There’s never a dull moment in the greatest city on the planet, including this first week of March, including FREE museum admission, FREE financial webinars and a special 25th anniversary performance of Rent, the Broadway musical, Dolly Parton’s 75th birthday party, and live music in Riverside Park.
Get more NYC for less money with NYC on the Cheap.
That’s out motto and we’re sticking to it.
Add these virtual and in-person events to your calendar for this week,
Monday, March 1 to Sunday, March 7.
Indoor dining has returned to NYC, with 33% capacity.
NYC restaurants and bars can stay open for indoor or outdoor dining until 11pm, one hour longer than the previous 10pm closure rule. Be sure to make reservations.
NYC movie theaters reopen Friday, March 5, with 25% capacity, with a maximum of 50 people per theater.
See our full posting about what to see at the movies this weekend, including Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
The MTA has reduced its overnight subway shutdown. Now in effect, the shutdown is 2-4 a.m, instead of the year-long 1-5 a.m. shutdown for overnight cleaning.
The new hours reflect the economy starting to reopen, including restaurants now permitted to stay open for dining until 11 p.m
See our 2021 FREE parking calendar.
Covid Update
If you need a FREE Covid-19 test, find one by zip code or address on the official NYC location finder site, or text “COVID TEST” to 855-48.
If you want a FREE Covid-19 vaccination, check our guide on how to find out if your are eligible and find a site nearest you.
- Vaccination sites now require proof of local residency, to prevent “vaccination tourism”.
See more daily NYC events on our
Free & Cheap Events Calendar
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Last Chance
T. rex: The Ultimate Predator
The blockbuster exhibition about the world’s most iconic dinosaur, at the American Museum of Natural History, is closing on March 14.
The exhibition introduces visitors to the entire tyrannosaur family and reveals the amazing story of the most iconic dinosaur in the world through stunning life-sized models, fossils and casts, and a shadow theater re-creating an epic battle.
You’ll encounter a massive life-sized model of a T. rex with patches of feathers as well as reconstructions of a fluffy, helpless T. rex hatchling and a four-year-old juvenile T. rex a shadow theater where a floor projection of an adult T. rex skeleton will come to life; and a life-sized animation of T. rex n the Cretaceous.
Read my review of the T. rex: The Ultimate Preadator exhibit when it opened.
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut residents (with ID):
- The amount you pay for General Admission is up to you.
- The option to pay what you wish applies only to General Admission, and the transaction must be completed at a Museum ticket counter.
- How to pay what you wish.
Mondays & Thursdays in March
FREE Seminars on Broadway Musicals
Join self-proclaimed Broadway Maven Dan Benkof as he tells the stories of some of the best shows in the last half-century of Broadway history. This month’s series includes A Chorus Line, Mary Poppins, Avenue Q, Chicago
Benkof looks at the lyrics and music to some of the most important numbers, as well as plot and how the show fits in with Broadway trends at the time.
• Monday, March 1 (Noon and 8 pm ET) A Chorus Line
• Monday, March 8 (Noon ET only) Mary Poppins (with special guests)
• Monday, March 15 (Noon and 8 pm) Contemporary Jewish Broadway
• Monday, March 22 (Noon and 8 pm) Avenue Q
• Monday, March 29 (Noon and 8 pm) Chicago
Each seminar requires a separate registration.
What to Do Tuesday
25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love
Hard to believe that it’s 25 years since Rent made its debut on Broadway, and made instant stars out of Idina Menzel and others.
She’s celebrating with Broadway stars including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Platt, Billy Porter and Ali Stroker in a one-night-ony performance that is also a fund-raiser for the New York Theatre Workshop.
There’s a lottery for FREE tickets, or pay $25 per household.
- Live online at 8pm Tuesday, then streaming on demand through Saturday
- Full details here
FREE on Tuesday
Conversation with Architect Daniel Libeskind
- FREE, but a $10 suggested donation enables the museum to present programs like this one.
- 7pm Tuesday
- Register here to receive the Zoom link
FREE on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday
Live Concerts in Riverside Park
Put on your dancing shoes, or just your listening ears.
David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Heritage Band returns to Riverside Park this week for live concerts of classic music from the 30s, 40s and 50s.
