according to Rock Center's owner, Tishman Speyer. The roller rink will come with a lot of fun too, including DJ sets, live music performances, concerts, roller boogie nights, food, a viewing deck and a store at the Channel Gardens that'll sell gear and merch from Flipper's.

The Whitney Biennial has been a long time coming. Originally meant to open in 2021, the 80th edition combines three years of planning as well as 63 artists and collectives to present an event that has been described as both "dynamic" and timely by its curators. "Whitney Biennial 2022: Quiet as It’s Kept," which opens April 6, is broken up into two experiences on the fifth and sixth floors of the Meatpacking District building. Each one presents a completely different atmosphere—on the sixth floor is a cavernous, labyrinth-like gallery, and on the fifth floor is an open and airy room where works are displayed together. The exhibition mimics the range of emotions we felt during the past two years, from fear and pain to joy and hope, and everything in between. And while Edwards and Breslin started planning out the exhibit before the turning point that was 2020, they were able to incorporate works that question and reckon with these major moments in our recent history. Artworks—even walls—will change and performance will "animate" the galleries and objects. The changing nature of the exhibition reflects these uncertain times.

Just a few weeks ago, the iconic Kim's Video and Music—the video and music retail store that first opened in the East Village back in 1986—made its grand return to New York City, opening inside the newly launched Alamo Drafthouse location on Liberty Street. You'll find all the films at the Alamo store which, as an on-site plaque makes clear, is actually dedicated to the municipality of Salemi "and its commitment to the promotion, maintenance and return of the collection."

The return of Smorgasburg is upon us! Now in its twelfth year, the annual, weekly outdoor food festival will return to several New York City locations, and beyond, as of this Friday, April 1. More than a dozen new vendors are slated to join the lineup of 60+ returning food artisans. (Pandemic kitchen hobbyists should know that new vendors are still being accepted, and can apply for consideration online.)

The Brooklyn Flea is undoubtedly one of the most popular flea markets to hit in NYC if you're looking for the best selection of throwback wares and records, which you certainly wouldn’t find in just any vintage clothing store or record store in the city. The food selection is also top-notch since the creators also operate one of the city’s best food markets: Smorgasburg. The Brooklyn Flea DUMBO kicks off the weekend of April 2 and 3, 2022, from 10am-5pm. Brooklyn Flea also operates in Chelsea year-round on Saturdays and Sundays, 8am-5pm, and the new Hester Flea on Saturdays, 11am-6pm.

It's not every day that a new nightclub opens in New York City, especially one that harks back to an old sort of New York—when nightclubs were the city's premiere destinations for some after-hours fun. Which is why Daphne, a new subterranean spot under Hotel 50 Bowery in Chinatown, is so special. Upon entering the massive 2,500-square-foot space, patrons are pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful silk pink flower installation by art studio Floratorium. Dazzling disco balls also permeate the premises, calling back to a time when the dance club you frequented was just as important as where your apartment was located. 

The roaring 2022 speakeasy-inspired bar boom reverberates apace this week with the opening of Dom (styled as DOM) a subterranean cocktail lounge in Gramercy. The “retro-future” space, replete with high ceilings and fancy furnishings intended to evoke “the image of a modern age La Dolce Vita lifestyle” seats 50, exclusive of a private tasting room. Art programming across various mediums is planned for a gallery space and exhibition wall.  Dom’s opening cocktail menu is divided into the categories Health and Beauty, Pain Killers, Stress Relievers, Aphrodisiacs, Pharmaceuticals, Stimulants and Euphoric Enhancers. Many drinks incorporate liqueurs like walnut elderberry from owner Albert Trummer’s own eponymous line. The cognac-flavored cigar leaves in the barrel-aged negroni (a Pain Killer), and unspecified herbs from the South of France in the large-format house absinthe (a Euphoric Enhancer) are among other noteworthy ingredients. Trummer’s previous ventures include the ultimately headline making Apothéke.  Snacks like cheese, charcuterie, oysters and caviar will also be available. Reservations are recommended, but walk-ins are also theoretically welcome.

Pearl Alley, located at South Street Seaport's Pier 17 is one such spot. Anchored by Dante Winter House, a seasonal pop-up by the beloved and highly acclaimed West Village Bar, this new venue may just get your outer borough crew socializing at the edge of Manhattan. From now until winter's end, Dante has transformed its coffee bar into the Oysters & Martini Bar, which is open every Wednesday–Sunday from 4pm until late. Oysters are being supplied by Massachusetts-based Island Creek Oysters and will be $21 for a half dozen or $41 for a full dozen. Speciality martinis are $17 each.

