WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6, 2025 CONEY ISLAND

 

Weekday Sketchers Go to Coney Island

What is summer without a trip to the beach?? 

Join us this Wednesday as we travel to iconic Coney Island to sketch the rides, the concession stands on the  boardwalk, the beaches, Nathan's Hot Dog stand and people, people, people.  Bring your stool, sunscreen, a hat and your brightest colors to be best able to capture the scene.

Please RSVP directly to Lorraine Smith at thipph16@gmail.com. Looking for us?  Call Lorraine at 347-334-4205

NOTE:  We will meet in front of the Coney Island Museum at 10:30 AM  From there everyone will fan out and sketch on their own.  We will meet at the picnic tables by Nathan's Hot Dog Stand at 1:00 PM  If you don't meet up with us at the start you can catch up with us at lunch. 

 

DATE:  WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6, 2025

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  We will meet in front of the Coney Island Museum

                        1208 Surf Avenue, Coney Island NYC

                        The museum is located diagonally across the street from the subway station on Surf Ave.

TRANSPORTATION:  D, F, N, Q to Coney Island/Stillwell Ave Station

NOTES

Coney Island Museum 

• Please RSVP directly to Lorraine Smith at thipph16@gmail.com.
• Looking for us?  Call Lorraine at 929-614-1930
• Bathrooms on Boardwalk at Stillwell Ave. and Nathans
• Bring a stool

 

August 3rd Sketch the Steps of The Met

 

How many times have you said to a friend, “Meet me on the steps of The Met?” This time, let’s stop and stay for awhile. Since the TWA Hotel wasn’t feeling groovy about our upcoming visit, we’ve moved on to this glorious gathering spot. 

According to the NY Times, this entranceway is commonly used for “guitar playing, peach-eating, orange-peeling, sun-bathing, poetry-reading, cigar-smoking, book-reading, newspaper-browsing, frankfurter-eating, soda-sipping, postcard-writing, scene-sketching, picture-taking, small-talking, studying, staring, debating, deep-thinking, waiting for Godot and two of the six stages of flirting," And then there’s the fountains, grand townhouses on Fifth Avenue, and foodtrucks: plenty of fodder for our sketchbooks.

Meeting Spot: 10:00 am on the south side of the steps, near the education entrance

Lunch: 1:00 pm in the cafeteria, far back on the left side

Show and Tell: 3:00pm, in the plaza near the education entrance

Host: Frieda Christofides: 917.747.6060

About our NYC Urban Sketchers Events:

All are welcome–no fees and no registration. Just look for folks at the designated location carrying sketch pads and introduce yourself. If you can't find the group, contact the host; their contact info is on the Urban Sketchers blogpost for this event. #nycurbansketchers

NJ Sketchers August 3, 2025

New Jersey Sketchers at Overpeck Park

Join the NJ sketchers this week as we explore Overpeck Park in Bergen County.  With over 800 acres, stretched over 5 municipalities, a river , a creek, playgrounds,  a golf course, and kayak center there should be plenty to keep us busy! 

We will meet at the kayak center and plan the day from there. 

Kayak Center

DATE:  SUNDAY AUGUST 3, 2025

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  OVERPECK KAYAK CENTER. (see note below)

TRANSPORTATION, PLEASE CHECK A MAPS PROGRAM

NOTES

Please RSVP directly to Julia Bazaz at jazaz7658@gmail.com

Looking for us? Call or text Julia at 551-206-1273

Meeting information:

Enter Overpeck Park on south side of DeGraw.  You will see a very big sign that reads Leonia South/ Equestrian Center.  Bear right and go over the wooden bridge.  Almost immediately you will see kayaks and the river on the left side.

Park there or in the next parking lot near the restrooms.

  

Sunday August 3rd, sketch the TWA Hotel

 This location canceled! New location added to new post.

Celebrate the 60’s at the out-of-sight TWA Hotel. Designed by the architect Eero Saarinen and completed in 1962, you won’t find even one 90-degree angle in the entire trippy building. It has indoor and outdoor sketching locations galore, food vendors, a giant twister board, an exhibit of flight crew uniforms, and a retro beauty parlour. All in all, quite a groovy scene.

