(11/1-11/3) Looking for what to do in New York? We've got the latest on all the goings-on in NYC this weekend, from concerts to museum exhibitions to comedy to the best in city sightseeing. Celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, gear up for the TCS New York City Marathon, and party an extra hour Saturday night—we turn the clocks back one hour.
THE BIG EVENT
(11/3) When November hits, the city’s thoughts turn to pounding pavement and the excitement of the TCS New York City Marathon. Some 50,000 runners from 125 countries will be cheered on by millions across all five boroughs of the city.
(10/31-11/2) TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance. The largest running exhibition in the U.S., and one of the top 10 health and fitness expos in the world. Join race participants, health enthusiasts, and runners as they prepare for race day, shop fitness products, and experience the excitement. Free and open to the public at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
If you’re looking to do some carb loading before or after a jog (or a marathon), don’t miss the pasta pros at New York’s favorite Italian restaurants. In Midtown West our go-tos are Buca di Beppo, La Masseria and its new sister spot Masseria dei Vini, and Patsy’s Italian Restaurant. For a quick pick-me-up in midtown, the Zibetto Espresso Bars have desserts and coffees as only the Italians can do it. Over in Midtown East, you’ll find us at Allora Ristorante, or Obicà Mozzarella Bar, Pizza e Cucina down in the Flatiron. Further downtown, Villa Mosconi and Monte’s have been Village favorites for decades. On narrow, ancient streets downtown you’ll also find one of the most vibrant places in Manhattan: Little Italy. For decades now, bold-face names and hungry New Yorkers have come here for pizza, pasta, and the best cannoli in the city. Our recommendations include family-owned classic Il Cortile. When you’re ready for a sweet ending to your Little Italy adventures, Caffé Palermo is your destination. Baby John “The Cannoli King” serves up cannolis that keep to that perfect balance between sweet cream and satisfying crunch, making these the best in the city. And you don’t have to be in training for a marathon to enjoy them.
PLUS
(11/1) Dia de Los Muertos Festival at Green-Wood Cemetery.
(11/2-11/3) Dia de Los Muertos Celebration at the National Museum of the American Indian.
Colin Miller
(10/31-1/5/20) Bryant Park's Winter Village returns. Ice skating, shopping, hot chocolate and other tasty treats, and more!
EXHIBITION OF THE WEEK
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(Ongoing) For a brief few years, fine art, folk art, Hollywood, and Pentecostal fervor all came together in hand-painted advertisements for VHS screenings in Ghana. Now open at Poster House in Chelsea, Baptized By Beefcake: The Golden Age of Hand-Painted Movie Posters from Ghana features colorful takes on vintage horror and action flicks, seen through a localized religious lens. It's amazing any of this even survived—painted on recycled rice sacks and meant for short-term use, the show reflects a remarkable effort of preservation, holding up an uncanny mirror to '80s and '90s America. posterhouse.org
JR (French, born 1983). The Chronicles of New York City, 2018–19 (detail). © JR-ART.NET.
(Ongoing) JR is a consummate 21st-century artist. As a young man, he began taking pictures of his fellow street-artist friends and posting them around his native France. Later, his photography projects expanded in scope and deepened in tone without losing their populist flair. Now, this celebrated artist will receive the first major North American retrospective of his work, JR: Chronicles at the Brooklyn Museum. The exhibition, named after the artist’s new mural of New York City, debuted October 4. The mural itself, The Chronicles of New York City, portrays over one thousand New Yorkers that the artist interviewed and photographed in summer of 2018.
PLUS
(Ongoing) Tickets now on sale for the return of the Museum of Ice Cream.
Dinner and cake in Intrepid’s wardroom in October 1944. Photo from National Archives and Records Administration.
(New!) Making a beautiful cake is pretty challenging, but what if you had to make it on a Navy ship, for a crew of thousands? The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s new exhibition, Navy Cakes: A Slice of History, explores the history of naval personnel and their incredible cakes.
Installation View: Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Photo: David Heald. © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
(Ongoing) For the first time in its history, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has invited artists to serve as curators, creating Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection. Drawing on the institution’s vast collection of fine art, the show is a fitting complement to the 60th anniversary of the Guggenheim’s iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home. The six artists are Cai Guo-Qiang, Paul Chan, Jenny Holzer, Julie Mehretu, Richard Prince, and Carrie Mae Weems, all major figures in the contemporary art world. On Monday, October 21st, head to museum for an all-day event commemorating the building's 60th Anniversary . Museumgoers can enjoy live jazz, cupcakes, tours, and conversations, and any visitor with an October 21 birthday will be given free entry.
