Ideasmyth is kicking summer up a notch with our weekly curated list of New York’s quirky hidden treasures of culture, events and other surprising treats you can’t find anywhere else. Looking to spice up your week? Tell your friends about these unexpected finds, and you’ll be their go-to event planner every time.
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Thursday July 10: Broadway in Bryant Park
Friday July 11: Manhattanhenge
Saturday July 12: The Lost Circus @ Steampunk Weekend
Sunday July 13: Screening of Drunktown’s Finest
Monday July 14: Story Time for Grown-Ups
Tuesday July 15: Book Panel with Amy Sohn & Choire Sicha
Wednesday July 16: Gatsby to Garp
Thursday July 17: Escape the Room NYC
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Thursday July 10
Broadway in Bryant Park
12:30PM, FREE Admission
Bryant Park
http://bit.ly/1lWiYn4
Want to catch up on the Summer’s Broadway hits without breaking the bank for all those tickets? Make your way to Bryant Park for a free concert starring some of Broadway’s biggest names as they perform signature numbers from their respective shows. Thursday’s opening show will feature cast members from STOMP, Rocky, Wicked and If/Then. When else will you be able to enjoy performances from four Broadway shows outside in a beautiful park all without spending a time?
Friday July 11
Manhattanhenge
8:24PM, FREE Admission
Eastern Manhattan looking toward New Jersey
http://bit.ly/VXLFqy
Neil deGrasse Tyson is distinguished for being director of the Hayden Planetarium, host of PBS’s Cosmos series and for coining the term “Manhattanhenge,” the phenomenon that takes place “when the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan’s brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough’s grid.” Friday is one of the last days the sun will be so aligned, and for the best views–and quality Instagram snaps–you’ll want to face West towards New Jersey on either 34th or 42nd street with the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building as a backdrop at or before 8:24PM. For more about this deliberately designed feature of NYC’s early urban planning, The Hayden Planetarium is hosting a program beforehand at 7PM, which will wrap in time for you to take your photos.
Saturday July 12
The Lost Circus at NYC Steampunk Weekend
9PM-4AM, $25
Irondale Center, 85 S Oxford St, Brooklyn
http://bit.ly/1ne500p
Roam through this Victorian-inspired circus in a breathtaking nineteenth century church-turned-performance space for a day of live music you won’t find at your local bar, tarot readings by Ideasmyth client intuitive Peri Lyons and more only-at-steampunk fun ie., an “extreme balloons” booth. At this fandango, costumes are de rigueur, favoring vintage Tim Burton-esque attire (think his partner Helena Bonham Carter’s fright couture on the red carpet).
Sunday July 13
Screening of Drunktown’s Finest
2PM, FREE Admission
Museum of Modern Art
http://bit.ly/1mfMODw
The Museum of Modern Art’s current exhibition Carte Blanche: Sundance Institute’s Native American and Indigenous Program presents Navajo native Sydney Freeland’s film Drunktown’s Finest. Akin to the exhibition’s mission, the film poignantly portrays both the hardships and the beauty of life on a reservation through the lives of three Native American teenagers.
Monday July 14
Story Time for Grown-Ups: Travel Stories
7PM, FREE Admission
Mid-Manhattan Library
http://on.nypl.org/1mIM9vy
Who says story time is just for kids? Relax in the beautiful Mid-Manhattan Library after work and let someone else do the talking as you listen to Evelyn Waugh’s Cruise and Ring Lardner’s Travelogue. Both stories being about the excitement of travel, sit back as the readings take you all over the world in one evening.
Tuesday July 15
Book Panel with Amy Sohn and Choire Sicha
7PM, FREE Admission
WORD Bookstore, 126 Franklin St, Brooklyn
http://bit.ly/1tnKWgV
In honor of the release of Amy Sohn’s newest novel, The Actress, WORD Brooklyn will be hosting a conversation between the bestselling author (and pop culture pundit) and Choire Sicha, editor of The Awl and author of Very Recent History. Grab a copy of Sohn’s latest book about the glamorous, if scandalous, life of an actress and listen to two of today’s most trusted modern culture documentarians inside a neighborhood favorite amongst Greenpoint residents.
Wednesday July 16
Gatsby to Garp: Modern Masterpieces from the Carter Burden Collection
10:30AM-5PM, $18 Adults/$12 Children
The Morgan Library & Museum
http://bit.ly/1jRtuWY
In 1996 former NY councilman Carter Burden had officially accumulated the largest privately owned collection of American literature in existence. Now, the Morgan Library and Museum’s exhibition has nearly 100 of those works on display, including original editions, manuscripts and letters from American greats like F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger. History and literary buffs alike will find something to drool over in this celebration of twentieth century American literature, so come absorb the relics of our country’s classical tradition at the Morgan.
Thursday July 17
Escape the Room NYC
12PM, 2PM, 11PM $28
25 W 31st St, 11th Floor
http://bit.ly/VKbs59
Instead of going out for a drink with your coworkers Thursday evening, do something that will really shake up Friday’s water cooler conversations. Escape the Room NYC offers a one-of-a-kind experience to patrons: lock yourself and your friends in a room with a particular theme and break out within one hour using the subtle clues scattered within the space. The rooms’ themes allow participants to live out movie-like scenes such as a mission for secret agents or a murder mystery among Victorian party guests, so live your fantasy and beat the clock!
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Got any other can’t-miss events in the city you’re excited about? We’re all ears– tell us about them in the comments section below!
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~~~Beth St. John is an Editorial and Social Media Intern for Ideasmyth, as well as a student at Boston University, where she studies English, History and European Studies. She loves to write and hopes to put that love to good use by publishing the next Harry Potter. When she’s not fumbling for words, she is probably baking or watching a David O. Russell movie.
