Things to do in New York City on MLK Day 2011

So, here it is. January 17th. Situated nicely in the middle of a cold winter and wedged between carious snow storms. Just when everyone has finished recuperating from Holidays, along comes Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

For many throughout New York, MLK Day usually means a nice break and an extra day off to complete the trifecta of a beloved three day weekend. However, if you're interested in doing a little more today to celebrate the life of one of America's best-known activist and civil leaders, The Big Adventure once again has you covered. Below are three events that caught our eye. All are happening today and all free. Some solid options if you want to step back and reflect on the day in some unique, Big Apple ways.

23rd Annual King Commemorative March- 10:00 AM - Strawberry Fields in Central Park (enter at 72nd and Central Park West) http://www.manhattancountryschool.org/news_events.html 

Join some ethics-minded high-quality eighth-graders from the Manhattan Country School as they take time from their day off to lead a tour throughout the park. Along the scenic walk, the group will stop in several places to give speeches on the theme, "We Have Another Dream: Civil Rights in the 21st Century." Bonus: it ends with hot chocolate being served by the school at the completion of the walk.

Screening & Live Event of "King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery To Memphis" - 3:00 PM -  35th Ave & 37th St. Astoria, Queens

http://www.movingimage.us/visit/calendar/2011/01/17/detail/king-a-filmed-record-montgomery-to-memphis

What a perfect reason to make the trip to the recent renovated and just re-opened Museum of the Moving Image! The Big Adventure loves this place in part because of their numerous screenings.  This tribute documentary uses archival footage of King's life, from the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott to his assassination in 1968, intercut with dramatic readings and interviews by friends. Good: A timely perspective as it was made in 1970. Not so Good: 185 minutes running time. 

Artists Celebrate Dr. King - 6:30 p.m., Symphony Space, Broadway at 95th St.

http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/6584-artists-celebrate-martin-luther-king-jr-

Renewing this annual tradition, everyone is invited to this presentation of powerful work by artists whose vision coincides with King's voice for justice, peace and civil rights. Enjoy tunes from acclaimed jazz musician Craig Harris and ensemble performs excerpts from God's Trombones, a musical which is centered around bringing to life the teachings of black preachers, but really, just sounds like a joyous thing to hear. 

Also part of the evening is dancing from Remembrance of Things Past,  sampling the text of King's Drum Major speech with dance and video.And some stellar vocalists along with members of the Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir will mix up the sounds of Carlebach and African American spirituals.

Need more suggestions? Enjoy from the Big Adventure menu of three more sites below:
Click here to read The New York Daily News' detailed list of events in all five boroughs here 

Also, the usually disappointing About.com has a quality list and nice history here 
 
Last, but not least, our good friends at Hostel Blogger (really) have some events listed for all around town

Every Subway Rider's worst rodent fear caught on tape.

Fair warning. Don't click any further if you really hate the site of Rats. Or if you don't enjoy the idea of say...what could happen to you if you fall asleep on the New York City Subway. Or if combining both scenario A and B terrify you, just go ahead and leave now. Hands down, the most disturbing YouTube video you'll see all week.

Still with us? Enjoy what will doubtlessly be the Viral Video of the week in The Big Apple:

Rat Crawls On Sleeping Subway Rider's Face. (Or "A video that will deter tourists from taking public transit") - It's a short clip, but we're guessing you might shriek just watching this around :16. Talk about a worst nightmare. Geez, and I thought my general fear of being stuck on a car with a dirty rodent was bad enough.




Related News Story Here In the New York Daily News.


Come to New York City! Don't fall asleep on our trains! Watch out for the animal that spread the bubonic plague and killed a third of Europe.

Fireworks for all to see Jan 13th in New York Harbor To Celebrate Luxury Cruise Liners

Ah, any event that has Fireworks in Mid-January is an event that grabs our attention. This evening, three of the world's finest luxury cruise ships - The Queen Mary 2, The Queen Victoria and the new crown-jewel of the fleet The Queen Elizabeth - converge in New York harbor for the very first time. 

To celebrate this impressive massive Triumvirate of boats uniting, a giant fireworks display around 6:30 PM. Good rule of thumb for tonight, if you can see The Statue of Liberty from where you are, you should be able to see the fireworks as well.

(Also of note, never thought we'd be posting a link to the website Cruise Critic)

6:40 PM- New York Harbor

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4312

2010 Review- In Quiz Style!

As the New Year gets underway, we can't help but wax nostalgic on all that went down in New York City and the country over the course of 2010.  Lucky for us, the New York Times has combined the memories from the past year with the challenge of an online quiz. Check out the link below to re-live last year in the Big Apple and tackle some real stumpers.

