58 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
All events are free unless otherwise noted.
9:00 am
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. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Five tours daily on the hour.
10:00 am
free, no reservation required
Meet with traditional pottery artist Josephine M. Seymour, currently featured in the documentary GRAB ...
more >> by Billy Luther. Starts at 10am and 1pm.
10:00 am
free, no reservation required
Join Jennifer Farley, exhibition co-curator, for a tour of Sporting Life, an exhibition that explores ...
more >> the relationship between active sportswear and fashion over the past 150 years. Featuring more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles from the museum's permanent collection, it highlights changes in silhouette, construction, and technology that have improved active sportswear.
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.
Admission to grounds is free. First walk a couple of miles then choose to leave or pay admission to the ...
more >> Conservatory. You must call to confirm hike status.
Test your skills at state-of-the-art tables. Paddles and balls are provided free of charge.
New York City, NY; NYC
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Walk through a scenic area on the western edge of the Park, much of which is off the beaten track for ...
more >> most visitors. See rolling meadows, lake views, bridges of different styles, and a garden with flowers and plants mentioned by Shakespeare.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
11:30 am
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
The tour highlights the history, design, and unique plantings of the 70-year-old Garden, led by staff. ...
more >> (Approximately 75 mins.) Features blooming perennial and annual borders (over 250 varieties) as well as ornamental trees and shrubs.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Broadway fans are invited to attend Sirius XM Live on Broadway with host Seth Rudetsky to watch interviews ...
more >> and performances with their favorite Broadway stars. Followed by autograph signings and photos.
12:00 pm
free, no reservation required
You've heard about the US Securities and Exchange Commission and wondered what they do. Find out about ...
more >> the SEC and how they can help you avoid fraud at this lunchtime event with Kathy Floyd, the SEC's Deputy Director for Invesor Education.
12:30 pm
$10 suggested donation
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Joel Forrester is a contemporary two-handed piano player, essaying the stride, boogie woogie, and trance ...
more >> styles. He wrote the theme to NPR's Fresh Air, studied composition with Thelonious Monk, co-founded the Microscopic Septet, and did music for the early films of Andy Warhol. On the first Sunday evening of each month, he plays for silent movies (of his own choosing) at the Gershwin Hotel.
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Chaos unfolds for a kaleidoscope of New York City characters in the 24 hours following the murder of ...
more >> a wealthy socialite in veteran journalist and novelist Hamill's newest work--equal parts thriller and intimate social portrait.
12:30 pm
free, no reservation required
Singer/songwriter Jordan studied classical piano as a kid and taught herself guitar. Since moving to ...
more >> NYC in 2009, she has played CMJ and SXSW, been named a 2010 NPR Mountain Stage NewSong Finalist, and honored by the Songwriter's Hall of Fame as ASCAP's choice for the 2010 Abe Olman Award.
12:30 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.
Take a stab at the modern sport of fencing with masters from Manhattan Fencing Center. No prior experience ...
more >> needed and equipment is provided.
Band of Bones plays swinging big band jazz with a new twist and a totally unique sound. They have great ...
more >> arrangements, exciting, original soloists, and their own sound. Modeled after the great group led by J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, with a hint of the Basie Band, the Band of Bones will open your ears, start your foot to tappin', and put a big ol' smile on your face!
1:00 pm
$10 suggested donation
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Learn figure drawing outdoors with a clothed model and an artist/educator. Materials provided.
New York City, NY; NYC
2:30 pm
free, no reservation required
A free Stay Well exercise session. Stay Well volunteers cetrified by the NYC's Department for the aging ...
more >> will lead participants in a well-balanced series of exercises for seniors of all ability levels. Please wear loose comfortable clothing. Exercise equipment will be provided. All participants are required to sign a personal medical waiver at the beginning of the class.
A gallery talk and walkthrough of the new exhibition. Fünf Räume presents new, site-specific works ...
more >> by emerging Austrian artists, each transforming a distinct space in the gallery. All participants, despite their success and renown in Europe and elsewhere, have for the most part not yet been shown in the U.S. Fünf Räume (German for 'Five Rooms') allows viewers to experience something unique and original while at the same time providing a glimpse into each artist's pluridisciplinary practice, primarily within painting, sculpture and installation.
In 1888, Willa Cather astounded her Nebraska neighbors with her brilliant mind and unconventional ways. ...
more >> She said that "being a girl never damaged her ambition to become Pope or Emperor." She had a successful career in publishing, wrote best-selling novels like My Antonia and Death Comes to the Archbishop and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1923. In spite of her success, her personal life was fraught with conflict. Her work became her refuge and helped her to transcend the problems that beset her. As she often said, "That is happiness, to be dissolved in something complete and great."
