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Things to Do in NYC (8/17-8/24)

(8/17-8/24) Each week, City Guide's Things to Do in NYC brings you the best in special NYC events, exhibits, sightseeing activities, fun for kids, concerts, and nightlife. This week, bring your appetite and some napkins to the Blues BBQ Festival at Pier 97 for a finger-licking good time! Plus, tap dancer and choreographer Savion Glover performs at B.B. King Blues Club, the Fringe Festival continues, enjoy the last Saturday of Citi Summer Streets, and more! 

THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: THE BIG EVENT

Dinosaur BBQ

(8/20) The best in blues and roots music and some killer barbecue make Hudson River Park’s Blues BBQ pretty hard to beat. This year marks the 17th annual pier-side event, with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band among the musical highlights, and tasty goodness from Arrogant Swine, Dinosaur Bar-B-Cue, and Fort Gansevoort BBQ. Rain or shine, 2pm to 9pm. Pier 97 (57th St. & the Hudson).

PLUS

(8/21) "Meet & Greet" with NBA and WNBA legends Lenny Wilkens ('92 Dream Team Olympic Coach), David Robinson ('92 Dream Team), Grant Hill ('96 Olympian), Teresa Edwards (Five-Time Olympian) at the NBA Store. First 50 fans to make a $250 purchase will receive a Meet & Greet Access Pass and FREE GIFT! Doors open at 10am.

(now-8/26) Farmers Market at Rockefeller Plaza.

(8/12-8/28) The largest multi-arts festival in North America, FringeNYC celebrates its 20th anniversary with over 200 of the world’s crème de la crème of theatre and dance troupes putting on 1,100 performances. Alumni include actors Bradley Cooper and Mindy Kaling. Catch a rising star! Locations across downtown Manhattan, fringenyc.org

(now-8/19) Summer Restaurant Week offers a taste of almost 400 of NYC's best dining establishments, rolling out a very affordable red carpet with three-course specials for both lunch and dinner (the meals are mostly on the weekdays, with a few Sundays, and a few brunches, included in the mix). The cost is a fraction of what you might find other weeks—$29 for lunch and $42 for dinner, not including tax, tip, and drinks.

THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: EXHIBITION OF THE WEEK

Star Trek Starfleet Experience

Photo courtesy of Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Warp speed ahead! In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the beloved series Star Trek, the Intrepid, Sea, Air & Space Museum welcomes the new exhibition Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience. The museum is the first place in the U.S. to host this brand-new, immersive “Trek Tech” experience, which spans a starship-sized 12,000 square feet. Visitors become cadets, joining the Starfleet Academy’s Career Day in the 26th century. After “student orientation,” cadets visit zones that focus on the Academy’s special training in language, medicine, engineering, navigation, science, and command skills. Check out interactive activities and unique technology, including voice recognition to communicate in Klingon, a medical tricorder table, planet projection mapping, holograms, and a target game using the show’s iconic phasers. You can get your results and a certificate emailed to you. On your way out, take a selfie in the captain’s chair; you can also visit the fully restored Shuttlecraft Galileo, which carried the crew in the original series.

Click here for our Intrepid Coupon to save $5 off Star Trek Starfleet Academy admission!

Click here for our Intrepid Coupon to save $3 now (max 4 persons) off general admission!

PLUS

(now-1/8/17) Who Shot Sports, A Photographic History, 1843-Present at the Brooklyn Museum gathers together approximately 230 works—from daguerreotypes and salted paper prints to digital images—that capture the universal appeal of sports, highlighting unforgettable moments of drama and excitement from around the globe.

(now-9/25) Atmosphere for Enjoyment: Harry Bertoia's Environment for Sound at the Museum of Arts and Design takes a close look at prolific artist and designer Harry Bertoia's sounding sculptures and gongs.

(now-9/5) History is happening in Manhattan this summer at the New-York Historical Society. Following the incredible success of Hamilton on Broadway, the society is launching the Summer of Hamilton, a packed slate of programming devoted to our nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury. On display are treasured artifacts from Hamilton’s life and career, including his writing desk, life-sized bronze statues of Hamilton and Burr at the moment of their infamous duel, and a monumental case clock given to Hamilton by the Bank of New York. Also on display are nine key documents from Hamilton’s life, including a letter to his wife Eliza. To give a better idea of how this history is now being interpreted on stage in Hamilton, video clips from the show are interspersed throughout the exhibition. As part of the Summer of Hamilton celebration at NYHS, enjoy $10 Museum Admission through Labor Day. Offer good for in-person ticket purchases, not available online. This offer may not be combined with other discounts.

