The best things to do in NYC this week

The 15th Annual Juneteenth NY Festival gathers thousands of attendees in Brooklyn for a vibrant celebration of rich culture through music, dance, sports clinics, history, vendors, and families. This year, it will happen over June 13-19.

Events include an awards ceremony honoring 21 New York men for their impact in the community, a restaurant crawl, free festival with local vendors, a parade, a fashion show, raffles, and a virtual summit.

This year's theme is "Unveiled: Understanding the Journey from Our Roots," as event organizers encourage attendee to explore the Black community's profound history and ongoing journey toward liberation and empowerment.

Lincoln Center is gearing up to launch the third annual Summer for the City festival. From June 12 through August 10, New Yorkers will get to attend over 200 free or choose-what-you-pay events that span a variety of topics, genres and  locations.

You can read through the entire calendar right here but standouts include virtual reality experience The Dream Machine, which features five distinct game-like interactive performances; a night of opera and drag with two superstar queens from RuPaul's Drag Race, Monét X Change and Sapphira Cristál; and a silent disco night as part of India Week with DJ Rajuju Brown. 

New York's summertime smells tend to get a bad rap: hot garbage, sweat, vape smoke and other olfactory offenses. But there's one place in the city where you can go this summer to breathe in the delightful herbal aroma of lavender. 

Catch a ferry to Governors Island where you'll find the NYC Lavender Field in all its purple glory. The field is free to visit and definitely worth adding to your summer in NYC bucket list. June, in particular, is the perfect time to drop by as the plants burst into a wave of color.

Unsurprisingly given the city's landscape, the NYC Lavender Field is the only lavender field in the city. When you visit, you'll get a chance to stroll along gravel paths through dozens of lavender bushes. More than 500 plants erupt in an ombre wave of color—royal purple, pastel gray, brilliant grape and bluish silver. Every single one is gorgeous. 

It's a pickle-lover's paradise: for two weeks, 2 Rivington Street will transform into a wonderland of half-sours, bread-and-butters, dilly cukes, cute cornichons and good ol' gherkins. Yes, Grillo's Pickles is back for their second annual pickle-themed pop-up on the Lower East Side, adding some vinegary pep to your summertime proceedings from Thursday, June 6 through Saturday, June 22. 

From 11am to 7pm every day, the Boston-based brand will be hosting its Grillo’s Pickle World event featuring free food, limited-edition pickle merch, collaborations and more. 

Sometimes you’ll feel very tall, sometimes very small, and sometimes in awe of it all at this new New York Botanical Garden exhibit that celebrates the magic of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. With a variety of botanical and artistic exhibitions throughout the Bronx garden’s 250 acres, “Wonderland: Curious Nature” encourages visitors to get “curiouser and curiouser” around every turn. 

See a massive white (well, actually green) rabbit made entirely of plants; explore an enchanting English garden with delightfully weird flora; climb through a rabbit hole; hang out in a house made of mycelium bricks; and much more at this sprawling exhibition. Wonderland: Curious Nature runs through October 27, 2024, and will evolve with each season.

Though it's now more than 150 years since the first publication of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the delightful story with its heroic protagonist feels just as fresh as ever—especially at New York Botanical Garden with its enchanting scientific and artistic twist on the story. 

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is back with their annual warm-weather event series “Downtown Brooklyn Presents" this summer, and they're cranking up the heat and getting physical with their outdoor dance classes.

Every Monday in June will be a "Movement Monday," with the Mark Morris Dance Group collaborating with dance experts and choreographers at 6pm each week. Take on hip hop with Jillian Roberts or Dani Criss, waacking with CocoMotion and house music dance classes with Kim Holmes. The Movement Monday classes are free to attend; just register here in advance. 

Frigid New York hosts this annual showcase of subversive LGBTQ+ comedy, storytelling, short film and theater, running June 13-July 3 as part of Pride Month.

Queerly aims to provide a space for queer artists who’ve rarely or never seen their identities portrayed on stage to be able to represent themselves and tell their stories their way. This year, in light of the barrage of anti-trans legislation across the country, the festival is prioritizing work by or featuring trans artists. Here's the full schedule.

If you’re a movie buff, or just so happen to really enjoy Robert De Niro’s overall vibe, the Tribeca Festival is capping off with a tribute to the legendary actor and producer. 

From June 14-16, the Festival is hosting De Niro Con, which will include set recreations, costume exhibits, behind-the-scenes chats, screenings, and anything that could be tangentially related to De Niro—you'll find it all there.

The three-day festival will also include the De Niro Is an Icon: An Exhibit & Immersive Film, a career-spanning gallery that features more than 300 curated items from De Niro's personal collection, including annotated scripts, rare photos, props, and other film-related memorabilia from the 80-year-old’s illustrious career. You can get your tickets to De Niro Con here.

Photoville is back for its 13th year of bringing local and international photography to every borough. Expect nearly 90 outdoor, free-of-charge photography exhibits and family-friendly public programs across the city, running June 1-16.

The festival features Photoville’s signature shipping container exhibitions, clustering open-air viewing opportunities in what’s become known as the Photoville Village in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Other events run in all five boroughs.

Activities include an Opening Night Party, Safety 101 for Visual Journalists, a Brooklyn Bridge Street Photography Walk, and an Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classroom. Exhibit highlights inlude portraits documenting the lives of homeless LGBTQIA+ youth in NYC, a multimedia installation celebrating a century of WNYC, an a pictorial encyclopedia of NYC theater since 1979.

Bryant Park's Picnic Performances will bring the best of NYC to the stage, including the New York City Opera, Jalopy Theatre, Carnegie Hall, the Harlem Chamber Players, and the American Symphony Orchestra.

Best of all, all 25 performances are free and open to the public. Many performances will be livestreamed for free on Bryant Park’s social media channels and website in case you can’t make it in person.

The lineup includes The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Louis Cato; trumpeter Steven Bernstein playing the music of James Bond with Arturo O’Farrill and The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra; the NYC premiere of Ghanaian highlife band Gyedu-Bly Ambolley; Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE dance company; South African world pop star Thandiswa Mazwai and many more.

If you're a Gaga stan, get ready for the listening party that will end all listening parties. Playing her biggest hits from The Fame, A Star Is Born soundtrack, ARTPOP, and more, this free listening event at Olly Olly Market is going to provide guaranteed three-hour catharsis for all the Little Monsters in town. 

The festivities take place on Friday, June 14 in Chelsea. 

Most of the time, the HD TVs at Seven Sins (293 Third Avenue) are religiously tuned to sports channels but beginning on Tuesday, June 11, the bar will click off those athletic pursuits for true-crime titillations. Yes, if you’re warped like us and love hearing all about real-life mysteries, murders and misdeeds, check out the Gramercy watering hole's new summertime screening series, True Crime Tuesdays, starting at 7pm each week. (And if the real stuff doesn't tickle your fancy, you can join in for scary movies every Sunday night (beginning June 9th) or fictional murder mysteries on Mondays. 

Little Island, the beautiful 2.4-acre elevated park that sits above the Hudson River on Manhattan's west side, is offering a lineup of star-studded performances this summer. Performances will kick off on June 1 and close out on September 22, spanning the realms of music, dance, theater, opera, comedy, jazz, pop and funk. 

