good things to do on a date this summer!

Since the dating thing is not going so well for me (there's a Franz update, but I'm too busy kicking myself in the head to write about it), I offer you these free events to do this summer. Use them to plan your own dates. Use them as a good excuse to ask me out. Use them for a girls' night out. Use them on your own -- but I encourage you to use them with someone else. Why not?

ONGOING
Boomerang Theatre's Production of All's Well That Ends Well
FREE
Central Park: Enter at CPW and 69th Street
"Bertram is too proud to be tied down to any woman. He'd rather go off to the wars, make his reputation and achieve glory. But Helena's got other plans. With a little mystery and little trickery, she just might get her man yet..."
Every Saturday and Sunday, June 23rd through July 22nd at 2pm.
(website)

Folks on the Island! A Governors Island Folk FestivalDATE: Jul 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2007
TIME: 1:30pm
PRICE: Free
Trinity Church presents a summer folk festival on Governors Island. Visit www.folksontheisland.com for more information.
TYPE: Music
LOCATION: Governors Island
PHONE: 212-602-0800

La Vie (Not free. Sorry!)
DATE: ongoing/various
TIME: 9:30pm
PRICE: $25/$55
The first ever theatro-batic show especially crafted for a Spiegeltent; aerial acrobatics, wild characters and wicked music will ignite the Spiegelworld stage. Through September 30. Showtimes vary, call for details.
TYPE: Theater
LOCATION: Spiegelworld at the Fulton Fish Market, South Street under the Brooklyn Bridge
PHONE: 212-279-4200

Absinthe (Ok, also not free, but I think that's the last one... maybe.)
DATE: ongoing/various
TIME: 7:30pm
PRICE: $50$55/$69
The most sultry acro-burlesque variety show in town featuring seductive artists performing amazing feats of balance, strength and danger with unfathomable flexibility. Through September 30. Showtimes vary, call for details.
TYPE: Theater
LOCATION: Spiegelworld at the Fulton Fish Market, South Street under the Brooklyn Bridge
PHONE: 212-279-4200

Summer on the Hudson: Kayaking on the Hudson
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturdays & Sundays, May 19 – October 14, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Join the Downtown Boathouse for 20-minute instructional paddles, and explore the Hudson River first hand. Please wear a bathing suit or shorts and a t-shirt, and know how to swim.
Weather permitting. Daily Weather Status: (646) 613-0740
Location: 72nd Street & the Hudson River
(website)

Visit Governors Island
DATE: Saturdays and Sundays in July and August, 2007
TIME: 10:00am
PRICE: Free
Tour the Historic District, picnic on the Parade Grounds, walk the pormenade, and take in extraordinary views of the Statue of Liberty and NY Harbor.
TYPE: Family
LOCATION: Governors Island. Ferries leave from the Battery Maritime Building, 10 South Street, Slip 7
PHONE: 212-440-2202
website

The Dinner Party
Long-Term Installation, Brooklyn Museum
The Dinner Party, an important icon of 1970s feminist art and a milestone in twentieth-century art, is presented as the centerpiece around which the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art is organized. The Dinner Party comprises a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history. The settings consist of embroidered runners, gold chalices and utensils, and china-painted porcelain plates with raised central motifs that are based on vulvar and butterfly forms and rendered in styles appropriate to the individual women being honored. The names of another 999 women are inscribed in gold on the white tile floor below the triangular table. This permanent installation is enhanced by rotating biographical gallery shows relating to the 1,038 women honored at the table. Pharaohs, Queens, and Goddesses is the first such exhibition.
website

StoryCorps
StoryCorps is a national project that encourages us to listen to each other by sharing the stories of our lives with the people we love. The heart of StoryCorps is the conversation between two people, but the experience continues whenever these stories are heard.
You can record your own interview. Trained facilitators will help you record your conversation and you will receive a CD copy of your session. With your permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, so that future generations can someday hear your loved ones' voices and stories.
Date: Ongoing
Location: Grand Central Terminal
42nd Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues
The StoryBooth is located in the Biltmore Room next to tracks 41 and 42.
Time: Tuesdays: 1:30-7:30pm
Thursdays: 11:30am-5:30pm
Saturdays and Sundays: 9:30am-8:30pm
Mondays and Wednesdays: closed
Open on holidays for your convenience
Ticket price: Free. StoryCorps suggests a $10 donation for each hour-long session.
Ticket information: Reservations are required.
Reserve online or call 1-800-850-4406

