(6/29-7/6) Each week, City Guide's Things to Do in NYC brings you the best in special NYC events, the newest exhibits, sightseeing activities, fun for kids, concerts, and nightlife. For July 4th weekend look for Summer of Hamilton opening at the New-York Historical Society and Ghostbusters Dimension, an awesome virtual reality experience, blasting into Madame Tussauds!
THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: THE BIG EVENT
(7/4) Macy's brings its July 4th Spectacular, now in its 40th year, back to the East River. Performances include country star Kenny Chesney and more! Read here for other great ways to celebrate July 4th in NYC.
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(6/30-7/9) Put on your dancing shoes! Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing kicks off. Grab a partner and take a dancing lesson in swing, salsa, ballroom, tango, rhythm and blues, or disco, then dance the night away with live music! Snacks and drinks, too (just not on the dance floor). On June 30th, it's the Evan Sherman Big Band.
(7/1-7/3) Screenings of blockbusters that opened on July 4th Weekend, including Back to the Future (1985), Armageddon (1998), War of the Worlds (2005), Magic Mike (2012), and Magic Mike XXL (2015) will be shown at the Museum of the Moving Image.
THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: EXHIBITION OF THE WEEK
(7/1-9/5) Summer of Hamilton opens at the New-York Historical Society just in time for July 4th weekend, with special activities on the 4th that include crafts workshops, storytellers and reenactors, a scavenger hunt, and even some Revolutionary-era trivia with The Big Quiz Thing.
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(now-7/31) Hey! Ho! Let's Go! Ramones and the Birth of Punk takes a look at the legendary New York-bred band at the Queens Museum.
(6/30) The Wind Up Presents: Weirdo Night with Dynasty Handbag at the Jewish Museum: an evening of comedic performances, music videos, make your own T-shirts, an open beer and wine bar, and more.
(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-7/24) Life is But a Dream, a whimsical two-story house transformed into a childlike dream, opens along with a summer full of art and exploration on Governors Island.
(now-8/16) Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology is open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Costume Institute's spring 2016 exhibition explores how fashion designers are reconciling the handmade and the machine-made in the creation of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear.
(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-7/24) Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty dazzles at MoMA, with over 100 rarely seen monotypes, joined by related paintings, drawings, pastels, sketchbooks, and prints, showing Degas at his most modern.
(new) Through nearly 140 works, Roberto Burle Marx: Brazilian Modernist at the Jewish Museum explores the prolific Brazilian landscape architect's output—including paintings, sculptures, theater designs, textiles, and jewelry—as well as related works by contemporary artists and examples from Burle Marx's varied collections.
(now-8/14) Stitching History from the Holocaust unveils dress patterns created by Hedy Strnad, a victim of the Holocaust, found 60 years after her family’s escape from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Their story is brought to life through the contemporary creation of Hedy’s designs and the piecing together of Hedy’s history with her husband, Paul Strnad. Museum of Jewish Heritage.
(now-8/7) Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History, the first-ever retrospective on the iconic fashion designer, opens at the Jewish Museum.
(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.
(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.
(ongoing) Vikings have arrived in Times Square! The term "viking" conjures some basic images, usually that of a fair-haired, statuesque male (think Marvel Comics' Thor, named after the Norse God of Thunder), either in combat or on a ship. It is a noun, a general term defining people from the regions we now know as Sweden, Scandinavia, or Norway, but between 750-1100 AD (well before the regions were named) it was also a verb, meaning “to travel.” Viking treasures have now traveled to New York, where they can be explored in the new Vikings The Exhibition, open at Discovery Times Square.
(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) Agitprop! at the Brooklyn Museum connects contemporary art, social change, and historic moments in creative activism.
(ongoing) On The Line: Intrepid & The Vietnam War is up at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Intrepid made three tours of duty in Vietnam between 1966-1969. Here's a coupon!
(now-8/16) Beauty—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, with over 250 recent works by 63 designers that seek to answer the question “Why Beauty Now?,” is up at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: COMEDY
(6/29) LGBT Fundraiser for the victims of Orlando at Stand Up NY featuring Judy Gold, Frank Liotti, Yamaneika Saunders, Emma Willman, and Matteo Lane
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(7/1-7/2) Frequent Opie & Anthony guest Rich Vos at Gotham Comedy Club.
(7/3) Quincy Jones at Gotham Comedy Club.
Get free admission for 2 to Stand Up NY!
THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: KIDS
(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!
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(Ongoing) Explore the beautiful interactive exhibit Connected Worlds at the New York Hall of Science in Queens.
THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK: SIGHTSEEING
(7/1) The new Ghostbusters film isn't out until July 15, but you can catch the brand new Ghostbusters Experience (walk through/immersive) and Ghostbusters Dimension, a Virtual Reality Experience at Madame Tussauds, just in time for the July 4th weekend. 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.
(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 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 TOUR!
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 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
(6/30-7/1) Grammy award musician (and half of Simon & Garfunkel) Paul Simon performs for two evenings at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.
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(6/30) Celebrate summer with a special rose night (Red, White, and Pink) at the Garden at David Burke Kitchen.
(6/30) Reggae crooner Maxi Priest performs at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.
(6/30) Zephyr Happy Hour on a Boat cruise.
(7/3) 54 Celebrates Prince at Feinstein's/54 Below.
(7/6) The rock queen with opera range Pat Benatar performs at the Beacon Theatre.
Read here for more information about summer outdoor concerts.
SNEAK PEEK, NEXT WEEK
Photo: Courtesy of Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Warp speed ahead! Star Trek: The Starfleet Experience docks at the Intrepid, Sea, Air & Space Museum!
(7/8) Legendary folk artist Bob Dylan performs at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.
(7/9) 4Knots Music Festival takes place at Pier 84.
(7/9) The sexy/funny duo The Skivvies perform at Feinstein's 54 Below.
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Click here if you're looking for more things to do in July. (We got August covered, too!)