(Now-8/30/20) The most significant site of the Holocaust, Auschwitz was not a single entity, but a complex of 48 concentration, forced labor, and extermination camps, at which 1 million Jews—and tens of thousands of others—were murdered. Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away., a new exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, explores the legacy of history’s deadliest mass murder site. More than 700 original objects and 400 photographs are on display, many for the first time in North America. Among the artifacts: personal possessions, fragments of a barrack, a gas mask used by the SS, and an original German-made Model 2 freight wagon used for the deportation of Jews to the ghettos and extermination camps in occupied Poland. mjhnyc.org
(Ongoing) You can experience the world of history’s most famous spy at Driven: 007 x SPYSCAPE, a new exhibition inside New York’s spy museum, SPYSCAPE. This immersive exhibition brings you into the Bond universe with sets, props, and insights about the creation of the ageless secret agent. Among the highlights: an Aston Martin DB5, the lab of Quartermaster (or Q), M16’s gadget master, concept art from Oscar-winning production designer Sir Ken Adams, and an exploration of 2012 Bond film Skyfall’s unforgettable final scene.
COMEDY
(11/1-11/2) Rachel Feinstein at Gotham Comedy Club.
(11/3) Nick Offerman at the Beacon Theatre.
(Ongoing) See great new comedic talent daily at the LOL Times Square Comedy Club. Use this coupon and get half off admission!
Click here for more "Comedy Shows in NYC This Weekend."
KIDS
(Now-2/2/20) Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park is back, and while it's still appealing for kids, it's gotten a makeover, making a concerted effort to appeal to young and old alike, with a selection of high end cocktails now on sale, a VIP tent, new performers, and more. bigapplecircus.com
PLUS
(Now-11/3) Final weekend! Kids of all ages will want to check out the new Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari. It's the biggest, most realistic dinosaur safari ride in America. Travel back in time on a guided tour to learn about dinos of the past and descendent animals of the present. The experience will take riders through 2 acres of woods, in which they will meet animatronic dinosaurs, including two 40-foot-long T. rexes, a 60-foot-long herbivore called Omeisaurus, and the Spinosaurus, one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever exist. For even more kids activities, and to learn more about the brand new Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari, check out our sister site nymetroparents.com!
(11/2) Catch a family street fair in Brooklyn as the Yankee Fair returns. Face painting, cat adoptions, bouncy houses, cotton candy, games, performances by Dan and Claudia Zanes, the Brooklyn Bluegrass Collective, and more!
(11/2-3) Reflections of the 16th Century: Paddle & Outdoor Living Experience. Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with a FREE paddling tour through Bronx fall foliage and explore the traditions of the woodlands. Bronx Zoo Mitsubishi River Walk.
(Now-Nov. 30) Just extended! Color Factory, a massive interactive art space, began in August 2017 in San Francisco. Wildly popular, the project has set up shop in SoHo and is sure to inspire lines as long as the cronut did at nearby Dominique Ansel Bakery. Designed by a wide spectrum of artists, Color Factory walks visitors through 16 rooms devoted to the wonder of color. You’re invited to compliment someone using color words, discover your signature color, and read wishes for the world written by NYC school children on varicolored balloons. Each room is equipped with a camera that can take a picture of you and send it to your phone: the better to post with! 251 Spring St., support@colorfactory.co,colorfactory.co, @colorfactoryco
(Ongoing) “Here Be Dragons,” a new interactive scavenger hunt in the American Museum of Natural History offered by Fable & Lark: Storied Adventures, draws from the menageries of creatures in both Fantastic Beasts and Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald. Participants will explore galleries throughout the museum as they answer questions, solve clues, engage in creative activities, and track down the origins of some of the creatures from both the Fantastic Beasts stories as well as other classic myths and tales. Grab your nifflers and join! Advance registration required. fableandlark.com
Updated! Read about more Instagrammable pop-up exhibits in NYC here.
(Ongoing) Exhilarating Family Fun at Stomp NYC. Special discount packages available!
Click here for more "Things to Do with Kids in NYC This Weekend."
For more kids activities, check out our sister site nymetroparents.com!
SIGHTSEEING
(Weekends through 11/10 ) Circle Line's Bear Mountain Cruise is back! Take a cruise up the Hudson River on weekends to Bear Mountain State park, while enjoying the autumnal sights and our on-board Oktoberfest with live oom-pah music, and German food and beer (available for purchase). Bear Mountain State Park features 50+ hiking and biking trails, a stunning lake with paddle boats, a zoo, museum and The Bear Mountain Inn restaurant (reservations recommended!). There's a 30 minute walk up a winding path to access these facilities. Adults from $65+, kids 5-12, $52+.
Bring a loved one to take in the breathtaking view at Top of the Rock.
PLUS
The iconic Rockefeller Center Ice Skating Rink is open for the winter season. For information on reservations, skate lessons, or season passes, call 212-332-7654 or visit therinkatrockcenter.com. VIP packages are available. For more information on Rockefeller Center, visit rockefellercenter.com. (Please note, tree won't be up 'til Dec. 4.)
