SATURDAY September 19
Dinner jackets will be brought out for the first White Cross Ball of New York. The charity event is pretty well-known in London, though this will be the first year it will be in New York. It’s hosted by the Knights of Malta and—fun history fact!—this year is the 450th anniversary of the Great Siege of Malta. Guests will enjoy a four-course dinner, as well as chocolates by Prestat and specialty cocktails by the Macallan distillery. Natalie Dodge will be DJing, and the dress code is “black tie with miniatures and decorations.” The proceeds raised go toward the group’s mission to “serve the sick and the poor, both locally and internationally.” This year, that means offering aid to Nepal and Syria, supporting the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, which works to save newborn babies, and supporting the International Summer Camp for Disabled Youth. Dust off those miniatures. Metropolitan Club, 1 East 60th, 7:30 p.m., $435
SUNDAY September 20
Remember the tremendous amount of controversy over whether or not Mayor de Blasio was going to get rid of horse-drawn carriages? Of course you do! It was pretty much all anyone talked about whenever they came even peripherally close to Central Park for a while last year. Despite the controversy, they’re still around, and today is a great chance to learn more about the industry. Atlas Obscura Society is presenting The Insider’s Guide to NYC’s Horse-Drawn Carriage Industry. It will be led by Bruce Northam, the Manhattan horse-drawn carriage driver, and will focus on the industry’s relationship to the city. The tour will stretch about two miles—so wear your running shoes—from the remnants of a stable on Eleventh Avenue to Central Park. You’ll have a chance to hear some insider info about the lives of the drivers and the horses. And whatever side you’re on, it will give you some talking points the next time the subject comes up. Meeting place at the southeast corner of 37th Street and Eleventh Avenue, 2-4 p.m., $25
