• email
• print
• Tweet
  
  
• 
  
  

There's always something exciting to do and see around the five boroughs that doesn't cost a dime. See our weekly picks below, and visit our calendar and special offers section for more free events.

June 1–7

Wednesday, June 1
Sunset Yoga
There are few better ways to overcome the midweek slump than a deep breath, a slow stretch and a sunset over the Hudson River—all of which are included in this weekly session of hatha yoga. Broken down, "ha-tha" translates as "sun-moon." The traditional Indian form of yoga promotes relaxation through balance and harmony, physically and spiritually, and suits all fitness levels. The class begins at 6:30pm at the waterfront Riverside Park (in The Plaza at West 66th Street).

Thursday, June 2
Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs
The photographer (and former wife of the Beatle) is best known for the intimacy and ease of her portraits, often of musicians, like the 1967 shot of Jimi Hendrix yawning. (Of the image, Paul McCartney told Harper's Bazaar: "He's hanging, you know, everyone's hanging, because she made everyone so comfortable.") Linda's massive collection includes vintage photos of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Willem de Kooning, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Michael Jackson. Linda and Paul had been married nearly 30 years when she died of cancer in 1998. The retrospective exhibition at Bonni Benrubi accompanies the release of a book of the same name, published by Taschen.

Friday, June 3
Howl! Festival
The eighth-annual Howl! Festival begins with a reading of the poem that inspired the event, beat poet Allen Ginsberg's 1956 "Howl," at 3pm at Tompkins Square Park on a day that happens to be the 85th anniversary of Ginsberg's birth. The celebration honors the neighborhood's long tradition of attracting people with creative tendencies and includes public art, live music and theater, and street fair games, snacks and fun. For more background on the poem that has come to define the beat generation (and some of their New York City haunts), read "Snap Your Fingers, Say Howl!", our article on last year's festival. And visit howlfestival.com for this year's event schedule.

Saturday, June 4
Biorhythm: Music and the Body
If you've ever wondered why a certain song sounds sad or why babies dance intuitively (and, based on the fact that a video of a baby dancing to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" has more than 20 million YouTube views, we'd say many have), you'll want to stop by Biorhythm, an exhibition at Eyebeam Art + Technology Center. The interactive show, part of the World Science Festival, explores the science of music. Feel sound through transducers, make music from your heartbeat, measure your own emotional reaction to music and more. Biorhythm runs from June 2 to 4.

Sunday, June 5
Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic
The fourth-annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic takes over Governors Island once again on June 5. Champagne, picnic goods, accessories and gourmet snacks (developed by Gabriel Kreuther, executive chef of The Modern) will be available for spectators to savor while they enjoy the match and explore the grounds. Nacho Figueras, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan are among the hosts of the event, which this year benefits Urban Zen's Hope, Help & Rebuild Haiti initiative. Free public ferries will run from the Battery Maritime Building to the island, beginning at 10am. Gates to the event open at 11am, champagne concessions open at noon and the polo match starts, rain or shine, at 2:30pm.

Monday, June 6
Ray and Bob Box
The New York Times once called Ray Johnson "the most famous unknown artist in America." Johnson, a collagist and founding father of mail art, is considered an originator of installation art and remains a seminal figure in pop art, yet the elusive artist seemed to avoid recognition and fame. He moved away from New York City in 1968, further secluding himself after the pop-art explosion before eventually ending his own life in 1995. But until his death, Johnson continued making art and sustaining a longtime correspondence with artist Robert Warner, a relationship that began in 1988. The exhibition, at Esopus Space, includes 13 two-hour events in which Warner will archive boxes of Johnson's work; the first two take place on June 6 from 3 to 5pm and 6 to 8pm. Ray and Bob Box which is explored in the latest issue of Esopus magazine, remains on view through June 30. Visit esopusmag.com for a complete schedule.

Tuesday, June 7
SummerStage Opening Night: Yo-Yo Ma
The City Parks Foundation's annual free concert series kicks off at its Mainstage in Central Park with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who plays with his Silk Road Ensemble, chamber orchestra The Knights and a contingent of local sixth graders. One of the world's foremost classical musicians—not to mention the owner of 16 Grammys and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among countless other honors—Ma has played such occasions in recent years as Barack Obama's presidential inauguration and the funeral of Senator Edward Kennedy. On June 7 at 6:30pm, you can see him live and in a classic New York setting. For more info, visit summerstage.org.