Interesting things to do in (or near) the neighborhood

By Tracy Zwick

Welcome to UWS Weekend! It's a long weekend for many, with Independence Day starting Thursday. Here are some traditional activities you may not have known about. Happy 4th of July!

July 4 – 7, 2024

Fireworks: Macy's 4th of July Fireworks; public viewing along the West Side; Thursday at 9:25 p.m.; free

They're back on the West Side! A New York tradition since 1976, Macy's annual Fourth of July fireworks will take place this Thursday night on the Hudson River for the first time in a decade. Designated areas for public viewing are located between West 14th and 34th Streets, but UWSers can try to watch the show from secure rooftops, patios and other open UWS locations. For those who can't attend in person, NBC and Peacock will be streaming the celebrations starting at 8 p.m. Happy Independence Day!

Podcast: THE Open Ears Project

Sure, the classic soundtrack to fireworks is Francis Scott Key’s “The Star Spangled Banner.” But why not listen to what a local theoretical cosmologist and professor of astronomy and physics suggests this weekend while you watch the sky? This season’s final episode of “The Open Ears Project” features Barnard College’s Janna Levin breaking down Mozart’s “Requiem” and the connection between music, math, and cosmology. As is customary with this great podcast, the first half is devoted to someone talking about the classical piece that means the most to them, and the second half is a recording of the piece in its entirety. In this episode, the New York Philharmonic at UWS performs the “Requiem.” The entire episode is just over twenty minutes long, and since you have a long weekend, take a little extra time to dive into other episodes of “Open Ears.” I particularly enjoyed Tom Hiddleston talks about Arvo Pärt's “Spiegel Im Spiegel”.

Eat: Pie!

What would the 4th of July be without pie? Apple may be the traditional choice, but raspberry, cherry, strawberry and blueberry, with their typically American colors, cannot be missed. Silver Moon Bakery on 106th and Broadway offers beautiful apple or mixed berry pies that you can buy right in the window. For a slice of cherry pie topped with a lattice, head to Good enough to eat on Columbus and West 85th Street. They also offer apple, pecan and blueberry slices. If you prefer something a little more avant-garde, Milk bar on Columbus and West 87th Street has his signature Milk tart with a sticky sweet-and-savory filling in an oatmeal cake crust for $7/slice or $53 for a whole pie. I like to make my own Strawberry Spoon Cake following Jerrelle Guy's New York Times recipe. It's easy, delicious, and flexible enough to accommodate any juicy fruit if strawberries aren't your thing. Add your favorite UWS pie restaurant in the comments!

Art: “Growing up sideways: childhood on stage” at the Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University, Saturday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.; free

This show at Columbia Lenfest Arts Center on 129th Street, just west of Broadway, features works by world-renowned artists from Lorna Simpson to Gordon Parks to Joan Jonas, all exploring aspects of childhood in the pieces on display. It’s an accessible exhibition with a playful twist, featuring a painted crib, Fisher-Price playhouses, toy washing machines and brightly colored kites, as well as works on paper, film and more. The exhibition is curated by Piper Marshall, a Columbia doctoral student who has also worked on the Joan Jonas Retrospective at MoMAwhich closes this weekend.

Read all past UWS Weekend columns here and send your ideas for future articles to [email protected]

Subscribe to the FREE West Side Rag newsletter here and help support the Rag by clicking the purple button below.