Weekly happenings: May 19 - May 25
Rib Fest is the most American thing you can do this MDW
I spent my Friday evening mingling with 20 or so new girlfriends and writers in New York.
hosts a monthly meet up, Substack & The City, for any women Substackers (yes, it’s a verb now) who want to connect, share their “why” for writing, and just vibe with like-minded creatives. My cup was so full on the way out. It was inspiring to learn about everyone’s niche and the journey that brought them to Substack. Plus, I got to meet some writers I’ve long followed and admired. Special shoutout to who documents some of the happiest vignettes of life in the city in . If you’re on your Substack journey - even if you’re only 1 post in - check it out next month and hang out with a seriously fun group.Monday May 19
⭐ Chinatown Restaurant Week
Welcome to Chinatown | May 19-24th at Various locations, Chinatown
Welcome to Chinatown is an organization aimed at bolstering small businesses in the community. I respect that they’re splitting off with their own Restaurant Week since the overall NYC Restaurant Week is a bad deal. The week-long event will feature 18 participating businesses throughout the neighborhood. It’s a mix of fancier reservation spots and quick casual eateries who will all be offering discounted prix-fixe menus. Check in at each restaurant to earn points and potentially win a meal. See the full list of participating restaurants.
Alison Roman Pop Up
Strange Delight | Monday-Wednesday 5-7pm at 63 Lafayette Ave, Fort Greene
Neighborhood Fort Greene restaurant Strange Delight is in the last week of their Live Laugh Loaf series where every Monday to Wednesday from 5-7pm they partner with a different chef or restaurant to cook up a special sandwich. This week, they’re welcoming chef and known sandwich skeptic Alison Roman. She’ll be dishing out a lemon-y tuna salad sandwich on fluffy milk bread and serving it with a side of her split pea soup. You can grab a reservation on Open Table or just show up.
Micro and Macro: Interior Design and Architecture
Cooper Hewitt | 6-8pm at 2 E 91st St, Upper East Side
Design Week is almost coming to an end but you can catch a few final events today and tomorrow. The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is hosting a talk with Little Wing Lee, an interior designer known for her eye for color, texture, and materiality. She’ll share insight into her design approach, focusing on the interior of the Ray Harlem a new building set to open later this year. Tickets are $18 and include museum admission.
Tuesday May 20
RHAP Party 2025
Red Hook Art Project | 6-11pm at 185 Van Dyke St, Red Hook
Red Hook Art Project is a non-profit that provides free visual art, music, and academic education to youth from Red Hook. They are having their 16th annual gala celebration to honor the transformative power of art in the community. There will be a student art showcase, a DJ, an open bar, a silent auction, an art station for you to take part in, and local bites including from Hometown BBQ (aka the best BBQ in NYC). Tickets are $150.
Floral Design Workshop
Recess Grove | 7-9pm at 327 Grand St, Williamsburg
In this workshop, floral designer Ivan Gilkes will guide students through color theory, flower care, and composition to create a beautiful bouquet. You’ll learn the fundamental skill of building a hand-tie bouquet and get to select your own blooms and foliage to include and then take home. Tickets are $79 and include all flowers, tools, and wrapping materials.
Wednesday May 21
⭐ Walking Tour: Monuments of Central Park
NY Historical Society | 6-7:30pm at 170 Central Park West, Upper West Side
The New York Historical Society is hosting a walking tour led by historian and author of Notable New Yorkers of Manhattan's Upper West Side, Jim Mackin. The tour will focus on areas of the park close to the society with highlights including the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument, The Falconer, Angel of the Waters/ Bethesda Fountain, and others. Tickets are $21.
Ink Wash Painting
Shalom Japan | 6:45pm at 310 South 4th St, Williamsburg
Artist and calligrapher Taisan Tanaka will be teaching a traditional Japanese ink wash painting class. It’s being held at Shalom Japan which has a funky mix of Jewish and Japanese food by chefs Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi. Tickets are $55 and include a drink and snacks like karaage, takoyaki, shishito peppers, and lox chicharron throughout the night.
Thursday May 22
Brooklyn Reads: Marsha with Tourmaline
Brooklyn Museum | 7-10pm at 200 Eastern Pkwy, Crown Heights
Celebrate the debut book of Tourmaline, whose work anchored the Brooklyn Museum’s 2019 exhibition Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall. The book offers the first biography of Black transgender activist Marsha Johnson as both an activist and an artist. The evening will begin with a performance by Egyptt LaBeija, a celebrated figure in the NYC ballroom and drag communities, followed by a reading of the book and a conversation and Q&A. Tickets are $15 and include museum admission.
Fleet Week Ship Tours
Fleet Week | May 22-26 at Various times and locations
Ok twist my arm I’ll rewatch the Sex & The City Anchors Away episode. Aside from the public military demonstrations, you can actually tour ships and witness the latest capabilities of maritime services. At multiple locations across the Manhattan Piers and Staten Island, you can board the ships for free. Checkout the full schedule.
Community Maker’s Market x Late Night
International Center of Photography | 5-8pm at 84 Ludlow St, Lower East Side
The International Center of Photography is hosting a 1 day only Maker’s Market where they will stay open late for you to shop homemade prints, goods, and items all made from ICP’s community of students, faculty, and alumni. Tickets are $5 and include museum admission.
