47 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Saturday, October 6, 2012
All events are free unless otherwise noted.
Enjoy views of the Park's landscapes as you get fit. Coach Lon Wilson of the New York Walkers Club leads ...
more >> walks at a moderate to brisk pace over mostly flat surfaces. Wear comfortable sneakers! Ages 18+.
9:30 am
free, no reservation required
This major new artwork has been created by the Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi. The work places the 13-foot-tall ...
more >> statue of Columbus in the center of an American living room six stories above the city streets, recontextualizing the historical monument and temporarily transforming it into a contemporary artwork. The room will feature many of the trappings of a domestic living room—lamps, a couch, a coffee table, a television, and more—as well as custom wallpaper by the artist. Through large, loft-style windows, visitors will have dramatic views of Central Park and Midtown Manhattan that will be seen from Columbus’s perspective for the first time.
Pass holders are asked to climb six flights of stairs to a height of 70 feet above street level and to descend by a second set of stairs. Flat, rubber-soled shoes are strongly recommended. This exhibition is ADA accessible. If a visitor requires the use of a mobility device (e.g. wheelchair, crutches, or a cane) or has a condition that prevents him or her from using the stairs, a hoist is available. Visitors under 13 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Those between the ages of 13 and 18 may visit without an adult, however a parent or guardian must obtain a pass for them. Given the physical demands of visiting the exhibition, it is not recommended for children under the age of 5. Strollers are not permitted.
This tour utilizes your feet and the New York City Subway* to transport you from Lower Manhattan, the ...
more >> birthplace of New York, through Wall St and the Financial District, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown and Midtown Manhattan. There will be ample opportunities for memorable pictures. You'll get the chance to savor NY's best pizza and cannoli and other treats, learn how to play NY handball, maybe bargain with a shopkeeper in Chinatown, observe a game of street chess in Greenwich Village, people watch and window shop in SoHo, and kick back on the Highline Park. Along the way, you'll master the subway and learn about New York's Finest!
10:00 am
Free plus $6.75...
6-mile river walk, east or west side, from the South Street Seaport to midtown. At 57th Street, visit ...
more >> some selected art galleries and finish walk with an optional late brunch at Parnell’s on First Avenue. Brunch includes generous servings and choice of drink for about $16, including tip.
10:00 am
$3 plus approx....
Known as America's first suburb, Brooklyn Heights is truly a gem. Travel and Leisure named it one of ...
more >> America's top 10 most beautiful neighborhoods, and its beauty is rivaled only by its place in American history. These quaint, tree-lined streets have been the sites of Revolutionary War battles, abolitionist activism and have inspired numerous novelists. Visit a stop on the Underground Railroad, or the home of Truman Capote, where he penned Breakfast at Tiffany's and where Jackie Robinson signed with the Dodgers.
The second annual Culture and Arts Festival (CAFé) will feature the vibrant music, artistry, crafts ...
more >> and cuisine that make Washington Heights and the neighboring communities of Harlem, Inwood and the Bronx so diverse and dynamic. Performers, artists and restaurants already confirmed are: The Harlem Swing Dance Society, Singer/Reenactor Rich Bala, Storyteller Bobby Gonzalez, Theater for the New City, Underworld Productions, Ghosts of Manhattan, Diaspora Now, Cherrymae Designs, Miranda Nelli, Bistro Latino, Coogan’s and many more to be announced!
10:00 am
free, no reservation required
Join 20-minute instructional paddles, and explore the Hudson River first-hand. Please wear a bathing ...
more >> suit or shorts and a t-shirt, and know how to swim. Weather permitting. Kayaks and life vests provided.
10:00 am
free, no reservation required
Short lecture followed by walking tour (approx 3 hrs) of Little Italy with a focus on the Italian-American ...
more >> immigrant experience.
You've seen the iconic skyscrapers, attended a Broadway show, visited Lady Liberty and relaxed in Central ...
more >> Park. Looking for a little more of the Big Apple? Maybe it's time to visit some of Manhattan's oldest and most enchanting historic districts. Take a relaxing stroll through SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown.
Take a walk around the lands dominated by the Castle, situated high on Vista Rock. Visit the tiny 55-acre ...
more >> realm on an eclectic tour of history and nature. Tour is approximately one hour.
10:30 am
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
AN EXPOSITION AND SALE OF SUPERIOR QUALITY AMERICAN CRAFTS. 250 Juried Craft Displays selected from every ...
more >> region of the United States. Continuous entertainment, craft demonstrations. Rain or shine.
11:00 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.
