Title: Tell Us Your Weekend Plans!

[MUSIC - Luscious Jackson: Citysong]

David Furst: This is All Of It on WNYC. I'm David Furst in for Alison Stewart. It is Friday, and of course, we all start to get ready for the weekend around this time. A weekend in our area during the dead of winter provides both challenges and opportunities. If the cold weather isn't your thing, you can hit a museum or a restaurant you wanted to try. If you love the outdoors, the skiing is pretty good right now. Of course, there's always winter birding, but maybe someone is listening right now and thinking, "I need ideas." Let's crowdsource.

What do you recommend we do this weekend in our area? What are you doing that you want to share with us? Call us or text us. 212-433-9692. What are you doing this weekend? That number, 212-433-WNYC, or you can write to us on social media @allofitwnyc. Any events that you want to shout out that your fellow listeners should consider checking out? How do you like to enjoy New York, especially during this time of year? 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. While we're screening your calls, let's hear a bit about what Team All Of It is up to this weekend, starting with producer Kate Hinds. Welcome back. Any more bird stories for us?

Kate Hinds: Well, I did go birding last weekend, but I was in Minnesota for that one. Highly recommend. Saw a great gray owl. This weekend, I'm actually going to the theater tonight with my boyfriend. We are seeing a play called Dakar 2000. It's too early for spring migration, but I may be hitting the park to go in search of red-winged blackbirds, which for me, are like the early harbinger of spring. They usually hit this neighborhood this time of year and they are the sound of spring for me with their Akkeri call. They're really delightful and I'm hoping that if I'm out and about, I'll see some.

David Furst: Say what they are again and do that call one more time, please.

Kate Hinds: Red-winged blackbirds. I'm looking right now at Juliana, our board op, and she knows what I'm thinking because I, of course, have recorded the call of the red-winged blackbird many times and forced various people, yourself included, David, to play them on air before.

David Furst: Which I have done.

Kate Hinds: Juliana, I believe, has found the call of the red-winged blackbirds. Here it is, the call of spring.

[red-winged blackbirds chirping]

David Furst: All right. I'm not going to say your call was bad, but that's better.

Kate Hinds: Yes, the real thing is better, but that's pretty good, too. Juliana also has some birding plans, I see.

David Furst: Oh, does Juliana have some birding plans? That's a good question. Let's see if Juliana has some birding plans.

Kate Hinds: She says, "I am flying trapeze," because she is, in fact, a trapeze. I would say a trapeze artist. She is also going to Fort Tilden to check out some hot ducks because, as birders know, winter is hot duck season, but ducks tend to leave earlier than other birds, so she's coming in on the tail end of hot duck season.

David Furst: Okay, that's great. Thank you. I'm glad to hear about that, Juliana. That sounds very cool. Let's take a call. If you want to join this conversation, the number 212-433-9692. What are you doing this weekend? 212-433-WNYC. Let's hear from Hannah in Irvington, New York. What are you doing?

Hannah: I am heading up to Bel Air for Saturday and then hitting Wyndham on Sunday to go skiing.

David Furst: Very cool. Do you do that a lot during the winter?

Hannah: Yes. I'm a ski instructor and I work with a wonderful program called Women of Winter.

David Furst: Wow.

Hannah: We get people out and certified to become ski instructors.

David Furst: How has the skiing been so far this winter?

Hannah: This has been definitely a historic year, especially up for our northern friends. There's a lot of snow, the conditions are great, and looks like we're going to have an extended season. It's definitely the time to get out. If you don't know how to ski yet or snowboard, it's such a great hobby for the winter, and it's something everyone can do well.

David Furst: Hannah, thank you for sharing. Let's hear from Monk, calling in from Brooklyn. Welcome to All Of It.

Monk: Thank you.

David Furst: What are you doing?

Monk: I have plans to go to the Harlem Fine Arts Festival this weekend up in Midtown.

David Furst: Thank you for letting us know. The Harlem Fine Arts Festival happening this weekend. Monk, thank you for joining us. Let's see. Holly, also in Brooklyn, joining us right now. What are you doing this weekend?

