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Gothamist Guide To March: 20 Cool Things To Do In NYC

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Yes, you're reading things right: it's time to celebrate early spring. While it may seem that the Earth has fallen out of its orbit and is drifting out into subzero deep space, we are in fact still spinning around the sun and <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/02/25/daggers_in_now_twist_it.php">signs point to warmer days ahead</a>, so plan on getting out there! This March brings delectable food festivals, Bjork's new exhibit at MoMA, funky film openings and more great concerts than your ear canals have room for. Early spring is within our grasp; if you will it, it is no dream.

Irene Tejarachi Hess / Flickr

Whether french fries or flax are your gluten-free goodies of choice, you'll have plenty more to taste and try at Levine's <a href="http://https://www.facebook.com/events/742469332516385/">Gluten-Free EatUP!</a> pop-up market. Geared toward "locally crafted, gluten-free, taste-full foods that just might knock your woolen socks off," you can indulge in some corn & rice flour pasta and Grilled Kimcheeses, try your luck at a raffle and mingle with the makers, all while sipping on some sorghum-based beer. (Sandra Song) Sunday, March 1st, 1-6 p.m. // <a href="http://www.freddysbar.com/">Freddy's Bar & Backroom</a>, 627 5th Avenue, Brooklyn // Free

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One of the top 10 most-visited websites on earth, Wikipedia's influence is by now impossible to overstate (but your professors still won't let you cite it as a source). Needless to say, it can be a potential disaster when significant entries are poorly written or annotated, so <a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/events/23470?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=022015c">MoMA is hosting a Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon</a> dedicated to improving articles pertaining to art and feminism throughout history. Edit-a-thons are far from a novel thing; these gatherings of concerned digital citizens have been correcting and augmenting important topics on the site<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edit-a-thon"> for years already</a>. At the MoMA event attendees will get a brief tutorial on the basics of Wiki-correction, and then be encouraged to fire away at topics that need either creation or important changes. Saturday, March 7th, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. // <a href="http://www.moma.org/">Museum of Modern Art</a>, 11 West 53rd Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/events/23470?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=022015c">Free (rsvp recommended)</a>

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Despite all its <a href="http://gothamist.com/2014/05/06/subway_delays_mta.php">delays</a>, <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/01/22/mta_subway_fare_hike.php">fare hikes</a>, and <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/02/24/subway_overcrowding_delay.php">overcrowding</a>, the city's subway is still an engineering feat of nigh-unparalleled scale. Take a moment to let the system's wonders sink in and visit the <a href="http://web.mta.info/mta/museum/programs/">Transit Musem's Fix & Fortify: MTA Successes talk</a>. Transit engineer expert John O'Grady will be on hand to talk about the Montague Tunnel repairs that kept the R offline for 14 months before finally restoring it to full service last fall. After the hour long program, artifacts from Hurricane Sandy and the repairs that followed will be up for viewing, including pieces which aren't usually on display in the museum's permanent collection. Learning more about NYC's subway might not make putting up with it any easier, but it should make reckoning with <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/01/06/more_like_hell_train_amirite.php">the next L train apocalypse</a> a bit more zen. Tuesday, March 3rd, 6:30 p.m. // <a href="http://web.mta.info/mta/museum">MTA Transit Museum</a>, Boerum Pl and Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn // <a href="https://51281.blackbaudhosting.com/51281/Fix-and-Fortify-MTA-Successes">Tickets $10</a>

via MTA's flickr

Morton Subotnick is one of the pioneers of electronic music/multimedia performance and he's performing his most recent work From Silver Apples of the Moon to A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur: V at the next installment of The Kitchen's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/627991873993460/?ref=89&ref_dashboard_filter=explore&unit_ref=popular_with_friends&sid_reminder=3799715806804180992">Synth Nights</a> series.The man behind some of the most groundbreaking musical innovations responsible for popular music today, Subotnick was the one in the late 1950s who predicted that technology would allow composers, performers and audiences to all become one and the same. His work also helped with the creation of the first full-blown analog synthesizer, and Silver Apples of the Moon became the first large-scale electronic work <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morton_Subotnick">commissioned by a record company</a>. (Sandra Song) Wednesday, March 4th, 8 p.m. // <a href="http://www.thekitchen.org/">The Kitchen</a>, 512 West 19th Street, Manhattan // <a href="https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=da2c18c1a00c567e694aa632d9bdb5c9">Tickets $15</a>

