Norma's Weekly Member Snapshot: 
Union Square Greenmarket

Al Fresco Food Markets

I'm always on the lookout for fresh finds... from local produce to cheese and wine, the outdoor markets I've picked for this week's Special Feature have the very best seasonal favorites and even give you the opportunity to meet the farmers who grow your food.

 

 
 
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GeneralGENERAL EVENTS
Now Open  Bryant Park Outdoor Activities
Bryant Park 
There is so much to do during the summer in Bryant Park - from outdoor dance and exercise classes to a live piano player... check the calendar for the full schedule.
Summer Streets - Slide the City

Tuesdays  Stargazing on The High Line

The High Line (West 13th & Washington Streets)

Every Tuesday until October you can peek into high powered telescopes on the High Line and chat with the experts.  


August 2   Summer Streets

See the map online 

On 3 consecutive Saturdays, 7 miles of NYC's streets are open for people to play, run, walk, and bike. Activities include arts and crafts workshops, live musical performances, dance workshops, plenty of snacks, a 25-foot climbing wall, and a 160-foot zipline. 7:00 am to 1:00 pm, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, along Park Avenue and connecting streets.  August 2nd, 9th, 16th.  And as part of Summer Streets, check out Slide the City, a giant water slide in Foley Square, on Centre and Lafayette streets! It's sold on August 1st, but make a reservation starting on August 3rd for an August 8th slot.  Also on August 15th.  


August 4  Dock Rocks
South Street Seaport
The first post-storm Sandy benefit featuring live outdoor music including Duran Duran and Wyclef Jean.

Through August 22  Harlem Week
Various Locations
Celebrate Harlem with musical events, film festivals, fashion shows, and more.  
 
ON THE RADAR:   
August 8 & 9   Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

Flushing Meadows - Queens 

An annual sporting and multicultural event, celebrating the 5th moon of lunar.  Watch 120 dragon boat teams participate in this colorful event.  

 

August 15  25th Anniversary Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest

Coney Island

Walk the boardwalk to view sand castles built by sculptors. Amateurs to semi-pros compete for prizes in this annual contest.

   

August 31 to September 13   US Open

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center - Queens 
Tickets are now on sale for matches at this year's Open.  I plan on purchasing mine, as I do each year.

CutluralCULTURAL PURSUITS
H {N)Y P N(Y} OSIS
Looking for a new way to see a museum?  Check out Museum Hack, guided tours (up to 9 people) of the Met and the American Museum of Natural History. Led by experienced guides well-versed in art history, it's a way to see the works through a new lens.
   
CLOSING THIS WEEK:
 
PARK AVENUE ARMORY (643 Park Avenue) 
Through August 2
Philippe Parreno constructs a sculpted space where a series of events fold and unfold onto the vast space of the Armory.  An amazing sensory journey!

 

ONGOING EXHIBITS: 

 
AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM (2 Lincoln Square)
Folk Art and American Modernism
Through September 27
This exhibit traces folk art from fishing shacks to the walls of major art museums.

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY  (Central Park West at 79th Street) 
Through August 9
Exhibit uncovers the causes of nature's forces.
Secret Ocean

Jean-Michel Cousteau's Secret Ocean
Through January 2016
Visit the American Museum of Natural History to take a breathtaking journey around the underwater world as Cousteau introduces 30 species shown for the first time on film... created over a three year period.





BROOKLYN MUSEUM (200 Eastern Parkway - Brooklyn)
Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks
Through August 23
View the large scale works of this illustrious painter along with sketches from his personal notebooks.

DISCOVERY TIMES SQUARE (226 West 44th Street)
The Hunger Games
Through January 3, 2016
The world premiere exhibition is open! Katniss fans will go wild for authentic costumes, props, and highly interactive hands-on experiences exploring the world of Panem.    
ELLIS ISLAND
Peopling of America Galleries
Ongoing
Life-size historic photographs of Ellis Island immigrants are displayed on the south side of Ellis Island. 

Ongoing
Tells the story of immigration to America before the processing station opened in 1892 and after it closed in 1954.

THE FRICK COLLECTION (10 East 71st Street)
Leighton's Flaming June
Through September 6
British artist Frederic Leighton's paintings are on exhibition. 
 
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM (1071 Fifth Avenue)
Storylines: Contemporary Art at the Guggenheim
Through September 9

This exhibit displays 100+ works and examines how artists forge new paradigms for storytelling through painting, photography and sculpture.

 
Highlights from the Collection:
Summer 2015

HELLY NAHMAD GALLERY (975 Madison Avenue)  
Highlights from the Collection: Summer 2015
Through October 8
Features two of my favorite artists... Calder and Picasso.   

