Happy New Year! Welcome the New Year on New Year’s eve in Times Square, in Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, or in Central Park near 72^nd St. with free entertainment and fireworks.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - the third Monday in January!

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

We celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday on the third Monday in January each year. It is a national holiday. The Reverend Dr. King, Jr. was a black Civil Rights* leader and African-American minister. He called for the end of racial discrimination in the United States that treated black Americans like second-class citizens. He always advocated using non-violent means to bring about social change by leading civil* protests against discrimination.

Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865 after a bitter Civil War between the Northern and Southern States. The Civil War ended slavery but not racial discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jr. thought of a free society as an integrated one in which all people had equal access to public places, to the vote, and to quality education, housing, and jobs.

Until the 1960s in the American South, black Americans were forced to sit in the back of public buses and to use “Negro” only restrooms and water fountains. They attended segregated schools. In 1956, Dr. King organized a 382-day boycott [a refusal to buy, sell, use, etc.] of public buses in Montgomery, Alabama. The boycott set the stage for a US Supreme Court decision declaring that segregation of blacks and whites on buses was unconstitutional. In 1964, the US Congress passed the Civil Rights Act guaranteeing equal rights in housing, public facilities, voting, and public schools.

Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize that year. Four years later, he was assassinated while leading a workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2008, 40 years after his death, Americans elected a black American president of the United States.

___

*As used above, civil means “of a citizen or citizens” or “a community of citizens.” Civil rights refer to those rights guaranteed to the individual by the US Constitution and by Acts of Congress. They include the right to vote, exemption from involuntary servitude (slavery), and the right to equal treatment under the law. Civil can also refer to polite behavior. Explain the important relationship between : civil, civic, civilian, civility, & civilization.

King’s Philosophy and Practice of Non-Violence

Dr. King practiced non-violent protest to bring about social change. He believed that: “Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiples toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.” A powerful orator [speaker], on August 28, 1963, he delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech before more than 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The words under his picture above are from that speech. It ends:

“Let freedom ring . . . . Let freedom ring . . . . From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Hear King’s delivery of that speech and read the text by searching online for “I have a dream.”

I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes (d. 1967)

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes . . . .

Tomorrow.

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

FREE Things to Do in NYC in January

The American Folk Art Museum

Fridays, 5:30-7:30pm. Free admission and live music at the American Folk Art Museum

45 W. 53^rd St. a short walk from the Institute or B/D/F/V to 47/50 St. Rockefeller Center.

Museum of the American Indian

Excellent Exhibits and shows, Museum of the American Indian ,One Bowling Green in the US Customs House. Daily 10-5pm near northeast corner of Battery Park. 4/5 trains to Bowling Green, N/R to Whitehall, 1 to South Ferry.

Museum of the Moving Image

Museum of the Moving Image (video, TV, movies, etc.)in Long Island City. Check website http://www.movingimage.us/ for free admission dates and travel directions.

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology to 5pm, closed Sun. and Mon., 7^th Avenue at 27^th Street, Manhattan

The Jewish Museum

Free Saturdays 11am-5pm at the Jewish Museum. 1109 5^th Ave. at 92^nd St. 4,5,6 trains to 86^th and Lexington and walk west.

The Brooklyn Museum

Check their website for special Free admission days at the Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn Museum First Saturday, take the 2 or 3 trains to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum right outside Museum entrance.

Brooklyn Academy of Music - BAMCafe

Brooklyn Academy of Music BAMCafe 30 Lafayette St., see school Bulletin Board or website for other free Friday and Saturday night music and directions.

New York Public Library - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

New York Public Library Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Amsterdam Ave. near 65^th St, 1 to Broadway and W. 66^th St., A,B,C,D to Columbus Circle and transfer to the 1 or walk north to West 65^th Street

Symphony Space

Student Club Tip: arrive early for seats! Musicians and others celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, 1/2/3 to 96^th Street

Lincoln Center Rubenstein Atrium

Celebrate with jazz and comedy greats. Lincoln Center Rubenstein Atrium, Broadway at 62/63rd Street. Always a special treat. Be sure to check the website for schedule changes and special offers. http://lc.lincolncenter.org/visitor-guide/visitor-center

New York City Department of Health

Flu Shots and Other Vaccinations

NYC Department of Health has at least one free walk-in immunization clinic in each borough. With the start of winter, it is important to get your flu shot. Check the school bulletin boards or DOH website for up-to-date information.

Ice-Skating

Skate indoors or out. Bring your own skates or rent. See Institute Bulletin Boards for information about outdoor and indoor ice rinks, including the free one near the school in Bryant Park in back of the NY Public Library between 5^th/6^th Ave. & 41^st/42^nd St.

Student Club Tips

Free and Low-cost Health Clubs

Do you know that you can join a very inexpensive gym and health club at one of the NYC Department of Parks Recreation Centers for $50-$75 a year? There are several in every borough.

Or attend free concerts at NYC’s world famous music schools?

Or visit NYC museums with free or pay what you wish admissions at certain times.

Check out the bulletin boards in the Student Room or outside the Founder’s Room (Room 13) for updates, announcements and other useful information.

Find back issues of the Student Club Newsletters with lots of other information about NYC’s neighborhoods and FREE things to do at www.sai.2000.org.

February

Presidents’ Day

Presidents’ Day celebrates the birthdays of two great American Presidents, George Washington (left) and Abraham Lincoln (right).

George Washington

About George Washington

The 1^st President of the USA, Washington led the 13 American colonies during the Revolutionary War in their fight for independence from Britain [England]. He refused to accept the title of King from the grateful former American colonies. Elected first in 1789 and again in 1792, he refused a third term, saying that a longer rule would give one man too much power.

Washington helped shape a form of government new in human history through the writing of the US Constitution and the idea of an elected president. The Constitution provides for a representative government characterized by checks and balances among three branches of government—the Executive branch (President), the Legislative branch (Congress), and the Judicial branch (judges and courts).

About Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln, the 16^th President, served from 1861-1864. He was re-elected but assassinated in 1865. Lincoln led the United States through the Civil War, often called the War Between the States. The more agricultural Southern states wanted to keep slavery. The more industrial Northern states and Lincoln wanted to abolish [do away with] slavery. The Civil War started when the Southern states seceded [left the Union, left the United States to establish their own government].

In 1862, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves. On the bloody battlefield of Gettysburg that year, he gave the following short but powerful Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

Fourscore and seven [87] years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety [correct behavior] do. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate [to set aside as holy or sacred], we cannot hallow [to make sacred], this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here.

It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth [emphasis added].

Valentine’s Day, February 14

Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving flowers, candy, and cards to those they love. No one really knows the origins of Valentine’s Day. It is often associated with Cupid. In Roman myth, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love. In Greek legend, he is a naughty boy who shoots both gods and humans through the heart with arrows, making them fall in love (usually against their will).

Museum of the Chinese in America (MOCA).

FREE Thursdays, 11am-9pm. 215 Centre St. between. Howard and Grand one block north of Canal St. N,R,Q,J,6 trains to Canal Street

February is Black History Month

In February, the nation recognizes the extraordinary contributions made by African-Americans to this country’s history, culture, and development.

The New York Opera Society

frequently has a FREE concert sometimes at the World Financial Center (WFC) Winter Garden. Check their website @ http://www.newyorkoperasociety.com/default.aspx or Institute bulletin boards for directions

Museum of the Moving Image

Dedicated to the art, history, technique, and technology of the moving image in all its forms—film, TV, optical art, etc. in a stunning new renovated space. Free admission Fridays, 4-8pm. 35 Avenue at 37 St., Astoria, Queens. Check website or Institute bulletin boards for directions.

February in New York—For Free

Check the Spanish-American Institute Student Club Bulletin Boards in the Student Room and hallway next to the Special Events Center for more information about free or low-cost events, activities, and places like museums, concerts, vaccinations, skating, gyms, etc.

Brooklyn Museum Target First Saturdays ,

Saturdays in February, usually 5-11pm. Free art, music, dancing, entertainment, etc. First Saturday of most months. 2,3 trains to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum at Museum entrance.

Julliard Jazz Ensembles

Free tickets in advance at Julliard Box Office or try standby. 155 W. 65^th St. 1 to 66^th. 1,A,B,C,D to Columbus Circle 59^{th St.}

Museum of the City of New York

Free with pay what you wish admissions. 5^th Ave. @103^rd St., 6 train to 103^rd and walk west.