photo via Sascha Pohflepp

Arcade Fire's Will Butler (the frontman's brother) is embarking on a solo U.S. tour and will play <a href="http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/755757-will-butler-new-york">Bowery Ballroom on March 5th</a>. He'll be performing in support of <a href="http://www.mergerecords.com/policy">Policy</a>, his first-ever solo release, which was recorded in the hallowed halls of Electric Lady Studios and is so far being described as "music where the holy fool runs afoul of the casual world." <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NFwR9B1Ycfs" width="640"></iframe> Thursday, March 5th, 8 p.m. // <a href="http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/755757-will-butler-new-york">Bowery Ballroom</a>, 6 Delancey Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/will-butler-new-york-new-york-03-05-2015/event/00004E26CA90A3CA?brand=boweryballroom">Tickets $16</a>

via wiki commons

Last year was hard on the city's DIY music scene. First<a href="http://gothamist.com/2014/01/20/photos_285_kents_last_show_ever.php#photo-1"> 285 Kent fell</a>, and then Vice <a href="http://gothamist.com/2014/11/24/death_by_audio_last_night.php">killed one venue</a> after <a href="http://gothamist.com/2014/10/21/glasslands_rip_vice_media.php">another</a> on its path toward domination of Kent Avenue. The scene itself will never die (that's what D-I-Y is all about), but now is a moment to pause and reflect. RIP DIY: A Group Photography Show will display some of the weirdest, most priceless visuals ever captured by a lens within the walls of indie venues, and will feature work from Tod Seelie, Rafe Baron, Luke Chiaruttini, Liz Clayton, Tina De Broux, Nate Dorr, and more. There may never be a wider collection of DIY mementos under one roof ever again in this town. Runs Thursday-Sunday, March 5th-15th (Opening Reception March 5th, 6-9 p.m.) // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cloudcitybk/info?tab=overview">Cloud City</a>, 85 N 1st Street, Brooklyn // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/412237698952966">Free</a>

(Tod Seelie/Gothamist)

It's easy to look back at Hollywood's Red Scare of the '40s and '50s as just a relic of the Cold War era, but for the writers, directors, and producers affected it was a career-destroying ordeal. Thankfully, many of the films made by "blacklisted" artists have survived, and some of them can be seen on the big screen at <a href="http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/series/43900">Anthology Film Archives' Screenwriters and the Blacklist series</a> this month. Works like Abraham Polonsky's Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here and the post-blacklist western The Last Sunset will offer a look at the way these films slyly reimagined typical race, class, and gender roles. If your curiosity's already piqued, check out <a href="www.cineaste.com">Cineaste Magazine</a>, which is co-presenting the series. Friday-Sunday, March 6th-15th // <a href="http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/">Anthology Film Archives</a>, 32 2nd Ave <a href="http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/buy-tickets">Tickets $10</a>

The Last Sunset (1961)

Move over, Bowie, because strange, swan-like Icelandic superstar <a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1501">Bjork is getting her very own highbrow retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art</a>, which opens on March 8th. Drawing from over 20 years' worth of sonic, visual and art projects, the exhibition spans three whole floors and includes objects like the Tesla coil played on Biophilia and a "Black Lake" installation from her latest release, Vulnicura. However, you'll want to get there early to snag a same-day timed ticket for the interactive audio experience upstairs, which includes more biographical exhibits like The "All Is Full of Love" robots and her infamous swan dress. (Sandra Song)<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EiXQ5qaUGDI" width="640"></iframe> Sunday, March 8th, 10:30 a.m. - Sunday, June 7th, 5:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.moma.org/">Museum of Modern Art</a>, 11 West 53rd Street, Manhattan // Entry included with admission