INTREPID SEA, AIR, & SPACE MUSEUM
(Pier 86 - 46th Street & 12th Avenue)
Through September 15
Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

THE JEWISH MUSEUM (1109 Fifth Avenue)
Through September 27
The first exhibition to explore how avant-garde art influenced the look and content of early network television.




MADISON SQUARE PARK

Teresita Fernández
Through Winter
500 feet of sprawling sculptures made of golden canopies suspended above the park's pathway.  An eye-catching exhibit.

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART (1000 Fifth Avenue)
Through November 1
It feels like summer and a perfect time to visit the Met's Roof Garden. Besides the beautiful view and delicious drinks, Pierre Huyghe's minimalist installation is mystifying and adds to the view.
 
China: Through the Looking Glass
Through August 16 
The Costume Institute and the Collaborative Department of Asian Art showcase the fashionable imagination of Asian designs, exploring the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion.
Navigating the West: George Caleb
Bingham and the River 
 
Van Gogh: Irises and Roses 
Through August 16
Van Gogh's breathtaking exhibit.

Navigating the West: George Caleb Bingham and the River
Through September 20
Portrays 19th century frontier life. 
 
THE MORGAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM (226 Madison Avenue)
Through October 11

For the first time in three decades, the original manuscript will travel from the British Library in London to New York, where it will be joined by original drawings and letters, rare editions, vintage photographs, and fascinating objects... many never before exhibited.

 
MUSEUM OF ARTS & DESIGN (2 Columbus Circle)
Through September 20
Photo-realistic painter Richard Estes exhibits his works.

Ralph Pucci: The Art of the Mannequin
Through August 30 
Displays thirty of his works of ever-changing fashion.   
  
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK  (1220 Fifth Avenue)
Through September 13
An exhilarating exhibit of 50 years of New York landmarks.
Through August 13
Exhibit will take us back to the early days of Hip Hop and showcase the work of three NYC photographers who documented the scene between 1977 and 1990. 
 
Everything is Design: The Work of Paul Rand
Through September 7
The master of design showcases his postcards, brochures, and all of his creative concepts.




MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
  (11 West 53rd Street)
Through March 31, 2016
Exhibition of past three decades of 30 international artists whose works range in their approach to political, social, and cultural flux of our global landscape. 
 
This Is for Everyone: Design Experiments for the Common Good
Through January 31, 2016
Digital age design encompassing fashion and furniture. 

Andy Warhol: Campbell's Soup Cans and Other Works, 1953-1967
Through October 12
Andy Warhol's famous Campbell Soup Cans are on display.

Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960-1971
Through September 7
MoMA features a compilation of approximately 125 of her early objects, works on paper, installations, performances, audio recordings, and films, surveying the decisive decade that led up to her unauthorized exhibition.
Through September 7

Portrays the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North. 

 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN (Broadway & Bridge Street)

Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family

Through January 10, 2016

Glittering World presents the story of Navajo jewelry through the lens of one of the most celebrated jewelry making families of our time.    


NEUE GALLERY NEW YORK MUSEUM FOR GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN ART
 
(1048 Fifth Avenue)  

Through September 7
View the original painting that inspired Helen Mirren's role in her latest movie by the same name.
       
NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY (170 Central Park West)
Through October 12 
Nine decades of his art are on display for the first time. 
       
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 
Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life  
Through November 1
The inaugural exhibition to examine Frida's appreciation for the beauty and variety of the natural world, as evidenced by her home, garden, and use of plant imagery in her artwork.

Public Eye: 175 Years of Sharing Photography
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY (5th Avenue at 42nd Street)
Public Eye: 175 Years of Sharing Photography 
Through September 4
A retrospective survey of photography. How have we been engaged over time? Are we risking our privacy in pursuit of a more public photography? The exhibit explores these questions.
 
Sinatra: An American Icon

Through September 4

A tribute to the life of the legendary actor and singer, Frank Sinatra. A multimedia exhibit showcasing memorabilia never before seen. 
 



RANDALL'S ISLAND
Through November
Annual summer art exhibitions on the shoreline of Randall's Island.
Summertime Salon

RICHARD TAITTINGER GALLERY (154 Ludlow Street)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Through August 22
A summer showcase of contemporary artists from Africa. 

ROBIN RICE GALLERY (325 West 11th Street)
Summertime Salon
Through September 6

Annual photographic exhibition featuring the works of the gallery artists as well as a few newcomers.  

SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK (Long Island City)
The Living Pyramid
Through August 30
Stop by and see New York City artist Agnes Denes' work.