Chinese New Year Parade, Fireworks, and Festival

Usually 11:30-4 pm. Parade starts at Mott and Hester Streets and winds its way through every Chinatown street. View the famous Lion and Dragon dancers, acrobats, martial artists, and other entertainers. (See Chinatown map below.)

Mannes College of Music

Usually Fridays or Thursdays at 8pm. Pick up free tickets starting 6pm, 150 W. 85^th. C to 86^th and Central Park West or 1 to 86^th at Broadway.

Chinatown

A Bit of the Far East on Manhattan’s Far East Side : Explore Chinatown in one of the oldest, most unique, and lively NYC neighborhoods. Manhattan’s Chinatown is the largest in the Western Hemisphere, home to thousands of Chinese-Americans and recently arrived Chinese immigrants.

A good place to start is south of Canal St. (runs east to west on map, above) at Mott Street and Canal (about lower middle of the map). You will pass Chinese shops, restaurants, and the Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America pictured above. N,R,Q,W,J,M,Z,6 trains to Canal Street.

March

March roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb (a baby sheep)--an old English saying. Spring starts March 20.

Daylight Saving Time (DST)

When we change our clocks

Most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time.

Daylight Saving Time (Image licensed from the Microsoft Office Clip Art Gallery.) Spring forward, Fall behind! DST begins a Sunday in March at 2am. Before you go to sleep on Saturday set your clocks ahead one hour. DST moves an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening to save energy. Enjoy an extra hour of daylight until Fall when we move clocks back an hour.

New York City: A City of Immigrants

lepr2 New York City is truly a city of immigrants. Did you know that NYC has over 180 different culture groups speaking 116 or more different languages? The Urban League, an African-American group, has a saying: “We all came over in different ships but now we are all in the same boat.” St. Patrick’s Day celebrates not only the Irish presence in America but also that of the many immigrant groups who have contributed to this country’s history.

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)

St. Patrick’s Day originated with the immigrant Irish who came to the USA in large numbers from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. The Irish came to escape famine (starvation from lack of food), poverty, and British oppression (unfair or cruel treatment) in Ireland.

According to legend, St. Patrick (d. 461) drove all the poisonous snakes out of Ireland. Irish opponents of the British often wore green in tribute to their saint, St. Patrick. The shamrock, a green cloverleaf, became a national symbol.

In attempting to stamp out resistance, the British forbid the Irish from wearing green. This is the origin of the expression, the Wearing of the Green. Many New Yorkers wear something green on St. Paddy’s Day—green clothes, green flowers, or green hats. Many also say that: “Everyone’s at least a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.”

The Wearin’ O’ The Green (excerpt)

Oh! Paddy dear, and did you hear the news that’s going round,

The Shamrock is forbid by law to grow on

Irish ground.

No more St. Patrick’s Day we’ll keep, his colors can’t be seen,

For there’s a cruel law against the wearing of the Green.

I met with Napper Tandy*, and he took me by the hand

And he said ‘How’s poor old Ireland and how does she stand?’

She’s the most distressful country that ever yet was seen,

For they’re hangin’ men an’ women for the wearing of the Green.

*Napper Tandy was an Irish revolutionary hero (d. 1803).

The Shamrock, An Irish Symbol of Good Luck

Some believe that a shamrock with four petals or a four-leafed clover represents good luck. What are some symbols of good and bad luck in your culture? Do you believe in luck?

More than 250 St. Patrick’s Day Parades

The Parade marches up 5^th Ave. from 44^th-86^th St. Irish groups march at the head of the Parade followed by different Irish clans (social groups, tribal divisions) in their colorful plaids (cloth pattern of crossed lines and squares—each clan has a plaid pattern of its own). Bands, Irish musicians, and other marchers reflect Irish culture and honor immigrant contribution to the United States. Over 150,000 people march each year in NYC.

March is Women’s History Month

The theme of Women’s History Month varies from year to year and from country to country. Look for books in the Spanish-American Institute Library that celebrate women’s accomplishments and potential.

March in New York—For Free:

So much to see and do in New York City--a lot of it for free. Check out the Spanish-American Institute Student Club Bulletin Boards for more information about free or low cost museums, concerts, immunizations, skating, gyms, etc. Write to clubnews@sai.2000.org with suggestions or comments.

Museum of the Moving Image

Museum of the Chinese in America (MOCA).

FREE Thursdays, 11am-9pm. 215 Centre St. between. Howard and Grand one block north of Canal St. N,R,Q,J,6 trains to Canal St.

First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum

5-11pm. themes include tributes in music, dance, film, and art to the past and present culture of the Native American Indian. Enjoy free art, music, dancing, entertainment, etc. 2,3 trains to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum at Museum entrance.

El Museo del Barrio ,

Wednesday weekly after-work check their site for changes and fiesta with live music, 6-9pm, 1250 5^th Ave. at 104^th St. #6 train to 103^rd and walk east to 5^th Ave.

Manhattan School of Music

Live Jazz at Jazz Café, 7:30-10:00pm, Broadway and 122^nd. St. M4 or M104 bus; #1 to 116^th St. and walk north on Broadway to 122^nd St.

Museum at FIT

(Fashion Institute of Technology). Daily except Sun. to 5pm. 7^th Ave. @27^th St. Walk from the Spanish-American Institute or take 1,C,E,F,V,N,R trains to 23^rd or 28^th St. stops.

Japan Society

333 East. 47^th Street. near 1^st Ave. 4,5,6,7,S to Grand Central and walk east.

Julliard School of Music

Free tickets at the Box Office starting 2/24 or arrive early for standby. W. 65^th St. between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave. #1 train to 66^th St. or A,B,C,D,E,1 to 59^th. St./Columbus Circle and walk north.

Lincoln Center Rubenstein Atrium.

Always a special treat at 8:30 pm., music in one of NYC’s newest public spaces. Broadway between 62^nd and 63^rd. 1 train to 66^th St., 1,A,B,C,D to Columbus Circle and 59^th St.

Ever Wonder Why "The Big Apple"

Why is NYC sometimes called the Big Apple? In the 1920s, a NYC reporter supposedly heard New Orleans racetrack workers refer to the City as the “Big Apple.” Soon after, jazz musicians began to use the term to refer to NYC and Harlem as the jazz capital of the world. The jazz musicians of the 1930s and ‘40s put the phrase “The Big Apple” into more or less general circulation.

April

Easter

Easter is One of Many Spring Celebrations

Throughout history, people have celebrated Spring as a time of renewal and rebirth. For example, Christians observe Easter to celebrate the death and rebirth of Christ. However, they also follow some of the old customs of pagan (pre-Christian) Europe.

In ancient Europe, eggs symbolized new life and rabbits fertility (reproduction). Eggs and bunnies (baby rabbits) continue to play an important role in Western non-religious Easter celebrations. American children often color hard-boiled eggs for Easter, a custom that probably arrived with German and Dutch immigrants. The most famous Easter Parade in the USA is in NYC.

(Easter doesn't always fall in April, so before you start your Easter Egg hunting, you can get the exact date from the professionals @ http://www.wheniseastersunday.com/. Happy Hunting!)

Bryant Park

Bryant Park is nestled in a canyon of skyscrapers in back of the New York Public Library between 5^th-6^th Ave. and 41^st-42^nd Sts. The Park is an oasis of calm--a place to meet, eat lunch, chat, listen to music, play chess, lie on the grass, or sit at small tables under old leafy trees. Or people-watch from the front terrace of the Library on 5^th Ave.

Go West! Explore Our Other Neighborhood

The Spanish-American Institute is between two distinct areas. One is the super-busy, impersonal business and tourist area of Times Square and Midtown West. The other is Hell’s Kitchen, now called Clinton. Clinton falls roughly between 8^th Ave. and the Hudson River and between 40^th and 59^th Streets. Turn right when leaving the school and Map cross 8th Avenue. Walk the blocks between 8th and 10th Avenues to explore a real neighborhood with small shops, restaurants, bakeries, galleries, schools, parks, and homes where people live (and tourists seldom go).

Clinton has been home to many different populations. The Irish and German were

succeeded by Italians, Greeks, Eastern Europeans, Puerto Ricans, Peruvians, and Ecuadorians, among others. Today’s neighborhood is more gentrified [process by which a poor area changes to one with people who have more money]. Its historic diversity is still reflected in many local businesses, especially restaurants like those on “Restaurant Row” on West 46^th St.

