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 23, 2021

Mon, Aug 23 – 12:00 am / free
Classical Music | Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 by One of The World’s Leading Conductors (virtual, streaming until Aug 27)
Like other artists of the Stalin era, Shostakovich wrote many of his most impressive works under a t … more

Mon, Aug 23 – 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 24, 2021

Tue, Aug 24 – 5:30 pm / free; RSVP required
Dancing | Salsa Social
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm : Free Salsa Dance Class (All levels welcomed)6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Free Salsa … more

Tue, Aug 24 – 7:00 pm / free; standby line
Concert | Israeli Singer Channels Iranian Pop
An Israeli singer, already a well-known actress in her homeland, writes her songs in Farsi, the lang … more

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Wed, Aug 25 – 7:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Jazz | 7-Time Grammy Award Nominee
Here is your chance to enjoy a performance by a noted drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, co … more

Wed, Aug 25 – 7:00 pm / free; no reservation required
Jazz | Rejuvenating Riverfront Jazz
Listen to Kora, xalam, percussion, keyboards supported by a sax, a guitar and a violin. … more

Thursday, August 26, 2021

Thu, Aug 26 – 4:00 pm / Pay-what-you-wish, advanced reservation required
Museums | European Fine Art: Vermeer, Rembrandt and More
This museum of fine art was open to the public in 1935. Its permanent collection features masterpiec … more

Thu, Aug 26 – 5:30 pm / free
Concert | Accordion Music: Argentine Tango, Balkan, Jewish and More
Enjoy different music styles for this little-known instrument. … more

Friday, August 27, 2021

Fri, Aug 27 – 6:00 pm / free; park entry reservation required
Concert | Banjo Virtuoso Plays Appalachian Music
With ease and extraordinary depth, this 16-year-old banjo virtuoso performs Appalachian music focusi … more

Fri, Aug 27 – 7:00 pm / free; RSVP required
Concert | Korean-American Music Sensation
This night belongs to a Korean-American Brooklynite who rocketed to fame with her full-length 2020 d … more

Fri, Aug 27 – 7:00 pm / free; standby line
Concert | The Pan-Latin Tradition of Cumbia Music
The three brothers who drive this marimba-driven cumbia combo polished their chops as street musicia … more

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Sat, Aug 28 – 6:00 pm / free; park entry reservation required
Concert | Grammy-Nominated Singer and Violinist
Latin Grammy winner and Grammy nominee vocalist, violinist and composer embodies all her musical inf … more

Sat, Aug 28 – 7:30 pm / free
Opera | Screening of Verdi’s La Traviata: Opera Masterpiece In a Park
The opera is based on La Dame aux camelias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Alexand … more

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Sun, Aug 29 – 11:00 am / free; no reservation required
Tour | Historic Flatiron District Walking Tour
Join a professional guide on a 90-minute journey through this vibrant neighborhood, viewing some of … more

Sun, Aug 29 – 7:30 pm / free; standby line
Opera | Screening of Verdi’s Otello: Opera Masterpiece In a Park
Shakespeare-based opera Otello was first performed at La Scala, Milan, in 1887. It proved t … 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.

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