Pre Covid-19 we searched the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you didn’t have to.” We made it as easy as 1-2-3.
Covid-19 has required some changes. First of all, some very important information:
“There are multiple websites, disappearing slots and even attempts to game the system. Here’s our guide to what you have to do to get a dose in your arm.”
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For February we are going to try a different format – “Top 10 Corona Culture” – updated info and video especially suited to these difficult times OR NYC related visual info (Instagram and YouTube) OR all the NYC news you need to start your day.
We hope you will come back often to see what’s cooking here.
Today it’s Top 10 NYC Corona Culture. NEW STUFF!
1. The best things to do in NYC this week – TONY
“If you’re looking for the best things to do in NYC this week or even today, there are tons of fun options (so long as you can social distance and wear a mask). Start by finding the moving art diorama “The House Our Families Built,” then take in an outdoor movie at Syndicated or head to the Winter Village at Westlight for some ice skating and fondue.” Here are just a few:
J. Augmented reality versions of Met masterpieces
News Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) just launched a new interactive virtual art exhibit in partnership with Verizon featuring augmented reality versions of some of the most iconic masterpieces to ever be displayed at the museum. In total, The Met Unframed features a dozen one-of-a-kind digitally rendered galleries and almost 50 works of art from across the museum’s collection. “At a time when access to one of the world’s greatest art collections is limited, [this experience] brings a creatively reimagined Met experience to people wherever they are,” reads the destination’s official press release. “Visitors” will first be treated to an intricately detailed rendering of the Met’s famous Great Hall and will then be able to proceed to admiring works that include Jackson Pollock’s Autumn Rhythm, Margareta Haverman’s Vase of Flowers, Vincent Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Cypresses and Rembrandt van Rijn’s Self Portrait, among others.
K. Social Alchemix (Live!)
Theater Experimental Online, Feb 13 2021-Feb 27 2021
NYC-based cocktail guru Wil Petre, best known for his off-Broadway work, invites you to join Social Alchemix (Live!), a game night meets storytelling meetup. The project was developed over the past two years in tandem with Social Alchemix, an actual game employing a deck of alchemical tarot-like cards, containing questions that enable players to skip the small talk and get into the good stuff. The guests of this show are asked to turn off their cell phones for the duration of the event; some can participate in the gameplay, others can just watch and listen. Petre asks “Is it possible to have a meaningful conversation with a perfect stranger in our socially distanced and lonely world?”
L. Drawing Inspiration: A Century of Works on Paper
Art Galerie Gmurzynska, Upper East Side Until Feb 26 2021
Upper East Side Galerie Gmurzynska has a free show of famed works from master modern artists including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Marcel Duchamp, Zaha Hadid, Ed Ruscha, Robert Delaunay and Jean Arp. Walk in Monday through Friday from noon to 5pm or make an appointment by calling the gallery directly at: 212-535- 5275 for now through the end of February.
M. Winter Village at Westlight
News Eating
The William Vale’s new Winter Village at Westlight is a seasonal pop-up is located on the hotel’s 23rd floor outdoor rooftop and features private heated chalets surrounding their rooftop ice skating rink, Vale Rink. It’s perfect for a cozy night out. Each chalet is available to book for 90 minutes with a $45 fee for small chalets (parties of 2) and a $75 fee for large chalets (parties of 3–6). Inside, you can enjoy items from Westlight’s a la carte menu as well as an Alpine-style fondue with fingerling potatoes, sourdough bread, gherkins, apples and endives for $30. (Something else to enjoy? Those stunning views of the Manhattan skyline twinkling in the distance.) Seasonal cocktails from Andrew Carmellini’s NoHo Hospitality are also served at the rinkside hideaways, including the Frostbite (Glenlivet, Lillet Blanc, Banana, Walnut, Honey) and the Snowbird (Mount Gay Black Barrel, Aperol, Lime, Coconut.) To round out the hygge ambiance, the sky-high chalets come stocked with soft pillows, flameless candles and—in a truly inspired touch—a spritz of Santal 26 by Le Labo. Now that’s an off-menu item we can get behind.