Dancing on the Plaza
Every Thursday in August, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center
Inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues
The Conservancy invites you to free summer dance parties in Central Park. Bring a friend, or find one here, for dance instruction followed by dancing to live music under the stars.
August 2: Swing Night with Sam Ulano's Swing 8
August 9: Merengue Night with Los Clarinetes Magicos
August 16: Salsa Night with Chino Nunez & Friends Orchestra, Salute to Hector Lavoe (presented in partnership with El Museo del Barrio)
August 23: R&B Night with Soul Express
August 30: Disco Night with DJ Bobby Morales
For more information, please call 212-860-1370.
website

Cross Park Promenade Tour
Meet inside the Park at Fifth Avenue and East 72nd Street in front of the statue of Samuel F. B. Morse. You'll be amazed at what you'll see.... a hidden bench that tells time, miniature boats powered by the wind, a magnificent sculpture celebrating fresh water, and a glorious drinking fountain for the city's equine population. These are just some of the the sites along the way on this east to west walk through the Park. Tour is approximately one hour long. Call 212-772-0210 for directions. (website)
Saturday, June 23, 12:00 pm
Wednesday, June 27, 6:00 pm
Saturday, June 30, 1:00 pm
Saturday, July 1, 1:00 pm
Saturday, July 14, 12:00 pm
Wednesday, July 18, 6:00 pm
Saturday, July 28, 9:30 am
Saturday, August 4, 12:00 pm
Saturday, August 11, 10:00 am
Wednesday, August 22, 11:00 am
Saturday, August 25, 10:00 am
Sunday, September 2, 1:00 pm
Saturday, September 8, 10:00 am
Sunday, September 16, 11:00 am
Saturday, September 22, 1:00 pm
Sunday, September 30, 1:00 pm

Moondance
JULY 15 GEORGE GEE AND THE JUMP, JIVE AND WAILERS - swing
JULY 22 NU GUAJIRO - salsa
JULY 29 ETERNAL TANGO - tango
AUG 5 LOS HERMANOS COLON - salsa
AUG 12 DAVID BERGER AND THE SULTANS OF SWING - swing
Hudson River Park's Pier 54
6:30pm
website


DATE SPECIFIC

The Richard Thompson Band / Ollabelle
Thursday, June 21, 7pm
The iconic British folk rocker RICHARD THOMPSON, here in a rare NYC appearance with his full band, delivers fearsome vocals and "guitar breaks so audacious it's like watching a highwire walker swinging in the wind but never falling off." (The Guardian UK) Drawing from a deep well of gospel, blues, bluegrass, and country influences, OLLABELLE creates a "rich, cross-referential take on American roots music." (Paste Magazine)
(website)

Drive in at the Rock - MO
Date: Thursday, June 21st
Time: 9:00pm (doors open 6:00pm)
Location: Rockefeller Center (30 Rockefeller Plaza, enter at 49th St)
Cost: Free
Drive in at the Rock is back with four straight nights of up and coming indie films in Rockefeller Center. This is one of my favorite film series of the summer because - rather then play classic films you could easily catch on DVD - some of the best in new and unreleased indie cinema is shown. "Immerse yourself in the nostalgia of the summer drive-in as special screenings return to midtown Manhattan for the fourth consecutive year [on a] massive 30' x 50' screen in front of 30 Rock.." Tonight's film is "MO," the story of a young boy coming to terms with "Marfan Syndrome."
(website)

BPC Parks' Swedish Midsummer Festival and Family Dance
DATE: Jun 22, 2007
TIME: 5:00pm
PRICE: Free
Celebrate the longest day of the year the traditional Swedish way -- picnicking, making floral headdresses, maypole procession, and dancing until dark to traditional fiddle music. Music: Paul Dahlin and fiddlers from Minneapolis' American Swedish Institute. Dancing: Barnklubben Elsa Rix and Swedish Folkdancers of NY. Co-sponsor: The Consulate General of Sweden, NY.
TYPE: Family
LOCATION: Wagner Park
PHONE: 212-267-9700
(website)

Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys / James Reams & The Barnstormers
Friday, June 22, 7:30pm
Celebrate Brooklyn
When it comes to bluegrass, RALPH STANLEY has no peers. The living legend, "one of the most important country musicians in the world today," (T Bone Burnett) has kept the flame alive for a half century—with grassroots help from folks like JAMES REAMS, the granddaddy of the local bluegrass scene.

