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Gothamist Winter Guide: 20 Fantastic Things To Do This February

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Winter seems to have adopted a "better late than never" mentality, and so here we are in February with our first real coating of authentic urban slush. Yes it's ugly out there, but you can't live solely on Seamless and old episodes of Friends forever, so seize the day, get out of the house and enjoy all the city has to offer, including film festivals, hot dog competitions, and the upcoming Chinese New Year. Then get psyched for Beer Week, book signings, butcher training, and so much more. We promise all of your puddle-jumping will be worth it.

Shel Serkin

If you thought the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098904/">show about nothing</a> was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264235/?ref_=nv_sr_1">pretty, pretty good</a>, then saunter over to the <a href="http://www.fishinthedark.com/">Cort Theatre for previews of Larry David's Fish in the Dark</a>, the always-reluctant comedy writer/actor's first Broadway foray. Directed by Tony winner Anna D. Shapiro, the play promises airtight one-liners reminiscent of Seinfeld's greatest moments and tells a story of death in the kindest light possible. David (of course) stars in the production's lead role of Norman Drexel, and <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2015/01/larry-david-fish-in-the-dark">told Vanity Fair</a> that, for once, he's not playing a Larry David stand-in. Maybe it's more of a George Costanza-type? (Scott Heins) Previews begin Monday, February 2nd, 8 p.m. // <a href="http://www.shubert.nyc/theatres/cort">Cort Theatre</a>, 138 West 48th Street, Manhattan // <a href="https://www.telecharge.com/Broadway/Fish-in-the-Dark/Overview?AID=BWY001053400&cm_mmc=Fish-in-the-Dark-_-Affiliate-_-web-_-BWY001053400&cm_mmca1=show_site&cm_mmca2=ACRTFD&cm_mmca3=140902">Tickets $49-275</a> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9WyhuV3MkRE" width="640"></iframe>

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Say what you will about Ice Cube's performance in Ghosts of Mars, few directors can lay claim to such a wily and widely-beloved oeuvre as John Carpenter. The sci-fi and horror legend has produced some of the most memorable and strange films of the past 40 years, constantly raising the bar on just how gory, dystopian, frightening, and original movies can be. To commemorate his best work, <a href="http://www.bam.org/film/2015/john-carpenter-master-of-fear?gclid=COLZy72PvMMCFe_m7Aodq30AfQ">BAM is presenting a massive John Carpenter retrospective</a> this month, showing 18 films born of his gruesome genius. Obvious favorites like The Thing, Halloween, They Lived, and Escape From New York are on the schedule, but cult classics like Prince of Darkness and Dark Star are also on the (very dark) bill. Carpenter himself will visit BAM for an extended conversation on the retrospective's first night, and a different film will be shown nightly for the following two weeks. The entire thing also is set to coincide with the release of Carpenter's first solo LP, <a href="http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/collections/frontpage/products/sbr123-john-carpenter-lost-themes">Lost Themes</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDKdHuyQpHY">Better stock up on your bubblegum</a>. (Scott Heins) Thursday, February 5th through Sunday, February 22nd, times vary // BAM, 30 Lafayette Avenue, // <a href="http://www.bam.org/film/2015/john-carpenter-master-of-fear">Tickets $14</a> (films), <a href="http://commerce.bam.org/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=10059">$25-50</a> (talk)

Gothamist

If you crave a greater understanding of chops and roasts, <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/978831">Fliesher's Meats is leading Pig to Pork: Butchery 101</a> at their intimidating-sounding "Whole Animal Breaking Facility" in Red Hook. The event isn't cheap, but then again <a href="http://gothamist.com/2013/12/04/humans_eating_more_meat.php">cheap meat is ruining this planet,</a> bite by bite, and Fliesher's entire mission is to bring delicious and responsibly-sourced steak, pork, and poultry to carnivorous New Yorkers. Attendees will be schooled by their master butchers in the edible anatomy of pigs before getting the chance to not just chop and carve but actually skin and de-bone one themselves. Fliesher's will lead a conversation on how to make meat eating sustainable and locally-sourced, and Red Hook neighbors Sixpoint brewery and Stumptown coffee will be on hand to serve up refreshments. (Scott Heins) Saturday, February 7th, 12 p.m. // <a href="http://www.fleishers.com/">Fliesher's Pasture-Raised</a> Meats, Pier 41, 175 Van Dyke Street, Brooklyn // <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/978831"></a><a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/978831">Tickets $200</a>

