Category Archives: What’s Happening

Battery Park City Fourth of July Fireworks

July Fourth: Best Picks for Battery Park City

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Battery Park City Fourth of July Fireworks
Battery Park City is a great place this year for Macy's Fireworks viewing!

Depending on the year, we either have the best views of the famed Macy’s fireworks in Battery Park City — or we’ve got nada.

Lucky for us… this year is a phenomenal year for the Macy’s Fireworks!!

The fireworks are set to begin at 9:20 p.m. and will have six barges along the Hudson River. The theme of the show this year is “American Harmony” which will feature music that emphasizes the glory of American history.

The New York Pops Orchestra and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will perform, and there will be unique versions of classic patriotic tunes performed by Straight No Chaser, Broadway Inspirational Voices, U.S. Army Soldier’s Chorus, and United We Sing. The music will be performed in sync with the fireworks and can be heard on 1010 WINS. For those who prefer an HD and air-conditioned view of the show, NBC will broadcast the fireworks live beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

For those who are interested in being closer to the action uptown, be mindful of the following street closings:

Fireworks will be launched from six barges in the Hudson River. 12th Avenue will be closed below 59th beginning at 4 p.m. for viewing. Pedestrians can access the 12th Avenue from 11th Avenue at 24th, 26th-30th, 34th, 40th-44th, 47th-52nd and 54th-57th streets. The West Side Highway will be closed to vehicular traffic from 22nd-59th Street starting at 4 p.m.

However, the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks are viewable from anywhere you have an unobstructed view of the sky above the Hudson River.

Some other events worth noting this weekend are:

Rosanne Cash Concert at Governors Island:
An outdoor concert with Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash — bring a picnic and discover Governors Island!Free ferry service starting at 10am from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street between Whitehall and Broad Streets, adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry.

The Battery 4th of July Concert and Family Festival – Dan Zanes Jam & Jubilee: Enjoy a free performance by Dan Zanes Jam & Jubilee in Battery Park at 2 p.m. Details and directions available on their website. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Revolutionary War Walking Tour:
Big Onion Walking tours will have a 1 p.m.  walking tour of sites related to the Revolutionary War in Lower Manhattan. Fraunces Tavern, the graves of Alexander Hamilton and General Richard Montgomery, and Federal Hall are among the sites featured on the tour. Admission: Adults $15, Seniors & Students $12. Meet at the intersection of Broadway and Murray Street, at gated entrance to City Hall Park.

Spirit of New Jersey July 4th Dinner Cruise:
See the fireworks while you enjoy dinner, open bar, and live music on Spirit of New Jersey’s cruise from 6 – 11 p.m. (5 p.m. boarding) for $263.90 per person departing from Chelsea Piers. (Price does not include taxes, fees & required gratuities, which add about $80 per ticket.) Consult their website for details and reservations.

Circle Line Downtown’s Zephyr Cruise:
The Zephyr boards at South Street Seaport Pier 16 at 6 p.m., sailing from 6:30-11:30 p.m. Tickets are $165 and $120 for children, and include live DJ and buffet dinner with a cash bar available.

Friends of Animal Rescue cruise

Cruise the East River in Style, Benefit Animals

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Friends of Animal Rescue cruise
C'mon, how can anyone resist an invitation that looks like this?

If you’re cruising down the East River at sunset on a luxury yacht while sipping a cocktail, you must be some sort of celebrity or rich investment banker, right? Not necessarily. In fact, you could just be a really great person with a soft spot for homeless animals.

On Tuesday, June 22, Friends of Animal Rescue (FOAR) is hosting a charity sunset cruise from 7-10 PM aboard the beautiful 145-ft. luxury Atlantis yacht. The cruise boards at the Water Club (East River at 30th Street) and offers attendees, cocktails, a buffet dinner, a silent auction, breathtaking views… and peace of mind in knowing that their good time benefits a good cause: pets in need of a little shelter and a lot of love. And it’s all for the bargain price of $100 per ticket (in advance; tickets on the boat are $120) — not a bad deal considering how much peace of mind goes for on the black market these days.

Continue reading Cruise the East River in Style, Benefit Animals →

River to River Festival

River to River Festival Kicks Off

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River to River Festival
There are 1,000 free reasons to stick around NYC this summer.

It might not be evident by the mass exodus that occurs during the weekends, but New York City is a wonderful place to be during the summer.

Case in point: The 2010 River to River Festival — which celebrates music, film, theater, dance, art, poetry and, of course, family with a summer full of free events –  kicks off with a massive 100-band punk music festival on Randall’s Island next Sunday, June 20. Don’t worry if punk’s not your bag, though. There’s plenty on the American Express-sponsored festival’s agenda to please an array of age groups, interests and cultural tastes.

For non-punk music lovers, there are a cornucopia of concert options, including a gratis show from singer-songwriter Beth Orton (June 30), a live blues performance by John Hammond and his band (July 1), and countless others.

Film buffs should be happy to hear that beginning on July 29, the festival is screening classic New York films every Thursday at 55 Water Street, as part of a “Movie Nights on the Elevated Acre” series. The flicks include Broadway Danny Rose (July 29), Auntie Mame (Aug. 5) and, for the kids, The Muppets Take Manhattan (Aug. 19).

Theater aficionados will swoon over “Summer Stock 2010: An Evening of Broadway Blockbusters,” a 70-minute show featuring some of the biggest Broadway musical hits of all time.

