Sunday, August 30, 2009

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, Monday August 31, 2009

Tuesday September 1, 2009
Wallace Shawn appearance
7:30 p.m.
I don't know about you, but I'll always remember him as dorky Mr. Hall from Clueless. How about you? Tonight Mr. Shawn will be promoting his new book of essays, which appropriately enough, is called Essays.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle, northeast corner of 66th and Broadway
Subway: 1 to 66th Street/Lincoln Center

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Cheap Chick Weekend Picks, August 28-30, 2009

Friday August 28, 2009
Hapa Kitchen Luau and Pig Roast
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Listen to DJ music while "pigging out" on roast pork and macaroni salad with a local twist, plus other luau staples.
Cheap Chick Info: Entrance is free, $10 for a plate of food
Location Info: BKLYN Yard, 388-400 Carroll Street
Subway: F,G to Carroll Street, R to Union

Michael Jackson Birthday Sing-a-Long
9 p.m.
Break dance and then break out the white gloves and red jackets to compete in the costume contest and then sing-along to "Thriller" and other MJ favorites.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Legion, 790 Metropolitan Avenue bet. Graham Ave. and Humboldt Street
Subway: L to Graham Avenue, G, L to Metropolitan Avenue

Friday and Saturday August 28th and 29th, 2009
Midnight screening of The Graduate
Find out the answer to that age-old question, "Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson?"
Cheap Chick Info: $9.99
Location Info: Landmark Sunshine, 143 East Houston Street
Subway:F,V to 2nd Avenue

Saturday August 29, 2009
Monastic Art and Architecture Lecture at The Cloisters
12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Check out this talk about monastic art and architecture given by Nancy Wu, museum educator.
Cheap Chick Info: Free with admission, admission is suggested at $20
Location Info: The Cloisters, 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park
Subway: A to 190th Street

LES Walking Tour
1 p.m.
Tour historical sites and eateries and learn about the history of the area during this walking tour.
Cheap Chick Info: $20
Location Info: Meets outside of Information Center for the Tenement Museum on Orchard Street, Museum is at 108 Orchard Street
Subway: F to Delancey Street

Adventures NYC
12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Hooray for the parks! This event encompasses everything I love about NY! I can't even begin to list all the activities offered at this event, so I'll leave you with a link here. I will say that you might catch me getting my Top Chef on at the outdoor cooking competition.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Central Park Bandshell, enter park near Fifth Ave. and 72nd Street
Subway: 6 to 68th Street

Rumblers NYC 9th Annual Kustom Kills & Hot Rod Thrills Show
10 a.m.
Check out classic cars, get a 50's style haircut, and grab some BBQ at this event. Rockabilly music starts at 3:30 p.m.
Cheap Chick Info: $10
Location Info: Union Pool, 484 Union Avenue
Subway: G,L to Metropolitan Avenue

Grand Central Scavenger Hunt With The Lunch Club
2 p.m.
Discover the Whispering Corners, the Campbell apartment, and more restaurants and stores than you ever imagined were lurking in this subway stop.
Cheap Chick Info: $10 in advance or $15 at the door, RSVP here.
Location Info: Grand Central, in front of Track 40
Subway: 4,5,6,7,S to Grand Central

Saturday and Sunday August 29th and 30th
Charlie Parker Jazz Festival
3 p.m.
A variety of free concerts honors the neighborhoods where the musician lived.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Sat: Marcus Garvey Park (124th Street and Mt. Morris Park) Sun.: Tompkins Square Park (East 8th Street between Avenues A and B)
Subway: MG Park: 2,3,4,5,6 to 125th Street, Tompkins: 6 to Astor Place, F to 2nd Avenue

Sunday August 30, 2009
Sabra Mediterranean Village
11 a.m.
Sample tons of free hummus with fresh toppings and watch chefs demonstrate Mediterranean cooking techniques in a Mediterranean village complete with Mediterranean music. Are you sensing a theme here?
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Union Square, 14th Street to 17th Street bet. B'way and Park Ave.
Subway: N,R,W,Q,4,5,6,L to 14th Street Union Square

The Truth About Central Park
2 p.m.
Explore the man-made side of Central Park and learn its secrets from guide Tony Robins (not the self-help guy, that's two b's!)
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meet by the equestrian statue of General Sherman, west side of Fifth Ave., between 59th bet. 60th Streets
Subway: R,W to Fifth Ave.

