Gotham City #9: Cheeky Whales
Don’t Say We Didn’t Tell You
NYC WHALE WATCHING CRUISE!
June 7 – September 14, 2025
Departs Pier 11, Wall Street
Morning + Afternoon Cruises Available
Tickets from $38
Yes, there are whales in New York—and no, you don’t need to go to Montauk. Board the Seastreak from Pier 11 and within 30 minutes, you’re out in the open waters of the New York Bight, scanning the horizon for humpbacks, dolphins, and the occasional sea turtle. With ocean breezes, skyline views, and a marine naturalist narrating the action, it’s part safari, part summer escape, with a 95% chance of sightings this time of year.
RHIANNON GIDDENS AT SUMMER STAGE
June 25, 2025
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
Doors at 5 pm
Free Admission
Rhiannon Giddens returns to SummerStage with her unmistakable blend of folk, bluegrass and roots music. A MacArthur “genius” and Grammy and Pulitzer-winning artist—most recently featured on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter—Giddens moves between banjo, fiddle, and a soaring contralto to channel the deep traditions of Black American music. And no summer is complete without a night at NYC’s most iconic outdoor concert venue. H/T Steven Beer
SWEDISH MIDSUMMER FESTIVAL
June 20, 2025
Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Free Admission
Tucked into a leafy corner of Rockefeller Park, the Swedish Midsummer Festival feels like a secret portal to Scandinavia. For one enchanted evening, Battery Park City blooms with flower crowns, fiddle tunes, and dancing around a maypole. Hosted by the Consulate General of Sweden, it’s part solstice celebration, part pop-up folk village.
THE YEAR OF FLACO
Closing July 6, 2025
New York Historical Society (170 Central Park West, Upper West Side)
Open daily 11 AM–5 PM
Admission with museum ticket
Time is running out to experience The Year of Flaco at the New-York Historical Society, a poignant tribute to the Eurasian eagle-owl who captivated the city after his escape from the Central Park Zoo in 2023. Through photographs, videos, and heartfelt mementos left at his memorial, the exhibit chronicles Flaco's remarkable journey and the profound impact he had on New Yorkers. Don't miss this opportunity to reflect on his legacy before the exhibition closes on July 6, 2025 in NYC’s oldest museum.
RUN DON’T WALK
Jazz legend Joshua Redman brings his quartet to the Blue Note Jazz Festival June 25–30.
BILD Expo is a free two-day photography, video, and content creation event hosted by B&H at NYC’s Javits Center on June 17-18, featuring keynotes, gear demos, workshops, and networking for creators and aspiring creators.
Broadway singers backed by a live 14-piece orchestra bring Queen’s greatest hits to life in Broadway Sings Queen at The Cutting Room on June 22 and July 26.
Jazz WaHi’s Melting Pot Jazz Series runs Thursdays through June 26, 6:30–8 p.m., on the lawn of St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Washington Heights offering free concerts that spotlight immigrant influences on American jazz. H/T Michael Nevins
The Summer Series at Domino Park continues on June 22 with Troy Anthony and The Fire Ensemble blending gospel, soul, and community storytelling on the Williamsburg waterfront.
Open weekends through Labor Day beneath the iconic Wonder Wheel, the Coney Island History Project offers free admission to explore the neighborhood’s rich past through historic artifacts, photos, and oral history recordings.
And after, have a drink or two at Ruby’s the world’s greatest ocean front dive bar.
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Gotham City is published every two weeks.
NEXT ISSUE: June 29, 2025