August Events in NYC
Bryant Park Movie Festivals
Tired of fighting movie theater crowds? Bring your date down to Bryant Park on Monday night now through August to enjoy a free film on the lawn. Spread out a blanket and uncork a nice bottle of vino from 8p.m.-10:30p.m. and enjoy classics like Goldfinger, The Goodbye Girl and Rosemary’s Baby. For more information and a movie schedule, check out www.bryantpark.org.
New York International Fringe Festival
(fringenyc.org)
The New York International Fringe Festival is an exciting time for New Yorkers and tourists alike to enjoy huge performances in music, comedy and acting. The festival boasts a surplus of 1,000 performances from all over the world. Join the parade of events which span a period of two weeks for these great shows. Visitors can also purchase a multi-day pass to spend the entire day soaking in the amazing atmosphere.
New York Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
(Flushing Meadows- Corona Park; www.hkdbf-ny.org)
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is a celebration of the 5th month of the lunar calendar. This year is no exception to the amazing dragon boat show that takes place on Meadow Lake where more than 100 boats compete alongside one another. Stop by with friends and family to enjoy Chinese arts, crafts, dance, cuisine and more.
Lincoln Center Out of Doors
(lincolncenter.org)
“Out of Doors” at The Lincoln Center is an outdoor dance and music festival in Damrosch Park. Take friends or family to watch riveting performances from talents like Centrifugal Force, Asphalt Symphony and more. The festival will be running from July 28th- August 15th so come by for the free shows.
Summer Streets
(www.nyc.gov)
There is hardly a time when New York City is known for a quiet, peaceful environment but during Summer Streets from 7a.m. to 1p.m. on August 7th, 14th, and 21st, the city will be consumed with sounds of dancing, strolling and bicycle rides. This year’s third annual Summer Streets is being sponsored by NYC Dot who will be closing off the infamous Park Avenue for three consecutive Saturday mornings in August. Be sure and stop by to enjoy the fresh air void of honking and car accelerators for a few hours.
Six Cool Things to Do at Night in NYC
One of the best ways to tour The Big City is under the stealthy cover of the night which allows careful avoiding of the massive crowds of tourists. Why not plan an evening tour of NYC where visitors can bask in the glory of the bright city lights, cool breeze and the amazing nightlife that New York City is renowned for?
1) Take the NY See The Lights! Tour from OnBoard Tours. It starts at 7pm every night. Eat ice cream under the Brooklyn Bridge while gazing at the lights of lower Manhattan.
2) Take a nighttime stroll through Central Park for The American Museum of Natural History’s Evening Bar Walks where bat experts will point out various species of bats present in the park. (American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St.; www.amnh.org; Fri 16, July 23, 30 8:30-9:30pm; $30).
3) Join The Amateur Astronomer’s Association to gaze at the beautiful stars and planets through advanced telescopes in the High Line. (The High Line at 10thAve. & 14th St.; Tuesdays now through October, 8:30p.m.- 10p.m.; free; www.thehighline.org).
4) Another great nighttime activity is joining Time Up sponsored Moonlight Rides in Central and Prospect Park where visitors can enjoy the scenic natural beauty of the parks without the distraction of daytime crowds. (Central Park: Meeting place at Columbus Circle, southwest corner of Central Park & 59th St.; First Friday of every month, 10p.m.; free; Prospect Park: Meet at Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park West at Union St, Park Slope, Brooklyn. Second Saturday of every month, 9pm; free; www.times-up.org).
5) Or perhaps you are better suited for a trip to Coney Island for their Full Moon Ride which entails a pitch black roller coaster ride in the dead of the night during the full moon of the lunar cycle. (Coney Island Cyclone, 834 Surf Ave at 8th St, Coney Island, Brooklyn; coneyislandcyclone.com).
6) Book a private night time tour with Onboard Tours and plan your own itinerary or enjoy a few of the above activities.
7) Try out some infamous restaurants with amazing dinner menus including the likes of Serendipity, Balthazar or Mario Battali’s eateries Lupa or Babbo.
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NY Party Shuttle Bar Crawl
It’s THE thing to do in NYC. Ride the New York Party Shuttle to visit fantastic bars, pubs, dance clubs, and more! Greenwich Village, Times Square, Meat Packing District, and More! VIP access to clubs, drink specials, reduced or waived cover charges, and more. It pays for itself. Convenient access to buses, trains, and hotels. Visit Agave for the best margaritas in New York. Visit Webster Hall, one of the top dance clubs in the city. Click on the title of this post for a link to more info.
Historic Harlem in New York City
Lying between the East River and the Hudson River, the New York neighborhood of Harlem is adjacent to Washington Heights and Central Park, and is made up of numerous smaller neighborhoods such as Hamilton Heights, Sugar Hill, Manhattanville, and Spanish Harlem, the latter of which is the best known.
Although it became world famous in the twentieth century as the Mecca for African-American arts, when Harlem was founded it was a Dutch village, named after the Old World city Haarlem in the Netherlands. When annexed by New York in 1873, Harlem was but an area of declining farm lands, but the extension of the elevated railroads in the late 1880s, and later the subway system, brought rapid urban development to the neighborhood. Within 40 years, Harlem burgeoned with apartment buildings and brownstone townhomes; sports teams such as the New York Giants called Harlem “home”; and Harlem had become the scene of the African-American literary movement known as the Harlem Renaissance.
The decades of the 1920s and ‘30s defined Harlem as a literary center. Writers such as Ralph Ellison and Langston Hughes gave voice to the African-American experience as not only a distinct literary genre, but as an important platform for the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s.
The most famous Harlem landmark of the Golden Age of Jazz was the Cotton Club, where jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday performed regularly. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, beat poets gathered in local venues to perform their latest creations. Today, a tour through the streets of Harlem takes one past some of the most significant music and literary historic landmarks in the country. Today, the historic Apollo Theater continues Harlem’s legacy as a Mecca for African-American music.
There are a number of tours you can take to see historic Harlem. Contact our customer service ambassadors, and they will help you plan your visit.
NY See The Best! Tour
The NY See The Best! Tour is here! This three hour tour shows you the best attractions in New York City. See the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Wall Street, and more. Book your tickets today.