Coney Island Mermaid Parade and Ball
Date: Saturday, June 23rd
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Surf Avenue, Coney Island (D,F,N or Q to Stillwell Ave.)
Cost: Free
Do they make bodypaint with sunscreen? Is body glitter easy to get off with salt water? what is the boiling point of asphalt? These are just some of the questions that will be passing through your brain if you choose to partake in one of Brooklyn's newest old traditions, The Mermaid Parade and Ball at Coney Island. I've been to a lot of after parties, but never to the actual parade, but I know it's a blast for everyone. If you want to be a part of the magical procession, you must register yourself or your group. For more information on this rite of summer, click here.

FAMILY FAIR
DATE: Jun 23, 2007
TIME: 11:00am
PRICE: Free
Celebrate the NYPD at this multi-cultural street fair. Performances will include Emerald Society Pipes & Drums, Asian Jade's Dragon Dancers and more! Rides! Music! Fun!
TYPE: Family
LOCATION: 100 Old Slip
PHONE: 212-480-3100

The Thing- From Another World!
Date: Monday, June 25th
Time: Lawn opens at 5:00pm, movie at dusk
Place: Bryant Park (42nd St @6th ave)
Cost: Free
Grab a blanket, make a picnic and check this classic horror flick from 1951!
"A frozen alien is discovered at the North Pole, and trouble starts when it accidentally thaws out. A legendary monster movie based on a story by John Campbell, the "father" of modern science.
(website)

John Pizzarelli and Paula West
John Pizzarelli and Paula West
DATE: Jun 27, 2007
TIME: 7:00pm
PRICE: Free
Pushing the boundaries of jazz music, soulful chanteuse Paula West warms the stage with her lusciously sophisticated vocals for the late-night balladeering, radio-hosting, jazz guitarist, John Pizzarelli.
TYPE: Music
LOCATION: Rockefeller Park
PHONE: 212-945-0505
(website)

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Date: Thursday, June 28th
Time: 7:00pm doors
Location: Hudson River Park Pier 54@ W. 14th
Cost: Free
"I know that every musician from the 80s seems to be having a reunion or something, and it is getting annoying. However, I caught Joan Jett last summer at a few Warped Tours (don't ask...), and seriously she is as good as ever. Despite that brief period when she tried to make a comeback with that horrid bleached Susan Powter haircut, her voice is strong, the Black Hearts are tight, and not to sound totally lame, but she rocks. Oh yea, and its free."
(website)

Central Astoria's Waterfront Concert-Independence Celebration
Friday, Jun 29, 2007
7:30 pm
Celebrating 25 years of Waterfront Concerts
Independence Celebration featuring an evening of Big Band with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra followed by a spectacular Grucci fireworks display.
Location: Astoria Park Lawn - Shore Blvd. between Hell Gate Bridge and the Pool
(website)

10th Annual Liberty World Outrigger Competition
Saturday, Jun 30, 2007 - All Day
Take front row seats in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park or the Main Street section of Brooklyn Bridge Park for the 10th Annual Liberty World Challenge. Teams from across the globe will start from the East River and race a course on the New York Harbor.
(website)

Norah Jones
Friday, July 6
7:00am – 9:00am (NOTE: this is in the morning!!)
Upper Terrace
Come to the park to see your favorite artist, as well as say hello to GMA's Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Chris Cuomo, and Sam Champion. If you want to get as close to the stage as possible, arrive at the park no later than 7:00 a.m.
For information about the series, go to abcnews.go.com/GMA.

Fan Yang, Bubble Artist
Saturday, July 7
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Bryant Park Reading Room
Join our soap bubble party as Fan Yang, star of the Gazillion Bubble Show, creates bubbles galore amidst a special story-time.
Favorite book characters and stories come alive, with author visits and special events geared for kids of all ages.
Rain Venue:
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
555 Fifth Avenue (at 46th Street)
212-697-3048
(website)