Some of our favorite spots include:

West African Grocery,

535 Ninth Ave. near 40^th Street. Hot peppers, cassava, couscous, thick peanut butter, etc.

International Grocery,

543 Ninth Ave. near 40^th St. Greek cheeses and pastries, spices of all kinds, and olives, olives, olives.

Cupcake Café

545 Ninth Ave. between 40/41st St. Wonderful coffee, home made doughnuts, muffins, cakes, and, of course, cupcakes.

Pizza for 99 cents, no kidding.

NW corner of 41^st and 9^th Ave.

Midtown Comics

200 W. 40^th St. near 7^th Ave. Famous old comic books and recent editions in print and on DVD.

Empire Coffee & Tea

568 9^th Ave. near 42^nd St. A nice alternative to that “other” coffee place. A huge selection of coffees and teas from all over the world to drink or buy.

New York Times Building Lobby and Garden

enter on W. 41^st between 7^th/8^th Ave. and enjoy a public street-level glass enclosed garden of moss and birch trees open to the sky.

New York Public Libraries Near the Institute

If you live, work, or study in New York City, you are entitled to a free public library card. Brooklyn and Queens have their own public library systems. However, their library cards can also be used in the New York Public Libraries.

Grand Central Branch

135 E. 46^th between. Lexington and Third Ave. New, lots of public computers, laptop stations, and comfortable seating. Browse, study, get a library card, or borrow books.

Columbus Branch,

742 Tenth Ave. near 50^th St. A newly renovated real neighborhood library!

Science, Business, Industry Research Library

5^th Ave.@34th St. For specialized research in the library and for personal job searching services.

Humanities and Social Science Research Library

5^th Ave@40^th-42^nd St. The one with the two famous Lions in front named Patience and Fortitude. For serious graduate level research in the Library only, not for studying or borrowing books

Enjoy New York City in Spring Walking From the Spanish-American Institute: This month we emphasize FREE activities, events, and locations mainly within walking distance of the Spanish-American Institute. Explore and enjoy!

Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival, New York City

New York City will hold its famous Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival on Easter Sunday each year. The parade usually marches up 5^th Ave. between 49^th and 57^th St. from 10am to 4pm. Participants often wear beautiful Spring clothes and, of course, colorful Easter bonnets (hats), often decorated with incredible floral displays or live animals. Also expect to see live rabbits, flowers, clowns, and more.

Student club Tip: Look for First Fridays and First Saturdays

Many NYC museums have First Fridays or First Saturday programs with free admission and entertainment. See listings on the School Bulletin Boards and selected museums below.

Concerts at Julliard, Mannes, Manhattan School of Music, and more

See school Bulletin Boards outside the Special Events Center and in the Student Lounge (Room 4b) for free concerts.

April in NYC-- for FREE

Brooklyn Museum First Saturday,

Usually 5-11pm. Free art, live music, and dancing 2, 3 trains to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum at Museum entrance.

Museum at FIT

(Fashion Institute of Technology). Explore aspects of fashion. Daily except Sun. to 5pm. 7^th Ave. @27^th St. Walk from the Spanish-American Institute or take 1,C,E,F,V,N,R trains to 23^rd or 28^th St.

National Museum of the American Indian,

Usually from 7- Thunderbird Indian Dancers and Singers 10pm, join them in an evening of traditional social dancing. One Bowling Green in the US Customs House across from Battery Park. 4/5 trains to Bowling Green, N/R to Whitehall, 1 to So. Ferry. Be sure to check their website for changes in schedule and special offers http://nmai.si.edu/home/.

Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated around the world on April 22. Some cities start celebrating a week in advance, ending the recognition of Earth Week on April 22nd. Others host month long events to stress the importance of teaching about our environment.

The United Nations celebrates Earth Day each year on the March equinox, which is often March 20, a tradition which was founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1969.

For Earth Day, Grand Central Station, E. 42^nd St. will illuminate the Main Concourse with environmentally themed images. A short walk from the Spanish-American Institute, it is worth going to see the interior of the Station itself—a recently restored 19^th C. tribute to the great age of the railroads in the USA

Sony Wonder Technology Lab,

4 floors of interactive technology and entertainment. To 5pm, closed Mon. 550 Madison Ave. at 56^th St.

Onassis Cultural Center

Ancient and modern Greek art. Tuesday through Saturday to 5pm. 654 5th Ave., suite 304, Olympic Towers Building, enter on 51^st or 52^nd St. between. 5^th and Madison Aves. Enjoy exhibits such as The Road to Mistra, a site-specific work in neon by Stephen Antonakos.

Japan Society

Many admission-free Fridays 6-9. The exhibit has special unintended significance in light of recent natural and man-made disasters in Japan. 333 E. 47^th St. near 1^st Ave. 4,5,6,7,S to Grand Central and walk east. Be sure to check their website http://www.japansociety.org/gallery for changes and special offers

Student Club Tip: "English through the Arts" Request for Proposals

You can submit your proposals for Student and Alumni Shows to Room One. The Institute invites students, alumni, and faculty to exhibit or perform in the Special Events Center as part of its "English through the Arts" Series. If you would like to be considered for future exhibits or programs, please submit your proposal to Room One.

May

“April showers bring forth May flowers.” In April, New York City usually has enough rain and cool weather to help the City bloom with “May flowers.” New York City starts to become an outdoor city in May with lots of free activities.

Free May Events

Brooklyn Museum First Saturday,

5-11pm. Free art, music, dancing, etc. 2, 3 trains to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum at Museum entrance.

Swing a Ring Day.

Saturday, 1-4 pm—inside Riverside Park @ W. 105th St. Learn to swing on gym rings, the only set of traveling rings outside of California. Free ring swinging lessons, sand sculpting workshop, live music, refreshments, etc. 1 train to 103 St., walk west to the lower level of Riverside Park @105th. Check the Institute Student Club Bulletin Boards and their website http://www.swingaring.com for details.

Wednesday Night Rollerblading.

Meet at 7:45 pm at the south end of Union Square at E. 14^th St. Join other skaters on a different 2 hour, 12 mile skate each week through NYC streets. More info. at http://www.weskateny.org

Dance Parade and DanceFest .

Watch for this perennial favorite on a Saturday in late May . Parade usually starts at 1pm at W. 28th St. between 6^th Ave. and Broadway, proceeds to Union Square to University Place, then east on St. Marks Place to Tompkins Square Park for a DanceFest with performances and live DJs. from 3-7pm. Confirm details on their website http://www.danceparade.org

Get Ready to—Kayak!

Starts weekends, in mid- May. A kayak is a small canoe completely covered except for the opening(s) for one or two paddlers.

Dance Parade Kayak for free on the Hudson River thanks to the Downtown Boathouse. The Boathouse provides all equipment completely free at three locations. You will learn to paddle in a safe area on the water.

Boathouse locations are: Pier 40 at the Western end of Houston St. on the Hudson River side of the West Side Highway (1 train to Houston, A/C/E to Canal St.); Pier 96 at 56^th St. in the Clinton Cove Park on the Westside Highway and 56^th St. (1/A/C/E to Columbus Circle and walk west to West Side Highway); and Riverside Park at 72^nd St.—cross West End Avenue and take the 72^nd St. stairs into the Park, then follow the walkway to the Hudson River, walk north towards the 79^th St. Marina until you come to the Boathouse. 1/2/3 trains to 72^nd St.

Drums Along the Hudson :

A Native American Festival. usually on a Sunday in late May from 11-6pm. World dance and drumming, Native American crafts, and international food. Inwood Park, 1 train to 215^th St./A to 207^th. Enter Park at 215^th St. west of Broadway. Check their website to confirm details: http://www.drumsalongthehudson.org

Julliard Concerts

Fridays, usually around 7:30pm or 8 pm. Among the last free concerts at Julliard until September. 155 W. 65^th St. 1 to 66^th St., 1/A/B/C/B to Columbus Circle and 59^th St. and walk north on Broadway to W. 65^th St.

Fleet Week

starts just before Memorial Day. Navy sailors from all over the world will visit NYC, including Times Square.

Governor’s Island

reopens to the public very late May Check school Bulletin Boards for free events and ferry schedule.

Washington Square Outdoor Art Show .

Last weekend of May & first weekend of June. Over 200 artists exhibit around Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. A,B,C,D,F to West 4^th St and walk east to 5^th Ave., 6 to Astor Place and walk west to 5^th Ave.

More Than Just Classrooms at the Spanish-American Institute

· Get a hot or cold beverage or snack in the Bookstore.

· Check out more free events on the Bulletin Boards updated weekly.

· View Spanish-American Institute student art exhibits in the halls.

· Read back issues of newspapers and magazines in the Institute Library, Student Room, and Special Events Center.

· Use the iMAC computers in the Library.

