The Westside Independent’s editor is taking a couple weeks of R&R. In the meantime, be sure to check out our free outdoor concert page, and get updated events and specials at our Events and Deals page. Have fun, everyone!

(flickr photo by the queen of subtle)

Shakespeare in the Park: The Merchant of Venice
With Al Pacino. At the Delacorte Theater. 8 p.m. (tickets handed out beginning at 1 p.m. Also available via online ticketing) FREE.

Cyrano
The Hudson Warehouse presents, Cyrano de Bergerac (6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French dramatist and duellist who is now best remembered for the many works of fiction which have been woven around his life story. In these fictional works he is featured with an overly large nose; portraits suggest that he did have a big nose, though not nearly as large as described in this outdoor theater performance. West 89th and Riverside Drive. 6:30 p.m. FREE.

Clint Eastwood Film Festival
A full retrospective of the actor and director’s work. At Walter Reade Theater. Check schedule for showtimes. $12.

Children’s Performance Series
Music, storytelling & theater for young audiences. Suitable for kids up to age 7. This week’s perfomer: Improv 4 Kids. Hilarious interactive musical comedy for the whole family based on audience suggestion and participation. Pier I at 70th Street. 10:30 a.m. FREE.

All prices quoted are for non-member adults. For up-to-the-minute drink deals, cultural events, nightlife and more check our Events and Deals page.

Do you want your photos featured on the Westside Independent? Join our flickr group (it’s remarkably easy) and add some photos to the pool!

Community Board member Marc Glazer said that he’s observed people parking in the same spot for an average of 6 hours on Sunday, whereas they move within 90 minutes on other days of the week. That frequent turnover of parking spots allows people to park and shop at local businesses. The full community board will get a crack at the proposal when it meets in September. (flickr photo by Lucius Kwok)

Upper West Side photo of the day by Ed Gaillard of a turtle at the Harlem Meer.

NY Philharmonic: Concerts in the Park
Lyadov: Baba-Yaga . Glazunov: Concerto for Alto Saxophone. Schulhoff: Hot-Sonate for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra. Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (selections). Followed by fireworks. On the Great Lawn. 8 p.m. FREE.

Midsummer Night Swing: Catherine Russell and Cat & The Hounds Swing Band
Vocalist Catherine Russell leads by stunning example, whether that means pushing her hot band with a fervor she got from her parents (Louis Armstrong collaborator Luis Russell and bassist Carline Ray) or busting a move onstage to show the groovers in the audience how the pros shimmy and shake. This year, Cat & the Hounds Swing Band gets to finish what it started last year. Dancers rejoice. Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center. Dance lesson: 6:30. Dancing: 7:30 p.m. $17 for individual ticket.

Human Chess
Have you ever wanted to learn the great game of Chess but found it too hard to play or even boring? Join us for the first ever Human Chess event, presented by The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and Riverside Park Fund. You will role play as chess pieces in a strategic group-oriented game. Teams of 8 or 16 needed. This activity is suitable for all ages and ability levels. Participants must wear loose, comfortable clothing. Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument (89th St. & Riverside Drive). 1-3 p.m. FREE.

Any Wednesday: Elli Fordyce
This exciting interpreter of the great American songbook has made a splash in the City since returning in the last years. Her newest CD, Songs Spun from Gold, was MAC and Grammy honored. She brings along her quartet featuring co-vocalist Jim Malloy. At Lincoln Square Barnes and Noble. 6 p.m. FREE.

Aliya S. King: Platinum
Aliya S. King’s debut novel, PLATINUM, her characters grapple with these questions in this behind-the-scene look into the world of rap stars’ wives and girlfriends. Inspired by an article King herself wrote for Vibe in 2006, the book begs the question, when sex, drugs, money and power are involved, do fidelity and trust have a fighting chance? Or is love blinding? At Borders Columbus Circle. 7 p.m. FREE.

Clint Eastwood Film Festival
A full retrospective of the actor and director’s work. At Walter Reade Theater. Check schedule for showtimes. $12.

Pee Wee Basketball
All little ones (5 and under) welcome at this introduction to basketball. 71st Street Basketball Courts in Riverside Park. 10:30 a.m. FREE.

Community Board 7 Business & Consumer Issues Committee Meeting
At Community Board offices, 250 West 87th Street. 7 p.m. FREE.

All prices quoted are for non-member adults. For up-to-the-minute drink deals, cultural events, nightlife and more check our Events and Deals page.

Do you want your photos featured on the Westside Independent? Join our flickr group (it’s remarkably easy) and add some photos to the pool!

The couple says that Doggie Love NYC drove the dog home from Queens in a sweltering van and then dropped him at the couple’s West End Avenue apartment without making sure he was okay or taking steps to revive him. The building’s doorman and a judge who lives next door asked the dog-sitters if they should call a vet or get water for the dog, but the person who dropped Percy off said no, the suit says. The couple’s dog-walker found Percy dead in front of an air conditioner a few hours later, the Post reported.

Doggie Love’s lawyer told news organizations it “will be fully vindicated.”