JellyNYC Presents the Boredoms
Saturday, Jul 7, 2007
3:00 PM
Celebrating their 20th anniversary, the legendary Japanese avant-garde rock band the Boredoms will debut 77 DRUM on 07/07/07 on the lawn of the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park section of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The band will lead 77 drummers in a once-in-a-lifetime performance. Doors open at 3:00 p.m. Performance at 5:00. FREE! For further information about the event and JellyNYC, please visit www.jellynyc.com or email info@jellynyc.com
Location: Lawn, Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park section of Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturdays
At the Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturdays, thousands of visitors enjoy free programs of art and entertainment each month from 5–11 p.m. All evening long, the Museum Café serves a wide selection of sandwiches, salads, and beverages, and a cash bar offers wine and beer. Parking is a flat rate of $4 starting at 5 p.m. All other Saturdays, the Museum closes at 6 p.m.
Please note that due to limited capacities, some Target First Saturday programs require tickets. Ticket lines often form 30 minutes before ticket distribution. Programs are subject to change.July 7, 2007

Schedule of FREE Programs
5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. Performance, Public Plaza, Outside Museum
Circus Amok delights with its unique brand of good old-fashioned circus fun.
6:00 p.m. Film, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Watch Eddie Murphy in Coming to America (John Landis, 1988, 116 min., R), a classic comedy about an African prince who travels to New York to find his queen. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 5 p.m.
6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Performance, Steinberg Family Sculpture Garden, 1st Floor
Create a wood tile mosaic. Free timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m. Performance, Meet at the entrance to American Identities, 5th Floor
Brooklyn's Ferentz Lafargue reads from his new book Songs in the Key of My Life. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.
7:00 p.m. Talk and Performance, Forum, 4th Floor
Hip hop ambassador Toni Blackman discusses and performs her work. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.
8:00 p.m. Young Voices Gallery Talk, 5th Floor
Student guide Laura Su gives a tour on African American artists.
8:30 p.m. Film, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
See the award-winning film Walk the Line (James Mangold, 2005, 136 min., PG-13) about the life of American country legend Johnny Cash, starring Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 7:30 p.m.
9:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m. Dance Party, Museum Parking Lot, Behind Museum
Afro-Punk Festival with DJs CX Kidtronik and King Cole, and bands The Exit and the Dragons of Zynth.

Dance at the National Museum of the American Indian
DATE: Jul 10 & 11 & 12, 2007
TIME: 11:00am
PRICE: Free
Learn Indian social dances in this interactive program led by skilled Native American dancers. This program runs at 11am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
TYPE: Dance
LOCATION: National Museum of the American Indian, One Bowling Green
PHONE: 212-514-3700
(website)

Spoon
DATE: Jul 11, 2007
TIME: 7:00pm
PRICE: Free
On the heels of their sixth album release, one of the most acclaimed bands in indie music delivers a rocking concert including some of their latest material.
TYPE: Music
LOCATION: Rockefeller Park
PHONE: 212-945-0505
(website)

Strange Fruit
DATE: Jul 12, 2007
TIME: 11:00am
PRICE: Free
Making its New York City debut, this Melbourne-based company performs a remarkable style of work that incorporates dance, theater and circus, while perched atop 12-foot tall, flexible poles.
Performances at 12:00pm, 1:00pm & 2:00pm
Running time: 30 minutes.
TYPE: Theater
LOCATION: WFC Plaza
PHONE: 212-945-0505
(website)

Ron Sexsmith
DATE: Jul 12, 2007
TIME: 7:00pm
PRICE: Free
Sexsmith's music offers hard-earned pieces of wisdom, all set to strong, yet gentle melodies and sung with emotional eloquence and genuine soul. These are his creative signatures, and they have earned the Toronto-based singer/songwriter immense respect from his peers, critics, and a devoted international audience.
Two free tickets per person will be distributed at the Castle on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 5:00pm on the day of the show.
TYPE: Music
LOCATION: Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park
PHONE: 212-835-2789
(website)

Noche Flamenca / Andrew J. Nemr & CPD Plus / Darrah Carr Dance
Thursday, July 12, 7:30pm
This internationally acclaimed Madrid troupe practices flamenco in its purest, most passionate incarnation. "Powerfully raw in its sensuality . . . spellbindingly visceral." (Dallas Morning News) The hot young hoofers of CPD PLUS and the modern influenced Irish step of DARRAH CARR make it a far ranging evening of percussive dance.
(website)

Strange Fruit Presents Swoon!
Saturday, Jul 14, 2007
FREE! PERFORMANCES AT 4:00pm, 6:00pm, and 8:00pm
Australia's Strange Fruit is a Melbourne-based open-air performing arts company that produces and performs a remarkable style of work that fuses theater, dance, and circus, using the unique elevated medium of sway poles. For their first U.S. tour, the Company will present Swoon! – a 20-minute performance where four daredevil Australians tell a spectacular story of love, loss, joy and freedom up on high. Performance will take place on the lawn of the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park section of the Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Location: Lawn, Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park section of Brooklyn Bridge Park
(website)