· Play the grand piano and other instruments in the Special Events Center

· relax in the classic Adirondack chairs, or

· read and study at tables.

May Day , May 1st:

May Day, the 1^st of May, is celebrated around the world. Although associated with the early history of the American labor movement, it is not an official holiday in the USA. In many other countries though, it celebrates workers. Americans honor workers on Labor Day, the first Monday in September.

Mother’s Day,

Most cultures also honor their mothers on special days. Mother’s Day may have emerged from ancient festivals dedicated to mother goddesses. In the United States, people now celebrate Mother’s Day by giving their mothers flowers, cards, and/or gifts. (Fathers will have their day too this year inn June )

Memorial Day, at the end of May

: In the United States, Memorial Day is an official holiday honoring those who died for this country in war. It is often celebrated with parades and cemetery visits to honor and remember servicemen and women (people who served in the military).

The first Memorial Day in 1865 marked the end of the bloody Civil War between the Northern and Southern states. The following poems were written after World War I (WWI), a terrible war lasting from 1914-1918. The fighting took place primarily between the Allies (the US, Britain, France, Russia, etc.) and the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary). It sometimes included parts of their colonial “empires” and areas of interest elsewhere in the world. Almost 10 million soldiers and 7 million civilians died from combat and disease. At the time, it was known as the “war to end all wars.” Sadly, it was not.

Grass, by Carl Sandburg (1918)

PILE the bodies high at Austerliz* and Waterloo*

Shovel them under and let me work—

I am the grass; I cover all.

Pile them high at Gettysburg*

And pile them high at Ypres* and Verdun*.

Shovel them under and let me work.

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:

What place is this?

Where are we now?

I am the grass. Let me work.

*Battlefields with terrible numbers of deaths--Austerlitz and Waterloo from the early 19^th Century Napoleonic Wars, Gettysburg from the American mid-19^th Century Civil War, and Ypres and Verdun from the 20^th Century World War I.

In Flanders Field, by John McCrae (d. 1918)

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks* still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders* fields . . . .

We shall not sleep, though poppies* grow.

In Flanders fields.

*”Larks” are a kind of songbird. “Flanders” is the general name for parts of Northern Europe that today belong to France, Belgium, and Holland. Flanders contained some of the bloodiest battlefields of World War I. “Poppies” are the red flower that the author observed growing among the battlefield dead.

June

NYC in June for Free

June-September. River to River Festival

100s of free events in Lower Manhattan (see right).

Music on the Piers and Nearby:

Tuesdays, 6:30pm, starts second week of June. Bach to Bebop (jazz). Enjoy the sunset and music on grassy Pier 45. 1 to Christopher St. and walk west to River.

Fridays, 7pm The mellow sounds of guitar, Pier 45.

. Bryant Park Fountain Terrace

Wednesdays, 6 pm, starts very early June Music in back of the New York Public Library, 42^nd-44^th St. between. 5^th/6^thAvenues

Rubin Museum of Art

Fridays 7-10pm, Free Fridays at the , NYC’s museum of Himalayan art. 150 W. 17^th St. between. 6^th/7^th Ave., # 1 to 18^th St., 1,2,3 to 14^th St.

Brooklyn Museum First Saturday.

First Saturday in June, 5-11pm. Free art, music, dancing, entertainment, etc. 2,3 trains to Brooklyn Museum/Eastern Parkway right at museum entrance. .

Washington Square Outdoor Art Show

Saturday and -Sunday early June . Over 200 artists exhibit around Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. A,B,C,D,F to West 4^th St and walk east to 5^th Ave., 6 to Astor Place and walk west to 5^th Ave

Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk

Firs weekend in June - Saturday and -Sunday 1-6pm. . Tour open studios, gallery shows, art projects, and special events on Brooklyn’s Atlantic Ave. featuring over 200 artists. 2,3,4,5,B,Q to Atlantic Ave/BAM Station or Court St./Borough Hall; N,R,M,D to Pacific St./BAM Station, etc., and walk along Atlantic Ave.

.Museum Mile Festival

Watch for Tuesday in mid-June, 6-9pm. Walk the mile on 5^th Ave. from 82^nd to 105^th St. and visit 9 of NYC’s finest museums for free. Plus music, street performers, art activities, etc. 4,5,6, to 86^th. 6 to 96^th, 103^rd or 110^th Sts.

Mermaid Parade ,

Saturday in mid-June, 2pm. Coney Island. One of NYC’s great summer events. Opens the Coney Island beach swimming season. Parade starts at Surf Ave. and 21^st St. D,F,Q to Coney Island

Governor’s Island

Sundays in mid-June , 11-5pm. Make Music NY’s Punk Island, performances all day. See free ferry schedule to the Island below.

Bang on a Can Marathon

Sunday in mid-June, 11 a.m. . until Monday midnight. , 12-hours of genre-defying music from around the corner and around the globe. Winter Garden on the Hudson River in Battery Park inside the World Financial Center between. Liberty and Vesey St. 1,2,3,A,or C trains to Chambers St. Walk west, cross West St., walk south to the WFC. 2,3 to Park Place, walk west, cross West Street using the South Bridge beside the World Trade Center site.

Seaport Music Festival,

Friday in late June, 7 pm. on launches at Pier 17, East River.

National Museum of the American Indian .

Saturday in late June, 12-3pm. Honor Mother Earth with the music and dance of the Native American Nation. See directions to the Museum below.

Celebrate Brooklyn

Celebrate Brooklyn! Saturday in late June, 7:30pm. Prospect Park West and 9^th St.. Full schedule concerts on their website: http://www.bricartsmedia.org/performing-arts/celebrate-brooklyn/. B,F,Q to 7^th Ave. and walk 1 or 2 blocks to Park’s 9^th St. entrance. 2,3 to 7^th Ave. and walk 13 blocks to 9^th St.

New York City Opera

Tuesdays late June, 7pm, : World Financial Center Winter Garden

Outdoor Group Skates:

helmets and wrist guards required, flashing red lights recommended.

Tuesday Night Skate, 11 miles over Manhattan, schedule & directions at www.empireskate.org/groups.

Wednesday Night Rollerblading, 2-hr., 12 mile route, www.weskateny.org.

Thursday Evening Skate Central Park Skate Patrol, 5-6 mile loop of Central Park with rest stops, www.skatepatrol.org/tes.

Downtown New York (Lower Manhattan),

where NYC began over 400 years ago. In the summer, Lower Manhattan is the setting for free music and other events, from the East River to the Hudson River, from New York Harbor to Wall St., Battery Park, or the South St. Seaport. Explore and enjoy!

River to River (R2R) Festival.

Hundreds of free indoor and outdoor events downtown all summer, from the East River to the Hudson River. See map and listings on school bulletin boards. Many take place in Battery Park along the Hudson River or inside the World Financial Center’s (WFC) Winter Garden and Courtyard at the north end of Battery Park. Sit in the Winter Garden among the indoor palm trees. Enjoy the food court, exhibits, music, and beautiful views of the Hudson. Or take a summer stroll outside through the 34 acres of Battery Park along the Hudson River. One Bowling Green, near northeast corner of Battery Park. 4/5 trains to Bowling Green, N/R to Whitehall, 1 to South Ferry. 1/2/3 trains to Chamber St.

Kayaking on the Hudson .

Weekends to mid-October, 10-5 pm. and some weekday evenings. Kayak for free thanks to the New York City Downtown Boathouse. The Boathouse provides all equipment free at three locations on the Hudson River.

You will learn to paddle in a safe enclosure on the water. You must know how to swim. Wear light clothing. The three Boathouse locations are:

q Pier 40--at the Western end of Houston St. on the Hudson River side of the West Side Highway (1 train to Houston, A/C/E to Canal St.);

q Pier 96--at 56th St. in the Clinton Cove Park at the West Side Highway and 56th St. (1/A/C/E to Columbus Circle and walk west to West Side Highway);

q Riverside Park at 72nd St.—cross West End Avenue and take the 72nd St. stairs down into the Park, follow the walkway to the Hudson River, then walk north towards the 79th St. Marina until you come to the Boathouse. (1/2/3 trains to 72nd. St.) More information on Bulletin Boards.

July 4 Independence Day and the Statue of Liberty.

See the Statue of Liberty from Battery City Park. Pass close to her on the Staten Island Ferry. The 305 foot tall statue was a gift from the people of France to the USA to celebrate French-American friendship during the American Revolution.