Holly: Hi. I will be teaching an inversion class in Williamsburg. If you don't want to be outside and you want to do some yoga and learn how to do a headstand, find me in Williamsburg at Artful Souls and Wellness. Hour and a half long. You will go upside down. It'll be a lot of fun.

David Furst: [laughs] Okay, go upside down this weekend. Where is that happening again?

Holly: It's at Artful Souls and Wellness on South 5th Street, 105 South 5th Street in Williamsburg.

David Furst: Okay, thank you so much for that. Kate Hinds, I have to mention this one. We have a text saying that this weekend at Joe's Pub, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, it is the Loser's Lounge tribute to Yacht Rock. Kate, this sounds like it was written just for you.

Kate Hinds: Please tell me there are still tickets available.

David Furst: [laughs] It says here, "Excited to check out their renditions of The Doobie Brothers, Toto, Kenny Loggins, et cetera." Kate, I'm imagining if you're not birding, you would be there.

Kate Hinds: It looks like there's still tickets for the 9:30 show tomorrow and tickets on Sunday. My weekend plans are now up in the air completely.

David Furst: [laughs] Okay. If you want to join this conversation, 212-433-WNYC. Something we can do this weekend or just something that you are doing this weekend? 212-433-9692. Let's see. Another All Of It producer, Simon, is seeing the Oscar-nominated animated short films tonight at BAM. He's going in mostly blind, but he is excited for one film called Beautiful Men about three bald men who go to Istanbul to get hair transplants and find out the clinic that can only accommodate one of them. It sounds like there's a lot of explaining to do with this story, but that is what he's planning on doing at BAM. Let me give the phone number once again. It's 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692.

Kate Hinds: Oh, I just wanted to say the caller, Monk, who called in earlier to say that he was going to the Harlem Fine Arts Show. I googled it because it sounded really interesting and it's happening now. It's February 21st, 22nd, 23rd. It celebrates the multifaceted African diaspora by bringing together contemporary artists with a new growing class of collectors. It looks like a lot of fine art and it looks really beautiful. The website is hfas.org.

David Furst: That sounds very cool. This one sounds interesting too. Heidi texting in to say, "I'm taking students on a walking tour of the Audubon Mural Project in Hamilton Heights." Sounds very interesting. Our producer, Luke, planning to fulfill his New Year's resolution by doing some morning yoga, which he wants to do once a month. Maybe he can go upside down and try that out. He'll also be watching-- Oh, this one I can relate to. He's going to be watching UConn play St. John's at Madison Square Garden on TV. That's happening on Sunday.

Kate Hinds: He's already a little hyped in the control room.

David Furst: I see arms being pumped right now. A massive Big East basketball matchup featuring two budding rivals in the division, two fiery coaches, Dan Hurley and Rick Pitino. St. John's beat UConn in the first matchup this season. Luke is hoping that his Huskies can enact some revenge. Oh, and Luke says he's going to begin Season 2 of Severance. Says he's still recovering from the Season 1 finale that he watched this week. I can relate to that. He says he'll never go to a break room in the office ever again.

Kate Hinds: Well, it's probably a fair fear.

David Furst: It's a fair fear. Let's take another phone call. If you'd like to join the conversation, we have a time for a couple more calls. 212-433-9692. Let's hear from Raul joining from East Elmhurst. Welcome to All Of It.

Raul: Hi. How are you guys doing? Thank you so much for taking my call. It's always nice to listen to this show and get some ideas. As I said to the screener, Juilliard, they have an amazing artist. They have young artists. It's really affordable. What I tend to do either on Saturday and Sunday, just go see a recital. It feels like I'm in New York with the beautiful auditoriums with the pianos with the classical music. Most of the time, there's no fee. It's really affordable.

