Western Sound Charters

Rockaway! is a summer-long art exhibit celebrating the reopening of Fort Tilden, which was closed for two years after damage from Hurricane Sandy. Put on through a collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art’s contemporary museum, PS1, and local artist and community groups, the show’s big draw is a large exhibit by musician, writer, artist, and Rockaway resident Patti Smith. But there’s a lot more to explore there, especially when combined with a beach day. Follow our guide to navigating the historic site and the accompanying exhibit, whose works center around the connection between place, objects, and memory. The Chapel Walk into Fort Tilden, and the first exhibit area you’ll see is an old white building—the restored Fort Tilden chapel. Janet Cardiff’s The Forty Piece Motet takes over the bare and musty space with 40 speakers, each of which amplifies the voice of one singer performing their part of a complicated 16th-century choral piece. Walking among the speakers offers endless ways to hear the song; it felt personal and almost wrong to be walking among them, like sidling up to a chorister in the middle of a performance. The surround-sound effect feels even more intense when you look out the windows toward the peaceful beach. At the chapel, grab a brochure (with a handy map inside) and rely on volunteers to direct you to the other exhibits. Rockaway Artists Alliance Gallery A few hundred feet to the west, you can see what looks like an abandoned factory overgrown with scrubby trees. This houses the next exhibit, which you enter by going through the Rockaway Artists Alliance Gallery. The community nonprofit group’s gallery hosts Patti Smith’s photographs, which are a lifelong catalog of the objects and places dear to her: ex-lover and close friend Robert Mapplethorpe’s grave, Frida Kahlo’s corset, her own work boots. The photos are all shot on film in black and white, adding a layer of ghostliness to the surviving objects of dead people. Smith isn’t the best photographer, but it’s interesting to see a curated selection of a woman who seems to have traveled everywhere. Try to nab one of the scarce gallery guides at the front desk because, like the entire Rockaway! exhibit, signage is rare here but would be useful. (Skip the attached exhibit honoring Walt Whitman, which is stingy: a few unexplained relics in a display box, a dozen tattered copies of his books, a forgettable movie. You probably remember more about him from high school than you’ll learn here.) The Resilience of the Dreamer Across a small garden path is an old auto garage housing Smith’s installation, The Resilience of the Dreamer. A gilded four-poster bed, draped with white linens hanging from the high ceilings and lit by punched-out skylights, looks like a dream or a ghost. It's also a reminder that, despite its upbeat exclamation point, all of Rockaway! sprang from the traumas of Hurricane Sandy. Smith based Resilience on beds she saw washed ashore after the disaster. Around Fort Tilden Sprinkled throughout the grounds, a careful eye will catch a few of the little birds’ nests created by Adrián Villar Rojas. The low, slouching bowls are very difficult to find, looking for all the world like real nests—a small offering of home for a community where many were left homeless just two years ago. Granite blocks Smith inscribed with fragments of poems by Whitman stand along the shore road of Fort Tilden, almost at the western edge and close to the beach. We recommend taking a break in the sand before heading back to the bus stop and jumping on the Q22 bus, which will drop you off two blocks from the Rockaway Beach Surf Club. Rockaway Beach Surf Club The exhibit at the surf club features artwork by locals and notable artists, though no piece really stands out on its own. Granted, the large shack that makes up the surf club seems dim compared to the distracting, sun-drenched patio right outside. Grab a drink (cans of PBR are $3, a dark and stormy is $9) and take note of a few pieces of art before you run outside: Above the ATM is Camille Henrot’s Tropics of Love, a grid of nine tawdry and tender portraits of half-animals, half-humans coupled up. To the right of the bathrooms is Allyson Vieira’s Aphrodite I, a delicate ink drawing of an octopus that shows the artist’s very light and precise hand. Tom Sachs’s Tides at Rockaway Beach is the largest piece on the wall to the left as you walk in. At first, Sachs’s work looks like a schedule of upcoming tides, but looking more closely, it’s clear this is actually a schedule of deaths, listing men’s and women’s life expectancy against their age today. In short, Sachs’s work tells you how much longer you’re statistically likely to live. The subject matter is creepy, even though its handmade, graffiti-esque aesthetic fits right in with this local bar. Now, step out into the sun. Out back, surfers stash their boards in lockers, locals talk shop in flip-flops, and pilgrims from Manhattan let loose. A new Southern-style food truck sells meaty sandwiches (with one vegan option) and killer sweet-potato fries. Enjoy this last phase of your visit to the Rockaways—from there, it’s a half-block walk to the subway and back to reality. Rockaway! at a Glance When to go: Open and free to the public Thursday–Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. until September 1. The Rockaway Beach Surf Club exhibit is also open to the public free of charge Monday–Friday from noon to midnight and Saturday–Sunday from 11 a.m. to midnight. The Forty Piece Motet by Janet Cardiff will only be open through Sunday, August 17. How to get there: Take the 5 or 2 to the last stop in Brooklyn, Flatbush Ave./ Brooklyn College, and walk a block to the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Avenue H, in front of Target. From there, catch the Q35 bus toward the Rockaways, getting off at the first stop after crossing the Marine Parkway Bridge. What to bring: At Fort Tilden, water and food are scarce but surf and sand are plenty, so pack a towel, swimsuit, sunblock, water, and snacks. Photos by Kasia Mychajlowycz.