The broken chains at the Statue’s feet depict escape from tyranny [government by a cruel ruler with complete control]. The seven spikes in her crown symbolize the world’s seven seas and seven continents. The torch in her right hand represents liberty. The tablet in her left hand reads “July 4, 1776,” the date the 13 American colonies declared independence from British rule to eventually become the United States of America.

Today, people from other countries usually arrive in NYC by plane. However, from the 1800s to the mid-1900s, most immigrants arrived by ship at Ellis Island in New York Harbor. One of their first views of America was the Statue.

Museum of the American Indian

While downtown, visit the free National Museum of the American Indian, open daily from 10 am-5 pm. in the US Customs House, one of the most beautiful buildings in Manhattan. One Bowling Green, near northeast corner of Battery Park. 4/5 trains to Bowling Green, N/R to Whitehall, 1 to South Ferry.

Staten Island Ferry

Stroll from Battery Park to the Staten Island Ferry and ride free 24 hours a day. The trip takes 30 minutes each way. Sit outside and enjoy the cool ocean breezes and views of the Manhattan skyline, Governor’s Island, and the Statue of Liberty. (1 to S. Ferry. Ferry pier at Whitehall and Water Streets on southeast corner of Lower Manhattan.)

July

July 4, Independence Day

July 4 is Independence Day, America’s birthday. On July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain (England). The following is an excerpt (selection) from the colonies’ Declaration of Independence. Its words reflect the founding principles of a new country to be called the United States of America.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, …. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable (natural) Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Macy's Fireworks!

July 4 at 9 pm. Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks On the Waterfront Celebrate America’s birthday. View the nation’s biggest explosion of birthday lights on the River from 24^th to 59^th St. Some of the best viewing spots: South of 42^nd St. by the Circle Line Pier, Pier 54 (access from 14^th St., and Pier 84 (access from 44^th St.). All other Piers and Battery Park are usually closed.

River to River (R2R) Festival Continues

Hundreds of free indoor and outdoor events all summer downtown between the Hudson River and the East River—River to River (R2R). See map below and event listings on school Bulletin Boards.

Many events take place in Battery Park along the Hudson River or inside the World Financial Center’s (WFC) Winter Garden and Courtyard at the north end of Battery Park.

Make a day of it downtown, “where NYC started.”! Visit the free National Museum of the American Indian.

Staten Island Ferry

Ride the free Staten Island and/or Governors Island ferries.

Governors Island

Visit Governors Island (bikes allowed on ferry).

Battery Park City

Walk through Battery Park’s 34 acres along the Hudson River. Attend one or more free concerts as part of the River to River Festival and/or the Seaport Concerts.

July in New York for Free

Celebrate July in NYC by enjoying these free activities. Check school bulletin boards for more information about these events and many, many other free activities.

Movies a short walk from the Institute.

Monday nights, Bryant Park in back of the New York Public Library, 40^th-42^nd Streets between 5^th/6^th Aves.

Friday nights Intrepid Battleship

Pier 86 at the end of W. 46^th St. and the Hudson River. (See websites or school bulletin boards for programs).

Washington Square Music Festival

Tuesdays, 8pm., Washington Square Music Festival, Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village. Opera and chamber music (7/12&7/19) and jazz (on 8/2). A,C,D,E,F to W. 4^th and walk east.

Seaport Music Festival

Fridays, 7pm, Seaport Music Festival Concerts, Pier 17 on East River. . See directions for Beach Party, above.

Sundays, 3pm, Beach Party Indie Rock Concerts at Beekman Beer Garden’s 200-ton sandy beach. 89 South St near the Seaport, on East River at Fulton and South Sts. 2,3,4,J,Z,M to Fulton, A,C to Broadway Nassau, and walk east to East River.

Sundays, 6:30pm. Moondance music and dancing with live bands on Pier 54 at 14^th St. A,C,E,L to W. 14^th St.

Other Free Music Series

See school Bulletin Board schedules and directions for other free music series such as:

Gone to Governors (weekends on Governors Island Water Beach)

Waterside Plaza Music Under the Stars (Wednesdays.);

Bryant Park Fountain Terrace in back of the New York Public Library (Wednesdays, 6pm);

Stars of Tomorrow, Tues. 6:30 pm, Pier 45 at Christopher St.;

Sunset on the Hudson, Fridays, 7pm, Pier 45;

Acoustic Sundays, 7pm Riverside Park’s Pier 1 at 70^th St.,

Celebrate Brooklyn (various dates, Prospect Park),

SummerStage (various dates in NYC Parks), Brooklyn’s MLK and Seaside Concerts (dates TBA),

Lincoln Center Out of Doors (starts July 27), and more.

Weekends, Free Kayaking on the Hudson

(see school bulletin boards for more information.)

Brooklyn Museum First Saturday .

Bastille Day Celebrate America’s birthday weekend with live music, dancing, film, and art. Take the 2 or 3 Train to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum.

Bastille Day Fair

Celebrate France’s 1789 Revolution. 60th Street between 5th & Lexington Aves. Enjoy French cuisine, music, games, art and much more.

July 14, 4-8pm, Duffy/Times Square, 46^th and Broadway, artists exhibit and perform their impressions of Times Square as a town or city square, the social center of community life.

6pm doors open. Post-rock and avant-pop on Pier 54, 14^th St. and Hudson River. A,C,E,L to W. 14^th St.

Saturdays in July, Go Fly a Kite!

11am, Governor’s Island. Free kites provided visitors. Free ferry to the Island from Maritime Building next to the Staten Island Ferry.

Stay Cool At The Pool or Beach

The New York City Parks Department has over 50 FREE outdoor summer swimming pools, some Olympic size. The Parks Department also supervises more than 13 miles of public beaches with lifeguards like Coney Island and Brighton Beach. Two are surfing beaches. See school Bulletin Boards for pool sizes and directions.

Coney Island, Brooklyn

Coney Island is sometimes called the poor man’s paradise. An hour by subway from midtown Manhattan, Coney has an amusement park and a large beach with sun, sand, and surf. The beach is wide and groomed regularly with clean renovated bathhouses. Swim, ride the Cyclone, eat a hotdog, or walk the 3 miles of Boardwalk to Brighton Beach. B/D/N/F to Stillwell (last stop).

August

August in New York for Free: Walk from the Spanish-American Institute: Walk to these FREE events from the Spanish-American Institute

Wednesday Night Music

7-8 pm, Fountain Terrace in Bryant Park in back of the New York Public Library, free rock, salsa, jazz, etc. Between 42^nd/44^th Sts. & 5^th/6^th Aves.

Pier 84, Hudson River at 44^th St.

The largest public pier on the Hudson with something for everyone—a lawn with trees, an interactive fountain, bike rentals, restaurant, etc.

Friday Free Movies on the Intrepid Battleship

7:30 door opens, starts at sunset, Pier 86 at Hudson River and 46^th St.

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

fashion exhibits , to 8pm weekdays, to 5pm Sun. 7^th Ave. at 27^th St., walk or take 1, A,D to 23^rd St.

Austrian Cultural Forum

Exhibits of emerging artists, , Mon-Sun., 11 E. 52^nd St., daily to 6pm.

More FREE August Activities

Enjoy these other free activities. Check school bulletin boards or click onto links for more information about these and other free activities.

Weekends, Free Kayaking on the Hudson River.

Governors’ Island .

Free ferry leaves every hour on the island until 3pm from the Battery Park Maritime Building next to the Staten Island Ferry.

Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors ,

various events within the Lincoln Center complex, to mid-August

Studio Museum of Harlem

Sundays, 12noon-5pm. Free admission to the , 144 W. 125^th St. between. Lenox Ave. (Malcolm X Blvd.) and 7^th Ave. (Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.), any train to 125^th St.

Wingate Field Concerts, Brooklyn

Monday Nights, 7:30pm, 2 or 5 to Winthrop St., walk 2 blocks east on Brooklyn Ave. between. Rutland and Winthrop opposite the Hospital.

on Pier 45, one of Hudson River Park’s most beautiful piers

Tuesdays, 6:30pm, jazz and classical music from NYC music school students, the “stars of tomorrow,” . 1 to Christopher St. and walk west to the River.

Free Seaside Summer Concerts

Thursdays, 7:30pm, to mid August, in Coney Island next to Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium. D to Stillwell/Coney Island. Q/F to West 8^th/NY Aquarium.

. Battery Park City Sunset Jam on the Hudson

Fridays, 6:30 pm. Sunset drumming led by a master drummer. Borrow drums, bells, shakers, and sticks or bring your own. Afterwards, walk the esplanade along the Hudson River at the 34 acre Battery Park. Wagner Park, just northwest of Battery Park.

