No cars on the streets, not a soul in sight... it’s either a scene out of I Am Legend, or Memorial Day weekend in Manhattan. Just because most of the city's off gallivanting in the Hamptons or at the Shore, doesn’t mean this weekend will be as fun as laundry and M.A.S.H. reruns. From beachside BBQs to swanky soirées (not to mention the grand opening of an amusement park), we've got the day-by-day guide to ensure your "staycation" is filled with red, white...and booze.
FRIDAY, MAY 28th
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5:00pm - Happy National Hamburger Day!
110 years ago, a man walked into a small diner in Connecticut and walked out with the world’s first hamburger…or so the legend goes. In honor of National Hamburger Day, Rare Bar & Grill will be serving up the original “Louis’ Lunch” hamburger as well as their signature cheeseburger, both with fries and a draft beer for just $20.10. Now that sounds like a delicious way to kickoff the cookout season!
Rare Bar @ Fashion 26 Hotel, 151 W. 26 Street (6th & 7th Aves.), 212.807.7273 |
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6:00pm - Beer Garden Fridays!
Nothing says summer like a beer garden, and nothing says NYC summer like a roof deck. Get the best of both worlds from Beer Garden Fridays at Hudson Terrace, presented by The Village Pourhouse. For $20 from 6-9pm, enjoy samples of the Kona (read: Hawaiian for beer) and Widmer Brothers Breweries (read: killer I.P.A.s), while learning all about the brews themselves. Finally, some summer school we're okay with! Once you decide on a favorite, enjoy two for one specials until 9pm!
Hudson Terrace, 621 W. 46th St. (11th & 12th Aves.), 212.315.9400 |
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7:30pm - Top Gun Screening!
For some it’s about honoring our service men and women, for others (e.g. Samantha Jones wannabes), it’s about ogling them, but either way, NYC’s Fleet Week is an event not to be missed! Head to Pier 86 and hop aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid to kickoff their summer movie series with a screening of Top Gun, starring Tom "Talk to me Goose" Cruise. Admission is free to the public, doors open at 7:30pm, and the screening begins at sunset. So hop on the highway to the danger zone and spend the night under the stars with our country's finest.
Pier 86, 12th Avenue @ 86th St, 212.245.0072 |
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10:00pm - Half-Priced Drinks at the Anchor!
Love to party but hate the hangover? Then drop anchor at one of SoHo’s best kept secrets and enjoy specialty Memorial Day Weekend cocktails promising the former without the latter! They’ll be infusing Coconut Water juice boxes (loaded with headache-busting potassium) with your favorite liquors (loaded with alcohol) so that you can party the night away without any regret (we hope). Best of all, mention SHECKY’S to your bartender and earn half-priced drinks from 10pm-11pm!
The Anchor, 310 Spring St. (Hudson & Greenwich Sts.), 212.463.7406 |
SATURDAY, MAY 29th
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11:00am - Grand Opening of Luna Park Coney Island!
When most of us think of Coney Island (naturally never having been there) we imagine sketchy bearded ladies and dilapidated rides. Well fiction meet fact—debuting this Saturday, the refurbished Luna Park will feature 19 brand new rides including Air Race, which simulates the experience of fighter pilots just in time for Fleet Week! Everything’s brand spanking new and clean (a rarity for amusement parks) so check it out today.
Luna Park, 1000 Surf Avenue, 718.373.5862 |
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12:00pm - SCORE! Swap at the BKLYN Yard!
You know how they say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure? Well Score! puts that theory to the test by inviting you to bring your belongings and swap them out for someone else’s for just $5 ($3 if you RSVP in advance). Not enough to convince you to trek out to BK? Well there’ll be DJs spinning all day long, cocktails flowing ($3-$7), and the proceeds go to charity—how’s that for incentive?
BKLYN Yard, 388-400 Carroll Street (Bond & Nevins Sts.), bklynyard.com |
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3:00pm - All-You-Can-Eat Crab!
Couldn't get away to the Chesapeake for Memorial Day? No big deal, head to West Village hot spot Choptank for Unlimited Crab Saturdays! Snag a spot on their back patio where you and your group can enjoy all the crabs, greens, and potatoes you can eat for $50. Best of all, you can wash it down with their special growlers of beer (64 ounces for $25), carafes of Riesling ($25), or pitchers of sangria or margaritas ($30). Maryland: 0 New York: 1
Choptank, 308-310 Bleecker Street (btwn. Grove & Christopher Sts.), 212.675.2009 |
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6:00pm - Pitmaster Special at Wildwood BBQ!
Nothing says Memorial Day weekend better than BBQ and no one does BBQ better than the South. Try to take down Wildwood’s Pitmaster special, which includes two wet spare ribs, two dry rubbed spare ribs, three baby back ribs and, so as to avoid sounding like Bubba from Forrest Gump, believe us when we say there’s a whole lot more all for $32.95. Wash it all down with their specialty weekend cocktail, the Southern Shandy ($7) made with Abita Strawberry Lager (impossible to find in NYC!), Lemonade, and Orange Marmalade.