Kitsby, a dessert shop in Brooklyn, has just introduced a new menu item that will surely entice you to visit Williamsburg, where the shop is located. Dubbed The Kit, the signature offering is a tray of bites that represents "second generation baking." Consider it Kitsby's very own Asian American spin on afternoon tea. The tray, which costs $38 per person or $70 for two people, comes with ten sweet and savory pastries. These include a black sesame financier, a five-spice shortbread, an asiago lop cheong roule, a mocha mousse cake plus a slew of other bite-sized treats. You'll also get to choose one entrée to go with your order. 

Looking for a treat? Head to Ample Hills' Gowanus Scoop Shop rooftop for a comedy show hosted by Savannah DesOrmeaux (X Change Rate) and Jenny Gorelick (NY Comedy Festival) featuring a heavily female, queer, and non-binary line-up every Friday. Pizza and ice cream will be available for purchase at the show.

Drive-Thru might be the coolest thing to check out around town this weekend. Billed as a "drive-in movie theater," Drive Thru is actually a free public arts installation aimed at pedestrians that will showcase a rotating selection of films by eight different local artists exploring unique perspectives on city life. You'll find the outdoor theater at the Plaza at 300 Ashland through April 14. In addition to highlighting films dissecting the immigrant experience, the current status of minorities in the country, the ecological impacts of urban life and more, the destination will also host a slew of live performances. 

Fraunces’ announced its latest concept in November–an intimate room above The Independence Bar is soaked in a shade of cerulean across its paneled walls, with pops of color on tufted red banquettes and gilded picture frames. Beer, wine, all manner of cocktails and a dedicated list of gin and tonics are all available, in addition to broad-appeal snacks, apps and entrées. Live piano music, of course, is also on the menu. The Piano Bar Upstairs is open Thursday-Saturday from 5pm to 11pm. 

Bring your dog to the AKC Museum of the Dog at these special after-hours events called Furry Fridays. The next event is Friday, February 18 (6-8pm) and Friday, March 4 (6-8pm). Tickets are $20 per person and $5 per dog. The Museum of the Dog has more than 180 sculptures and paintings of four-legged furballs as well as a “Meet the Breeds” table, which provides info on all 193 AKC recognized dog breeds, and other interactive fun.

The authorized biomusical MJ wants very much to freeze Michael Jackson in 1992: It’s a King of Pop-sical. Expertly directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, MJ does about as well as possible within its careful brief. In and of itself, it is a deftly crafted jukebox nostalgia trip. Lynn Nottage’s script weaves together three dozen songs, mostly from the Jackson catalog. The music and the dancing are sensational. And isn’t that, the show suggests, really the point in the end? Doesn’t that beat all?

Sushi 456 quietly opened on Hudson Street in the former Takashi space this past August. It has no known PR or apparent email address, and its social media presence is scant. It is, however, a more polished looking spot than its similarly analog contemporaries. Sushi 456’s fish is flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market and occasionally U.S. providers a few times a week before it’s expertly formed into blossoms of hirame, fanned-out rectangles of bluefin tuna arranged like a hand of three card poker, thick squares of king salmon and little cucumber cups overflowing with buttery uni or popping crimson ikura pearls.  Plenty is available à la carte for $4 (tamago) to $14 (Japanese uni). Sets like an attractively plated five-piece sashimi lunch are available for $35 in the afternoon, when the understated space is a pleasant, peaceful place to have lunch alone...

If you loved the music and cool jazz scene in Disney and Pixar's movie Soul, you'll want to make a beeline to The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, which has been transformed into the film's Half Note jazz club. Showcasing incredible artifacts from major players in Harlem's jazz scene, including Duke Ellington’s white grand piano, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis' tenor saxophone, a player piano and a working 78rpm Victrola, "The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure" highlights the many different cultures and creators who influenced this genre. To tie it all into Soul, there are maquettes (small sculptures) of its characters Joe Gardner and Dorothea Williams and virtual experiences via the Play Disney Parks app. The floor of the museum has been changed with brick walls and street scenes. There are windows that "look out" into scenes of the movie like the owner of the barbershop cleaning up and Joe's student playing their trombone in the street.

