New York’s tourism board recently reported that they are looking for volunteers to scout out the state’s most colorful and vivacious foliage.
After the long winter and summer months, and with the almost urgent need to safely escape the confines of pandemic imposed lockdown, New York State is offering foliage-infatuated residents a great opportunity: an official voluntary position as a I LOVE NY Leaf Peeper.
Only full time New York state and city dwellers can apply. Volunteers must commit to to tracking leafy areas from September to mid-November. The position also requires the submission of weekly detailed foliage reports that include location, percentage of leaves expected to change within the coming days, and vivid color descriptions.
Contributions made by Leaf Peepers are collated and included in I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report, the official state and city guides on the best autumn foliage spots. Leaf Peepers are also featured on the tourism board’s website and have their photos shared on related social media platforms.
If you are
like me then you are probably wondering how it can possible be July already.
But however, you are reacting to the beginning of summer vacation, there is no
question that there is no lack of what to do every single day, and every night.
For a nice
list of something to do all 31 days in July check this out.
The
following are just a small sample of the fun you can have, if you so choose, in
the great Big Apple. Many of the following are FREE. Just take a bite!
July 4th: Don’t miss the amazing, traditional Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, at the southern tip of Brooklyn.
July 7th: International African Arts Festival at Commodore Barry Park, Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
July 11th: Go see Moulin Rouge at the Al Hirschfeld Theater in Manhattan’s theater district, in other words, Broadway.
July 12th and 13th:Jennifer Lopez is performing in honor of her birthday at Madison Square Garden.
July 16 – August 23rd : Go see Corionalus at the Delacorte Theater as part of the Shakespeare in the Park Festival in Central Park.
July 21st: Go have a blast at the Rubin Museum Block Party. The yearly event starts at 1PM and ends at 4PM, in Chelsea, lower Manhattan.
July 26th: Jeff Tweedy will perform at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. Starts at 7:30PM, at Damrosch Park, on West 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.
PJ Harvey @ Coachella 2011. Photo courtesy of PJ Harvey.
Free this evening? There are all sorts of events and parties to choose from, every night of the week. Here is what’s going on just this coming Wednesday, July 19, 2017.
Cruising has never been so convenient and easy. The fun starts at 6:30pm from Pier 15 at 78 South Street, Pavillion 2, at Fletcher. For a mere $20 you will sail up the great Hudson River on Hornblower’s Sensation. You will get to dance your heart out to live DJ’s music on all of the boats three decks. Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection wines will also be on hand, as will some light snacks and a temporary tatoo bar called Tatty’s.
The Hudson River will also be the backdrop for a just-like-the-old-days outdoor movie. Come to Pier 1 at Riverside Park at 7pm for a free showing of the Barbra Streisand comedy “What’s Up, Doc?” Released in 1972, you will probably laugh until you cry while you watch Barbra, Ryan O’Neil and Madeline Kahn go screwy all over the big screen.
Do you have some money left in your entertainment budget? The why not spend a mere $49.50 on a ticket to see PJ Harvey in Central Park. This alt-rock icon will be giving a benefit performance at the Rumsey Playfield at 8:30pm in the wake of her recent release of “The Hope Six Demolition Project.”
From May 15 until June 20, 2015, on Friday’s and Saturdays at 12pm, visitors to Central Park can explore the less well-known north end of the park. The non-profit public arts organization known as Creative Time, along with the Central Park Conservancy is sponsoring a tour which will follow a winding pathway to some of Central Park’s more wonderful features.
Participants will visit the Harlem Meer, Great Hill, and the Conservatory Garden. Along the meandering path a wonderful selection of innovative art works will come into view, created specifically for Central Park and its unique landscape.
The tour is free, and is the key event of the Central Park Conservancy’s 35th Anniversary celebration.
Other features of the north end of the park include Huddlestone Arch, the Harlem Meer and the Loch. Many consider the Huddlestone Arch the most surprising of the park’s many arches. Designed in 1866 by Calvery Vaux, it is built without the use of mortar or any other binding material. Only gravity and pressure are holding this arch together.
The Harlem Meer, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Vaux is a man-made lake which memorializes what was the separate village of Harlem. Fishing in permitted in the lake and visitors can expect to see turtles, waterfowl as well as fish in the thriving habitat created by the Meer, which means ‘lake’ in Dutch.
The Loch, which is the Scottish word for ‘lake,’ winds through the Ravine. It is fed by a natural watercourse and flows under Glen Span and Huddlestone arches and then connects to the Meer. The stream was also designed by Olmsted and Vaux, and has several dams creating three beautiful waterfalls.
If you haven’t been to Central Park recently, or even if you have, it’s always an invigorating experience to explore the many beautiful features of this incredible New York wonder.
Its summer, yea!! Summer means the beach, the pool, air-conditioned museums, but best of all, fantastic festivals. Here is a short list of some of the city’s most exciting outdoor parties.
* In the “free department” is the Madison Square Park Kids Concerts. Beginning already in June, these high-quality, high entertainment value shows will continue throughout July every Tuesday and Thursday until August 5th. Well worth the effort, and not to mention the price.
