TOTALLY CHILL
Cool weather brings spate of openings, tours & exhibits
New York is heating up as the temperature drops. This autumn ushers in a flurry of grand openings, rare behindthe-scenes tours and super-powered exhibits that are so cool, you won’t be sweating the end of summer.
FAR EAST FEST
Escape to Singapore by way of Manhattan.
The Southeast Asian country celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence in New York City from Sept. 12-27 with food tastings, performances and exhibitions — including “Singapore: Inside Out,” a multisensory exploration of Singaporean art, sights and sounds at Madison Square Park from Sept. 23-27.
There’s more: Twenty restaurants, including Market Table, The Meatball Shop and DB Bistro participate in Singapore Restaurant Week from Sept. 18-27 with dishes inspired by the country. Shake Shack is even whipping up a Singaporean-inspired custard. And Bergdorf Goodman sets up a window display featuring Singaporean photographer John Clang. (singaporeinsideout.com)
HAUTE TOPIC
The Met’s Costume Institute’s fall exhibit, “Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style,” opening Nov. 19 celebrates the fashion icon by displaying 60 haute couture and ready-to-wear ensembles plucked mostly from the Parisian countess’ personal archive. The woman who personified French elegance — Valentino called her “the Last Queen of Paris” — not only dressed in JeanPaul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent, but she sometimes created her own looks for fancy dress balls by cutting up her couture designs. Her creations will be on display with photographs of the fashionista. (See metmuseum.org.)
CAPED CRUSADER CULTURE
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the city’s most action-packed exhibit yet! “Superheroes in Gotham” swoops into The New-York Historical Society on Oct. 9 displaying comic book champions whose origin stories are set in the Big Apple. Geek out over images and artifacts illustrating the rise of Superman, Batman, SpiderMan and other beloved icons from the past 80 years. Plus, a Batmobile will be parked outside. (170 Central Park West, nyhistory.org)
Or, check out New York Super Week from Oct. 5-11, which includes New York Comic Con at the Javits Center and a series of related concerts, gaming events, lectures and food tastings around the city. (newyorksuperweek.com)
RUN THIS TOWN
Ready to rock for 13.1 miles? The inaugural Rock ’n’ Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon hits the streets in and around Prospect Park on Oct. 10. The $85 entry fee covers registration, a race tee, gear bag and finisher’s medal.
Not a runner? Spectators can cheer on racers while jamming to local bands performing live along the route, or hit the boozy finish line concert in the park headlined by Nate Ruess, lead singer of the Grammy-winning band Fun. (runrocknroll.com/brooklyn)
GALLERY GALA
The Staten Island Museum’s new Snug Harbor home opens Sept. 19 after a fouryear, $26.8 million renovation. Enjoy free admission on opening day to check the new exhibits, including a life-size mastodon replica, plus enjoy lawn games, food, live music, crafts for kids and some surprises. There’s also free admission, museum-led tours, music and food on Sept. 20. After that, general admission will be just $5 adults, $3 for students and seniors, and free for kids. (1000 Richmond Terr., Staten Island; statenislandmuseum.org)
VIP PASS
Open House New York Weekend takes explorers on a tour of Google’s New York headquarters Oct. 17 and 18. The search engine’s storied high-tech offices will be part of the “interior landmarks” series, which adds sites such as the New York State Pavilion in Queens and City Hall to the regular OHNY roster of 300 normally off-limit sites. Reservations open on ohny. org in October.
PUPPET MASTERS
The Muppets take the Museum of the Moving Image with “The Jim Henson Exhibition and Gallery” opening sometime this fall. The recently-split Kermit (l.) and Miss Piggy join Elmo and more than 25 puppets donated by Henson’s family. Visitors can browse Henson’s sketches, storyboards and scripts, and watch rare behindthe-scenes footage of him bringing these characters to life — which coincides with “The Muppets” reboot premiering Sept. 22 on ABC. (36-01 35th Ave., Queens; movingimage.us)
STICKS AND STONES
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden honors the 100th anniversary of its Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden by showcasing 15 of Isamu Noguchi’s sculptures (“Strange Bird,” below) on loan from LIC’s Noguchi Museum. The graceful steel, bronze and stone structures — some towering eight feet tall — are placed arounds the gardens, with six centered beneath the cherry trees circling the Japanese koi pond. The display runs Sept. 8 through Dec. 13. (990 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, See bbg.org)
THE LOWE DOWN
Home improvement chain Lowe’s opens its first two Manhattan shops this fall. The big-box store thinks small with its scaled-down upper West Side and Chelsea locations, stocking mini kitchen and bathroom fixtures, plus tons of chic storage options, room dividers and bicycle wall mounts. They also feature urban-friendly services like key copying for subletters and free potting for indoor gardeners. The upper West Side location at 68th and Broadway is open, with a big grand opening set for Sept. 10. The Chelsea store will have a soft opening in September, with its own grand opening a month later. (lowes.com)