BPC Parks' Family Square Dance
DATE: Jul 14, 2007
TIME: 6:30pm
PRICE: Free
Swing your partner to Western Caravan playing country, swing and honky-tonk standards. Don Coy calls the dances. All ages. No partners necessary.
TYPE: Family
LOCATION: Esplanade Plaza at Liberty Street, Battery Park City
PHONE: 212-267-9700
(website)

Explore the Port of New York aboard 1885 Schooner Pioneer
DATE: Jul 14, 2007
TIME: 1:00pm
PRICE: Call for details.
Sail New York harbor aboard our historic vessel and learn about the history of this great world port. Call for reservations.
TYPE: Nature
LOCATION: South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton Street
PHONE: 212-748-8757
(website)

Summer Stars --Makoto Nakura, Marimba
(yee-haw! Marimba! Come on, we have to go to this one!)
DATE: Jul 16, 2007
TIME: 7:30pm
PRICE: Free
"A dynamo of energy and virtuosity," this exciting marimbist has toured extensively throughout the USA and Japan. This concert will feature the New York premiere of "The Story of Aoyagi," written specifically for Mr. Nakura. Tickets required: available after 4:00PM day of show.
TYPE: Music
LOCATION: Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University, Spruce Street entrance
(website)

Avenue Q The Drowsy Chaperone The Phantom of the Opera Tarzan Rent
Thursday, July 19
12:30pm – 1:30pm
The Lawn at Bryant Park<>
The most popular musicals on and off Broadway perform their biggest hits.
(website)

Drive-By Truckers
DATE: Jul 19, 2007
TIME: 7:00pm
PRICE: Free
Equal parts back-porch historians and poets of living the hard life, the Truckers deliver an ironic and gutsy sound that has set the bar higher for southern rock. Their three front men/guitarists/songwriters: Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell, make for a triumvirate that would crumble a lesser band. Two free tickets per person will be distributed at the Castle on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 5:00pm on the day of the show.
TYPE: Music
LOCATION: Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park
PHONE: 212-835-2789
(website)

John Mayer & Special Guest
Friday, July 20
7:00am – 9:00am (yeah, it's in the morning again)
Upper Terrace
Come to the park to see your favorite artist, as well as say hello to GMA's Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Chris Cuomo, and Sam Champion. If you want to get as close to the stage as possible, arrive at the park no later than 7:00 a.m.
(website)

Free Friday at South Street Seaport Museum
DATE: Jul 20, August 17, 2007
TIME: 5:00pm
PRICE: Free
Free admission to our museum, with special cultural programming for adults and kids.
TYPE: Family
LOCATION: South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton Street
PHONE: 212-748-8568
(website)

Riders in the Sky with The Carolina Chocolate Drops
DATE: Jul 25, 2007
TIME: 7:00pm
PRICE: Free
The Chocolate Drops, an African-American fiddle and banjo band playing in the Carolinas' piedmont tradition, open for the legendary Riders, the multi-Grammy®-winning troubadour band of Western cowboy music.
TYPE: Music
LOCATION: Rockefeller Park
PHONE: 212-945-0505
(website)

Xanadu Monty Python's Spamalot The Lion King Curtains Stomp
Thursday, July 26
12:30pm – 1:30pm
The Lawn
The most popular musicals on and off Broadway perform their biggest hits.
(website)

The Urban Backyard Vintner
Wine Making in Brooklyn
(I REALLY want to do this one, and if you want to, too, let me know! Please!)
You don't have to live in the Mediterranean to make good wine! This course will introduce you to the art of wine making, using grapes easily procured or grown locally, and also provide a brief overview of wine culture in human history. We'll end with a tasting of homemade wine to complement what we've learned. Specific topics include pertinent definitions and concepts for the budding oeneophile, and varietal characteristics of popular wines. Wines from both the classic wine grape, Vitis vinifera, and hybrid grape species will be reviewed. Then delve into the process of both white and red wine production as we discuss equipment requirements, sugar and acidity (including pH of the must), yeast selection, fermentation methods, clarifying processes, storage/aging, and bottling the wine. We'll point out expected challenges and common wine faults so that you can produce a vintage worthy of a connoisseur. Students must be at least 21 years of age to participate in the wine tasting. Materials fee covers all handouts and wine samples.
Section A: Saturday, July 28 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Section B: Saturday, July 28 2–5 p.m.
$39 member, $44 nonmember (Fee includes $10 materials charge.)
Registration Information

