Musicians all across Manhattan are playing al fresco in the hopes of earning some money and lifting morale. For many New Yorkers, the sounds and sights of musical ensembles on city streets and in parks is a much-needed sign of promise and resilience.
Since June, for example, Prospect Park’s entrance plaza has been the regular stage for Wayne Tucker and Bad Motha’s. They started playing outside because they missed the thrill of playing for crowds.
All of the city’s 2,400 indoor performance spaces have been closed since March when the pandemic began and New York issued lockdown orders. The improvised outdoor shows are kindling a connection and comradery that is healing for both the musicians and the city dwellers.
As many performances have migrated to virtual spaces since the coronavirus took hold across the world, it has not been easy to keep up with the sheer quantity of cultural opportunities. Particularly the digital dance world has commissioned all kinds of works and adapted countless choreographies for screens new works for the screen.
But some establishments have chosen to reflect on the talents already existent in their mist, finding archival materials and unaired footage of past shows. The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s website now features a section entitled Love From the BAM Hamm Archives which includes more than two dozen interviews, routines, recitals, and presentations since 2008.
Among the featured dance acts are John Jasperse’s “Remains,” which debuted in 2016 at the Next Wave Festival, and “Expressions and Encounters: African, Cuban, and American Rhythms,” a DanceAfrica 2011 show. The credits for each video lead viewers to related archival materials including billboard posters, photos, program books, etc.
While official tourism data suggest a bleak summer, some brave visitors are making their way to the Big Apple. After months of being cooped up indoors, cooking countless meals, tourists are eager to experience new tastes and culinary favorites.
New York City’s Broadway and the museum scenes might be closed, but the sidewalk and rooftop dining options are booming.
There are also open street fairs, verdant parks, breathtaking architecture on every block, bridges, ferries, and bike-riding trails throughout all the five boroughs. If you can get to New York safely, and don’t come from a state requiring quarantine upon your arrival, a fun, food-filled, relatively affordable vacation is still possible.
The city that never sleeps is currently taking a nap. All the things that make New York City the vibrant, exciting, and enchanting place that it is have modified their programming and reaching customers despite the current restrictions. There are plenty of the city’s finest haunts and jaunts available to enjoy virtually.
Social distancing, school lockdowns, and stay at home orders have made the days of the week virtually indistinguishable. Rosé Mansion makes sure you launch your weekend off right by offering virtual happy hours every week! They even have customized Zoom Backgrounds so you can feel like you are in your favorite mansion room. No happy hour is complete without a glass of wine, and Rose’ Mansion has got you covered. They will deliver a 6 or 12 pack of wine—produced by small businesses—right to your door. And while down your drink you can feel good about giving to charity too: 100% of the money from the online sales go toward paying the staff and reopening the bar.
If you are missing the sounds and beats of New York, you can check out the Music for the Soul of NYC’s Health + Hospitals Heroes. This new series brings inspiration and comfort to the 43,000 staff at NYC’s 11 public hospitals and their patients. It is providing paid work for musicians and features professional NYC musicians performing songs requested by health workers and patients at NYC public hospitals. Music for the Soul is livestreamed on NYC Health + Hospital’s Facebook page every day from noon-1pm.
Thought Gallery is live-streaming hundreds of talks, lectures, performances, and cultural events to enjoy. If you like to curl up with a good book, The New York Public Library is offering access to more than 300,000 FREE e-books and e-audio books during this crisis.
New Yorkers and Big Apple tourists are all impacted by
COVID-19. But not even the raging pandemic can put New York City’s culture to
rest. Check out this list for those looking for some good, old-fashioned New
York fun to enjoy from the safety and coziness of your own home.
The Metropolitan Opera is offering live audio streams of most performances. Some of Broadway’s best musicals are available for viewing on stage but at home. Netflix, AmazonPrime, BroadwayHD, and others are offering classics like Rent, Cats, and Kiss Me, Kate. Check provider websites for full listings.
New York Operas are being audio streamed for home-bound listeners
No matter how you get your New York fix these days, keep
yourself New York ready- and healthy- for when you can finally get back to all
your favorite spots.