Just because you’ve hauled the grill in from your patriotic backyard cookout doesn’t mean it’s time to let up on summer fun. Pack the post-Fourth-of-July week with a ghost story performed by a kabuki theater troupe, a free concert in Hudson River Park, and a three-course picnic in the Rockaways curated by French foodies. And, as always, check Groupon for other great things to do in New York City. Heisei Nakamura-za at Lincoln Center Festival Upper West Side | Monday, July 7–Sunday, July 13 In their first visit to the Lincoln Center Festival since their sold-out run in 2004, Japanese kabuki troupe Heisei Nakamura-za will perform Kaidan Chibusa no Enoki, a 19th-century ghost story. Look forward to cutthroat stage combat, theatrical grimaces, and raucous slapstick comedy from the elite troupe, which traces its roots back to the 17th century. Before or after the show, stroll to the Japanese Artisan Village, which will vend traditional textiles, dolls, hair ornaments, and other handicrafts in Lincoln Center plaza through Sunday. (Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, 10 Columbus Circle; $45–$150; 7 p.m. each day with 1:30 p.m. matinees on Wednesday and Saturday) Photograph of Heisei Nakamura-za above: © Shochiko. Wild Beasts and Mutual Benefit Hudson River Park | Thursday, July 10, 6 p.m. The UK’s Wild Beasts are probably best known for singer Hayden Thorpe’s distinctive vocals, which can veer from soaring falsetto to guttural growl within a single line. Their 2014 album Present Tense may have toned down that roughness in favor of lush synthesizers and a smoother, R & B-inflected sound, but the new tunes still preserve the band’s intrinsic sense of drama. Get a taste this weekend at Hudson River Park, when Wild Beasts kicks off RiverRocks along with chamber-folk group Mutual Benefit. (free) Le Fooding Beach Club Rockaway Beach | Friday, July 11 French gastronomes Le Fooding return to New York City with this three-day event honoring the cuisine of the Sandy-ravaged Rockaways. Chefs including Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar and Andrew Field of Rockaway Taco prepare a three-course, picnic-style meal, which guests can pair with San Pellegrino sparkling fruit drinks and bartender-stirred mocktails. Saturday and Sunday tickets have sold out, but you can still grab a Friday ticket to kick off a long weekend or really long lunch break. (97-01 Shorefront Pkwy.; $40; seatings at noon to 1:45 p.m. and 2:15 p.m.–4 p.m.) Saturday Sculpture Workshop Long Island City | Saturday, July 12, noon to 3 p.m. This weekly event brings different artists to Socrates Sculpture Park to lead creative and kid-friendly arts-and-crafts activities. This week, artist Janelle Iglesias teaches kids to make geometric mobiles with straws and string. (free) Raekwon and Jay Electronica at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival Williamsburg | Sunday, July 13 The Brooklyn Bodega–sponsored festival, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, brings two hip-hop heavyweights to the stage for its fifth and final night. With a feud with RZA brewing, Raekwon may not be in the mood to perform old Wu-Tang hits, but there’s plenty to love in his solo catalog—including some new tracks from Fly International Luxurious Art, due out this fall. The music doesn’t get underway until later in the afternoon, but those with tykes in tow can show up early for Family Day from noon to 2 p.m. (50 Kent Ave.; doors open at noon; $30+; buy tickets here)

