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!
Last weekend I got to fulfill a lifelong New York dream — going to the Queens Night Market!! Yes, it’s some of the best food you’ll ever have in your life. Yes, everything costs under $6. Yes, there are fairly long lines. But everyone is pumped to be there! People ask each other what booths to try! There’s live music! The vibes are good! It’s the kind of place to go for a true, communal, summer-in-the-city feel. And get the pupusa from Los Almendros!!!
…when you can only think as far ahead as Monday!
🛍️ attention shoppers
You heard it here first — everyone’s favorite discount designer store, Century 21 HAS RETURNED! Somebody call Carrie Bradshaw (and yes, this is your weekly SATC reference, everyone take a shot). The iconic New York department store has now reopened, leading some shoppers who attended the first day to declare, “Oh my God, I’m emotional.” We are too!!!!!!!!
🧘 sunday savasana
It’s no secret that many of the city’s yoga classes are priced at rates that are decidedly not zen. Luckily there’s free Yoga in Mathews-Palmer Park May 21, where as long as you bring your own mat, you’re good to get your stretch on and “connect with your breath, body and neighbors!”
🎉 once on this island
The Little Island celebrates its second birthday May 21 and will feature a full afternoon of celebratory activities like crafting, bubble-chasing and dancing to grooves by DJ Jabrenica!
🚶 a meeting of the points
Learn the history of New York’s notorious Five Points neighborhood (beyond the Martin Scorsese movie lol) and its connections to the modern day cultural enclave at Before Chinatown Was Chinatown: The Federal Era and Five Points Tour May 20. Stick around afterwards and support some of our favorite Chinese restaurants like Nom Wah Tea Parlor, Joe’s Shanghai and Chinatown Ice Cream Factory in honor of AAPI Heritage month!
🎉 parade passing by
Keep the AAPI Heritage month celebrations going at the 2nd annual parade Sunday May 21 on 6th Avenue, where cultural organizations from around the city join to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit!
🖼️ bring the whole…
…mishpachah (family) to the Jewish Heritage Museum’s Mishpachah Festival May 21, for an all-day celebration of Jewish genealogy and culture with lox cooking demonstrations, Yiddish folk song performances and presentations on Ellis Island as a pathway for Jewish immigration.
🖼️ code switching
Over at the New York Historical Society, check out Under Cover: JC Leyendecker and American Masculinity, a new exhibit open now examining the work of illustrator and commercial artist JC Leyendecker, whose work in publications like the Saturday Evening Post helped influence America’s media culture and included subtle references to his own homosexuality. Through this retrospective, “Under Cover delves into the early politics of sexual identity and gender while simultaneously examining how Leyendecker helped establish a nationalistic ideal of elite and athletic white male beauty.”
🫑 no meat no problem
Attention, plant-based buds! If you’ve been longing to try a new street fair, head north! There’s a 100% Vegan Street Fair this Saturday May 20 at Foster Park in the Bronx, where you can sample snacks from over 50 local veggie vendors to your heart’s delight! And if you’re looking to stay downtown, a reminder that you can always swing by the 9th Avenue Food Festival this Saturday and Sunday May 20/21 for treats from Hell’s Kitchen favorites and activities from local orgs like The Litter Legion!
🍷 garden party
I was just at the New York Botanical Garden last weekend and it reminded me how truly delightful a place it is! Revel among the zinnias and peonies at the Spring Uncorked weekend wine event May 20 and 21, where you can sample vino from wineries on the Hudson Valley, Brooklyn and Long Island, dine on dishes from the Bronx Night Market and enjoy live music throughout!
🖼️ out loud
Fountain House’s multitalented artists show a new outdoor exhibit in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month titled YELL in Herald Square now through May 22 in which a “multimedia maze parallels a daunting journey through an unfriendly and obtuse mental health system. Through audio, performance, and art, the installation spotlights stories of Fountain House members’ lived experiences and demonstrates the strength and perseverance of Fountain House members.”
🎬 life moves pretty fast
Catch Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Grey and Connor Roy Alan Ruck in the inspiration for my husband’s entire persona/seminal 80s carefree classic, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off at the Rooftop Cinema Club Midtown Friday May 19!
…what’s happening before and just after I hit your inbox next!
🎤 the “line king”
Head to the Museum of Broadway to hear David Leopold — Creative Director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation and author of a new book on the artistic legend — tell the stories behind some of the famed theatrical illustrator’s drawings at Scenes from the American Theatre as Seen by Hirschfeld May 23!
🇮🇹 mangia!!
I am one of those extremely annoying people who went to Italy once and constantly says “I miss Italy blah blah blah,” so it looks like I should head to Italy on Madison May 22 through May 28 in Flatiron for a week-long series of events featuring Made in Italy specialty foods, fashion and designs and other people saying “I miss Italy”!!!!
🎶 a rose in bloom
Ariana and the Rose returns to Club Cumming for an intimate set of songs and stories about life and love, tentatively titled Tits and Truth. We love it!!!!
…for when you need to secure those hot tickets before they sell out!!!
🎤 let’s be frank
Yes, it’s a provocative title (good marketing IMO!!). Head to the Bell House May 29 for Jamie Loftus presents RAW DOG: “Part travelogue, part culinary history, all capitalist critique — comedian Jamie Loftus’s debut, Raw Dog, will take you on a cross-country road trip in the summer of 2021, and reveal what the creation, culture and class influence of hot dogs says about America now.” I hope they serve…hot dogs??!
👯 the beat goes on
If you haven’t seen the American classic that is Revelations, now. is. your. chance!!! Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the city and plays BAM June 6-11. Don’t miss out on some of the best artistry on the planet (homegrown in Hell’s Kitchen!!)!
🔥 Hot tip
Want to support New York farms but forgot to book that upstate Airbnb??? We got the chance to check out Creamline, a new burger joint in Hell’s Kitchen that exclusively uses local ingredients from Hudson Valley, Long Island and NYC purveyors. A New York burger just tastes better, ya know?
⚠️ Omg I forgot to tell you
The pool deck is now open at Life Time Sky!!
There’s a Malibu Barbie Cafe at the Seaport… It might be an influencer nightmare or it might be fun lol
If you’re ready to spend some coin, there’s the Museum of the City of New York’s Centennial Gala May 24
The Frieze New York Art Fair is at The Shed through May 21
Top Gun: Maverick plays Rooftop Cinema Club Midtown May 22
There’s a whiskey tasting in Industry City May 25
There’s a Reformation sample sale now through May 21
That’s it for now! Call me beep me if you want to reach me! (sarah@w42st.com)
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