54 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Wednesday, August 11, 2010
All events are free unless otherwise noted.
Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international ...
more >> monetary gold on bedrock of Manhattan Island, five stories below street level. Learn why Federal Reserve has "Federal" in its name, while it's a private bank, not Federal at all. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Five tours daily on the hour.
A hike through the National Historic Landmark District.
Behind the façade of the island’s military ...
more >> structures lie hidden courtyards and stately grounds resounding with echoes from the past. Join a National Park Ranger for this 1.5 hour, 1.5 mile walking experience and discover how the role of the island evolved to meet the changing needs of New York City and the nation.
10:00 am
free, no reservation required
Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history ...
more >> of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
Explore the south end of the park, including the Children's District, Lake, and the Mall.
New York City, NY; NYC
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Learn to play petanque, the popular European game anchored in precision, patience, and camaraderie, from ...
more >> members of La Boule New Yorkaise, NYC's championship club.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Hone your ping pong skills at one of two state-of-the-art tables. Paddles and balls are provided free ...
more >> of charge. Sign up with an attendant in the park to reserve a time slot.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Enjoy drawing in the parks and gardens with a professional artist/educator. Materials provided or bring ...
more >> your own.
11:30 am
free, no reservation required
A 30-minute dance performance presented in the same location, at the same time for 30 consecutive days. ...
more >> Created by choreographer and performer Paul-André Fortier, one of the leading figures in Canadian contemporary dance, this minimalist work is stripped of the stage’s artifice and grounded in the urban décor to form a bond between performer, audience and place.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Music lovers are invited to bring lunch, join friends and relax at the lively oasis to enjoy a taste ...
more >> of New York’s “underground” music scene.
Noon - 12:30pm
Originally from Cleveland,, Jason Green began playing blues and jazz in his hometown and by 21 had made it a full time career. In 2000 he joined delta blues legend Big Jack Johnson, touring major jazz and blues festivals nationally and internationally. For five years in New York City, Jason has worked with other groups and fronts for his own band, Jason Green and the Labor of Love.
12:30 – 1:15pm
Mohamed Kouyate and Cheick Bary come from the same musician, story-telling family in Grio, Guinea. They grew up learning and playing music with their relatives. Cheick, the lead singer in a number of bands in their country, learned guitar in the Ivory Coast. Mohamad is also a guitarist and sings background when the two perform together. They play a fusion of African music and mandingo, the popularized hi-life jazz style of West African. The duo also lead a seven piece band when performing at the Grand Dakar in Brooklyn and St. Nick’s Club in Harlem.
1:15 – 2:00pm
Trumpeter Donald Malloy, from Cleveland Ohio, moved to New York after completing his master’s degree at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. His eclectic approach to music has provided him performances with such acts as Billy Hart, Geri Allen, Gary Bartz, and Victor Lewis and others. He leads his cutting edge band, Sight, which deals with music from the deep roots of our history and the modern sounds of today. Donald uses the African spiritual songs of the Orisha and combines it with jazz, drum, and bass, turning out music deeply rooted in the groove that speaks to the soul. Their new album “The Mothers” will be released January 2011.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Join The Big Draw Flash Mob and draw dancer Paul-Andre Fortier in motion! Stop by on your lunch break ...
more >> and make a sketch on an old shopping list or the back of your morning meeting's agenda. No experience necessary.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
As you promenade through the heart of the Park, imagine yourself living in 19th Century New York City. ...
more >> Learn about the Park's history and how its designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, struggled to create the magnificent "Greensward" for the enjoyment of all. Tour lasts approximately one hour.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Seen on ABC's The View, SusieQ will help you exercise your "right to bare arms" with her fitness DVD.
New York City, NY; NYC
12:15 pm
free, no reservation required
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
12:30 pm
$10 suggested donation
Junior Mance is an international jazz musician who has performed with jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, ...
more >> Dinah Washington, and Lester Young. He was inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997. When not traveling, Junior can be found every Sunday performing at Cafe' Loup in NYC.
