Activities in Lower Manhattan: Five Favorites

Here are five events that the neighborhood has been loving all month long.

1. Attend a special screening of “CURED”

The Downtown Alliance’s sold-out screening of “CURED” is followed by a conversation between activists Rev. Magora Kennedy and Jack Drescher, MD and journalist and historian Charles Kaiser. The discussion digs into the lived experiences of our speakers during the 1970s and their work, which transformed not just LGBTQ peoples perceptions of themselves, but also the social fabric of America.

2. Dine Around Downtown

On Tuesday, June 6, Dine Around Downtown was a smash hit at Fosun Plaza (28 Liberty St.) for food, fun and more at Lower Manhattan’s premier tasting event.

3. ”Hip Hop at 50 by Janette Beckman”

On June 7, Photoville unveiled its art exhibition ”Hip Hop at 50 by Janette Beckman” at the Seaport. In the early 1980s, photographer Beckman snapped what are now considered iconic portraits of rap trailblazers like Run DMC, Slick Rick, Salt-N-Pepa, Grandmaster Flash and LL Cool J. Several of Beckman’s photos will be on display in the storefront windows on the corner of Fulton and Front streets (22 Fulton St.) as part of the Photoville Festival.

4. Drag brunch at Toro Loco

At Mexican restaurant Toro Loco (15 Stone St.), the typically chill, south-of-the-border vibe is cranked up on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. with its “las borrachas” brunch hosted by Frida Cox and Jessica Rose (above). While you’re deciding between the chicken-and-waffle sandwich or an empanada, have the bartender whip up a round of La Mañosas for the table. It’s no secret that we’re fans. 

5. ”Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch”

Visit the National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green) to take in their newest exhibition, ”Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch.” Niro’s art honors the cultural knowledge and generational histories of her Six Nations Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community. The collection brings together several decades’ worth of Niro’s films, photographs, paintings and mixed media works. Her work is described as “accessible, humorous, and peppered with references to popular culture.”