Please note, this is a Sunday sketch day, August 3rd. We’ll meet at 11am inside the terminal in front of the flight board. Show and tell is at 3pm; location tbd.

To get there, it’s 4 stops on the Air Train to JFK from Jamaica. Or, you can drive and park in the JetBlue parking lot.

Event coordinator is Frieda Christofides: 917 747-6060

Be there or be square.

Wednesday: July 30, 2025 Derfner Museum

Weekday and Westchester Groups at Derfner Judaica Museum 

Can you imagine a world class art collection and a beautiful sculpture garden with Hudson River views in a long term care facility?  Hard to conger up?  Agreed, expect that it does exist.... and we are going there on Wednesday.

The Derfner Judaica Museum is located on the main campus of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale and is just that place: a world class museum with a sculpture garden on the Hudson River. The collection of Judaica is excellent and extremely well curated. The art collection is exhibited through the building and the sculpture garden is on a green lawn that stretches down to the river....perfect for sketching!

For more information about the museum and the collection, click here: https://derfner.org

DETAILS:

DATE: WEDNESDAY JULY 30 2025

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOACATION: DERFNER ART MUSEUM

                           5901 Palisade Avenue,  Riverdale, New York 10471

DIRECTIONS:  

• Public Transit: 1 train to 231 St, then take the BX 7 bus to Riverdale Ave. 263 Street 
• By Car: please check a maps program

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly directly to CathyGutterman at Westchester@NYCurbansketchers.org
• Looking for us? Call or text Cathy at 914-625-0766
• This is a residence, please be respectful of the people who live there.
• Bathrooms and water are available.  
• There is a cafe if you would like to purchase lunch. 
• Bring a stool.
• You can work in wet medium outside on the lawn. Dry media inside the museum.
• Photo ID is required for admission to the Hebrew Home campus at all times. 
• Please let the guard know that you are with the NYC Urban Sketchers group.

Walking directions from bus stop

SAT JULY 26th, 2025•Sketch Paley Park and 6 1/2Avenue

 

Take advantage of NYC's privately owned public spaces (POPS) and draw Paley Park & 6 1/2 Avenue.

There are sketchable vantage points noted on this map, many with public seating, including the two food courts. The prettiest section of all, though, may well be the quintessentially French restaurant, La Grande Boucherie, where public seating is also available in front of the restaurant.

DATE: SAT JULY 26th, 2025

STARTING TIME: 11 AM 

LOCATION: Paley Park & 6 1/2 Avenue

We will meet at Paley Park 

TRANSPORTATION: E and M to 5 Av/53 St

Helene's phone number: 202-320-2166

July 23, 2025 Weekday Sketchers at Rockaway Beach

Weekday Sketchers at Rockaway Beach

Join us this week as we explore the outer edge of the outer boroughs!  

NYC never ceases to amaze us.  In addition to world class culture and food there are fabulous beaches lining the edges of the city.  This week we will travel by ferry to the Rockaway Beaches. The Rockaway are a barrier island at the south end of Queens, with beaches running for miles along the Atlantic Ocean. The Boardwalk is lined with concession stands and public restrooms are available. 

We will meet at the Ferry Terminal at the foot of Wall Street and ride around the edge of Brooklyn and Queens.  Shuttle buses will take us to the various beaches.   Bring your sketch materials and your bathing suit for this day long outing!

For information about the ferry and buses, click here: https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/rockaway/

DATE: WEDNESDAY JULY 23, 2025

STARTING TIME: 9:20 AM (See note below)

LOCATION:  ROCKAWAY BEACH

                                At approximately Beach 90th Street

TRANSPORTATION: ROCKAWAY FERRY AND SHUTTLE BUS

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at President@NYCurbansketchers.org
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• Travel Information:  The Rockaway ferry leaves Pier 11 once an hour.  We will meet as a group to catch the 9:20 ferry arriving at Rockaway at about 10:30 AM. We will take the shuttle bus to the 86th Street beach and find a convenient spot to sketch along the Boardwalk.  If you can't make this ferry just take one that is convenient for you.   The return ferries run approximately every hour back to Pier 11. 
• The Ferry can be very crowded. Please arrive early to assure a place on the boat 
• Food, water and bathrooms are available along the Boardwalk
• Bring whatever you need for a day at the beach!