Day 51: Free sweets, drinks, and fashion advice tonight at Lord & Taylor

Tonight, you are invited to join Lord & Taylor to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of an iconic American brand: Echo Design. From 6-8 pm this evening/night, stop by Lord & Taylor, located at 5th Avenue and 39th Street in New York, NY, for an evening of sweets, drinks, and fashion advice from InStyle magazine's Editor-at-Large and style expert, Hal Rubenstein! Hal will show you how Echo Design accessories can turn any look into something fabulous. Whether you have a fashion sense or not, stop in for some free tasty sweets, drinks and advice!

Day 50: Go Vote Today!

Go vote today, it is Tuesday, November 5, Election Day. No matter where you live in New York City, there are various seats up for election. The polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Not sure where to vote, check here to find your polling place. If you'd like to see a sample ballot prior to heading to the polls, check out this resource. If you need an absentee ballot, you can find more information here.

Day 49: Check Out Bareburger Unplugged Mondays

If you're looking for some hot new music to fill your Monday nights, consider checking out Bareburger Unplugged Mondays. This open mic takes place every Monday night at the Bareburger organic restaurant in Manhattan's East Village and is hosted by singer extraordinaire Sylvana Joyce (of Sylvana Joyce The Moment). All types of singers, musicians, bands/singing groups are welcome. There are 25 slots that run 7 minutes each (not including set-up). A warm, supportive community of artists and a great place to network with other musicians, producers, and industry people. Come to perform or to be entertained!

WHEN

• Monday Nights, doors open for open mic sign-up @ 7pm and show starts @ 7:30pm

WHERE

• Bareburger (East Village) 85 Second Avenue (@ 5th Street), 2nd Floor, Manhattan, New York
• By subway, take the F train to Second Avenue and exit the 2nd Avenue side or the 6 train to Bleecker Street or Astor Place.

 

MORE DETAILS

• If you have backing tracks, bring them on your mp3 player.
• Exclusive open mic burger and beers specials.
• FREE drink to the first 10 people to sign up to perform.
• HD videos done by request for free (posted on YouTube).
• No age limit.
• No drink or food minimum.
• Cover charge: $10 for solo performers, $12 total for duos/bands (single set)

Day 48: Check Out a rare Hybrid Solar Eclipse this Weekend!

Set your alarms early on Sunday morning to observe a rare hybrid solar eclipse at 6:30 AM. 

In New York City, you should except to see the moon covering more than half the sun. It will start as an annular eclipse, with the awesome "ring of fire" around the sun, before morphing into a total solar eclipse, in which the sun is totally blocked for a brief period. Check out the Slooh Space Camera preview below: 

 

The Slooh Space Camera will livestream the eclipse online as seen from Kenya, where the sun and moon will form a total solar eclipse. Remember to wear eye protection when viewing this eclipse. If it's too cloudy on Sunday morning, you can watch the Slooh Space Camera live from 6:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. ET Sunday. There is also an App in the iTunes store to live-stream the eclipse.

Day 47: Check Out Accordions Around the World in Bryant Park every Thursday evening

Day 47: Check Out Accordions Around the World in Bryant Park every Thursday Evening

Thirteen evenings featuring over a hundred different accordionists throughout the summer playing music from all over the world. Six accordionists perform under the trees in the park every Thursday evening.

There are special performances on June 20, July 18, and August 15: Twenty accordionists perform all over the park from 5pm - 7pm. Accordion Jam and Dance Party featuring a different band each evening from 7pm – 9pm.

Every Thursday evening until 8/29/2013, 5:00 pm- 7:00 pm

Bryant Park, Manhattan

For more information, call (212) 768-4242 or visit the NYC Parks website.

Day 46: Free Music and Dance at 1pm today...last minute thing to do today!

Day 46: Free Music and Dance at 1pm today...last minute thing to do today!

If you're looking for a last minute 'thing to do' today, head over to the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts to check out the Sue-Yeon Park and Sounds of Korea, Ensemble Sinawi and the New York Korean Traditional Marching Band. 

The event starts at 1pm and is FREE! For more information and directions, visit the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts website. For a review, keep reading...