photo via Flickr

The Museum of the City of New York will be debuting their latest immersive audiovisual exhibition <a href="http://www.mcny.org/exhibition/soundscape-new-york">Soundscapes New York </a>on Tuesday, March 10th. Exploring iconic city interiors from Grand Central to the Guggenheim, there will be panoramic animations paired with recordings matching the "clangs, echoes, and quick crescendos" typically found in the daily bustle of these spaces. There will also be a free (with <a href="http://www.mcny.org/event/soundscape-new-york-opening-reception-conversation">RSVP</a>) reception later than evening, which will feature a talk with the curators of the exhibit and writer Tony Hiss about the multisensory qualities of architecture. Can't make it? Don't worry, as the exhibition will also be available for viewing every day the museum is open until June 7th. (Sandra Song) Exhibit opens Tuesday, March 10th, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. // <a href="http://www.mcny.org/">Museum of the City of New York</a>, 1220 5th Avenue, Manhattan //<a href="https://35948.blackbaudhosting.com/35948/tickets?tab=3&txobjid=1b87ef14-b89d-4a5c-803f-79124cc2bcd8">Adult Tickets $14, Senior/Student Tickets $10</a>

photo via The Museum of the City of New York

Behind the greatest hit-makers of the 20th century stood an army of studio musicians, unsung and underpaid. Motown had <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Funk_Brothers">The Funk Brothers</a> and Memphis's Stax Records utilized <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._%26_the_M.G.%27s">The MGs</a>, but before those bands hit their stride there was already a group of players backing Nat King Cole, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Nancy Sinatra, Elvis and more. Dubbed The Wrecking Crew, this clan of ace players were responsible from some of the '60s greatest hits. <a href="http://www.ifccenter.com/films/the-wrecking-crew/">IFC Center will host the premiere of The Wrecking Crew documentary</a>, which digs into the "secret star-maker machinery" the these players, and blows the lid off some of the most famous popular music recordings ever made. Be sure to listen to your favorite Beach Boys albums before going, because they might not sound quite the same ever again. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SX5BCgmr7tg" width="640"></iframe> Opens Friday, March 13th, 8 p.m. // <a href="http://www.ifccenter.com/about/">IFC Center</a>, 323 Sixth Avenue, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.movietickets.com/theater/hid/9598/ShowDate/18">Tickets $9-14</a>

Gothamist

Celebrate Pi Day with cruelty-free alternatives at <a href="http://nycvegfoodfest.com/">NYC Vegetarian Food Fest</a>, which takes place on March 14th and 15th at The Metropolitan Pavilion. For vegans, flexitarians and everyone in between, come check out over 2 convention center floors filled with tons of exhibitors, 3 stages and a "Kumquat Kids Area." Because with booths from city veg-friendly staples like Beyond Sushi and Peanut Butter & Co., as well as brands like Cedar's Mediterranean Foods and Way Better Snacks, you're guaranteed some free samples to go with an offering of environmental impact panels, cooking demos and more. (Sandra Song) Saturday, March 14th & Sunday, March 15th, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. // <a href="http://www.metropolitanevents.com/">The Metropolitan Pavilion</a>, 125 West 18th Street, Manhattan // <a href="https://2015nycvegfoodfest.chirrpy.com/">Single Day Pass $30, Weekend Pass $50</a>

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Sure, summer will bring <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/02/23/smorgasburg_return_2015.php">Smorgasburg</a>, the <a href="http://gothamist.com/tags/vendyawards">Vendys</a> and other righteous food festivals, but while the mercury's still down your best uber-feast option is the <a href="http://choiceeats.villagevoice.com/">Village Voice's Choice Eats Tasting expo</a>. 2015 will mark the colossal cook-out's 8th year and will bring over 50 chefs, butchers, picklers, gardeners, and cheesemongers from across under one roof to offer up the very best of what they do, all for your delight. Delectables from <a href="http://boxkitenyc.com/">Box Kite</a>, succulent barbecue from <a href="http://www.fletchersbklyn.com/">Fletchers</a>, doubles and roti from <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/glorias-caribbean-cuisine-brooklyn-2">Gloria's</a>, and sugary delights from <a href="http://doughnutplant.com/">Doughnut Plant</a> will be just a few of the copious offerings that attendees will be able to enjoy throughout the day. Event planners have made it clear that this will be a party, with plenty of complimentary beer, cider, wine, and cocktails on hand plus (of course) a DJ spinning records all throughout the night. Usually crowded and definitely beholden to the "first come, first served" rule, Choice Eats is best enjoyed with a group of gastronomically enlightened friends who are willing to line up EARLY for the sake of fresh ramen, brisket, samosas, ice cream, bourbon, and more. (<a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/01/22/choice_eats_2015.php">Here's our guide</a> to making the most of it.) Friday, March 13th, 6-10 p.m. // <a href="http://www.metropolitanevents.com/">Metropolitan Pavilion</a>, 125 W 18th St // <a href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/746797?utm_source=NYV&utm_medium=cesite">Tickets $65</a>