Wildwood BBQ, 225 Park Avenue South (btwn. 18th & 19th Sts.), 212.260.5444 |
SUNDAY, MAY 30th
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12:00pm - Inflatable Jousting Competition!
We’ve all heard about the playful rivalry between the Army and Navy, (not to mention the Airforce and Marines), but this Sunday will decide the true champions once and for all. In honor of Fleet Week, actual members of the military will be competing in an inflatable jousting competition, but only one will come out victorious. We promise you haven’t seen anything like it, so bring a crew of friends over to the U.S.S. Intrepid and let the games begin!
Intrepid, Pier 86: West 46th Street (@ 12th Avenue) , 212.245.0072 |
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9:00pm - Spring Fever at Kush!
Got a bad case of Sunday Night Fever? Then bust out those bell bottoms, paisley suits, and platforms for Kush's Spring Fever event! Frank Lacey and the Awareness will be playing some serious get down funk from 9-11pm followed by DJ Shan Boogie who will make sure you are "Stayin' Alive" all night! Best of all, folks sporting '70s fashions earn a complimentary open bar from 9pm-10pm. Far out!
Kush, 191 Chrystie Street (btwn. Stanton & Rivingston Sts.), 212.677.7328 |
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9:00pm - Cuba comes to Thom Bar!
Just because this is a national holiday weekend, doesn’t mean we can’t add a little Cuban flair to it. Head over to the swanky Thom Bar at the Thompson Hotel where Grupo Irék will perform live (for the star-watchers, this is the band that Demi hired for Ashton’s 30th—awww) for free! Best of all, enjoy $10 authentic mojitos until 1am (believe us, this is a steal at Thom Bar!)
Thom Bar, 60 Thompson St. (Spring and Broome Sts.), 212.219.3200 |
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10:00pm - Memorial Day at CV!
Celebrate Memorial Day in style with the folks over at CV. Offering Memorial Day Mimosas for 20% off the regular price, tunes by DJ Goldfinger, and parties in both the penthouse and the main lounge, the CV group knows how to throw a solid party. Anyone who caught Kanye West’s impromptu concert there last week knows what we’re talking about.
CV, 105 Rivington Street (btwn. Ludlow & Essex Sts.), 10002, 646.202.9458
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MONDAY MAY 31rst
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11:00am - Red, White & Beer at Water Taxi Beach!
Though we all love BBQs and days off from work, Memorial Day is really meant to honor our service men and women...Water Taxi Beach South Street Seaport will combine all three! The folks at WTB are offering ladies and gents in uniform happy hour prices on drinks—$3 draft beers, $6 cocktails—all day long! As for everyone else, they've got great raw bar specials from 4pm-6pm. So head down and give three beers for your countrymen!
Water Taxi Beach South Street Seaport, Fulton St. @ the East River, 212.742.1969 |
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3:00pm - Fatty Crab UWS Block Party!
What could be more in the spirit of Memorial Day, than a raw bar, live music and a whole roast pig? A raw bar, live music, a roast pig and a KEG! That’s right, the folks at Fatty Crab UWS are kicking it old school, clearing out part of their outdoor café to create an indoor / outdoor block party. With unlimited frothy beer, passed raw bar selections, music from Laura Kivlen and an entire roast pig all for $29, we’re pretty sure it’ll be a little different from the charred burgers and boom box parties of your youth.
Fatty Crab UWS, 2170 Broadway (btwn. 76th & 77th Sts.), 212.496.2722 |
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5:00pm - Memorial Day at HIGHBAR!
Still feel like you need to escape the city? Slip away to Highbar, the chic rooftop lounge offering stellar views of the Hudson, cabanas, day beds and an outdoor cooling system (later, humidity!). In honor of Memorial Day, buy one Mr. Pink, a $14 frozen cocktail combining passion fruit and lemonade, and get the second free! So basically you are paying $7 for a cocktail which we’re pretty sure is the cheapest roof deck drink in history. Bottom’s up!
Highbar, 790 8th Avenue (btwn. 48th & 49th Sts.), 212.956.1300 |
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8:00pm - Philharmonic Free Concert!
Unwind from your crazy weekend and give your liver a necessary break by attending the New York Philharmonic’s FREE Memorial Day Concert at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (music will also be piped out onto the adjacent Pulpit Green, weather permitting). Seating is first come, first serve, so get there early and enjoy a night of patriotic music including Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man (you may remember it from such films as Saving Private Ryan or The Mighty Ducks), as well as symphonies by Beethoven and Schubert.
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (@ 112th St.), 212.316.7540
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Click here for even more Memorial Day Weekend events!
-Alexandra Calamari, Lynden Halpern, Kristen Barba
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