Science Farmers' Market
1o a.m. to 4 p.m.
This open-air market will have local produce, demonstrations, and handouts.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Flushing Meadows Corona Park near the New York Hall of Science (47-01 111th Street)
Subway: 7 to Willets Point, Shea Stadium

Tickling Leo Screening
2:30 p.m.
This 2009 movie deals with a family's WWII secret and is followed by a Q&A with writer/director Jeremy Davidson and producer Mary Stuart Masterson. Don't forget to see the Irène Némirovsky (author of Suite Francaise) exhibit, it ends after today.
Cheap Chick Info: Free with suggested donation of $12 (Cheap Chick Tip: Visit the website to print out a coupon for $2 off!)
Location Info: Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place
Subway: 4,5 to Bowling Green

Also don't forget that the Metropolitan Opera's free HD screenings festival starts on Saturday! All the details are here: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/broadcast/template.aspx?id=8586

There are only two weekends left of summer. How many items have you checked off from my summer guide??? http://cheapchickinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/06/cheap-chick-summer-guide-2009.html

The Big Quiz Thing: Trivia for a Trivial Price!

I’ve just returned home from my regular trivia night, my hands stained with ink, and the logo of the Big Quiz Thing stamped underneath my wrist. The Big Quiz Thing is a trivia event held every other Monday night at Crash Mansion, in Manhattan, and hosted by Noah Tarnow, the Chief Copy Editor at Time Out New York. During the Quiz I spend hours in a cavernous semi-dark room, huddled together with my team as we scribble answers on scraps of notepaper or postcards filched from the box near the bathroom, competing heatedly with longtime rival teams with names like “Jefferson Davis Starship,” “Cash Cab for Cutie,” and the “Fantastic Fournicators.” “I’m very proud that I’ve created something that people really care about, and that I genuinely know I’m entertaining them…I really enjoy trivia, so it’s a great feeling when a question or round really comes together as challenging, clever and entertaining, all at the same time,” Tarnow says.

Our team works well together, I think because we each have our own specialty, one team member knew the different names for Sesame Street, another could say that Annette Bening and Dan Ankroyd were in the movie The Great Outdoors together, while another teammate was able to unscramble an anagram to piece together the answer of chicken tikka masala for a visual round dealing with food. My specialty is literature (I was able to identify mystery authors this time around, though I’m still mad at myself for spitting out Sue Grafton for an answer rather than Patricia Cornwell, whose books I’ve read, luckily a teammate quickly corrected me.)

It’s a rather motley bunch I play with, we vary in age from 30 to 40, and our professions range from personal assistant to financial analyst, yet somehow when we’re cozily (sometimes too cozily)squashed next to each other in our booth, furtively whispering possible answers or grabbing furiously for the official team notepad if we immediately know the answer to a question, it somehow all works out-we’re almost always in the top ten teams and often the top five, and we even win from-time-to-time, garnering the $200 prize and the chance to display the much coveted plastic trophy the following week.

There are five rounds of play, with the first and third rounds general knowledge questions, the second round a video round (this may include cut-up movie scenes, pages from recipe books, or bidding Price is Right-style on airplane catalogs, or word puzzles), audio rounds that are usually theme-based (such as Maximum Michael Jackson-all MJ songs) and then the last round is the Lighting Round, where teams have just ten seconds between questions and a minute at the end of the round to decide on responses and turn in the answer sheet. Regarding these unusual rounds, Tarnow says, “I knew from the beginning that I wanted the quiz to be more of a show than a typical bar-trivia night, and these elements are key. EDP [Eric de Picciotto, Tarnow's sidekick on game nights] and GB [the show's DJ, DJGB] have been instrumental in helping make these elements a reality.”

