The Blankman List: Free January 2024 Highlights

Highlights of Things to Do in New York City in January, 2024

At the end of every year I try not to get caught up in it, but the same thoughts come around. “It’s another year already?” “Did I actually do anything?” “Do I really feel that different from when I was, like, twelve?”

Some years I make a resolution that I more or less keep. Some years I make a resolution that’s laughable by February. And some years I swear off resolutions altogether. Whatever your mindset this January, there’s enough happening around the city to help you find your place in our next revolution around the sun.

Most—but not all!—of the events listed below are part of the January 2024 Blankman List, which has a much longer list of events around New York City, including concerts, plays, art exhibitions, talks, and more.

Disclaimer: before going anywhere, please confirm the date, time, location, cost, and description using the listed website. Any event is at risk of being rescheduled, relocated, sold out, at capacity, or canceled. Costs are rounded to the nearest dollar and may change. I try to vet quality and describe accurately, but I may misjudge.

Resolution: Save Money

Going out in NYC doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are plenty of free and cheap events and exhibitions around the city. Here are a handful of highlights for January 2024:

• Thursday, January 4: Tenor Petr Nekoranec in Recital: The Year of Czech Music

  • Gala concert featuring vocal music by Czech composers; 7–9 pm

  • Free

  • Bohemian National Hall

  • 321 E 73rd St (Upper East Side, Manhattan)

• Through Sunday, January 7: Michael Richards: Are You Down?

  • Artist retrospective exhibition; 11 am–6 pm Wednesday through Sunday (Michael Richards was in his World Trade Center North Tower art studio on 9/11)

  • Free

  • The Bronx Museum

  • 1040 Grand Concourse (Concourse, The Bronx)

• Friday, January 19: Tony Siqi Yun, Piano

  • Conservatory student piano recital; 5:30 pm

  • Free

  • The Juilliard School, Paul Hall

  • 155 W 65th St (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)

• Sunday, January 28: Public Obscenities

  • Off-Broadway bilingual play “toggling between Bangla and English, Grindr and academese”; 7:30 pm; Jan 17–Feb 18

  • Pay-what-you-can (in-person, 1 hour before, cash, Jan 28 evening only)

  • Polonsky Shakesepeare Center

  • 262 Ashland Pl (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)

Resolution: Learn Something New

I really feel that New York City is one of the best places in the world to nurture curiosity. Not even counting museums and cultural events, the city is full of oftentimes free lectures and book talks, along with workshops, classes, and masterclasses.

• Saturday, January 6: Whiskey Business

  • Class on whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails; 2–4 pm

  • $200

  • Apotheke Chinatown

  • 9 Doyers St (Chinatown, Manhattan)

• Wednesday, January 10: A Hard Day’s Math: The Connections between Mathematics and Music

  • Lecture on the intersection of math and music; 4 pm & 7 pm

  • Free (registration required)

  • National Museum of Mathematics

  • 11 E 26th St (Flatiron District, Manhattan)

• Tuesday, January 23: Frontiers Lecture: The Parker Solar Probe

  • Astrophysics talk about active NASA mission; 7 pm

  • $20

  • Hayden Planetarium Space Theater, American Museum of Natural History

  • 200 Central Park W (Upper West Side, Manhattan)

• Wednesday, January 10: Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China’s Forbidden City

  • Book talk on World War II-era Chinese history; 6–8:30 pm

  • Free

  • China Institute

  • 40 Rector St, 2nd floor (Financial District, Manhattan)

Artist rendition of Parker Solar Probe. Photo credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

Resolution: Improve Health and Well-being

I sing praises of NYC, but there is no denying some of its challenges. The tight spaces are filled with all of humanity, and humanity is not perfect. Fortunately, this city is also filled with gyms, parks, and places to walk and feel centered.

• Friday, January 5–Friday, January 26: Adult Fun Night at Ferox Ninja Park

  • Open play for people 21+ only at ninja training facility; 7 pm; every Friday

  • $28

  • Ferox Ninja Park

  • 72 Noble St (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)

• Sunday, January 7: NYCRuns Frozen Penguin Half Marathon & 5K

  • 5K and half marathon running race; 8 am (5K), 9 am (half marathon), 6:30 am event begins

  • $55 (5K) or $100 (half marathon)

  • Central Park

  • Starts on West Drive & 89th St (5K course map) or West Drive & 94th St (half marathon course map) (West Central Park, Manhattan)

• Thursday, January 18: Shiny Things and Bitter Fruits: The Buddha’s Teachings on Fantasy, Craving, and Renunciation in the Udānavarga

  • Workshop on Buddhist teachings about desire and craving; 6–8 pm

  • $25

  • Tibet House US

  • 22 W 15th St (Gramercy Park, Manhattan)

• Sunday, January 21: Intro to Tibetan Meditation

  • Tibetan-style meditation for physical and mental well-being; 11 am–12 pm

  • Free

  • Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art

  • 338 Lighthouse Ave (Lighthouse Hill, Staten Island)

Resolution: Try Something New

This city has a lot, but it’s still easy to find yourself in a rut. Part of what I strive to solve on each month’s Blankman List is the problem of finding something to do when the options are overwhelming. This can be the year to leave your comfort zone a little—whatever that means for you.