The band performed regularly last spring, summer and fall, and I’m happy they are back, now that the weather is warm enough not to freeze the fingers of the musicians.
Performances are FREE, but since these musicians have been out of work for more than a year, you are encouraged to drop a few dollars, or purchase one of their CDs.
Concert location is Riverside Park Promenade, at 84th St.
As many of you know, I’m a swing dancer, and I LOVE this band and also the opportunity to dance outdoors.
This week’s schedule is:
- Wednesday and Thursday, 3pm to 5pm
- Sunday, Noon to 2pm
FREE on Wednesday
SciCafe at the American Museum of Natural History
On the first Wednesday of every month at 7 pm ET, this popular after-hours online event brings together inquisitive minds for an informal evening of conversation about cutting-edge science topics with experts from the field.
SciCafe: COVID-19 Pandemic Today. Join Dr. Jay Varma, senior advisor for public health in the Office of the Mayor of New York City, as he explains the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, what to expect from the vaccination rollout process in New York and beyond, and the path to successfully controlling and ending the pandemic.
Addressing top concerns and myths, Dr. Varma will be answering questions from the audience about all things COVID-19.
- RSVP for the free live online program on the Museum’s website here.
- Wednesday, March 3,at 7 pm ET:
Wills and Trusts
What are the differences between Wills and Trusts? What are Wills that create Trusts? Can Trusts save money on taxes, protect me from creditors, or allow my family members to qualify for Medicaid? Is a Will sufficient? Which is right for me?
Daniel A. Timins, Attorney at Law, CFP® discusses the many differences between Wills and Trusts, dispels several myths, and explains how both documents function during your life and thereafter. Topics covered include: · How to properly fund living trusts versus testamentary trusts,· whether or not a will is preferable if you have minor family members, what to watch out for if you have foreign family members.
This is a FREE seminar presented by the NYPL Business Center.
- Wed., Mar. 3 at Noon
- Registration is required
Next week –
Housing Resources for NYC Tenants
During the turmoil caused by COVID, tenants need to stay abreast of their rights, responsibilities, and the protections that are in place to help them maintain a safe and stable home.
Join Pamela Glaser of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development and a panel of housing experts for a conversation.about tenant housing resources including the eviction moratorium, rental arrears assistance, Housing Court, “rent freeze” options, affordable housing lotteries, and more.
| CHARLES M. BLOW: MANIFESTO FOR ENDING WHITE SUPREMACY | ||||||
| Wednesday, March 3 6:30 PM Free (with option to buy the book)
| Charles M. Blow is tired of waiting for violence against Black Americans to cease, for the myths that govern thinking about race to vanish, for the promise of equality to become a reality. In his new book, The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto, he issues a call to action for Black Americans to amass the political power needed to topple white supremacy. And he will join the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center to discuss his disillusionment … and his hope. An op-ed columnist for the New York Times, Blow is the author of the NYT bestselling memoir Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which has been adapted for the operatic stage and will open the Metropolitan Opera’s season in September. Moderated by Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson. | |||||
Optimize Your Immune System: Combat Viruses & Age Gracefully with a Kitchen Pharmacy
- FREE, Wed. Mar 3, 7pm.
- Click here to save your spot! https://www.eventkeeper.com/code/ekform.cfm
What to Do FREE Saturday
Dolly Parton’s 75th Birthday Party
Celebrate the 75th birthday of Dolly Parton in a FREE online party on Saturday, March 6.
It’s great way to salute an American icon who is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian all wrapped up one incredible package of drive and talent who has sold more than 100 Million records worldwide.
Full information, including where to register to get the Zoom link.
FREE Museum Admission
Several NYC museums have brought back free admission for certain days and times.
The Rubin Museum of Art offers a collection of art, sculptures and tapestries from India, Nepal, Tibet, China and other Asian nations.
Free Friday Nights are a great time to explore, but timed entry tickets go quickly.
All gallery tickets become available for reservation two weeks in advance. The new installation is The Lotus Effect,
- FREE Friday nights are 6pm to 10pm
The Guggenheim Museum of Art
- Pay-what-you-wish Friday and Saturday, 4pm to 6pm
- Reservations are required.
Museum of the City of New York
- Open again after emergency building repairs