THE SKYSCRAPER MUSEUM  (39 Battery Place)
Ten Tops
Through September 13
Focuses on a group of the world's tallest buildings 100 stories and higher.  A perfect exhibit for this museum!  

 

VAN DER PLAS GALLERY (156 Orchard Street) 

Summer Salon 2015
Through August 31 

Displays works from various artists including Green Intersections, Quartered by Toni Silber-Delerive.      

 

Scott Patt: Bigger. Smaller. Funnier.

WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART (99 Gansevoort Street)

America is Hard to See
Through September 24
Recently premiering at the downtown opening of the museum. View this inaugural exhibit of over 650 pieces from 400 artists.

WINSTON WACHTER FINE ART GALLERY (530 West 25th Street)
Scott Patt: Bigger. Smaller. Funnier.
Through August 31
Patt's paintings inspire viewers to consider overlooked humorous and poignant moments in life.

CurtainCURTAIN UP
FILM: 
Visit my recent Snapshot for all of the outdoor film this summer!
This week's movie picks: 
MUSIC & DANCE:

Tuesdays & Wednesdays  Jazz Nights 
The Lambs Club (132 West 44th Street)
Live jazz from new and up and coming performers.

July 31  Gin & Jazz Series
SixtyFive at the Rainbow Room (30 Rockefeller Plaza)
Bar and cocktail lounge offers classic gin cocktails with modern twists on the highest rooftop dining terrace until 9pm tonight.


Through August 1  John Pizzarelli Quartet + Strings & Special Guests "Music of Paul McCartney"
Birdland (315 West 44th Street)
For this new show, Pizzarelli puts his signature spin on songs by Paul McCartney.  

Through August 2  Lincoln Center Festival

Lincoln Center  

Performances to wow and delight... music, dance, art.     

 

 

August 3   

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical: Songs in Concert / Scott Shea   

Central Park SummerStage
Free concert with music from the Broadway hit!
 
August 4  Ramblers and Strugglers: Old Time Music in the Big City

Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Avenue)
An evening of old time blues by two outstanding folk groups based in the city.  Don't forget to take in the exhibits during your visit.
 



August 4  Hudson Square Museum & Wine Festival 
City Winery (155 Varick Street)

A fun, free after-work backyard party held every Tuesday through August 11th.

 
Through August 4   Naumburg Orchestral Concerts
Central Park
Every Tuesday, the city's oldest free classical music series.
 
Broadway in Bryant Park
August 4 through 16  Ballet Festival
The Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Avenue)
An adventurous festival performed by a mix of choreographers and dancers.
 
 
Bryant Park 

Broadway's biggest hits are sung by many top performers each Thursday.  This Thursday, performances include music from Amazing Grace and other hot shows. Thursdays through August 13th.  

     

August 6  MoMA Nights

Museum of Modern Art (11 West 53rd Street)

Sculpture Garden
The perfect respite... listen to jazz and classical music in the museum's exquisite sculpture garden on Thursdays in August.


New York City Center (130 West 56th Street)
The world's most celebrated dancing partners, the extraordinary Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, are reunited for two performances in NYC.
    
Through August 9  Lincoln Center Out of Doors
Lincoln Center

3 weeks of dance, music, and concerts in Lincoln Center... all free!  

 

Through August 12  Celebrate Brooklyn 

Prospect Park Bandshell

Free concerts all summer. 

   

Through August 22  Mostly Mozart 

Lincoln Center

Classical music concerts. Order your tickets now.

  

Through September 5  Warm Up 2015  
MoMA PS1 (Long Island City) 

Each Saturday, Warm Up is experimental live music, DJs, and dancing in the outdoor courtyard of MoMA PS1 in Queens.

  

THEATER:
 
39 Steps
Through November 30
Union Square Theatre (100 East 17th Street)
The energetic production has returned to NYC! A comedic spoof where 4 actors portray over 150 characters.

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey
Through October 4
Westside Theatre Downstairs (407 West 43rd Street)
An off-Broadway production of a tenaciously optimist and flamboyant 14 year old boy who goes missing from his small Jersey shore town. Through October 4th.

An Act of God
Through August 2
Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street)
Emmy and Golden Globe winner, Jim Parsons, stars in the 90-minute comedy in which God and his devoted angels answer some of the deepest questions of mankind.

An American in Paris
Through April 3, 2016
Palace Theater (1564 Broadway) 
American Stage debut of the story about a young artist who discovers life and love after returning from the war.

Amazing Grace
Through December 20
Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st)
World Premiere musical based on the awe-inspiring true story behind the world's most beloved song. 
 
