No wonder the UN is in New York: One of the world’s most diverse cities, New York boasts 3.2 million foreign-born residents, collectively speaking more than 200 languages. When the General Assembly opens its 73rd session here on Tuesday, you can drop into one of any dozen cultural centers for a glass of Estonian beer, a class in Argentinian tango or a Kurdish music concert.
Later this fall, the Africa Center’s expected to open in Harlem, joining established organizations such as the Asia Society and French Institute Alliance Française, all dedicated to helping New Yorkers explore the world without ever leaving Manhattan. Here are just a handful.
Czech, mate
Courtesy of CCNY
Located in the beautiful, 120-year-old Bohemian National Hall, the Czech Center New York is currently celebrating the centennial of Czech independence. With free photography exhibits, rooftop film screenings and concerts, the center cultivates cultural diplomacy in the spirit of playwright and former president Vaclav Havel and composer Antonín Dvorřák — Czech luminaries with strong New York ties.
Eats: Open for dinner seven nights a week, the restaurant Bohemian Spirit specializes in traditional Czech cuisine. Center director Barbara Karpetova recommends the roasted beef with cream sauce, bread dumplings and cranberries ($19) and for dessert, fruit dumplings with dark beer foam and gingerbread ($8). BohemianSpiritRestaurant.com
Check it out: Through Oct. 5, the photography exhibit “August 21, 1968” showcases 20 iconic black-and-white images of the Soviet invasion.
Info: Czech Center New York at the Bohemian National Hall, 321 E. 73rd St.; CzechCenter.com
Sweet Scandi
Tamara Beckwith
Promoting the cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, Scandinavia House opened in a sleek Midtown building in 2000. The center has an indoor children’s playground, a restaurant and a well-stocked gift shop, and offers language classes, lectures, concerts and film series.
Eats: Smörgås Chef showcases the bright, comforting foods of contemporary Scandinavia, including aquavit-cured gravlax ($16), Swedish beef and pork meatballs with lingonberries and mashed potatoes ($24) and homemade elderflower soda ($5). The cafe’s open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Check it out: Actress Liv Ullmann kicks off a seven-part film series marking the centenary of Ingmar Bergman’s birth with a screening of the director’s “Saraband” on Sept. 26. Opening Oct. 13, the exhibition “Light Lines: The Art of Jan Groth, Inger Johanne Grytting and Thomas Pihl” celebrates Norwegian artists with New York ties. And on Oct. 25, Swedish pianist Per Tengstrand performs Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 1.”
Info: Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave.; ScandinaviaHouse.org
Spain reigns
Henry Aguilar shows off the paella Valenciana that you can enjoy at La Nacional.
Annie Wermiel
Now in its 150th year, La Nacional — Spanish Benevolent Society has reinvigorated its Greenwich Village brownstone, offering language courses, dance lessons and film screenings.
“We service not only the Spanish community, but all Spanish-speaking cultures,” says executive director Robert Sanfiz.
Eats: The nonprofit La Nacional, one of the oldest restaurants in New York City, recently reopened after a more-than-two-year, $1 million renovation, hosting a rotating group of Spanish chefs. The current squad, from Valencia, cooks daily paella specials ranging from vegetables to seafood ($20), grilled octopus with potato cream and parsnip chips ($18) and a nouvelle cuisine-inspired gazpacho with tomato foam and cucumber “snow” ($7). It’s open for dinner Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Check it out: Every Thursday evening, the center offers tango classes ($15), followed by open dancing until 2 a.m. On Oct. 7, the Hispanic Day Parade, which La Nacional created in 1964, starts on 44th Street and Fifth Avenue and ends at 77th Street, followed by a reception at La Nacional, open to parade attendees by reservation.
Info: La Nacional, 239 W. 14th St.; LaNacional.org
A taste of Estonia
Tamara Beckwith
The New York Estonian House has occupied a Murray Hill building — originally built as a city-run club to fight poverty and gambling — since 1946. Its 1898-built interiors are popular on Open House New York tours, but anyone can take a peek. “Whenever someone rings the bell, I’m always happy to show them around,” says manager Kadri Sepp. The private, membership-based organization sponsors art exhibitions, film screenings and dance performances that are open to the public.
Eats: The in-house dining room serves Estonian classics such as herringlike sprat sandwiches, herring with sour cream and semolina mousse ($3 to $15). There’s also a full bar with New York’s widest selection of Estonian liquors (pictured), including gin and vodka cocktails ($14), and 11 di fferent beers ($5). The members-only restaurant is open to first time visitors by reservation: Thursday to Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.; the bar closes at 11 p.m.
Check it out: On Sept. 20, Estonian House opens “Estonian History in Pictures,” a sweeping survey from 9,000 B.C. to the present. Painter Uno Habakukk debuts his contemporary Estonian landscapes on Oct. 20. On Dec. 1, the Estonian House’s Christmas Bazaar features hand-knitted mittens and socks, and gingerbread cookies.
Info: New York Estonian House, 243 E. 34th St.; EstonianHouseNewYork.com
Makin’ It Turk
Turkish Cultural Center
Since 2005, the Turkish Cultural Center New York has promoted nonpartisan events embracing a diverse constituency. “One of our signature events is a friendship dinner,” says board member Suleyman Aydogan. “Every April, we invite community leaders — they’re Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist, Italian, Irish — to discuss a topic of common interest.” The center also presents Kurdish, Armenian and Turkish concerts.
Eats: The center holds monthly Turkish cooking classes ($52). At the next class, on Sept. 28, you can learn how to make stuffed red bell peppers, a minty yogurt dip, semolina cookies and Turkish tea.
Check it out: Learn ebru, the Turkish technique of water marbling, or painting on water, at a class on Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. ($40). On Sept. 26, the center starts 10 weeks of Turkish language classes ($350).
Info: Turkish Cultural Center New York, 56 W. 45th St.; TurkishCulturalCenter.org
