[field notes nyc] things to do in new york: jul 20 - 26

🛣️ Nerd Night: Open Streets 101
6:15–8pm | Heart of Gold: 37-14 31st Ave, Astoria, Queens | Free (RSVP)

“Ever wondered how Open Streets work, why people love them, or why they’re sometimes controversial? Join us for Nerd Night, a casual monthly series bringing together people who care about New York City, public space, transportation, and community. This month’s topic is Open Streets 101—a look at how Open Streets work, what they’ve accomplished, and what’s next. We’ll cover the basics, share stories from organizers, answer questions, and leave plenty of time to meet neighbors and fellow city nerds.”

📚 Colson Whitehead
7–8:30pm | McNally Jackson Books at BKLYN STUDIOS: 1 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn | $10+

“From #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead, an exuberantly entertaining novel that brings to life 1980s New York in the magnificent final volume of his Harlem Trilogy. 1981: New York City is beginning to emerge from financial ruin and decline, energized by rampant real estate development and a Wall Street unchained by Reagan-era predatory capitalism… Whitehead paints a portrait of a city in transition, where shimmering skyscrapers rise to the heavens as displaced people huddle in abandoned tunnels below.”

📖 Olio Read-in: Kafka’s Metamorphosis
7:30–9:30pm | The Lighthouse: 603 Bergen St, Brooklyn | $32.29

“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” The enigmatic opening sentence of Kafka’s Metamorphosis has been perplexing translators, inspiring illustrators, and intriguing psychiatrists for over a century… In this Olio Read-in, we will be performing a close reading of Part 1 of Metamorphosis. By focusing on minuscule details—linguistic choices, floor plans, food crumbs—we will enter Kafka’s nightmarish universe that is strikingly similar to our own.”

🪩 Triple Canopy Summer Party 2026
7–10pm | Spring: 116 Madison St, Manhattan | Free (RSVP)

“Cool off with us to celebrate the summer—while supporting the magazine! We’re gathering at Spring in Chinatown for live music, screenings, and drinks, with ten percent of sales donated back to Triple Canopy. Frances Chang, an experimental songwriter, will perform music from her forthcoming album, been thinking bout confession (RVNG Intl., 2026), in the backyard. We’ll also screen video contributions to Triple Canopy’s thirtieth issue, Not Nothing, in the basement all evening.”

💃 The Look of Love: Complexions / Paul Taylor / LaTasha Barnes’ The Jazz Continuum
8–10pm (doors 7pm) | Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, Manhattan | Free

The Joyce Theater brings three contemporary dance companies to Central Park for a night celebrating jazz. Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs Dwight Rhoden's premiere Midnight Riff, an homage to Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan; the Paul Taylor Dance Company makes its festival debut with Robert Battle's Under The Rhythm, set to Ella Fitzgerald; and 'Queen of Social Dance' LaTasha Barnes closes with an excerpt from her solo The Look of Love—a live-band blend of hip-hop, swing, house, and funk that she calls a love letter to her influences.

🎶 Living Music: Ian Chang
7:30pm | David Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center: 1887 Broadway, Manhattan | Free

“Ian Chang is a virtuosic, genre-agnostic percussionist, composer, and producer who manipulates sound samples into a seamless synthesis of raw intensity and sophisticated sound design. Since joining eclectic trio Son Lux in 2014 and supporting artists such as Moses Sumney, Matthew Dear, and CHVRCHES, Chang’s debut 2020 full-length record, 属 Belonging, offered deeper insight into his unique and ever-evolving vision. Chang is an in-demand soundtrack artist who scored the 2022 Best Picture Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once with Son Lux.”

🎷 Midsummer Nights
6:30pm | Brooklyn Conservatory of Music: Brooklyn | Free (RSVP)

“For the sixth year running, the Brooklyn Conservatory’s Midsummer Nights series brings four evenings of free, jazz-infused, genre-bending music to Lincoln Place. Curated by acclaimed jazz singer-songwriter, NPR Tiny Desk artist, and former BKCM Jazz Leadership Fellow Melanie Charles, this year’s lineup is a who’s-who of rising artists revitalizing jazz and knocking down genre boundaries. Tonight kicks off the series with Rasin Okan, a Brooklyn-based Haitian roots ensemble channeling the revolutionary spirit of Haiti’s mizik rasin movement.”

🎬 The Oldest Person in the World
7:45pm doors (film 8:45, Q&A 10:15) | Green-Wood Cemetery: 500 25th St, Brooklyn | $22

“The Oldest Person in the World is a decade-long odyssey chronicling the ever-changing record holders of the title of oldest person alive. As the title inevitably passes from one supercentenarian to the next, acclaimed filmmaker Sam Green traverses the globe to meet each new record holder, his personal fascination with what the title means becoming entangled with events and milestones in his own life. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a poignant meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive.”

🦋 True Stories, Wild Things: A Celebration of National Moth Week
7:30pm | American Museum of Natural History: 200 Central Park West, Manhattan | $15

“As dusk falls over Central Park West, join the Museum for an evening of wonder dedicated to the winged insects that live in New York City. Step inside the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life for a panel conversation with Museum scientists exploring what declining insect populations reveal about the health of urban ecosystems. Hear from researchers working at the intersection of entomology, urban ecology, and conservation. Afterwards, in celebration of National Moth Week, join Museum scientists outside on the steps to observe urban nature up close as moths from Central Park and beyond gather for the evening.”