Just as exciting is the debut of The Glade, a brand new cocktail lounge opening on the island that will be offering a selection of beers, wines, cocktails and mocktails to be enjoyed anywhere throughout the park.

Alec Baldwin played the title role, opposite Angela Bassett, in Shakespeare in the Park's 1998 production of Macbeth, in which a nobleman and his wife descend into a nightmare of disquiet after planning their monarch's murder. A quarter-century later, he revisits the Scottish play as the co-director—with his longtime friend, the 90-year-old Actors Studio veteran Geoffrey Horne—of Shakespeare Downtown's free production in the suitable environs of the Battery's 19th-century fort, Castle Clinton. Alfredo Diaz and Billie Andersson play the blood-soaked couple. (Seating is first come, first served; tickets can be claimed starting at 5:45pm on the day of performance.)

Ever wanted to touch one of the dresses at the Met? Or how about smell it? At last, now's your chance. 

The museum's new exhibit, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," takes a multi-sensory approach allowing visitors to smell, touch, and hear the clothing, not just look at it. With more than 200 garments from the 1600s to today, the exhibition is the largest and most ambitious in the Costume Institute's history in terms of range and scope.

Here are five things to expect from the exhibit, which runs through September 2

If you know anything about hip-hop, then you understand that it’s not just a genre of music—it’s an entire lifestyle, complete with its own lexicon, fashion and accessories. 

The American Museum of Natural History is going to pay homage to some of the most iconic custom-made jewelry in hip-hop history with its exhibit “Ice Cold,” which is now open in celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary. 

The exhibition will showcase jewelry from the 1980s until today and will include Slick Rick’s gem-encrusted crown, the Notorious B.I.G.’s gold ‘Jesus piece’, Nicki Minaj’s sparkling ‘Barbie’ pendant, and pieces from Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$, A$AP Ferg, and Tyler, the Creator, among many other legendary pieces of bling.

This free outdoor French film festival is back with a sports-themed lineup in honor of the Olympics in Paris this summer. The festival is hosted by Villa Albertine, and this year’s edition features 11 French films with English subtitles across Manhattan and Brooklyn parks. Expect a mix of classic and contemporary movies, all on the theme of “Sports on Film.”

"The lineup proves that sports films, a stereotypically American genre, are very much alive and thriving in French cinema," event organizers say.

Here's the 2024 schedule:

— June 14, Washington Square Park: The Odyssey by Jérôme Salle
— June 21, Transmitter Park, Brooklyn: My Donkey, My Lover & I by Caroline Vignal
— June 28, J. Hood Wright Park: The Triplets of Belleville by Sylvain Chomet
— July 5, Seward Park: Marinette by Virginie Verrier
— July 12, Seward Park: Air of Paris by Marcel Carné
— July 19, Riverside Park, Pier I: Les Cinq Tulipes Rouges by Jean Stelli – U.S. premiere
— July 26, Riverside Park, Pier I: The Golden Ball by Cheik Doukouré
— Sept. 6, McGolrick Park, Brooklyn: Racetime by Benoît Godbout
— TBA, Ride Above by Christian Duguay

All screenings will be subtitled in English, free and open to the public. Screenings begin at sunset. Here's more about each film and exact show locations.

To celebrate the release of his third studio album Honeymind, Broadway darling Ben Platt is take over the refurbished Palace Theatre for a three-week residency through June 15.

All 18 performances will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Arden, who also collaborated with Platt on the critically acclaimed revival of Parade, for which the actor earned a Tony nomination in 2023. 

Tickets for Platt's upcoming residency are currently available right here.

Bryant Park's Picnic Performances will bring the best of NYC to the stage, including the New York City Opera, Jalopy Theatre, Carnegie Hall, the Harlem Chamber Players, and the American Symphony Orchestra.

Best of all, all 25 performances are free and open to the public. Many performances will be livestreamed for free on Bryant Park’s social media channels and website in case you can’t make it in person.

The lineup includes The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Louis Cato; trumpeter Steven Bernstein playing the music of James Bond with Arturo O’Farrill and The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra; the NYC premiere of Ghanaian highlife band Gyedu-Bly Ambolley; Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE dance company; South African world pop star Thandiswa Mazwai and many more.

The glitz and glamour and hedonism and heartbreak of Moulin Rouge are coming to the Museum of Broadway for a special exhibit celebrating the 10-time Tony Award-winning Best Musical. 

The new exhibit, created exclusively for The Museum of Broadway, invites fans to step into the glamorous underworld of Belle Époque Paris. “Moulin Rouge! The Musical: Spectacular, Spectacular” runs through September 8, 2024; it’s included with museum admission.

Expect to see dazzling costumes while learning how costumers transformed sketches and swatches into eye-catching gowns and bodices fit for the Sparkling Diamond herself. You'll also see set installations—and even get a chance to sit on Satine’s luxe chaise lounge. Before you go, leave your personal mark on a heart-themed wall. 

Following a slew of pop-ups and stand-alone exhibits, elusive England-based street artist Banksy is getting the New York City museum treatment: The Banksy Museum is now open at 277 Canal Street by Broadway.

The space will display over 160 works by the artist—from his instantly recognizable street art to studio pieces, videos and animated visuals—making this "the largest display of Banksy work ever seen in a single setting."

Tickets for the museum, which will be open daily from 10am to 8pm, are available right here.

One of the most anticipated events at the Met is their annual Roof Garden Commission, an art series in which the New York institution chooses one artist to use the coveted space as their canvas. 

This year’s commission, which was just unveiled today, sends a playful yet extremely poignant and timely message about children who find themselves in war zones. The exhibition, titled Abetare, is on view through October 27; it's included with general admission.

The artist, Petrit Halilaj, was born in war-torn Kosovo in 1986 and had to flee his home during the Yugoslav Wars in 1998. He lived with his family in a refugee camp in Serbia for a year, where he drew pictures of war scenes that he had witnessed back home. The sculptures on the roof were inspired by doodles Halilaj found at the school he attended in Runk, Kosovo before it was demolished in 2010.

Screaming and crying girls. Innumerable hotel rooms. Nonstop camera flashes. A group of four Liverpudlian guys in the middle of it all. We’ve all seen the photos and videos documenting the insanity of Beatlemania, the obsession over the Beatles from 1963 to 1966.

But it turns out that the Beatles’ bassist and singer, Sir Paul McCartney, actually turned the lens on the crowds, the paparazzi and the cities that hosted them in the early days. 

McCartney and the Brooklyn Museum are showcasing more than 250 of the icon’s personal photographs that illustrate the intensity of this historical moment, but also the quiet moments unseen by millions of fans in “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm.” See it through August 18.

If you find yourself walking around the Seaport in need of some respite, we've got just the solution for you: a newly expanded set of three outdoor lawns that are part of the 26,000-square-foot Lawn Club Terrace at 1 Fulton Street. 

The Terrace features a trio of outside spaces that are open rain or shine and join the nine others that make up the Lawn Club as a whole. 

Throughout the entire Lawn Club, folks can play games like bocce, cornhole, croquet, shuffleboard and a mini golf-pool hybrid called "putting pool" that's a Lawn Club exclusive. There are two bars plus shareable food on site as well.

