This week we say goodbye to June and hello to July. The city is abuzz with events celebrating the Fourth of July and the last weekend of Pride Month. With our Untapped Picks, visit an urban farm, gain access to the former studio of a renowned artist, and find new ways to explore New York City!

Friday, June 28th

Be part of an immersive theater experience inside the former home and studio of Mark Rothko. Afterparty, a site-specific production produced by the Peculiar Works Project, explores a pivotal moment in time for downtown artists and offers a rare opportunity to visit this historic studio space, where Rothko painted his famous Seagram Murals. The show will run for four nights only, Thursday, June 27th through Sunday, June 30th.

Take an evening stroll through the Urban Farm on Randall’s Island. This free public event will allow visitors to taste in-season produce, smell the flowers, and learn about the farm’s unique crops and mission.

Saturday June 29th

Explore the over 100-year-old hospital complex on Ellis Island’s south side. This unique experience will grant guests access inside the off-limits areas of the 29-building complex which has been shuttered to the public for over sixty years. While weaving through the contagious disease hospital, kitchen, autopsy room and other usually forbidden places, guests will also see site=specific installations created by world renowned artist JR, made from historical photographs from the Ellis Island archives.

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital

Get an inside look at the Stonewall 50 exhibition, a new three-part exhibition at the New-York Historical Society. On this guided tour, explore how nightlife has been critical in shaping LGBTQ identity, see highlights from the Lesbian Herstory Archives and imagery from New York City Pride marches and other LGBTQ protests from the 1960s to the present day. You can join this free tour of you are an Untapped Cities Insider. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free behind-the-scenes tour and special events all year long!

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Image from Wikimedia Commons, Library of Congress

Uncover the remnants of the once magnificent Penn Station on our walking tour led by playwright an Untapped Cities Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers. On this tour, Rivers will reveal the vestiges of the McKim, Mead and White masterpiece that Penn Station once was, relics hidden in plain sight throughout the modern day station. Every guest will also get to go home with a replica of the first LIRR train ticket!
Tour of the Remnants of Penn Station

Discover the best of northern Manhattan’s art scene at the Higher Ground Festival. This free festival at Inwood’s Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park will include dancing, live music and new compositions, spoken word, fashion, performance art and more! The content is designed to be family friendly and showcase the atitry of the surrounding communities.

Discover the secrets of Grand Central Terminal on our expert-led walking tour. One of New York City’s most iconic buildings, Grand Central has a turbulent history Gilded Age glory, near destruction and brilliant revitalization. While learning it’s story, uncover its hidden treasure like its private tennis courts, glass walkways, giant Tiffany clock, and more!

Tour of the Secrets of Grand Central Terminal

See our full lists of upcoming Untapped Cities public tours and Insider events!

Sunday, June 30th

Take to the streets of Greenwich Village and secure a spot along the route of the NYC Pride March. The march will take to the streets covering a u-shaped route as it travels down Fifth Avenue from 26th Street to 8th Street, then wraps around to 7th Avenue and travels back up to 23rd Street. The march will feature over 500 unique marching contingents, representing a vast array of non-profits, community organizations, corporate sponsors, small businesses, political candidates and activists and more than 100 floats!

Revisit the 1960s and 1970s at the Museum of Interesting Things’ Summer of Love themed Secret Speakeasy. Despite the name, this is a fun and inclusive event for all ages. Guests are encouraged to wear retro-attire and will get to handle all of the vintage artifacts that will be on display, and in use throughout the party including artifact from the 1964/1965 Worlds Fair, a collection of 16mm footage of course, old Beatles cartoons and sing-a-longs. music players, and vintage jackets you can take selfies in. Tickets are $10 at the door or purchased online in advance.

Uncover the secrets of America’s first playground, Coney Island, on Untapped Cities’ summer walking tour. This small strip of sand on Brooklyn’s south coast has become synonymous with the burlesque, the bizarre, the outlandish and the corrupt. Join, author, playwright and Untapped Cities Chief Experience, Justin Rivers, as you trace the steps of the two main characters from his graphic novel, The Wonder City: The Great Whale of Coney Island on their visit one hot summer in 1942.

Tour the Secrets of Coney Island: Past, Present, Future, & Unknown

Can’t get tickets to Shakespeare in Central Park? Catch the final performance of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra at 6:30pm inside Riverside Park on the North Patio of The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. This no-ticket, pay-what-you can production is presented by Hudson Warehouse. In July, the company will put on performances of
The D’Artagnan Romances Part Three: The Man in the Iron Mask and The Merry Wives of Windsor in August.

Monday, July 1st

Witness a Reel Talk at Bryant Park with Scott Adlerberg, resident film expert, and author Jennifer Fronc. Fronc will discuss her new book, Monitoring the Movies: The Fight over Film Censorship in Early Twentieth-Century Urban America. Reel Talk is a free on-going series where Adlerberg sits down with guests authors for talks on film, the culture of cinema, and filmmaking. Books are available for purchase at the event and a Q&A will follow.

Tuesday, July 2nd

Walk across the iconic span of the Brooklyn Bridgeas you uncover the secrets of this feat of American engineering on Untapped Cities’ expert led tour. Discover the story of the supposed family curse suffered by the designers of the bridge, learn about the hidden champagne vaults and Cold War fall out shelter inside and more!

The Secrets of Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour

 Photograph by Stephanie Powell, Courtesy of the Poster House

Get an inside look at the newly opened Poster House, a museum dedicated to the art of posters. Located inside an early 20th century building in a space once occupied by the famous TekServe store, guests will gain access to the museum while it is closed to the public and be shown around the two debut galleries by the museum’s chief curator. You will also get to meet with the museum’s director an learn about the massive renovation to the over 100-year old space. You can join this free tour of you are an Untapped Cities Insider. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free behind-the-scenes tour and special events all year long!

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Thursday, July 4th

Join the New York Parks Department’s Adventure Guides for guided explorations of New York City’s Parks and events at Nature Centers all over New York City. Nature Center Adventure programs include scavenger hunts, nature crafts and games, and getting up close and personal with nature center animals. From Marine Park to Pelham Bay, get to know your park.

Celebrate the Fourth of July with our alternative events, coming out tomorrow!