NYC Culture Calendar: March/April

Now that my hometown is back on top of the must visit destination list, here are the top free and cheap things to do in NYC this month.

The NYC Culture Calendar for March includes cheap theater tickets and concerts, FREE museum admission, special exhibits at top attractions including the Orchid Show at NYBG and Women’s History Month events, and more.

The NYC Culture Calendar for April includes the New York International Auto Show, with the opportunity to test drive new electric vehicles.

Pick one or all, and enjoy the best of New York City on the cheap.

Who is a real New Yorker?  It depends on who you ask.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter was interviewed recently

by Time Out New York.

Cherry Blossoms and Spring Flowers

Following our unusually warm and snow-less winter, cherry blossoms and spring flowers are arriving early this year.

To track them, Central Park has a new cherry blossom map to see where in the park’s blooms are appearing.

The botanical gardens in both The Bronx and Brooklyn each have their own spring blossom maps, too.

Women’s History Month

Celebrate famous NYC women by visiting NYC parks, gardens and a reservoir named for women who grew up in NYC or lived here.  The list includes two First Ladies, an Olympic Champion, and the first woman to run for US President.

New York Public Library

The NYPL has an extensive lineup of Women’s History Month events celebrating women past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling.

Join them for author talks, book discussions, and film screenings; book lists that highlight the contributions of women writers—and look back on the women who helped build NYPL, including Roberta Saltzman, the former Assistant Chief of the Dorot Jewish Division who developed the NYPL collection of Jewish cookbooks into one of the largest in the world.

Kids’ Night on Broadway

Kids and teens ages 18 and under can attend a participating Broadway show for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult. A Kids’ Night on Broadway ticket also includes restaurant discounts.

Select shows offer in-theatre activities for kids including talkbacks, activity books, and other events.

Kids’ Night on Broadway is Tuesday, March 21. Tickets are on sale now. It should be no surprise that the most popular family-friendly shows sell out first.

More information on the official Kids’ Night on Broadway website.

Kids’ Night on Broadway is sponsored by The Broadway League.

March 20-April 9 

See 20 Off-Broadway Shows for just $20

The annual 20at20 promotion is the best theater ticket deal in town.  For 20 days, see 20 Off-Broadway shows for just $20 a ticket.  Here’s how it works –

Show up at the box office 20 minutes before a matinee or evening performance, plunk down $20 cash or credit card, and get the best available seat. Easy peasy.

Participating shows include longtime hits such as family-favorite Gazillion Bubble Show and the hilarious but risque The Play That Goes Wrong.

In alphabetical order by name of play, not by name of theater –

• Red Bull Theater’s Arden of Faversham: A True Crime Thriller at the Lucille Lortel,
• Bereishit Dance Company’s Balance and Imbalance/Judo at NYU Skirball,
• Cowboy at The Actors Temple,
• Keen Company’s Crumbs from the Table of Joy at Theatre Row,
• Theaterworks USA’s Dog Man: The Musical at New World Stages,
• Audible Theater’s Drinking In America at the Minetta Lane,
• Drunk Shakespeare at The Garden at Selene,
• Easter Bunny HOP! Live at 53 Above,
• Fish In A Tree at Theatre Row,
• Friends! The Musical Parody at The Theater Center,
• GayLarious LGBT Laugh Festival at Broadway Comedy Club,
• Gazillion Bubble Show at New World Stages,
• Naked Boys Singing at AMT Theatre,
• Newsical The Musical at AMT Theatre,
• Perfect Crime at The Theater Center,
• Philip Glass & Phelim McDermott: Tao of Glass  at NYU Skirball,
• Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos  at The Cutting Room,
• Solo: A Show About Friendship at Soho Playhouse,
• Stranger Sings at Playhouse 46,
• The Little Mermaid The Musical at The Players Theatre,
• The Office A Musical Parody at The Theater Center,
• The Play That Goes Wrong at New World Stages,
• The Rose Room: Speakeasy at The Rose Room at Producer’s Club,
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar at The Daryl Roth Theater-DR2, York Theatre Company’s
• Vanities The Musical at Theatre at St. Jean’s and
• Walking With Bubbles at AMT Theatre. Additional shows to be announced.