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Interdisciplinary artist duo LoVid lead a team of performers and audience members through an obstacle ...
more >> course, carrying electronic components from one side to another, building an electronic musical instrument that produces live sound. Beginning with minimal sound and movement, the performance progresses to a crescendo of increasing density and sound.
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Sit back and make yourself at home with the music of Louis Armstrong, and Wall Street Journal drama critic ...
more >> Teachout’s portrait of the man behind the music. Features a
musical performance by trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso.
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Ron Owens performs a concert of accordion favorites. Take a break, relax in the sun or the shade, have ...
more >> a cold lemonade, even dance if you feel like it.
12:45 pm
free, no reservation required
Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history ...
more >> of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
A hike through the National Historic Landmark District.
Behind the façade of the island’s military ...
more >> structures lie hidden courtyards and stately grounds resounding with echoes from the past. Join a National Park Ranger for this 1.5 hour, 1.5 mile walking experience and discover how the role of the island evolved to meet the changing needs of New York City and the nation.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Are you a 40+ job seeker? WorkSearch is an online system which provides links to job openings, skills ...
more >> assessment tools, and training programs at no cost to individuals. After taking the orientation, WorkSearch is accessible to registrants through the Internet, or through Library computers. Attendees will be shown how to download the information to a USB flash drive. (Bring your own USB drive.)
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
With Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers and Jack Warner.
Five diverse oddball criminal types planning a bank ...
more >> robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.
90 min.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
New York City's best and funniest walking tour. This high-energy tour will take you through the heart ...
more >> of the Lower Manhattan, entertaining you, your friends and family with stories, hidden secrets and relevant information about the Big Apple. The USA’s first capital city, a center of global finance and a tribute to over two centuries of immigration and the American experience - New York City's history is the history of America. And on every step of our tour, expert guides - part professors, part performers - will explain why.
Screenings are on a first-come first-served basis. No appointment is needed. Testing is quick and painless.
New York City, NY; NYC
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Begin with the tranquility and beauty of Strawberry Fields then enjoy Bethesda Terrance and the Mall ...
more >> as the tour takes you east, across the park.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Olmsted and Vaux designed the North Woods to replicate the forests of the Adirondack Mountains with its ...
more >> crystal streams, calming cascades, and rustic bridges. This scenic and meditative walk is right in New York City's backyard. Tour will be approximately one hour.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Learn figure drawing outdoors with a clothed model and an artist/educator. Materials provided or bring ...
more >> your own.
2:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Hands on using wireless laptops. Explore websites that will help you improve your English language reading, ...
more >> writing, speaking, and listening. This class is for non-native speakers of English who have basic (or higher) proficiency in English, as well as mouse and keyboard skills.
A hot swing trio playing classic jazz in the tradition of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Sidney Bechet.
New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Join other adults for good-natured games of volleyball. Scorekeeper and balls provided. No experience ...
more >> necessary.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
A program that encourages New Yorkers of all ages to get fit while enjoying the outdoors. With funding ...
more >> provided by Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Parks will have 30 park locations throughout the city staffed with trained walking instructors to lead walks.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Learn all you need to know about adoption. Ametz staff will provide information on procedures, regulations ...
more >> and options for domestic and international adoption.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance.
New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Hands on using wireless laptops. Learn how email works, including sending, replying to and forwarding ...
more >> messages.
Latin Grammy Award-winning, Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca, Honduran Garifuna artist Aurelio Martinez ...
more >> & Garifuna Soul, and Cuban nueva trova songwriter Carlos Varela & His Band
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required
This illustrated lecture highlights the story of the past half-century, as Turtle Bay recognized its ...
more >> role at the center of the world’s diplomatic stage and adjusted to life amid the gleaming high-rise towers all around.