Sunset on the Hudson

Fridays, 7pm., ends mid-August. . Enjoy the gorgeous sunset and mellow sounds of NYC’s acclaimed Guitar Man David Ippolito on the spectacular grass covered pier stretching 900 feet into the Hudson River. Pier 45 @Christopher St. 1 train to Christopher and walk west.

. Moondance

Sundays very late July to early August, 6:30 pm, swing, tango, salsa—free dance lessons at 6:30, live bands at 7:30. Pier 54 at W. 14^th St. A,C,E,L to 14^th and walk west to Hudson River

Beach Party Concerts

Sundays, 3pm, at Beekman Beer Garden’s 200-ton sandy beach. 89 South St near the Seaport, on East River at Fulton and South Sts. 2,3,4,J,Z,M to Fulton, A,C to Broadway Nassau, and walk east to East River.

. Brooklyn Museum of Art First Saturday. Saturday, Aug. 6, 5-11pm Live music, dancing, film, and , of course, art. 2/3 to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum

Thursday, Aug. 11, 6pm door opens, River Rocks Concert, Deer Tick, Pier 54, Hudson River at 14^th St., A,C,E,L to 14^th St.

Flushing Meadow Park

Saturday and Sunday Concerts mid-August, 10am-4pm, 7 train to Mets-Willets Point, transfer to Special Events Gus; E,F,R to Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Ave. and transfer to 7 train and then to the Special Events Bus.

Lincoln Center Out of Doors

Saturday, mid-August, 6pm & Sunday 5pm Annual Roots of American Music Festival, Damrosch Park Bandshell, Lincoln Center, 1 to 66^th St. or A,B,C,D to Columbus Circle/59^th St. and walk north on Broadway to W. 63^rd. St.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Saturday, mid- August, 3pm, Brooklyn Kite Festival, free materials and instructions while supplies last. , a new and growing park on the Brooklyn side of the East River with great views of lower Manhattan and the New York Harbor. A/C to High Street. 2/3 to Clark Street. F to York Street. Walk down Jay Street 1 block toward the waterfront. The B25 bus stops at Fulton Ferry landing.

Sunday, August, 2-9pm, Blues BBQ, Pier 54,

Hudson River Parks the best blues bands in the country join with the best NYC BBQ restaurants.

Stay Cool At The Pool or Beach.

Enjoy New York City Parks Department’s 51 FREE outdoor summer swimming pools, some Olympic size. The Parks Department also has over 13 miles of public beaches like Coney Island and Brighton Beach.

sports, swimming clip art See the school Bulletin Boards for names, addresses, and sizes of outdoor swimming pools and directions to City and other pools and beaches. Or for pools, go to: http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/pools and for beaches to: http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches

Student Club Bike Tours

Weather permitting, the Bike Club can cycles most Saturdays. Use one of the Institute’s bikes and helmets or bring your own. Ask in Room One if you want to be a Captain and form a group

Spanish-American Institute Student Club on the Net:

· Join Facebook and learn more about Spanish-American Institute Student Club activities at:

· www.facebook.com/SpanishAmericanInstitute or

· www.facebook.com/StudentClub or

· http://www.facebook.com/AcademicDean or

· www.YouTube.com/StudentClub or

· https://picasaweb.google.com/104461886118484106047

September

Autumn

(also known as Fall in North America) begins in September . The Eastern United States is famous for the brilliant color of Fall foliage [the leaves of a plant]. Many leaves turn beautiful colors before dropping from trees. Enjoy the end of NYC’s free Summer outdoor activities and the beginning of many Fall indoor free events.

Labor Day

is a national holiday always celebrated the first Monday in September. Unlike most other holidays, it honors ordinary working people instead of historic figures or events. By the late 19^th Century, the United States had changed from an mainly agricultural [farming] economy to more of an industrial [production] economy. Skilled craftsmen and factory workers began to organize for better working conditions. They started to demand an 8-hour workday, secure jobs, and a future in their trades or jobs. Labor Day may have begun in September 1882 when workers held the first Labor Day parade in New York City. 20,000 workers marched down Broadway to Union Square. They carried banners that read “Labor Creates All Wealth” and “Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest, and Eight Hours for Recreation!”

Today, many American communities celebrate Labor Day with parades such as the one down Fifth Ave. in Manhattan or the West Indian Carnival Parade in Brooklyn (see free events). Labor Day also marks the unofficial end of summer. For school children, it usually means the end of summer vacation. People go to beaches, have picnics, and enjoy the outdoors during the last long weekend until Columbus Day in October.

Some Unusual Occupations.

Rich Man, Poor Man

is a “nursery rhyme," a short rhymed poem for children. Some nursery rhymes are centuries old. Can you tell that this is an American one?

Rich man

Poor man

Beggar man

Thief

Doctor

Lawyer

Indian Chief.

The Acrobats

by Shel Silverstein is an amusing portrait of an unusual job. Why does the poet ask the man not to sneeze?

Trapeze I’ll swing

By my ankles,

She’ll cling to your knees

As you hang by your nose

From a high-up

Trapeze.

But just one thing, please,

As we float through the breeze—

Don’t sneeze.

Free Flu Shots and Other Vaccinations.

NYC Department of Health has at least one free walk-in immunization clinic in each borough offering free vaccines for adults, including hepatitis, MMR, pneumococcal, and HPV vaccines. Free flu shots will begin soon. See Institute Bulletin Boards for the latest information.

Back Issues of the Student Club Newsletter

Back issues are available online at the school homepage: http://www.sai2000.org. Each issue features something special about an American holiday or about NYC—a neighborhood, a cultural center, an activity, etc. Want to know more about Hell’s Kitchen/Clinton—the Spanish-American Institute’s “other” neighborhood (April, 2011)? Free ice-skating (November, 2011)? The Statue of Liberty (June, 2011)? The Student Bike Club (August, 2011)? Send suggestions and comments to: clubnews@sai2000.org

School Bulletin Boards.

The Spanish-American Institute posts up-to-date information about free activities on School Bulletin Boards inside the Student Room and outside the Special Events Center. Find out about more free concerts, ice-skating, swimming pools, kayaking, museums, recreation centers, flu shots, etc.

Some Free NYC Events

International Center of Photography

Walk from the Institute to the , 43^rd and 6^th Ave., pay-as-you-wish Fridays, 5-8pm

The Museum of Art and Design,

59^th St. and 8^th Ave. (Columbus Circle) pay-as-you wish Thursdays or Fridays, 6-9pm.

Julliard , Manhattan and Mannes

Free Concerts! NYC’s three world-famous conservatories (schools) of music and performing arts resume their free public concerts in September. Julliard Jazz Quintet on Monday at 8pm in Julliard’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater. See the school bulletin boards for the latest information and other free performances.

Metropolitan Opera Outdoors , 7:15 p.m. or later, Lincoln Center. Live in HD of this past season’s actual performances of Carmen, Lucia, Boris Godonov, Don Carlo, La Fanciulla del West.

Governor’s Island Closes at the end of September

Rent a bike or bring your own on the ferry and enjoy new bike routes around the Island. Enjoy the Art Fair on September weekends exhibiting over 150 artists. Much else to do—walk, picnic, nap on the grass, visit historic buildings, and enjoy the views. Free ferry leaves every hour on the island until 3pm from the Battery Park Maritime Building next to the Staten Island Ferry (see map on school bulletin boards).

Free Weekend Kayaking on the Hudson River.

See School Bulletin Boards for information about other locations. Will end in mid-October. .

Free at El Museo del barrio

Wednesdays, 6-9 pm, a fiesta with live DJ, Latin music, dancing, and other activities.

Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit

Juried shows of over 200 artists from all over the world, noon to 6pm. A/B/C/D/E/V to W. 4^th St and walk east, N/R/W to 8^th St. and walk west

West Indian Carnival Parade

Monday (Labor Day), 11am on, the largest and most colorful parade in the USA. Rochester & Eastern Parkway to Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn.

Riverside Park Annual County Fair

mid-September, Sunday 1-6pm, . Celebrate the change of seasons with free carnival rides and games, music, square dancing, sideshow performers, a petting zoo, a greenmarket, and more! W. 59^th St.-W.79^th St. on the Hudson River.

Wagner Park at Battery City Parks

Concert late September Sunday, noon-6pm, Harmony on the Hudson, . Bring a picnic and blanket and enjoy a lineup of free music and activities. 4/5 to Bowling Green, 1 to Rector and walk to Hudson River just north of Staten Island ferry landing.