(now-9/7) The Guggenheim’s newest exhibition is the first comprehensive retrospective in nearly 50 years of the work of pioneering artist and educator László Moholy-Nagy (1895–1946). Moholy-Nagy: Future Present examines the full career of the utopian modernist who believed in the power of art and technology as a vehicle for social transformation and the betterment of humanity. The presentation brings together more than 300 works, some of which have never before been shown publicly in this country. 

(now-9/18) Rembrandt's First Masterpiece is on view at the Morgan Library & Museum. Completed when he was just 23 years old, Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver has long been recognized as Rembrandt's first mature work, which has never before been shown in the U.S. The exhibition includes the original painting, preparation drawings, and early self-portraits.

(now-1/17) The American Museum of Natural History welcomes an exhibit with bite: Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World provides a fascinating look at the world of archosaurs, a group that includes alligators and crocodiles as well as extinct dinosaurs and modern birds.

(now-9/11) Impresssionism: American Gardens on Canvas has opened at the New York Botanical Garden. In the Conservatory, stroll through an American Impressionist garden, a stunning interpretation by Francisca Coelho, NYBG's renowned curator and designer, of the alluring gardens that influenced iconic artists such as Childe Hassam and John Singer Sargent. In the Art Gallery, view a beautiful complementary display of more than 20 paintings and sculptures. 

(now-9/18) Through nearly 140 works, Roberto Burle Marx: Brazilian Modernist at the Jewish Museum explores the prolific Brazilian landscape architect's outputincluding paintings, sculptures, theater designs, textiles, and jewelryas well as related works by contemporary artists and examples from Burle Marx's varied collections. 

(now-1/17) The exciting new exhibit Dinosaurs Among Us, at the American Museum of Natural History, examines how one group of dinosaurs evolved into the birds of today.

(now-9/25) Mo Willems’ beloved children’s book characters are distinctly New York, from Trixie’s very first Brooklyn “Aggle Flaggle Klabble!” to the Mike Nichols and Elaine May inspirations of Elephant and Piggie to the public transportation-obsessed Pigeon. The new exhibition The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems at the New-York Historical Society brings together original art, sketches, animation cels, and sculptures, all framed by Willems’ life in New York and how it influenced his iconic characters. The show is in an immersive, child-friendly space, featuring an imaginative New York cityscape on the gallery walls, two reading areas, and family audio guides narrated by Willems himself.

the carters portraits mcny

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Henry Augustus Carter ca. 1845 (detail) • Museum of the City of New York, Nicholas Biddle Kittell, 62.234.12

(now-10/11) Picturing Prestige: New York Portraits at the Museum of the City of New York shows off the work of some of the leading American painters circa 1700-1860, as they fixed the likenesses of that era's 1% for all time.

(permanent) New York’s latest resident is a 122-foot-long dinosaur so new it has yet to be formally named. Going by “Titanosaur for now, it has taken up residence at the American Museum of Natural History, in a cast of 84 fossil bones uncovered in Patagonia in 2014. The find included a colossal 8-ft. thigh bone, whose shape and size indicated a new species—and one of the biggest dinosaurs ever found. The titanosaur is so large, in fact, that it doesn’t fit in the gallery: a 39-ft.-long neck in a new permanent exhibit extends out towards the elevator banks.

(ongoing) On The Line: Intrepid & The Vietnam War is up at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space MuseumIntrepid made three tours of duty in Vietnam between 1966-1969.

THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: COMEDY 

(8/18-8/20) Chicago native Aries Spears tears it up at Gotham Comedy Club.

(8/20) Stand Up Showcase, featuring Andrew Schulz, Leah Bonnema, Ashley Austin Morris, and Brian Scott McFadden, at Stand Up NY.

(8/21) Stand Up Showcase, featuring Marc Theobald, Aaron Berg, Mike Cannon, Ashley Austin Morris, Pat Brown and Greg Stone, at Stand Up NY.

Get free admission for two to Stand Up NY!

THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: KIDS

Citi Summer Streets

(8/20) Final day! Citi Summer Streets continues to make a splash with traffic-free stretches of roadway opened up across the city. Centre Street in Lower Manhattan will be transformed into a makeshift beach and waterpark, including a giant 300-foot waterslide. Get an early start: Citi Summer Streets runs from 7am-1pm.  

