Monday, March 17
“Funky Turns 40: Black Character Revolution” is an exhibition that celebrates the explosive arrival of positive black characters in children’s animation of the 1970s, including Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids, Valerie Brown in "Josie And the Pussy Cats," The Jackson Five and Franklin from "Peanuts."
“These cartoons are national treasures," exhibition curator Sista ToFunky said. "They were seen by a generation of children and not only changed the way that black kids saw themselves but the way white kids saw them as well." At Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Latimer/Edison Gallery, Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, March 18
Hundreds of hit movies have been made in New York City, and with the help of websites like movie-locations.com you can see close-up, the iconic locations featured on the big screen. Here are just a few silver-screen locations at our doorsteps, which you can explore at your leisure.
The famous wedding scene from "The Godfather" was not shot in Long Island, but on Staten Island. The outdoor festivities were staged in the garden of 120 Longfellow Road in Emerson Hill, with The Corleone Mansion next door at 110 Longfellow Road.
Spike Lee’s "Do The Right Thing" was shot in Bedford-Stuyvesant. All of the film’s locations can be found on one block of Stuyvesant Avenue, between Lexington Avenue and Quincy Street, just a few blocks southwest of the Kosciusko Street subway station.
Head to Midtown’s New York Public Library and the Upper West Side’s Columbia University to discover key landmarks in the original "Ghostbusters" movie. While at Columbia, keep your eyes open for the Department of Parapsychology.
Woody Allen’s black-and-white classic "Manhattan" is packed with iconic NYC locations, including the Empire Diner, Tenth Avenue, Chelsea and the Guggenheim Museum.
Wednesday, March 19
Roller skating isn't dead, "it's just gone underground," according to Dyana Winkler, who's making a documentary called about the U.S roller skating scene called United Skates.
In a Salvation Army building in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a team of skaters is keeping the tradition alive. The Crazy Legs Skate Club, created by octogenarian and former professional dancer Lezly Ziering, lets adult skaters roll on a beautiful hardwood floor every Wednesday from 8 p.m. to midnight. A bit rusty? Take a lesson with Ziering before the session for just $25. 110 Kosciuszko St., Brooklyn
Also check out:
The Hot Skates Roller Skating Rink, 14 Merrick Road., Lynbrook, Long Island
The Branch Brook Park Roller Skating Center, Seventh Avenue and Clifton Avenue, Newark, N.J.
Thursday, March 20
Spend the first day of spring in Central Park. Stroll at your leisure or get active. Here are some things to do:
Rent a bike and undertake your own excursion of the park. Bike rentals start at $15 per hour and rise to as much as $40 for a full day, and include a helmet, basket, lock and map. If you’d like to take an organized tour, the Arts and Architecture tour or the Movie & TV Sites Tours are available in English, Spanish, German, Dutch and Russian. $50 for one hour, $64 for two hours. For longer, themed walking tours covering Arts and Architecture, Movie & TV Sites and the Park's Hidden Secrets Tour, which explores destinations off the beaten path, book here.
Friday, March 21
Asia Week New York kicks off today, with exhibitions, auctions and special events presented by international Asian art specialists, five major auction houses, and 19 world-renowned museums and cultural institutions. Today’s program begins at 9 a.m. with a free Symposium on Chinese art at Sotheby's Institute of Art (1334 York Ave.) and winds down with a reception at 6 p.m. at Tibet House (22 W. 15th St.) celebrating the art of Tashi Norbu. During the day there will be lectures at The Met and a huge variety of individual dealers' gallery openings. Through March 22
Saturday, March 22
Explore the connections between modern design, female emancipation, class stratification and health reform at the MoMA today. In conjunction with the exhibition Designing Modern Women 1890–1990 and as part of their Gallery Sessions series, museum educators take you inside the art and ideas percolating through the exhibition, paying particular attention to everyday spaces and objects of design, such as labor-saving appliances. In the Special Exhibitions Gallery, MoMA. Third floor, 11 W. 53rd St., Midtown. Free with museum admission
Sunday, March 23
Pizza a Casa Pizza School is one of the most highly regarded pizza-making schools anywhere, and their four-hour pizza-making classes are often booked months in advance. Founded by self-taught pizza nut Mark Bello, his creations have been described in Enterepreneur magazine as "sensational: a thin, crisp crust paved with the ideal balance of cheese and sauce, finished with fresh basil and a drizzle of top-grade olive oil.” Classes include hands-on instruction in the art of dough-making and shaping, topping selection, placement and baking. And don't forget eating. The hands-on pizza workshops are $165, with the couples pizza-making workshop, $295. Book here. Classes are held at 371 Grand St., on the Lower East Side.