Our favorite questions from the 75+ question PDF?

11. What did Paul the Octopus predict?
47. Who used a TV ad to reassure voters that she was “not a witch”?
76. Which musical insects made peace with Apple?

Test your savvy and knowledge: 
(By the way, the answers are The World Cup Champions, Christine O'Donnell and The Beatles)

The Year in Questions -  NYTimes.com - http://nyti.ms/fnhjJb

The Big Adventure Recommends: The Skyscraper Museum

There are seemingly thousands of museums, galleries and the like in NYC, but some of the most interesting are the hardest to find. A solid entry in the "Lesser known yet amazing Museums of NYC" category, The Big Adventure highly recommends The Skyscraper Museum. Near Battery Park in lower Manhattan, this small but mighty non-profit boasts fascinating exhibits series of interesting expert speakers, an ever-changing collection and a lively, excitable staff that could talk Big City Skyscrapers all day.

Calling themselves experts in the world's first and foremost vertical metropolis, this unconventional museum operates among some of biggest and oldest buildings sine it opened in it's new space in 2004. Founded in 1996, The Skyscraper Museum is a private, not-for-profit, educational corporation devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. The museum just closed their stunning showcase on Wall Street that ran last year and will be opening a new installation on the "Vertical Urban Factory" on Wednesday, January 12th.

Why go now? Because the new exhibit is the perfect way to beat the cold and get into the buildings without actually getting into the buildings. Vertical Urban Factory features the innovative architectural design, structural engineering, and processing methods of significant factory buildings from the turn of the 20th century to the present. Now, over a century after the first large factories began to dominate our cities, the exhibition poses the question: Can factories present sustainable solutions for future self-sufficient cities? Oooh! That's a true puzzler. Right up there with if you kill a mime in the woods, will it make any noise?

The big buildings of this town never cease to fascinate the Big Adventure and a visit to this location provides a nice homage to all of them. Not to get overly sappy, but it is some concrete and steel poetry in the big city

39 Battery Place on the other side of the Ritz. $5 Admission, Open Wed-Sun Noon-6 PM. http://skyscraper.org/

New Year's Resolution for 2011? That's easy: To plan the most exciting, eye-brow raising, rootin-tootinist Big Adventure yet in the next few months.

We like lofty goals. The wheels are already spinning and plans are already being put in place...Now we just have to figure out how to top a custom Ice Sculpture from The Big Adventure on Ice.

Most Unique NYC January Event: The No Pants Subway Ride

The 2011 No Pants Subway Ride.

Welcome to 2011. New Year. New beginning. Same zany "take the city by storm" annual events. What does the, ahem, Naked City have lined up for January? The 9th Annual No Pants Subway Ride.

The concept is incredibly simple: Show up with no pants and ride the New York City subway system. Yes, It's sophomoric. True, its a touch ridiculous. And some would argue that it is borderline illegal and a tad lewd.

All of that aside, the event is incredibly popular and growing exponentially each year. And, yes, we have to admit that the site of thousands of people sans pantaloons tromping from Union Square to Brooklyn, across subway platforms and staircases is pretty hilarious.

Organized by Improv Everywhere, legend has it that the event began in 2002 with just seven people. When asked by curious onlookersl (likely trying their best to show big city indifference) what the story is, bare-legged participants are encouraged to simply respond, "I forgot my pants today." and add lines such as "Hunh, apparently so did that random guy/gal."

Falling in the same vein as Santacon and The World's Largest Pillow Fight, this event has moved way past Flash Mob status and, for better or worse, more into citywide social event that attracts an...interesting mix of people. Also, the event has apparently spread to many a city with public transport.Sadly, many of whom attend now miss the point of the subtle prank like you're going to miss fabric on your thighs on a cold day in January. 

Bottom line, if your goal is to make some new friends and walkaway with some memorable visions and good stories, this just might be the event for you. Although, where you keep your Metrocard without any pants on is your business.

The No Pants Subway Ride. Free. This Saturday, January 9th. 3:00 PM at six locations throughout New York City. All info here: No Pants Subway Ride 2011 Details for New York

And as our New Year's gift to you, here is a fantastic photo gallery from last year from one of the "agents". Gives a insider view into the day: 100110 No Pants 10 Photos

An incredibly detailed look at last year's event: Recap of 2010 No Pants Subway Ride