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Norma's Weekly Member Snapshot:
Stay Local on Memorial Day Weekend 
While many of us plan a getaway out of the city on Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the unofficial start of summer, sometimes I like to stay local and enjoy less crowds. There are plenty of events to keep you busy close to home.
Memorial Day is also a day of remembering the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Why not do something in the city to commemorate? I've also included other events and ideas for the holiday weekend. Plan ahead for next weekend!
Visit my recent Weekly Snapshot for local escapes.
Norma Knows New York City
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 GENERAL EVENTS |
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The blossoms are in bloom! Visit on a Wednesday and take a tour. Or on Saturdays and Sundays, take a tour of the seasonal highlights of the garden.
Corner of Hester & Essex Streets
One of the best street fairs opens for the season! A collection of NYC's best vendors, from the finest foods to vintage clothing to jewelry and home goods. Open Saturdays through October.
Saturdays & Sundays Smorgasburg
Brooklyn
Saturdays at East River State Park, Sundays in Prospect Park
Artisanal outdoor market featuring over 100 food vendors.
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.
Through October 31
Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue)
The perfect time to visit the Met's Roof Garden; beautiful view and delicious drinks and now Cornelia Parke's PsychoBarn.
ON THE RADAR:
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May 28 Governors Island OpensSo many great events occur during the summertime at Governors Island! June 4 Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic Liberty State Park (Jersey City, NJ) In its 9th year, tickets are on sale now. Polo match, champagne bars, food trucks... polo and champagne, how much more civilized can you get? June 4 & 5 Rose Garden WeekendNew York Botanical Garden Two days of live music, plant care demonstrations, tours with rose experts, and refreshments. June 4 & 5 American Crafts Festival
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
380 craft displays selected from every region of the United States. Continuous entertainment and craft demonstrations. Also June 11th & 12th. June 6 through 10 Daybreaker Week
Various Locations
A week-long festival of morning experiences with DJs and music to support social and environmental causes.
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CULTURAL PURSUITS
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Shakespeare's Star Turn in America
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NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY (42nd Street & 5th Avenue) Through May 27 The exhibition will document the on-going popularity of Shakespeare's plays in North America from Colonial times to present day. The artifacts include programs, engravings, photographs, set and costume designs, costumes, letters, and prompt scripts.
The newly remodeled historic Roosevelt House recently opened showcasing the first special exhibit featuring relics from women of the suffragette movement... from Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Eleanor Roosevelt, Suffrage to Human Rights.
Through August 14 The exhibit takes visitors on a tour of the human body.
Ongoing
View the cast of a 122-foot-long dinosaur. This species is so new that it has not yet been formally named by the paleontologists who discovered it!
CENTER FOR ITALIAN MODERN ART (421 Broome Street)Giorgio Morandi
Through June 25
Dedicated to one of the best known Italian artists of the 20th century, the exhibit focuses on his rarely seen 1930s works.
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Pixar: The Design of Story
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COOPER HEWITT (2 East 91st Street)
Through August 7
Pixar fans will enjoy this exhibit, tracing the creation of the rarely seen sketches, paintings, and sculptures of Pixar's characters.
DISCOVERY TIMES SQUARE (226 West 44th Street)
Through May 30
With all of the craze about Star Wars, it's the perfect time to see the exhibit of memorable costumes from this iconic film series.
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.
 HARLEM'S HISTORIC CORN EXCHANGE BUILDING (125th Street & Park Avenue)
Through May 31
FLUX Art Fair
Art fair brings together works from over 50 artists representing over a dozen countries.
INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM (Pier 86 - West 46th Street & 12th Avenue)
On the Line: Intrepid and the Vietnam War
Now open
A major exhibition exploring the events and impact of the Vietnam War through the lens of the Intrepid.
Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History
Through August 7
The first museum survey devoted to the American designer who makes clothing, hosted a television show, and performed his own cabaret act.
THE MET BREUER (Madison Avenue & 75th Street)
Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible
Through September 4 197 works from the Renaissance to the present. The exhibition examines a subject critical to artistic practice: the question of when a work of art is finished.
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Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology
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METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART (1000 Fifth Avenue)
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (11 West 53rd Street)
Edgar Degas: A Strange New BeautyThrough July 24The exhibition includes approximately 120 rarely seen monotypes, 60 related paintings, drawings, pastels, sketchbooks, and prints-that show Degas at his most modern.
