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, August 2, 2021

Mon, Aug 2 – 3:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Book Discussion | Pulitzer Prize Winner Glenn Frankel on His Acclaimed Shooting Midnight Cowboy
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Glenn Frankel t … more

Mon, Aug 2 – 8:00 pm / free; tickets required; available only through a digital lottery
Play | Merry Wives: Shakespeare Adaptation in the Park
Set in South Harlem, amidst a vibrant and eclectic community of West African immigrants, This adapta … more

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Tue, Aug 3 – 7:00 pm / free; registration required
Book Discussion | Apollo 13 Author Jeffrey Kluger Discusses His New Book with Former NASA Astronaut (virtual)
Science journalist Jeffrey Kluger is a co-author of bestselling book Apollo 13, which becam … more

Tue, Aug 3 – 7:30 pm / free tickets required
Dancing | Flamenco, Tap Dance, Samba and More: Dance Performances, Lessons and Party
7:30 pm – 8 pm: dance performances and mini dance lessonFeaturing Flamenco La … more

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Wed, Aug 4 – 4:00 pm / free; registration required
Tour | Battery Park City: ‘Green Guidelines’, Teardrop Park and More
The tour covers the north residential neighborhood of Battery Park City, built mostly after 2001 to … more

Wed, Aug 4 – 6:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Classical Music | Classical Music: Baroque to Cutting Edge
These brilliant musicians bring thrilling virtuosity and energy to everything they perform. Their co … more

Wed, Aug 4 – 7:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Jazz | Winard Harper & Jeli Posse in a Park
With trumpeter-brother Philip, Winard Harper co-led the Harper Brothers, one of the most successfula … more

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Thu, Aug 5 – 6:30 pm / Pay what you can
Play | The Count of Monte Cristo: Adaptation of Dumas’ Classic Novel
The Count Of Monte Cristo is one of the greatest tales of betrayal, adventure, and revenge the world … more

Thu, Aug 5 – 7:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Jazz | Waterfront Concert: The Cab Calloway Orchestra
The Cab Calloway Orchestra plays jazz and swing music.Don’t forget to bring a blanket or … more 1

Friday, August 6, 2021

Fri, Aug 6 – 12:00 pm / free
Classical Music | World-Renowned Conductor Pierre Boulez at the 2008 Salzburg Festival with The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (virtual)
Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) became one of the most prominent conductors of his generation. In a career … more

Fri, Aug 6 – 7:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Concert | Top-Tier Jazz with Grammy-Winning Trumpeter Terence Blanchard
Since Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard embarked on his solo recording career … more

Fri, Aug 6 – 7:00 pm / free, registration required
Classical Music | 100 Years of American Art Songs
Baritone Richard Hodges, accompanied by pianist Tabitha Johnson, presents over 100 years of black-co … more

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Sat, Aug 7 – 9:00 am / free; no reservation required
Festival | 2021 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
To celebrate the Year of the Ox and NYC’s Summer of Recovery, the 2021 Hong Kong Dragon Boat F … more

Sat, Aug 7 – 4:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Jazz | Jazz Concert in the Park with Dizzy Gillespie Big Band & The Music of Jimmy Heath
With:– Alyson Williams, Emcee– Camille Thurman and the Darrell Green Quartet– A … more

Sat, Aug 7 – 6:30 pm / Pay what you can
Play | The Count of Monte Cristo: Adaptation of Dumas’ Classic Novel
The Count Of Monte Cristo is one of the greatest tales of betrayal, adventure, and revenge the world … more

Sunday, August 8, 2021

Sun, Aug 8 – 10:30 am / Free; RSVP required
Tour | Waterfront Walk: Guided Park Tour
Conservancy docents lead a walking tour traversing the Park’s beautiful landscape. Learn about the h … more

Sun, Aug 8 – 6:00 pm / free Jazz | Trumpet Player and His Band
Known for his mellow and enticing tones on the trumpet and flugelhorn, Ryo Sasaki leads the Jazz Par … more

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Best new restaurants in NYC

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.