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.
There is still time to catch the last week of the three-week Modern Beethoven Festival which already began on March 1st and continues until March 20th.
David Zinman
Conductor and Beethoven expert David Zinman will lead the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in a wonderful way which promises to give audiences the feeling that they are hearing this music for the very first time.
Zinman is a native New Yorker and the chief conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich. He recorded “Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies” in 1999 before which time he spent ten years imagining what Beethoven’s music should really sound like, researching how performances were actually conducted at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries.
Each symphony will feature one of the following soloists: Peter Serkin, Alisa Weilerstein or Gil Shaham. For more information visit NYC-ARTS.
The Signature Theater was founded in 1991 by James Houghton. Houghton’s goal was to explore and celebrate playwrights in a deeper way, frequently devoting an entire season of performances to works by one living contemporary writer.
This year the theater moved to its new home, a space designed by the illustrious architect Frank Gehry in such a way as to give form to the lofty ambitions of Houghton’s dream.
The Signature Center is now the home to three major Off-Broadway venues: a 299-seat main stage; a 199-seat miniature opera house; and a versatile courtyard theater named in honor of the late Romulus Linney.
If you come today at 2pm, Sunday February 26th, you will be able to enjoy the remake of Athol Fugard’s 1961 allegory about racism, Blood Knot. More performances of this tale about two brothers from South Africa will take place at the following times:
Tue 7:30pm; Wed 2pm, 7:30pm; Mar 01 – Mar 02 7:30pm; Mar 03 2pm, 8pm. Ending: Sun Mar 11 2pm.
For more information call (212) 244-7529
Pershing Square Signature Center is located at 480 West 42nd at Tenth Avenue
If your special beloved loves candy and/or flowers, then there is no shortage of choices of those standard gifts which will show you went out of your way to find something really special.
Max Brenner Chocolate
• Chocolate by the Bald Man: At 841 Broadway you will find the very special chocolate home of Max Brenner, a company that does not balk at the chocolaty unusual, such as chocolate filled bagels, pizza topped with chocolate and even fudge! You can believe they will be going all out for Valentine’s with a Chocolate Love Box, Chocolate Spa Gift assortments, or how about Max’s Valentine Love. Give them a call, or just stop by. 646-467-8803, Union Square, Manhattan.
• Starbright Floral Design: Much more than just a place to get flowers, on hand at 150 West 28th Street in Chelsea is a complete gardening department store with shrubs,
Starbright Floral Design
bamboo, outdoor plants, and flowers, too. They offer services such as plantscaping and custom arrangements. For Valentine’s pick from amazing bouquets of roses such as ‘Be My Love,’ ‘Always on My Mind,’ and ‘Make Me Blush’ are a small sample of what’s available. 800-520-8999, Chelsea, Manhattan.
• Katrina Parris Flowers: At 191 Lenox Avenue you will find the beautiful, award-winning selection of boutique flowers designed by owners and husband and wife team of Katrina Parris and Mark Pinn. They create elegant and unusual arrangements for all occasions, and also for Valentine’s Day. Famous for their incredible attention to
Katrina Parris Flowers
detail they display their flowers for weddings, corporate events, and other times when flowers provide just the right touch. Also offered are free group workshops on the basic rules of flower selection, design principles and care. 212-222-7030, Harlem, Manhattan.
Kids’ Night Out on Broadway is a fantastic way to take your children out for an unforgettable experience, and not have to mortgage the house to do it. From February 5th through the 9th, kids between the ages of 6 and 18 can get a free ticket to a Broadway show when they are accompanied by an adult with a full price ticket.
The list of shows from which to choose is long, including such incredible productions as The Lion King, Anything Goes, Sister Act, and many more. There are several off-Broadway shows also available, such as Rent, Stomp, Avenue Q, and others.
As an added bonus, those participating in KNOB are invited to Madame Tussauds for a pre-theater party on February 7th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. The event is free to kids and one parent or guardian who has a KNOB ticket for a participating show. Kids will meet many cast members, participate in a variety of fun programming, and will get to explore the world-renowned wax museum. Madame Tussauds is located at 234 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues.
Who says you get what you pay for? If you are looking for something really special to do, consider the salute to New York-based artist and filmmaker Bill Morrison which will be held, for free, at the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center.
Not only will you be enthralled by the silent films of Morrison from January 31st through February 3rd, but the first and last films will be accompanied with the performance of live music.
This series of screenings will examine a selection of some of Morrison’s major works which were all done in collaboration with some of today’s most exceptional new-music composers.