via flickr

Finally, a Valentine Day's celebration as bitter and barren as my own love life. Central Park's <a href="http://www.centralparknyc.org/calendar/events/ice-festival-2015.html">4th Annual Ice Festival</a> is coming back for Hallmark's Big Day with ice-carvers from Okamoto Studio who will create a replica of the park's Romeo and Juliet statue. The cute doesn't stop there though, as there will also be a 1980s-themed silent disco on a fairy light-strewn Mall to close out the evening, which is bound to be way more magical than another night of wine n' Netflix. Saturday, February 14th, 3 p.m. // <a href="http://www.centralpark.com/guide/attractions/bandshell.html">Naumburg Bandshell</a>, Central Park between 66th and 72nd Streets // Free

photo via Central Park Ice Festival

What's more romantic than an evening of stargazing? Spend Valentine's Day with your significant other at the <a href="http://www.amnh.org/calendar/romance-under-the-stars">American Museum of Natural History's Romance Under the Stars</a> event, which includes a cocktail hour (featuring live music, an open bar and hors d'oeuvres), as well as a presentation in the Hayden Planetarium with presenters Lydia Maria Petrosino and Ted Williams who will be telling "some of the greatest romance stories from the ancient celestial past." Saturday, February 14th, 6 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.amnh.org/">American Museum of Natural History</a>, Central Park West at 79th Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.amnh.org/calendar/romance-under-the-stars">Tickets $125</a>

photo via Eric.D.Fleury

Is a hot dog a sandwich? Yes. Is it as good in the winter as it is in the summer sun? That's for you to find out at the <a href="http://www.revolvingdansk.com/#navUpcomingEvents">Winter Hot Dog Championship, hosted at Jimmy's No. 43</a>. Part cooking competition, part indoor street party, the February feast will bring some of the city's best makers and eaters of hot dogs under one roof for a massive day of frankly delicious food. Strange condiments (chili ginger ketchup) and stranger toppings (crispy taro chips) will ride atop gourmet hot dogs, brats, and sausages, all of which will be prepared for you to sample and judge. Votes will be tallied and beers will be drunk until finally the best wurst is declared. Entry gets you three gourmet hot dogs, plus one of Jimmy's classic "rode polse" dogs. Sunday, February 15th, 1-5 p.m. // <a href="http://www.jimmysno43.com/">Jimmy's No. 43</a>, 43 East 7th Street, Manhattan // <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winter-hot-dog-championship-jimmys-no-43-tickets-15125508804">Tickets $15-25</a>

Asia Dogs via flickr

For hip-hop heads, February is a time to commemorate the late, great James Yancey, aka J Dilla, aka one of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr8_JidiptU">greatest</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCsAkV8QiGc">beatmakers</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuxMCsZP5OA">ever</a>. Both Yancey's birthday and the day of his 2006 passing fall in early February, and since then the month has been declared "Dilla Month." His magnum opus was a weird and dazzling instrumental LP, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nO7IA1DeeI&list=PL9dk_xtWpAkKXxzv_TfLWmlJj6G3quWQ2">Donuts</a>, and in the spirit of that record, <a href="http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event/743635-donuts-are-forever-9-brooklyn/">Brooklyn Bowl is hosting Donuts Are Forever</a>, a massive celebration of Dilla's music. The event is put on by <a href="http://www.donutsareforever.com/">the charity of the same name</a>, and will not only feature some of the best DJs in NYC but also some of the smoothest, most brilliant hip-hop ever made. Luminaries like Questlove, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Just Blaze have spun records at past DaF parties, which are part dance night, part listening session, and part family reunion for those still amazed by the late producer's music. Proceeds from the entire event go to both youth music education programs and the <a href="http://www.lupusresearch.org/">Alliance for Lupus Research</a>. Sunday, February 15th, 6 p.m. // <a href="http://www.brooklynbowl.com/">Brooklyn Bowl</a>, 61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn // Tickets <a href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/743635">$5-12</a>

