Touch. There's something wildly, divinely powerful in that physical connection between humans.
It can ease pain. It can lift depression. It can even determine whether a sports team wins or loses. Touch teaches children to feel empathy, and, in blindfolded experiments, can express a multitude of emotions, from gratitude to disgust to love. Most heartbreaking, research in orphanages has shown that babies who are not touched – who are fed and changed but not hugged or held or nuzzled – simply stop growing. They die.
If I'm in reflective mood, blame the summer solstice. The longest day. A time to connect with nature and celebrate the light. I'm also celebrating not being in pain for the first time in two weeks, thanks to an acupuncture treatment and what I can only describe as the healing touch of a stranger. Yay!
So go hug someone this weekend. But keep it consensual, friends. Happy solstice!
|
|
|
For one night only, Tal Yardeni and Ladies – all powerful queens – sing the songs of Queen, a concert for women’s empowerment at Rockwood Music Hall. The singers include Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, (Hadestown), Jenny Ashman (Ever After), LaDonna Burns (Rent national tour), and Bethany Lauren James. It’s all going down on Monday, June 24, and I have a coveted pair of tickets to give away. You want them. Email me immediately. You have until 6pm tonight. Go!
|
|
|
TODAY
Make Music Day, all over Manhattan, all day
Performances of live music, covering all kinds of genres, pours on to streets, parks, plazas, and porches, all of it free. You’ll find the Hell’s Kitchen locations here, but look out, especially, for soul, music, and jazz at Oasis Community Garden. Find out more.
Live model drawing, Bryant Park, 2pm-5pm
Create drawings from life – learning the basics, such as gesture, structure, and anatomy. Limited materials are provided and walk-ins are welcome. Find out more.
https://bryantpark.org/events/2019/06/21/live-model-figure-drawing
TKO R&B party band, Park Ave - 41st St, 4pm
A free outdoor concert playing the hits of Earth, Wind & Fire, Bruno Mars, Prince, Kool & the Gang, Commodores … find out more.
Free Friday, The Intrepid Museum, 5pm-9pm
Our partnership with the museum continues with this, the third in our series of Free Fridays. The entertainment includes a special screening of the new CNN film Apollo 11, featuring dazzling, never-before-seen footage from the historic moon landing. And don’t miss WestsideTREATS, with snacks on the flight deck from vendors including Ample Hills Creamery, Empanada Mama, Authentic NYC Street Food and What the Dillaz! Find out more.
Friday Night Live, Maison 10, 6pm-8pm
Meet the photographer Géraldine Aresteanu and journalist Patricia Louisor-Brosset, the two women behind the photography exhibition, Don’t Fuck With Me, a celebration of everyday women who have survived challenges. RSVP here.
Johnny en Rose, The Duplex, 7pm
Johnny Koladziej opened for our Pride issue launch party at Flaming Saddles – now’s the chance to see his full show, evoking the bars and brothels of Edith Piaf, as he sings the songs of the Little Sparrow. In French. Because he’s clever. Also tomorrow at 4pm. Find out more.
|
|
|
TOMORROW
SUP yoga, Manhattan Kayak + SUP, 9.30am
It’s going to be a beautiful weekend (after a pretty shitty week). So start it on the peace of the river, holding yoga poses while staying afloat on a stand-up paddleboard. It's tougher than it sounds. But it’s an awesome workout. Find out more.
Mermaid parade, Coney Island, from 1pm
A NY institution you have to do at least once. A parade of weird and wonderful costumes starts on Surf Avenue at W21st St, led by marshals Arlo Guthrie and his sister, author Nora Guthrie. Find out more.
Deconstructed: Track-by-Track, The Safehouse, 1pm-4pm
Renowned experimental dance producers break down their tracks stem-by-stem in an interactive workshop on musical production in an old piano factory. Find out more.
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Film at Lincoln Center, 3.30pm and 6.20pm
An intimate documentary about one of America’s most beloved writers, featuring interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, and Morrison herself. There will be a Q&A with the director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders at both screenings. Find out more.
SailGP, downtown Manhattan, 5pm-6pm (approx)
High-speed catamarans take to the Hudson in a series of races. Sadly, you can’t be on board. But you can cheer on from the safety of a riverside bar. Find out more.