5:30 pm
free, no reservation required
One of the victims of desktop publishing and web design accessibility has been the art of typography. ...
more >> Now that we can all do it ourselves, we do it without the style that artisan typographers were using for years. This seminar will teach you typography rules and strategies for perfecting your type.
The original 1969 Granada TV UK documentary chronicles Cash’s historic concert at the maximum security ...
more >> prison. Includes
concert footage and behind-the-scene interviews.
60 min.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Swing into summer fun with 'wichcraft sips 'n snacks, while enjoying board games like Giant Jenga, Taboo, ...
more >> Risk, and more.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
La Toya Jackson, the bizarrely untalented youngest member of the musical family, drops by for a special ...
more >> signing of her book. Jackson will not be signing memorabilia.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
One of the most beautiful regions of Italy, Apulia offers all kinds of attractions: from archeological ...
more >> sites to fantastic food and wines, from the most exquisite Baroque architecture to spectacular sandy beaches. But one of the most relatively unknown treasures of the region are its masserie, farmhouses of unique taste and refinement. The book features beautiful photographs of some of the most stunning of these buildings. Joining Roskams will be Diane Lewis, who wrote the text, and Project Director Cristina Rizzo.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Featuring: Recess, Watson + Tuscarora Fire Company Picnic,
The Whiskey Rebellion + Stranger, Local ...
more >> 154 and Borealis, Handsy + The Faculty and Friends, and Improdome.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Leave your workday behind and join other adults for good-natured, fun, and cooperative pick-up games ...
more >> of VOLLEYBALL overlooking the Hudson River. Everyone gets to play! Participants can also learn the basic rules and strategies of volleyball. Scorekeeper and volleyballs are provided. No experience is necessary!
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
The bottles that wind up on the shelves and on our tables are shaped by politics. To help understand ...
more >> this, Dr. Tyler Colman, author of Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink, focuses on two of the biggest producer nations in the world, France and the United States. Moderated by Andrew F. Smith.
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Calling all beginning chess players! Join Brooklyn chess instructor Zebedee Collins to learn tips to ...
more >> improve your game. Limited boards available.
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required
This pieces splices, blends and dilutes sections to deconstruct notions of craft and composition, ultimately ...
more >> pruning back a certain level of glossiness. There will be a post-screening discussion.
Allison Gilbert, Phil Hirschkorn, Melinda Murphy, Mitchell Stephens, and Robyn Walensky, the co-editors ...
more >> of the book Covering Catastrophe: Broadcast Journalists Report September 11, share their compelling stories and explore the challenges members of the media faced while balancing an obligation to report the facts with their own emotional and compassionate responses to the tragedy.
6:30 pm
$10 suggested donation...
Dances for a Variable Population has been invited to participate in the celebration of the newly renovated ...
more >> park. The unique company, with members of all ages, will present the new "Washington Square Dances," inspired by Terry Riley's landmark 1964 composition "In C," remixed by contemporary composers and performed by a company of women ages 24 to 81 (yes, 81).
6:30 pm
free, no reservation required
With Mia Farrow, Danny Aiello and Jeff Daniels.
A Depression-era waitress' humdrum existence is magically ...
more >> changed when her favorite film star literally steps off the screen and into her life.
82 min.
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
Join the Roeblings (in costume!) on a walking tour highlighting the engineering, politics, personalities, ...
more >> and tragedies and triumphs that resulted in the completion of the most famous bridge in America.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Kostya Kennedy, a senior editor at Sports Illustrated, explores the life of baseball legend Joe Dimaggio ...
more >> with the skills of an historian and the passion of a novelist.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
An innovative radio theater initiative, A New Theater of Sound, welcomes Rocco Sisto, actor and founding ...
more >> member of Shakespeare and Company theater group. Sisto will serve as both host and star of the evening, performing excerpts from the Shakespearean canon interwoven with lively conversation and rarely heard archival audio of Shakespeare on the radio. This evening is presented in collaboration with the Yorinks Theater Group.
Come down to the park and play for fellow visitors! Sing for Hope, a NYC-based non-profit, will place ...
more >> 88 pianos in parks and public spaces throughout the five boroughs from June 18 - July 2. A symbol of Sing for Hope's commitment to make the arts available to everyone, the Pop-Up Pianos will unite and engage diverse communities throughout the city. After their public residency, each piano will be donated to local schools, hospitals, and community centers to be enjoyed for years to come.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Celebrating the legendary NYC music club starring Rosanne Cash, Marshall Crenshaw, Garland Jeffries, ...
more >> Willie Nile, NRBQ, Martin Rivas, Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Loudon Wainwright III, Dar Williams, plus more special guests TBA, featuring Music Director John Leventhal with house band Mojo Mancini. NYC stories read by Christine Lavin and Vin Scelsa. Hosted by Meg Griffin.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Tift Merritt brings her beautiful vocals and moving songwriting. Her first record landed on the top ten ...
more >> lists of Time and New Yorker magazines, and was called the “best debut of the year in any genre” by the Associated Press. Since then, Tift has built an impressive and critically acclaimed collection of sonic short stories. See You on the Moon, her latest release, is an “honest, personal album full of beautiful melodies and poignant lyrics." Bring a blanket for lawn seating (no chairs are allowed).
