Good morning on this gleaming Thursday.
There are few better times to learn about American history than the Fourth of July.
So here’s a lesson for you: the Minutemen of Massachusetts and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall are most often associated with winning independence, but most of the Revolutionary War’s battles were fought in the New York area.
(Yes, we know most of those battles were lost… moving on).
New York City is where Washington began the Revolution, and where it ended when the British officially left Manhattan on Nov. 25, 1783.
It was celebrated as Evacuation Day — arguably a more fitting marker of independence than the Fourth of July.
And, as Abraham Lincoln once said, “Few of the States among the old Thirteen had more of the battle-fields of the country within their limits than old New-Jersey.”
Take that, Massachusetts.
New York Today won’t be published tomorrow, in observance of the holiday. But here are lots of ways to rejoice in our region’s historical glory this weekend:
• Colonial and Revolution-era history are on display at Staten Island’s Historic Richmond Town. Noon. [$8]
• Or, find out more about the world of both colonists and Native Americans at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn. 1 p.m. [Free]
• “Sparking The Revolution: ‘No Taxation Without Representation,’ ” an exhibition with rare documents from the era of the Revolution, including some of Benjamin Franklin’s papers, is at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building until July 13. [Free]
• A pop-up exhibit about the American Revolution, sponsored by the New-York Historical Society, on Governor’s Island. [Free, plus the cost of the ferry] …
• … And an exact replica of the Hermione, the ship the Marquis de Lafayette sailed to the United States to help the colonists in the war, sails into New York harbor from France this weekend. [Free]
Here’s what else is happening:
WEATHER
We don’t want to jinx anything, but things are looking pretty good for the holiday weekend:
Today promises mostly sun, with a high of 81, and slight breezes to tickle your tendrils.
And for the weekend: a mottled spread of sun and clouds for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with highs in the high 70s or low 80s.
Break out that stars-and-stripes beach towel and get your dose of vitamin D.
IN THE NEWS
• The city had its lowest number of crimes in the month of June since 1994. [New York Times] …
• … And June was the first month in the city in 150 years with no deaths from fires, according to the Fire Department. [Daily News]
• Forty-eight people were arrested in Newark after a monthslong investigation into a drug ring. [CBS New York]
• Inmates at the Clinton Correctional Facility are on a shorter leash after last month’s dramatic escape by two prisoners. [New York Times]
• Malcolm Smith, the former state Senate majority leader, was sentenced to seven years in prison in a bribery case. [New York Times]
• The long-time leader of the St. Patrick’s Day parade was replaced because he opposed letting gay groups take part. [New York Post]
• Labor disputes stalled construction at dozens of sites in the city, including Hudson Yards. [Crain’s New York]
• State Democratic officials are not happy with Governor Cuomo, and they’re letting him know. [New York Times]
• Scoreboard: Yankees demonize Angels, 3-1. Cubs roar past Mets, 2-0 in 11 innings (not 1-0 as we reported earlier).
• For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Thursday Briefing.
COMING UP TODAY
• Learn traditional Chinese dance with live music while barefoot on the Van Cortlandt House lawn in the Bronx. 6:30 p.m. [Free]
• “It Seems So Real,” a night of documentary shorts presented by Rooftop Films at the Trilok Fusion Center for the Arts in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. 8 p.m. [$15]
• Jam to Balkan music with Eva Salina and her band at Friends and Lovers bar in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. [Free]
• See strangers ask each other questions at “Ask Roulette” at Housing Works Bookstore Café in SoHo. 7 p.m. [$8]
• The International African Arts Festival begins at Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn. [$5]
• Mets host Cubs, 1:10 p.m. (SNY).
THE WEEKEND
Friday
• Travel back to the ‘70s at a roller disco at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park. 7:30 p.m. [$18, 21 and over]
• If you need a fireworks practice-run for the Fourth, there will be some at Coney Island, 9:30 p.m. [Free]
• Yankees host Rays, 7:05 p.m. (YES). Mets at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. (ESPN).
Saturday
• The Bronx Arts Ensemble hosts a concert at Van Cortlandt Park. 2 p.m. [Free]
• Prepare to be amazed as you watch Nathan’s Famous annual hot dog eating contest on the Coney Island boardwalk. 10 a.m. [Free]
• Forage for local delicacies with the self-proclaimed “wildman” Steve Brill in Forest Park, Queens. 11:45 a.m. [$20, advance registration required]
Plus, fireworks:
• The Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks and concert from the Brooklyn Bridge and East River starts at 8 p.m. [Free, look up]
• And more fireworks on Coney Island, at 9:45 p.m. [Free]
• Yankees host Rays, 1:05 p.m. (Fox Sports 1). Mets at Dodgers, 7:15 p.m. (FOX). Red Bulls at Crew, 7:30 p.m. (MSG) N.Y.C. F.C. at Impact, 8 p.m. (YES).
Sunday
• Salute the sun during yoga in Prospect Park. 10 a.m. [Free]
• Discover one of the city’s endangered species, the piping plover, at the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk. 11 a.m. [Free]
• Yankees host Rays, 1:05 p.m. (YES). Mets at Dodgers, 4:10 p.m. (PIX-11). The U.S. Women’s soccer team faces Japan in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final, 7 p.m. (FOX).
• And if you seek things to do outside the city, The Times’s Metropolitan section has suggestions. See Friday and Saturday listings for Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.
• For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.
COMMUTE
• Railroads: L.I.R.R., Metro-North, N.J. Transit, Amtrak
• Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.
• Alternate-side parking: in effect today, but suspended on Friday and Saturday.
• Ferries: Staten Island Ferry, New York Waterway, East River Ferry
• Airports: La Guardia, J.F.K., Newark
AND FINALLY …
We’re taking a moment to remember something else that happened on the Fourth of July: On July 4, 1855, Walt Whitman published the first edition of “Leaves of Grass” in his home city of Brooklyn.
The poetry collection is known for poems such as “Song of Myself,” which revel in life’s sensual pleasures, causing a bit of controversy at the time.
It also contained the patriotic poem (though perhaps not the book’s best), “America”:
Centre of equal daughters, equal sons,
All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old,
Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love,
A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother,
Chair’d in the adamant of Time.
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