Everything at 8282 makes sense. The second restaurant from the pair behind now-closed Pado opened on Stanton Street in November. Billed as modern Korean, selections from 8282’s banju menu are prepared and presented to effectively share, and its anju options can easily act as apps or sides.  The boneless K.F.C. ($14) is the star of the smaller plate section. Four chunky cuts of chicken thigh splattered with soy garlic sauce are pleasantly jagged on the outside with juicy interiors. The larger, kitchen-sliced skirt steak with roasted potatoes ($26) rivals steakhouse classics, successfully grilled to the dedicated carnivore’s target mauve and tender beyond expectation. The accompanying mushroom purée is subtle enough that serious fungi fans will want more. Dakgalbi kimchi-bap ($21), which features cheesy rice covered with gochujang-marinated chicken and a wispy tangle of fragrant seaweed, is 8282's essential dish. The best bites are the scorched bits at the bottom of the skillet its served in: Crunchy and caramelized, they're warmly combined like the cheese fell in love with the rice. 

Just in time for Black History Month, the New-York Historical Society is bringing Frederick Douglass’ vision of freedom, citizenship and equal rights to life in a new ongoing special installation opening on February 11, 2022. A range of artifacts and documents illustrate Douglass’ vision, including illustrations from the popular press of the time and scrapbooks of articles by or about Douglass compiled by his sons that also documented his work to usher in a more just country. Visitors will also see speech excerpt from his contemporary, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, who raises the question of gender in step with Douglass’ ideas about racial equality. Political cartoons and a copy of an editorial that Douglass wrote about Chinese immigrants’ right to belong in the U.S. in the Chinese American newspaper are also on view. The maquette of a statue of Douglass erected on the campus of the University of Maryland in 2015, which was gifted to the late Congressman John Lewis, is also on display and a recreation of the Douglass statue, painted to be lifelike, greets visitors to the Museum at the 77th Street entrance.

Dinner at Mari’s high-gloss, muted-hued chefs counter or in the comfortable dining room beyond starts with a beautiful hansang. Clockwise to the center: An opaque acorn jelly, oyster with makgeolli mignonette, eggplant jeon (on a skewer like an insider wink to Kochi), Wagyu tartare and a sensational sphere of one or two-bite crispy egg rice, best tasted in that order.  It’s real "kid in a candy store" stuff, all exquisitely executed save for maybe one too many drops of sauce on the tartare, which almost obscures that inimitable beef flavor that people pay a premium for. Each element’s expert preparation and presentation would be notable on their own. Combined in this tantalizing fashion, they articulate the abundance to come and easily establish Mari’s quickly earned best-of status.

NYC’s newest entry to the micro category of subway bars–pour houses adjacent to the otherwise dry MTA–opened on New Year’s Eve. Nothing Really Matters is the latest from Adrien Gallo, whose previous endeavors included Double Happiness and Grand Banks. It’s located between the entrance and the turnstile in the downtown-bound 1 train station at 50th Street and Broadway. The cinematic subway entrance that leads to Nothing Really Matters is next to the Duane Reade on 50th Street near Broadway. The facade is adorned in signs for the newsstand and barbershop that previously operated in the station’s small retail areas. An illustrated haircut legend is still on display. Trash is strewn about. It looks like a subway station from 1984’s Ghostbusters. Inside, the long oak bar is backed by rows of bottles lit from below, illuminated like a boozy skyline snapshot. There’s a disco ball in the corner and the bathroom is covered in glitter wallpaper. Cocktails like the Empire State (vodka, maple, spiced apple, lemon), Knickerbocker bramble (bourbon, rosemary-blueberry compote, lemon) and the Time Out (Jamaican hibiscus, ginger, soda) are named in nods to New York. Classics, low- and no-ABV options are all on the menu.

Every Saturday night at 10pm, two piano men battle it out to prove who is truly the master of all 88 keys, with a playlist decided entirely by the audience. Whether you’re in the mood for Billy Joel, Christina Aguilera or current chart toppers, these pianists are up for the challenge. But they expect you to do your part by singing along, but from home. Find tickets and request songs here: bit.ly/SRRshows

Head over to Q.E.D. Astoria for stand-up each Friday night with the Transplants Comedy Show. As the name suggests, the comedians on stage are not originally from New York City, so they'll be telling jokes and stories about NYC and their hometowns. Hear from hosts Katie Boyle and Lindsay Theisen and comics like Rallo Boykins, Zubi Ahmed, Annick Adelle, Santi Espinosa, Brittany Carney, Bridget Geiran and Lindsay Adams.