59 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, August 17, 2017
All events are free unless otherwise noted.
These morning classes provided by the Tai Chi Chuan Center are led by teachers and students who train ...
more >> at CK Chu Tai Chi under the direction of Master Hyland Harris. All ages and levels are welcome. Classes are rain or shine.
7:30 am
free, no reservation required
This is a 3-hour tour that begins with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, an icon of New York City for ...
more >> 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.
The 3-hour walking and subway tour covers the Financial District including Wall Street and the World ...
more >> 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.
This tour focuses on the middle of Central Park, starting in front of the beautiful American Museum of ...
more >> Natural History. From there enter the park and explore, seeing everything from a castle to the wild-looking Ramble. See an Ancient Egyptian obelisk and the place where Stuart Little raced his sailboat in the E.B. White children’s classic. Don’t forget to bring along your camera. There will be many wonderful photo opportunities throughout.
Although world famous, Harlem may be New York's best kept secret with some of the city's best architecture, ...
more >> 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.
Time to learn about the other New York City; the city that nurtured political, cultural and intellectual ...
more >> revolutions. The city that gave birth to punk rock, the beat poets and graffiti. The city that has survived two centuries of mass riots, crime and corruption, murder and mayhem. The city that has flourished in spite of economic and social hardship.
Have you always wanted to try drawing outdoors but felt intimidated? This workshop gets you ready to ...
more >> work outdoors to draw the park. It will start from basic understanding of drawing materials, techniques and composition. Then students are off to work on their own subject matter. By drawing within a limited time frame, students’ decision-making becomes faster and they use essential elements, composition, simplifying light and shadow shapes to complete the drawing. Instructor Yuka Imata earned her B.F.A. at Massachusetts College of Art and Design followed by Art Students League of New York winning the Xavier Gonzales and Ethel Edwards Grant to study in Spain. She has received awards from the Salmagundi and Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Clubs and was featured in American Artist and Plein Air Magazines.
Learn the basics of Adobe's vector graphic creation program and how to create exciting digital art for ...
more >> print, video, and web Class is taught on Mac computers.
Stars: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle. In 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" ...
more >> Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber. 105 min.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
On this east-west walk you will see some of the Park's most well-known landmarks, including Conservatory ...
more >> Water, Bethesda Terrace, the Lake, and Strawberry Fields. Route involves a few stairs. 90 minutes.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Poet and author Joshua Bennett will use the park as his stage. The poet’s work will come to life as ...
more >> he performs it amongst Josiah McElheny’s prismatic glass and painted wood structures. He will openly engage the public in interview-style performances, bringing his personal narrative as an artist into the light of the public sphere.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Test your coordination and dexterity with free juggling lessons in the park. All skill levels are welcome ...
more >> to join in the fun. Equipment is provided.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Deanna Witkowski has been heralded for her “consistently thrilling” playing and her “boundless ...
more >> imagination” (All Music Guide). Her five albums include Raindrop: Improvisations with Chopin, a solo piano session that seamlessly combines jazz, classical, and Brazilian music; and the liturgical jazz release, From This Place. Her brand new recording, Makes the Heart to Sing, features fourteen of her jazz hymn arrangements as performed by her trio.
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
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. Tour times: 1:00pm, 2:00pm. This tour takes place Mondays through Fridays, except bank holidays.
Editor's Pick
Stars: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery. When two young members of feuding families meet, ...
more >> forbidden love ensues. 138 min.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Join a tour of the current exhibitions with Valérie Rousseau, the museum’s curator for self-taught ...
more >> art and art brut. Meet in the museum atrium.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Join this tour to learn more about the history, architecture, and sculpture of Columbia and the Morningside ...
more >> Heights campus. Whether you're an amateur New York City historian or visiting campus for the first time, you will leave the tour knowing more about our storied past. Given that the tour route is outdoors, please be aware that tours are occasionally suspended due to inclement weather.
Share your passion for gaming the old-fashioned way. If words excite or inspire you, and crossword puzzles ...
more >> 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.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Join a tour of The Battery, a 25-acre park at the tip of Manhattan. Learn about the park's rich history, ...
more >> 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 August 31, 2017.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey. A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbours ...
more >> from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. 112 min.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Stars: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard. Bonnie Parker, a bored waitress falls in love ...
more >> with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, robbing cars and banks. 111 min.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Monthly book discussions to explore titles you've been meaning to read, or reread, and discuss with other ...
more >> lovers of literature. Participants should read each title before the discussion. This month's title is Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Join a three hour journey through some of New York City's most historic areas. Begin in Greenwich Village, ...
more >> one of the cultural centers of America. From there, make your way through the Gansevoort Market and the Meatpacking Historic Districts and then onto the extraordinary High Line. Then relive the bygone days of a thriving cruise ship and industrial waterfront along the Hudson; we'll see where trains ran along "death avenue", where the New York harbor along the Hudson was perhaps the most significant waterfront in the world at one time.
