By Tracy Zwick

If you read this column last week, you know I’m an Olympics junkie. Did the Olympic flame light a fire in you too? If so, read on for a few weekend watching spots. But I’m also gonna urge you to STEP AWAY FROM THE SCREEN for awhile, and channel the athletes as you hop on a bike, grab a racket, or put on trainers and surface your inner Sha’Carri Richardson. And if there’s anyone out there who’s not watching the games, how about a movie? The New York Times says “Didi” is “funny, heartfelt,” and, at just 90 minutes, it could be medal-worthy. It’s already won the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award.

Let’s Weekend! 

August 2 – 4, 2024

Eat, Drink, and Watch the Olympics: Bodega 88, 573 Columbus Avenue at West 88th Street

WSR commenter “Zee” dropped Bodega 88 in the comments section of last week’s column, calling it “one of the best places to watch the Olympics” and promising “you won’t be disappointed.” I can confirm that Bodega 88 does not disappoint! On Tuesday afternoon, Olympic swimming was on four large screens above and around the cozy bar area. Plus Bodega 88 has five or so booths, each with its own flat-screen TV. All were tuned to the Olympics. It happened to be Happy Hour, which meant specials, including “well drinks,” mojitos, wine, beer, and empanadas, in addition to the regular menu of tacos, burgers, sandwiches, and more. Post Olympics I can easily see Bodega 88 as a football-season haven. (Let’s go Chicago Bears!) 

Another option is The Upside, just a block west of Bodega 88 on Amsterdam Avenue near West 89th Street. The Upside has TVs aplenty, but no kitchen, so you’re allowed to bring food in as long as you’re purchasing drinks on-site. Poulet Sans Tête can help. It’s right next door and offers juicy rotisserie chicken, sandwiches, and sides for takeout. 

Thanks “Zee” and keep the comments coming! 

Play Tennis: Riverside Clay Tennis Association and 119th Street Tennis Courts

Clay courts aren’t just in Paris; we’ve got ‘em right here in Riverside Park! The Riverside Clay Tennis Association maintains and operates 10 red-clay tennis courts in Riverside Park near West 96th Street. These are public courts and anyone can play with a day pass or season permit. Check the RCTA website for details. You might not see Rafa or Carlitos, but you’ll enjoy a great view of the river and they’re a lot closer to home than Stade Roland-Garros. The recently revamped 119th Street hard courts in Riverside Park are also public and open for the season. There are courts in Central Park too, and all offer both court time and group and private instruction.

Bike: Cycle the Hudson River Greenway with stops to eat and drink at Pier i Café, Harry’s Table, and Ellington in the Park

Have you been following BMX or Olympic Track Cycling? It may not be for five rings, but you too can get on two wheels this weekend. Grab your bike or hop on a Citibike using the Citibike app or Lyft. The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway offers 32 miles of paved shoreline for runners, walkers, and cyclists to share, and you can access it from several points along the Upper West Side. Stop for an outdoor coffee, snack, or cocktail at Pier i Café under the West Side Highway in Riverside Park, right along the Greenway near West 70th Street. Look for the green chairs and umbrellas.

Or try Harry’s Table, a Cipriani restaurant that’s off the Greenway, but an easy detour at 535 Freedom Place (between 11th Avenue and Riverside Boulevard, and West 59th and 63rd Streets). Have a luxe meal at one of the tables in the large, airy space, or order from the coffee bar, pastry shop, pizza bar, or gelato station, and take your treats to one of many outdoor tables beside the manicured lawn where kids (or adults!) can play.

Don’t sleep on Ellington in the Park! In Riverside Park near West 105th Street, this outdoor gem serves coffee in the morning, burgers and pizza all day, and has a bar, so you can get a beer or cocktail whenever. There are tables with umbrellas overhead, and you can bring your dog. (It’s across from Dog Run 105). The lower-level lounge is beside a “beach” where you can play myriad sports or let the kids run around. We held my daughter’s Sweet 16 party at Ellington in the Park and love the vibes as well as the views. 

Run: Central Park Loop, Hudson River Greenway, or Riverside Park Promenade, on your own or with a running club like Central Park Track Club, Nice Jewish Runners, and Great Hill Track Club

Friday’s the first big day of Olympic Track and Field events. Be sure to watch Noah Lyles, “the fastest man in the world,” and cheer for Sha’Carri Richardson as she makes her Olympic debut on the new purple track at the Stade de France. Then, channel their grit and determination as you saunter or sprint along one of the UWS’s running paths. There’s the hilly 6-mile Central Park Loop, the aforementioned Hudson River Greenway, or the paved paths of Riverside Park.

If you’re looking for support, community, or new friends while you run, we’ve got running clubs for elite athletes as well as runners who are “slow AF.”  Central Park Track Club sent runners to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials again this year and boasts multiple Olympians, National Champs, and World Championships Qualifiers. Prospective members are welcome at CPTC training sessions, which take place several times a week and often meet near West 72nd Street in Central Park. (I joined CPTC before running my first marathon two years ago.) There’s Nice Jewish Runners, which offers social runs followed by bagels, babka, and beverages, and Great Hill Track Club, a friendly training group for all levels that takes its name from the northern part of Central Park. New York Road Runners maintains a list of local running clubs, but please drop yours in the comments! I’d love to check them out.

See a Movie: Didi at AMC Lincoln Square 13 and elsewhere

If I can tear myself away from watching the Olympics live all day, absorbing the memes, reels, and tweets, then the packaged highlights in prime time and late night, you’ll find me at Didi, a 90-minute coming-of-age comedy-drama about a Taiwanese-American boy growing up in California. It sounds a little like a memoir I loved, the 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Stay True,” by New Yorker writer Hua Hsu, a Taiwanese child of immigrants who grew up in California. According to The New York Times review, the film’s protagonist is obsessed with skateboarding, so I’ll consider it Olympics adjacent. 

Enjoy!

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