Seaport Music -- A Night of Billie Holiday Remixed and Reimagined
DATE: Aug 03, 2007
TIME: 7:00pm
PRICE: Free
Presented by Turntables on the Hudson, this amazing night will feature DJs Nickodemus, Jazzy Nice, + Nappy G on percussion & Jay Rodriguez of Groove Collective on the saxophone. Come experience a legend as you've never heard her before.
TYPE: Music
LOCATION: South Street Seaport, Pier 17
PHONE: 212-SEAPORT
(website)

Chew on This!
DATE: Aug 25, 2007
TIME: 1:00pm
PRICE: Free with South Street Seaport Museum Admission
Learn about the history of chewing gum, Adams NY Gum #1 and make a pack of chewing gum from scratch.
TYPE: Family
LOCATION: 12 Fulton Street
PHONE: 212-748-8753
(website)


Additionally -- if you want to do any kind of outdoor big band dancing and don't have a partner, call me! I love that kind of stuff!

Also, if you want to catch Shakespeare in the Park, I'd love to try to swing that, too!

CRAP! THINGS I FORGOT:

Make Music NY
On Thursday, June 21, New York joins 340 other cities around the world to host a day of free, outdoor music-making. From Metropolitan Opera singers to high school rock bands, church choirs to underground MCs, Tuvan throat singers to Salsa bands, punk rockers to string quartets, there's something for everyone.
(website)

The ARChive of Contemporary Music's Summer Record & CD sale. WHY: To raise money to help fund the ARChive : a not-for-profit music library with over 2 million sound recordings - America's largest and BEST popular music collection. WHERE: At our ground floor office: 54 White St. 3 short blocks south of Canal, between Broadway & Church in Tribeca Take the 1 train to Franklin, or any train to Canal. WHEN: Saturday, JUNE 23 – Sunday, JULY 1 Everyday 11 am. to 6 pm
(website)

"Metrodress"
Details: Russian journalist Nina Vishneva was inspired by the 2005 MTA transit strike to fashion frocks made of NYC MetroCards. Her handiwork is displayed at Citigroup Center as part of the ongoing Russian Heritage Festival.
Venue: Atrium at Citigroup Center
Travel: E, V to Lexington Ave–53rd St; N, R, W to Lexington Ave–59th St; 6 to 51st St.
Address: 153 E 53rd St
Phone: 212-687-6118
This week's schedule: June 21 7am-9pm, June 22 7am-9pm, June 25 7am-9pm, June 26 7am-9pm, June 27 7am-9pm, June 28 7am-9pm, June 29 7am-9pm
Prices: Free
(website)

New York Book Festival
The 2007 New York Book Festival will take place on Sat. June 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. near the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. The event is free and open to the public and includes author readings, live music, children's storytelling, clowns performing children's face-painting and twisting balloon animals, book signings, vendor demonstrations and food, all in the graceful confines of the world's greatest park!
Directions to the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park:
1) Enter park at 72nd Street and 5th Avenue
2) Follow path into park and through traffic light, bearing left
3) Walk straight and you'll see Bethesda Fountain on your right and the Naumburg Bandshell on your left.
(see website for schedule and authors)

Smith Street Fun Day
Smith St between Bergen and Carroll Sts, Brooklyn (718-852-0328). Subway: F, G to Bergen St, Carroll St. 11am–6pm.
Sunday June 24
(website)

Cheese Eating Contest of 2007!!!
On Sunday June 24th at 2pm as part of the Smith St. fair, we will host our 1st annual cheese eating contest outside of Smith & Vine (268 Smith Street between Sackett St. & Degraw St.) at 2pm sharp. Contestants will have to show up by 1:45 and no later! There are only 20 spaces available and registration is a first come first serve basis. The Grand Prize is the "Big Cheese Title Belt", which will be displayed at Stinky Bklyn with your name for a full year. You must be 18 to enter, everyone gets a Stinky T-Shirt and Registration is FREE! Come compete for glory! Come challenge the true warriors of cheese! Come find out how much Cantal you can cram down in 1 minute!
To register, please call 718.522.7425
(website)