📷 ICP x Asian American Arts Alliance — July Town Hall: Film & Media
6:30–8:30pm | International Center of Photography: 84 Ludlow St, Manhattan | Free

“Welcoming filmmakers, producers, and distributors to share their projects and resources with the AAPI creative community. This month’s featured presenters include Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal and Settanant Thanakitkoses, co-producers of The Last Breath of Sam Yan (2023); and Stacey Young, executive director of the Pacific Island Film Festival (PIFF) of New York City. Additionally, the evening will feature a line-up of brief pitches from the community. After the presentations, we’ll host a potluck meal in the ICP Cafe, so please bring something to share.”

🇻🇪 Aguadulce: A Fundraiser for Venezuela
4–8pm | Café Colmado: 286 Broome St, Manhattan | $15+

“Aguadulce is a fundraiser for Venezuelans affected by the devastating earthquakes on July 7th. 100% of ticket sales will be donated to The House Project, which provides food, medical care, shelter, and education to those in need. We’ll have Venezuelan DJs Bandolover and KLKÉ spinning all afternoon, drinks provided by Casalú and Parch, and goodies by Nuun Hydration. Each ticket includes 1 free drink.”

🎬 URL IRL: Internet Shorts 2026
7pm doors | Industry City, Courtyard 5/6: 33 35th St, Brooklyn | $22

“As humanity hurtles toward an uncertain future both online and off, these shorts explore digital identity, artificial intimacy, invisible labor, and the search for meaning in an algorithmic age.”

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📸 ICP Photobook Club: Nick Sethi on Fashion
11am–1pm | International Center of Photography: 84 Ludlow St, Manhattan | Free (RSVP)

“Explore photobooks from the ICP Library and connect with fellow photobook enthusiasts at ICP’s Photobook Club. This session is hosted by Nick Sethi, a bookmaking artist and photographer behind Miu Miu x Met Gala, HommeGirls’ Maya Hawke in Prada, and the Gap Studio campaign with Lila Moss. The selection includes Comme des Garçons’ special art mailers, Ishiuchi Miyako’s rare Hiroshima, and the pop-defining Lady Gaga: Critical Mass Fashion.”

🌱 9th Annual Jamaica Bay Festival
8am–5pm | Jamaica Bay (multiple locations), Brooklyn & Queens | Free

“The Jamaica Bay Festival is a free, fun, family event taking place in Brooklyn and Queens on City of Water Day. The Festival celebrates those who share our vision to champion the spirit of the Jamaica Bay community, the unparalleled opportunities and the natural beauty of this urban tidal estuary. Participants can enjoy free kayaking, fishing, surfing, hiking, bird watching, art, nature and more.”

🎨 Open Studios + Free Art Workshop & City of Water Day Panel
12–5pm | LMCC Arts Center at Governors Island | Free (RSVP)

“A day of activities at LMCC’s Arts Center with Open Studios, a family-friendly art workshop, and a climate panel with artists and academics. Explore the multidisciplinary practices—painting, sculpture, video, and more—of the 2026 Arts Center Residents. From 1–3pm, take part in Recycled Runway, a free, family-friendly art-making workshop with Sari Nordman, creating wearable accessories from recycled plastic.”

🎬 Bullwackie & Friends in New York
2–5pm | Anthology Film Archives: 32 2nd Ave, Manhattan | price TBD need price

“Terraforma EXO & MoMA PS1 invite you to a special screening of Bullwackie in New York (1985; Dir. Christopher Coy), a documentary featuring interviews, performances, and fly-on-the-wall footage recorded in and around the White Plains Road studio of the reggae label Wackies, in the North Bronx, which highlights the artist community behind the independent label. After the film, founder Lloyd “Bullwackie” Barnes will be joined by singers Claudette “Lovejoy” Brown and Wayne Jarrett, and Basic Channel co-founder Mark Ernestus, in a conversation moderated by writer and tonal geologist Ryan C. Clarke.”

🧺 Sumac & Smoke: Irooni Picnic
1–7pm | Prospect Park, Brooklyn | Free (RSVP — waitlist only)

“For us at Sumac & Smoke, grilling kabob in a park has always been about more than just the food. The act itself represents tradition, community, togetherness. Thanks to all of your support, we’re making all of our food & drink free for all to enjoy (while supplies last). While there will be Jujeh & Koobideh kabobs, Balal, + Bastani & drinks by @bibibakery, we encourage you all to bring a blanket, snacks, drinks of your own, friends, family and plan to spend a beautiful day together with us in the park!” RSVPs are full, but I’d say feel free to show up at the park with your own snacks!

📄 Interactive Poems with Paper Engineering
2pm | Secret Riso Club: 122 Central Ave, Brooklyn | $54.13

“Learn four paper-engineering techniques to create interactive structures out of paper. Reorganize text and images into new folded paper forms! This course is for anyone interested in making zines, experimental poetry, or making things by hand. All experience levels welcome. Please bring one or two poems you’d like to reformat/reinterpret and leave with your paper experiments.”

🎻 Qi Yu — Guzheng Meets Jazz
6pm | David Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center: 1887 Broadway, Manhattan | Free

“As part of Chinese Arts Week, we welcome Washington, D.C.–based artist Qi Yu, a guzheng (Chinese zither) performer originally from Inner Mongolia, China. Deeply rooted in traditional Chinese melodies and rhythmic frameworks, Qi Yu’s music reimagines the ancient guzheng through the improvisational energy and rhythmic drive of jazz.”

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I’ve adopted my partner’s love for soft serve... there’s something so satisfying about the texture. I recently tried the soft serves (hojicha sour cherry / corn caramel / passionfruit cheesecake) at Lisbonata, and yes it’s worth waiting in line for 20 minutes. It seems like frozen yoghurts are popping off too, but I can’t stomach the snaking lines around the block.