Spare Times for Jan. 27-Feb. Museums and Sites American Museum of Natural History: Astronomy Live: NASA Missions (Tuesday) A look at NASA missions of the past and for the future, offered by museum personnel, with images and visualizations. At 6:30 p.m., Central Park West and 79th Street, (212) 769-5200, amnh.org/calendar/event/NASA-Missions; $15, or $13.50 for members, students and 60+. Jewish Museum: Hanukkah Lamps (Friday through Sunday) This is the last weekend to see "An Artist Remembers: Hanukkah Lamps Selected by Maurice Sendak," an exhibition of 33 lamps from a variety of eras in many styles, with an audio recording of Mr. Sendak that illuminates his choices through personal anecdotes. Hours are Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, (212) 423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org; $12; $10 for 65+; $7.50 for students; free for children under 12. Admission is free on Saturdays. Morgan Library & Museum: Charles Dickens and Robert Burns (Friday and Saturday, Tuesday through Thursday) The writers Charles Dickens and Robert Burns are each the subject of exhibitions at the museum. On view through Feb. 12 is "Charles Dickens at 200," a display of his letters, stories, photographs and other items. Also on view, through Feb. 5, is "Robert Burns and "Auld Lang Syne,"" an exhibition of that Scottish poet's writing, including a handwritten version of the poem that gave birth to the lyrics for the New Year's Eve chestnut "Auld Lang Syne." Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, (212) 685-0008, themorgan.org; $15, or $10 for students, 65+ and children; free for members and children under 12. Museum of Jewish Heritage: Gertrude Stein and the Vichy Regime (Wednesday) Stein, the writer and intellectual well known for her Paris salons with Hemingway and Picasso, was also associated with those sympathetic to the Nazi party, among them Bernard Faÿ, the director of the Bibliothèque Nationale. Stein's association with Faÿ and actions on behalf of other pro-Nazi figures are the subject of a discussion at 7 p.m. with Barbara Will, a Stein scholar and author of "Unlikely Collaboration: Gertrude Stein, Bernard Faÿ and the Vichy Dilemma"; and Ruth Franklin, an author and editor at The New Republic. 36 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, (646) 437-4202, mjhnyc.org; $10, or $5 for members. New York Transit Museum: "ElectriCity: Powering New York's Rails" (continuing) A historical display of items from the museum collection, including switches and circuit breakers, that illustrates how electricity powers the subway system. Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 694-1600, mta.info/mta/museum; $7; $5 for those ages 2 to 17 and 62+; free for members. Paley Center for Media: "Hey, Hey, Hey ... It's Bill Cosby" (through Feb. 5) This series, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Mr. Cosby's show business career, continues with screenings of his television specials from 1970 and 1971. Screenings are Wednesdays through Sundays at 12:30 p.m. 25 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, (212) 621-6800, paleycenter.org; $10; $8 for students; $5 for children under 14; and free for members. Snug Harbor Cultural Center: A Chinese New Year Celebration (Sunday) Dancers with the New York Chinese Cultural Center will celebrate the Year of the Dragon with a lion's dance, weather permitting, at 1 p.m. in the Chinese Scholars Garden, followed by an outdoor tea. The action moves inside the Music Hall at 2 p.m. for traditional dances. 1000 Richmond Terrace, Livingston, Staten Island, (718) 448-2500, snug-harbor.org; $10, or $8 for students and children 12 and younger. Gardens New York Botanical Garden: "Caribbean Garden" (through Feb. 26) When you step into the warmth of the Conservatory, you just might be able to forget that a train or a car, and not a DC-10, whisked you to a garden of Caribbean blooms. Among the varieties to evoke warmer climes are red and yellow hibiscus, pineapple and palm. There will also be a demonstration in salsa dancing on Saturday at 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Bronx River Parkway, Exit 7W, and Fordham Road, the Bronx, (718) 817-8700, nybg.org; $20, or $18 for students and 65+; $8 for children 2 to 12; members and children under 2, free. Events Brooklyn Israel Film Festival (Saturday and Sunday) The festival, the eighth, continues with screenings of "Restoration," a 2011 feature by Joseph Madmony about a family business in decline, on Saturday at 8 p.m.; and "Dolphin Boy," a 2011 documentary by Dani Menkin and Yonatan Nir about an Israeli Arab teenager who is able to deal with a traumatic situation with the help of a therapy dolphin, on Sunday at 7 p.m. Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane Street, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 875-1550, kanestreet.org/iff; $12 each. China in New York: Written on the Wind: New Music From China and New York (Friday) A weeklong musical celebration of the Lunar New Year continues with a performance at 7 p.m. of new music by Chinese and Chinese-American composers and performers. Those appearing include Huang Ruo, Min Xiao-Fen, Chen Xing-Ruo and Shen Ye; David Garland of WQXR, sponsor of the concert, is the host. The performance can be heard live on WQXR-FM, 105.9, and seen in a live video Webcast at thegreenespace.org. The Greene Space, 44 Charlton Street, SoHo, (646) 829-4000; $18. Chinese New Year Celebrations (Saturday and Sunday) The dragons will be out in full force, along with lions and other costumed figures and individuals taking part in events in Lower Manhattan celebrating the Year of the Dragon. On Saturday, a free festival sponsored by the New York Chinese Cultural Center will offer crafts workshops and performances from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Winter Garden, World Financial Center, West Street, south of Vesey Street; nychineseculturalcenter.org. On Sunday, participants in the annual New Year Parade and Festival in Chinatown, including several hundred schoolchildren from Beijing, will begin gathering at 11:30 a.m. in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, from Canal to East Houston Streets and between Forsyth and Chrystie Streets, for a procession to Canal and Mott Streets, where the parade kicks off at 1 p.m. It will end at the park, where a festival with entertainment and food will last until 4 p.m. The parade and the festival are sponsored by the Better Chinatown Society. betterchinatown.com; free. Ice Theater of New York: Free Performances (Wednesday and Thursday) If you walk past Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park these days, you might end up attending a show from the Ice Theater of New York. It is performing at both locations during its free outdoor series, appearing Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Rockefeller Center rink and on Thursday at 12:45 p.m. at Citi Pond in Bryant Park; best viewing is above the rink in Rockefeller Center and around the rink in Bryant Park. The series continues at Rockefeller Center on selected Wednesdays through April 4. Heavy rain postpones most performances until the next day, but there are no rain dates for this Wednesday's and Thursday's shows. Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Streets; Bryant Park, Avenue of the Americas, at 40th Street, (212) 929-5811, icetheatre.org. "The Japanese-American Internment Project: If They Came for Me Today" (Fridays through Thursdays, through March 12) You do not have to have been interned in a camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II to feel the impact of that experience. An exhibition on those who lived through it, as well as the writers and artists who've kept the memory of that time alive, is on view through March 12. The display, which includes portraits and texts that tell the stories of 14 individuals affected by the wartime policy, is presented by Community Works NYC; it was begun by the organization's Western branch, Community Works West, and has been on view at several locations in California. The first New York stop for the show is at the Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive, at 119th Street; it is scheduled to go to the City College of New York in late May. Related events are planned in conjunction with the display, along with the addition of stories of New Yorkers with ties to the internment camps. Viewing hours are Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. The Interchurch Center has put together a related display, "From Topaz to Soho: The Spirited Art of Koho Yamamoto," with pieces by the artist, who was interned in a camp in Utah. (212) 459-1854, communityworksnyc.org; free. Mad. Sq. Art" (through March 12) Those animal sounds and images in Madison Square Park may not be the real thing. They could be among the animated video projections drawn from nature by the Dutch artist Jacco Olivier that are on display throughout the park, daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. The free display is part of the Madison Square Park Conservancy's public art program. Madison and Fifth Avenues, between 23rd and 26th Streets, (212) 538-1884, madisonsquarepark.org. Poulenc Cabaret (Thursday) An ensemble of singers and instrumentalists will offer an evening of music by the composer at the Gershwin Hotel, 7 East 27th Street. The performance, at 8 p.m., is sponsored by operamission, a group whose objective is to bring the music "from the composer to the audience." (917) 520-3163, operamission.org; $20. "Printing for Kingdom, Empire & Republic: Treasures From the Archives of the Imprimerie Nationale" (Friday, Saturday and Monday through Thursday) An exhibition on the printing house with archival books, manuscripts, documents and artwork that are on view through Feb. 4. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, Manhattan, (212) 838-6690, grolierclub.org; free. Thunderbird American Indian Dancers: Dance Concert and Powwow (Fridays through Sundays, through Feb. 5) As it has done for the last 36 years, the organization is offering its annual performance of music, dance and other activities to benefit a scholarship fund for American Indian students. Performances are on Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, at Ninth Street, East Village, (212) 254-1109, theaterforthenewcity.net; $10, or $1 for children under 12 accompanied by an adult ticket holder at matinees only. "Will to Create, Will to Live: The Culture of Terezin" (Saturday, Monday and selected days through Feb. 27) During the Holocaust, the ghetto of Terezin was known as a holding point for Czech Jews bound for death camps, but it was also the site of much artistic creation. "Will to Create, Will to Live: The Culture of Terezin," a series under way at 92nd Street Y, features concerts, discussions and exhibitions that highlight this creativity. Reproductions of performance posters as well as original artifacts like ticket stubs, currency and identification cards are included in a historical display on view on Saturday, Monday and then selected dates through Feb. 27. Ticket holders can view the display on the days when they are attending events. It is free. 