Stars: Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter. Alice returns to where the nightmare began: The Hive in ...
more >> Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse. 107 min.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Stars: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris. In 1942, a Canadian intelligence officer in North Africa ...
more >> encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war. 124 min.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
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.
Many people think of the New York City subway as one of the largest, most efficient, if not the cleanest ...
more >> 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.
2:00 pm
Free plus subway...
This workshop is most appropriate for adults who have had several different employers and at least 15 ...
more >> years of work experience. These days, workers are apt to change jobs frequently and many are taking the leap of switching careers or industries. Turn what could be a daunting ordeal into an invigorating inner journey of self-reflection. Whether you're feeling clueless about what you want, or are focused on getting a toehold in a particular industry or career, it's unrealistic to try to totally "reinvent" yourself. For those of us with years of successful work experience, a more practical approach is to "reintegrate" by drawing on our accumulated knowledge, and highlighting the valuable transferable skills we bring to the table. This workshop will take you on a scenic journey of your own work history. You'll assess your interests, values, and skills from your past jobs which, in turn, will increase your self-knowledge -- the important first step to a career change. By looking backward, you'll move forward more thoughtfully and uncover new insights for a rewarding new career direction. Presented by Sherry Natkow.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Mah Jongg Socials, led by Linda Fisher, throughout the summer. Basic instruction included.
New York City, NY; NYC
3:00 pm
free, no reservation required
4:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Stars: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson. Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a ...
more >> diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th. 117 min.
4:00 pm
free, no reservation required
5:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
Hailing from Havana, Cuba, Jorge Luis Pacheco is a fiery young pianist with “flying hands.” He has ...
more >> performed all over the world including prominent jazz clubs such as Dizzy’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, theaters, and festivals such as the Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York. He also performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington with his quartet and solo piano as well as the legendary Apollo Theater in where a lifetime achievement award was be presented to Herbie Hancock. He has collaborated with the likes of Wynton Marsalis and the JLCO and Arturo O’ Farrill. Pacheco is a passionate, extravagant, exciting entertainer on stage and constantly captures the audience’s attention with his heartfelt performances and electric energy. He is a virtuoso pianist, composer, arranger, percussionist and vocalist. Monty Alexander exclaimed that he “defies genre” often playing Cuban jazz, traditional Cuban music, original documentary scores, and a new Piano symphony called “Andino” that he composed, which was inspired by the music of South America. Cab Calloway’s daughter Cabella Calloway was one of those audience members who instantly became a fan and producer. His new album recorded in the United States with her sponsorship will be released in 2016.
5:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Glide along the water while kayaking with the boathouse at the floating dock. Children under 18 must ...
more >> have an adult guardian present. All levels are welcome and no experience is necessary. Additional Rules for Kayaking: - Singles are for adults, or any kayaker with a parent/guardian present that is at least 14 years old. - Doubles are for one adult and no more than one child under 14 or paddler that needs assistance. - Please show up at least 1 hour before closing, as that is when the line closes and the last boats go out. - Weather permitting. Thursdays 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm and Saturdays 10 am - 3 pm, June 3 - August 26, 2017.
5:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Twirl in 3/4 time with the Hudson River as your backdrop as the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra strings ...
more >> serenade you with a selection of all-time waltz favorites.
5:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Be with other beginners to learn the basics of chess with help from a friendly Games Host. Thursdays ...
more >> until August 31, 2017.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Only 10-14% of job seekers get a job through the internet and 40% get one through networking. Amy ...
more >> Geffen discusses how to do a Self-Assessment, Job Targeting, How to Get Meetings, 4 Ways to Expand your Network, Social Media, and Direct Mail.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult. A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in postapocalyptic ...
more >> Australia in search for her home-land with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshipper, and a drifter named Max. 120 min.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Members of the Heavenly Bodies–the Big Sky Works’ Hoop Troop–create a planetarium and build a solar ...
more >> system with the audience using hula hoops and spinning carpets, together with visuals by B.A. Miale.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Club Clio's professional beauty consultants will teach the guests new ways to improve their current beauty ...
more >> routine and network with other ladies working in the industry. By the end of this makeup workshop, you would learn how to:
Enhance your natural beauty and get flawless skin with foundation and concealer
Achieve a rosy cheek effect
Have powerful eye contact (subtle eye make-up)
Create a natural or strong lip
How to keep your makeup on ALL DAY LONG
Maintaining good skincare routines even if you are super busy
6:00 pm
free, RSVP required
Perfect your downward dog under the trees at this 14th season of outdoor yoga classes presented by Manduka ...
more >> with instructors curated by Yoga Journal. A colorful selection of mats is provided by Manduka, no need to bring your own.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
After work take an evening stroll along part of Central Park’s West Side. A guide leads you on a casual ...
more >> walk from the southwest corner of Central Park to Tavern on the Green. Learn about the Maine Monument, west side arches, Heckscher Ballfields, Sheep Meadow, and Tavern on the Green on this tour designed for New York summer evenings.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
The Hudson Warehouse presents Shakespeare's history play, directed by Nicholas Martin-Smith. July 27 ...
more >> – Aug 20, Thursday through Sunday nights.
