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Beat the heat in a city pool and more things to do around NYC in the coming week

Steve Smith

Published Jul 28, 2023

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Steve Smith

Published Jul 28, 2023

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Seven Picks a Week is our guide to what’s worth catching in arts, culture and activities during the week ahead, with contributions from reporters throughout the WNYC/Gothamist newsroom and colleagues from WQXR and "All of It."

Hit the pool!

With temperatures expected to hit the 90s this weekend, please make a plan to stay cool. If you don’t want to haul a sun umbrella or get sand all over your stuff at the beach, why not check out a nearby pool? The city has some great free options, including McCarren Park Pool in Greenpoint and Hamilton Fish Pool in the Lower East Side – and some are staying open an hour later, until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, due to the heat advisory. If day drinking is more your vibe, and you don’t mind forking over money for a day pass, several hotels in the city have got you covered. To learn more about fun options in the city, check out our pools guide.

– Kerry Shaw

Wax poetic on Governors Island

In the swelter of summer, the poets of New York City leave their customary haunts of rundown cafes, poorly lit bars and haphazardly packed book shops. Literary denizens congregate every year, on the last weekend of July, for the New York City Poetry Festival. The two days of verse and finger-snapping are free and open to the public with readings and open mics spread out over the five boroughs. The main event is on Saturday, July 29, when picnic blankets and tables stacked with chapbooks cover Colonel’s Row on Governor Island and bards, both prominent and obscure, take the stage. You'll find details here.

– Rosemary Misdary

Bassist, composer and bandleader Endea Owens kicks off a new free series at Bryant Park on Tuesday.

Courtesy of the artist

Check out fast-rising bassist Endea Owens for free

Detroit bassist, composer and bandleader Endea Owens is making a big noise lately on the New York City jazz scene, and here's where you can find out why: On Tuesday, Owens and her soulful combo, The Cookout, will inaugurate "Live After Dark," a new weekly series at Bryant Park. It's not happening on the sprawling lawn, but instead on the more intimate L'OR Porch on the park's south side. The show starts at 8 p.m., and it's free. And if you can't catch Owens & Co. here, you'll get another chance on Aug. 31, when Jazz at Lincoln Center hosts the band smack-dab in the middle of Times Square; details here.

– Steve Smith

Witness Beyoncé in the biggest show of the season

If any bill warrants being tagged as the show of the summer, it’s the highly anticipated Renaissance World Tour from Beyoncé, coming to MetLife Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. The former Destiny’s Child singer opened the trek in Europe in May, as fans all over the world may have seen already, since dedicated members of the Beyhive streamed the opening nights on Instagram. Excitement for the concert has been building since the singer dropped her latest album, “Renaissance,” last summer – partly because unlike past Beyoncé projects, this one didn’t come with accompanying visual features to hold fans over. Check on remaining tickets here, check out local preview events already in motion, and read about how this tour is bolstering the local economy.

– Precious Fondren

A summer festival presented by groundbreaking classical combo Imani Winds brings breezy fare to Lincoln Center's Hearst Plaza.

Shervin Lainez

Savor a summertime serenade, free of charge at Juilliard

Imani (meaning faith or belief) Winds are an exciting New York based wind quintet, and for over a decade they've hosted a chamber music festival with coachings, masterclasses, performances, mentorship and workshops for young musicians. Hosted by the Juilliard School, the festival presents a free performance on the Hearst Plaza of Lincoln Center at 5 p.m. next Wednesday. Grab a drink or a gelato from the vendors on the plaza and savor the summertime serenade of some talented musicians, guided by the stellar members of Imani!

– Ed Yim, WQXR

Encounter a Sondheim hit in a whole new way.

Also happening at Lincoln Center on Wednesday is a new production of the Stephen Sondheim musical "Company," presented in collaboration with Deaf Broadway and performed by deaf actors in American Sign Language. The show is directed by James Caverly ("Only Murders in the Building") and stars Garrett Zuercher ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent") as Bobby, with a 2011 concert recording, featuring Neil Patrick Harris and Patti LuPone with the New York Philharmonic, serving as an auditory soundtrack. The show starts at 8 p.m. in Damrosch Park; learn more here.

– Steve Smith

Composer Ludwig Göransson (left) speaks with director Christopher Nolan on the set of "Oppenheimer."

Melinda Sue Gordon

Listen closely to an explosive feature film

To celebrate the "Barbenheimer" double-feature phenomenon, we had a "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" celebration of our own! To kick things off, we spoke with Ludwig Göransson, the Swedish composer who scored "Oppenheimer." The 38-year-old artist previously brought his signature sound to other projects, like the scores in the "Creed" franchise, Pixar's "Turning Red" and Marvel's "Black Panther" films, and holds producer credits for musical acts like Childish Gambino, Adele, Moses Sumney and Alicia Keys. We spoke to him about the challenges of finding the right musical tone for this difficult film, which is playing now in an air-conditioned theater near you.

– Aki Camargo and Brigid Bergin, “All of It”

Tagged

new york city

nyc events

Steve Smith

Steve Smith is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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