This week in New York City the streets are abuzz with cultural activities and summer celebrations. Experience different cultural traditions in the park, dine out at a famous restaurant, uncover the secrets of an iconic amusement park and discover more ways to enjoy the city this week with our Untapped Picks!
Friday, July 26th
Take part in the 41st Annual Thunderbird American Indian Powwow, New York City’s largest and most dynamic featuring three days of intertribal Native American dance competitions. Over forty Indian Nations will be represented at this spectacular event hosted at the Queens Farm County Farm Museum. Performances will include Hoop Dancers and Sunset Lighting of the Bonfire. A large selection of authentic Native American art, crafts, jewelry, and food will be available for sale. Tickets are on sale now!
It’s New York Restaurant Week!Treat yourself to a special dinner at one of New York City’s best restaurants and enjoy a discount 3-course meal or 2-course lunch. Iconic New York City establishments like Delmonico’s, 21 Club, and Tavern on the Green are participating.
Saturday, July 27th
From the iconic Cyclone rollercoaster to Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, uncover the secrets of Coney Islandon our Past, Present, Future, & Unknown walking tour! Titled America’s first playground, Coney Island was a small strip of sand on Brooklyn’s south coast that became synonymous with the burlesque, the bizarre, the outlandish and the corrupt. Join, author, playwright and Untapped Cities tour guide, 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.
Travel back to the Gritty Old Times Square of the 1970’s, when Times Square was a dangerous, exciting, gritty, intense, racially and sexually diverse neighborhood frequented by both locals and tourists. While most of old Times Square has been carefully obliterated by generic hotels, soulless office buildings, and Walt Disney musicals, there are still a few vestiges of its seedy past—if you know where to look. Let Untapped Cities’ expert guide Robert Brenner take you back to the halcyon days when 42nd Street was the Deuce, Eighth Avenue was the Minnesota Strip, the Great White Way was a red light district, and the Crossroads of the World was XXX-rated.
Celebrate Mexican culture at the 7th annual Guelaguetza Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park! La Guelaguetza, whose name comes from the indigenous Zapotec word “to give” or “to offer,” takes place in Oaxaca City, Mexico every summer and showcases the dances, music, and traditions of Oaxaca. Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York has presented the Guelaguetza celebration in New York City since 2013. Experience traditional music, dance, craft, and food. This event is free and open to all!
It’s hard to imagine it now but Penn Station was once a grand and beautiful Beaux-Arts building designed by one of America’s most famous and renowned architects, and believe it or not, there are still traces of the original building left in the station today. Uncover the remnants of Penn Station on our expert led tour this weekend with Untapped Cities Chief experience officer Justin Rivers.
Explore futurist items of the past at the latest Secret Speakeasy hosted by the Museum of Interesting Things. At this event guests can actually handle the artifacts that are all from the past, but look like they are from the future. UBREAKIFIX will have a table at the event and offer discounts to fix your modern day tech gadgets. There will also be special items from Looking Glass Factory, the future of holographic display.
Central Park, now one of New York City’s crown jewels was once a swampy wasteland. On our Secrets of Central Park Walking Tour, discover how this massive area in the heart of Manhattan was transformed into the world’s most famous park, learn the hidden histories behind its most iconic sites like Bethesda Fountain and the Central Park Zoo, and uncover hidden gems like the authentic survey bolt left behind from the planning of Manhattan’s street grid.
Watch a classic Greek play at the East River Park Amphitheater in John V. Lindsay East River Park as part of the New York Euripides Summer Festival: Iphigenia Among the Taurians. Presented by American Thymele Theatre, the festival is now in its 11th summer season, presenting fully-staged, free classical Greek theater. All shows are free and open to the public.
Photograph by Michael Young, Courtesy of the Skyscraper Museum
Get an inside look at Housing Density: From Tenements to Towers,the newest exhibit at the Skyscraper Museum with the guidance of gallery manager Josh Vogel. Density today remains a hyper-charged concept – a negative to many who equate it with crowding – or a positive for those who claim it creates more vibrant and affordable urban life. To help give you an understanding of both sides, the new exhibition is packed with three-dimensional diagrams, graphs, building plans, photographs and other documents, which provide a comprehensive view of the issues surrounding density from many perspectives. You can join tis free event is you are an Untapped Cities Insider! Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free behind-the-scenes tours and special events all year long!
Tuesday, July 30th
Photograph by Will Hunt
Discover hidden worlds at a book talk with Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet author Will Hunt at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The talk will be moderated by Untapped Cities founder Michelle Young. Hunt will dive into his tales of exploration adventuring through derelict subway stations, sacred caves, nuclear bunkers, and subterranean cities! If you are an Untapped Cities Insider, you can attend this event for free!
Wednesday, July 31st
Be part of the live podcast launch for Nevertheless She Existedat the Lower East Side speakeasy Caveat. Caveat specializes in educational nightlife and this show will feature a lineup of female storytellers, comedians, and historians who will share the stories of some of the greatest women the world has ever known. This month, the theme of the show is “Podcast Party” as host Molly Gaebe and a fantastic lineup of performers present favorite stories from past shows, play games, and pour one out for the women history refused to remember. If you are an Untapped Cities Insider, you can attend this event for free!
Thursday, August 1st
Put your knowledge of New York City to the test at the Museum of the City of New York’s
. Hosted in partnership with the Gotham Center for New York City History outside on the Museum’s terrace, teams will answer questions in categories spanning the city’s epic 400-year history, iconic “only in New York” places and moments, and the notable individuals who have shaped our fair city – for better or for worse and compete for prizes! Every ticket includes a drink voucher and Museum admission so you can study up beforehand!
Be part of a sneak peek hard hat tour inside the new Fotografiska New York. This unique multi-function cultural venue is housed inside the historic 1894 Church Missions House on Park Avenue South. You are invited join the team inside the construction zone as the space is transformed into an innovative photography exhibition and social gathering space. You’ll even get a camera to document your experience! You can join this exclusive tour If you are an Untapped Cities Insider! This event is currently booked out! Join the waitlist by filling out the form below!
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Nicole Saraniero is the Insider-in-Chief at Untapped New York, leading our Untapped New York Insiders membership program. Nicole graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Televis
