This week: Get over the post-holiday hump with camels, comedians and a night of Groucho and cocktails. Plus, get back to nature.
That’s a laugh
COMEDY – Thurs,8
92Ytribeca, 200 Hudson St.; 212-415-5500
Even avowed avoiders of comedy will want to plop down $20 for this one: The “Comedy Below Canal” downtown series starts out the year with politically savvy and dry-as-a-bone Janeane Garofalo (above) sharing co-hosting duties with Paul F. Tompkins of VH1’s “Best Week Ever.” From there, things just get downright silly as guests include David Cross, who played the heterosexually challenged Tobias on “Arrested Development” and “Flight of the Conchords” obsessive fan (and “Daily Show” correspondent) Kristen Schaal. The laughs start at 9:30p.m.
It’s a jungle out there
ACTIVITY – Sat, 10
Prospect Park, Brooklyn (meets at Wollman Rink); 718-421-2021
Put on your long underwear and join the Urban Park Rangers on a free “Winter Wildlife” walk at 1 p.m. The park, 585 acres big – and considered by some to be landscape designer’s Frederick Law Olmsted’s best – has more than just birds chattering in trees. Stay sharp and you’re sure to see some four-footed furry species, too, from raccoons to possums.
The looks of music
MUSIC – Sat, 10
Tip Top Shoe Building, 155 W. 72nd St., 4th fl.; 212-579-0689
It’ll seem like miles of aisles at the Music Memorabilia Show, which will feature rare sheet music, records, posters, books and more from all types of tunemasters, from jazz, gospel and R&B, to disco, show tunes, country, opera, world music, spoken word and swing. Take your time walking around – the free show starts at 10 a.m. and goes until 2 p.m.
Soup’s on
FILM – Fri, 9
Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th St.; 212-620-5000
Sit at a table, sip a martini (there’s a $7 minimum for the drinks) and watch the ridiculously sublime Marx Brothers classic “Duck Soup,” in which Groucho play Rufus T. Firefly, an inept, egomaniacal dictator of the fictional – and bankrupt – Freedonia. As crazy as the plot is, it might just seem eerily within the realm of possibilities. The free movie, which starts at 9:30 p.m., has an added bonus: an introduction by offbeat writer Andrew Sean Greer.
Kingdom Come
PARADE – Tues, 6
106th St. and Third Ave.; 212-831-7272
You’ll wonder if your New Year’s buzz is back when you catch sight of camels clopping through East Harlem. But you’re not seeing things: It’s the 32nd annual Three Kings Day Parade featuring music, floats and animals you’re more used to seeing in a barn or circus. The parade, sponsored by El Museo Del Barrio, is considered one of the most joyous days of the year in much of Latin America. Even better, it promotes the spirit of sharing, diversity and benevolence – something you might remember from when your finances weren’t in the toilet.