Colin Quinn The New York Story
Through February 21, 2016
Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 West 43rd Street)
This musical follows the legendary songwriter from her early days as a Brooklyn teenager to well-known hits as a top recording artist.
  
Colin Quinn The New York Story
Through August 16
Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street)
Directed by Jerry Seinfeld, the play bemoans the rise and fall of Quinn's hometown city (formerly known as New York).  It's Quinn is at his satirical best... poignantly depicting NYC as the crossroads of the world.

Through January 3, 2016
Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street) 

Now a Tony Award Winning play!  The lead actor, a recent graduate of Julliard, is brilliant. The story unfolds with a mathematically precocious adolescent with behavioral problems uncovering truths and secrets.   

  

Finding Neverland 

Through January 10, 2016 

Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street)

Starring Kelsey Grammer. The amazing story of how Peter became Pan.

  

Fish in the Dark
Through August 1
Cort Theater (138 West 48th Street)
Funnyman Larry David wrote and performed in this play focusing on 15 characters as each deals with a death in the family.  Seinfeld buddy Jason Alexander replaced Larry as the lead and there are still a few tickets left for the final shows.

The Flick
The Flick
Through January 10, 2016
Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street)
Set in a run-down movie theater in central Massachusetts, this is Annie Baker's Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
 
Fun Home
Through June 5, 2016
Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50th Street)
Performance brings the actors and audience within close proximity. Tony Award Winning play about seeing your parents through adult eyes.



Hamilton
Through March 27, 2016
Richard Rodgers Theatre
(226 West 46th Street)
A show stopper that got its start at the Public Theater earlier this year.  An inventive musical about the young immigrant who changed America... Alexander Hamilton. In previews now, opens August 6th, through March 27th. 

Through September 6 
The Signature Theater (480 West 42nd Street)
World premier by Pulitzer prize winning playwright of the Flick. John is directed by Sam Gold and is the story of a young couple's struggle to stay together.
 
The King and I
Through January 3, 2016
Lincoln Center Theater (150 West 65th Street)
The revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's play, starring Tony Award Winner Kelli O'Hara.
  
On the Town
Through December 6
Lyric Theatre (213 West 42nd Street)
The feel good play of the season. Broadway's largest orchestra and cast make us fall in love with the city again.  

Penn & Teller
Through August 16
Marquis Theatre (46th Street between Broadway & 8th Avenue)
For the first time in 25 years, this duo returns home bringing astonishing tricks from their record breaking Las Vegas show.
 
Preludes
Through August 2
Lincoln Center Theater (150 West 65th Street)
A musical fantasia set in the mind of a Russian composer as he attempts to overcome his writer's block and return to composing. 
Ruthless
Ruthless
Through January 2, 2016
St. Luke's Theatre (308 West 46th Street)

Called "the mother of all musicals," I've seen it and can attest... it's a hilarious show starring 10-year old Tori Murray.
 

Shakespeare in the Park: Cymbeline 

Through August 23
The Delacorte Theater (81 Central Park)
It's worth standing in line for the free performances of Shakespeare's tale. Starring Hamish Linklater.   
 
Shows for Days
Through August 23
Lincoln Center Theater (150 West 65th Street)
A favorite performer of mine, Patti LuPone, stars in a semi-autobiographical play about a community theater in rural Pennsylvania.   
 


Summer Shorts Festival
Through August 29
59E59 Theaters (59 E 59th Street)
An annual event featuring new and favorite American playwrights.
Three Days to See

Three Days to See
Through August 16
Theatre 79 (79 East 4th Street)
An inspired performance about Helen Keller and her take on romance, culture, and politics.

The Weir
Through September 6
Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street)
The acclaimed revival returns to the stage.  What starts out as "blarney" turns into haunting ghost stories.

 
Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic
Through August 29
Speakeasy Dollhouse (234 West 42nd Street)
A hidden theater in the Heart of Times Square, purchase tickets for an evening of music, magic, and mystery.

ON THE RADAR: 
   
Jazz Age Lawn Party

August 14 through 30  FringeNYC
Various Locations
Tickets go on sale August 7th for shows throughout the city... musicals, operas, drama, dance, comedy and more.

August 15 & 16 
Jazz Age Lawn Party

Governor's Island
An annual prohibition-era soiree (How very Gatsby!). The quintessential outdoor celebration of the jazz age.  

         

   

 

  

August 15 through 20   2015 Battery Dance Festival  

Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park - Battery Park City

Annual festival of free dance performances.  


August 18  Counting Crows Somewhere Under Wonderland Tour

Hudson River Park Pier 97 (at 55th Street) 

Hudson River Park partners with Live Nation to present this waterfront ticketed show.