Torch & Crown Brewing Company's summertime pop-up is back at Union Square Pavilion. This year it returns not only with locally brewed beers but also a slate of events and programming to the open-air NYC Parks’ concession venue in Union Square Park.

Along with new and returning draft options (from their flagship Almont Famous to crisp lagers like Tenement), the beer garden will feature a revamped food menu this season, overseen by Executive Chef Michael Citarella—expect bar-food staples like homemade pizza, fried chicken sandwiches, and burgers. The seasonal venue will feature both indoor and outdoor dining, so you can enjoy beers and bites rain or shine. 

Take your movie-going experience to the next level this summer at Rooftop Cinema Club. The experience offers a chance to watch a movie on a Midtown rooftop with vegan popcorn, classic theater candy, and craft cocktails.

This season's rooftop movie schedule includes classics like When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing, Grease, Mean Girls, Clueless, and so much more. Also expect special programming for Star Wars day, AAPI Heritage Month, Black Music Month, and Pride Month. Plus, it’s adding a Saturday Cereal Club and Mimosas & Muffins Sundays. Get tickets here.

Turns out, pickleball was not just a passing fad.

Doubling down on the popularity of the sport, Central Park is gearing up for the return of the 14-court pickleball installation via CityPickle that took over Wollman Rink last year. The experience offers players of all skill levels the chance to reserve courts or partake in open play sessions between 8am and 9pm daily.

Check out the Bronx Brewery's free ongoing artist series at Hudson Yards, which is bringing the works of world renowned artist Shiro to Manhattan for two months. The works on display explore New York's urban history through an aesthetic technique that mixes Japanese artistry with New York grafitti styles to create something completely unique. 

See the free exhibit through June 21. 

Let us be frank, we kind of love this new sculpture in Times Square: a 65-foot-long hot dog in a bun drenched in mustard that launches confetti in the air every day at noon. Called "Hot Dog in the City," the giant addition to the Times Square landscape comes courtesy of Brooklyn-based artists Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw, who were commissioned by Times Square Arts.

The work "paints a unique portrait of America," reads an official press release. Specifically, the duo of artists hopes the sculpture will entice folks to talk about "the patriarchy of meat-eating," what meat production in the U.S. entails, the politics of street vending, capitalism, immigration and more. 

Smorgasburg, the food bazaar spectacular, is back for 2024 with dozens of great local vendors across three locations.

In fact, with more than 70 vendors, it's the largest Smorgasburg lineup since 2018! Vendors this year will serve up fragrant Ethiopian stews, Hawaii-style street comforts, explosive pani puri, potato puff poutine, and lots more.

Smorgasburg WTC runs on Fridays; Williamsburg is on Saturdays; and Prospect Park is on Sundays. Each location is open from 11am-6pm and operates weekly through October. 

Are you a preservationist nerd? (Guilty!) Then head to the Museum of the City of New York’s new exhibition, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the conservation of one of the museum’s prized possessions: Samuel Bell Waugh’s monumental, 170-year-old painting, The Bay and Harbor of New York.

The exhibition explores the piece’s significance as one of the earliest depictions of immigration to the United States and welcomes the public to witness the preservation firsthand, gaining insight into the care and techniques needed to safeguard such a historical artifact. Conservator Gary McGowan will be on site, actively working on the painting in the gallery on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and visitors themselves will get the chance to interact with a variety of hands-on activities. It's on view through October 13.

Hudson Yards puts on a great series of free events for everyone, every summer.

This summer series called “Backyard at Hudson Yards Presented by Wells Fargo” is curated by The Bowery Presents and returns huge acts like Keke Palmer, David Archuleta, Brynn Cartelli, Chayce Beckham, Ray Bull, and more.

A complete schedule of Backyard at Hudson Yards presented by Wells Fargo programming and events can be found at the Backyard at Hudson Yards page.

New York Classical Theatre's Stephen Burdman directs a two-hour outdoor production that combines both parts of Shakespeare's Henry IV story, in which the feckless heir to the English throne falls in with a mendacious tosspot. Ian Antal plays Prince Hal and John Michalski is the expansive Sir John Falstaff. The productiom kicks off in Central Park (June 11–30) before moving east to Carl Schurz Park (July 2–7) and south to Battery Park (July 9–14).

There’s only one constant in New York City: Change. A new exhibit at the New-York Historical Society explores the rapid development of the city and what’s been left behind. 

The exhibit, titled Lost New York, transports viewers to a time when pigs roamed the streets, shopping was a radical act, and New Yorkers used to brave polluted waters for a swim. The exhibition also documents long-gone landmarks like the original Penn Station, Met Opera House, Chinese Theater, and Croton Reservoir. See it at the Upper West Side museum now through September 29. 

Lost New York is included with museum admission ($24/adult). Or check it on during pay-as-you-wish Friday evenings, which will expand 5-8pm with live vintage music and specialty "lost" cocktails this summer.

Summer on the Hudson, a program run by the Riverside Park Conservancy and NYC Parks for the past two decades, is back and bigger than ever before, with new programming and more than 300 free events, including some in West Harlem and Washington Heights for the first time ever. 

As usual, expect a ton of artists and musicians to participate in the extravaganza, which is free to the public and hinges heavily on all things wellness. Plus, silent disco sessions, movies under the stars, sunset yoga classes, and a Black Birders Week.

This year, Silent Disco sessions at Pier I in Riverside Park South, the Irish Dance Festival, the West Side County Fair and Movies Under the Stars will make a comeback while the uptown expansion will bring with it novel events. These include movie screenings on the Hudson waterfront at 145th Street every Thursday in August, sunset yoga classes and a Black Birders Week hosted alongside NYC Audubon.

Think bugs are creepy? Think again. That's the message of IMAGINARI, an immersive art and science experience now open in Manhattan. 

The year-long exhibition called The Insect World shows just how cool—and important—bugs actually are. You’ll get to walk through fields of 6-foot flowers, come face-to-face with Picasso bug artwork, and see a mantis partying under a disco ball. Larger-than-life ladybug sculptures dot the floor, and 200 faux monarch butterflies perch on a 12-foot cherry blossom tree. It all adds up to an important message of environmental stewardship. Tickets are on sale now for $36; the all-ages exhibition will be on view for one year.

Poster House, the country's first museum dedicated entirely to the global history of posters, turns its lens on its hometown for its latest exhibit. "Wonder City of the World: New York City Travel Posters," highlights 80 works that capture NYC's landmarks in vibrant color and detail. 

The exhibit explores how New York City was represented to thousands of travelers, immigrants, and tourists during the 20th century. A 19th century marketing strategy coined the phrase "Wonder City," and it appeared in dozens of newspaper and magazine advertisements, as well as articles, postcards and souvenir booklets. New York’s massive growth during this time ultimately led to the creation of more travel posters than were designed for any other city in the world. The images included scenes of the city as seen from the water, from the ground, and, eventually, from the air. 

Art nerds can’t wait until the Whitney Biennial, which happens every two years. It’s always a gigantic showcase of some of the coolest, newest, and most provocative art at a big New York City museum. It’s the Whitney Museum of American Art’s landmark exhibition series and the longest-running survey of American Art, on view through August 11.

