JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the epilogue to her popular 7-book series, premiered at the Lyric Theater in New York City this week.

Bindaetteok (빈대떡), a Korean pancake made of ground mung beans, and bean sprouts, vegetables, and seafood. Photo courtesy of jetalone (a flickr user)

Foodies and other dining out types adore New York for its amazing restaurants, but what if you are just a normal person who does not know that much about New York’s incredible menus?
One answer is to simply try everything, or almost everything, on the menu. You might be concerned that such an extravagant night out could cost real money, but since about 2016 restaurants began to realize that you don’t need to charge astronomically for just a few tastes of the chef’s best offerings.

Here is list of some of New York’s best tasting menus that are comparatively reasonably prices, and even leave you full when you are done tasting:

1. Delaware and Hudson (Williamsburg): This Michelin-starred eatery offers what might be the best tasting deal in the city. For $58 you get appetizers big enough to share; a first course; a main course which could be duck, sea bass or braised beef; dessert, and a cheese course, too for an additional $10. The food is locally sourced, and changes seasonally.

2. Babu Ji (Alphabet City): Indian food is wonderful, and its even better when you can try all different kinds. At Babu Ji you get a tasting menu that includes the best Indian flavors in a delightful variety of specialties. And its all for a moderate $62.

3. ATOBOY (Flatiron): This is a “casual-fine-dining” Korean establishment relatively new to the restaurant scene in New York. For a mere $36 you can keep your denims on and still get great food and service. Three dishes of your choice and rice is covered by that reasonable price. No, its not really a traditional tasting menu, but for a mere $36 you get to mix-and-match 20 different kinds of Korean delectable delights.

It might not feel like winter is winding down, but eventually spring must arrive, right? So, we might as well get ready now with a few unusual New York City attractions.

Saint Vartan Armenian Cathedral

St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, located at 620 Second Avenue at 34th Street, in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was built in 1966-1968 and designed by Steinmann & Cain. Photo courtesy of Beyond My Ken.

Smack in the middle of Manhattan’s towering high-rises sits a modest church which is a replica of a cathedral built during the 7th century in Armenia. Looking like a misplaced dwarf, this replica of the Saint Hripsime Church, built in 681 AD, was itself built in 1966. There is a lot to see here, but we will merely suggest taking note of the unique to Armenian architecture feature of double-intersecting arches inside, which allow the building to stand without the need of columns, which are pervasive in most other churches. Located at Second Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets.

The Spot Where Nathan Hale Said His Famous Last Words

Famously hanged by the British on September 22, 1776 for spying on behalf of the (American) rebels, Nathan Hale is mostly remembered for his brave declaration that, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” According to one British officer’s diary, the hanging happened at “the Royal Artillery Park near Dove Tavern at the old Post Road,” now Third Avenue. Unfortunately, exactly where the “British Artillery Park” was located is in dispute, and therefore there are two plaques claiming to be the true spot where Hale was hanged. One plaque is found at Third Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets, and the second is hanging on the Yale Club (Hale’s alma mater) at 44th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue.

Beaux-Arts Kiosk at Trolley to Welfare (Roosevelt) Island

Five ornately decorated kiosks were built in 1909 servicing a trolley line from Second Avenue in Manhattan to Queens on the other side of the East River via the Queensboro bridge. There was one stop on Welfare Island, known today as Roosevelt Island, where passengers disembarked from the trolley and took an elevator down to the island, known as Welfare Island due to the preponderance of hospitals there. In 1957 three of the kiosks were sadly destroyed. A fourth was moved in the 1970s to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, but faced again with the possibility of destruction, was once again moved back to Roosevelt Island, were it serves as a visitor center. The last kiosk is still in its original location at 59th Street just under the bridge and tramway to Roosevelt Island. It now sits on a traffic island under the bridge, lonely and forlorn. There is no question your visit would be appreciated.

The winter can seem long in New York, but there is so much to do to take your mind off how cold and wet you are feeling, that you wont notice. Here is a brief selection of what we think you and your kids should not miss this coming month.

Take your kids to a Broadway show, for free!

On February 27 children 18 years old and under can go to one of several selected Broadway shows for free in the company of an adult with a full-price ticket. The offer is called “Kids Night on Broadway,” and more information is available on the website.