Gothamist

Seize your last chance to take in some of the greatest images ever made before the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2014/thomas-struth">Thomas Struth photo exhibit ends at the Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>. The German-born photographer made a name for himself over the past four decades shooting both family portraits and unstaged street scenes in both Dusseldorf and New York City and is almost virtuosic in his ability to envision and execute great photos. The Met will display some of his most popular shots (including the image of Rome's Pantheon above), as well as rarely-glimpsed pieces from its private collection. Documenting the world in its leadup to the new millennium, Struth's work is a kind of modern history project that's sure to evoke awe and nostalgia. See it all before it gets packed away on February 16th. Ends Monday, February 16th, 5:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2014/thomas-struth">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>, 1000 5th Avenue, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/hours-and-admission">Suggested donation $25</a>

via facebook (Copyright Thomas Struth)

It's been less than a year and already The Grand Budapest Hotel has found its place near the top of Wes Anderson's superb catalog. With its blend of dark and cheerful imagery, the story of Zero, Deputy Kovacs, and Gustave H. was by far one of the best movies of 2014, and now literary chronicler Matt Zoller Seitz is back with The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel, an entire book dedicated to it. <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/event/matt-zoller-seitz">Seitz will drop by The Strand to debut the new book</a> and lead a conversation on both the making of and meaning within Anderson's recent classic, and the film's music supervisor Randall Poster will be on hand for the chat as well. Attendees will get the chance to purchase the book on their way out, but there's no word yet on whether or not Mendl's will be served. Tuesday, February 17th, 7 p.m. // The Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/event/matt-zoller-seitz">Tickets $35</a> (Includes book) or <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/event/matt-zoller-seitz">$15</a> (Includes gift card)

Gothamist

Break out the beads, because Fat Tuesday is finally coming to Fort Greene in the form of <a href="http://cookoutnyc.com/">NYC Mardi Gras</a>. Featuring a gumbo cook-off, burlesque and tap performers, as well as an assortment of refreshments (including over 10 spirits vendors and brews from the likes of Sixpoint, Lagunitas and Smuttynose), Food Karma Projects is bringing a taste of N'Awlins to New York. All held in a vine-covered, stain-glassed venue fit for a Southern Gothic dream, this is one party you want to gather your Carnival krewe for. Tuesday, February 17th, 6 p.m. // <a href="https://irondale.org/">Irondale Center </a>, 85 South Oxford Street, Brooklyn // <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyc-mardi-gras-tickets-15145694179">Tickets $45-100</a>

photo via Carol Highsmith

Brew geeks and boozehounds unite for the <a href="http://www.nycbeerweek.com">7th Annual New York City Beer Week</a>, which spans boroughs and microbrews to bring together Pilseners, pales and double IPAs for one glorious 10-day bender. Playing host to a variety of <a href="http://newyorkcitybrewersguild.com/event/opening-tap/">samplings</a>, <a href="http://newyorkcitybrewersguild.com/event/save-the-date-for-the-nyc-beer-week-opening-gala/">soirees</a> and <a href="http://newyorkcitybrewersguild.com/event/brewers-choice/">showcases</a>, expect a deluge of rare brews and exclusive editions from over 20 of NY's premier Guild craft breweries. Alcohol aficionados can also help choose <a href="http://newyorkcitybrewersguild.com/event/special-events-for-2015-the-rupperts-cup/">the Ruppert's Cup winner</a> by pledging their $5 votes to whatever their favorite brewery may be. Friday, February 20th-Sunday, March 1st, All Day // <a href="http://newyorkcitybrewersguild.com/beer-week/2015-beer-week/">Venues vary, check website for listings</a> // <a href="http://newyorkcitybrewersguild.com/beer-week/2015-beer-week/">Event pricing varies</a>

