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Things to Do in New York City: Week of July 21, 2014

This week’s list of reasons to leave the house include a whimsical animated Japanese movie, gallery openings in Chelsea, and a two-day outdoor poetry festival. If that still doesn’t fill your calendar, remember that you can always check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City. Summer Restaurant Week July 21–August 15 The summer edition of restaurant week brings three-course prix fixe menus to eateries such as Red Rooster Harlem, Café Boulud, Bann Restaurant, and Tertulia (pictured above). Luckily, the “week” actually runs for three-and-a-half weeks, so there’s still plenty of time to make reservations at crowded spots ahead of time. ($25 lunch, $38 dinner; see a full list of participants) Neutral Milk Hotel at Prospect Park Bandshell Prospect Park | Tuesday, July 22, and Wednesday, July 23, 7 p.m. It may have been 15 years since their last tour, but Neutral Milk Hotel haven’t lost the idiosyncratic touch that made 1998’s In the Aeroplane over the Sea an indie classic. Join a packed crowd in Prospect Park to hear frontman Jeff Mangum weave together his eccentric, Anne Frank–inspired lyrics with horn-centric melodies. ($39.50 in advance, $45 day of; buy tickets here for Wednesday’s show) A Letter to Momo West Village | Wednesday, July 23–Tuesday, July 29 A fanciful, hand-drawn tale in a similar vein to Spirited Away, 2011’s A Letter to Momo tells the story of a Japanese teenager, Momo, whose only relic of her lost father is a letter to her he never finished. Momo comes to terms with her loss with the help of three mischievous goblins who have taken up residence in her mother’s attic. (IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas; $14 adults, $10 children and seniors, $9 IFC members; buy tickets here) Chelsea Art Walk Chelsea | Thursday, July 24, 5 p.m.–8 p.m. More than 100 participating galleries in Chelsea stay open late for a free public viewing of their summer exhibitions, as well as artist talks, openings, and other events. (free; see a full list of participating galleries) New York City Poetry Festival Governors Island | Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. The fourth annual event brings literati to Governors Island for a weekend of readings and performances by more than 250 poets, including Mark Doty, Joyelle McSweeney, Matthea Harvey, and Paul Muldoon. In between sets, browse indie crafts and booksellers’ wares, fuel up with snacks from food vendors including Morris Grilled Cheese and Mud Coffee, or quaff pints in a beer garden sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery. (free; register here) Photo of Tertulia by Jen Davis

Six Overlooked But Awesome Exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History

Typically, it’s hard not to notice a gigantic mastodon skeleton. But at the American Museum of Natural History, looming fossils often get overlooked as guests explore five levels of seemingly infinite rooms, all packed with eye-catching exhibits. So, what might you be missing in favor of that famous blue whale? We reached out to Brad Harris, the senior director of visitor services at the museum, for his list of six unfairly overlooked gems. Here they are, from the fourth floor down to the first. The Warren Mastodon Paul and Irma Milstein Hall of Advanced Mammals, 4th Floor This poor mastodon met its untimely end in a bog in what is now New York. Its death was fortuitous for scientists, however—this is the first entire mastodon skeleton ever found in the US, and every bone that you see is real. Komodo Dragons Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians, 3rd Floor The fearsome lizards in this diorama once reigned over the Indonesian island of Komodo. They were brought to the museum by an expedition team in 1926, and are now forever posed in predatory victory over a wild boar. Chinese Wedding Chair Gardner D. Stout Hall of Asian Peoples, 2nd floor Adorned with tassels, embroidery, and tiny figurines galore, this chair would have carried a Chinese bride-to-be on her way to meet her husband for the first time. The chair was not only decorative, but practical: it kept the bride’s feet from touching the ground once she had dressed to be married, thereby saving her from bad luck. Roosevelt Murals Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, 2nd floor These murals tend to play second fiddle to the huge barosaurus skeleton in the middle of the room. If you look past the rearing dinosaur, though, you’ll see the major life milestones of President Theodore Roosevelt, which were painted by William Andrew Mackay in 1935. Giant Squid and Sperm Whale Irma and Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, 1st floor Because it mimics the darkness of the deep sea, this diorama can be tough to make out at first. Once you get closer, you’re treated to a zoomed-in view of two underwater titans engaged in battle. Although mankind has yet to witness such a duel, sucker marks on sperm whales confirm that they do indeed take place in the inky depths. Star of India Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems, 1st floor Walk through the Hall of Meteorites and the Hall of Minerals to get to the Hall of Gems, and you’ll find one of the largest star sapphires in the world. The 563-carat Star of India proves that some things only get more wondrous with age: it’s approximately 2 billion years old. For a smidgen of that time in 1964, it was stolen from the museum by legendary cat burglar Jack Murphy. Authorities recovered the gem months after Murphy’s arrest, finding it in a Miami bus-station locker. Photos courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History. Still looking around for ways to fill your day? Check Groupon for things to do in New York City.

