“While it seemed like the summer of 2020 was never going to end, we’ve got good news—October is finally here! It’s time to ditch that sweaty tank top for a cozy sweater and start appreciating the fact that your mask keeps your face kinda warm.
   
This weekend, you can dig your dirndl out of your closet to celebrate Oktoberfest, try an Instagram-famous Filipino donut at a Woodside pop-up, or head to the High Line for some video art—we’ve rounded up everything to eat, drink, see, and do in NYC. 

Say Prost! to Oktoberfest

Weekend-long
Chelsea
While the city’s Oktoberfest celebration might be a little lower-key this year, nothing’s stopping you from donning your dirndl and downing a boot full of beer. Chelsea Market’s Oktoberfest is starting this weekend, featuring steins of seasonal beer along with food and drink specials from Berlin Currywurst, Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, and Mayhem Sandwiches. There’ll be live music all weekend, too, so practice your best oom-pah moves, head to the market, and start celebrating.
Cost: Free to enter; food and drink prices vary

Pair sweets with cocktails at a Korean pop-up

Friday, October 2, 6pm
Lower East Side
Get tipsy and a sugar high at pastry chef Joy Cho’s pop-up at Korean cocktail bar Reception. Cho (formerly of Gramercy Tavern) offers a sweet and savory menu that’s always changing, but this week you can order up a trifle made with flourless chocolate and bokbunja, a black raspberry wine; an ice cream duo of hojicha (roasted green tea) and misugaru (a Korean drink made with grains and milk); and kimchi grilled cheese on homemade bread spread with gochujang Kewpie mayo. 
Cost: Treats start at $6

Take in some video art along the High Line

Weekend-long
Chelsea
Every night between 6-8pm, you can head to the High Line’s 14th St. passage (located between 14th and 15th St.) to see video art screened in the semi-enclosed space. Catch Cauleen Smith’s multimedia installation and experience visual arts that showcase her film background. The five works on show—including Lessons in Semaphore, featuring dancer Taisha Pagget, and H-E-L-L-O, where musicians play the five-note greeting from Close Encounters of the Third Kind through the lense of New Orleans architecture—take inspiration from Black feminist thought, science fiction, and the blues.  
Cost: Free

Sip cocktails and shuck oysters at a speakeasy

Friday, October 2 – Saturday, October 3
Murray Hill
Plan an over-the-top date with a visit to an oyster-themed speakeasy hidden away in a Manhattan brownstone. Inside, you’ll learn how to shuck oysters (fresh from the Peconic Bay!) and mix cocktails as you sip Champagne and snack on canapés. Learn the history and secrets behind some of the drinks from NYC’s gone-but-not-forgotten legendary bar, Milk & Honey, as you shake up cocktails made to pair with your freshly shucked oysters. The location is secret, so keep your eyes peeled for an email with an address after you buy your ticket. 
Cost: $150/person

Eat a donut that’s more Insta-famous than you

Saturday, October 3, 2pm
Woodside
Kora’s Instagram-sensation Filipino donuts are finally available IRL. They’ll be popping up at Fábula, a Queens cafe, to serve their beloved donuts like calamansi amapola—made with calamansi curd, poppy cream, meringue, and graham crunch—and ube, filled and glazed with sweet purple yam. A word to the wise: Kora’s donuts sell out fast, so you might want to get there early… they’ll have a live DJ on hand to keep the line pumped up while you wait. 
Cost: $6.50/donut

Have a drink and hurl some axes

Weekend-long
Williamsburg
Need to take out your countdown-to-the-election anxiety on something? Head to the recently opened Brooklyn location of Hatchets and Hops, where you can combine your old favorite hobby—beer drinking—with your new favorite hobby of ax throwing. An instructor will show you how it’s done, and then you’ll get two hours to hurl some really sharp stuff around. 
Cost: $200/group of 4

Sweat through a pre-brunch workout on the roof

Saturday, October 3 – Sunday, October 4
NoHo
Fhitting Room is taking their HIIT classes to the rooftop of SHOWFIELDS, where you can take a 45-minute class with a view. You’ll get a kettlebell (sanitized, naturally!), but make sure to bring your own mat, water, and headphones. During the class, you can stream the workout’s “silent disco” playlist straight from your phone. After you get nice and sweaty, hit up your friends for an outdoor brunch downtown—this brisk fall weather will cool you right down.
Cost: $38

Catch a Broadway show in the great outdoors

Weekend-long
Astoria
Radial Park is bringing back the Great White Way by performing musical numbers al fresco. First up: The Phantom of the Opera, the perfect choice to kick off the beginning of spooky season. An 11-piece house band will perform four numbers from the show along with live performances from Derrick Davis and Ali Ewoldt as the Phantom and Christine for you to sing along. Reserve a picnic table, bring your favorite cape, and practice your pitch on “Think of Me.” 
Cost: Picnic table rentals start at $100″

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The best art shows and exhibits in NYC – TONY

Check out our suggestions for the best art exhibitions you don’t want to miss, including recently opened shows and more

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WFUV-FM 90.7 is my fave local radio station. Noncommercial, member-supported with a format of adult album alternative music, WFUV is doing it’s best to keep us connected to our music with a comprehensive, updated list of live music online.

WFUV Live Online (October 01 – October 07)

10/1 – “Which Side Are You On? Voices from Kentucky and Beyond” with Jim James, Bright Eyes, Chris Thile, Phoebe Bridgers, Jason Isbell 10/2-4 – Guitar.com Live, three days of performances from St. Vincent, Jason Isbell, Carlos Santana 10/3 – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass with Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Yola, Fantastic Negrito, Patty Griffin and more 10/3 – Shawn Colvin: Live From These Four Walls – Songs and The Stories Behind Them 10/3 – Bruce Hornsby live with virtual Todd Rundgren, Paul Shaffer and more: The Ridgefield Playhouse 20th Anniversary Gala 10/3 – “Democracy Comes Alive” with Bruce Hornsby, Dawes, Hiss Golden Messenger, Michael Franti 10/3 – Chris Smither live from Club Passim 10/4 – Rayland Baxter – Live from the Music City Wine Garden at City Winery Nashville 10/5-11 – The New Yorker Festival 10/7-8 – Suzanne Vega from New York’s Blue Note for An Evening of New York Songs and Stories Online concert calendar and links at wfuv.org/livestreams

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The best musicals now on BroadwayHD – TONY

Watch these classic musical theater performances from the comfort of your couch.

“With Broadway dark until at least 2021, fans of musical theater are hungry for shows they can watch from home. That’s where BroadwayHD comes in. A streaming service aimed at theater lovers, BroadwayHD offers some 300 whole, high-quality, professionally filmed live theater performances from Broadway, London’s West End and beyond. (Some have been acquired from existing catalogs, while others have been created especially for the channel.) Subscriptions cost just $8.99 a month—and for new subscribers, the first week is free.”

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The October Calendar: Events for Each Day This Month  –  ThoughtGallery

By Ethan Wolff

“October is here, somehow, and even if we’re still living virtually there are plenty of great live presentations headed our way. We’re looking forward to hearing from Deepak Chopra, Nancy Pelosi, Jelani Cobb, Andrew Cuomo, Matthew McConaughey, and many more.”

ThoughtGallery is my primo site for “Smart Stuff” – the types of events you will find fascinating if you are just a little curious. Check them out every day – ThoughtGallery

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STAY HOME FOR A BIT LONGER – MASK UP AND STAY SAFE.