Good afternoon, this is W42ST Lifestyle Editor Sarah Beling with “Make Way For The Weekend” — your curated guide to the best of New York events in one convenient newsletter!
In the best and (sometimes worst) ways possible, New York can feel like a small town. For the relative anonymity the city allows you to weep openly on the sidewalk (honestly, an urban rite of passage IMO), there’s sometimes an uncanny probability that you will run into someone you know when you least expect it. Why do you think New Yorkers dress up all the time?! Because time and time again we run into our exes/mortal enemies/frenemies at Phebes y’all!!
But, lest I get too gloomy…I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the flip side of living under the strange microscope of the Big Apple. For every chance that you run into someone you hoped you’d never see again, you more often than not reconnect with people who make your life better — that friend-of-a-friend who you ran into at the coffee shop and is now one of your most trusted confidants, the old coworker you’re now starting a new company with, or your college admissions officer who you get to re-meet and befriend as an adult (hi, Chris!!). Yes, it can be scary to realize that New York is the kind of place where you can’t just go about your business in solitude — but honestly, it’s worth it to put yourself out there and see who you run into in our little town square.
❓Quick Question and Enter to WIN PRIZES!!
It is the season for rooftop cocktail hour and not the season for endlessly waiting in line to get into Mr Purple (we’ll try again in the fall!!) We here at W42ST are determined to round up all of the best local rooftop bars for brews and views of the Hudson and/or city skyline. Tell us YOUR favorites here and you could win some free beer! Stay tuned for our rooftop roundup next week 🙂
Special thanks to intrepid reader Jo Murphy who sent along pool recommendations last week — who knew there was a Margaritaville in Times Square?!
🎭 there’s no place like lincoln center
Based on the New York theater scene’s recent productions and season announcements (Into the Woods, Assassins, Company, Merrily We Roll Along)…we all miss Stephen Sondheim, OK? Continue to enjoy the city’s Sondheim renaissance with Deaf Broadway’s American Sign Language performance of Sweeney Todd for free this Sunday, where actors will bring everyone’s favorite macabre masterpiece to life alongside a filmed version of the show. Swing your razor high!!!
🎶 any way you want it
Great news! Not only can you check out this week’s Bryant Park picnic performance — a night of invigorating jazz from the Hot Sardines and acclaimed vocalist Nellie McKay in person this Friday — but, should you be traveling or unable to make it down to the park in time to snag a spot, you have the option to stream the performance with a high-quality, up-close feed, live from the park’s website and YouTube channel.
🍿 science fiction (single) feature
I can attest that watching a movie on the flight deck of the Intrepid as the sun sets over the Hudson is an excellent summer evening activity — check out the next Free Friday Summer Movie Night at the Intrepid tomorrow where the selection will be Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan! Live long and prosper!!
🎶 ‘cause it’s…
In another excellent hybrid offering, 54 Below hosts Too Darn Hot, a benefit concert for the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus this Friday where members of the chorus and special guests Gigi St Croix and Temple Grande will perform “salacious songs guaranteed to leave you feeling hot and bothered” and will also be live-streamed! Cole Porter is SWEATING somewhere lol.
🎭 how we gonna pay…
If New York’s rent squeeze has left you feeling a bit too much like Mark and Roger, why not head back to 54 Below for a reunion concert from the cast of the farewell tour of RENT next Wednesday where you can viva La Vie Boheme (maybe they’ll let us all dance on the tables!).
🦈 we’re going to need a bigger boat
Kind of like Restaurant Week, Shark Week is more of a state of mind, and runs until August 7. Head to the Paley Center for Media this weekend to check out interactive, shark-themed exhibits, up-close footage, and VR-experiences (a safer bet than risking it at Rockaway Beach right now 👀).
🔎 westie side story
True crime nerds, pull up! The Irish Mob of Hell’s Kitchen: From the Gophers to the Westies is a neighborhood walking tour and deep dive into the history of organized crime in the area running this Saturday evening. Let us know if they stop by the Waylon!
🐟 upstream
Interested in getting outdoorsy but not too outdoorsy? Check out the Hudson River Park Tide Deck Tour this Sunday where you can take a guided stroll and learn more about the ecological makeup and original shoreline of the West Side river’s rocky tidal marsh!
🎶 she’s super-supercool
You may know singer-songwriter Ariana and the Rose from her enthralling pop performance on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee or her delightful viral TikToks — now, in honor of the release of her debut album Lonely Hearts Club, she takes the stage at Mercury Lounge tonight. Be prepared to dance!!!
🍿 i love the nightlife
Did you just miss the golden era of New York City Club Kids? I’d like to claim that I did, even if the reality is that I would probably not ever have been cool enough lolol. Anyway! Check out a new documentary on renowned punk venue Max’s Kansas City in Nightclubbing, playing Saturday at Joe’s Pub.
🧶 she’s crafty
Yes, it’s hard to become a great gift-giver — resist the urge to dole out bland Amazon trinkets to your loved ones and head to the five-year anniversary of the Queens Craft Brigade this Saturday, where you can pick up unique and well-made artisan clothes, jewelry, home decor and specialty foods. Make sure to get something for yourself too!!
🎤 what IS new
Stand-up and former writer on Last Week Tonight as well as the late Desus and Mero Josh Gondelman joins fellow notable comedians Ophira Eisenberg, Hari Kondabolu and Mohanad Elshieky in What’s New?, a night of brand-new material playing this Sunday at Union Hall. I’m sure it’s going to be great, and the unreformed gossip in me would also want to attend to see if he spills any details on Desus and Mero’s breakup 😩
🇯🇲 this looks incredible
Celebrate Caribbean cuisine and culture (as well as the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence!) with live music, giveaways and amazing food at the 10th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival this Sunday at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens!
🔥 Hot tip
Fresh out of the oven! Beloved Nordic East Village eatery SMØR is opening a brand-new bakery outpost this weekend — head there to snag a just-baked cardamom bun and a coffee before people-watching in Tompkins Square Park. Perfection!!
⚠️ Omg I forgot to tell you
The rooftop farm at Javits is now selling its own-brand of pickles!!
There’s a Solid and Striped bathing suit sample sale in NoMad this weekend!!
Um…did you know somebody bought a 76-million year old dinosaur skeleton at Sotheby’s for $6m this morning!?
Looking for more summer movie nights?? The rooftop at Green Room 42 is playing Crazy Rich Asians and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl this weekend!!