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Really, we mean it, gardening season is right around the corner, and there's no better way to get ready to pot, water, and prune than pay a visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's sunny palm house. This month the Garden will host its<a href="http://www.bbg.org/visit/event/making_brooklyn_bloom_2015"> 34th Annual Making Brooklyn Bloom</a> event, which is part workshop, part networking meet-up for green thumbed New Yorkers, and features multiple speakers and programs meant to kick off the new planting and growing season. Anchored by the theme of "Roots of Resilience," this year's event will center around sustainability and the best ways to cultivate a garden in the city that's both enjoyable and kind to the environment at large. Workshops on composting, container gardening, cooking with edible flowers will fill the morning hours, and the afternoon is set to include an extended seminar on organic food and its connection to generations past. Saturday, March 14th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. // <a href="http://www.bbg.org/">Brooklyn Botanic Garden</a>, 150 Eastern Parkway & 990 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn // <a href="http://www.bbg.org/visit/event/making_brooklyn_bloom_2015#/tabs-1">Free</a>

via flickr

Preeminent New York-based performance collective Chez Deep is bringing the '90s Club Kid vibe back with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/565677063567592">Gloria</a> on March 18th at Santos Party House. Hosted by artists and underground party fixtures Alexis Penney, Sam Banks, Colin Self and Bailey Stiles, this shindig will also feature a special appearance by drag queen celebrity Linda Simpson, that'll make the post-Humpday hangover completely worth it. Wednesday, March 18th, 10 p.m. // <a href="http://www.santospartyhouse.com/">Santos Party House</a>, 96 Lafayette Avenue, Manhattan // Tickets $15

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Now's your chance to actually get to know one of those authors you'd always promised yourself you'd get around to reading one day. Japanese fiction legend <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/event/kazuo-ishiguro">Kazuo Ishiguro is paying a visit to The Strand</a> to promote his newest novel, The Buried Giant, a 336-page tale of peace and war set in the medieval times of Beowulf and Arthurian myth. Hotly anticipated by fans as the writer's first novel in over a decade, The Buried Giant was <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/books/review-in-the-buried-giant-ishiguro-revisits-memory-and-denial.html">panned by Ms. Kakutani</a>, but that's no reason to sit out lunchtime meet-and-greet, which will offer a rare change to both shake hands and extract a signature from what is undoubtedly one of the finest writers of the last 35 years. Our advice? Pick up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Remains-Day-Kazuo-Ishiguro/dp/0679731725">The Remains of The Day</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Never-Let-Me-Kazuo-Ishiguro/dp/1400078776">Never Let Me Go</a> (the novel, not the movie) and bring both along. The Japanese-British "<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2009/oct/22/come-rain-come-shine/">writer unlike any other"</a> doesn't often visit American shores, and no modern literature fan will want to miss this. Thursday, March 19th, 12:30-2:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/event/kazuo-ishiguro">The Strand Bookstore</a>, 828 Broadway, Manhattan // Requires purchase of The Buried Giant

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A must-see for fans of romance, drama, and intrigue in cinema, BAM will open its deftly-curated <a href="http://www.bam.org/film/2015/cuba-golden-60s">Cuba: Golden 60s</a> series this month. Overlapping with <a href="http://www.bam.org/programs/2015/cuban-culture-festival-new-york">New York's Cuban Culture Festival</a>, the retrospective will feature seven films produced after the island nation's successful communist revolution. In the group is Memories of Underdevelopment, the tale of an artist in the midst of an identity crisis as he looks for a way to shirk Cuba's culture war between American and Russian influences. Directed by TomÃ¡s Gutierrez Alea, the film brings fearsome geopolitics into cozy cafes and even cozier bedrooms. If you've still got a soft spot for Godard, andele a BAM. Friday-Tuesday, March 20th-31st; times vary // <a href="http://www.bam.org/visit/buildings/peter-jay-sharp-building">BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building</a>, 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, // <a href="http://www.bam.org/film/2015/cuba-golden-60s">Tickets $9-14</a>