Vogue workshop, Ailey Extension, 5pm
Vogue icon Cesar Valentino gets participants popping, dipping, and spinning, in homage to the rich history of vogue dance and culture. There will be prizes for Best Vogue Performance, Best Runway Performance, and Best Dancewear. Find out more.
ANT Fest, Ars Nova, 7pm
A festival of new work by new talent – you could see the next Underground Railroad Game, which was launched in a past season. In this series, a reporter holds vigil over the dying Walt Whitman in Deathbed Edition. And how about attending the last sh*tshow EVER? It’s an indie-pop rager celebrating the delights and deceptions of existing, just as the world is about to end? Find out more.
|
|
|
SUNDAY
The Secret City, Prime Produce, 11.30am
Celebrate summer with a band and choir – the theme is Fresh! And it’s free. Find out more.
Eryc Taylor Dance, Martha Graham Studio Theater, 1pm
Part three in a five-part series about our home and our future. Twenty percent of all ticket sales goes to Greenpeace USA. Find out more.
Camp Sundays at the Met, 2pm
A Pride month conversation between Billy Porter and madison moore, cultural critic, DJ, and assistant professor of Queer Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, discussing the exhibition Camp: Notes on Fashion. Find out more.
Meet the cast of The Deuce, Housing Works Bookstore, 4.30pm
A benefit event, with readings and reflections from James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and other stars of the HBO series set in 1970s Times Square. Find out more.
Wallenda tightrope walk, Times Square, 8pm-10pm
Twenty-five stories up, Nik Wallenda and his sister Lijana will attempt to walk a tightrope across Times Square, crossing each other in the middle. FYI, this will be Lijana’s first high-wire walk since 2017, when she fell off a tightrope, breaking a rib, puncturing her ear canal, breaking her left humerus … and EVERY FREAKING BONE IN HER FACE! Find out more.
50 Years of Divas, The Green Room 42, 7pm & 9pm
These guys from On The Quays brought down the house at our Pride launch party. Here they are celebrating the fierce, fabulous divas who have provided the soundtrack to the last 50 years of Pride. Find out more.
SNOB, The Row NYC, 7pm-12am
Calling all castmates and crew – come hang out and let off steam at this monthly end-of-week dance party. Find out more.
|
|
|
MONDAY
IronStrength workout, The Intrepid, 6pm
This free workout, on the flight deck of The Intrepid, has to be one of the most spectacular you’ll take part in all year. You’re welcome. Find out more.
Tai chi, Pier 84, 6.30pm
I know. It’s tough getting back to the grind after the weekend. Wind down and find serenity practicing the ancient Chinese art in the peaceful surroundings (notwithstanding the honking of the Circle Line, passing cruise ships, and the New Jersey ferries … but use your imagination!) of Pier 84. Find out more.
Boot camp, Bella Abzug Park, 6.30pm
So many exercise options, you really have no excuse. And if tai chi feels too damn calm, work out your Monday frustrations with an intense class that promises to challenge. It’s free, friends. Find out more.
Japanese Breakfast, Central Park, 7pm
Michelle Zauner brings her pretty pop songs about death and grief to SummerStage. And, guess what? This concert is free! Find out more.
Yesterday, Florence Gould Hall, 7pm
A screening of Danny Boyle’s new romantic comedy – starring Lily James, Ed Sheeran, and Kate McKinnon – followed by a Q&A with the director. Find out more.
|
|
|
TUESDAY
Night at the Museums, Lower Manhattan, 4pm-8pm
Explore some of the most diverse museums in the world – all within comfortable walking distance, open late and offering special programing. All for free! Wheeee!
Find out more.
Stargazing, The High Line, dusk
Get yourself to W14th St to join the Amateur Astronomers Association for a spot of telescope-assisted stargazing. It’s free, and no RSVP is required. Just rock up. Find out more.
|
|
|
WEDNESDAY
PowerPop: Celebrity Worship, The Pit, 7pm
Caroline Moore explores pop culture, delving into religion and society's celebrity obsession through PowerPoint, song, dance, and costume. Woohoo! Find out more.
|
|
|
THURSDAY
The Origin of Love, The Town Hall, 8pm
John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, the Tony Award winning co-creators of Hedwig & the Angry Inch, present a night of post-punk, neo-glam songs and stories celebrating 25 years of Hedwig. Find out more.
|
|
|
|
|