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Celebrate the art of short-form video and film with a summer screening of works that clock in at two ...
more >> minutes or less. Between Yoko Ono's fifteen-second Eye Blink (1966) and Leslie Thornton's two-minute Let Me Count the Ways: Minus 6 (2006), the forty-five works in this forty-five minute screening demonstrate why a concise statement is so powerful. Ranging from analog video abstraction to quick visual comedy, conceptual exercises to formal experiments with duration, commissioned public service announcements to critiques of the quintessential short-form structure, the TV commercial, the works in this screening demonstrate the enormous possibilities that artists have found in less than one hundred twenty and seconds.
The screening will include works by Dan Asher, Beth B, Phyllis Baldino, Michael Bell-Smith, Dara Birnbaum, Cheryl Donegan, VALIE EXPORT, Forcefield, Matthew Geller, Gran Fury, Gary Hill, Ken Jacobs, Tom Kalin, Kalup Linzy, George Maciunas, Charlotte Moorman, Shana Moulton, Yoko Ono, Dennis Oppenheim, Nam June Paik, Martha Rosler, Paul Sharits, Stuart Sherman, Shelly Silver, Michael Smith, Leslie Thornton, Steina and Woody Vasulka, Lawrence Weiner and Bruce and Norman Yonemoto.
Editor's Pick
End your day with relaxing Hatha yoga in a beautiful sunset setting. Suitable for all fitness levels. ...
more >> Please wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring your own mat.
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
Set during a sweltering holiday weekend in Rome, this utterly charming comedy is about a middle-aged ...
more >> man living with his mother who suddenly finds himself caring for four elderly women. A delightful movie about aging, family, friendship, food, and wine.
75 min.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Seymour Krim burst onto the literary scene in the late 1950s with dukes-up personal essays in The Village ...
more >> Voice that won praise from James Baldwin, Saul Bellow, and Norman Mailer. Cohen introduces Krim's innovative subjective reporting, a kind of Jewish New Journalism, to a new generation. Krim was associated with the Beats, taught writing at Columbia and Iowa, and won a Guggenheim and a Fulbright. He is for everyone who likes writing that comes from the gut and goes for the throat.
Hailed as a return to form, Britain's literary lion revisits familiar themes with his latest novel.
New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Nino Segarra, renowned Puerto Rican singer, arranger, musician, composer and producer, has recorded arrangements ...
more >> with diverse orchestras all across Puerto Rico. "Esa Mujer" and "Como Amigos si, Como Amantes no" are among the countless songs that have made him a star in the world of salsa.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Doug E. Fresh is one of the originators of the human beat box (vocally simulating the sound of drums ...
more >> and other musical instruments) as an instrument in hip-hop. Best known for the multi-platinum hits "The Show" and "La Di Da Di," his groundbreaking success in the 1980‘s heralded the global popularity of hip-hop. Fresh has embraced hip-hop activism and used his voice to speak out against a variety of social ills. Along the way, he has nurtured rising talent, including the likes of Slick Rick, P. Diddy, Biz Markie and numerous newcomers during his stint as host (and unofficial mentor) of It's Showtime at the Apollo. Join The Human Beat Box as he teams up with mixtape master DJ Dee Wiz for an unforgettable journey into the history and future of hip hop.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
Georgia-born Gordon is a jazz trombonist who also plays didgeridoo, trumpet, tuba, piano and sings.
New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
With Christian Bale, Johnny Depp and Channing Tatum.
The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters ...
more >> John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.
140 min.
Movie begins at dusk (around 8:30pm.) Free Popcorn.
8:00 pm
free, no reservation required
This week Kyle Bostic and Eric Cromartie bring: Jamie Lee (Last Comic Standing, College Humor), Mike ...
more >> Recine (touring comic), Ben Boime (New York Underground Comedy Festival), Vladimir Caamano (Laugh Lounge), Joe Rocha (Comic Strip Live), Larry Bailey (Comedy Cellar).
8:00 pm
free, no reservation required
With Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson.
An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject ...
more >> of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work and his love interest to his death.
113 min.
A Movie Under the Stars -- pack a picnic, bring a friend and settle in for a night at the movies.
8:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Sketch Comedy meets Block Party. This show features a guest host comedian, three guest sketch troupes ...
more >> and drinking. Come meet, mingle, and perform!