This year, the Biennial is themed “Even Better Than The Real Thing” and features the work of 71 artists and collectives. It does a lot in this iteration. The survey examines rapidly advancing technologies and machine learning tools; the body and subjectivity as it pertains to queer identity, body sovereignty, motherhood, the aging body, and the trans body; material agency and the use of unstable media; and lots more.

Overarching is the focus on “the real,” an extremely present topic these days with the onslaught of incorrect ChatGPT answers, horrifying deep fakes and art made by AI. 

After premiering at the Public Theatre in 2022, Suffs now marches to Broadway with its intrepid director, Leigh Silverman, still leading the way, and most of its principal cast intact. These performers’ individual charisma helps deepen our understanding of the tensions that threaten their characters’ political partnership.

Suffs is a full-throated musical call to action, and its message is neither subtle nor ambivalent: It wants to light a fire under you. But this unapologetic love letter to those who risked life and limb to get women a seat at the table is also heart-tugging, vibrant and charming. The combination is hard to resist. As our theater critic says, "It’s got my vote."

See it at the Music Box Theatre.

Digital art and poetry combine for a dive into Afrocentricity and Afrofuturism at this new immersive exhibit in Chelsea. See "Aṣẹ: Afro Frequencies" at ARTECHOUSE all summer.

The digital art exhibition promises a "vibrant reflection upon the past, present, and future of the Black experience." It's told through the perspective of London-based Afro-surrealist digital artist Vince Fraser alongside evocative poetry by ursula rucker.

Both artists worked to honor the legacy, struggles, and complexities of the Black experience in their work. Even the exhibition's title, "Aṣẹ" stems from a powerful mantra, affirmation, and philosophical belief held by the Yoruba people of West Africa, meaning "so will it be." (By the way, that's pronounced as AH-shay.)

“We choose to go to the Moon,” President John F. Kennedy’s voice booms through speakers welcoming visitors to the massive new Space Race-themed exhibit at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. With archival speeches, historic documents, and incredible space equipment, the exhibit whisks visitors back to the 1960s, an era when humanity first ventured into the unknown. 

"Apollo: When We Went to the Moon" is now open at the Intrepid Museum (that's the gigantic aircraft carrier in Hell's Kitchen along the Hudson River) and runs through September 2. At 9,000 square feet, it's the largest temporary exhibit in the museum's history. Tickets are included with museum admission.

If you're an up-and-coming comedian and want to try your luck, the comedy lottery hosted by Demetrius Fields and Austin Locke might just give you the platform you need—with a potentially big money prize attached. Every Monday at Flop House Comedy Club, hopeful comedians donate $1 to enter a lucky draw. Fifteen names are drawn and the comedian voted the best receives all the signup money plus half of ticket sales, which once added up to a whopping $238. 

For more than a century, the Statue of Liberty has offered inspiration as a beacon of freedom, equality, and democracy. And for just as long, she has also served as an inspiration for tattoo artists. 

A new exhibit at City Reliquary, a jewel box of a museum in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, features vintage Statue of Liberty tattoos. As the first show devoted to Lady Liberty ink, it also traces tattooing history in NYC since the 1800s. "Liberty the Tattooed Lady: The Great Bartholdi Statue as Depicted in Tattooing" is now open through January 12, 2025.

The exhibition spotlights antique flash, vintage photographs, drawings, and other ephemera that show how Lady Liberty has been a popular subject in tattooing for as long as she’s stood in New York Harbor. You'll even get to see vintage tattoo art that's never been on display before.

See some of Broadway's most famous shows through fresh eyes at this new exhibit at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. The exhibition showcases lenticular prints, which appear to animate as you move around. 

"Reanimating Theater: The Photography of Friedman-Abeles," is on view through September 25, 2024. It brings to life photographs by Friedman-Abeles Studio of some of Broadway's most beloved productions from 1954-1970, like West Side Story, Camelot, and Bye, Bye Birdie. 

The rumors are true: David Adjmi's behind-the-music studio drama Stereophonic, which earned rave reviews Off Broadway last year, has opened at Broadway's John Golden Theatre.

This is terrific news for fans of theater and rock alike. Although the show is not a musical, its intimate depiction of one band's creative journey includes a great deal of live music in its three engrossing hours.

You can buy tickets here. Visit the production's website for more information.

Deep-dive into the works of American ceramist and painter Toshiko Takaezu with this retrospective and monograph at the Noguchi Museum in Queens through July 28, 2024.

The first nationally touring retrospective of Takaezu’s work in twenty years, Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within will feature about 200 pieces from private and public collections around the country, including her rarely-seen acrylic paintings and weavings, ceramic sculptures including her signature “closed forms,” Moons, Garden Seats, Trees, and select works from her late masterpiece, the Star Series. 

Following its presentation at The Noguchi Museum, the exhibition—which is organized with assistance from the Toshiko Takaezu Foundation and the Takaezu family—will travel to several additional venues across the United States.

The Rubin Museum, that legendary building in Chelsea that has housed the largest collection of Himalayan art in the world for two decades, is permanently closing its physical space later this year. As sad as this is for New York’s culture scene, New Yorkers at least get to enjoy the museum until October, and you should definitely plan to make the most of it until then. 

The museum’s last exhibit, “Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now,” will be an appropriate, forward-looking nod to 32 contemporary artists from the Himalayas and the Asian diaspora whose work will be shown in dialogue with objects from the museum’s existing collection.

The exhibit is open through the museum's physical closing on October 6. Expect to see 32 new commissions and work across mediums, including painting, sculpture, sound, video, performance and more.

If you’re on Foodie-Tok, chances are that you’ve come across a video of The Lavaux, a romantic Swiss restaurant and wine bar in the West Village that has some of the best Swiss cheese offerings in the city. But recently, it’s gone viral on TikTok for its “Secret Message Party,” where they encourage strangers to send each other anonymous notes on Tuesday nights.

The note-passing party is the baby of general manager Christian Stemmer, who got the idea two years ago while traveling through his native Switzerland and ate at a restaurant where people were sending notes to other tables. He decided that something like that would probably do very well in New York, where most of us are starved for deeper human connection. “New Yorkers are all about new experiences,” Stemmer tells Time Out. 

At a time when only 11% of acquisitions at U.S. museums are created by female-identifying artists, the Brooklyn Museum's Center for Feminist Art is displaying 48 emerging and established women photographers. The exhibit showcases photographs from artists born in or working from Europe, including Vanessa Beecroft, Carolle Bénitah, and Silvia Rosi.

Everything in the exhibit was made after the year 2000 and focuses on issues of migration, the legacies of nationalism in Europe, and the male gaze as a patriarchal power structure. See it through July 7.

This is more than your garden-variety art exhibition–None Whatsoever: Zen Paintings from the Gitter-Yelen Collection is, yes, a tranquil display of Zen Buddhist artwork. But it will also feature in-gallery activities like meditation sessions, calligraphy workshops, a tea ceremony demonstration and an ikebana (floral arrangement) workshop.

Spanning over 400 years and drawn from the Gitter-Yelen Collection, the exhibit explores the origins of Zen Buddhism through more than 50 works by Buddhist painter-monks, including the 18th-century master Hakuin Ekaku. You can check out the show through Sunday, June 16 at the Japan Society. 