  

August 21 through 23  Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 

Multiple Locations

Enjoy the music of Charlie Parker at various locations throughout the city.  


August 22 
Governor's Island Seafood and Music Beach Party
Governor's Island
A terrific ticketed event.  Enjoy a tribute to Bob Marley and Sublime, while walking along the grounds, viewing our city's skyline, and enjoying great seafood such as lobster rolls and oysters.

August 25 through 29  Central Park Conservancy Film Festival
Central Park between Sheep Meadow and the 72nd Street Cross Drive
Annual festival featuring nightly films in the park... favorites include Airplane and Fame. 


August 25 through 29  Charlie Parker Birthday Celebration
Birdland (315 West 44th Street)
An all-star birthday celebration of Charlie Parker... one of the most influential and iconic artists in jazz history.

MET Opera's 2015 Summer HD Festival 
August 29  Metropolitan Opera's 2015 Summer HD Festival
Lincoln Center Plaza
Through September 7th, there will be 10 free screenings of MET performances, opening with a special screening of West Side Story. There will be 3,100 free seats for each screening are available with no tickets required.   

 

 

 

 
HOT TICKET:  Old Times 
Previews begin September 17 
Roundabout Theatre Company (231 West 39th Street) 
A Harold Pinter production starring Clive Owen in a play that focuses on the past you can't escape. Tickets on sale now! 
FoodFOR THE FOODIE
EVENTS:
      
August 1 & 2  Summer Soirée Dinners
54 Below (254 West 54th Street)
Dinner by candlelight, piano music, and seasonal flavors from the farmers market.

August 7  Taste on the Beach
Long Beach, NY
Take LIRR to spend an evening enjoying a wide variety of Food, Wine, Craft Beer, and live music on one of the most beautiful beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.

Through August 14  NYC Restaurant Week 
Various Locations
Restaurant Week returns through August 14th - lunch $25, dinner $38. Make your reservations... visit a recent Snapshot for my top recommendations. Click here for even more picks.

 

ON THE RADAR:
  
August 14  The Great Food Truck Derby
Bridgehampton
I'll use any excuse to go out to the Hamptons and here's a great one... a bonanza of ethnic and mobile eats from New York City and Long Island food trucks park.

August 14 & 15  Brooklyn Beer & Wine Festival
Restoration Plaza - Brooklyn
Two-day festival featuring 40-50 craft beers, artisanal wines, and curated cuisines from local food vendors.
   
August 16  
Food Truck Rally
Grand Army Plaza - Brooklyn
Sampling of cuisines from around the world from New York's best food trucks.

August 22  Blues BBQ Festival
Hudson River Park - Pier 26 (at North Moore Street)
Back for its 16th year anniversary, America's best blues and roots musicians entertain, while you sample food from three of the city's best barbecue restaurants.  
 

August 26 through 29  Taste of Tennis
Multiple Locations

The world's greatest tennis players and NYC's top chefs showcase their culinary skills at this annual event.


FeatureSPECIAL FEATURE: Al Fresco Food Markets 
Special Event:  August 1  Meatpacking MKT
9th Avenue from 14th to 17th Streets
"Stop, Shop, and Roll."  Visit this Saturday for a new type of street fair.  Experience the best of NYC's artisanal food, handcrafted goods, best food trucks, and incredible visual artists. Be on the lookout for similar events from this concept company and say goodbye to the usual smoothie and T-shirt street fair we've all become accustomed to seeing.

79th Street Greenmarket
Columbus Avenue between 78th & 81st Streets
Just behind the American Museum of Natural History, the year round market sells New York's freshest baked goods, delicious food options, and an abundance of corn and berries in the summer.  Open Sundays.

82nd Street, St. Stephen's Greenmarket
82nd Street between 1st & York Avenues
A full range of food and products to fill your weekly grocery needs. Open Saturdays.

Tribeca Greenmarket
Seaport Smorgasburg
Seaport District along Fulton Street
Smorgasburg market includes eight food vendors and a bar. Vendors include Pizza Moto, Ramen Burger, and Red Hook Lobster Pound. Open daily.

Tribeca Greenmarket
Greenwich Street between Chambers & Duane Streets
In addition to locally grown produce, fresh foods, live plants and flowers, they also have cooking demonstrations and other educational experiences.  Open Wednesdays and Saturdays.



Union Square Greenmarket
Union Square
The tried-and-true market in the city, you'll find the freshest produce, flowers, wine, and treats from local vendors. Open Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays.  Every Monday at 11:30am, visit for "Affordable Meals for Four," to learn how to make quick dishes using market ingredients - all for under $5 per person!