free things to do in New York City
Free events for Thursday, 05/18/17
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on May 18, 2017?

49 free events take place on Thursday, May 18 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out May 18 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of May . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

49 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, May 18, 2017

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

City Walk | Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo Tour


This is a 3-hour tour that begins with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, an icon of New York City for over 125 years, with spectacular views of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The tour then moves on to a stroll of Brooklyn Heights, America’s and New York City’s first suburb. The tour then explores the neighborhood DUMBO before ending at the Fulton Ferry landing.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:30 am
Free

Tour | Downtown Manhattan 3-Hour Tour


The 3-hour walking and subway tour covers the Financial District including Wall Street and the World Trade Center, SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown. These are neighborhoods that simply can’t be fully appreciated from a bus. There will be one or two opportunities to sample tasty treats.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:30 am
Free

Tour | Harlem Tour


Although world famous, Harlem may be New York's best kept secret with some of the city's best architecture, food, music and people. Harlem's history is also one of the city's most dramatic, having gone through many ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic changes over the past roughly 400 years, which have resulted in a diverse array of places of worship, theaters, homes and eating establishments.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:45 am
Free

Workshop | Advanced MS Word 2010 Workshop


Explore more advanced features of Microsoft Word 2010. Topics include mail merge, tables, text boxes, headers and footers, footnotes and endnotes.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 am
Free

Workshop | Juggling in the Park


Test your coordination and dexterity with free juggling lessons in the park. All skill levels are welcome to join in the fun. Equipment is provided.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Talk/Back: Urban Nervous Systems


Kiosks, pop-up pavilions, and wifi stations act as nodes rising above the city’s arteries, connecting the urban nervous system. How does cultural identity and technology come through in the contemporary kiosk? In a city infamous for its nonstop flow of pedestrians engrossed in handheld devices, can these nodes offer a transportive path to the city’s layered stories and make unseen identities visible? And how do new iterations of the kiosk typology intersect with debates on “smart cities,” surveillance, and equitable access to urban amenities? This is a fast-paced lunchtime conversation at the new programming hub of the Black Gotham Experience, where participants are invited to “talk back” with their impressions of how these icons of streets and public spaces should look and feel in the future.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Bach at Noon


The keyboard works of Bach offered in 30-minute meditations by Patrick Allen, organist and master of choristers, and Mary Pan, organ scholar. Bach at Noon concerts takes place Tuesdays through Fridays, from September 13, 2016 to May 25, 2017.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:20 pm
Free

Author Reading | Brian Patrick Eha discusses his book How Money Got Free: Bitcoin and the Fight for the Future of Finance


In the space of a few years, Bitcoin has gone from an idea ignored or maligned by almost everyone to an asset with a market cap of more than $12 billion. Venture capital firms, Goldman Sachs, the NYSE and entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson have invested more than $1 billion in companies built on this groundbreaking technology. Bill Gates has even declared it "better than currency." But can its early promise endure? Or will the next evolution of money be neutered as it goes mainstream? The pioneers of Bitcoin were 21st century outlaws—cryptographers, hackers, Free Staters, ex-cons and drug dealers, teenage futurists and self-taught entrepreneurs—armed with a renegade ideology and a grudge against big government and big banks. Now those same institutions are threatening to co-opt or curtail the impact of digital currency. But the pioneers, some of whom have become millionaires themselves, aren’t going down without a fight. Join an afternoon of provocative discussion with Brian Patrick Eha, journalist and author of a new book about. An exciting, behind-the-scenes narrative of the rise and fall and rise of this disruptive technology, his book has been compared to "a fiber-optic cable extending into our uncertain economic future." He will draw on his deep knowledge of Bitcoin's history to discuss how this brilliant invention is shaping the debate around competing ideas of money and liberty, and what that means for the rest of us.
   New York City, NY; NYC
12:30 pm
$5

City Walk | Tour The Battery


Join a tour of The Battery, a 25-acre park at the tip of Manhattan. Learn about the park's rich history, many important landmarks and monuments, the Seaglass Carousel, 134,000 square feet of beautiful perennial gardens designed by renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, and so much more. Every Thursday from May 11 to June 29, 2017.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:50 pm
Free