On January 31st ‘The Miners’ Hymms,’ Morrison’s paean to the coal mining culture of northeastern England, will be accompanied by a brass-filled score by the renown electronic composer hailing from Iceland, Jóhann Jóhannsson. Performing the piece will be The Wordless Music Orchestra.
All the films in the series will begin at 7:30pm, and are free of charge. This program is probably one of New York’s most “worth-it” events, a great experience at no cost. Run, don’t walk!
First time to New York? You might want to consider the perfect way to introduce yourself to all the wonder and excitement that New York has to offer. On the second floor of the most famous building in the world, the Empire State Building is a simulated skyride narrated by actor Kevin Bacon, which takes you on a half hour fantastic adventure across the iconic New York skyline to visit almost three dozen of New York’s most incredible landmarks.
Visitors stand on a specially engineered platform before an 18-foot high-definition screen, and feel like they are on a magical voyage of exploration. When you are finished, it is just a step away to visit the must-see Observatory, where the magic of New York truly comes to life.
Enjoy the New York Jewish Film Festival from January 11 through January 26. This is an annual event celebrating its 21st year of bringing the most innovative and provocative films which focus on the Jewish experience throughout the world to the people of New York.
The Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center together present these less well known films, which sometimes go on to become quite successful, gaining entry into theaters around the country and broadcasts on television. Ajam was one such movie; a crime thriller shot on the streets of Jaffa in Israel, which was featured in the 2010 New York Jewish Film Festival and went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film.
For more information visit the web site of the Jewish Museum.
Four Hundred Miles to Freedom is just one of the many fascinating films which will be shown at the festival.
This year’s celebration of the Chinese New Year coincides with the 100th anniversary of the founding of modern China. According to one opinion this year marks the 4709th year since the adoption of the Chinese calendar, and beginning on January 23rd, 2012, it is the year of the dragon. (Many hold that since the Chinese calendar is cyclical it is not relevant to give a number to the years that are passing.)
No matter which version of the Chinese calendar you adhere to, there is no question that the Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in the
Year of the Dragon
traditional Chinese calendar, and is celebrated with great joy. The New York Chinese Cultural Center invites everyone to celebrate the coming year of the dragon on January 28th, 2012, from 1pm until 4pm at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center.
This celebration will be the biggest of its kind on the entire East Coast. To make this day even more special, for the first time in history there will be an indoor family cultural day event on the Chinese New Year for all New Yorkers to share in.
The festival will begin with arts and crafts for children and their parents. For about 90 minutes participants will try their hands at paper cutting, making dough figurines, having their faces painted, and calligraphy workshops. There will be entertainment on stage, with the traditional lion dance, folk dances, Shaolin Kung Fu acrobats, and wonderful music ensembles. All the programs are free to the public.
The Winter Garden, World Financial Center is located at 220 Vesey Street in lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City.
The most famous place to bring in the New Year is without a doubt Times Square. This is where the famous ball descends along its path on a flagpole atop number One Times Square at exactly 11:59pm, taking 60 seconds to make its way to the bottom, when the New Year officially begins on the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Billions of people can watch this event on television or over the internet worldwide, but those who are lucky enough to be in New York for New Year’s Eve will have a real treat this year. Beginning at 4pm the usually bustling Times Square ‘bow-tie’ intersection is closed to traffic, and people begin arriving. The revelers are placed into viewing areas by the police officers, and as one area becomes full, another section begins to fill with revelers.
From 6pm until 6:03pm there is a ceremony to light and raise the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball into place. The organizers of the event, Tim Tompkins and Jeffrey Straus, together with a few representatives of the Philips Lighting Company will flip the huge switch to light the Ball and begin its rise to the top of the pole to the accompaniment of some cool pyrotechnic effects.
The rest of the evening is filled with exciting surprises and entertainment, including the distribution of tens of thousands of hats, balloons, and lip balm in preparation for the famous midnight kiss. As midnight approaches wishes are read from the “confetti wishes” which are thrown up at the arrival of the new year, while there is a constant flow of singers, dancers, speakers and pyrotechnics to make sure the crowd of revelers is having the absolutely best time possible.
At 11pm Lady Gaga will perform, and from 11:53 pm until 11:59 there will be a special performance of the song “Imagine” by an as yet unannounced performer.
At 11:59pm New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will have the honor of pressing the button which brings the New Year’s Eve Ball down the 70 foot pole in its world famous 60 second descent. As it arrive at the bottom, the ball’s lights go dark and the numerals 2012 blaze on, signaling the moment of the beginning of the New Year.