330 West 86th now (left) and the proposed building (right).

After complaints by preservationists, the board said it would pass jurisdiction of the matter to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. In April, the Board of Standards and Appeals had ruled that the Department of Buildings incorrectly said it could restrict the height of the building. The ruling was considered one of the last impediments to the construction of the 17-story building, which would be built on aplot of land just 20 feet wide. The developer, Dark Horse Development, had spent a decade trying to win a fight to build the condo tower.

“This decision vindicates the community advocates who opposed the demolition,” said Council Member Gale Brewer in a statement.

Upper West Side photo of the day by marvelouskiddo.

NY Philharmonic: Concerts in the Park
Tchaikovsky: Polonaise from Eugene Onegin. Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Ravel: Boléro. Wagner: Overture to Tannhäuser. Rossini: Largo al factotum della città from The Barber of Seville. Gounod: “Je veux vivre” from Romeo and Juliet. Mozart: “La ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni. Jim Fuzai: Go and See the World. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. On the Great Lawn. 8 p.m. FREE.

Pete Carroll: Win Forever
USC football coach Pete Carroll’s powerful leadership advice that is just as effective for your business and community as it is on the football field. At Borders Columbus Circle. 7 p.m. FREE.

Loving Mailer with Carole Mallory and Sandra Harmon
Journalist, former model and actress Carole Mallory (Loving Mailer) discusses her relationship with writer Norman Mailer and life in the fast lane in the 1980s with journalist, TV writer and producer Sandra Harmon, author of the new book Mafia Son. At 82nd Street Barnes and Noble. 7 p.m. FREE.

Jane Krakowski: The Laziest Gal in Town
The dazzling Broadway (Grand Hotel, Nine) and television (30 Rock) star celebrates the release of her first solo album recorded live at the fabled Feinstein’s at the Regency with a live performance and CD signing. Priority seating with purchase. At Lincoln Square Barnes and Noble. 5 p.m. FREE.

Community Board 7 Transportation Committee Meeting
At Community Board offices, 250 West 87th Street. 7 p.m. FREE.

All prices quoted are for non-member adults. For up-to-the-minute drink deals, cultural events, nightlife and more check our Events and Deals page.

Do you want your photos featured on the Westside Independent? Join our flickr group (it’s remarkably easy) and add some photos to the pool!

The Daily News tested out the app, CityMint, when it debuted this weekend . It will be available every weekend between now and Labor Day. Five runners dash from the participating restaurants, which include Francesco’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, Aroma Espresso Bar, China Fun and Big Nick’s Burger Joint and Pizza Joint, to customers hanging out in the park. You can even get Pinkberry frozen yogurt. Of course, if it takes the runners more than a few minutes to find you, you could be drinking Pinkberry Soup.

(thumbnail of CityMint project manager via Daily News)

Upper West Side photo of the day by 1hr photo.

The Metropolitan Opera: Summer Recital Series Featuring Nathan Gunn, Susanna Phillips, and Michael Fabiano
The Summer Recital Series kicks off on June 12 at Central Park’s SummerStage. The opening concert will feature Met favorite Nathan Gunn (baritone) joined by rising stars Susanna Phillips (soprano) and Michael Fabiano (tenor), accompanied by pianists Julie Gunn and Jonathan Kelly. At Rumsey Playfield. 7 p.m. FREE.

Cool Mondays: Russ Kassoff
The master jazz pianist takes time off from his nightly gig of conducting the Broadway hit Come Fly Away to offer solo highlights from his newest CD Bird Fly By, in which he gives his personal twist to a great collection of standards. At Lincoln Square Barnes and Noble. 6 p.m. FREE.

Midsummer Night Swing: Femi Kuti & The Positive Force
Afrobeat, the hypnotic Nigerian funk style invented by Femi Kuti’s late father Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is poised for world domination now that the Broadway musical FELA! is casting a kinetic spell over theatergoers. With his high-powered ensemble The Positive Force, Femi updates the classic Afrobeat sound with contemporary beats and lyrics that continue the tradition of speaking truth to power while aiming grooves directly to the pelvis. Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center. Dance lesson: 6:30. Dancing: 7:30 p.m. $17 for individual ticket.

Shakespeare in the Park presents The Winter’s Tale
Directed by Michael Greif. At the Delacorte Theater. 8 p.m. FREE.

Clint Eastwood Film Festival
A full retrospective of the actor and director’s work. At Walter Reade Theater. Check schedule for showtimes. $12.

Walk NYC
Walk NYC is a free program that encourages New Yorkers of all ages to get fit while enjoying the outdoors. With funding provided by Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Parks will have 30 park locations throughout the city staffed with trained walking instructors to lead walks. Meet at the northwest corner of Riverside Drive and 96th Street. 6 p.m. FREE.

All prices quoted are for non-member adults. For up-to-the-minute drink deals, cultural events, nightlife and more check our Events and Deals page.

Do you want your photos featured on the Westside Independent? Join our flickr group (it’s remarkably easy) and add some photos to the pool!