What Makes the Blankman List Unique?
5 rules I follow every month when writing a list of things to do in NYC
I always feel weird writing utterly self-serving articles like this. But several subscribers have asked about the writing process and my approach to organizing and curating New York City events. Plus, these sorts of posts have helped to explain this Substack to both new and non-subscribers and led to me meeting people who were also interested in event curation and the NYC event landscape. Write what you know, I guess.
Making the Blankman List each month is hard, at least for me. Part of the issue is there are a lot of lists out there. I’m reminded of xkcd 927 in particular.
When one day I went to find a list for me, who lives here and has a lot of things I’m potentially interested in doing, I found it overwhelming. Lots of lists for specific venues and event companies. Lots of paid and automated options. Some aren’t bad—straight up searching Google for events on a particular day can yield decent results. (A little to my amusement, Google is not always aware of when a Broadway show closes earlier than planned.) Some lists are awful. If you ask ChatGPT to make a month-long itinerary, you’ll get something in between trite and useless. The devil is always in the details. Incorrect dates. Made-up venues. No consideration of weather. You still need human brains, not tokenization models.
No matter how much I learn about different venues, websites, festivals, and so on, each list still takes me hours to compile. In my article on the process of finding events, I describe the care and labor that goes into researching and editing all of the events.
5 Rules of Writing the Blankman List
What makes the Blankman List unique is something that I wrestle with every month. I’m not the first to try and curate events for New York City. However, I am one of the few that puts my list behind a paywall. “Thank me with a coffee each month,” if you will.
Every list takes on a character of its own. Sometimes I lean into music or art or food or theater, sometimes I try to find mostly free events, sometimes I look for non-touristy attractions, and sometimes I use bizarre organizing principles like colors, letters, or anagrams of the word “August.” Yet there are a few rules that I follow in every Blankman List.
Rule 1: There is at least one event for every day of the month.
Since I began doing this in 2023, I have miraculously not missed a single day. It’s the most basic organizing principle that I have always stuck to and a reliable promise I intend to keep. I’ve embraced having multiple events in one day and try to distribute the events relatively evenly throughout the month. (The first week or two always have a bit more for the simple reason that more events are announced.) I don’t think I’ve ever exceeded four events in one day and will sometimes cut events just because I had too much going on. I strive to curate a list, not dump information about everything that’s available. Every single day, however, will offer something to do in NYC.
Rule 2: Every event is time bound.
All events require being there on a certain day and/or time. Most events, like concerts or book talks, only happen once. You snooze, you lose. Lots of times, an event spans multiple days: a restaurant’s happy hour, perhaps, or a one-week store collaboration. For events that last months, like plays or art exhibits, I draw attention to openings and closings. Overall, however, there are no straightforward advertisements for restaurants or stores. I want there to be a reason behind why I am placing an event on a particular day.
Rule 3: I would recommend these events to a resident.
This is arguably the impetus for the whole list. At first, I was dreaming of a retirement here in the city, with unlimited time and money and an on-call driver while I’m at it. While Manhattan is still host to a majority of events, this city is vast, and I think about the people who live across every borough. If you’re a tourist using the list to figure out what to do, I advise you to double-check the location of an event you plan on attending, as it may be quite far from where you’re staying, even if it’s in the same borough.
This rule also helps to guide what big-ticket events to promote. Residents are likely familiar with Radio City Music Hall, Broadway, and so on, even if they’ve never been. My goal is to narrow it down to the notable, unusual, and interesting. This is more art than science. I’m looking perhaps for acts that don’t tour often, long-running shows that are about to close, or event categories tough to find elsewhere.
Rule 4: I would recommend these events to a tourist.
I think of tourists too when creating my monthly list. I especially think of the tourist who is interested in the “less touristy” aspects of the city. As I mentioned, I have no qualms about including events at major venues, but these are recommended alongside events that may be a bit harder to spot: experimental art, math and science lectures, and venues off the beaten path, for instance. I want this list to be a useful guide for visitors who are looking for some of what makes NYC so culturally unique.
Rule 5: Collectively, the events are diverse.
This is important to me. The sociocultural breadth of New York City is staggering. Persian music. Japanese dance. Venezuelan art. Autistic theater companies. Black history exhibits. Jewish lectures. There are so many beautiful cities around the country, but this one feels unique in how much of the world comes to you. Diversity includes event type, too. There are events for you to be quiet, contemplative, and isolated. There are all-night dance parties. There is diversity of boroughs and neighborhoods, diversity of price points, diversity of formality. This city can be for everyone.
Finalizing the List
In the end, there’s an inevitable give-and-take. I’ve written about this part a lot, the finalizing of the list. That weekend is light on events . . . I don’t have any jazz . . . I’m over-representing theater . . . these events are too expensive . . . and I chisel away at subjective aspects of the list until I have something I’m happy with.
It’s never perfect. In fact, I’ve published lists before where it wasn’t until it was live that I realized I completely forgot an entire category of events, like sports, food, or theater! I am human with imperfect judgment. These errors perhaps show at least that my newsletter is not pay-to-play. It is not glutted with promotions, and I stay far away from AI-generated nonsense I see a lot lately. My newsletter is researched, curated, and written by me—an actual, live human being with my own tastes and judgments.
Using the List
While I have become consistent in what I present, I have no say of course in how you actually use the list. Every entry looks something like this:
Friday, February 14: Dungeons & Drag Queens
Live-play fantasy adventure improv comedy show featuring three drag queens playing the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons; 9:30 pm (9 pm doors)
$25 advance / $30 at door
Caveat
21A Clinton St (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
Part of the presentation is to be clear. I try to describe the event as succinctly as possible, give basic information regarding who/what/where/when/how much, and link to a source. If I can’t find any of that information or don’t see a reliable link, I’m unlikely to include the event at all.
There’s a secondary purpose to the presentation, however: one of exploration. I’m fully aware that events can sell out. In fact, I’ve hurried to publish lists because of events on the verge of doing so. Sometimes, the event might interest you but the location is too far or the price is too steep. Let the links guide you! Maybe you have zero interest in drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. But the link can lead you to Caveat’s general calendar, which includes plenty of other events and comedy shows.
The event can serve as inspiration, too. Maybe this event on that day isn’t for you. But if you’ve been looking for something to get you out of your apartment, this event can be a starting point. Depending on what part of the event caught your eye, NYC is host to other drag shows, improv comedy shows, tabletop gaming spaces, and public Dungeons & Dragons groups.
I want the list to be more than just highlights of where to go. I also hope it can inspire you to see new forms of art and performance, introduce you to new venues, and orient you towards all there is to do in New York City.