The author and illustrator who ignited our childhood imaginations with tales of cuddly bunnies, mischievous squirrels and daring ducks is getting a well-deserved spotlight in NYC.

The wholesome and beautiful works of beloved children’s author and land conservationist Beatrix Potter are now on view at The Morgan Library & Museum through June 9.

“Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature” is the most darling show in the city right now. The exhibition even features a delightful recreation of Potter’s home that you can actually sit and read i

The Harlem Renaissance had an indisputable impact on American culture, but chances are that you probably didn’t spend much time learning about it in school. That’s because, even though it shaped global literature, music, and art, Black Americans’ historical contributions have been systematically erased or gone unacknowledged for centuries.

A groundbreaking exhibit opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art hopes to be a part of rectifying the erasure and celebrating Black artists and intellectuals in its newest exhibit. "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism." 

The exhibit presents 160 works by Black artists from the Harlem Renaissance and delves into many different aspects of the movement, mostly through the lens of paintings and sculpture. You can get your tickets here; the show's on view through July 28.

Support up-and-coming sketch comedians as they perform a medley of new sketches at this show at The PIT. The show's called "BoogieManja: A Sketch Comedy Collective" and it promises an hour of sketch comedy that changes every show. 

BoogieManja performs on most Wednesdays. Performers include Nothing Bagel, Both Hands, The Right Stuff, Attainable Crush, EZ Pass, and Cliff Hanger.

Featuring 60 works from The Met's collection, this exhibition traces the history and transformation of product photography, and delves into the techniques and messaging that brands have used throughout time. The photos include an ad for Panama hats in 1916, lipstick from the 1940s, shoes from the 1950s, and so much more.

"The Real Thing: Unpackaging Product Photography" is on view through August 4.

Weaving is one of the oldest art forms in human history, dating back more than 10,000 years, but you can see the ancient craft from a news perspective in this new exhibition at the Met. Now through June 16, textiles from four modern practitioners—Anni Albers, Sheila Hicks, Lenore Tawney and Olga de Amaral—will be showcased alongside pieces by Andean artists from the first millennium BCE to the 16th century.

Weaving Abstraction in Ancient and Modern Art will feature more than 50 works, curated by Iria Candela (Estrellita B. Brodsky Curator of Latin American Art in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art) and Joanne Pillsbury (Andrall E.Pearson Curator of the Arts of the Ancient Americas in The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing).

"Giants," the Brooklyn Museum's latest exhibition, fits its name in many facets. First of all, the show relies on the art collection of two titans in the music industry, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean). Much of the artwork itself is massive, taking over major swaths of the museum. The exhibition features artists who have made and continue to make a significant impact on the art world and contemporary culture.

Finally, and most importantly, the exhibit encourages big conversations that celebrate Blackness, critique society, and imagine a collective future. "Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys" runs through July 7, 2024. The show features 98 artworks by Black American, African, and African diasporic artists including Gordon Parks, Kehinde Wiley, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mickalene Thomas, Hassan Hajjaj, Barkley L. Hendricks, Lorna Simpson, and Amy Sherald. 

"The Deans consider all of the artists in the show as giants. They have these very strong relationships with the artists that they collect. It's not about transaction. It's about being stewards and advocates and supporters of these artists," Brooklyn Museum curator Kimberli Gant told Time Out New York.

Lady Gaga’s family restaurant, Joanne Trattoria (a name made famous by the artist’s eponymous album), is bringing in sensational drag queens for free, “speakeasy” drag shows every Wednesday.

“Drag Me To Joanne’s,” which is hosted by Jupiter Genesis, features special guests. Of course, because it’s all set at Joanne’s, there will “be ample Lady Gaga action,” organizers say.

Produced exclusively by Jessee O of G L I T A NYC and co-produced by Jupiter Genesis, the show starts at 7pm. Joanne Trattoria’s full Italian menu will be available during performances. Additional tickets for the show aren’t needed, you just need or order a meal.

Every Monday at 7:30pm in the Parkside Lounge on East Houston Street, the NYC Talent Show highlights unconventional talent from the worlds of comedy, music, dance, spoken word, and more. Audience members are also welcome to show their talent if they choose to participate, creating an environment that feels truly dynamic and collaborative. Tickets are $45 with a 60% off early bird discount if you buy prior to midnight the Friday before the event with the promo code PHILOPYGUS.

At Sip & Stitch, create your very own custom handbag with the guidance of purse pro Anthony Luciano. As a longtime handbag artisan and a fashion expert, Luciano will share tips and tricks for making a handbag that's perfect for your personal style. 

The lively workshops are held in Luciano’s Garment District studio, which is packed with vintage ephemera, beautiful decor, and plenty of purses to spark your inspiration. The class begins with a chance to pick a leather color and texture of your choosing—just nothing boring, as Luciano admonishes. Once that’s sorted, he’ll guide you through each step of the process, from cutting to gluing to making final touches. While the workshop is called Sip & Stitch, there’s technically no “stitching” involved, so don’t be intimidated. Even if you’re not a crafty person, Luciano and his team will make sure you leave with a handbag you’re proud to carry. 

Several workshops fall under the Sip & Stitch umbrella, from a classic handbag to a unisex option. Prices range from $175 to $275, with adult beverages and snacks provided at the higher price point. The team plays pop and disco tunes in the background, making a fun and fashionable night for all.

Taking over the Asia Society through August 11, 2024, this immersive photography and video exhibition will bring together the works of more than 50 photographers and video artists from China and around the world to visualize the causes and consequences of the climate crisis.

The show—which will take attendees from deep within coal mines to the melting glaciers of the greater Himalaya—is co-curated by photographer Susan Meiselas and international exhibition designer Jeroen de Vries, and led by Orville Schell, Asia Society Vice President and Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations.

Along with the artworks themselves, the exhibition will feature a series of speaker events, performances, films and more throughout the run of the exhibition. 

Nicholas Sparks's bestselling 1996 novel, which inspired a popular 2004 movie, is now also the source of an original musical by indie singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and playwright Bekah Brunstetter. The show charts a romance that begins in the 1940s, and the central is played—in different chapters of their story—by Maryann Plunkett, Dorian Harewood, Joy Woods, Ryan Vasquez, Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza; the supporting cast includes Andréa Burns.

The production, directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, arrives on Broadway after a well-received 2022 run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

The Harlem Renaissance changed the trajectory of American culture, and no other artist encapsulates the spirit of that era better than poet Langston Hughes. He wrote unapologetically about Black life at a time when segregation was law and few Black artists were allowed into the American cultural zeitgeist.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is honoring Hughes and his friendship with photographer, filmmaker, and U.S. Foreign Service Officer Griffith J. Davis in its exhibit "The Ways of Langston Hughes." The free exhibit at the Schomburg Center's Latimer Gallery in Harlem will include photographs of Hughes and Davis, who met in Atlanta, as well as more of Hughes' friendships through letters, artwork and other memorabilia.

Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology, a new immersive museum is now open. It's the brainchild of Roy Nachum, the artist behind Rihanna’s famous 2016 “Anti” album cover, and his business partner Michael Cayre, a real estate developer. 