Tour | Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House Tour


An in-depth look at the unique architecture and exquisite beauty of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House. Designed by famed architect Cass Gilbert and completed in 1907, the Custom House is a National Historic Landmark. The building’s interior splendor includes an elliptical rotunda with a 140-ton dome skylight designed by Valencia-born engineer Raphael Gustavino and murals by New York painter Reginald Marsh, as well as monumental marble arches and columns. Tours include a visit to the Collectors Office, not normally accessible to the public. Takes place daily.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Curator's Tour: Eugen Gabritschevsky: Theater of the Imperceptible and Carlo Zinelli (1916–1974)


Join a tour of the current exhibitions with Valérie Rousseau, the museum’s curator for self-taught art and art brut. Meet in the museum atrium.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Tour | Federal Reserve Bank Tour


Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international 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. Tour times: 1:00pm, 2:00pm. This tour takes place Mondays through Fridays, except bank holidays.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Lunchtime Meditation


Take a mid-day pause to refresh your mind and re-establish your center in the midst of bustling city life. Meditation is a powerful tool to eliminate stress, to heal the body, mind, and brain, and to enhance your personal well-being and positive relationship with the world.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$10 suggested donation

Tour | Midtown Manhattan Night Tour


New York is a skyscraper city and there is no better time to view Manhattan’s icons than after the sun sets and the lights go on. Fueled by competition and a dash of audacity, New York City is still producing one of mankind’s most remarkable skyline. NOTE** THIS TOUR SPENDS MUCH TIME INDOORS OR IN SUBWAYS AND GREAT FOR ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS. Please note they do utilize the subway on this tour so you will need $5 for subway. Takes place Thursdays and Saturdays.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Retro Board Gaming and Jigsaws for Adults


Share your passion for gaming the old-fashioned way. If words excite or inspire you, and crossword puzzles keep you going, then Scrabble is your game! Are you a chess or checkers champion? Whether you're a master or just starting out, show off your best moves. If you like wheeling and dealing, Monopoly's the game for you. Join them for some lively board time. All levels of play welcome. Please feel free to bring your own game set, and friends.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Concert | Alkemie presents 'Love to my Liking: Refrains of Desire in Gothic France'


Reconstructing the mystical love songs created by the trouvères of Northern France from Medieval manuscripts, Alkemie presents a program of mystical meditations on love and longing, bringing new life to an art form with strong oral and improvisatory traditions. Performers:  Elena Mullins, soprano & percussion Sian Ricketts, soprano & recorders Tracy Cowart, mezzo-soprano & percussion David McCormick, vielle Niccolo Seligmann, vielle & percussion
   New York City, NY; NYC
1:15 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Discuss Great Books in a Great Space


Monthly book discussions to explore titles you've been meaning to read, or reread, and discuss with other lovers of literature. Participants should read each title before the discussion. This month's title is The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Film | Leo McCarey's Belle of the Nineties (1934): Mae West Romp


Stars: Mae West, Roger Pryor, Johnny Mack Brown. Ruby Carter, the American Beauty queen of the night club-sporting world, shifts her operations from St. Louis to New Orleans (which kind of belies the Western genre designation), mostly to get away from prizefighter Tiger Kid. 73 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Film | Martin Scorsese's Oscar-Nominated Silence (2016): Priest Mystery


Stars: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson. In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism. 161 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
2:00 pm
Free

Film | Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express (1974): Oscar for Ingrid Bergman


Stars: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman. In December 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before. 128 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Tour | Subway Art Tour


Many people think of the New York City subway as one of the largest, most efficient, if not the cleanest mass transit systems in the world. Few, however, think of it as the largest and longest art gallery on the planet. Well, they don't know what they are missing. This lively walking AND subway riding tour visits over a dozen subway stations to experience a selection of these striking often whimsical works that go largely unnoticed by the general public. Join this climate controlled subway and walking art tour. Along the way you'll learn about and become expert at navigating the (in)famous NYC subway system. There's also the invaluable opportunity to confer about your other sightseeing plans with the acclaimed Bronx born, vastly experienced licensed NYC tour guide, Darryl Reilly. Tour takes place every Thursday.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Windows 7 Basics Workshop


Learn the basics of navigating a PC with Windows 7.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:30 pm
Free

Film | Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea (2016): Casey Affleck's Oscar


Stars: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler. A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies. 137 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
4:00 pm
Free

Colloquium | The New NAFTA Debate: Issues and Prospects


"NAFTA 2.0: The Way Forward" Marta Bengoa, The City College of New York, CUNY "Renegotiating NAFTA: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" Zadia M Feliciano, Queens College, CUNY
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Birdwatching | Spring Birding Tour


