Month: July 2014

5 Can’t Miss Events This Week in NYC

This week in NYC we have soccer, country music, and Park Avenue is shutting down for a party:

Manchester City take on Liverpool in a friendly at Yankee Stadium Wednesday, July 30

Photo: worldsoccertalk.com

Blake Shelton take on Madison Square Garden Friday, August 1

Photo: thegarden.com

Summer Streets is back to its old ways, closing down Park Ave all day Saturday, August 2

Photo: nyc.gov

The Museum of the Moving Image will be hosting a special screening and event with Film Critic Kenneth Turan Sunday, August 3

Photo: movinimage.us

The Prospect Park Food Truck Rally can be enjoyed by all Sunday, August 3

Photo: prospectpark.org

Harlem Week Celebrates 40 Years

Photo: harlemweek.org

It’s pretty incredible, actually. One of New York City’s richest cultural neighborhoods is hosting its 40^th annual celebration beginning this Sunday July 27. Sure, Harlem has had its ups and downs as a neighborhood over the past 100 years, but now, in 2014, it is flourishing as well as it ever has before which makes this year’s Harlem Week festivities even more special.

This Sunday kicks the “week” off in extravagant fashion with “A Great Day in Harlem,” a full-day family-oriented event expected to draw crowds upwards of 40,000 people. The bulk of the party will be held at Grant’s Tomb on 122^nd and Riverside and is entirely free. There will be arts, crafts, food, gospel, fashion, and it will all be capped with “A Concert Under The Stars” to end the night. Of all the Harlem Week events, opening day is definitely one you don’t want to miss. (Side note: We can all agree that the US Grant National Memorial is one of the most underrated monuments in NYC, right? Even if you can’t make it Sunday, you should definitely check it out sometime while you’re in town.)

Photo: apollotheater.org

Harlem week will continue throughout August with events being held mostly on weekends. Everything from Senior Citizens Day to the Tri-State Jr. Tennis Classic to the always famous “Summer in the City” party will be celebrated with festivals, food, music, and games in honor of bringing the incredible culture of this great neighborhood to the forefront of our city’s attention.

Harlem Week comes to a close on Saturday August 23 with a pair of events that should not be missed. First, during the day Rucker Park will be hosting the Golden Hoops showcase featuring some of the best young basketball talent in the region. Then at 7 p.m. on the Great Lawn in St. Nicholas Park, ImagineNation is bringing the Outdoor Film Festival to Harlem Week.

For a full list of events with times and dates and locations, check out the Harlem Week website. Which Harlem Week events are you most excited for? Tell us on Twitter at @GrayLineNewYork!

5 Can’t Miss Events This Week in NYC

NYC Restaurant Week, Juicy J and poetry highlight this week in NYC:

Take advantage of deals on some of the best cuisine in NYC during Restaurant Week Begins Monday, July 21.

Photo: diytravelers.com

Catch Juicy J on his ‘Never Sober’ tour at Terminal 5 Tuesday, July 22

Photo: The Source

Rock out with Teenage Fanclub, Honeyblood and Saint Rich at Hudson River Park Thursday, July 24

Photo: Teenage Fanclub

Enjoy dance and the Native American culture during the 36th Annual Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Pow Wow at Queens Farm on Friday, July 25

Photo: TimesLedger.com

New York City Poetry Festival on Governors Island July 26-27

Photo: Augury Books

5 Can’t Miss Events This Week in NYC

Bruno Mars, Mobb Deep, and Looney Tunes highlight the best evens in NYC this week:

Bruno Mars is in town for a two night stay at Madison Square Garden beginning Monday, July 14

Photo: forbes.com

Mobb Deep has a free show at Queensbridge Park Thursday, July 17

Photo: mosterfresh,com

The opening reception for the LOVE PROJECT Exhibition at Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn is Thursday, July 17

Photo: powerhousearena.com

Catch a screening, live event and exhibition preview at the Museum of the Moving Image for What’s Up, Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones Friday, July 18

Photo: movingimage.us

Lincoln Center Out of Doors begins with a tribute concert for Pete and Toshi Seeger Sunday, July 20

Photo: lcoutofdoors.org

What’s the deal with the orange fence things in Times Square?

Pose for a picture inside the orange fences in Times Square

If you’ve walked through Times Square this week, you may have noticed an installation of orange framed cutouts in seemingly inexplicable places around 43^rd street. The cutouts appear to be in the shape of human beings taking different poses, making it perfect for the thousands of passersby to hop right in the middle of it all for an unusual photo of which they will fondly look back upon while reminiscing about that trip to Manhattan. All in all, it’s pretty cool.

But what’s the deal? What are these odd orange things and why are they smack-dab in the middle of Times Square? What does it all mean?

The orange framed cutouts are shaped like human silhouettes

As it turns out, these orange fence things are an exhibition called Nearness by Arles del Rio, hosted by Times Square Arts. Per the Times Square official website:

These panels invite participants to get close and even step through, representing metaphorically the social, political, cultural and personal barriers, among others, that may keep us away from one another.

And so there you have it. Next time you’re at a party and someone remarks “Hey, how about those weird orange fence things in Times Square,” you’ll be quick to respond “Yeah, they’re a metaphor about the social and political barriers that exist in the world today. Nuts, right?” Get ready to impress all of your friends.