• Tuesday, January 2–Tuesday, January 30: Improv Drop-In: Tuesdays

  • Drop-in improv comedy class for all levels; 1:30–3:30 pm; every Tuesday

  • $25

  • The PIT

  • 154 W 29th St (Chelsea, Manhattan)

• Tuesday, January 16 onward: NYC Restaurant Week

  • Prix-fixe meals at hundreds of restaurants

  • Specific deal depends on restaurant; typically there are special menus for $30 two-course lunches and/or $60 three-course dinners

  • Hundreds of meals across all five boroughs

  • List of restaurants and menus available on Jan 9

• Wednesday, January 17: A Middle Eastern Pantry: Essential Ingredients for Classic and Contemporary Recipes

  • Book talk on Middle Eastern spices; 7 pm

  • $30 (includes book)

  • The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center

  • 10 E 66th St (Lenox Hill, Manhattan)

• Thursday, January 25: Duo: Miles Okazako and Dan Weiss

  • Experimental jazz and drums music; 8:30 pm; part of Miles Okazaki residency Jan 25–28

  • $20

  • The Stone

  • 55 W 13th St (Union Square, Manhattan)

Experimental jazz guitarist Miles Okazaki and drummer Dan Weiss. Photo credit: Miles Okazaki

Resolution: Volunteer

From picking up someone else’s trash to feeding those in need, this city affords a lot of ways to leave the world a little better than you found it. For what it’s worth, I truly do care deeply about literacy and education access and have volunteered for the Brooklyn Book Bodega several times myself.

• Tuesday, January 2–Wednesday, January 31: Brooklyn Book Bodega Onsite Volunteering

  • Volunteer work towards helping all children have access to books; slots at 10 am–1 pm and 2–5 pm; various dates throughout the year

  • Free (registration required)

  • Brooklyn Navy Yard

  • 141 Flushing Ave (Wallabout, Brooklyn)

• Friday, January 5: Queensbridge Mobile Market

  • Set up and distribute free, fresh produce; 8:30 am–12 pm

  • Free (registration required)

  • Basketball courts directly behind the Jacob A. Riis Settlement House

  • 10-25 41st Ave (Long Island City, Queens)

• Saturday, January 6–Saturday, January 27: The Community of Hope: A Place to Serve

  • Provide a hot meal and community to those in need; 9 am–12 pm; every Saturday

  • Free (registration required)

  • Manhattan Church of Christ

  • 40 E 80th St (Upper East Side, Manhattan)

• Thursday, January 18–Friday, January 19: Greenbelt Native Plant Center Seed Cleaning Workshop

  • Hands-on seed cleaning tour and workshop; 9 am–12 pm

  • Free (registration required)

  • Greenbelt Native Plant Center

  • 3808 Victory Blvd (Freshkills Park, Staten Island)

Resolution: Read More

While I’m on the subject of literacy. . . . I’m a believer in read everything. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, graphic novels, art books, textbooks, cookbooks, everything. This is a resolution I’ve made for myself in years past, and for what it’s worth: public readings, book clubs, book talks, author panels, all of it counts, at least in my view.

• Monday, January 8: Olivie Blake: The Atlas Complex Midnight Release Party

  • Midnight fantasy book release party and special reading; 11 pm–12 am (10:30 pm doors)

  • $36 (includes book)

  • The Strand Book Store

  • 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room (Union Square, Manhattan)

• Thursday, January 11: The Glitter and Concrete Show: A Night of Drag History and Performance

  • History of NYC drag-themed book readings and talk with live performances; 7–8:30 pm

  • Free (registration required)

  • Center for Brooklyn History

  • 128 Pierrepont St (Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn)

• Thursday, January 25: Paula Delgado-Kling Discusses Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood

  • Colombian drug wars-themed book discussion and signing; 6:30 pm

  • Free entry (seating is first come, first served)

  • Barnes & Noble Tribeca

  • 97 Warren St (Tribeca, Manhattan)

• Tuesday, January 30: Voices from Raised By Wolves: Fifty Poets on Fifty Poems

  • Poetry book talk and reading; 7:30 pm

  • Free

  • The National Arts Club

  • 15 Gramercy Park S (Gramercy Park, Manhattan)