Adventures NYC
* In Central Park, at the band-shell, kids and their families can experience the fun of the great outdoors without leaving town. Kayaking, fishing lessons and a rock climbing zone will enthrall kids of all ages. There will also be an opportunity to meet the NY Liberty basketball team. Live music free bike rentals and bike helmet giveaways make Adventures NYC an amazing activity for families. Even more amazing, it’s all absolutely free.
* Bryant Park Summer Film Festival is another free activity which presents movies on a weekly basis every Monday all summer long. See flicks like the 1940 “The Mark of Zorro,” “Karate Kid,” and “Lover Come Back.” The lawn opens up at 5pm and the film begins as the sun sets.
It’s August, and the people of New York are taking back their streets! That’s right, for the fifth consecutive summer pedestrians rule on three Saturdays in a row beginning on August 4th, from 7am until 1pm on almost 7 miles of New York’s beautiful streets.
From the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park and on Park Avenue, and on the connecting streets cars, busses, cabs and motorcycles will be banished to be replaced by bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, and just plain feet.
On 51st Street stop by and pick up a free bike helmet, and at Foley Square take to the skies on a real urban zip line. There will be a climbing wall, urban art and a Whole Foods Market on hand to round out the strolling experience.
Everything is free on August 4, 11 and 18- so come on down and experience New York in a whole new way.
Spring has sprung, and what better way to enjoy the warming, blooming city, than with a bike ride through Central Park.
Bikers can choose to go out on their own, exploring the many gorgeous nooks and crannies that make this incredible inner city park one of New York’s favorite attractions; or they can participate in a guided tour throughout the magnificent park, visiting some of the highlights of the park, including: Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle, Wollman Rink and lots more.
There are additional tours available touching on some fascinating themes such as the Movie Scene Tour in which bikers spend their two-hour tour visiting the spots where many scenes from famous movies were filmed, such as scenes from “When Harry Met Sally,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” and “August Rush.”
Also available are the Arts and Architecture Tour and a Central Park Walking Tour. Biking and/or walking through this historic park, one of the greatest public spaces on earth, is an experience not easily forgotten.
Fall is a great time to be in New York. The weather is perfect, the leaves are gorgeous, and the events are endless. Here are just a few things to do this autumn which go beyond the usual and are guaranteed to be memorable.
Jane's Carousel
• The restored 1922 carousel at the Empire and Fulton Ferry Park (Brooklyn Bridge Park) will be the centerpiece of the newly renovated and reopened waterside park in DUMBO. September 16 was the opening date, and new lighting at the site will keep the park open into the evening for the first time. Empire–Fulton Ferry Park, Dock St at the East River, Dumbo, Brooklyn (718-802-0603, janescarousel.com). Mon, Tue–Sun 11am–7pm, through Nov 5; Thu–Sun 11am–6pm through Apr 5. $2.
• There is no need to leave the city to see the colorful display of autumn leaves Mother Nature organizes for us each year. Check out the view in Central Park as you stroll down the 1.58 mile track which encircles the Reservoir. You can also see the leaves in Prospect Park. Observe the leaves of ash, tulip and other trees as they turn bright orange and red reflected in the ponds along the ravine trails which are found between the Nethermead and Long Meadow.
Bear Mountain Inn
• Circle Line Cruises is offering a special trip to Bear Mountain until the end of October. Sail up the Hudson, disembark at Bear Mountain State Park, and enjoy a beer and a hike during the three hour stop over until the return trip. Bear Mountain offers over one hundred miles of trails for hikers and bikers, and the beer is flowing at the Bear Mountain Inn where you can catch the celebration of Oktoberfest. Pier 83, W 42nd St at the Hudson River (circleline42.com). Sat, Sun 8:30am–5:30pm; $50, with bike rental $79. Sept 17–Oct 30.
June is a great month to feast on some of New York’s special theatrical presentations. From Broadway to Central Park to some less known venues, treat yourself to some amazing performances this month.
• Fish Eye: Playwright Lucas Kavner brings to life the love story of Max (Joe Tippett) and Anna (Betty Gilpin) which is a told in a loopy, time-warped fashion, but the narrative is never disjointed. Adrienne Campbell-Holt, director, makes sure everything runs smoothly while the cast delivers natural, convincing performances. Catch “Fish Eye” until June 18th at the HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue, $18. Phone 2112-352-3101 for more information.
• All’s Well That Ends Well: Until June 11th you can bask in the wonderful New York tradition of enjoying, for free, a Shakespeare play in Central Park. One of Shakespeare’s ‘tragicomedies.’ The story tells the unlikely romance of Helena, a simple doctor’s daughter, to Count Bertram, an unwilling partner in this forced marriage, believing that he is marrying below his station. The play is full of twists and turns, one of Shakespeare’s “bed trick” plays, a case of mistaken identity during a sexual encounter. Delacorte Theater, June 11th through July 30th.
Shakespeare in the Park
• Best of Broadway 2011: Fast-paced, great songs, fabulous dancing and exciting staging and choreography will make you glad you stepped out for some great musical nostalgia. Check it out at the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City, 2831 Boardwalk, 800-843-8767