"You can hear the shamanistic roots of traditional Korean music in the otherworldly music of dancer-director Sue-Yeon Park's Sounds of Korea, which features the great pansori vocalist Jung Hee Oh. Ensemble Sinawi plays a semi-improvised, shamanically sourced music, augmented by acrobatics, that is at times oddly reminiscent of light jazz. And the youthful New York Korean Traditional Marching Band will blow your mind with its frenetic daechwita ("great blowing and hitting") prowess." (reviewed by Richard Gehr)

Day 45: Meet Novelists Colum McCann and Bill Cheng at Brooklyn Bridge Park at 7pm

Day 45: Book reading, signing, and meet and greet with Colum McCann and Bill Cheng at Brooklyn Bridge Park at 7pm

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s outdoor literature series is a partnership between the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and local bookstores. 

TransAtlantic (Random House), the sprawling new novel by Colum McCann, might just deliver the grand scope promised in its title. The story spans not only the ocean but 150 years of history in the process. 

First, in 1845, Frederick Douglass shows up in Dublin on a lecture tour to discover the city ravaged by famine. In 1919 Jack Alcock and Teddy Brown prepare to set off from Newfoundland on the first nonstop transatlantic flight. Finally, in 1998, U.S. Senator George Mitchell attempts conflict resolution in Belfast. We trust in McCann, who has made his own leap from Ireland to New York, to connect their stories. Tonight he will journey trans-East River to present an alfresco reading as part of the Books Beneath the Bridge series. 

Fellow novelist Bill Cheng will join McCann in an outdoor conversation, Q&A, and book-signing at the Granite Prospect at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park at Old Fulton / Furman Street at 7pm. Free to the public. For more information, visit the Brooklyn Bridge Park website.

Day 44: Check Out the Rain Room at the MoMA

Day 44: Check Out the "Rain Room" at the MoMA

If you're looking to experience an interactive art display that allows you to walk in the rain without getting wet, check out the "Rain Room" at the MOMA before it closes on July 28.


Due to the artist's wishes, only 10 patrons can experience the "Rain Room" at any given time, which has resulted in long lines for this exhibit...on average, several hours. See this New York Times article for a look at the experience, including the phenomenon behind the lines.

"A field of falling water that pauses wherever a human body is detected, Rain Room offers visitors the experience of controlling the rain. Known for their distinctive approach to contemporary digital practice, Random International’s experimental projects come alive through audience interaction—and Rain Room is their largest and most ambitious to date. The work invites visitors to explore the roles that science, technology, and human ingenuity can play in stabilizing our environment. Using digital technology, Rain Room creates a carefully choreographed downpour, simultaneously encouraging people to become performers on an unexpected stage and creating an intimate atmosphere of contemplation." ~MoMA Website

If you don't want to wait in line and would prefer to experience the "Rain Room" in HD video, check out this behind the scenes look of the concept and experience. 

For more information, directions and hours, visit the MoMA website. 

Day 43: Take A Ride on Jane's Carousel After Post Hurricane Sandy Restoration Efforts

Day 43: Take A Ride on Jane's Carousel to Support the Carousel's Post Hurricane Sandy Restoration Efforts

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, check out Jane's Carousel at 56 Water Street (between New Dock Street and Main Street in Brooklyn.  


After suffering damage from a certain superstorm, Jane’s Carousel is back in action—and getting into the Valentine’s spirit by letting couples ride with a single ticket through Feb 28. Treat your honey to a $2 twirl on the restored 1922 merry-go-round; although it’s fully heated, you can still use the cold as an excuse to snuggle up.

Jane's Carousel is restored historic Carousel made by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1922. It's a classic 3-row machine with 48 exquisitely carved horses, and 2 superb chariots. The wood carvings, often attributed to John Zalar and Frank Carretta, are among the finest of their kind. It was the first Carousel to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

For more information, such as direction and hours, visit Jane's Carousel website. 

Day 42: Check out the New York Philharmonic: Handel's Messiah

Day 42: Check out the New York Philharmonic: Handel's Messiah

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, check out the New York Philharmonic: Handel's Messiah. With the expert German tenor and conductor Peter Schreier leading the Westminster Symphonic Choir and a solid bunch of soloists, including soprano Ute Selbig, contralto Nathalie Stutzmann, Steve Davislim and Peter Rose, we'll happily join the sheep that flock to hear Handel's feel-good oratorio each Christmas. 

Avery Fisher Hall (at Lincoln Center), Today 7:30pm; Tomorrow 2pm; Sat 7:30pm. Ending: Sat Dec 17 7:30pm 132 W 65th St (at Broadway). For more information, (212) 875-5030 or visit nyphil.org. Subway: 1 to 66th St–Lincoln Center.