If a team doesn’t know the answer they can make up an answer, and if it gets a laugh, they'll get what's called a "Smart-Ass" point. “The idea of smart-ass points came to me very early on, when I was making the earliest plans for the quiz. Just seemed like a good idea, a great way to inject comedy into the competition,” Tarnow says.

At the end of five rounds, the team with the most points wins. General knowledge questions can range from any subject from literature to history, pop culture, geography, current events, and sports (our weakness.) Tarnow finds inspiration for questions from a variety of sources, “I keep a notepad in my back pocket, and am constantly jotting down ideas that inspire trivia questions or special rounds, wherever I may pick them up. I maintain a large file of unused questions, and to prep for every show, I go through it and pick what I want to use for that edition (tweaking/writing new material as I go). I bounce ideas off of EDP (especially the video round) and GB (especially the audio round), but mostly I craft the material solo.”

As the game progresses my team has its own rituals that include singing along to the theme song for the special four-part questions in the first and third rounds, counting down at the lightning round and erupting with ‘Happy New Year!’ as the clock ticks down to zero, singing along to our favorite songs as they play during the music rounds, and even dancing in-between rounds. Personally I doodle a lot, mainly flowers, though sometimes random faces or plates of spaghetti-weird, I know.

At a recent night, my team won, which is always fun, and we always get ridiculously excited when we win, leaping up in the air when we hear our name, and then much high-fiving and hugs ensue, sometimes pictures are taken. “I think for many—at least the ones who win with any regularity—the competitive aspect is addictive. But I like to think that people appreciate the show’s entertainment value—the cleverness of the questions, and humor of the show in general—separate from the game itself. I’m always proud that teams who never win come back again and again,” Tarnow says.

Show Details:
200th Anniversary Spectacular! August 31, 2009

7 p.m.
The Big Quiz Thing is celebrating its 200th show next Monday, with a one-time only venue switch to Le Poissen Rouge, the entry fee will be upped to $10, but the grand prize will be a smokin' hot $400!
Cheap Chick Info: $10
Location Info: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker at Thompson Street
Subway: A,C,E,B,D,F,V to West 4th Street, 1 to Houston, R,W to Prince

Regular Shows at Crash Mansion
7:30 p.m. (but best get there early to grab seats)
Upcoming dates: September 14, and September 28, 2009
Cheap Chick Info: $7
Location Info: Crash Mansion
Subway: F,V to Second Avenue, 6 to Spring Street

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, Tuesday August 25, 2009

Wednesday August 25, 2009
American Beer Screening and BBQ
Doors open at 6:30 p.m./Show starts at 8 p.m.
Quench your thirst for movies and beer at this outdoor movie event. Watch the documentary American Beer, the story of Paul Kermizian, the owner of Barcade, and Gutter, and his cross-country quest to visit 38 breweries in 40 days with four friends.
Cheap Chick Info: $12, includes free Fisherman's Bavarian Wheat beer from Cape Ann, a brewery inspired by the film. Various BBQ offerings are $7, and include a free beer.
Location Info: Hope Lounge, 10 Hope Street, Brooklyn
Subway: L to Bedford

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Cheap Chick Weekend Picks, August 21-23, 2009

Friday August 21, 2009
Twilight at Central Park
Gates open at 6 p.m., movie starts at 8 p.m.
Get your vampire lovin' here! Watch out for fangs during the movie, unless that's your thing...
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, enter the park at Fifth Ave. and 69th Street
Subway: R,W to Fifth Ave.

Apollo 13 Viewing on the Intrepid
8:30 p.m.
Join Tom Hanks as he travels from the Earth to the moon.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Pier 86, 46th St., at Twelfth Ave.
Subway: A,C,E to Times Square/42nd Street

Friday August 20th, and Saturday August 21st, 2009
Sketch in the City Comedy Festival
8 p.m. to midnight
Sketch comedy festival sponsored by SketchInTheCity.com. The festival kicks off tonight with a solo sketch performance from Kevin Allison of
MTV's The State.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: The Creek (10-93 Jackson Ave, LIC)
Subway: 7 to Vernon/Jackson Ave., E,V to 23rd Street/Ely Avenue,

Saturday August 22, 2009
Fifth Annual Fort Greene Park Literary Festival
3 p.m.
Young writers from a summer-long series of writing workshops will read from their works and will be joined by celebrated Brooklyn authors such as Colson Whitehead, Touré, and Staceyann Chin.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn
Subway: A,C to Lafayette Ave.

