Bay Ridge's waterfront and its library on Ridge Boulevard have a week of free things to do that lean outdoors and active: a 5K along Shore Road on Saturday morning, a dance fitness class at midday, a free fishing lesson on the pier on Sunday and a film matinee on Monday. None of them costs anything.
Saturday morning: NYRR Open Run on Shore Road
New York Road Runners holds its free Open Run 5K in Shore Road Park every Saturday, and this week it runs on Halloween morning, October 31, from 8:45 to 11 a.m. Participants gather on the lawn near the 79th Street entrance. The course is one of the longer ones in the Open Run program: three loops alongside Shore Road with the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in view. Runners and walkers of every age and pace are welcome, and NYRR notes the run serves Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton.
Saturday at noon: dance fitness at Bay Ridge Library
At noon the same day, the Bay Ridge Library hosts a Shape Up NYC Dance Fitness class in its second floor meeting room, run with NYC Parks. The class combines dance and aerobics to music with steps that are easy to follow. It is free, and NYC Parks asks participants to register through its event page. The library is at 7223 Ridge Boulevard at 73rd Street.
Sunday: learn to fish at American Veterans Memorial Pier
On Sunday, November 1, from 11 a.m. to noon, the NYC Parks Urban Park Rangers teach a free saltwater fishing lesson at American Veterans Memorial Pier, the pier at the foot of Bay Ridge Avenue that reaches into Upper New York Bay. The rangers show how to use a rod properly and cover the ethics of fishing and the ecology of the city's waterways. All equipment is provided, so nobody needs to own a rod or bait. The lesson is recommended for ages 8 and older. Questions go to the rangers at (718) 421-2021.
Monday: a matinee at the library
Bay Ridge Library's Movies at the Library series screens Abigail Harm on Monday, November 2, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The 80 minute drama stars Amanda Plummer as a woman in a fictionalized New York City who, granted a wish by a strange visitor, asks for love; the film draws on the Korean folktale The Woodcutter and the Nymph. Seating is limited to 25, and films in the series are shown with subtitles.
For teens and older adults
Two ongoing library programs also meet this week. Teen Time Book Discussion meets Wednesday, November 4, at 3:30 p.m. And the Creative Aging painting series with artist Merrill Matthews, for adults 50 and older, meets Thursdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.; it is a registered series that ends with an exhibition of participants' work, and the library takes questions at 718-748-5709.
How to go
The R train stops at Bay Ridge Avenue and at 77th Street, both a short walk from the library and from Shore Road. Every event above is free. Times can change, so check the NYC Parks events page, the NYRR Open Run page and the Brooklyn Public Library calendar before you go.
Sources
- NYC Parks: NYRR Open Run, Shore Road Park
- New York Road Runners: Open Run at Shore Road Park
- Brooklyn Public Library: Shape Up NYC Dance Class, Bay Ridge
- NYC Parks: Saltwater Fishing, American Veterans Memorial Pier
- Brooklyn Public Library: Movies at the Library, Abigail Harm
- Brooklyn Public Library: Creative Aging, Let's Paint with Acrylics

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