Seniors
| 12 May 2026 | 01:10
The stacks at New York Society Library, including Cervantes. (
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A teddy bear on the steps of Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, 28 E. 20th St. (
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Arthur Szyk, “Washington and his Soldiers” (
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A senior fitness class at Marlene Meyerson JCC. (
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Marlene Meyerson JCC
344 Amsterdam Ave.
646-505-4444
There’s always something happening at the Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center (JCC)–so much so it’s almost overwhelming. Worry not, however, for in those jam-packed calendar grids are a plenitude of programs for everyone from seniors to their adorable grandchildren and / or great-grandchildren. The base of senior operations at the JCC is The Weschler Center for Modern Aging. Although the center hadn’t printed its summer–fall program guide at press time, some highlights from this past spring include the Rooftop Herb + Vegetable Garden Club; Drama Club; movie discussion groups on Film Noir and Melodrama (think director Douglas Sirk); various writing workshops; and Health and computer tech-related classes. But wait, there’s more! There’s birdwatching, museum trips, all manner of exercise classes from yoga to pilates to walking—even tap dance! As for Mah Johngg, of course, there’s mah johngg! (Do you ever have to ask?)
New York Society Library
53 E. 79th St.
212-288-6900
Taking nothing away from the noble mission and devoted workers the New York Public Library system—East Siders and everyone else must check out the Book Cellar at the Webster Branch, a fund raising used bookstore in the library’s basement—there are all sorts of reasons the private New York Society Library (NYSL) merits bibliophile attention. Among the many benefits NYSL offers are a stunning, comfortable setting including a (grand)children’s library, bountiful open stacks, recommended books lists, Books By Mail, interlibrary loan, lockers, research assistance from trained reference librarians—the veritable works! In addition to their wide range of regular programming for readers there’s also this U.S. Sesquicentennial Special: a conversation between historian Ted Widmer, author of “The Living Declaration: A Biography of America’s Founding Text,” and New York Times columnist, Jamelle Bouie. This event will be held in person and online on June 24, and is open to the public.
Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Pl.
646-437-4202
It’s almost like flipping a coin: Museum of Jewish Heritage (MJH) or the Jewish Museum at 5th Avenue and East 92nd Street? Both make for fine summer visits, with their respective neighbors, Battery Park and Central Park, showing off their vernal abundance. No one should miss the Paul Klee: Other Possible Worlds exhibit at the Jewish Museum. The MJH (A Living Memorial to the Holocaust) gets the nod for United States semiquincentennial-friendly timing of “Art of Freedom: The Life & Work of Arthur Szyk,” the brilliant book illustrator and artist, runs through thru July 26. For those unfamiliar with his work, the show will be revelatory. Born in Łódź, Poland in 1894, Szyk grew up there and in 1937, he moved to England and in 1940, he emigrated to the United States. “Throughout this journey,” the MJH offers,” he never ceased to confront the assaults on Jewish identity and human freedom of his time. At the core of his work lies a steadfast belief in the power of visual expression to confront atrocity, mobilize righteousness, and promote freedom in all its forms (religious, national, cultural, and political), not just for Jews but for all humanity.”
Alright West Siders, this is the big one, the season our friends at the Riverside Park Conservancy go all in for between the Locomotive Lawn at 61st Street and the Little Red Lighthouse just under the George Washington Bridge. That’s a lot of ground to cover but whether your preference is to stay local or use the events calendar to explore different longitudes there’s always something going on, and often many things! For instance: Star Gaze Saturdays, hosted by the Amateur Astronomers Association, one day a month 8-11 p.m. May through September at Pier I at 70th Street. On Sundays May through September, there’s Tai Chi at Soldiers & Sailors Monument at 89th Street and on Wednesday evenings through September “Yoga – Evening Salute to the Sun” on the Plaza at 66th Street. Up at Grant’s Tomb Plaza, the renowed Dances for a Variable Population offers creative movement classes for adults of all abilities, with a focus on seniors, at 11 a.m. Wednesdays from June 3 to August 26. As for cultural offerings, which abound, dig the the weekly jazz Sunday shows at Ralph Ellison Memorial at 150th Street and the Hudson Classical Theater Company’s performances on the north patio of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. This year’s shows include “Uncle Vanya,” “Hamlet,” and “The Dancing Men.”
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
28 E. 20th St.
212-260-1616
If there was anything good or even sensical about the federal government shutdown of 2025, it was highlighting the National Parks Service (NPS) often overlooked presence in Manhattan. Alas, save Castle Clinton In Battery Park, where one buys tickets for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferries, almost everything else was closed—goodbye African Burial Ground National Monument downtown, goodbye Hamilton Grange uptown and goodbye Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace at 28 E. 20th St in between. Visiting the “TR” birthplace isn’t a full day trip but that’s partly the point in that this outwardly unremarkble four-story brownstone townhouse enables one to step into the quotidian past and come out with a heightened appreciation of Roosevelt’s lasting legacy. For more on this, read Edmund Morris’ magisterial “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt” and Richard Zack’s “Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt’s Doomed Quest to Clean up Sin-Loving New York,” the latter about TR’s 1895-1897 tenure as Police Commissioner. Bully!