Dance enthusiasts will dig a free performance by the Rochester City ballet (July 10), as well as a series of performances directed by renowned choreographer Deganit Shemy (July 12-15).

And for families there’s the Children’s Festival & Fireworks on July 26.

There are also a ton of events we haven’t mentioned, but it’d take way too long to list them all. So please forgive our summer-induced laziness, and get more info and a complete itinerary of this summer’s free events at the River to River Festival official site.

Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth Visit New York

Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth to Visit NYC

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Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth Visit New York
Why are Harry and Liz taking a bite out of the Big Apple? (photo courtesy of globalnational.com)

The British are coming! The British are coming! But this time it’s a very good thing. Both Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth will visit New York City over the course of the next month, but for decidedly different reasons.

Twenty-five-year-old Harry is set to once again face off against Argentine polo stud — and Ralph Lauren model — Nacho Figueras in the third Annual Veuve Cliquot Polo Classic. The event, slated for June 27 on New York Harbor’s Governors Island, will benefit American Friends of Sentebale, the U.S. arm of a global charity founded by Harry to aid the impoverished children of Lesotho in southern Africa. Celebs such as Madonna and Kate Hudson attended last year’s match, so be sure to bring binoculars and your star-stalking A-game.

Sadly, Queen Elizabeth won’t be playing any polo during her stint in the States. Instead, on July 6, Britain’s 84-year-old monarch will make her first trip to America since 1976 (when she was here for the Bicentennial) to tour Ground Zero and pay her respects to the 3,000 innocent people who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks.

According to the New York Daily News, the Queen will officially open the British Garden of Remembrance in Hanover Square, not far from the World Trade Center site, to honor the 67 British citizens killed that September day.

Greenmarket coming to BPC

Greenmarket Coming to Battery Park City?

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Mmm... green stuff.

Pretty soon, BPC residents may be able to buy fruits and vegetables so fresh they make the stuff at Whole Foods look the stuff from Gristedes (not that there’s anything wrong with Gristedes produce).

Yes, folks, Battery Park City just might be getting its own green market in the not-too-distant future. Michael Hurwitz, director of Grow NYC’s Greenmarket, recently met with Community Board 1’s Battery Park City Committee to discuss the prospect, and the committee was overwhelmingly supportive of his idea.

There is currently a green market in Zuccotti Park on Tuesday and Thursday, and Hurwitz proposed moving the Thursday night green market to a much bigger location in front of 2World Financial Center. The new area would allow for 15 to 20 tents for farmers to sell their delicious produce, while the Zuccotti location only provides room for seven tents. The committee ate up the idea like so many freshly picked tomatoes. So why hasn’t said market come to, um, fruition?

In a word: parking. The farmers need somewhere to park, sometimes for up to 10 hours a day. And as anyone who’s ever set foot in New York knows, parking here comes at a premium. Hurwitz tells Downtown Express, “Parking is crucial. If there wasn’t a parking consideration, then we’d start next week.”

But don’t fret. Hurwitz and some Committee members think they may have found somewhere for the farmers’ trucks to park on Liberty Street and South Street, where parking normally is not allowed. Assuming this solution gets enough support, the Thursday green market could become a reality as soon as next month. And, if that succeeds, a Saturday market could get a Green thumbs up very, very soon.

The Hudson

2010 House of the Year Comes to World Financial Plaza

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The Hudson
This pre-fab home is pretty fab.

The Hudson, an eco-friendly prefabricated home developed by Country Living Magazine in conjunction with design-building company New World Home, will be on display at the World Financial Center (quite appropriately, on the banks of the Hudson River) from June 4 through June 17… before moving on to its permanent address in Vernon, New Jersey.

Constructed in a factory in just 100 days, the two-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot country cottage boasts fireplaces, gargantuan windows, a 1,100-square-foot wraparound porch, and a stylish and “green” interior decoration courtesy of New York designer Katie Ridder. Comprised of six modular pieces, it’s also super easy to put together — assuming you own a 100-ton crane.

Continue reading 2010 House of the Year Comes to World Financial Plaza →

James Webb Telescope

Battery Park Gets Its Own Space Telescope… for a Week

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James Webb Telescope
Meet the James Webb Telescope, the successor to Hubble (photo courtesy of NASA).

Even if you weren’t one of those kids who grew up with a passion for assembling models, chances are you’ll appreciate the 80-foot-long, 40-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide, 12,000-pound model of the James Webb Telescope, on display in Battery Park now through June 6 as part of the World Science Festival.

According to FOX News, contractor Northrop Grumman designed the model, which is roughly the size of a tennis court and represents a full-scale rendering of the functional telescope/satellite that will be launched into space in 2014. To give you a sense of just how big this thing is, it took two trucks to ship the parts to New York and a team of 12 workers four days to assemble. So it requires just a bit more work than your average model-in-a-box.

Continue reading Battery Park Gets Its Own Space Telescope… for a Week →

What's Happening: Wednesday, April 22, 2010

What's Happening

Happy Birthday Earth Day! Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and in celebration of this occasion there will be all-day events in and around the neighborhood. Being that our neighborhood is considered one of the greenest in the nation, we cannot back down on festivities. Events which include everything from Bird Watching with the BPC Parks Conservancy to arts and crafts event at the NYPL for children, there is something for everyone today. Find out more about the events with our rundown.

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