It’s always tempting to skip ahead to the end of what you’re reading, whether it’s a suspenseful novel or an especially gripping list of things to do this week. But try to stick it out for the whole list below: you’ll be rewarded with news of a deviled-egg contest, an art-centric block party, and concerts in genres from bossa nova to folk. We won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say it includes cold and frosty treats. If that’s still not a sweet enough conclusion, you can always check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City. Kegs & Kluckers at Brooklyn Brewery Williamsburg | Monday, July 14 As urban chicken-keepers know, hens love snacking on grains leftover from brewing beer. The Good Beer Month event Kegs & Kluckers celebrates this symbiotic relationship with festivities that benefit Just Food’s City Chicken Project. Unlimited Brooklyn Brewery drafts flow as guests enjoy complimentary snacks, Egg Olympic Games, and a deviled-egg competition emceed by Matt Timms, creator of The Takedowns. (79 N. 11 St., Brooklyn; $25; buy tickets here; 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.) Twin Forks & Chris Carrabba at Rough Trade Williamsburg | Wednesday, July 16, at 9 p.m. Best known as the breathy voice of emo band Dashboard Confessional, Chris Carrabba takes on a folksier twang in songs with his new band, Twin Forks. Though the down-home details are there—Carrabba spent three years learning fingerpicking guitar for the project—Twin Forks also brings a stadium-size bluster that reflects Carrabba’s arena-rock past. Don’t miss the upbeat orchestral pop of openers Miracles of Modern Science, who create danceable tunes with a cello, a violin, and a double bass. (64 N. 9th St., Brooklyn; $15 advance, $17 day-of; buy tickets here; Doors at 8 p.m.) Hear a playlist of Chris Carrabba’s favorite movie-soundtrack songs on the Groupon Guide. Bebel Gilberto at Prospect Park Bandshell Prospect Park | Friday, July 18, at 7 p.m. With its mix of samba rhythms and lilting classical guitar, bossa nova is the ideal soundtrack for a cool midsummer night. It can’t hurt to add the ethereal voice of Bebel Gilberto, the daughter of bossa nova legend João Gilberto, to the mix. Her free concert at Prospect Park Bandshell this Friday kicks off Brasil Summerfest, a monthlong celebration of Brazilian music and culture that runs through July 26. (9th St. & Prospect Park West; free) New Museum Block Party Lower East Side | Saturday, July 19, from noon to 5 p.m. Music and art abound at the New Museum’s annual get-together in Sara D. Roosevelt Park. Visitors construct their own decorative maps, artwork-filled memory games, and other crafts at interactive workshops, while the music of performers like singer-songwriter Joy Askew and operatic impresario M. Lamar fills the air. Afterward, guests can head to the museum for free, family-family tours of Here and Elsewhere, a new exhibition of contemporary Arab art that fully opens on July 16. (Chrystie St. between Delancey St. & Broome St.; free) Ice Cream Social at Hester Street Fair Lower East Side | Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The vendors might be local, but Hester Street Fair’s celebration of ice-cold sweets brings together flavors from all over the globe. Guests can sample La Newyorkina’s Mexican paletas, Lezzetli Ice Cream’s Turkish-inspired scoops, and Hello Halo’s Filipino shaved ice, among other frosty treats. A blind-tasting contest tests visitors’ ice-cream IQ, and the Street Fair’s other wares await browsing. As an added incentive, Uber users who use the promo code Hester30 get up to $30 off their ride to the event. (Hester St. & Essex St.; free) Can’t make it to Hester Street? Try a top New York ice-cream shop from this Groupon Guide list. Photo of Bebel Gilberto by Harper Smith. Photo of Twin Forks courtesy of Reybee Productions and Tristan Casey.