Soap Bubbles Galore

The “Gazillion Bubble Show” has been described as “Enchanting” by the New York Times, and praised by countless others. The performance is a “dazzling display of bubbles” sure to please children and adults thoroughly. Using lasers and an enormous amount of creative artistry, the Yang family members have certainly proven that they are supreme experts in the art of changing simple soap bubbles into something awesome. Go to their website for more details.

How to Get to Sesame Street

From February 9-19 the younger set can be transported to the magical, interactive world of Sesame Street. The audience participates in picking a party theme, and then join in with Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster in some sing-a-long singing, building a snowman with Elmo, flap their wings with Big Bird, and enjoy some fun moments with Super Grover. For more information go to the Sesame Street Live website.

You’ve already missed the Polar Bear Club New Year’s Day Swim in Coney Island, but do not fear, there is still plenty left to do this month, and some of it indoors.

Concerts

globalFEST- This truly international music festival celebrates the music of Indian hip-hop, Iranian folk music, Mexican mariachi, and Brazilian Tropicália. BB King Blues Club & Grill, Midtown West January 14, 2018.

OSHUN- Combing new-soul with hip-hop and pop music, this Brooklyn-based group presents two superb vocalists debuting their first album at this performance. Rough Trade NYC, Williamsburg, Friday January 12, 2018.

Carnivals

The City Pond skating rink in Bryant Park, Manhattan, New York City. Photo courtesy of Beyond My Ken.

Bryant Park- Try a bit of curling; drink some sweet hot chocolate and of course ice skating at this amazing midtown Manhattan winter wonderland carnival. Entrance is free. The Winter Village is already up and running, and most of the fun will continue until March 4, 2018.

WinterFest on Long Island- It might be a bit of a drive, but it is well worth it to see the beauty in the winter of the east end of Long Island. This is the 11th annual festival, beginning on February 23 and ending a month later, on March 18. All schedules and venues will be announced on January 15, so stay tuned.

Spas

Aire Ancient Baths- this Spanish import envisions an experience resembling the large and extravagant bathhouses of ancient Rome and Greece. This luxury bathhouse minichain, features three stories of open room baths, with hot, cold, saltwater, and multijet pools. There are also steam and hot-stone rooms for lounging for as long as two hours. The facility offers a lot more and is worth checking out. It is in Tribeca at 88 Franklin Street.

Great Jones Spa- This spa believes that water is the secret to good health. It offers a water lounge with underground pools, saunas, steam rooms and a 40-foot waterfall. You can get a haircut here, as well as a manicure. North of Houston at 29 Great Jones Street at Lafayette.

The Radio City Rockettes perform the March of the Wooden Soldier at the Christmas Spectacular in Radio City Music Hall. Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf.

There is so much to do in New York in December it’s hard to know where to begin with suggestions to make this holiday season the most special possible.

It theater is your thing, you should definitely not miss either the Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular or the Nutcracker.

The Spectacular features the beloved Rockettes, a phenomenon at the Music Hall since 1932. In the unlikely event that you are not familiar with the Rockettes, they are a dance troupe most famous for their line kicks, which are almost otherworldly in their synchronicity. This show is a cant miss as far as making the family squeal with delight.

If classic dance is more your speed then The Nutcracker is the show to see. There are a number of shows in the metropolitan area, but probably the most classic would be the incredible 1954 production choreographed by George Balanchine and performed by the full New York City Ballet Company and two casts of School of American Ballet students.

Other versions of the Nutcracker abound. There is a hip-hop version in which rapper Kurtis Blow MC’s the action, which includes digital projections and a score with a contemporary beat. The show takes place at Prudential Hall at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

If you hurry you can still catch the State Ballet Theater of Russia’s version of  Tchaikovsky holiday classic. On Friday, December 15 the one and only New York performance will take place at the Schimmel Center at Pace University at 3 Spruce Street in Manhattan.

No matter what you choose to do this holiday season, you can’t go wrong in New York City.

Santa Claus at the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo by tweber1.

You have most likely been watching the Macy’s iconic Thanksgiving Day Parade since you were just a wee thing, but methinks there are many facts about the parade you do not know. So just so that your enjoyment level is set to high this coming turkey day, here is a list of fun facts you most likely had no idea about, and didn’t even know that you cared about, until now.

1. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was launched for the first time in 1924, making it the second oldest of them all.
2. The first few parades were called “Christmas Parades” even though they took place on Thanksgiving. Go figure.
3. The first parade featured camels, monkeys, elephants and bears from the Central Park Zoo.
4. From 1928 until 1932 it was easier to just let the giant balloons fly away then to take them down and deflate them, and that is exactly what they did.
5. Today’s parade requires and enormous number of behind-the-scenes workers- to prepare the 4,000 volunteers for the parade requires 230 dressers and 100 make-up artists.
6. Those balloons require huge amounts of helium. Only the US government uses more each year.
7. Handling those balloons is not easy. “Balloon pilots must walk backwards the entire 2.5 mile parade route.
8. Not just people, but balloons can also serve their country. During WWII the gigantic balloons were donated to the government to provide much needed rubber.
9. The scenes of the Thanksgiving Day Parade which are included in the classic movie Miracle on 34th Street were shot of the actual 1946 edition of the parade.

DNA model projected by Pyramid Hologram. Photo by MagzhanArtykov.

Holographic art is an entirely different type of aesthetically pleasing experience. As a visual art, holography is compared with painting and drawing, but in many ways it is more like sculpture, due to the three dimensional effect it exploits.

If you have never been to an exhibition of holographic art, you are missing something otherworldly and hard to put into words. Although the Holocenter is closed in the winter, you still have a few more days, until October 29, to go to Governor’s Island where the Holocenter has exhibits of this unique art form.

The Holocenter has a number of workshops for those interested in getting more involved in holography. These include a Mapping Place workshop and Pulse Laser Holography workshop. There are also two residencies, one for Pulse Laser Production, and another to learn about Light and Space. The Holocenter also sponsors a workshop to learn about Alternative Realities: Virtual and Augmented experiences.

Visitors have an assortment of things to do and see when they visit the center: Visitors can make their own hologram; play with light in amazing new ways, and attend optics camp.

To get to the center on Governor’s Island, visitors must take a ferry, either from lower Manhattan, or from Brooklyn.

South Street Seaport, New York City, NY. Photo courtesy Prayitno.

The South Street Seaport Music Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary this September 7-10, and its sure to be an unforgettable experience.

The festival was founded in 2002 to be a gateway for nascent bands to help them break into the bigger New York music festivals down the road. Some of those ‘newbies’ have gone on to successful music careers, including Sufjan Stevens, Hot Chip and Dr. Dog, Joanna Newsom, and many more.

This year you can be sure the talent is high and excitement will be electric. The festival will be welcoming such newcomers as Jean Grae, Death Valley Girls, Azar Swan, and a huge additional list of groups and individuals.

Music is not the only entertainment on offer. If you are a fan of NPR then you have probably heard of Ophira Eisenberg. She is a host of the radio network’s trivia comedy show “Ask Me Another.”

Eisenberg is a comedian and a writer, and as a host of the popular show she has interviewed and played funny games with a varied group of artists, including, Sir Patrick Stewart, Weird Al, Ethan Hawke, and others.

She has been on Comedy Central, Girls, The Late Late Show, The Today Show, and VH-1. She has performed on The Moth as well as hosted it, and she recently released her second comedy album, “BANGS!”

As you can see, this is a festival not to be missed. See you there!

Arrival of the “ship of sorrow” at New York. Drawing by L.F. Grant (Boston Globe artist)

A sad bit of New York history awaits visitors who would like to see the place where the survivors of the Titanic finally disembarked at the end of their tragic journey from Europe to the United States.

The Titanic, if it had made it until the end of its maiden voyage without sinking in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg, would have docked at Pier 59 on the Hudson River. Instead, the survivors were rescued by the Carpathia and brought back to New York to disembark at Pier 54 just a few blocks south of Pier 59. About 40,000 people were waiting at the dock to great the survivors, or to hear the terrible news that a friend or loved one had not made it home alive.

A mere three years later, in 1915, a ship called the Lusitania departed from the very same Pier 54. It was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland, sinking only 20 minutes later with almost the all 2000 of its passengers and crew on board.

Today the pier is part of Hudson River Park. There are several plans to restore the pier to how it looked in the early 20^th century, but so far none have come to anything. Visitors today will find an empty strip of metal and concrete reaching out into the waters of the Hudson River, a dark reminder of the sad history written there.

The story of the Titanic seems to have only grown over the years, but interest in the pier seems to be fading instead.