(New!) Madame Tussauds New York Presents Broadway. Take a magical journey starting with a cocktail at the Broadway Bar, and then traveling through a kaleidoscope of your favorite musicals. Enter the world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, Sunset Boulevard, and Cats. You can sing “Memory” with Grizabella the “Glamour Cat” and wear the Dreamcoat yourself as you become a Broadway star. The Phantom of the Opera will also guide you through this dazzling backstage experience, and perhaps do a little singing himself along the way. Live actors will be on hand to enhance the rush both on- and offstage.
(Ongoing) Get the full stadium experience with Yankee Stadium Tours, which offers exclusive access to New York Yankee historic spots like Monument Park, The Great Hall, and even down to the dugout. The daily tours also bring you close to baseball artifacts like Babe Ruth’s bat, Lou Gehrig’s jersey, and rings and trophies representing the Yankees’ 27 world championships. Here is a $5 off coupon!
(Ongoing) Part show. Part tour. All entertainment. THE RIDE is a one-of-a-kind experience that turns the streets of New York into a stage. Journey through Times Square and midtown Manhattan as the city’s landmarks unfold before your very eyes. THE RIDE’s theatres-on-wheels also tour lower Manhattan, with THE DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE Powered by THE RIDE, which lets visitors re-live iconic moments in New York history through the magic of TimeLooper Virtual Reality Headsets. Use our coupon and save $10 off!
FOOD, MUSIC, AND NIGHTLIFE
(11/3) You can take the A Train to this musical guidebook through New York City. From Billy Joel to Rodgers & Hart and Mary Chapin Carpenter, why have so many songwriters been compelled to write about life in Gotham? Whether you’re a Boy From New York City or you just Happen to Like New York, join host Deborah Grace Winer and see why Big City Songbook is packing ‘em in to Birdland’s hottest monthly revue.
(Ongoing) Rosé Mansion, everyone's favorite excuse to sample rosé, wraps up another fabulous run with a series of Halloween parties, including a Halloween Weekend through November 3rd. You'll get tastings of 8 different pink wines as you travel through a champagne ball pit, a mini-theme park called Roséland, and a tree house! There are also two rosé wine bars where you can hang out, plus grub from Taco Dumbo. rosewinemansion.com, @rosewinemansion
(11/1) Blues Traveler at the Beacon Theatre.
(11/1) Tom Constanten's 'Live Dead '69' brings in Tom Constanten, original Grateful Dead pianist, essential to the Dead's first 2 experimental studio recordings "Anthem of The Sun" and "Aoxomoxoa." Live at The Iridium, two show.
(11/1-11/2) NYC Craft Beer Festival at Union West in Chelsea.
(11/2) First Saturday at Brooklyn Museum: Crossing Asian America. Highlights include a performance by the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, the newly reopened Arts of China galleries, an inside look at the special exhibition One: Xu Bing, comedians, and singer-songwriter and guitarist Reonda performing indie rock in both English and Cantonese.
(11/2) Mixing the familiar sounds of Dick Dale, Duane Eddy, and the Ventures, Los Straitjackets create their own version of energetic surf guitar twang, complete with Mexican wrestling masks. At The Iridium in Midtown West.
(10/19-11/24) Now in its tenth year, the Lincoln Center White Light Festival brings together extraordinary global performers for a five-week celebration. lincolncenter.org/white-light-festival
(11/1) Cemetery Gates: Halloween with the Smiths Tributes Featuring Sons and Heirs at The Bell House in Brooklyn.
(11/1-11/30) Throughout November, Ripley's Believe It or Not Times Square is having a Food Drive for the Food Bank for New York City. Donate at least ONE non-perishable and receive $10 off admission. (Not valid for Ripley's Relic.)
(11/2) La Boheme at the Metropolitan Opera. The classic tragedy of bohemian friends and lovers is never better than in Franco Zeffirelli’s immortal staging. It’s just a part of an inspiring 2019-20 season, packed with opera’s most talented stars, performing across a wide range of repertoire.
(11/2) Marc Anthony at Barclays Center.
(11/2) New York Irish Whiskey Festival at Pier A Harbor House. In partnership with world-class Irish Whiskey experts, Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry of The Dead Rabbit, guests can expect to taste and experience over 25 Irish Whiskeys, delicious bites, and live entertainment. Session 1 - Afternoon 1:00pm - 4:00pm. Session 2 - Evening 5:30pm - 9:00pm.
(11/3) The Ally Venable Band at The Iridium.
(Ongoing) Drink, laugh, and save! Summer Savings on The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking! Choose from the evening show or Day Drinking: The Brunch Musical. Sit back and enjoy music and three cocktails, while the cast of The Imbible give insight into the history and science behind alcoholic beverages, tracing their economic and political impact on our cultural development. They'll also conduct live demonstrations of brewing beer and distilling spirits. Save $15 off admission with City Guide's coupon.
Click here for more "Nightlife in NYC This Weekend."
For more LGBTQ-friendly events, visit our brother site at metrosource.com!
EVERYTHING TO DO NYC
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