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, (212) 415-5500, 92y.org. Winter Film Festival in Bryant Park (Monday) This annual free outdoor series, which runs Mondays through Feb. 13, continues with "Groundhog Day" (1993), directed by Harold Ramis, with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell; audience members are encouraged to dress warmly. At 7 p.m., Bryant Park, Avenue of the Americas, at 40th Street, (212) 768-4242, bryantpark.org; free. "The World of Duncan Phyfe: The Arts of New York, 1800-1847" (Friday, Saturday and Tuesday through Thursday) Cabinets made by Duncan Phyfe during his nearly 50-year career will be on display alongside pieces from his contemporaries, including Michael Allison and Thomas Constantine. The exhibition, which also has New York-made silver and porcelain works, will run through Feb. 17. Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.; Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; closed Sundays, by appointment Mondays. Hirschl and Adler Galleries, 730 Fifth Avenue, (212) 535-8810, hirschlandadler.com; free. Spoken Word "Ask Roulette" (Wednesday) If you love asking strangers questions, or love answering questions from strangers, or love watching strangers ask each other questions, "Ask Roulette" is for you. It's the brainchild of Jody Avirgan, a producer for WNYC radio (AM 820, FM 93.9, wnyc.org), and starts at 7 p.m. Audience members who choose to submit questions will take turns being both questioner and answerer with other audience members who will, for this evening, include the guests Starlee Kine, a radio writer and producer; Dave Hill, a comedian; and David Carr, a media reporter for The New York Times. Live music is also on the bill. Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, near Houston Street, SoHo, (212) 334-3324, askroulette.net; free. New York University's Creative Writing Program: Mark Strand's Poetry (Thursday) Mark Strand, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for "Blizzard of One," will read from his new collection, "Almost Invisible," to be released by Knopf in early March. At 7 p.m., Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 West 10th Street, Greenwich Village; free. Staten Island OutLoud: A Mark Twain Celebration (Saturday and Sunday) Reading great writing aloud in public spaces is one of the missions of Staten Island OutLoud, and for the next several months the group will focus on the writing and life of Mark Twain as part of the national "Big Read" initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts. Kicking off the series on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. will be an afternoon of readings, 19th-century music and other activities at the Richmondtown branch of the New York Public Library, 200 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island. On Sunday at 3 p.m., a discussion on the language and racial issues raised by Twain's works will take place at the Staten Island Community Charter School, 309 St. Paul's Avenue, at Beach Street, Staten Island. Both events are free. (718) 907-0709, statenislandoutloud.org. Walking Tours Grand Central Terminal Walking Tours (Saturday and Sunday) On cold days an indoor walking tour can be inviting. On Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m., Adventure on a Shoestring will lead walkers through the Terminal, visiting the Campbell Apartment, among other sites. The tour will meet on the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street, (212) 265-2663; $10. On Saturday at 2:15 p.m. and Sunday at 1:15 and 2:45 p.m., NYC Discovery Tours will also take walkers to the apartment, as well as the whispering arch and other spots; the meeting place will be given with reservations, (212) 465-3331; $18. "Historic Brooklyn Heights" (Saturday) This walk, jointly sponsored by the Brooklyn Historical Society and Big Onion Walking Tours, will cover the neighborhood's transformation from an agricultural area to one of the city's first suburbs. It will meet at 1 p.m. on the steps of Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, (888) 606-9255, bigonion.com. The fee - $18; $15 for students and 63+; $15 and $12 for Society members - includes Society admission. "Union Square: Crossroads of New York" (Saturday) A tour focusing on the area's political history meets at 2 p.m. by the statue of Lincoln in Union Square Park, near the 16th Street transverse. Sponsored by the Union Square Partnership, (212) 517-1826, unionsquarenyc.org; free. Information on events for possible inclusion in Spare Times can be sent to weekend@nytimes.com. Expanded lists of Around Town and For Children events are available at nytimes.com/events.