Visit 20at20.com for more information.

March 10-19th

The NYC Cheese & Wine Week 

Created in Paris and New York by Jean-François Hesse, Director of the communications agency Essentiel PR, the sixth edition of this unmissable gourmet and festive event includes cheese and wine tastings at top gourmet and cultural locations, demos and in-store tastings.

A highlight of New York Cheese and Wine Week will be a private curated cheese and wine tasting on March 11th, led by wine expert and author Anthony Giglio and Chef Claude Godard, at DeGustibus Cooking School located at Macy’s Herald Square.

March 10th: 3:00-6:00 pm ZABAR’S Samplings of St. André and St. Agur

March 10th: 12:00-2:00 pm MURRAY’S CHEESE BAR LIC Tasting of Savoie wines and Germain Langres and Chablis cheeses

March 10-12: MURRAY’S CHEESE (Bleecker, Grand Central, and Jackson Park (LIC) retail locations) Samplings of Germain Langres and Chablis

March 10-19: MURRAY’S CHEESE BAR LIC Cheese Board and Wine Flight featuring Germain Langres and Chablis, and Wine

March 11th: 1:00-3:30pm DEGUSTIBUS AT MACY’S Cheeses and Wines of Savoie

March 11th: 5:30-7.30pm FLATIRON WINES AND SPIRITS In-store Tasting of Savoie Wines

March 13th : 6 :00 pm Private party for members of The Union Club

March 19

Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate at AMNH

Major advances in energy production and the urgency of the climate change crisis are re-shaping the conversation about what we use to power our world: fossil fuels, wind turbines, hydroelectric, solar panels, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion.

Many see the ability to harness nuclear energy as a clear positive for reducing our impact on global climate, while some are skeptical of its practicality and safety for everyday use.

Join Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, and our panel of experts from various sectors on this issue for a compelling discussion about today’s energy landscape and what we can expect in the future.

The 2023 Isaac Asmiov Memorial Debate: The Future of Energy will be held in the LeFrak Theater on Tuesday, March 21, at 7pm.

Tickets for this on-site event are $25 general admission and $15 for Museum Members.

For tickets and other details about the Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate, please visit the AMNH website.

New Museum Exhibits

Rubin Museum

Housed in the former Barney’s space in Chelsea at 7th Avenue and 17th St., this is a world-class collection of Asian, Indian and Himalayan art and events.

The newest exhibit is “Death Is Not the End,” a cross-cultural exhibition exploring ideas of death and afterlife in the art of Tibetan Buddhism and Christianity with art spanning 12 centuries.

Admission is FREE on opening weekend, March 17-19, with a FREE Friday night celebration from 6–10 pm with tours, music from DJ Roshni Samlal, drinks and dancing in the K2 lounge, temporary tattoos, and the launch of the 2023 Spiral issue, which explores moments of change that propel us into the unknown.

• Reserve free tickets on the link.

Met Museum

Through Labor Day weekend, enjoy “Berenice Abbott’s New York Album,1929” a photographic exhibit of historic photographs by this award-winning and iconic artist who used a camera instead of a paintbrush.

• The Met is pay-what-you-wish admission for NYS residents and tri-state college students with a valid ID.

Tuesdays, through April 4 at 7PM

Harlem Hops & Swings

Learn to Lindy Hop and Swing dance in Harlem, where it began, for just $10 – 17 and under are FREE – every Tuesday through April.

Dance with professional instructors and locals who know the moves – some have been Lindy Hopping and Swing dancing for decades – then stay for social dancing.  It’s a casual scene, where people come to dance to the music, which ranges from Duke Ellington and Glen Miller to more modern tunes.  It’s not necessary to bring a partner – there are plenty of partners ready to dance with you.

The event is sponsored by the Harlem Swing Dance Society.  More information here.

See you on the dance floor!

Through April 23

Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden

It’s a sure sign of spring, and an annual favorite.  The popular orchid exhibition returns for its 20th year, bigger and better than ever.

