Hello, lovely readers.
Like the G train, we took the summer to shut down and do some behind-the-scenes maintenance to ensure we’re in good working order to keep doing our little job: bringing you a report on the bangers of New York art and culture happenings.
We occasionally wonder if the elderly MTA system were to let itself exhale a deep sigh, whether the whole thing might quite literally go off the rails. So we applaud the G for knowing when it needs a break to fix itself. And not a long weekend bender, but a real weeks-long respite for doing Deep Work. While we’ve followed the G train’s lead, we’re glad to be coming back soon. (We’ll project onto anything, btw.)
A few things for you:
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For those of you new to Days & Nights: welcome! Each week, more or less, you’ll receive a report on art and culture events happening in and around New York. Think gallery openings with free champagne, lectures with after parties, and book events with cool people you can be friends with. Learn more about us here.
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New report coming soon.
The latest will hit your inboxes soon, covering the art world’s return to business with fairs like the Armory Show and the Independent 20th Century, plus shows opening at some of our favorites like Harper’s and Broadway.
Recap: the Days & Nights Guide to the Best of Summer Past
Meanwhile, we had a fine summer but the things we did were extraordinary. Here are some of our favorites that you, too, can check out any season.
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research
We took a class on Black Mountain College and it was even better than we dreamed. Picture it: sweating around a table with 20 smart people at an anarchist book shop in Williamsburg (P.I.T.) during sweltering weeks of summer (July) with a brilliant and cool professor (Jude Webre) talking about readings from and about BMC (an experimental art school that you’ve probably heard of). BISR classes are worth every penny and we recommend the in-person experience so you can make friends and talk about books over beers after class.
Get the full BISR course list here (with new virtual and in-person options every month).
Jude’s next class is on Robert Moses, kicking off October 14. Learn more here.
The small institutions of Madrid
Of course, we love the Prado, etc. But we hit up some of Madrid’s smaller jewels during a recent visit to see friends, and are feeling these ones:
Museo Sorolla: The family home of Nice Guy Joaquin Sorolla, once the most famous painter in Spain, who was also a killer collector and had a gorgeous garden.
Museo Lázaro Galdiano: The collection of a man who loved stuff, from diamond tennis bracelets to cute tablecloths to some of the best weirdo Bosch and Goya paintings out there. The crowds at this mansion-turned-museum are teensy compared to the big institutions, so you can get really close to the artwork without getting yelled at.
Museo La Neomudéjar: This avant-garde and experimental art institution opened in 2013. There are some hits and there are some misses, but the space itself—the former premise of a railway company—is perfect. Dusty, industrial, huge, it’s the old Bushwick dream of an old industrial-space-turned-art-hub, complete with a bar that serves giant glasses of good enough Albarino with a side of olives and potato chips while you wrestle with the art you just saw.
Sir John Soane’s Museum in London
A theme we explored all summer: the lives of weirdo collectors. Sir John Soane, an English architect who lived across the 18th and 19th centuries, had taste that was all over the place. But he adored stuff and lots of it: crammed into every inch and crevice of his home, now turned museum. Make friends with every docent who works here; they’re brilliant and can tell you very good stories.
Oh, Mary! on Broadway
We told you about this show back before it opened Off Broadway and readers, we feel smug about that. Because Oh, Mary! is better than Shakespeare and its Broadway run has recently been extended through November 10. We saw it again at the Lyceum Theatre and bought merch, we’re very Cole-pilled.
Book Club for One
We were blessed to read lots of good books this summer, but we’ll never stop thinking about Sloane Crosley’s Grief is for People specifically, which we read front to back flying home from London. Thanks/sorry to everyone in row 28 who politely ignored us while we quietly wept.
The Wonders of the Hudson Valley
Here’s a great solo day trip we recently took:
Kykuit (Sleepy Hollow): This is the Rockefellers’ estate atop the tallest hill in Sleepy Hollow. It’s only accessible via paid tour, but that’s fine because the docents are cool (shout out to Barbara) and the house, the art collection, and the gardens are stunning. You won’t believe all the Calder and Picasso textiles in the basement. We made friends we’ll never see again and we loved every minute of the two-hour tour.
Santorini Greek Restaurant (Sleepy Hollow): We wouldn’t change a thing about this perfectly average place—an island paradise on a lesser street in town with wall art we’re still thinking about.
Rockefeller State Park Preserve (Pleasantville): The Rockefellers donated something like 1,700 acres to the public. While we don’t believe anyone should have that much money and power to be able to afford such a donation in the first place, we appreciate the Rockefellers for the very lovable trails.
Untermyer Garden (Yonkers): Barbara, Kykuit’s greatest docent, recommended this gorgeous garden, designed by William Welles Bosworth (who also worked on Kykuit). In some ways, Bosworth’s aesthetic is Cheesecake Factory for the Yard, but fuck off if you can’t get behind big columns and fussy water fixtures and some truly stunning flora. Located right off the Hudson, the ~150 acres here are worth the quick trip from the city. We swung by on the way home from our hike, catching an A+ golden hour.
We’ve missed you, hope you’ve been great. More soon!
Meet the BIG LIST
See what’s happening far into the future with the Days & Nights BIG LIST, available to our extra beloved paying subscribers. We update the list multiple times per week as new events are announced and intel is uncovered so you’re always a few steps ahead.
THAT’S ALL, FOLKS
Have tips? Feedback? Requests? Want to say hi? Just reply to this email or drop us a line at daysnightslist@gmail.com. Catch you next week.