October

In October, NYC moves indoors again with many free concerts, exhibits, and performances.

Celebrate Halloween on October 31,

an unofficial holiday enjoyed by children and adults alike. Halloween reflects ancient customs and religious traditions brought to the Americas by European settlers. These customs and rituals probably included burning plants and sacrificing animals to the dead during the harvest season. Some cultures still celebrate it as the Day of the Dead. Such older pagan [heathen; not part of a major religion] customs and traditions later merged with the Roman Catholic celebration of All Hallows Eve. [To “hallow” something is to sanctify it or make it sacred.]

Halloween’s ghosts, witches, bats, black cats, skeletons, evil creatures, and bloody sacrifices reflect ancient associations with the dead and with the Fall harvest. While mainly a children’s celebration in the United States, lots of adults like to participate too, like those who will join or observe the famous Village Halloween Parade.

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Village Halloween Parade

starting at 7 pm. You are invited to the nation’s most creative public participatory event, the Village Halloween Parade. Join or watch, live or on TV! 100s of puppets, 53 bands, dancers, artists, and thousands of other New Yorkers in costumes of their own creation.

Those in costume line-up to parade on 6^th Ave., South of Spring St. or North of Canal St. between 6:30-8:30 pm. Watch live on 6^th Ave. from Spring St. to 16th St., or from 7:30-10 pm on WPIX Channel 11 or from 8-9:30 pm on NY1 TV. C/E train to Spring St.; A/C/E to Canal and walk uptown on 6^th Ave. to Spring St.; N/R/W or 4/5/6 to Canal and walk west to 6^th and then uptown to Spring. etc.

Other Halloween Events:

Check Institute Bulletin Boards.

October by Maurice Sendak

*Host—the person who invited others to his or her home, party, etc. Witches—someone with magic powers, especially to do bad things. Goblins—in children’s stories, small ugly creatures who trick people. Ghost—the spirit of a dead person that some think they can see. The poem is an example of a “nonsense” rhyme, a silly poem that makes just enough sense to be understood.

In October

I'll be host*

to witches*, goblins*,

and a ghost*

I'll serve them

chicken soup

on toast.

Whoopy once

whoopy twice

whoopy chicken soup with rice.

FREE Jazz Concerts.

Like Jazz? Check the school bulletin boards for free jazz and other concerts. Sit in on the Julliard

Jazz Ensemble’s October concert at the world famous Julliard School of Music. Listen to jazz by candlelight at Café Jazz at the Manhattan School of Music almost every week.

Other Free Music

Check Institute bulletin boards for other free music: For example:

Brooklyn Academy of Music BAMCafe (Saturdays., 9pm),

Lincoln Center Rubenstein Atrium ,

Carnegie Hall Neighborhood concerts, among others.

Hudson River Outdoors:

Until mid-October, enjoy free weekend Kayaking on the Hudson at three locations. See school bulletin boards for more information and directions. Enjoy Hudson River Park’s many Piers. We recommend Pier 84 at the end of W. 44^th St., a short walk from the Spanish-American Institute with its lawns, shaded areas, lounges, sports, food service, dog run, etc.

Ice-Skating Season Begins!

New York City has many free and inexpensive ice-skating rinks. The FREE Pond at Bryant Park behind the New York Public Library opens late October . Bring your own skates or rent (around $13). 42^nd/44^th St between. 5^th/6^th Ave.

Columbus Day

Columbus Day, a national holiday, celebrates Christopher Columbus’ first landing in the “New World” in 1492. Columbus was trying to find a new route to the “Indies” by sailing west from Spain. (At that time, Europeans often referred to all of Asia as the “Indies.”) Asian countries were the European source of precious spices, gold, silk and other rare goods. Columbus landed instead in a previously unknown part of the world later called the “Americas.” This began a new era of world history and a New World.

October in NYC For Free

Free Museum Admissions and Free Concerts

Check school bulletin boards for museums that are free certain times or all the time and for free concerts at NYC’s three world-famous music schools—

Julliard, Manhattan, and

Mannes.

Onassis Cultural Center for ancient and contemporary Greek art at the in the Olympic Tower at 646 5^th Ave. (enter on 51^st and 52^nd Sts. between. Madison and 5^th Aves.), 10am-3pm, a short walk from the Institute.

Flu Shots and Other Vaccinations

NYC Department of Health has at least one free walk-in immunization clinic in each borough. Get a free flu shot or other vaccination. Check the school bulletin boards or DOH website for up-to-date information.

Jewish Museum

many free Saturday shows and exhibits, 5^th Ave. at 92^nd St.

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

Daphne Guinness MFIT . Tuesday to Friday to 8pm, Saturdays 10-5. Walk from the Institute to 7^th Av. at 27^th Street

Brooklyn Museum First Saturday,

5-11 pm. Free live music, dance, films, galleries, performances, etc. 2 or 3 to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum.

Cathedral of St. John the Divine Feast of St. Francis.

Visit NYC’s largest cathedral during this joyous celebration and procession blessing of all animals, great and small, at the indoor service at 11 am. Attend the outdoors Fair from 1-4pm. Passes (tickets) information required for indoor service at (212) 316-7490. 112^th St. and Amsterdam Ave. 1 train to 110^th St. and Broadway or C train to 110^th and Central Park West and walk west to Amsterdam Ave

BAMCafe Late-Night Dance Party,

Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette St. 2,3,4,5,B,Q to Atlantic Ave., D,M,N,R to Pacific, C to Lafayette, G to Fulton.

Screamin’Green Halloween,

World Financial Center (WFC) Winter Garden. Any train to lower Manhattan. Click on link for more specific directions.

National Museum of the American Indian

October. 29, Day of the Dead, 12-5pm. Includes dance performances by the Cetilizti Nauhcampa Native Americans. One Bowling Green in the US Customs House, 1 to South Ferry, 4/5 to Bowling Green, or R/W to Whitehall.

November

Thanksgiving

We celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November. This will be the most heavily traveled day of the year. Most Americans try to make it home to “give thanks” with family and friends

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. The first Thanksgiving was a 1621 feast shared by English colonists called Pilgrims and native Indians. The English Pilgrims had come to the New World in search of religious freedom.

Only 121 colonists survived the two-month ocean voyage to the New World and 41 of the 121 perished the first winter of cold, starvation, and disease. The English had arrived in late fall of 1620 with little knowledge of farming, hunting, or other survival skills. Native American Indians helped them stay alive by teaching them to plant corns, squashes like pumpkins, and other native plants for harvesting in the fall and storing for the winter months.

The English colonists of “New England” gave thanks for their first harvest in the New World.

Today, US Americans typically celebrate Thanksgiving with foods from that first harvest such as turkey, pumpkin (as pie), and cranberries (as sauce).

Thanksgiving Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty)

The “cornucopia” or “horn of plenty” is a frequent image often filled with food and flowers that symbolize [represent, stand for, portray] abundance [plenty of something].

The “Holiday” Season

refers to the “holiday” period starting around Thanksgiving and continuing through Christmas and New Years.

November Calendar—Some FREE NYC Events

Museum of Modern Art MOMA

Free Museum Fridays, 4-8;

Bronx Museum of Art

all day;

Guggenheim

pay what your wish 5:45-7:45pm

Morgan Library

7-9pm

Asia Society

6-9 p.m.

American Folk Art Museum

5:30-7:30 p.m.

Rubin Museum of Art

7-9 p.m. See School Bulletin Boards for directions and websites for more free museum schedules.

Café Jazz

Free intimate student jazz evenings at the Manhattan School of Music, 7:30 or 8pm, check schedule at.: www.msmnyc.edu.

FREE, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

to 5pm except closed Sunday. and Monday., 7^th Ave. at 27^th Street in Manhattan

Sundays at The Studio Museum in Harlem

Brooklyn Museum First Saturday

Saturday 5-10pm, , Enjoy a free evening of music, dancing, performances, art, etc. 2/3 trains to Eastern Pkwy./Brooklyn Museum.

Mannes School of Music

November, From 8pm, Concert 150 W. 85^th St, between. Columbus and Amsterdam Ave. C or 1 train to 86^th St.

Julliard Jazz Ensembles

Tuesday in November 8pm , Peter Jay Sharp Theater 155 W. 65^th St. Free tickets required available beginning 11/1 or take chances on standby. Julliard School Box Office. See information about other free Julliard performances on school bulletin board. 1 train to 66^th St. or A,B,C,D to 59^th St./Columbus Circle and walk north.