The 36,000-square-foot space is located at 21 Dey Street, inside the bank building that used to be part of the now-nextdoor Century 21. It's filled with room after room of immersive fun.

The first of 15 experiences, for example, will take you through a giant room equipped with 26-foot-high projectors that blast a series of images all around that will have you feel like you've just taken a swim inside the sorts of motifs that Nachum explores throughout his work. You will quite literally land inside his art pieces.

In another room, which is being branded as one of only three 4D sound studios in the world, guests are asked to wear a blindfold and lay on the floor to properly enjoy the sounds blasting out of the 36 speakers that are embedded under the elevated floor.

In her first solo museum exhibition, sculptor Auriea Harvey has brought her net-based interactives and augmented reality sculptures to the Museum of the Moving Image through June. Titled Auriea Harvey: My Veins Are the Wires, My Body Is Your Keyboard, the showcase will highlight a collection of more than 40 works from Harvey’s nearly four-decade career, including oversized playable projections of her video games, intricate 3D-printed pieces and even early works plucked from her handbound sketchbooks. 

Regina Harsanyi, the Museum’s Associate Curator of Media Arts who organized the exhibition, notes: “Auriea Harvey has persistently reimagined and redefined the creative boundaries of networked technologies for more than three decades. She possesses a remarkable sensitivity to how the digital revolution of the 1990s spawned a societal shift in the way humans connect.”

If you're looking for some good laughs in Bushwick while sticking to a budget, then your best bet is to head to Starr Bar's free stand up comedy shows every Wednesday at 10pm. Hosts James Donlon, Aditya Mayya, and Paddy DeFino will showcase new sets of comedians every week with no cover charge, drink minimum or ticket fee. 

There's a reason Chamber Magic has remained a staple in NYC's magic scene for more than two decades: It dazzles, show after show, with tricks that'll still leave you awestruck days later. 

The charming Steve Cohen, billed as the Millionaires’ Magician, conjures high-class parlor magic in the marble-columned Madison Room at the swank Lotte New York Palace. Dress to be impressed (cocktail attire is required); tickets start at $125, with an option to pay more for meet-and-greet time and extra tricks with Cohen after the show. If you've come to see a classic-style magic act, you get what you pay for.

Sporting a tuxedo and bright rust hair, the magician delivers routines that he has buffed to a patent-leather gleam: In addition to his signature act—"Think-a-Drink," involving a kettle that pours liquids by request—highlights include a lulu of levitation trick and a card-trick finale that leaves you feeling like, well, a million bucks.

A pastel-hued floral mural with a feminist message is the newest addition to the High Line. Titled “Thank You Darling,” this mural by Dutch artist Lily van der Stokker celebrates the playful, feminine realm often overlooked or derided in our culture. 

"Van der Stokker’s work, which she has referred to as 'feminist conceptual pop art,' is undeniably joyful and positive. However, it often simultaneously speaks to weighty themes—aging, health, and, more generally, the lived experience of being a woman within patriarchal structures," a press release from High Line Art explains.

Her installation for the High Line continues this practice for a wide public audience, offering a sweet expression of gratitude to the millions of passersby and inhabitants of nearby buildings. Find the words THANK YOU DARLiNG (with that capitalization) on the side of a building adjacent to the High Line at 22nd Street.

With the word "darling" styled in bright yellow bubble letters, the mural seems to reach out to personally thank every single person who sees it. Check it out through November 2024.

Head to a beloved West Village music shop for a banging musical comedy blowout every Friday night. This variety show mixes music, comedy, and characters with appearances by Stephen Sihelnik (NY Comedy Festival), Natan Badalov (Adult Swim), Alexander Payne (Netflix), and surprise guests.

Fun fact: The event's set in New York's oldest continually-run music and record store, Music Inn World Instruments. It's been in operation since 1958 and has been heavily featured in the first two seasons of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

Show up early, save a seat and BYOB: You're in for a party.

Beneath the cobblestone streets of the Seaport, secrets hid underground for decades—until now, that is. A new walking tour led by the South Street Seaport Museum unearths the neighborhood's freaky and fascinating facts.

The museum's "Sinister Secrets of the Seaport" whisks visitors back in time for a 90-minute walking tour full of true crime tales about theft, organized crime, murder and even pirates. Tours are available for $30-$40/adult. Whether you're a true crime buff or you're just always in the Halloween spirit, these tours make for a memorable afternoon in a historic neighborhood. 

The tour takes on the scandalous, dubious and sinister tales lurking throughout this historic district. While many stories come from the area's crime heyday in the 1800s, some stories stretch back to the 1790s and others up to the 1990s. It's grim subject matter, of course, but it's delivered in a lighthearted way. You'll never see the Seaport in the same way again.

Beautiful, buoyant, beguiling bubbles are back at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) in Queens. The beloved bubbles exhibit, which has been closed for five years, will return bigger, better and bubblier than ever.

The Big Bubble Experiment encourages kids of all ages to experiment and discover through the joy of playing with bubbles. That includes blowing, stretching, popping and looking closely to see what happens at each move. 

The exhibit features 10 stations, each one with different tools and methods for exploring bubble solution.

Majestic, incredible elephants are getting the spotlight in a new exhibit at The American Museum of Natural History. "The Secret World of Elephants" showcases both modern and ancient elephants, offering visitors a chance to see a full-scale model of a woolly mammoth, learn about what elephants eat, touch an elephant's tooth, listen to elephant calls and more.

The exhibition is now open in the museum’s LeFrak Family Gallery. An additional ticket is required to visit the exhibit; museum members can visit for free.

Over the past five years, dozens of significant European painting galleries at The Met have been shuttered as staff restored the museum's skylights and carefully conserved the centuries-old artworks. Now, after years of effort, 45 galleries are finally reopening, showcasing famed works in vivid detail and radiant natural light.

"Look Again: European Paintings 1300–1800" features more than 700 works of art, including pieces by Rembrandt, Caravaggio, and Poussin; the largest collection of 17th-century Dutch art in North America; and the most extensive holdings of El Greco and Goya outside Spain. The galleries have officially re-opened and are ready for visitors.

As they restructured the galleries, curators focused on women artists, as well as the history of class, race, gender and religion in the works. They also added some sculpture and decorative arts pieces into the rooms, as well as some contemporary works in conversation with works from the past. For example, you'll see the work of Dutch masters in dialogue with works by contemporary artist Kerry James Marshall. 

The vibrant, ornate stained glass windows inside Manhattan's historic churches always create a dazzling spectacle. But now, a new long-term art display inspired by those rich colors has unfurled inside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights—the world's largest Gothic cathedral. 

Titled "Divine Pathways," the monumental art installation is made up of more than 1,100 lengths of blue, red and gold fabric. Each ribbon measures 75 feet in length (approximately seven stories high). Combined, they are almost 16 miles long—that's longer than the island of Manhattan!  

St. John the Divine is open daily for self-guided sightseeing tours with a $15/adult admission fee; timed tickets are recommended. "Divine Pathways" will be on view through June 2024. 

There's something unusual "blooming" among Bella Abzug Park's natural fauna.

