UWS Weekend: Great Things to Do in (and Around) the Neighborhood

By Tracy Zwick

Summer’s winding down and so is the US Open, which finishes this weekend with the women’s championship match Saturday followed by men’s on Sunday. But street fairs and plenty of other outdoor events keep running into fall. So…let’s weekend! 

September 5th to September 7th

US Open Watch Party: Friday, September 5th at 7 p.m. at the Riverside Clay Tennis Courts at West 96th Street; free

Completely free and open to the public, the Riverside Tennis Association is hosting a watch party Friday night for the second Men’s Semifinal match, featuring Italy’s Janik Sinner and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. Bring a chair or blanket, dinner, your favorite drinks, and your tennis friends (or tennis-curious friends) to watch on a jumbo outdoor screen by the Hudson. No tickets or concessions, so pack your own provisions! 

Harlem Chamber Players Garden Concert: Saturday, September 6th at noon; Harlem Rose Garden at 6 East 129th Street near 5th Avenue; free but RSVP (link here) required 

Enjoy classical music in a garden setting this Saturday just a few blocks to our east. A string quartet that includes Claire Chan (violin), Ashley Horne (violin), William Frampton (viola), and Wayne Smith (cello), will play Arvo Pärt’s “Summa,” William Grant Still’s “Danzas de Panama,” Tania Leon’s “String Quartet No. 2,” Ignacio Rosado’s “City Junction,” and Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango.”  Attendees are advised to bring a chair in case all the provided seats are full. Rain date is Saturday, September 13th at noon. 

West Side County Fair: Sunday, September 7th from 1 to 6 p.m.; Pier i at West 70th and the Hudson River; free

There won’t be livestock competitions or butter sculptures, like at some rural state and county fairs, but there’ll be plenty of community and loads of entertainment options at West Side County Fair this Sunday. Live bands, carnival rides, games, local vendors, cotton candy, square dancing and more. Rain date is September 14th. 

New York Society for Ethical Culture Street Fair: Sunday, September 7th from noon to 6 p.m.; West 64th Street from Central Park West to Broadway; free

Not far from the West Side County Fair and also on Sunday, the NY Society for Ethical Culture is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a social-justice infused street fair. Stop by for an afternoon of live jazz, songs of liberation, international food, children’s activities, and more.

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