PLUS 

(8/24-8/26) Catching a train is only the beginning at Grand Central Terminal, a New York landmark that’s also great for shopping, dining, and architecture and history buffs. Families and theatre fans can get in on the scene with this year’s Summer Send-Off. The annual event features three days of fun, from face painting and crafts to educational programs from the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. There’s also an interactive School of Rock photo booth and Broadway performers from Wicked, Something Rotten!, and Motown the Musical bringing live music. Get a free pair of Grand Central sunglasses with any $5 purchase from a participating vendor. 11:30am-2:30pm in Vanderbilt Hall.

(now-10/9) Arcade Classics: Video Games from the Museum's Collection at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. Check out vintage arcade games including Space Invaders, Asteroids, Tempest, Centipede, Berzerk, and more! Plus now through 8/28 enjoy summer kids matinee screenings of films including Fantastic Mr. Fox, Toy Story, and Zootopia.

(Ongoing) Explore the beautiful interactive exhibit Connected Worlds at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. 

THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: SIGHTSEEING

 Top of the Rock

Grab a date or friend and enjoy the most incredible views of NYC at Top of the Rock.

PLUS 

(ongoing) Read about more great daytrips to Six Flags Great Adventure, The Mills at Jersey Gardens, and more with NJ Transit.

(new) Catch the brand-new Ghostbusters Experience (walk through/immersive) and Ghostbusters Dimension, a Virtual Reality Experience at Madame Tussauds. Get ready to strap on some gear and laser some ghosts against breathtaking, realistic backdrops. The technology puts you right there!

Take a thrilling white-knuckle 30-minute cruise of the Manhattan skyline aboard THE SHARK Speedboat thrill ride with Circle Line Downtown. Take $5 off your ride now.

(ongoing) Take a one-hour tour of one of the world's most important buildings, the United Nations, now celebrating 70 years. (Tours offered weekdays only.)

(ongoing) One of NYC's most iconic sports and music venues, Madison Square Garden, offers a must-see MSG All Access Tour. Take $4 off admission now.

Take a selfie with new arrival James Bond, Taylor Swift, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, and countless other famous celebs at Madame Tussauds New York!

Explore NYC with a magical live interactive experience when you take THE RIDE and The TOURFind out about special summer only discounts for early risers! 

Check out the new "tour about nothing" When Harry Met Seinfeld with On Location Tours

The One World Observatory is open. Start by ascending to the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere in less than sixty seconds, in state-of-the-art "Sky Pod Elevators" that feature a floor-to-ceiling LED screen showing the ever-evolving New York skyline. Once reaching the 100th floor, visitors can take in panoramic, uninterrupted views on the main platform. Click here for information about ordering tickets and getting a free collectible pin!

Explore NYC's Financial District with Wall Street Walks

THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: NIGHTLIFE & MUSIC

Savion Glover

(8/17) Tony award-winning tap dancer, choreographer, and producer Savion Glover takes to the stage at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.   

PLUS

(8/17) Black Sabbath/Rival Sons rock out by the water at Jones Beach

(8/18) Enjoy a cocktail and incredible views aboard Zephyr Happy Hour on a Boat, with New York Water Taxi.

(8/17) Check out the ultimate city block party, Uptown Bounce with the Museum of the City of New York. 

(8/23) Chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux with Joan Osborne at City Winery.

Click here for summer outdoor concerts.  

SNEAK PEEK, NEXT WEEK

Wayne Brady
(8/25) Improv comedian and Kinky Boots star Wayne Brady performs at Gotham Comedy Club.

(8/25) Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.

(8/27-8/28) Afropunk Festival 2016: This year's music festival, which takes place at Commodore Barry Park in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, will include Ice Cube, TV on the Radio, Tyler the Creator, Cee-Lo Green, Flying Lotus, Janelle Monae, and many others.

(8/31) For three decades, Central Park SummerStage has been offering outdoor concerts in New York City. The popular festival has locations in all five boroughs and spans 16 parks, presenting more than 100 free shows. On Wednesday, August 31st, catch Chicago The Musical: 20th Anniversary Concert, a free show at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, featuring stars from the iconic Broadway musical. The free SummerStage events run through the end of summer. Enter Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 69th Street.

(8/29-9/11) The U.S. Open gets underway, kicking off with the popular Arthur Ashe Kids Day event, on 8/27, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (7 train to Mets-Willets Point Station).

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