The Discerning BYOBer: Di Fara Pizza

You can’t rush perfection, but you can wash it down correctly. The DeMarco family explains why you won’t mind waiting for a slice at Di Fara Pizza and what you should bring to drink. Worth the Wait Dom DeMarco isn’t big on advertising. Probably because he doesn’t need it. Dom—owner, founder, and sole chef at Di Fara Pizza—knows he’ll have a crowd to feed no matter what. The masses waiting in line outside Di Fara’s modest storefront, next door to a 99-cent shop in Brooklyn, are evidence of that. So is the fact that they’re waiting for the chance to hand over $5 for a piece of pizza. Five bucks might seem a bit much for a single slice, but these devotees clearly don’t mind. Even Mayor Bloomberg weighed in on the discussion. “If you’ve ever had a really great slice of pizza,” he told the New York Times, “you know there are worse deals.” But the food at Di Fara doesn’t really need mayoral endorsements. Margaret DeMarco, Di Fara’s manager and Dom’s daughter, explained why the pies are their own best advertisement: “[The] pizzas are made with two cheeses and fresh, snipped basil and a drizzle of olive oil. The square is a slightly thicker crust, twice-baked, made with a richer sauce, and is a much heartier choice. The round is quite delicate in texture. We're famous for both." Margaret has worked alongside her father for more than 20 years now, and like the rest of her six siblings, she has, not surprisingly, developed cooking skills that she calls a “special art.” But dad is still in charge of all the cooking, and will be “as long as he has the strength and the desire.” He was born in Italy’s Provincia di Caserta, and he uses all imported ingredients for his pies—from the buffalo mozzarella cheese brought from Italy to the basil from Israel. While You Wait (and While You Eat): Take Advantage of Di Fara’s BYOB Option You won’t see mention of it on Di Fara’s website, but the pizzeria is also BYOB. In 2011, the Village Voice named Di Fara one of its 10 Best BYOB Restaurants in the city, encouraging guests to “uncork your best bottle of red and indulge in a marriage of gastronomic perfection." Margaret said that since the Village Voice article, they’ve noticed a lot of customers opting to bring along something to drink in the evenings. “Wine is usually the choice for most, but beer is also brought in,” she said. Margaret’s most important pairing recommendation for those settling in at one of the eatery’s coveted 19 seats? Try a slice of both the round pie and the square pie for the sake of comparison. After that wait, you’ve probably earned it. What Booze to Bring Serious Eats says: Czech Krušovice beer “Krušovice, with its sweet, almost caramel flavor, is a dark (basically black) beer, that's hardly found in the States … A cold Krušovice with a hot, olive oily, basily Di Fara's slice, is my idea of each food group at its best,” said writer Erin Zimmer, who suggests picking it up at Associated Supermarket directly across the street. Gothamist says: Italian red wines “Bring a bottle of chianti or a barbera.”

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Things to Do in New York City: Week of July 21, 2014

Six Overlooked But Awesome Exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History

The Discerning BYOBer: Di Fara Pizza

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