Sunset Park Walking Tour
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Discover this diverse neighborhood and its European, Hispanic, Arabic, and Chinese cultures and its Dutch and Huguenot roots.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meet at the N.E. corner of 43rd St. and Fourth Ave. (Brooklyn), by the old courthouse.
Subway: R train to 45th St., Brooklyn

Algonquin Round Table Walking Tour and Book Launch
Walking tour starts at 12 p.m. Book signing in lobby of Algonquin hotel starts at 2:30 p.m.
See the New York City of the 1920's and the worlds of authors such as Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Edna Ferber, George S. Kaufman, and Harpo Marx. The tour will be led by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick co-author of The Lost Algonquin Round Table.
Cheap Chick Info: Walking tour is $20
Location Info: Meet at The Algonquin Hotel, 59 West 44th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)
Subway: F to 42nd Street/Fifth Avenue, 7 to Fifth Avenue

Hot Jazz/Cool Garden at the Louis Armstrong House
1 p.m.
Tin Pan Blues Band wraps up this outdoor music series at the jazz legend's home and museum. Take the guided tour (well worth it, with plenty of ancedotes, and even recordings of Louis himself) and then dance (or cool off) the afternoon away with a band that describes themselves as "Ray Charles and Tom Waits at a Bourbon Street parade!"
Cheap Chick Info: Music event is free, tours are $6/$8
Location Info: Louis Armstrong House, 34-56 107th Street
Subway: 7 train to 103 St-Corona Plaza

Saturday August 22, 2009 and Sunday August 23rd, 2009
Circa Now Sidewalk Sale
12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Find bargains on vintage clothes, shoes, bags, and furniture!
Cheap Chick Info: Items as low as a $1!
Location Info: 238 E. 6th St., b/t Bowery and Second Ave.
Subway: 6 to Astor Place

Downtown Dance Festival
1 p.m.
Enjoy dances from around the world at this event that's part of the River-to-River Festival!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Battery Park, Manhattan
Subway: 4,5 to Bowling Green, R,W to Whitehall St.

Sunday August 23, 2009
Hudson River Park's Annual Blues BBQ festival
2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Check out blues bands from across the country and feast on BBQ delights from Brother Jimmy's BBQ, Dallas Jones Bar-B-Q, Dinosaur Bar Be Que, and Mara's Homemade.
Cheap Chick Info: Festival is free, food is priced.
Location Info: Hudson River Park
Subway: A,C,E,L to 14th Street

The NYC Japan Street Fair
11 a.m.
Madison Avenue between 42nd and 57th Streets
Say Konnichiwa to 40 booths of Japanese culture!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location: Madison Avenue between 43rd and 44th Street
Subway: 4,5,6,7,S to Grand Central

Dessert Walking Tour
11 a.m.
Sweeten your sweet tooth on the Upper West Side with hand-made French chocolates, cookies, apple tarts, and fresh S & S Cheesecake.
Cheap Chick Info: $5 for walking tour, purchases your own treats
Location Info: Meet at the Magnolia Bakery, 200 Columbus Avenue at 89th Street
Subway: 1 to 66th Street

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, August 19th, 2009, Another Terrific Thursday!

Thursday August 20th, 2009
Poetry From the Rooftops
6:30 p.m.
Hear Cynthia Cruz, Laynie Browne, and Valzhyna Mort read poems on a rooftop (hopefully the poems won't be over your head! Sorry, couldn't resist one roof joke no matter how lame...)
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: The Zoo School Building (next to the Arsenal Building at Central Park), Enter at 64th Street at 5th Avenue
Subway: R,W to 5th Ave.