Many more things to do this week right HERE at Time Out New York
“From Golden Diner’s honey butter pancakes to Parlay’s chicken curry, here are the restaurant orders that were kept in regular rotation all year long”
3. Order up! Bring home great food from more than 570 eateries taking part in NYC Restaurant Week – amNY
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the city’s restaurant industry, and next week’s New York City Restaurant Week To Go provides everyone with an affordable opportunity to support small businesses in their greatest time of need while safely enjoying some fine dining.”
4.The best places to go ice-skating in NYC – TONY
“It’s time to lace up your skates—the best ice skating rinks in NYC are waiting for you. As one of the most beloved cities to spend the holidays in, NYC has plenty of indoor and outdoor rinks where you can glide and practice your toe jumps. To help narrow down your options, we’ve ranked the top places to go, from the iconic Rink at Rockefeller Center or lower-key rinks at NYC parks like Central Park. You can even make a full-day out of it when you shop at one of the city’s best holiday markets, followed by sipping hot chocolate and skating on The Rink at the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park. If you’d rather stay warm while on the ice, there are many all-weather indoor rinks, including spots that offer roller skating.”
“A $1.6 billion transformation of a post office has given the city a lofty, light-filled steel, glass and marble cathedral, our critic writes.
The $1.6 billion Moynihan Train Hall opened at dawn on New Year’s morning — on budget, too, even a couple of months early. Instagram swooned. Tweeters channeled Stefon from “Saturday Night Live.”
In the midst of everything else, we needed this. New York needs this.”
6. The Underground Gourmet’s Year-End Digest – grubstreet
“The best new comfort food we ate in 2020.
Now is the time for pure, unalloyed comfort food, however you define it, which happens to be the theme of our roundup of the best things we ate this year.”
7.- 10 Cool NYC Art and Museum Exhibitions to Check Out Now – thrillist
“Grab your mask and wander the halls of the city’s unparalleled cultural institutions.
When NYC museums were forced to close their doors in March due to COVID-19, art-loving New Yorkers had to endure an already difficult period without all of the creativity and inspiration that comes from wandering the halls of our city’s unparalleled cultural institutions. Thankfully, though, museums in NYC were able to reopen in the late summer, and have remained so since then.”
8. The Best Meals I Ate in 2020 – grubstreet
“Our critic Adam Platt finds some comforts in a heartbreaking year.”
9. How Fans of The Queen’s Gambit Can Explore Chess in NYC – untappedcities.com
“When thinking of chess, what normally comes to mind is a pair of players dressed in khakis, glasses, and sweater vests. But if you’ve recently seen Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, chess might seem a lot more . . . glamorous? Almost to the point where you may have wanted to dig out your old chess board from the attic (good luck buying a set — thanks to the show, they’re sold out nearly everywhere). Based off of Walter Tevis’ novel of the same name, The Queens Gambit takes place during the sixties and follows chess prodigy Beth Harmon as she strives to become the world’s greatest chess player.”
10a. Editors’ Picks: 11 Events for Your Art Calendar This Week – Artnet.com
From a Hunter College MFA Show to Greg Goldberg at the National Arts Club
Plus, tune into a talk with the mother of Breonna Taylor as part of a show at the Monira Foundation.
“Each week, we search for the most exciting and thought-provoking shows, screenings, and events. In light of the global health crisis, we are currently highlighting events and digitally, as well as in-person exhibitions open in the New York area.“
10B. New York City Ballet Dancers to Step Back Onstage
“New works by the choreographers Kyle Abraham and Justin Peck will be filmed at the David H. Koch Theater for the coming digital season.”
“New York City Ballet’s dancers will return to the David H. Koch Theater before audiences do. The company’s coming digital season, set to begin on Feb. 22, will include performances, rehearsals and conversations filmed at the Lincoln Center theater, including new ballets by the choreographers Kyle Abraham and Justin Peck.”
Bonus#1. : When Manhattan Was Mannahatta: a Stroll Through the Centuries – NYT
“From lush forest to metropolis, the evolution of Lower Manhattan.”
We hope you enjoy this change of pace, then please return here February 1, and every day for our daily, hot off the presses event guide with “Only the Best” NYCity event info (well, maybe. it depends).
Bonus#2: The best theater you can stream online anytime – TONY
“Much of the best streaming theater, dance and music of the lockdown period remains viewable anytime.”
We hope you enjoy this change of pace, then please return here March 1, and every day for our daily, hot off the presses event guide with “Only the Best” NYCity event info. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 