Good morning. It’s Friday. Today, and Fridays through the summer, we’ll be focusing on things to do in New York on the weekend.
Diana Rodriguez, the executive director of Pride Live, which runs the new Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, pointed to an old-fashioned jukebox.
“Go ahead, give it a whirl,” he said.
I flipped a coin with the Stonewall logo on it and chose a song.
The machine whirred, for five seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, as Rodriguez explained that it was the same model that was at the Stonewall Inn the night of the Stonewall Riot 55 years ago — the event that ushered in an era of gay pride and gay rights activism.
Another five seconds passed before the music started — the gospel standard “Oh Happy Day.”
The jukebox is just one of the elements that blend past and present at the $3.2 million Greenwich Village visitor center, which opens today after six years of development. The center, which is privately funded, largely by corporate donations, commemorates the bar’s history and the night in 1969 when a police raid sparked days of rioting.
It’s small considering the significance of what happened there and its status as the first national monument to LGBTQ rights and history. But the Stonewall Inn wasn’t very big to begin with, and there is, in fact, a lot to see.
Preparing the center for today’s grand opening has become a personal project for Rodriguez, 58, a queer woman whose family has served in the U.S. military for four generations. Her uncle Tony Torres, a gay man, served in the military in Vietnam. But when he died of AIDS in 1989, no one from his unit came to his funeral.
The flag that was on his casket now sits just inside the entrance, along with his medals and dog tag, to remind visitors “what happens in life and that people can inspire us,” he said.
How the past shaped—and continues to shape—the present is a theme that resonates at the nearly 2,100-square-foot center, the vision for which began to take shape after President Barack Obama designated the site as a national monument in 2016. The designation included the modern Stonewall Inn, a reincarnation of the original with different owners, in the building next to the visitor center. The designation also covered Christopher Park across the street, which was restored in the 1980s and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999.
The designation was a great first step, Rodriguez said, but there was no infrastructure to support it. Now, there is.
A wall of black-and-white photos traces Stonewall’s history from its pre-bar days — it was once a bakery, restaurant and stable before becoming the Stonewall Inn in 1967. The display pays tribute to Stonewall as a catalyst for organizations like Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance, as well as the inspiration for decades of Pride marches that began in 1970 and will continue Sunday. (New York’s Pride March will begin at noon from Fifth Avenue and 25th Street. It will be broadcast on WABC-TV.)
At the end of the hall is a white-walled theater space, with 40 chairs positioned in front of a folding screen. Against the wall are a dozen shovels emblazoned with the logos of corporate sponsors such as Google and Amazon.
But what was unexpectedly memorable about a ride with Rodriguez was a silver outline on the floor — “where the bar used to be,” he said.
A few steps away is an exhibit about Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, the founders of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, a group that provided support to youth shunned by their families. And to inaugurate a space for rotating art exhibitions, there are two paintings. One, by Ang R. Bennett, is called “To Those We Forgot.” It shows a man and a woman surrounded by a floral wreath against a brick wall.
The other painting, by digital artist Fewocious, is a chaotic representation of a broken face. In the background are phrases like “No, it wasn’t easy” — a reminder, Rodriguez said, of the Stonewall Rebellion and its ongoing legacy.
Weekend weather
On Friday, enjoy a sunny day with low humidity and temperatures in the 70s, followed by a mostly clear afternoon and temperatures in the mid-60s. For the rest of the weekend, more humidity and a chance for showers and thunderstorms are expected. Temperatures will range into the 80s during the day and into the high 60s or 70s at night.
ALTERNATIVE PARKING
Valid until Thursday (Independence Day).
What else to do this weekend?
Pride weekend
With the kids
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Weekend in Wonderland: Join the Queen of Hearts at the New York Botanical Garden on Saturday or Sunday for a “Mad for Summer Family Weekend.” Daily at 1 p.m. Costumes encouraged.
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A queer family musical: At 2 p.m. Saturday, catch a performance of “Rainbow Seekers,” an interactive musical, at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.
More local events
For more events in New York, here’s a list of things to do this month.
METROPOLITAN calendar
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Dear Diary:
After collecting change in a glass jar on my windowsill for months, I was finally ready to cash in on my tattoo fund.
On the way to work, I stopped to use the currency exchange machine at a bank across the street from my Midtown office: $103.87.
At noon I told my colleagues that I was going down to St. Marks Place.
“The tattoo says they’re not busy right now,” I said as I ran out, cash in hand. “See you all after lunch.”
One stop on the express to Union Square, then I jogged past the Astor Place cube and St. Marks.
I showed the woman at the front desk my plan.
“How much will it cost and how long do you think it will take?” I asked.
“100 dollars,” he said. “And it won’t take long – half an hour tops.”
I had barely caught my breath when a young woman with short black bangs, winged eyeliner and latex gloves led me further into the living room.
She wiped my forearm and started her work.
“It’s a pretty name,” she said as she drew the last letter with her pistol.
“It’s my daughter’s,” I gushed. “He turns 1 today.”
I thanked her, hugged her and went to the register.
When it was my turn to pay, I gave the woman $100 and rolled down my sleeve.
“Do you want to leave a tip?” asked.
I had completely forgotten about it. All I had left was $3.87. I handed it in sad.
I guess I shouldn’t go there again.
— Gabriela Ponce