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Between Parentheses collects most of the newspaper columns and articles Bolaño wrote during the last ...
more >> five years of his life, as well as the texts of some of his speeches and talks and a few scattered prologues. Natasha Wimmer translated this important book, and she'll be in conversation with John Palatella, literary editor of The Nation.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
A story of corruption, discrimination and dehumanization in the NYC shelter system, told through original ...
more >> documentary footage, interactive theatre, break-dancing and laughter. Created and performed by the clients of Jan Hus Homeless Outreach and Advocacy, based on the real-life experiences of the ensemble.
7:30 pm
Pay-what-you-can admission policy
Hilarious, brilliant, unpredictable comedian/musician Reggie Watts (pictured) is a staple of the international ...
more >> performance scene. Watts' improvised musical sets are created on-the-spot using only his voice and a looping machine. No two songs are ever the same. An avowed "disinformationist," Watts loves to disorientate his audiences in the most entertaining way. You may not know what Watts is going to do, but that's okay - he doesn't either. By blending the genres of music and comedy, Watts has appeared on every form of media imaginable, from touring and appearing on TV with late night host, Conan O'Brien to releasing his highly acclaimed debut comedy cd/dvd, Why $#!+ So Crazy? in May 2010. Join him as he rocks with his impromptu lyrical style and see why the LA Times has called him “deliciously strange.”
Natasha Leggero is an actress and comedian who can be seen regularly on E!’s Chelsea Lately and is famed for her witty humor and appearances in movies and shows as diverse as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. As a star in Comedy Central's new hit animated series, Ugly Americans” she has been gaining notoriety for both her acting as well as her stand-up, touring the country headlining packed comedy clubs.
7:30 pm
free, no reservation required
The Moose Hall Theatre Company performs as part of the Inwood Shakespeare Festival. Bring blankets and ...
more >> chairs.
7:30 pm
free, no reservation required
In the sandy hills of China’s Loess Plateau, a farming couple mourns the death of their only son. Their ...
more >> search for an illegal afterlife bride is complicated by the fact that before his death their son committed an act of horrifying violence, leaving them outcasts in their community and the target of a young woman looking for revenge. Told with actors and life-sized puppets, Hunger explores the boundary between life and death and the friction between tradition and progress in contemporary China.
Featuring: VICTOR VARNADO (Tell Your Friends!; Comedy Central); DODAI STEWART (Jezebel.com; Glamour); ...
more >> EUGENE ASHTON-GONZALEZ (The Moth; New York Confidential Storytelling Series); LESLIE GOSHKO (Vodka Shoes; Manhattan Monologue Slam Champion); ALYSSA PINSKER (Huffington Post; Bust Magazine). Created, produced and hosted by BLAISE ALLYSEN KEARSLEY.
8:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Jana Fisher mounts an assault on piano-based songwriting with soaring melodies and heart-wrenching lyrics. ...
more >> Beginning her music career at the age of four in small-town Ohio, she has been involved in everything from church choirs to improvisational electronic ensembles, and channeled these varying experiences to almost single-handedly produce her first album, A History of Sleepwalking, at the age of 18. The album shows Fisher once again striving to have it all, combining incurably honest songwriting with pop sensibility and unexpected synths. Currently working on her second album, she continues to be more sincere in song than in life, portraying every emotion from that of a gloating “Cheater” to wondering what would have happened “If We’d Just Said What We Meant.”
8:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
ANDERS HOLST is what adult contemporary music has been waiting for. Rooted in jazz, soul and European ...
more >> pop music, Anders’ distinguished sound fuses sophisticated lyrics with lingering melodies, exploring themes of romance, isolation, optimism and the complexity of interpersonal relationships.
Stand-up comedy show (that has been featured on MTV, and that fills to standing-room only each week). ...
more >> The show is produced by Brendan Fitzgibbons (The Onion, McSweeney's) and Lance Weiss (Carolines on Broadway) with comedians from David Letterman, Vh1, MTV, The Onion, and Comedy Central. Free pizza!
9:00 pm
free, no food/drink...
Editor's Pick
A great way to hear some of the most talented young lions of jazz while enjoying spectacular views of ...
more >> Manhattan.