The 9th annual Savor the Bronx restaurant week is running through Jan. 17 2020. The Bronx is a fun place to visit even when it is not restaurant week. Now it is well worth a trip to taste some of the Italian, Asian, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines on offer.
sample dishes on offer during Savor the Bronx restaurant events
45 eateries in the Bronx, representing the borough’s cultural and culinary diversity, are offering discounts and specials.
The place to be for jazz lovers this summer is New York City. With such stars as the Charles McPherson Quintet, Julian Lee, and the Jon Irabagon Quartet, there is something for everyone to love.
On August 2 treat yourself to a fantastic concert with the Jon Irabagon Quartet. Irabagon is the winner of the 2008 Thelonius Monk Saxophone Competition and the New York City Jazz Record’s 2012 Musician of the Year.
Joining him as part of the quartet is Billy Drummond on drums; bassist Yasushi; and pianist Luis Perdomo.
In New York Irabagon is an up and coming performer in the New York music world. He is a member of several ensembles, including “Mostly Other People Do the Killing” and the “Mary Halvorson Quintet.”
The concert is on Tuesday, August 2, at 7:30pm and 9:30pm, will mostly explore the more swinging style of Irabagon, performing pieces from his well-received 2015 album “Behind the Sky.” The venue is Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Broadway and 60th Street, on the fifth floor.
Here are a few bars with something unique to offer along with a pint or a lovely glass of wine.
Frying Pan: This unusual bar & grill was built in 1929 as a floating lightship to guard a place called Frying Pan Shoals 30 miles off the coast of Cape Fear, North Carolina. At some point in the boats history she was abandoned for ten years, and then sank. After three years submerged, she was salvaged and then bought by today’s owners. In 1989 the boat, with a new engine and completely refurbished, sailed to New York City. Today Frying Pan is docked at Pier 66a in the Hudson River Park at West 26th Avenue. The owners chose to restore the outside of the boat to her original look, but the inside maintains a barnacle covered, sunken ship motif.
Floyd, NY: Owners Pam and Jim Carden took a liquor store and recreated a rural tavern the likes of which can be found in Pam’s hometown of Floyd, Iowa. To create such an atmosphere the Cardens added a jukebox with great Hank Williams tunes and songs from the Bad Liver. The premises sport tin ceilings, a rescued 1870s era bar, and even polite bartenders. Even more impressive is the indoor bocce game, sand and all.
Gallow Green: Talk about street theater- this luscious green rooftop bar features actors who never leave character, chatting up the patrons in a decidedly historical manner. Located on top of the McKittrick Hotel which houses the immersive theater extravaganza “Sleep No More,” a night out at this bar is sure to create lasting memories, and make you smile.
Did you know that Late Night Basement in Brooklyn hosts a free show once a month? Well now that you know, you still have time to check out this month’s addition on Friday night, May 9th. Chris Rose will host four fabulous comics: Jon Benjamin, Walter Martin, Michelle Wolf, and Jared Logan.
In case you missed who Chris Rose is, well, he’s the guy that interviewed Williamsburg residents about their opinion of Guy Fieri opening a new restaurant right in the nabe. (It was just a joke, so calm down.) The video of this prank went viral, and now Chris is famous. Sort of. Well, at least we know he’s funny.
While supplies last there will be a two-for-one beer offer thanks to local brewer HEAVY SEAS. DJ TREATZ will also be playing a unique mixture of indie pop and Beyonce. Late Night Basement happens at Pine Box Rock Shop at 12 Grattan Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
How about something really different? Every Friday at midnight you can check out “Karaoke Killed the Cat” at Union Hall, 702 Union Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The atmosphere is wild as a “karaoke dance party” ensues under the instigation of co-hosts Chris Goldteeth and Lord Easy. Those who dare get to choose from over 18,000 tunes to sing along with while the rest of the guests are enthralled by the antics of Goldteeth and Easy as they act as back-up singers, dancers, or even start water-gun fights while the music is playing.
Mr. Goldteeth explains that, “We do our best to rev the crowd up so everyone feels like a star.”
Join in the fun and feel like a star. There’s nothing to lose, since it’s absolutely free.