Stoop, Synagogue, Soapbox Walking Tour
7 p.m.
Debate 20th century politics during this tour hosted by the Museum at Eldridge Street.
Cheap Chick Info: $15, $12 students and seniors, RSVP to: ncohen(at)eldridgestreet.org or call (212) 219-0888 x207
Location Info: Get information on meeting place when you RSVP. Museum at Eldridge Street is located at 12 Eldridge Street between Canal and Division Streets
Subway: F to East Broadway, B and D to Grand Street

Don't forget that Catch Me If You Can with that hottie Leonardo DiCaprio (I've loved him since Growing Pains...) is playing in Brooklyn Bridge Park tonight! http://brooklynbridgepark.org/index.cfm?objectid=EF670B44-3048-2C77-F20C2202337458ED

Monday, August 17, 2009

Saving Money at the Movies!

I realize in advance that some of these suggestions are incredibly obvious, BUT with movie tickets in the city rising rapidly and quickly approaching the $12 mark, if I can help you to save even a few dollars, I’ll consider my movie mission accomplished.

Save on popcorn and drinks

Two words: Kids Combo: If all you desire is a taste of popcorn, candy, and soda, and your movie partner does not agree with your movie-snack philosophy (popcorn vs. nachos, butter, no butter, salt, no salt, Goobers vs. Sour Patch Kids, you know what I'm talking about) then the kids combo is for you (as long as you don't mind carrying a brightly colored cardboard box around)! Almost all theaters in the NYC area have them (if you don't see it on the menu ask!) and they usually include a small popcorn, small drink, and a candy, sometimes just weird fruit bites, but if you're lucky you may get mini-M&M's or Skittles. There aren't usually refills with the kids' combo, though they are also a perfect size for a post-lunch/dinner snack and generally only run $5/$6 even in Manhattan. Some theaters may have caught on to this trick and could actually ask you to produce a child, in this case, I'll leave it up to your best judgment, you can backpedal and order regular snack sizes or get indigent and tell them your kid is in the theater…up to you!

Share and Share Alike (even popcorn): As long as you're not worried about cooties and can reconcile the movie snack differences mentioned above, then you don't need to buy two separate popcorns, or even, heaven forbid, two separate drinks. When I worked at a movie theater as a teenager it would drive me nuts when people would order two small popcorns when the bucket we had was cheaper, offered more popcorn, and included a free refill. And the price of the one large bag/bucket is by far cheaper than the price of two small bags. Same generally goes for two small drinks vs. a large soda, but I understand if that straw-sharing brings up other germ-related issues.

Combos: As long as you're sharing, check the concession stand menu to see if any combos are offered. Usually the popcorn and soda deals offered in the combos are better than the regular price. A nice alternative to the kids’ combo is the 3 for $7.50, which offers slightly larger snack sizes and a limited choice of a regular-sized candy, though this is not available at all theaters.

A corny idea: You can also do what my parents used to do when we went to the movies, they would pop microwave popcorn and bring it into the theater in a large bag.It may cause some embarrassment (and good luck hiding the smell) but at least you have your popcorn!

Clip those coupons: I just discovered that Fandango.com offers a free drink (usually when purchasing another, but this works if you’re with another thirsty someone) and snack coupons if you purchase tickets through their website. If you’re still checking the local newspapers for movie listings, watch for free popcorn or soda coupons buried in the show times.

Inside/Outside: OK, this may be the most blatantly obvious of my tips, but if you want to save money on snacks then swing by a Duane Reade, CVS, or grocery store and pick up some candy or soda and stealthily sneak them into the theater.


Freebies and Discounts

Movie cards: I'm talkin’ bout those membership cards that the box office employees always ask you about. At first I thought they were the key to a consumer conspiracy to track my movie consumption, but they (the Regal in Queens where I signed up) didn't even ask for my name. Here's how it works, you simply hand over the card when you purchase tkts or concessions, and for each dollar you spend, you earn points. After you accumulate a certain number of points then you earn free popcorn, drinks, and tickets. Cheap Chick Cheap Trick: If your friends don't have the card, have them get your card swiped when they buy items, the cashiers don't care.