Memories of Underdevelopment (1968)

The <a href="http://www.blackpartyexpo.com/">Black Party Expo</a>, or BPX, is one of the largest annual weekend festivals of gay erotic art, culture and other sexual expression. And this year's iteration is hosting the 9th Annual Hookies (the Oscars for Escorts), a large format exhibition of street zine RUFF HAUS, as well as the infamous Black Party, which is one of the biggest gay dance parties in the world. This year's theme is "Mineshaft" and charts the party's progress toward more underground spheres, so if kinky, forward-thinking fetish fashion sounds like your scene, get your tickets soon for what is internationally known as âGay New Yorkâs biggest night." (Sandra Song) <a href="http://www.blackpartyexpo.com/schedule/">Check Schedule for Event Times & Locations </a>// Manhattan // Prices Vary

photo via Facebook

Catch the Queens-based arts collective Flux Factory's <a href="http://www.fluxfactory.org/upcoming/counterfeiting-for-cash/">Counterfeiting For Cash exhibition</a>, which has 12 artists questioning ideas of authorship and authenticity, before it closes on March 22nd. "A window into a real world where nothing is what it seems," the show promises a deep dive into Craigslist ads, antiques shops and a world that has much more baggage lurking beneath the surface. They'll also be closing the entire exhibition with "An Evening of Fakes, and a Real Closing Reception," which also features a special look at one artist's collection of counterfeit masterpieces and a tour of the counterfeit egg industry via the dark web, on March 21st from 7-9 p.m. (Sandra Song) Closes Sunday, March 22nd, 11 p.m. // <a href="http://www.fluxfactory.org/">Flux Factory</a>, 38-31 29th Street, Queens // Free

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When was the last time you went to a concert and an all-out party broke out? When <a href="http://www.harlemstage.org/events/bilal/">Bilal plays the Harlem Stage</a> late this month you can count on it, as the jazz/funk/soul free-spirit has a talent for whipping his crowds into joyful riots. Bilal was educated at the New School's jazz program and is frequently seen brushing elbows with The Roots, Common, Beyonce, Erykah Badu and countless others. Through all that journeyman work the singer/songwriter has cultivated a style that blends artsy hip-hop, stylish R&B, and all-out psychedelia. On stage his melodies soar, scream, and wail out into funky territory you never knew existed. Soul producer Adrian Younge will open the night with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJpgw90C7WU">his own tasteful variety of soul</a>; anyone thrilled by <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/02/08/spontaneous_pregnancy_dangelo.php">D'Angelo's return</a> would be crazy to miss this one. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LTDvFF1FNtE" width="640"></iframe> Friday, March 27th, 7:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.harlemstage.org/">Harlem Stage Gatehouse</a>,150 Convent Avenue (at West 135th Street) <a href="https://harlemstage.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0Fd000000XPS9qEAH">Tickets $25</a>

Bilal and Adrian Younge (via facebook)

Celebrate sex-positive feminist website <a href="http://slutist.com/">Slutist</a>'s 2nd anniversary by checking out their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/429957657155768">Legacy of the Witch</a> festival at Greenpoint's Saint Vitus Bar. Historically, "witch" was a term used for women who challenged the status quo, acting similarly to the today's usage of the persecution-laden "slut," and Slutist is fully embracing the parallelism. Celebrating women who refuse to adhere to societal expectations, it's set to be a magick-filled night with musical performances by the mind-blowing Azar Swan, burlesque from Minx Arcana and Chicava Honeychild, as well as a talk by magic scholar Pam Grossman. (Sandra Song) Sunday, March 29th, 5 p.m. // <a href="http://www.saintvitusbar.com/">Saint Vitus Bar</a>, 1120 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ticketfly?v=app_179585568763105&app_data=eventId%3D761035%26source%3DfbPur%26medium%3DampEvent%26rt%3D%26fb_action_ids%3D">Tickets $10</a>

photo via Facebook