Since summer is fully upon us, I thought I would take a break from trying to catch up on my LA blogging and let readers in on a few fabulous and fun things to do in New York City during the summer months. And most of these things are only available during the summer, so get out there and enjoy!
LIVE-IN THEATER
Various Locations.
Last year, at the end of the summer season, Miriam and I won tickets to an interactive murder mystery called The Ryan Case: 1873, put on by Live-In Theater. We went as a joke, not knowing what to expect, but preparing for it to be laughable. Instead, we had an amazing and fun experience!
Live-In Theater takes real, true, unsolved New York City murder mysteries and sets them on the streets of New York. We were told to arrive at a bar in Chinatown at which point we were directed to a cabaret space in the basement. Once the audience was assembled, a big, burly 19th century police officer got on stage to “brief us” on the case. He told us the police department was too corrupt to solve the crime and he was enlisting us to help solve the case. Our case was the story of the Ryan siblings, a brother and sister murdered in their tenement building in 1873. We were told about the suspects and possible witnesses and then split up into groups and handed notepads, pencils, and a map.
It was our task to follow the map and look for the suspects in the pictures we were shown or for people to interview. The characters were spread out over a number of blocks in Chinatown—all dressed in 19th century garb. You would think it would be easy to distinguish them from the other Chinatown inhabitants, but one of the out-of-towners in my group insisted that a homeless man was one of the characters. I kept trying to explain that there was no way they had rolling, carry-on luggage in 1873…
Once we found a character, we interviewed them to get information out of them. It was very Law & Order/CSI. We all felt like we were really trying to solve a crime.
Once we had met all the characters, we headed back to the bar, and tried to come up with a murderer and a motive. All the characters came out on stage for one last round of questioning, and then all the groups announced who they thought was the murderer and what the motive might have been.
It was a LOT of fun, I must say, especially since I was expecting it to be a giant joke. It’s an unsolved mystery, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they change the murderer and motive from show to show to keep it a surprise for guests.
Live-In Theater provides a few different interactive murder mysteries. Check out their website (click here) and see one of their shows! At the moment they only offer shows during the summer, since they take place outside, but it looks like they are lining up a new show in the fall.
IMPERIAL WOODPECKER SNO-BALLS
124 MacDougal Street between West 3rd Street and Bleeker Street in the West Village.
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| Sno-ball with sweetened condensed milk |
I’m sure most of you have tried a sno-cone, or even a piragua (shaved ice), but unless you’ve been to New Orleans, it’s very rare that you’ve had the chance to try a sno-ball.
Sno-balls are in the same vein as sno-cones and piraguas in that they are crushed ice with your choice of flavored syrup poured over the top of it, but what makes sno-balls so special is the ice. It’s crushed so fine that it resembles actual snow.
The owner of Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls, Neesa, grew up in the south and learned from some of the best sno-ballers in New Orleans, so she knows her stuff. Think Plum Street Sno-Balls, for those of you who have visited the quintessential sno-ball establishment in New Orleans-- she learned from them. Yummy.
The ice is crushed and put in Chinese take-out containers, just like they do in NOLA. Then, the syrup of your choice is poured all over it and you have the option of adding additional toppings, like sweetened condensed milk or ice cream, for example. I’m a personal fan of sweetened condensed milk, especially on top of a strawberry shortcake flavored sno-ball!
Imperial Woodpecker is a seasonal place, so you must check this place out during the summer months. Our goal this summer is to try all their flavors-- we have a lot of work ahead of us!
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| All the flavors at Imperial Woodpecker |
STREET FAIRS
Various locations.
New Yorkers are well aware of summer street fairs, but I don’t know many who know when and where you can expect to find a street fair on any given weekend.
Throughout the summer, street blocks all over the city are cordoned off and vendors set up shop, selling their wares and delicious street fair foods. Expect to get candied apples, corn on the cob straight off the grill, fresh lemonade, arepas (my absolute favorite: two cornbread pancakes with mozzarella cheese melted between them), scarves, souvenirs, clothing, jewelry-- you name it, you’ll probably find it at a street fair.
Some of the street fairs will even have entertainment, complete with a giant stage and everything. It’s certainly a fun walk. Grab a bite to eat while perusing the various stalls.
Click here for a schedule of this summer’s street fairs.
BROADWAY IN BRYANT PARK AND CENTRAL PARK
6th Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets & Central Park West and 63rd Street
Have your Thursday lunch hours free and want to see some Broadway stars for free? Head to the parks!
Starting in April and running through August, the Broadway Show Softball League hits up Heckscher ball fields in Central Park (by Central Park West and 63rd Street). It started out in the 1950’s as an informal way for the cast and crews of various Broadway shows to get together, picnic, and play a little ball, and it’s turned into quite the competition. Teams are comprised of cast, crew, and front of house staff from a number of Broadway shows and industry agencies. They offer three division time slots: 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30. The first two are heavily dominated by the Broadway shows, while the last time slot is mainly theater companies and unions, since the actors have to get ready for their evening performances.
You never know who you’ll see out there. Sometimes the celebrity star power of a show will come out to support the team, other times they may actually play, which was the case with Nick Jonas before How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying closed. Every Thursday he was out playing with his team. Miriam, who plays in the league, actually played against his team. Nick Jonas was covering third base. She hit a triple. She likes to say she got to third base with Nick Jonas...
Stop by the park and take in a game of softball. It’s a great way to while away an afternoon.
Or, if you’re interested in hearing some great music from off-Broadway and Broadway shows, head to Bryant Park at 6th Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm, where four or five different shows every week bring out their cast members and perform a few numbers. Broadway in Bryant Park starts in July and runs through August. You can also enter to win free Broadway tickets for an entire year through the Resorts World Casino New York City tent.
Check it out! Maybe you’ll discover a show to add to your must-see list.
NYC PUBLIC POOLS
Various locations.
When I first moved to New York City 12 years ago, the idea of going to a public pool really skeeved me out. It took eight really hot summers to help me get over that, and I’ve never looked back. I’ve found a number of New Yorkers don’t go to the public pools simply because they have misconceptions about them, so I’m here to enlighten you all.
First of all, the NYC outdoor public pools are FREE! Indoor pools require a membership fee, but the outdoor pools are open to the public. The outdoor pools coincide with the NYC public schools’ summer break, so they open at the tail end of June and remain open through Labor Day.
The pools are open daily, weather permitting, from 11am-7pm, closing for one hour from 3-4 in order to clean and give the lifeguards a break. The pools are open rain or shine, but once lighting and thunder get involved, they shut it down. Personally, I love going to the pool on rainy days because I practically have the whole pool to myself!
The public pools offer many different programs, including those to learn to swim at any age, Early Bird and Night Owl Adult Lap Swimming, in which adults can swim laps prior to the pool opening and after closing, without the general swimmers getting in the way. Many of the pools even offer a separate lap swimming area for those focused swimmers.
There are many rules to keep in mind before going to a public pool, so make sure to read up on the rules here beforehand.
The big rules are: everyone needs to have a strong lock (luggage locks are not allowed), no electronics are allowed by the pool area (so no phones, iPods, e-readers, or cameras), no food or drink, all men’s swim trunks must have netting, and any clothes (other than swimsuits) worn on the pool deck must be white.
Basically, you can bring your towel, a bottle of water, sunscreen/suntan lotion, sunglasses, a hat or visor, and a book (as well as goggles, ear plugs, swim caps, and nose plugs, of course).
When the public pool opens, it’s the best part of my summer. I look forward to it every season. It’s the perfect free option for a hot summer day.
Get thee to a pool this summer! Maybe I’ll see you there.
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