Discover the surprising diversity of birds that call the park home during migratory season with a guided tour. Located in the heart of midtown, the park is a hotspot for avian visitors and birders alike. Past sightings include warblers, tanagers, vireos, thrushes, and even a Chuck-will's-widow.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Workshop | eBook Help Hour: Get Started with eBooks


Need help getting started with eBooks? Bring your laptop, eReader, tablet or smart phone to eBook Help Hour. Get assistance loading electronic library books on your Kindle, create your free Adobe ID, learn about 3M Cloud Library, and so much more. Make sure you bring your library card and any necessary access passwords for your devices so they can help you as quickly as possible.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:15 pm
Free

Workshop | iMovie for Beginners Workshop


Learn the basics of using Apple's entry-level video editing program iMovie by working through a simple project. Class is conducted on Macintosh computers.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Lecture | 'At Least I Galloped': A Tribute to Playwright Peter Shaffer


Peter Shaffer, the author of Equus and Amadeus, worked for The New York Public Library in the early 1950s. Fifty years later, he appeared in four public programs. Alan Pally, who produced those programs, will talk about his work with the playwright and show rarely seen footage of Shaffer and his work.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Beginner Chess Social


Welcome beginners! Learn to setup a chess board and map out your next move with assistance from our Chess Host. Kids welcome.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Charlie Ahearn's Scratch Ecstasy: Art and Film


Since the 1970s, Ahearn has documented street culture and the rise of hip hop in New York City, capturing the excitement and raw energy that infused the movement through photography, films and slide shows. The exhibition reflects the culmination of 25 years of Ahearn’s work mounting shows, publishing books, and making films, offering unparalleled insight into the people who defined the movement and its current influence on contemporary society.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Exhibition: A New Practical Guide to Rhetorical Gesture and Action: National Theater of the United States of America


Quixotic downtown theater collective the National Theater of the United States of America (NTUSA) presents a gallery show of illustrations and commentary from their forthcoming book A New Practical Guide to Rhetorical Gesture and Action. Jesse Hawley’s hand colored originals will be displayed alongside descriptive commentary by Normandy Sherwood.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Screening | Hidden Wonders of Korea: Film Screening and Traditional Korean Meal


Korea is a country that contains many wonders in its ancient and recent past - in the fields of art, philosophy, and science. The theme this week will be devotion in art and science – how artists and industrial workers have made sacrifices for the common good. The screening will be followed by a traditional Korean meal, and those who attend will also receive a choice of free books on Korea.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Discussion | How Can Innovative Park Design Connect and Sustain Communities?


Urban parks and open spaces support equitable, resilient, and sustainable communities. This panel will consider the power of high-quality design to inspire and connect residents and communities. Speakers will reflect on engagement, interagency collaboration, and other processes that ensure that public spaces serve the needs of current and future New Yorkers.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Shirin Neshat's Dreamers: Photography


Through charged imagery and evocative mise-en-scène, Neshat’s photography and film installations critique the cultural construction of difference. This exhibition marks the first time she fully turns her attention to American culture, dissecting the tense and querying experience of being an Iranian in the United States today.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Simon Singh discusses his book The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets


Did you know that Homer Simpson disproved Fermat’s last theorem? He did, or so it seemed, when he scribbled 398712 + 436512 = 447212 on a blackboard in a 1998 episode of The Simpsons. If Homer is right, then he has proved that the great 17th-century mathematician Fermat was wrong. Math is everywhere in the Simpsons' world, from references that flash across the screen in an eye blink (such as Springfield’s Googolplex movie theater) to entire segments that explore deep mathematical concepts. Not content merely to point out the mathematical references, Singh uses them as a starting point for lively discussions of mathematical topics, anecdotes, and history. Refreshments will be served.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
$5

Slide Lecture | A Trip Down Memory Lane: Singers of the 20s and 30s


This illustrated lecture features videos and audio clips of well-known singers of the 20s and 30s and some not as well-known. With: Mel Haber.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Artist Talk: Jen Liu


Artist Jen Liu will screen and discuss her video work The Pink Detachment (2016), as well as portions of her work in progress, Pink Slime Caesar Shift. Following her presentation Liu will be joined by artist and performance theorist Aliza Shvarts for a conversation on resistant reproductive temporalities and opacity as an intersectional strategy.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Yoga Flow Workshop