David Furst: That sounds like a great idea. Thank you so much for calling in to mention that. Juliana, our producer, saying that Saturday is the pre-college recitals. That sounds interesting as well. We also have a yacht rock texter calling in to talk about it. That, says, "Thank you. The singers and the band will be so happy to hear the plug. I hope everyone has fun. I'm going with my family to the Yacht Rock Tribute Monday evening at City Winery. This is from Sue in Queens. Kate, there's a lot of yacht rock happening.

Kate Hinds: So much yacht rock, so little time. Well, a couple weekends ago, I have a friend who was in the Yacht Rock Choir of Brooklyn and I went to see her performance which was fantastic and so much fun.

David Furst: It was fun?

Kate Hinds: It was fun.

David Furst: Were you singing along?

Kate Hinds: I was definitely singing along. It's a no-audition choir. In fact, I could sing along if I wanted to.

David Furst: [laughs] It was the no-audition part that you really were happy to see. If you'd like to join the conversation, we have just a couple minutes left, but Jordan, another All Of It producer, saying, "On Saturday, tomorrow I plan to go shopping for a bridesmaid dress for my best friend's wedding. The plan is to have the bridesmaids wear green. Does anyone know where to get a nice green dress? Let me know." Well, there's another thing you can let us know if you happen to know.

Kate Hinds: If you do, reach out on Instagram, @allofitwnyc. Jordan will see it.

David Furst: Jordan will see it. Well, thank you for that, as we're crowdsourcing everything today. Let's hear from Larry calling in from Manhattan. Welcome to All Of It.

Larry: Well, thank you very much. I'm very glad to be here. My name is Larry, and I'm a costume jewelry artist. The cast of Wicked is being revolved. They've decided to put in all new people. A new Glinda, new Elphaba, a new Madame Morrirble. Their body shapes are different, so they've decided they needed new jewelry. For instance, Glinda, who as you may remember, enters the show in a large iron bubble that floats in. Well, the new Glinda is so tall that her tiara was banging against the iron, so she needs a new tiara.

David Furst: Well, there you go. Another weekend planned-

Larry: There you go.

David Furst: -getting a new tiara. Thank you for sharing that. We have time for another call. Let's hear from Jeff calling in from Queens. Hello.

Jeff: Hi, good afternoon. I was just calling to say that there's really no such thing as either bad or too cold weather. There's just what's known as bad clothing or bad kit in cycling terms. I'll be joining my regular crew and we'll be biking from the city up to Nyack both on Saturday as well as Sunday. I hope to come back a little early on Sunday to watch the Liverpool Man City game in the English Premier League.

David Furst: Very cool, Jeff. Thank you for sharing. Speaking about going outside, we have a text here saying, "Planning on going on a nine-mile walk around Central Park, Morningside Park, and Riverside Park with the Shorewalkers, a non-profit group dedicated to keeping our shorelines beautiful." That sounds very cool. Another text, someone in central New Jersey saying, "Going to see part one of an Oscar Best Film nominees at a local AMC theater. There's an awesome exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design. It's about Barbie, not the film, but about her being a cultural icon." This person says, "Must see."

As we're wrapping up here-- Oh, do we have time for another call? Let's see. A few seconds left. Oh, gosh. Let's hear from-- No. The answer is no. We do not have time for another call. I can tell you, though, very briefly, my weekend plans. Kate, are you ready?

Kate Hinds: I really am.

David Furst: They're very exciting.

Kate Hinds: What are you doing, David?

David Furst: I will be here tomorrow morning hosting a weekend edition, and I'm going to follow that up on Sunday.

Kate Hinds: By hosting Weekend Edition?

David Furst: That is correct.

Kate Hinds: Tell people what time you have to be here at the station to host, David.

David Furst: I have to be here at 6:00 AM.

Kate Hinds: Excellent.

David Furst: It's a wonderful time of day. Thank you for listening. Thank you for all of these great suggestions. My goodness, that is All Of It. Everybody, have a great weekend. Kate Hinds here. I'm David Furst. Oh, and the yacht rock is kicking in behind us-

Kate Hinds: That's right.

David Furst: -as we speak. Thank you for listening. Alison will be back in on Monday.

[MUSIC - The Doobie Brothers: Listen to the Music]