By Tracy Zwick
May 8th through 10th
Free Birding Walk in Riverside Park: Friday, May 8th from 5:30 to 7 p.m.; West 120th Street and Riverside Drive; free
Part of Riverside Park Conservancy’s “Summer on the Hudson” programming, this family-friendly bird walk is a partnership with NYC Bird Alliance. Some binoculars will be available, but bring a pair if you have them!
Conservatory Garden Tour in Central Park: Saturday, May 9th at 11 a.m. (and Saturday, May 23rd at 11 a.m.); Conservatory Garden in Central Park between East 104th and 106th streets; tickets start at $28
Take a behind-the-scenes tour of this elegant piece of northern Central Park that’s enchanted visitors since 1937. Led by Conservatory Garden staff, you’ll learn about the seasonal displays of tulips, lilacs, and summer perennials in Central Park’s formal garden – one of the most significant public gardens in NYC. (If this Saturday’s tour is sold out, plan ahead and get tickets for the May 23rd session!)
West Harlem Jazz Festival Kick-Off: Saturday, May 9th at 5 p.m.; Morningside Park by the Turtle Pond at West 114th Street & Manhattan Avenue; free
The fourth annual West Harlem Summer Jazz Fest kicks off at its Morningside Park location this Saturday, with Baba Don Eaton, a percussionist who’s performed with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Limon Dance Company and Dance Theater of Harlem. Eaton is the founder of JAAMBO, an Afro Caribbean ensemble, which will join him Saturday.
“Nature Explorers!” in Riverside Park: Saturday, May 9th from 11 a.m. to 12:30; West 102nd Street in Riverside Drive; Free
On the second Saturday of every month (through September), kids are welcome in Riverside Park’s West 102nd Street Field House for “Nature Explorers!” This Saturday features learning about the life cycle and journey of Hudson River eels. At the same location from 3 to 4 p.m., Riverside Park Conservancy offers a weekly “Story Hour!” as part of its “Summer on the Hudson” programming. Books and readers rotate.
Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble at St. Paul & St. Andrew Church: Sunday, May 10th at 4 p.m.; 263 West 86th Street (between Broadway and West End Avenue); free
Part of Carnegie Hall’s “Citywide” program, a group of musicians from the Met Opera Orchestra will be performing for free this Sunday on the UWS at St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church on West 86th Street. The program will include Valerie Coleman’s “Maombi Asante”, Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Mitos”, and Dvořák’s “American” String Quintet, written during the composer’s summer in Spillville, Iowa.
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Join your local community on Saturdays at 5pm to practice meditation out of doors in Central Park near the West 100th Street entrance. We practice mostly in the Buddhist tradition with both experienced practitioners and those new to meditation welcome. Freely offered to the community. RSVP to nyc.kalyana.mitta@gmail.com