Link mindful breathing with movement in this full spectrum yoga practice that includes modifications and intensifications depending on experience level. Veteran Nina Semczuk helps you cultivate strength, flexibility, balance, and focus while enjoying yoga outdoors. Bring your own mat. This event repeats every Thursday until September 28, 2017.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Discussion | Person Place Thing: A Live Radio Show


A special recording of Randy Cohen's radio show and podcast, Person Place Thing, with very special guests Jim Shepard (Like You’d Understand, Anyway; The World to Come) and Joshua Ferris (To Rise Again at a Decent Hour; The Dinner Party). Shepard and Ferris will discuss a person, place, and thing that are meaningful to them. With live musical accompaniment.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Concert | An Evening of Schubert


Program: Schubert: Mass in G, D167 Magnificat in C, D486 Performed by: St. Patrick’s Cathedral Choir and Orchestra Dr. Jennifer Pascual, Conductor
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Performance | I Used to Think 'I'm a Genius' -- Then I Moved to Westbeth


Songs and stories of a young man making his way cross country in 1963, a night in a Texas jail for singing a song, finally ending up in Australia he spends a year painting in the Tasmanian bush. Four years later–back in the USA, 1968, his first American exhibition–eight large, shaped geometric paintings in a museum across the street from the White House. Ken Wade has been singing songs and telling stories for many years. Featured on Australian television, he has also performed in Belfast, London and LA. In New York he has sung and told stories at Dixon Place, EAT-NWS Festival, Farmers' Markets, Make Music NYC, The Brecht Forum, the Westbeth Music Festival and the New York Public Library. Ken is an active storyteller at The Moth as well as Word and has regularly been invited to perform at The Stage Left Theater. Ken is also a visual artist whose paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in several galleries in New York City including the Westbeth Gallery. He initiated and installed The Project Room at Westbeth, now in its 7th year of providing Westbeth artists with space for experimental work.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Lecture | The Eclipse of the Utopias of Labor


Tracing the historical development from 18th-century automata to late 20th-century digital organisms and artificial intelligence, Anson Rabinbach examines the rise and eclipse of the great utopias of labor. His talk focuses on 19th-century productivism and the metaphor of the body as a thermodynamic “human motor that drives the economy through conversion of energy.” Greatly influenced by this view, Marx shifted his focus from the emancipation of mankind through labor to emancipation from productive labor by increased productivity, shorter hours, and reduced exertion. Anson Rabinbach is Phillip and Beulah Rollins Professor of History at Princeton University.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Tour | Ghosts of Greenwich Village Tour


New York Ghost tours capture the spiritual side of the Big Apple through stories. famed explorers, native tribes, lost opportunities and political intrigue. With almost every step one takes through the West Village, one encounters the ghosts and spirits of New York City’s past. Every corner has its stories, every building has its haunted spirits.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Rajeev Taranath, North Indian Darod Player


A captivating evening of raga with one of the world’s foremost exponents of the sarod (North Indian lute).
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:30 pm
Free

Film | Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven (2016): Remake of Classic Western


Stars: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke. Seven gunmen in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves. 132 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Create a Website With HTML and CSS


Learn the basics of coding using the languages HTML and CSS to create your own basic webpage using Neocities.org.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | Look + Listen Festival 2017 Opening Night


Hosted by NPR's Bill McGlaughlin, opening night includes: Ione from the Deep Listening Institute violinist and violist Miranda Cuckson septet ensemble yMusic tenor sax quartet Battle Trance
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Comedy Club | Panic Attack Comedy Show


Featuring some of the top comedians and up-and-comers in NYC. The show is one of the most diverse and well curated comedy shows in NYC. Past guests have included Judah Friedlander, Mark Normand, Aparna Nancherla, and Jena Friedman. Hosted by Joon Chung and Chris Donahue.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
No cover, no...

Concert | Belle-Skinner, New York Singer-Songwriter


Belle-Skinner aka Maria Brosgol is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer from New York. With a hauntingly beautiful, lilting soprano and innate sense of melody she crafts tales of songbirds, sirens and desert nomads - nuanced and layered stories which bridge the gap between past and present. Though her influences cover a broad range of genres - from French chansons and Russian folk to contemporary alt-pop and rock - her voice often draws comparisons to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Angel Olsen, and Regina Spektor.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:00 pm
Free
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Classical Music | Piano Works by Chopin and More

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