Renowned landscape artist Lily Kwong’s immersive installations of thousands of orchids transport  visitors to to ethereal, reverent landscapes inspired by ancient Chinese garden design and artistic principles.
The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage explores the diversity, adaptability, and worldwide cultural significance of these formidable flowers.

Inspired by classic paintings of Chinese mountain scapes passed down through her family from Shanghai, Lily Kwong utilizes an extraordinary array of orchids—including iconic and rare specimens—enveloping visitors in towering mountainous forms that blend ecology, culture, and fantasy.

Influenced by Kwong’s own heritage, medicinal traditions, and her artistic interpretation of nature as a healing force, the resulting experience will beckon visitors into an immersive world in which humanity and nature coexist peacefully.

• NYBG is just 20 minutes from Grand Central Terminal via the Metro-North Harlem local line to Botanical Garden Station.

Get ticket information here, plus information about such special events as an Orchid Dinner.

• Every Saturday and Select Sundays (February 26 and April 23); 12–4 p.m. In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
• Orchid Basics Q&A  – Weekends and Wednesdays; 1–4 p.m.

Sat., April 1

Wall to Wall celebrates the Women of Soul

This annual day of FREE concerts have a different theme each year.  Performances  are broken into “segments” and you must leave the theater and line up again for each one, so it’s not an all-day ticket.

Enjoy the music of the pioneering and/or under-appreciated work of Soul’s female artists, including Betty Davis, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Mavis Staples.

Segment One – 3pm: The rousing sounds of gospel soul with Marcelle Davies Lashley, a Celia Cruz-infused Latin soul set, and an unforgettable musical tribute to Chaka Khan by Xavier Smith and band

Segment Two – 5pm: A celebration of Whitney Houston by Grammy Award-winning artist J. Hoard and a mixtape of 90s soul music by The Soapbox Presents

Segment Three – 7pm: Martha Redbone celebrates Indigenous music’s influence on soul, A tribute to Anita Baker’s soulful ballads with lyric tenor Anthony Mills, and an iconic diva set by GLR¥A & The Rakiem Walker Project

Segment Four – 9pm: Singer, songwriter, producer, and Labelle member Nona Hendryx is joined by an all-women orchestra to perform the mind-blowing music of the trailblazing queen of soul and funk, Betty Davis

At Symphony Space, Broadway at 94th St.

• Local residents and businesses request that you do not block the sidewalk.

April 7-16

New York International Auto Show

The 123-year-old event is North America’s oldest and largest attended auto show, filling the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center with hundreds of new cars, SUVs, pick-up trucks and specialty vehicles, with an expanded focus on electric vehicles.

You can test drive more than a half-dozen EV models on the test track on the lower floor.

Camp Jeep also is returning, with the chance to test your driving skills on a unique off-road track in front of the convention center.

For more information: www.autoshowNY.com.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is attending the media preview days before the show opens to the public, when new models are introduced.

Full disclosure – ecoxplorer Evelyn Kanter is a longtime automotive journalist and currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Association (IMPA).

April 14/15

Also returning in April

The roller disco at Rockefeller Center is coming back for another season of – er – wheelie great fun.

Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace takes over at the famous ice skating rink on April 14 and the party continues daily through October.

Anytime

FREE Museum Admission for Young People

The Frick Collection is extending free admission to all young people, ages 10 to 17, through the remainder of the museum’s temporary residence at Frick Madison.

Young visitors from the New York City area and beyond will enjoy complimentary access with a valid school ID or other proof of age. Thanks to this new initiative, the Frick is pleased to make the museum more accessible than ever before to middle and high school students.

Visit frick.org/visit to learn more about visiting the museum.

Explore Hudson River Park with the New FREE  Digital Guide

Get four miles of discovery in the palm of your hand,

Download the Bloomberg Connects app to get to know the Park’s huge variety of green and blue spaces. Dig deeper into what interests you most.

Hudson River Park’s guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app, helps you find dozens of piers, docks, walkways, landscapes and fields, history, vital marine habitat, and also and takes you beneath the surface of the Hudson River to discover HRP’s 400-acre Estuarine Sanctuary.

Available for iOS and Android.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA) and is a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.

Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter