By Tracy Zwick
Celebrate Korean culture at the AMNH or get out and cheer for your neighbors, celebrities and Olympians at the iconic NYC Half-Marathon this weekend. The finish line is, of course, on the Upper West Side. And as next week begins, honor Women’s History Month with laughter at the NYPL’s free all-female improv showdown Tuesday.
Let’s Weekend!
March 14th to 18th, 2025
From Kiln to Kimchi: A Celebration of Korean Culture, Friday, March 14th at 7 PM at the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 81st Street; Tickets $25 or $50 with alcoholic beverages
Celebrate local Korean and Korean American culture at the AMNH this Friday night. There’ll be food tastings – including kimchi, japchae, kimbap & ramyun – organized by local restaurants, demonstrations of pottery-making, and opportunities to engage with museum scientists as they present rarely seen Korean works from the museum’s collection. Korean-American DJ Peach will contribute music and vibes, while vendors sell their crafts, from apparel to ceramics to candles to coffee and much more.
Cheer at the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half-Marathon, Sunday, March 16th from 7:20 AM till 2 PM; Finish Line in Central Park on West Drive near 68th Street (map here)
Last year’s field included surprise-entrant Lil Nas X, who ran the course’s 13.1 miles in designer high-top sneakers. Who knows who you’ll see at the finish line of the world’s premier half-marathon this Sunday, which happens to end in the heart of the UWS! Confirmed entries include not just the author of this column (track me or anyone else using this app), but also 30 Olympians and Paralympians, several national record holders, and a few TCS NYC Marathon champions, including defending champ Daniel Romanchuk. In addition to the adult race, 1,500 kids will participate in free dashes and races through Times Square, where they’ll run alongside the pro athletes and adult field for limited distances. If you can’t make it to the course, you can watch the action on ABC & ESPN+.
Literary & Historical Improv at the New York Public Library, Tuesday, March 18th at 7 PM, Fifth Ave. at 42nd Street; Free (RSVP required; Tickets here)
It’s Women’s History Month and the NYPL is honoring the occasion by hosting what it’s advertising as “Hilarious Herstory” this Tuesday evening at the main branch on Fifth Avenue. Four female performers will compete in an “improv showdown” exploring famous figures from women’s history and literature. Their efforts will be evaluated by celebrity judges Gina Gershon and Cynthia Rowley.
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Have fun at the race! Looking forward to seeing the results.
Heads up – due to marathon, basically no bus service on much of Upper West Side and Upper East Side.
And some crosstown buses will be impacted as well.
That was so cool having Lil Nas X run the half! Love that race. Goes right through Times Square (the only time it’s closed to cars all year). This year the runners will cross Brooklyn Bridge! Amazing!
Just a few decades ago, weekends at the AMNH included such international festivals at no extra cost. They weren’t luxury events – they didn’t include alcoholic drinks – but they were replete with cultural programs and educational programs, everything from dance and puppetry performances to lectures and national costume demonstrations, programs appropriate for both children and adults. And they were completely free.
The current museum has a lot to recommend it, but the prices keep all the special programs exclusive to people of a certain financial level.
What happened?