Analyze an instructional game with Women’s FIDE Master Laura Ross for new tactical insights, then pit ...
more >> your newly acquired skills against other players of your level tournament-style. Recommended for ages 6+. Boards and pieces are available to borrow for anyone who wishes to play.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Take a self-guided tour, view the Collecting the Kitchen exhibit and take a quiz to see if you can identify ...
more >> the historic kitchen artifacts. Visit on Sunday between 11 and 3pm for the annual cider pressing.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Experience the Park's only formal garden with the Garden staff. See exuberant perennial and annual beds, ...
more >> and delight in an abundance of color and fragrance while learning about the Garden's history and design.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
British born James Maddock was first recognized in the U.S as leader of the band Wood. Songs From Stamford ...
more >> Hill, which remains a fan favorite 10 years later, produced a Top 5 Triple A hit, “Stay You,” and was included in the first Dawson's Creek compilation. In 2009 Maddock released Sunrise On Avenue C, for which he won the 2010-11 NY Music Award for Best Americana Album. Maddock followed Sunrise in 2011 with Wake Up and Dream.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
An unparalleled citywide celebration of New York City’s extraordinary architecture and design. From ...
more >> private residences and historic landmarks to rooftop farms and sustainable skyscrapers, OHNY Weekend offers you rare access and insight into hundreds of architecturally and culturally significant sites in all five boroughs. This annual weekend of urban exploration and architectural discovery also includes free talks; fun youth and family activities; and tours on foot, bicycle, and even by canoe. Join us in exploring and discovering the history, diversity and architecture of our city. Become inspired and enjoy your OHNY Weekend.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Discover new neighborhoods, explore with friends and family, and experience NYC's architecture and design ...
more >> in all five boroughs through special talks, tours, performances and family-friendly workshops – all free of charge!
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Enjoy live music, typical Czech food, kids tent, marionettes, souvenirs, free raffle and much more…
New York City, NY; NYC
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Visitors can explore over 30 artist studios throughout 2 floors of our West Harlem location. Guests can ...
more >> tour the studios, interact with the artists and learn more about a roster of innovative arts programs. Refreshments provided throughout the day!
Participating artists: Babatunde Ajiboye, Elizabeth Allison, Aleathia Brown, Marcela Carvalho, Roc Cayard, Katherine L. Daniels, Diane Davis, Florencio Gelabart, Asia Ingalls, Lisa Ingram, Kelly Irwin, Frank Leslie Hampton, Erik Lindman, Les Joynes, Sung Min Lee, Summer McClinton, Florence Montmare, Ademola Olugebefola, Tara L. Parsons, Isis Samuels-Swaby, Victoria Schatz, Roy Secord, Sandra Spannan, Hugh B. Sullivan, Elizabeth Tisdale, Christopher Trujillo, Marina Tsesarskaya, Richard A. Wager, Gina Fuentes Walker.
Bring a picnic or sample the food vendors at the Little Red Lighthouse, perched on the shore of the Hudson ...
more >> River. The Little Red Lighthouse Festival includes live readings of the beloved children’s book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, lighthouse tours, cookie decorating, music, arts and crafts, fishing, and hayrides. Discover one of the city’s best kept secrets!
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
With Mariangela Lopez.
This class is open to everyone interested in sharing movement experiences. ...
more >> They will practice: Listening to your instincts as movers, disregarding all preconceived ideas of how one "should" move in space. The participants will explore their own creative movement potential by releasing personal memories and perceptions of their own environment by utilizing the power of the group to build a collective experience. This class is about experiencing the joy for moving and dancing to become totally physical and present, yet connected to our internal states.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
In Before I Hang, Boris Karloff plays a physician on death row for a mercy killing. Before he is sentenced, ...
more >> he secretly tests an experimental serum made of criminals’ blood, resulting in a Jekyll and Hyde transformation. In The Boogie Man Will Get You, Boris Karloff plays a young divorcee trying to convert a historic house into a hotel. He does this despite several oddball inhabitants and dead bodies in the cellar.
128 min.
Seneca Village was Manhattan's first known community of African-American property owners, on land that ...
more >> would become the Park. Tour covers the history of the village, the property owners, and what New York City was like at the time. Tour is approximately one hour.
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
There is a debt resistance movement building across the country. Disparate communities are finding common ...
more >> threads amongst our conditions of debt, building solidarity and mobilizing against the servitude and destruction caused by its immensity.
As part of this mobilization, Arts and Labor has initiated DEBT SQUARES, a series of open workshops inspired by the tradition of craft circles, during which everyone is invited to sew together fabric squares, express our personal relationship with different kinds of debt, and bring our shared conditions to the open.
1:00 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.
Greenwich Village is well-known for its shady, winding streets with 19th Century houses, for its bohemian ...
more >> roots and historic Washington Square Park. But the Village's tree-lined streets are also lined with some of the best restaurants and food specialty shops in all of the Big Apple. Just ask celebrity chefs of the Food Network, food critics from the New York Times and thousands of New Yorkers: Greenwich Village is THE place to find the best of every cuisine.
View significant artifacts from 19th-century family life and walk into a fully furnished 1820s bedroom. ...
more >> There will be tours every half hour.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
It is here, as much as anywhere, where American history started. It's where the first US Congress assembled ...
more >> and produced the Bill of Rights and where President George Washington took his first oath of office. It's here where the world's most important stock exchange and one of the most famous bridges stand. And it is here where an unspeakable tragedy took place and where a rebirth is underway.
Watch as Master Pumpkin Carver Hugh McMahon carves pumpkins into a variety of Masterpieces. Enter the ...
more >> raffle and maybe win one to take home with you.
