Barbes, deep in Park Slope, Brooklyn, hosts a variety of musical acts each night. I have come out here on the first Friday of every other month for several years to see Opera on Tap. A group of classically trained singers compile a concert of art songs/arias according to a certain theme. Friday's concert focused on songs from the Belle Epoque period, or pieces that matched the same kind of spirit. The singers' enjoyment distinguishes their events. This manifests through costumes (many wore customary berets along with their assumed malaise). The Les Chemins de l'Amour interpreted by Alex Guerrero and the Edith Piaf torch song Je ne regrette rien, sung by Joanie Brittingham, stood out for me. Chris Berg, the group's pianist, served as a solid straight man to the occasional silliness. 

Tucked deep in Astoria lies The Noguchi Museum, dedicated to celebrate Japanese artist Isamu Noguchi. I have passed the museums for years, only to visit it due to the book 111 Places in Queens that You Must Not Miss. Turns out I was only the fifth person to have visited it due to the book. The museum was built during the artist's lifetime and continues to highlight different aspects of his work. The current exhibit focuses on the design method Akari that he had patented, which will be up until early mid-April.