El Museo del Barrio

November Saturday 4-5pm, Super Sabado!/Super Saturday

Lincoln Center Rubenstein Atrium

Thursday in late November, 8:30pm, Concert at Broadway between. 62^th/63^th St., See Bulletin Boards for other free events. A,C,D,1,2,3, trains to 59^th St./Columbus Circle or 1 to 66^th St.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Macys Thanksgiving Parade For over 85 years the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has begun at 9 am on Thanksgiving Thursday. The parade travels down Central Park West from the Museum of Natural History (77^th St.) to Columbus Circle (59^th St. at Broadway) and then down Broadway to Macy’s at 34^th St. People of all ages line the parade route from 77^th St. down to 34^th St.

For best viewing, many people arrive at Central Park West near 77^th St. before 6:30 am the morning of the parade. There is plenty to see before the parade starts, even at 6:30 am. Clowns and marching bands practice their routines. Parade floats [large vehicles decorated to be part of a parade] take their places. Workers inflate enormous balloons, the parade’s most famous attraction.

The balloons are in the shape of popular cartoon and storybook characters. It takes about 1200 people to handle the giant balloons, each of which can weigh more than 500 pounds. You can see the balloons being blown up the day before the parade on Wednesday before Thanksgiving Thursday from 3-10 pm near the Museum of Natural History just off Central Park West between 77^th and 81^st St.

Bring warm clothes and a warm drink as it can be quite cold. The parade lasts from 1½ to 3 hours, depending on where you stand. The closer to Macy’s, the longer it takes. Or stay home and watch it on NBC-TV starting at 9 am, as people do all over the country.

Thanksgiving Day Parade

(excerpts, by Jack Prelutsky)

Thanksgiving Day is here today,

the great parade is under way,

and though it’s drizzling [gently raining] quite a bit,

I’m sure I’ll see all of it.

Great Balloons are floating by,

cartoon creatures stories high,

Mickey Mouse and Mother Goose,

Snoopy and a mammoth moose [the largest animal in the deer family]. . . .

It’s pouring now, but not on me,

I’m just as dry as I can be,

I watch and watch, but don’t get wet.

I’m watching on our TV set.

Stay Healthy This Flu Season.

Get vaccinated!
Cover your cough!
Wash your hands
frequently!
Don’t get to close to
people who are sick!
If you are sick, avoid close contact with others!

Flu Shots and Other Vaccinations.

NYC Department of Health (DOH) has at least one free walk-in immunization clinic in each borough. Get a free flu shot or other vaccination. Check the school bulletin boards or DOH website for up-to-date information.

2 a.m. Daylight Saving Time Starts on a Sunday in Early November

Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins on a Sunday in November, at 2 am. Remember to turn your clocks back one hour before you go to sleep on Saturday night. DST moves an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening, thereby “saving” an hour of daylight. Next Spring, we will change clocks forward and move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Remember the expression, “Spring ahead, Fall behind.” You can find the exact date this year at: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/timezone.html?n=179 .

Ice-Skating

Skate indoors or out. Bring your own skates or rent. See Institute Bulletin Boards for latest information

December

December in NYC For Free

Grand Central Holiday Light Show.

Walk over after class and admire the magnificent architecture of this famous train station and the holiday Sky Ceiling laser light show. Every half hour on the hour and on the half hour. [42^nd & Park Ave.]

New York Public Library—Lions and Skating.

Stroll from the Institute to the New York Public Library between 41^st and 42^nd Sts. on 5^th Ave. Admire Patience and Fortitude, the two famous stone lions wearing their holiday wreaths. Look at or join the ice skaters at the free Pond ice rink in Bryant Park in back.

Rockefeller Center Tree Holiday Decorations. Continue along 5^th Ave. from 59^th St. to 39^th St. to view holiday decorations, including the holiday tree at Rockefeller Center and department store windows. Or walk to Macy’s for their world famous holiday windows at 34^th St. and 6^th Ave.

Rockefeller Center.

The world’s most famous holiday tree will be on display until early January. Enjoy watching the skaters in the skating rink below. [5^th Ave. & 48^th St.]

Museum of Natural History Origami Tree and Holiday Barasaurs. The Origami Tree and 19 foot Holiday Dinosaurs greet visitors of the American Museum of Natural History. Pay-as-you wish admissions. [Central Park West between 79^th/81^st, C train to 81^st, 1 train to 79^th and Broadway]

Peace Tree.

Visit the non-denominational [non-religious] tree decorated with 1,000 Paper Cranes (large birds) at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. [Amsterdam Ave. & 110^th St., 1 train to 110^th & Broadway]

South St. Seaport--Music at the Chorus Tree Weekends.

45 min. St. Cecilia Chorus performances Fridays at 6&7pm and Saturdays/Sundays at 3&4pm at the Seaport’s famous outdoor Chorus Tree. [Fulton St. between South and Water Sts. 2,3,4,5,J,Z, or M to Fulton. A,C to Broadway-Nassau. E to Fulton St. Then walk East to the East River on Fulton St.]

November / December 6pm. The Nutcracker

performed by New York Theatre Ballet, in the Winter Garden inside the World Financial Center (WFC) Winter Garden decorated with 100,000 holiday lights. The WFC is on the Hudson River in Battery Park. [You must cross West St. to get to the WFC. Take any train to lower Manhattan at or near World Trade Center, walk west, and cross West St. See map on School Bulletin Boards.]

Brooklyn Museum First Saturday,

Early December Saturday 5-11pm celebrates with free music, dance, performances, etc. [2/3 trains to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum].

National Museum of the American Indian

First December Saturday & Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Native American performances of Native American market music at the [One Bowling Green across from Battery Park in US Custom House, 1 to S. Ferry, 4/5 to Bowling Green, or R/W to Whitehall.]

December 18 11-5pm Mexican Traditional Holiday Celebration.

Crafts, music, pinatas, food and performance of Posadas y Pastorela, a traditional play. Pay-as-you- wish museum admission. Museum of the City of NY [5th Ave. @ 103^rd St., 6 train to 103^rd St. or 2/3 trains to 110^th St.]

The Snowman

American children (and quite a few grownups) like to build snowmen and other figures out of snow.

I am a snowman cold and white

I stand so still all through the night

I have a carrot nose way up high

And a lump of coal to make each eye.

I have a muffler[scarf] colored red

And a tall black hat upon my head.

New Year's Eve

Americans celebrate New Year’s Eve the night of December 31, often at parties with family and friends. At midnight, people see out the old year and greet the new one, sometimes by ringing bells, blowing horns, or watching outdoor fireworks

Times Square at Midnight

To many New Yorkers, the 11,845 pound crystal Ball dropping at Times Square at midnight signals the start of the New Year. Huge crowds line Broadway from 43^rd-50^th Sts. and 7^th Ave. as far north as 59^th St. At 6pm on Dec. 31, the Ball will be lit and raised to the top of the 77” flagpole at One Times Square. At 11:59pm, it will make its 60-second descent to signal the start of the New Year. Viewing spots will be taken on a 1^st come 1^st serve basis. Police will close the blocks as they fill up with spectators. Dress warmly and protect your valuables. Or watch at home on TV.

Winter Holidays of Light and Hope

December 22 begins the Winter Solstice. This is the first day of Winter and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Good news! Each day after the 22nd will get a few seconds longer until Spring begins.

Ancient peoples in cold climates like Northern Europe feared Winter’s shortage of food and long days without sunlight when the sun seemed to disappear. They often developed ceremonies and rituals to “bring back” the sun. Today’s holidays at this time of year continue to “bring back” the sun by celebrating with light and greenery (e.g., lighted trees and candles at Chanukah or Kwanza).

Santa Claus Legend.

Northern Europeans who settled North America also brought with them the story of St. Nicholas. Originally, he was the patron saint of sailors as well as of children. Stories about St. Nicholas included the bringing of simple presents to children. By the late 19^th Century, the story of St. Nicholas was transformed into that of Santa Claus. By now, he has changed completely from a religious figure to that of a chubby little man with a jolly smile in a red suit who flies from the North Pole in a sleigh [a vehicle pulled to travel over the snow]. The sleigh is pulled by reindeer who help him to deliver toys and gifts all over the world on Christmas eve. (Or so some like to believe.)

Free Skating at Bryant Park

The public skates free at The Pond at Bryant Park

behind the New York Public Library, between 40^th/42^nd St. & 5^th/6^th Ave. Rent skates for $10 or bring your own. Free lockers with your lock. [See School Bulletin Boards for hours and other places to ice skate in NYC.]

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

and

BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR

from the

Student Club

Spanish-American Institute

FACULTY and STAFF