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 28, 2021

Mon, Jun 28 – 3:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Discussion | (IN-PERSON, indoors) Reel Talks: A Conversation on Martin Scorsese’s NYC Films
With Stephen Whitty. Hosted by Scott Adlerberg. … more

Mon, Jun 28 – 7:30 pm / free
Opera | Met Opera: Nico Muhly’s Marnie (virtual, streaming for 23 hours)
Based on Winston Graham’s gripping 1961 novel of intrigue and deception, Nico Muhly’s opera had its … more

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Tue, Jun 29 – 6:00 pm / free; RSVP required
Play | The Winter’s Tale: Shakespeare Outdoors
When King Leontes is overcome with jealousy he issues a series of fascistic edicts that touch nearly … more

Tue, Jun 29 – 7:30 pm / free
Opera | Met Opera: John Adams’s Doctor Atomic (virtual, streaming for 23 hours)
John Adams’s mesmerizing score, in the powerful production of Penny Woolcock, tells the story of one … more

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Wed, Jun 30 – 7:00 pm / free; RSVP required
Play | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) King Lear — with a Happy Ending
This version of King Lear by William Shakespeare will employ Nahum Tate’s 1681 “happy endin … more

Wed, Jun 30 – 7:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Jazz | (IN-PERSON, outdoors) Jazz at the Pier: ZonaVibe
This seasonal favorite combines smooth tunes with beautiful evenings on the Park’s green piers for a … more

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Thu, Jul 1 – 5:00 pm / free
Concert | Bach, Bartok, Broadway, The Beatles and More on Strings!
String trio Lumiere performs musical selections from Bach, Bartok, Broadway to the Beatles! … more

Thu, Jul 1 – 7:30 pm / free; no reservation required
Concert | Six-time Grammy Award winner James Taylor in a 2011 Concert (virtual)
More than 40 years after his debut in 1970, James Taylor curated a historic concert to mark Carnegie … more

Friday, July 2, 2021

Fri, Jul 2 – 10:00 am / free
Fair | Independence Weekday Fair: Food, Goods, Accessories and More
Experience the 20+ authentic food booths, browse the 50+ merchandise booths that sell a huge variety … more

Fri, Jul 2 – 1:00 pm / free
Classical Music | Comfort at One: Fourth of July Improvisation on “America” (virtual)
For a special Fourth of July performance, the Director of Music at Trinity Wall Street Julian Wachne … more

Fri, Jul 2 – 7:00 pm / free; RSVP required
Opera | Picnic Performance: New York City Opera Presents Carmen
The 2021 return of Picnic Performances includes twenty-five live and in-person music, dance, and the … more

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Sat, Jul 3 – 10:30 am / free, tip supported, advanced booking required
Tour | Karlovy Vary – The Most Famous Czech Spa Town (virtual, live stream)
Explore the biggest spa town in the Czech Republic with its marvelous architecture and romantic atmo … more

Sat, Jul 3 – 7:00 pm / free; RSVP required
Play | King Lear — with a Happy Ending
This version of King Lear by William Shakespeare will employ Nahum Tate’s 1681 “happy endin … more

Sunday, July 4, 2021

Sun, Jul 4 – 10:00 am / free
Fair | The Great July 4th Festival: Food, Jewelry, Fashion Accessories and More
Experience the 20+ authentic food booths, browse the 50+ merchandise booths that sell a huge variety … more

Sun, Jul 4 – 1:00 pm / free, tip supported, advanced booking required
Tour | Poland’s Krakow – Splendid Old Town (virtual)
Have you ever experienced charming and beautiful Old Town of Krakow? Biggest mediaeval square, the o … more

Sun, Jul 4 – 7:30 pm / free
Opera | Met Opera: Philip Glass’s Akhnaten (virtual, streaming for 23 hours)
One of the biggest hits of the 2019-20 season, Philip Glass’s Akhnaten is the third install … 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:

Try Simone Tong’s New Menu

Silver Apricot / 20 Cornelia St.

Last summer, as restaurateurs hastily built makeshift patios, Silver Apricot partners Emmeline Zhao and Simone Tong created a space that truly translated the dining experience to the street without sacrificing a bit of elegance or refinement. (Being situated on one of the West Village’s quieter blocks didn’t hurt.) Purse hooks on the plastic dividers, lavender planted along the perimeter, and quality glass and plateware made for a setting worthy of Tong’s inventive Chinese American dishes like chile-crab rangoon dip and burnished scallion puffs. Now they are renovating the dining room in preparation for indoor service and plan to reopen June 17 with a new seasonal menu.—A.K.

Binge on Bánh MÌ

Bánh Vietnamese Shop House / 942 Amsterdam Ave.

Veteran chefs John Nguyen and Nhu Ton began peddling their Vietnamese sandwiches and crispy pork-belly salad rolls from an empty pop-up space on the upper reaches of Amsterdam Avenue last summer, and the operation was such a hit that by January they’d put down permanent roots in the neighborhood. There are five varieties of toasty bánh mìs to choose from (when in doubt, order the charcoal-grilled pork), numerous sturdy classics from Ton’s native central Vietnam (try the Frisbee-size rice-noodle delicacy called bánh dap), and a deeply flavorful beef pho. —A.P.

See How Cervo’s Spruced Itself Up

Cervo’s / 43 Canal St.

Last summer, the outdoor-dining setup at downtown Portuguese-Spanish restaurant Cervo’s was a destination almost in spite of itself. Simple wooden folding tables and chairs sprawled across an unadorned and fluorescent-lit expanse of Canal Street. Counter-service orders were called out brusquely over a loudspeaker mounted on the building’s exterior. Serviceware was disposable. You found and bussed your own table. But the Dimes Square denizens flocked nonetheless, pushing together tables laden with dark-pink Spritzes, fried-fish sandwiches, and glistening head-on prawns. It was casual, cool, and as COVID-safe as one could hope for. Now, after a winter hiatus operating as a shop, the scene returns to Cervo’s, but this time the restaurant has full-service outdoor dining on a newly built yellow-tiled patio with proper glassware, plateware, and a menu of old favorites like piri-piri chicken, mussels escabeche, and crispy shrimp heads.—A.K.

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