BY RICO BURNEY & ROSE ADAMS |
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
The 258th Annual Parade will kick off a day early on Sat., March 16, at 11 a.m. and march its way up Fifth Ave. from 44th St. to 79th St. The crowd-averse can also catch the parade on television on Cozi TV, over-the-air channel 4.2 or online at NBCNewYork.com.
ARTS
“Prismatica”: This interactive art trail of 25 7-foot-tall illuminated prisms, which look like kaleidoscopes, will shine in three privately owned public spaces (POPS) in Lower Manhattan. Explore their light after sunset at 75 Wall St., 77 Water St. or 32 Old Slip from March 15 through April 21. Free.
Spring Fittings: The Hat Shop NYC will reveal a sneak peek of the boutique milliner’s spring line. The milliner, Katherine Carey, and the shop’s staff will be available to discuss sizing and appropriate hats for this coming summer. Thurs., March 21, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Hat Shop NYC, 120 Thompson St. Free.
COMMUNITY
Fire Jumping Spring Festival will take place on Tues., March 19, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Fireman’s Memorial Garden, at 358 E. Eighth St., between Avenues C and D, to commemorate the Persian New Year. Jumping over a fire is an ancient ritual traditionally used to ring in the new year. This will be the 10th year East Villagers have used the ceremony to welcome spring. Live music will be provided by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra. Snacks will be served. Flame hurdlers should dress accordingly to avoid clothes catching on fire. Families are welcome but are cautioned to keep a close eye on children. Free.
The Vessel Opening: Whether you view it as a sculpture, an observation deck, one developer’s $200 million vanity project or a potential replacement for the Stairmaster at the gym, the 16-story, 2,500-step structure known as the Vessel is certainly the most eye-catching aspect of the new Hudson Yards development. Whether it will be embraced by New Yorkers and tourists or become the butt of jokes for years to come, remains to be seen. (And, yes, there is an elevator if you don’t want to walk it.) The public will get to decide this week when it opens on Fri., March 15. Visitors need to reserve a timed ticket online in order gain admission. Reservations can be made at https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/discover/vessel. Free.
KIDS
Out of the Blue!: The Unpredicted Plays: The 59th Street Project presents 10 plays written by children and performed by adult actors. Fri., March 22, at 7:30 p.m., Sat., March 23, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sun., March 24, at 3 p.m. at Five Angels Theater, 789 10th Ave. Admission free, but reservations recommended. To make a reservation, visit www.52project.org
TALKS
No One at the Wheel: Samuel Schwartz, a.k.a. “Gridlock Sam,” writer, former New York City Department of Transportation official and the guy who coined the term “gridlock,” will be speaking at the Mid-Manhattan Library on Mon., March 18, at 6:30 p.m. He will be discussing his new book, “No One at the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future,” and what the future of driverless cars will mean for cities if politicians don’t address their potential negative implications in a timely fashion. He will be in conversation with Iris Weinshall, current C.E.O. of the New York Public Library and former D.O.T. Commissioner under Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg. Doors open at 6 p.m. RSVP at https://www.showclix.com/event/atthewheel/tag/nyplwebsite. Free.
Our Brain on A.I.: An engineer, a professor of computer science, an award-winning international artist and a neuroscientist answer New York City teens’ questions about the social implications of artificial intelligence. Thurs., March 21, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at The Cooper Union’s Great Hall, 7 E. Seventh Street. Free.
WORKSHOPS
Trans Women’s Histories Listen & Edit-A-Thon: People of all genders are invited to the Tompkins Square Library basement on Wed., March 20, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to hear and read stories from the N.Y.C. Trans Oral History Project. The project preserves the voices and stories of individuals in the city’s transgender and gender-nonconforming communities online at the New York Public Library. Attendees will also learn how to share these stories on WomensActivism.NYC, an online archive working to preserve the stories of women today and throughout history who have worked to affect social change around the world. Refreshments will be served. To learn more about either project or register for the event visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trans-womens-histories-listen-edit-a-thon-tickets-55999275340. Free.
COMMUNITY BOARD
Community Board 2 meets at 6:30 p.m. Thurs., March 21, at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 151-155 Sullivan St., lower hall.
Community Board 8 meets at 6:30 p.m. Wed., March 20, at New York Blood Center, 310 E. 67th St., auditorium.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Ninth Precinct Community Council meets 7 p.m. Tues., March 19, at 321 E. Fifth St.
13th Precinct Community Council meets 6:30 p.m. on Tues., March 19, at 230 E. 21st St.
Midtown North Precinct Community Council meets 7 p.m. Tues., March 19, at 306 W. 54th St.
Midtown South Precinct Community Council meets 7 p.m. Thurs., March 21, at 481 Eighth Ave.