Part of a solo exhibition of Korean American artist Sui Park, curated by Barbara Stehle and presented by Sapar Contemporary, this outdoor installation in Hudson Yards features the artist's biomorphic sculptures, which are shockingly made using plastic materials like zip ties and fishing line.

For Park, who trained as both an architect and in the ancient art of Korean basketry, "nature is a sacred space that allows her to slow down, consider her surroundings, acknowledge her thoughts, and find inspiration," reads a press release. "With this exhibition, she captures that sentiment using humble materials and reconstructs them into whimsical forms, awakening one’s senses and encouraging others to connect with their thoughts as well as their surroundings."

See the artwork now through fall 2024.

Eighty years ago, as World War II raged on, Danish citizens worked together to ferry 7,000 Jewish people to safety, keeping them out of concentration camps. 

Now, New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is commemorating that anniversary, known as one of the most effective examples of mass resistance in modern history. "Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark," the museum’s first exhibition developed for elementary-age students, is now open.

The exhibit focuses on themes of separation, bravery and resilience to help children ages 9+ reflect on the dangers of prejudice and on their own potential for courageous collective action. 

In New York City, it can be hard to find an apartment with a nice bathtub you'd actually want to soak in. Heck, it can be hard to find an apartment where the shower isn't in a closet in the living room (ahem, this $1.25 million StreetEasy listing).

But now cosmetics company LUSH is solving that very New York problem with a new book-a-bath service just launched this week. In addition to indulgent baths, LUSH Spa Lexington also offers massage treatments and facials, creating a calming oasis near hectic midtown. Find the newly opened spa on the Upper East Side at Lexington Avenue and East 61st Street.

Given the fact that LUSH invented the bath bomb, they’re pros when it comes to bathing. For the book-a-bath experience, head through the store and climb the stairs to the spa. Inside a petite pink-and-white bathroom, a clawfoot tub beckons. Before your bath, a staff member will prepare the water with a Snow Fairy bath bomb, which creates glittery pastel pink water. Plus, they’ll offer a fresh face mask tailored for your skin, a curated playlist and a cup of vegan hot chocolate. 

The days of outdoor tennis in New York City are fleeting, but before it gets too cold to play in the parks, a new indoor tennis facility is opening in Brooklyn. 

Court 16's 26,000-square-foot venue on the fourth floor of City Point will offer seven courts for tennis or pickleball, usable by players at any level and age. To talk serves, swings and after-game plans, a contemporary lounge featuring Ligne Roset designs and the most comprehensive Babolat product line of racquets in New York City will also be on site.

At this new experience in Lower Manhattan, shattering plates, throwing glasses at the wall and smashing laptops isn't just OK—it's encouraged. 

Live Axe's Rage Room, allows visitors to take a crowbar to a printer,  pulverize glassware, shout, stomp and truly let it all out.

The Rage Room is located beneath Live Axe, a popular axe-throwing spot that’s been open since 2020. Before you get to go wild, you’ll meet your “rage captain” who will interview you about what makes you tick, from relationship issues to work problems to political drama. Then, you’ll suit up into head-to-toe gear, including a helmet, eye protection and gloves to make sure you’re safe. (Be sure to wear close-toed shoes and long pants for the experience.)

Here's our first look at the experience.

The phrase “women’s work” is often used derisively to indicate labor that’s seen as “less than,” but a new exhibit at New-York Historical Society reclaims that phrase. Aptly titled "Women's Work," the show chronicles the history of women's contributions to labor and how those efforts are both inherently political and essential to American society. 

The exhibit features dozens of objects in the museum's collection from indenture documents to medical kits to military uniforms. With items ranging from the 1740s to today, the show celebrates the strides society has made in equality while not shying away from highlighting the gender-based inequalities that persist today.

It's on view through August 18, 2024. 

America’s first Black popular music icon is getting his due with a massive new center that houses a 60,000-piece collection and a venue for live music, lectures and screenings.

NYC’s Louis Armstrong House Museum has now opened its new facility, the Louis Armstrong Center—and it’s a big deal!

The space acts as a permanent home for the 60,000-piece Louis Armstrong Archive (the world’s largest for a jazz musician containing photos, recordings, manuscripts, letters & mementos) and a 75-seat venue for performances, lectures, films, and educational experiences, according to a release.

The Center and the historic house are now open to the public Thursdays through Saturdays. Tickets can be purchased at louisarmstronghouse.org. Tours have limited capacity, so book in advance.

Sushidelic, a psychedelic Kawaii-themed sushi restaurant complete with a sushi counter conveyor belt and plenty of kitschy, neon decor is now open at 177 Lafayette Street.

Sushidelic’s menu features sushi dishes that come to you on a conveyor belt, plus more Japanese favorites and vegetarian dishes—all created in collaboration with several Japanese and New York-based chefs, including Hiroki Abe from nearby EN Japanese Brasserie.

A major new exhibit by the Museum of the City of New York titled "This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture" explores NYC through the lenses of visual art, television, film, music, theater, literature and fashion. The exhibition, which celebrates the museum's centennial, is now open in Manhattan. Here's a sneak peek at what you'll see in this landmark show. 

The exhibition highlights more than 400 objects through several sections. The first, called “Tempo of the City,” spotlights the joys and struggles on the streets and subways of NYC. The next, called “Destination NYC,” focuses on iconic and hidden places from parks to rooftops to nightclubs. Next, the exhibit moves to a peaceful room called “At Home in New York” featuring depictions of home life in books and films. Finally, take a seat for “You Are Here,” a compilation of more than 400 film scenes about New York City stitched together to create a stirring narrative that’ll make you smile and laugh. 

"This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture" runs through June 21, 2024 at the Museum of the City of New York in East Harlem. Admission is $20/adult (you can opt for pay-what-you-wish admission if you buy tickets in person at the museum).

A vibrant new sculpture called “Old Tree” is now on view at the High Line. 

Find it over the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street, claiming residency through Fall 2024. Created by Zurich-based artist Pamela Rosenkranz, the vivid sculpture is the third High Line Plinth commission, which changes every 18 months.

The pink and red “Old Tree” sculpture stretches 25 feet into the sky. It's shaped like a realistic tree but constructed completely from man-made materials. 

On a typical visit to the Museum of Modern Art, crowds surround the most precious paintings, and it can be tough to squeeze your way in for a photo, let alone to admire the artwork’s brushstrokes. But now, thanks to these new exclusive tours by GetYourGuide, you can get in before the museum opens for a guided tour of amazing artwork. 

The new MoMA Before Hours Tour with Art Expert is now available. Tickets are on sale here for $99/person. Few New York City experiences compare to the absolute thrill of gazing at famed works of art uninterrupted for as long as you like.  

Many museums start with some kind of orientation, like a map or remarks from a docent. But not The House of Cannabis (a.k.a. THC NYC), the new weed museum now open in Soho. Instead, this museum starts, quite fittingly, with a trippy “Disorientation Room.”

While the museum boasts plenty of mind-bending multi-sensory bells and whistles, it also showcases art, highlights science and confronts the social justice issues baked into cannabis prosecution. The museum, the first of its kind at this scale, packs every inch of its four-story, 25,000-square-foot space at 427 Broadway with fascinating facts and delightful immersive experiences fit to entertain both tokers and non-smokers alike. Tickets ($45/adult) are on sale now.