photo via Matt Peoples

House-heads are (rightfully) overjoyed that the people behind <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/743644272398757/?ref_dashboard_filter=explore&unit_ref=popular_with_friends">Bunker are bringing British producer Regis</a> across the pond for one of his extremely rare NYC gigs. The founder of Birmingham sound and Downwards Records, he pioneered a gloomier take on traditional Chicago house, creating something dark, drone-filled and terrifying in its danceability. An additional bonus comes in the form of back-up from Berghain-buster Karl Meier, who will also be spinning a solo set, as well as performing with his project Talker. Saturday, February 21st, 10 p.m.-6 a.m. // <a href="http://www.thetranspecos.com/">Trans-Pecos</a>, 915 Wyckoff Avenue, Queens // <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?670627">Tickets $20-40</a>

photo via Facebook

Firecrackers may be illegal in New York, but they're also a traditional (and super fun) part of Chinese New Year. To make up for this, several Chinatown organizations help ring in the Lunar Near Year with the annual <a href="http://betterchinatown.com/upcoming-events/">Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival</a> at Sara D. Roosevelt Park. In addition to (the controlled launch of) firecrackers and rockets, expect to find lion dances, drumming, dancing, booths with games and giveaways, and after the fireworks: a parade through the streets of Chinatown. If you want to celebrate Chinese New Year properly with food, fun, and explosions, this is how to do it. (Ben Jay) Thursday, February 19th, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.; firecracker ceremony at noon // <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/saradroosevelt">Sara D. Roosevelt Park</a>, E Houston to Canal, btwn Chrystie and Forsyth// <a href="http://betterchinatown.com/upcoming-events/">Free</a>

via Gary Burke's flickr

Check out this "Kool Thing": alterna-goddess Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth fame will be <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/event/kim-gordon-elissa-schappell">discussing her new memoir Girl In A Band at Strand Books</a> on the 24th. Frontwoman for one of the most influential New York bands to ever grace CBGBs, they effectively brought No Wave to the masses and continue to be a mixtape staple for a bevy of "Teen Age Riot"-ers and Daydream Nation kids. From details about her split with ex-husband/bandmate Thurston Moore to her childhood in California, it's set to be a night of in-depth conversation with Vanity Fair contributing editor Elissa Schappell, reflective of the book's themes of "art, partnership, and dissolving identity." (Sandra Song) Tuesday, February 24th, 7 p.m. // <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/event/kim-gordon-elissa-schappell">Strand Books</a>, 828 Broadway, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/event/kim-gordon-elissa-schappell">Free with the purchase of Girl In A Band or a $15 Strand Gift Card</a>

via Pine Ear's Flickr

Lust is in the air with two sex-positive, 18+ film festivals set to take the stage this month across the East River from each other. The first is Manhattan-based <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CineKink">CineKink</a>, which is now in its twelfth year of celebrating "a wide diversity of sexuality" with screenings, short film competitions, awards, showcases, presentations, a kick-off gala and (of course) a very kinky after party.For something a little more hardcore though, there's also the <a href="http://nycpornfilmfestival.com/">NYC Porn Film Festival</a>, a Bushwick newcomer that aims "to challenge the consensus and the hypocrisy surrounding pornography and examine its cultural and social impact," especially in an age of new media and technologies. We hear there will also be a celebrity-sized special screening, so snag your tickets soon.(Sandra Song) CineKink Tuesday, February 24th, 8 p.m. - Sunday, March 1st, 11:30 p.m. // <a href="http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/">Anthology Film Archives</a>, 32 2nd Avenue, Manhattan // <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cinekink-nyc-2015-tickets-14675241041">Individual Screening Tickets $8-10, All-Access Pass $40-85</a> NYC Porn Film Festival Friday, February 27th - Sunday, March 1st // <a href="http://www.secretprojectrobot.org/secretprojectorobot/Home.html">Secret Project Robot</a>, 389 Melrose Street, Brooklyn // <a href="http://nycpornfilmfestival.peatix.com/">Individual Screening Tickets $5, All-Access Pass $69</a>