NEUE GALERIE NEW YORK MUSEUM FOR GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN ART (1048 Fifth Avenue)
Munch and Expressionism
Through June 13
Exhibit focuses on Edward Munch's influence on his German colleagues.
The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems
Through September 25
Brings together original art, sketches, and inspirational drawings from Willem's most popular series (Sesame Street) and stand-alone classics.
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FLOW.16
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RANDALL'S ISLAND PARK
FLOW.16
Through November
Annual summer art exhibitions, aimed at fostering appreciation of the shoreline through artistic expression.
SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS (128 East 63rd Street)
Tuesdays & Thursdays For those that have a talent for sketching, stop by Tuesday or Thursday evenings for sketch night and see the latest exhibit. THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY (155 First Avenue)
Lower East Side Festival
May 27 through 29
The Theme of this year's festival is: ART KNOWS NO WALLS OR BARRIERS. The festival is an art party celebrating the Lower East Side's diversity in the Arts.
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART (99 Gansevoort Street)
Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney's Collection
Offers new perspectives on one of art's oldest genres. Drawn entirely from the Museum's holdings, 100+ works reveal how artists have reinvented portraiture during the last sixty years.
ON THE RADAR:
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Washington Square Outdoor Exhibit
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WASHINGTON SQUARE PARKWashington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit May 28 through 30 Local artists showcase their works in this twice annual exhibit. Also June 4th & 5th.
MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM (225 Madison Avenue)
June 3 through September 18
Completed when he was just twenty-three years old, this piece has long been recognized as the artist's first mature work, his first masterpiece.
FIFTH AVENUE
Museum Mile Festival
June 14
New York's biggest block party. All museums from 82nd to 105th are free and open to the public... with no cars in sight!
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CURTAIN UP
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 FILM:
Crosby Street Hotel (79 Crosby Street)
For $55 per person, enjoy dinner and a movie. A 3-course meal is followed by a viewing of this Science Fiction drama starring Michael Shannon.
MUSIC & DANCE:
Tuesdays & Wednesdays Jazz Nights The Lambs Club (132 West 44th Street) Live jazz from new and up and coming performers. |
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New York Philharmonic
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Spring Season
New York Philharmonic
Avery Fisher Hall (10 Lincoln Center Plaza)
Visit the schedule for upcoming concerts through the remainder of the season.
Through May 22 Mark Morris Dance Group
Mark Morris Dance Center (3 Lafayette Avenue - Brooklyn)
A special week of performances by one of my favorite dance companies. Performances include Cargo, Foursome, A Forest (World Premiere), and The (NY Premiere).
May 22 Positively Bob Dylan: 75th Birthday Tribute
City Winery (155 Varick Street)
Special Guests John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, The Kennedys, Toshi Reagon, Willie Nile & More.
May 23 New York Philharmonic Biennial
Lincoln Center
Visit the website for upcoming performances. From Oscar Wilde in opera to Shared Madness in Williamsburg, from electroacoustic music to a marimba concerto... new music and the city. Through June 11th.
Through June 16 LIVE from the NYPL
New York Public Library (11 West 40th Street)
Annual Spring Speaker Series... check out the calendar.
Through August 31 Summerstage
Central Park
Opens for the summer season... free concerts all summer. Check the schedule for upcoming performances.
THEATER: |
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An American in Paris
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Palace Theater (1564 Broadway)
American Stage debut of the story about a young artist who discovers life and love after returning from the war.
Through January 8, 2017
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.
Blackbird Through June 11 Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street)The star-studded cast includes Michele Williams and Jeff Daniels; they will perform one of the most powerful dramas of the century. An uncomfortable relationship reunites between an older man and a younger woman.
Bright Star
Through October 9
Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street)
I have followed Steve Martin's career as an actor and banjo player for many years. I'm delighted that he has expanded his talents as the songwriter of this musical (with Edie Brickell's talents at work also). As he said in an interview, he wanted to create music that would be an anthem to optimism, writing songs that would bring joy to the audience.
