Best Free Things To Do in NYC This Week

“The quality and quantity of free events, free things to do that take place in New York City every day of the year is truly amazing. So don’t miss the opportunities that only New York provides: stop wondering what to do; start taking advantage of free things to do, free events to go to in NYC today!”

Join Club Free Time – I did, and it’s one of the best things I ever did. Here is a sample of FREE events this week. Get more information by going to the Club Free Time website.

Best Free Things To Do in NYC This Week

Monday, June 14, 2021
Mon, Jun 14 – 10:00 am / free, tip supported, advanced booking required
Tour | Rome: The Colosseum (virtual, live stream)
If you come to Rome, you can’t miss the Colosseum. It is one of the most, if not the most, iconic Ro … more

Mon, Jun 14 – 6:00 pm / free
Classical Music | Rising from the Ashes of Plague: Italian Violin Sonatas and Canzonas from the Early 17th Century (virtual)
Sylvia Schwartz, Baroque violin; John Ott, viola da gambaVenice, 1630: Thanks to Silk Ro … more

Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Tue, Jun 15 – 6:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Concert | Devon Gillfillian: Powerful Modern Soul (in-person)
Devon Gilfillian’s emotional vocals weave together with blues, rock, R&B, and hip-hop to form unique … more SHOULD BE JULY 15

Tue, Jun 15 – 8:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Concert | Cello Concert: Strauss, Piazzolla and More (In Person)
Program:Julius Klengel, Hymnus for 12 cellosMichael Finckel, Mass in Gregor … more

Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Wed, Jun 16 – 12:00 am / free
Dance Performance | New York City Ballet: Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes (virtual, streaming for 24 hours)
New York City Ballet presents Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes. Created in 1977 and set to waltzes by Joh … more

Wed, Jun 16 – 5:00 pm / free; RSVP required
Workshop | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) Kayaking
Glide along the water while kayaking this summer! All levels are welcome. Children under 18 must hav … more

Wed, Jun 16 – 7:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Jazz | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) Jazz at the Pier: Whitney Marchelle
This seasonal favorite combines smooth tunes with beautiful evenings on the Park’s green piers for a … more

Thursday, June 17, 2021
Thu, Jun 17 – 4:00 pm / free; RSVP required
City Walk | Battery Park City Tour: South Residential Neighborhood (in-person)
The first tour explores Battery Park City’s southern district, which is home to the Skyscraper Museu … more

Thu, Jun 17 – 5:00 pm / free
Concert | (IN-PERSON) Bach, Bartok, Broadway, The Beatles and More on Strings!
String trio performs musical selections from Bach, Bartok, Broadway to the Beatles! … more

Thu, Jun 17 – 7:00 pm / $5; RSVP required
Concert | Here’s to the Ladies! A Salute to Great Ladies of Song (virtual)
Award-winning vocalist Marieann Meringolo celebrates such icons as Peggy Lee, Barbra Streisand, Joni … more

Friday, June 18, 2021
Fri, Jun 18 – 7:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Workshop | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) Sunset Singing Circle
Singer/songwriter Terre Roche leads this weekly singing program with the beautiful backdrop of the s … more

Fri, Jun 18 – 7:00 pm / free
Concert | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) Latin Music
Enjoy live salsa music with Cuarteto Guatac. … more

Saturday, June 19, 2021
Sat, Jun 19 – 11:00 am / free, registration required
Museums | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) Historic 1885 Ship, Letterpress Demonstration and History Exhibition
Wavertree is a historic iron-hulled sailing ship built in 1885, now the largest wrought iro … more

Sat, Jun 19 – 7:00 pm / free
Dance Performance | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) Dance Festival: Indian Classical Dance, Latin Dance, Contemporary
Enjoy dance performances by various companies each Sat at 7 pm through Jun 26th.Performe … more

Sat, Jun 19 – 7:30 pm / free
Opera | Met Opera: Verdi’s Don Carlo (virtual, streaming for 23 hours)
Director Nicholas Hytner brings out all the passionate intensity that is at the heart of Verdi’s mon … more

Sunday, June 20, 2021
Sun, Jun 20 – 10:00 am / Pay as you wish, advanced reservation required
Museums | (IN-PERSON) One of the First Synagogues in the US: Jewish History and Immigration
The Museum is housed in one of the first synagogues erected in the US by Eastern European Jews in 18 … more

Sun, Jun 20 – 11:00 am / free
Performance | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) Okwui Okpokwasili: Dance, Theater, and Visual Arts
Led by Bronx-born and raised Okwui Okpokwasili, a MacArthur Grant recipient, who’s work draws viewer … more

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If you are looking for some of the best info on food and drink, restaurants and eating in New York City, then you want to head to New York magazine’s Grub Street.

Right now you want to check out: The Return of Restaurants

“Make up for lost meals. No takeout, no pasta kits, just 66 of the best new (or newly relevant) places to eat.”
Edited by Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld, Photographs by Dina Litovsky

Here are 3 more of my faves:

Experience Arthur Avenue Alfresco

Zero Otto Nove / 2357 Arthur Ave., Belmont

Zero Otto Nove has been a mainstay of the Bronx’s Little Italy since it opened in 2008. But Open Streets’ weekend transformation of Arthur Avenue into the car-free Piazza di Belmont has brought a fresh and breezy feel to this first-rate southern Italian trattoria. Previously, restaurants along the strip rarely set up for outdoor dining, confining the festivities to the often-curtained dining rooms. Now and hopefully forever, the celebratory and communal open-air atmosphere brings the action (and all the neighborhood characters) outdoors, where diners partake in lively people-watching while enjoying dishes like citrusy seafood salad, butternut-squash pizza, and mafalde cooked in tinfoil.—Terri Ciccone

Rediscover the Joy of Big Round Tables

Hwa Yuan / 42 East Broadway

There are many good reasons to revisit Manhattan’s Chinatown these days. But if you’re in the mood for a quick Peking-duck banquet or a taste of Shorty Tang’s famous dry-sautéed crispy beef in a crowded, near-celebratory post-pandemic atmosphere, this East Broadway destination is the place to be. When we dropped in on a Friday evening not long ago, the streets outside were still eerily empty, and so were the dining booths set up on the sidewalk. But inside the brightly lit two-floor restaurant, parties of revelers from uptown, across the river, and around the neighborhood filled the round tables. For those acclimated to dining in the great indoors, we guarantee a bite of Peking duck (or crispy beef) never tasted so good.—A.P.41

Nosh Bagels and Lox Off Madison Square

Mark’s Off Madison / 41 Madison Ave.

At Mark’s, which opened in November, the Queens-born chef Mark Strausman (Freds at Barneys, Coco Pazzo, Campagna) delves into the Jewish and Italian dishes that have come to define his 30-year career: lush eggplant parm, rich pappardelle with brisket ragù, and a killer chicken soup named after his grandmother Estelle. In nice weather, the outdoor terrace, with its view of Madison Square Park, gets fairly packed with a tony mix of locals and Strausman groupies from his Freds days. On weekends, starting at 9 a.m., the place doubles as a Jewish bakery whose bagels and bialys and black-and-white cookies put most of the competition to shame. —R.C.S.

Also see Eater New York’s interactive map that highlights
all 66 restaurants that deserve your attention.