photo via CineKink

For those of you who like their pub quiz with a hint of pop culture, The Bell House presents their <a href="http://www.thebellhouseny.com/event/743979-pat-kiernan-s-2nd-annual-red-brooklyn/">2nd Annual Red Carpet Trivia Night</a> with the inimitable Pat Kiernan of NY1 and VH1 fame. Everything from books to Broadway is fair game, so come prepped with your references for a night of the Biebs, Beyonce and every "relevant" media superstar out there. Everyone there will get the opportunity to participate in multiple rounds of trivia, though a few lucky attendees will get to join Pat onstage for some quality trivia time and the chance to win a whole host of gifts the hosts are hinting will be Hollywood-levels of glamorous.(Sandra Song) Tuesday, February 24th, 7 p.m. // <a href="http://www.thebellhouseny.com/">The Bell House</a>, 149 7th Street, Brooklyn // <a href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/743979">Tickets $26</a>

photo via Scott Lynch

This month <a href="http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/the-generational-triennial">the New Museum will unveil its long-awaited Triennial,</a> a massive multi-gallery show that emphasizes prodigious artists in the early stages of their careers in hopes of pointing the way forward, rather than looking back and taking stock. This year's installment, the third in the museum's history, will be dubbed "Surround Audience" and boasts 51 artists from over 25 different countries. Tethered to a theme of data, spectacle, media, and technology, the triennial should be sweet artsy nectar for anyone with an open mind. Works from niv Acosta, Juliana Huxtable, Nadim Abbas, Sophia Al-Maria, and many more have been commissioned. Opens Wednesday, February 25th, // <a href="http://www.newmuseum.org/">New Museum</a>, 235 Bowery, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.museumtix.com/venueinfo/venueinfo.aspx?vid=830&calDate=2/25/2015&pvt=new">Tickets $18</a>

via facebook

Alan Gilbert conducts the NY Philharmonic

Courtesy Chris Lee

February is, after all, Black History Month, and one of the best ways to mark the occasion this year is a trip to the park. <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/events/2015/01/20/exhibition-the-migration">Central Park's Arsenal Gallery is hosting a new exhibition, The Migration</a>, all month long. Homing in on the first half of the 20th century, the new exhibit features photographs, paintings, and other works of art inspired by the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Migration_%28African_American%29">Great Migration</a>" of blacks out of the south and into the the (<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/05/the-case-for-reparations/361631/">arguably</a>) more equitable cities of the American North and West. The exhibit is put on by the NYC Parks Ebony Society and includes Bill Morrison's 78 minute film, The Great Flood, documenting the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mississippi_Flood_of_1927">Great Mississippi Flood of 1927</a> set to a jazz score, as well as mixed media pieces from Edward Myers, Rachel Elizabeth Griffith, Tony Wells, and more. "The show is not intended to be a literal history of the Great Migration, but a collective of artistic responses to this epoch," the Parks Department told Gothamist. Exhibit runs weekdays until February 24th, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. // <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/the-arsenal">Central Park Arsenal</a>, 830 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/events/2015/01/20/exhibition-the-migration">Free</a>

via The Ebony Society NYC Parks facebook

There's nothing like a good old fashioned colonial duel set to some song and dance. <a href="http://www.publictheater.org/en/Public-Theater-Season/Hamilton/">Hamilton, the newest original musical production at the Public Theater</a>, tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, our one stately founding father who had enough street cred in him to choose pistols over parchment. He may have lost that duel at the hands of Aaron Burr, but his life as an orphan, immigrant, rebel, soldier, husband, adulterer, treasury secretary, and all-around scrappy badass is what the Public Theater's show is most concerned with. Directed by Tony Award nominee Thomas Kail and head by Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role (Miranda also wrote the musical's book and composed its music), the show is an encounter with a political mastermind who championed the early American economy, choosing ultimately to stand and die, rather than live on the run. Performances run through all of February, Tuesday-Sunday 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. // <a href="http://www.publictheater.org/">The Public Theater</a>, 425 Lafayette Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.publictheater.org/en/Public-Theater-Season/Hamilton/">Tickets $80</a>

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