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The Color Purple
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The Color Purple
Through October 2
Bernard B Jacobs Theatre
(242 West 45th Street)
Through September 4
Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street)
A Tony Award Winning play! The lead actor is brilliant; the set design is mesmerizing. The story unfolds with a mathematically precocious adolescent with behavioral problems uncovering truths and secrets. Daddy Long LegsThrough January 8, 2017 Davenport Theatre (354 West 45th Street)
An upbeat musical that tells the tale of an orphan and her anonymous benefactor.
Eclipsed
Through June 19
John Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street)
After a limited run at The Public Theater, this show starring Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o, hits Broadway! |
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The Father
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The Father
Through June 12
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street)
The infamous Frank Langella stars in Florian Zeller's new play. I've been mesmerized by him since his role as Dracula.
Fiddler on the Roof
Through December 31
Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway)
The acclaimed show returns to Broadway, a favorite of mine.
Through August 21
The amazing story of how Peter became Pan.
Through October 9 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.
HamiltonThrough September 4 Lincoln Center Theater (150 West 65th Street) The revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's play, starring Daniel Dae Kim of the TV shows Lost and Hawaii Five-0. Long Day's Journey into NightThrough June 26 American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd Street) The tale of an ordinary summer's day with extraordinary consequences... stars the incredible Jessica Lange, who wows in American Horror Story. Plus Gabriel Byrne and Michael Shannon!
Mike Birbiglia: "Thank God for Jokes"
Through May 29
Lynn Redgrave Theater (49 Bleecker Street)
Comedian, writer, and actor, Mike Birbiglia stars in a one-man-show of modern day joke telling.
Through January 1, 2017
Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway)
High-energy performance about Emilio and Gloria Estefan.
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Paramour
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ParamourThrough February 19, 2017 Lyric Theatre (213 West 42nd Street) Set in the world of Golden Age Hollywood, Cirque du Soleil makes its Broadway debut! Now in previews, opens May 25th through February 19th.
Ruthless
Through September 10
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.
School of RockThrough February 5, 2017 I'm a fan of Andrew Lloyd Weber and I'm sure there will no exception to the quality of his newest musical based on the film starring Jack Black. Shakespeare in the Park: The Taming of the Shrew
May 24 through June 26
The Delacorte Theater (81 Central Park)
It's worth standing in line for the free performances of Shakespeare's classic tale in a magical setting.
Shuffle Along |
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A Streetcar Named Desire
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Through October 9
Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street)
Six-time award winner Audra McDonald returns to Broadway. Note: Audra McDonald will not appear in performances from June 19th through September 12th.
A Streetcar Named Desire
Through June 4
St. Ann's Warehouse (Brooklyn Bridge Park)
The iconic production stars X-Files' own Gillian Anderson!
Tuck Everlasting The Musical
Through January 1 Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street) If you could live forever, would you? Take a journey you'll never forget in this new musical about love, family, and living life to the fullest!
Waitress
Through January 1, 2017
Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street)
Based on the 2007 film, Tony Award Winner Jessie Mueller stars in this new musical with music by Sara Bareilles. The Woodsman
Through May 29
New World Stages (340 West 50th Street)
It's the origin story of the Wizard of Oz's Tin Man!
ON THE RADAR:
 May 28 An Act of God
Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street)
Last year starred Jim Parsons and this year will be even better when it stars Sean Hayes! Hayes (as God himself) reveals the mysteries of the Bible and answers the questions that have plagued mankind since the beginning of time. Previews start May 28th, opens June 6th through September 4th.
May 29 Sondheim Unplugged
54 Below (254 West 54th Street)
Annual event features some of Broadway and cabaret's most dynamic voices, accompanied by piano only, honoring the work of Broadway's master composer.  June 1 through 30 Blue Note Jazz Festival Various Locations Festival showcases over 150 premier artists at more than 15 venues throughout the city. Visit their website to find your favorite artist. Some highlights include Al Jarreau and the Music of Edith Piaf. The most diverse and extensive lineup of contemporary Italian film. June 3 Stars in the AlleyShubert Alley, west of Seventh Avenue between 44th & 45th Streets Experience the magic of Broadway! An annual 90-minute concert featuring the best snapshot of Broadway theater from this season and from ongoing shows.  June 3 through 5
The Governors Ball Music FestivalRandall's Island Park Tickets are selling out for this annual 3-day festival, so book yours now. Performers include Beck, Kanye West, and The Killers. Food vendors include by CHLOE, Momofuku Milk Bar, and Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. June 7 Washington Square Music FestivalWashington Square Park
Live music in the park from Classical to Jazz. Also June 14th, 21st, and 28th. June 8 through 21 Alvin Ailey American Dance TheaterDavid H. Koch Theatre (20 Lincoln Center Plaza) The weeks of performance kick off with The Ailey Spirit Gala
benefit, a one-night-only performance featuring Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, The Ailey School, and AileyCamp. Check the schedule for performances.
