7/20/12

Play a board game. Dig an old one out of the closet – Clue holds up, as does Risk – or, better yet, seek out an indie, family-run toy store and pick up something like The Settlers of Catan (warning: highly addictive) or 10 Days in Asia (great with kids).

 

What do you want for your last meal on earth? Jimi Hendrix had a tuna fish sandwich, Timothy McVeigh went with mint-chocolate-chip ice cream, Julia Child ate, fittingly, a bowl of French onion soup. So: what are you having?

“At first, spending 24 hours without cell phones or internet felt like a feat of endurance, like a marathon. We didn’t enjoy it, but every week we did it and every week we congratulated ourselves on having dragged ourselves across the finish line. But after a month or so we realized that the performance of a stunt, over and over again, was going to get old quick. That’s when we started lighting candles on Friday night: to try to make it, rather than a deprivation, a gift to ourselves. We haven’t always succeeded, but in its best incarnations the UNDO day has been a great date – an adventure through the city, or else a quiet day in bed snuggling and watching “The Wire” (Yes, we allow ourselves movies and television as long as we’re watching together. And yes, we only just started watching “The Wire.” Shut Up!). The break has become something we look forward to rather than endure.” (Sara Hess)

It’s a good day to head up to the Skirball, which has two amazing exhibits going right now, both dealing with the real-life cultural experience of Jews (who are, after all, pretty much the OGs of this undo day mishigas). Jewish Homegrown History is a home movie art installation where you can choose, via touch-screen, from a huge library of unedited home movies depicting weddings, haircuts, vacations and other intimate moments.The second, Project Mah Jongg, is devoted to the tile game beloved by old ladies and hipsters and its cross-cultural relationships between American Jews and Chinese Americans. $10 admission.

When’s the last time you were presented with 2,000 feet of blank white wall, a few dozen cans of spray paint and told to go nuts? The 16th annual Precita Eyes Urban Youth Arts Festival is hosting a full lineup of spoken word artists and break dancers – but the real draw is this incredible opportunity for ordinary law-abiding citizens to unleash their inner taggers. Best portions of the wall will be displayed at galleries around the city. 1-6 pm, Precita Park, at Precita Avenue and Alabama Street. Free.

 

The city has no shortage of great museums, but sometimes the little ones make the biggest impression. Today try visiting the headquarters of the Society of Illustrators on the Upper East Side. Escape the muggy city streets and get lost in the undersea worlds depicted by Stanley Meltzoff, a deep sea diver whose gorgeous work captures tuna, billfish and other fish in their natural surroundings. Also check out the permanent collection, which includes commercial works, choice images from children’s books and original art from everyone from Norman Rockwell to R. Crumb. For details and hours, click here.

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