Friday May 23
Starry Nights
NYBG | 7-10pm at 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx
I originally had a fair amount of skepticism about this show, having been scarred by the immersive Van Gogh light exhibit that took over a few years back. Those were a pure spectacle and were super commercial. I decided I can’t let it taint anything Van Gogh related moving forward though. Plus, the NYBG has never let me down. On select Fridays and Saturdays today through September, Van Gogh’s Flowers will be lit up as you wander through a lawn of real sunflowers and botanic beauty that inspired him. There will then be an illuminated drone show with hundreds of dancing drones in different lights and colors. Tickets are $49.
⭐ DanceAfrica Festival 2025
BAM | May 23-26 at 30 Lafayette Ave, Downtown Brooklyn
DanceAfrica is the nation’s largest festival dedicated to African diasporic dance and music. It is in its 48th year and will be focusing on the rich culture and artistry of Mozambique for this edition. Throughout the long weekend, there will be shows including traditional dance and music, visual art, cinematic offerings, classes, dance parties, and more. Check out the full schedule, tickets vary but start at $25.
⭐ Cocktails, Comestibles, and Callas
Green-Wood Cemetery | 7-10pm at 500 25th St, South Park Slope
I know an event at a cemetery feels morbid, but Green-Wood does it right. This 3-part event centering on legendary opera diva Maria Callas will begin with a sunset serenade by a swing jazz band, followed by a lookalike context hosted by drag artist Creatine Price, and close with a performance of arias sung by artists from the Met Opera Lindemann Program Competition. You’ll spend the night sampling cocktails from Via Carota and snacking on local bites. Tickets are $60.
Saturday May 24
Rib King NYC
Food Karma | 12-4pm at 635 2nd Ave, Industry City
After writing about Rib King last year, I got an invitation from Food Karma to attend. It was the first event I was organically invited to, and it played a huge role in keeping me motivated to share my newsletter, even when my following was still (at the time) small. I was so excited that I didn’t even stop to think - of course, Rib Fest would be 90% pork…which I don’t eat. Still, I had a great time mingling, sipping rosé, and hunting down the best mac n cheese. A heads-up if you’re planning to go: since it’s all-you-can-eat and drink, the lines get long so definitely arrive early. Tickets are $55 and the line up is stacked with 15+ vendors from across the country.
⭐ Pretty Horse Returns
Pretty Horse | Saturdays from 10:30am-5pm at Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Heights
I didn’t know kale chicken ceasar wraps could be this exciting, but trust me they are. Pretty Horse is a worker-owned coop that pops up for the summer season at the Grand Army Farmers Market. I would truly travel across the entire city for these. Good thing I don’t have to and I can just walk over in 5 minutes. This sandwich with a fizzy lemonade and a walk through Prospect Park is the elite Saturday morning combo.
AAPI Festival of Tea
Smorgasburg | 11am-6pm at Smorgasburg Williamsburg
To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, Smorgasburg is having their first ever Festival of Tea at their Williamsburg location. Aside from their regular market with 50+ food vendors, they will have a curated experience by Kolkata Chai Co and over a dozen guest AAPI tea and coffee vendors. There will also be arts & craft activities, games, giveaways, and more.
Sunday May 25
⭐ Seafood Boil
Farm.One | 1pm at 625 Bergen St, Prospect Heights
Farm.One is having a Memorial Day Weekend seafood boil hosted by chef Brock Middleton formerly from Eleven Madison Park. No RSVP required, everything will be first come first served. They promise that it will be hands-on twist & pull. Yum.
Red, White, & Vintage
Sea City Vintage | 10am-2pm at 2001 Park St, Atlantic Beach
If you’re looking for a day trip this Memorial Day Weekend, Atlantic Beach down Long Island may. Not only will this be quieter than the crowds at Rockaway, but you can stop by the a local market for a pop up featuring vintage sellers like Glory Bins, Jupiter Sky Creations, Primary Objects, and more. Sea City Vintage, the host, is a cozy vintage shop tucked away between Long Beach and Rockaway.
Recs of the week
Places or shows I discovered over the last week. These are personal recommendations. If I had a cool week, they’ll be cool. If I didn’t, they won’t.
Quique Crudo - Small Mexican seafood plates with a ton of flavor. I shared a few with a friend and you can’t go wrong. The seared scallop was standout though. Yummy cocktails too. No reservations and they only have ~20 seats against a small bar so go early or expect to wait.
Old The Best Vintage - Basically a vintage Fendi baguette warehouse. Still thinking of the denim one with embroidered daisies.
Bedford Studio - The lovely Substack meet up I mentioned was held at Bedford Studio. I love a coffee shop with couches and cozy nooks to work from. I didn’t get to try their drip (my true test of a coffee shop), but have heard good things.
Due West - Super underrated place to watch sports if you’re looking for an elevated vibe instead of a dive bar. Obviously get the burger too.
Bagel Pub - I’ve long neglected this neighborhood bagel spot in favor of Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe. The egg sandwiches are still unbeatable at Olde but Bagel Pub might have the better actual bagel.
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Legend for new readers
⭐ = events I am particularly excited about
everything else = things I am still really excited about
I love the sound of the UWS/Central Park tour - right up my alley. Thanks bunches for joining us on Friday... what a treat!
The Seafood Boil at Farm.One caught my eye. I was in Prospect Heights on Saturday and made a mental note to return here, this might be the reason. Thanks for the great roundup, Alexa!