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FOR THE FOODIE
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EVENTS
Greenwich & Duane Streets
Outdoor culinary festival orchestrated by tops chefs of Tribeca. Proceeds will benefit the arts education program of the local public primary schools.
Through May 27 Madison Square Eats
Madison Square Park
Annual event featuring some of NYC's most popular restaurants and food vendors.
ON THE RADAR:
June 3 & 4 Taste of the Upper West Side - Summer in the City: Surf & TurfColumbus Ave between West 76th and 77th Streets Hosted by Anne Burrell (host of Food Network's Worst Cooks in America) and Alex Guarnaschelli (Chef/owner of Butter and judge on Food Network's Chopped). Ticket includes tastes from 45 restaurants, wine, beer, and cocktails. And check out Best of the West VIP Reception. |
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June 6 Taste of Times Square46th Street from Broadway to 10th Avenue Over 50 restaurants share their finest tastes from around the globe. June 8 Taste of SummerBethesda Terrace - Central Park Our city's renowned chefs will serve their finest cuisine, amidst the iconic setting of the Bethesda Terrace, with music from one the city's best DJs. Proceeds benefit the restoration and maintenance of Central Park.
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SPECIAL FEATURE: STAY LOCAL ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
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EVENTS:
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Fleet Week
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In its 26th year, it is the city's celebration of the sea services. Nearly 1,500 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen are participating this year. Visit the website for full calendar. Don't miss ship tours, as well as Monday's U.S. Navy Flyover & Intrepid Memorial Day Commemoration.
May 27 Intrepid Summer Movie Series
The Intrepid (45th Street & 12th Avenue)
Outdoor movie series begins... visit the website for schedule.
Starts at 87th Street & Third Avenue in Manhattan
149 year old parade starts at 11am.
PAY TRIBUTE TO VETERANS:
One Intrepid Square (12th Avenue & 46th Street)
170 Central Park West (76th & 77th St)
Among many exhibitions to soak in, the New York & The Nation exhibit is fitting for the weekend. The viewing explores the story of New York and America.
The Memorial Wall features 83 letters sent home from Vietnam, the Walk of Honor has all of the names of those killed in Vietnam, and at the center is the beautiful Reflecting Fountain.
The East Coast Memorial, located at the southern end of Battery Park, honors the 4,601 missing American servicemen who lost their lives in the Atlantic Ocean while engaged in combat during World War II. The New York Korean War Veterans Memorial, north of Castle Clinton, honors military personnel who served in the Korean Conflict. There are many other monuments to view while on your way.
SPEND THE DAY OUTDOORS:
Enjoy the outdoors... visit a recent snapshot for biking tours and resources.
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Mini Golf
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Go for a walk with Shorewalkers
'See New York at 3 miles per hour'... escorted walks focus on parks, waterways, bridges, iconic buildings and historical sights.
Opens on May 21st at Pier 26.
Pier 25 - North Moore Street & 12th Avenue
GO TO THE BEACH:
Below are my top 3 nearby ocean escapes, if the weather cooperates. - Brighton Beach - Brooklyn
A hidden treasure among New Yorkers. Right next to Coney Island, take the B or Q to the Brighton Beach stop. Mom-and-pop shops with Russian eateries on the boardwalk.
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Ocean Beach
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- Long Beach - Long Island
Hop on the Long Island Railroad and get off at the Long Beach stop (the last stop). It's just a 5-minute walk to get you right on the sand. There is a fee to get onto the beach, but it's worth it to be away from larger crowds and have a pleasant day. - Ocean Beach - Fire Island
Appreciate a laid back town with bicycles, stunning sunsets and easy access to the beach. It's a longer trek to get there, but you can take the Long Island Railroad to Bayshore, then take the ferry to Fire Island.
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