6:30 pm
Pay-what-you-can admission policy
Link mindful breathing with movement in this full spectrum yoga practice that includes modifications ...
more >> 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.
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Speaker: Jorge Otero-Pailos, Artist and architect, and Director of Historic Preservation at Columbia ...
more >> University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.
The Bard's tragedy of power and treacherous ambition comes to life in a panoramic outdoor professional ...
more >> production.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
The Step Afrika! dance squad has reinvented the concept of dance performance, with a revitalized program ...
more >> that truly steps things up. Showcasing a proud breed of styles, that are a composite of traditional African dance and percussive African-American stepping, they command the stage with blistering energy and vitality. Their live shows incorporate singing, tale-weaving, comedic interactions and immensely crowd-pleasing segments of audience participation. Created in 1994, initially as an exchange program with the Soweto Dance Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa, Step Afrika! is now an internationally renowned touring company that brings positive dance education to young people around the globe. With strikingly vibrant costumes, amazing technical bravura and an exciting collective stage presence, this crew inspires as it wows. Dance workshop 7pm, All-Ages/All Levels with Step Afrika, from Washington DC – the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping – teaching a class in the technique and rhythms of the genre.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
Established by Battery Dance in 1982 as the Downtown Dance Festival, today the Battery Dance Festival ...
more >> is New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival. Audiences are traditionally drawn from the large downtown working population and residents, families, tourists, senior citizens and dance fans from the greater NYC metropolitan area. Each year, the Festival draws a combined audience of over 12,000 people. The Battery Dance Festival provides a unique opportunity for outstanding dancers and choreographers to present original works of high artistic merit in a free public forum. BDF revels in the panoply of dance that our city offers, with strong emphasis on the inclusion of diverse dance styles and an international roster of performers. American choreographers such as Michelle Dorrance, Paul Taylor, Mary Anthony, Elizabeth Streb and Darrell Moultrie have all presented their works alongside pre-eminent companies from Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and the Caribbean.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Pen your own story, poem, or screenplay, at writers workshops guaranteed to improve and perfect.
New York City, NY; NYC
New York Ghost tours capture the spiritual side of the Big Apple through stories. famed explorers, native ...
more >> 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.
Editor's Pick
Immerse yourself in the interactive fabric of WaxFactory’s dreamlike, video-enhanced riff on Anton ...
more >> Chekhov's The Seagull. Presented at venues across New York as a string of hashtag-marked vignettes, Pull Yourself Together! is a 21st-century exploration of the deepest, murkiest id of Chekhov’s play about a particularly nasty bunch of people drowning in the quicksand of unrequited love. Filtered through present-day optics of media-saturated, self-centered, attention-span-deprived contemporary culture, even audiences unfamiliar with the Chekhovian characters will recognize their archetypal traits. Those who know The Seagull by heart will enjoy experiencing the timeless original from a wholly new vantage point. Tonight’s performance is part of a multiyear development process begun in 2014 that will culminate in a complete, evening-length theatrical production. Conceived and directed by Ivan Talijancic Performed by Erika Latta, Gillian Chadsey, Melody Bates, Kestrel Leah, Ryan Gingery, et al. Lighting: Solomon Weisbard Sound: Yiannis Christofides Video: Antonio Giacomin
7:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Bodega Cat is a weekly comedy show brought to you by Kevin Seefried (202 Comedy Festival), Andy Ostroff ...
more >> (Jimmy Kimmel Live!), and Dane Hanson (Producer of Laughs on FOX). Live Stand-Up Comedy in New York City.
New York is a skyscraper city and there is no better time to view Manhattan’s icons than after the ...
more >> 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.
Nashville-based alt-folk rockers Judah and the Lion kick off the evening playing hits from their new ...
more >> album, Folk Hop ‘N Roll Deluxe. Afterwards enjoy a VR livestream experience: Coldplay’s Head Full of Dreams tour on a three-story screen live from Chicago’s Soldier Field.
8:30 pm
free, RSVP required
All the while, Master Chu tries to find his place in the foreign American world. 105 min.
New York City, NY; NYC
8:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Come out and see the stars, planets, and the moon from the park. On Thursday nights in July and August, ...
more >> members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York will set up hi-powered telescopes for stargazing sessions that are open to the public. Weather permitting. Thursdays at 8:30 pm, July 6 - August 24, 2017.
8:30 pm
free, no reservation required
A night of karaoke hosted by the glamorous and enigmatic Cheeky LaShae. A fluid-identity avatar and performative ...
more >> structure designed by artist Kenya (Robinson), Karaoke Universal blurs the boundary between audience and performer. Pop songs and politics combine in an investigation of freedom, offering the opportunity to sing, reflect, and own the performer in us all. Now in its second year, Out of Line presents a new set of arresting, intriguing, and playful performances by some of New York City's most exciting contemporary artists.