Find your latest read at The Free Black Women’s Library, a new free library in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood, which also serves as a social art project, a reading room, a co-working space and a community gathering center. The library "celebrates the brilliance, diversity and imagination of Black women and Black non-binary authors." All 5,000 books in the library's collection are written by Black women and non-binary authors.

Here's how it works: Anybody can visit the space to read, work or hang out. If you want to take a book home, simply bring a book written by a Black woman or Black non-binary author, and you can trade. Whether you decide to bring the book back after you're done reading or keep it for your collection is up to you.

The library is currently open four days per week (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) at 226 Marcus Garvey Boulevard. In addition to offering a space to read or work, the library has also hosts a book club, art shows and workshops on topics like writing, drawing, poetry, painting and sewing. All are welcome. 

New York City is full of free outdoor art that you don't even have to go to a museum to see. Sculptures, murals and photographs can be found in its parks, sidewalks and on its buildings! 

An outdoor artwalk makes for a perfect fall activity, and there's no shortage of art to check out right now. Best of all, it costs you nothing to pay a visit.

With indoor and outdoor options, Carreau Club, the nation’s first pétanque bar, offers a fun spot to get your game on while sipping a drink.

For the uninitiated, pétanque (pronounced puh-TONK) is a bocce-ball style French boules sport gaining popularity in the U.S., starting here in NYC.

Carreau Club operates primarily as a walk-in pétanque club and reservations are not required. But you can book a court in advance for a single party or multiple courts for larger groups. Reservations cost $50/court/hour.

The New York Public Library dug through its expansive and centuries-spanning archive to stage an impressive free exhibition filled with cultural artifacts. "The Polonsky Exhibition of New York Public Library’s Treasures" spans 4,000 years of history and includes a wide range of history-making pieces, including the only surviving letter from Christoper Columbus announcing his “discovery” of the Americas to King Ferdinand’s court and the first Gutenberg Bible brought over to the Americas.

New treasures were just added to the exhibit this fall, including a signed, first edition copy of "Passing" by Nella Larsen, a selection of manuscript pages from "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, and a miniature early 19th-century Qur’an, produced in Turkey.

Have some fun this week and go check out Gamehaus, a giant new arcade and beer hall just opened in Long Island City. This 5,000-square-foot multifunctional space features a dozen large-screen TVs, classic video games and loads of beers.

Classic arcade games include Atari Pong, Ms. Pacman, Jurassic Park, Pop-a-Shot and Skee Ball.

Swingers NoMad, a "crazy mini-golf course" and entertainment complex straight from London, offers three nine-hole golf courses across 23,000 square feet under 20-foot-high ceilings.

"Crazy golf" is a British spin on mini-golf, but it's for a 21-and-over audience since craft cocktails are served by caddies on the course. Take your pick from six cocktail bars with signature classic cocktails, as well as 12 cocktails created specifically for Swingers NoMad. Plus, you can rent private rooms, check out an opulent clubhouse and enjoy four gourmet street food vendors—Sauce Pizzeria, Miznon, Fonda and Mah Ze Dahr Bakery.

For the holiday season, Swingers is offering a fun twist on the festivities: Spin a Naughty-or-Nice Prize Wheel to decide whether you're ordering the "Naughty" Sex on the Green shot or the "Nice" Festive Dessert. In addition to the game, there's also seasonal decor and even more holiday drinks.

Join Josh Johnson (Comedy Central's The Daily Show), Lucas Connolly (Comedy Central), and Brittany Cardwell (Drule, New York Comedy Fest) for stacked lineups of top comics from NYC and beyond every Wednesday at 7:30pm. 

Plus you can enjoy free beer from 7:30 to 8pm and there's a pizza raffle if you RSVP. What's not to love? Show up to Two Boots Williamsburg for the show.

Artshack Cafe offers everything on its menu on ceramic pieces made in-house. What’s more, according to an official statement by the cafe, patrons are asked to “help reduce waste by bringing their own cups.” Looking for a coffee to-go? Expect it served in a ceramic to-go cup. The cafe is part of Artshack Brooklyn, a community-based ceramics studio that offers both free and subsidized programming for adults and children alike. In addition to not using single-use products, standout features of the Bed-Stuy cafe at 1129 Bedford Avenue by Monroe Street include an anti-racism library and a number of chairs shaped like bunnies that will make anyone’s selected orders from chef Silvia Barban’s menu taste that much better.

Descend into The Django (l2 6th Avenue, The Roxy Hotel, Cellar Level) and you’ll feel like you’ve entered another world. The subterranean jazz club, with its vaulted ceilings and exposed brick walls, was modeled after the boîtes of Paris. The venue consists of two cocktail bars, an open dining space, and a stage for live performances with a state-of-the-art sound system. The Django offers a full dinner menu and handcrafted cocktails, all partnered with a brilliant entertainment lineup. Check out the schedule here.

Superstorm Sandy devastated New York City, destroying homes and businesses, but it also flooded the New York Aquarium so badly that parts of it have been closed to the public for the past decade. Now, after completely rebuilding these galleries with help from FEMA, New York State and New York City, NY Aquarium is open in full—you can see all of it—"Spineless," the PlayQuarium, "Ocean Wonders: Sharks!" Glover’s Reef, the Conservation Hall, the Sea Cliffs, the Aquatheater, the Seaside Café and more.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Date Nights" give visitors an opportunity to become acquainted with artwork with informal drop-in gallery chats, listen in on gorgeous live music and sip on yummy cocktails.

"Date Nights" are held every Friday and Saturday night in the American Wing Café from 5pm to 9pm. Make it a night out with The Met's buy-one-get-one drink special and snack on light bites in the American Wing Café. More details can be found at metmuseum.org/datenight. 

There's literally no excuse not to go—the date nights come with museum admission, which is always pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents and NY, NJ, and CT students with valid ID. And this time, advance tickets are not required. 

The luxurious Italian wellness spa QC NY has opened to the public, bringing the elegance and rejuvenation of a European spa to Governors Island, but with New York City flavor. It's immediately clear when you enter the spa that it was made to feel like home. From its cozy reception area decorated with custom-made furniture from Italy to its welcoming relaxation spaces with plush leather chairs and massive pillows you can sprawl out on, it feels like you're staying at a retreat with New York Harbor views. Since it's on the edge of the island, a short walk from Soissons Landing, looking out the windows offers gorgeous blue water views and glimpses of the city skyline. Because of its layout, the spa feels secluded from the rest of the island. Click through to read more about the new spa.

A new audio tour by the Brooklyn Public Library seeks to explore the lives of the characters and authors that call the borough home in fiction and in real life. From Patti Smith to Biggie Smalls, Howard Zinn to Tanwi Nandini Islam, the guide covers a total of 16 writers over eight miles of Brooklyn. You can also expect to stop at important public libraries the likes of Washington Irving and Clinton Hill, which, according to an official press release, "played an important role in the lives of the featured author[s]." Expect the entire tour, which can virtually start off from anywhere in Brooklyn, to take at least two hours to complete, depending on how many stops you wish to make along the way.