1:30 pm
free, no reservation required
The tour explores the social and political history of the Union Square neighborhood through discussions ...
more >> of the people, history, architecture, and forces that have shaped this community. You’ll hear how Union Square got its name, see where the legendary Tiffany & Co. once stood, and learn how to read the clock (yes, it’s a clock!) on “The Metronome” sculpture and so much more!
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (Directed by John S. Robertson, 1920) with John Barrymore
plus DR. PYCKLE ...
more >> AND MR. PRYDE (Directed by Scott Pembroke, 1925) with Stan Laurel
Live piano accompaniment by Ben Model
2:30 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.
2:30 pm
free, no reservation required
The 9th annual CortoCircuito Short Film Festival will present more than 60 films. A not-to-miss opportunity ...
more >> to watch samples of today’s best Latino short filmmaking including award winners from Cannes, Guadalajara, Locarno and San Sebastian film festivals; shorts that are rarely screened in U.S.; premieres from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Salvador, Peru, Puerto Rico and Uruguay; as well as a rich selection of short films by Latinos living in the US. Filmmakers will be on hand to introduce their films and participate in panel discussions.
Start times: 3:00 p.m.; 4:30 p.m.; 6:00 p.m.; and 7:00 p.m.
Editor's Pick
With Greta Gerwig, Megalyn Echikunwoke, and Carrie MacLemore.
A trio of girls set out to change the ...
more >> male-dominated Seven Oaks college campus. In their pursuit to transform their college lives, the girls attempt to rescue their fellow students from depression, grunge and low standards of every kind.
99 min.
“This work is the essence of the moment of connection, interaction, recognition; an expression of the ...
more >> emotion I experienced when time stood still.” —Joy Saville
4:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Doo-wop, be-bop, Afro-pop, R&B and blues performed by Kwame and the Uptown Shakedown and Laura Mann.
New York City, NY; NYC
The program features the great repertoire of the Organ on the 101 rank Pipe Organ built by Herman Schlicker ...
more >> and the 5 stop chamber organ built by Taylor & Boody Organ Builders.
4:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Leading commentators on the Israel/Palestine conflict, together span three generations of struggle for ...
more >> a just peace in the Middle East. In this public forum, they discuss the possibility that increasing awareness of the conflict among the American Jewish community is creating a more critical stance towards Israel. Such a separation between traditional allies could give new impetus to resolving a conflict that has, for many years, seemed intractable.
Participants:
-Anna Baltzer, three-time volunteer with the International Women's Peace Service in the West Bank, and Fulbright scholar
-Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor, Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
-Norman G. Finkelstein, activist, writer and independent scholar
-Adam Shatz, contributing editor, London Review of Books
4:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
In celebration of Daniel Pearl World Music Day, Yamaha Piano Artist Alexander A. Wu will perform a new ...
more >> music program, "Global Rhythms," which celebrates the heart and soul of cultures from across the continents. It will include music by Albeniz, Brubeck, Tan Dun, Gershwin, Fred Hersh, Jobim, Piazzolla, and Satie, among others.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Growing up in the Bronx, young Gustavito desperately seeks love and affection to ease his pain: his father, ...
more >> Kiko, beats him; his half-brother, Junior, bullies him; and his mother, Esperanza, has abandoned the family. Looking for something to believe in, Gustavito turns to the church to find peace where he meets the Father, a young priest struggling with his own relationship with God. When the Father befriends the boy, the solace takes an unusual turn and what develops are relationships no one can quite define – and some cannot endure. Will the sins of fathers be washed clean in this impossible love story?
Starting at 8 p.m. and going late into the night, enjoy drinks, music and a screening of the feature-length ...
more >> dance music video Girl Walk // All Day. This all takes place in a giant warehouse transformed by installation artists interpreting the work of remarkable innovators.
Editor's Pick
Siblings Ed and Adele inherit an enormous aviary that their late father built for his deceased wife, ...
more >> whose soul he believed, had transformed into the body of a wren – and now the grown children are faced with the dilemma of what to do with the crumbling structure. Folded into this debate are issues of religious conviction, fear of commitment, the way Russian ballet resembles a hockey game, and the courtship of Ed by Tom, a gay professional hockey player.
Legendary House Team Local 154 returns for the first time since the end of their 2 year Super Free Wednesday ...
more >> run. There will be laughter, tears of joy, special guest improv groups and laughter. Did we say laughter? Good. Cause laughter will happen.
Two-time Grammy nominee Jay Rodriguez is an impeccably seasoned and versatile jazz saxophone player, ...
more >> having collaborated with such greats as Miles Davis, Prince, Tupac Shakur, and James Brown. The director of New York’s much-in-demand Groove Collective, Rodriguez’s most recent project is Brooklyn Connection, an album featuring the talents of DJ Logic, Malika Zarra, and the legendary Arturo O’Farrill, among others.
Join Day Camp Kids as they say, “Goodnight!” (NOT “Goodbye”) to their dear friend and fellow ...
more >> teammate, Rob Gilbert. Day Camp Kids are Robert Gilbert, Alex Haynes, Iliana Inocencio, Monique Moses and Nicole Pasquale.