Contests: Sign up to win free passes to movies, someone's got to win 'em. Many publications and other groups give away passes if you simply email your name in or are willing to go somewhere and pick them up in-person. Also check movie sections of certain publications.

Two Thumbs Up or down?: Those people with the clipboards aren’t always selling magazine subscriptions or promoting the ASPCA, chances are if they’re standing in front of movie theaters (esp, the Union Square Regal Cinema Stadium 14) and the Loews Lincoln Center at 68th and Broadway) are often seeking out audience members for studio pre-screenings of movies. Criteria often are non-entertainment industry workers and those ages 17-34, but hey what’s a little white lie about age/career in exchange for a free movie?

The Early Bird Gets the Worm, er…the movie ticket): If you’re willing to get up early, many movie theaters including the United Artists Kaufman Astoria 14, which is near me in Queens, offer $8.50 movies before 3 p.m. Mon-Thurs, and for the first shows Friday/Sat. Check for signs at theaters near you, or check the theater’s home or Fandango page for info.

Free and discounted indoor movies:

Barbès: (http://www.barbes.com) Music space that also hosts the Brooklyn Independent Film Series. Screenings include independent movies, documentaries, and shorts, and often the flim makers are present for Q&A and panel discussions.

Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo (http://www.nyu.edu/pages/casaitaliana): Italian films screened through NYU program four to five times during the school year.

Czech Center/BohemianBeer Garden (http://czechcenter.com, bohemianhall.com) Czech films with English subtitles shown throughout the year.

Deutsches Haus: (http://www.nyu.edu/deutscheshaus) cultural center screens German-related films.

Instituto Cervantes (http://www.cervantes.org) Latin American and Spanish films as well as English-language films related to those regions.

MOMA: (http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/filters/3) The museum screens various movies in below-ground theater venue. Price is $10, tho it goes to museum admission, except on Friday nights when museum admission is free, so you can present your stub for a complimentary movie.

Museum of the Moving Image: (http://www.movingimage.us/site/about/) Usually movies are screened on-site at the museum, but while construction is ongoing, movies will be screened off-site. Check back here for more info.

Sony Wonder Technology Lab: (http://wondertechlab.sony.com/pe-feature_screenings.html ) Amid all the techno-gadgets, this center also offers free screenings on their high-def screen. Here’s the list of upcoming screenings.

The library: Don’t forget you can borrow tons of DVDs from the local library, just be careful to return your movies on-time or you may be paying some hefty late fees, Also many NYC libraries hold free screenings, check here for Manhattan locations: http://www.nypl.org/hours/index.cfm?Trg=6 and here for Brooklyn locations: http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/branch_libraries.jsp

Outdoor screenings:

Many of the outdoor screenings are wrapping up, but some still have a few shows left, or are still going on into September.

Here’s a list of the current outdoor screenings:

Hudson River Flicks: http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/events.asp

Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens: http://www.socratessculpturepark.org/programs/outdoorcinema.php

Movies with a View (movies with the Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop in DUMBO): http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/index.cfm?objectid=EF670B44-3048-2C77-F20C2202337458ED

Rooftop Films: http://www.rooftopfilms.com/

Coney Island: http://www.coneyisland.com/films.shtml

Central Park: http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/PageNavigator/events_specialevents_filmfestival

McCarren Park: http://www.summerscreen.org/home.html

Intrepid Films: http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/Plan-Your-Visit/Public-Event-Details/Summer-Movie-Series-Finale.aspx

Netflix: (http://www.netflix.com) No, I’m not working for them, I'm just a client (not the president tho!) but if you have thus far escaped the ubiquitous (there’s a SAT vocab word for you) red envelope, I urge you to bow to the inevitable. At $4.99 month for the cheapest DVD by mail plan, you can’t beat that deal, it’s cheaper than a HBO subscription and we all know that they’re not exactly playing the latest blockbusters in a timely fashion these days. Plus I love Netflix's recommendations!


Sunday, August 16, 2009

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, August 16, 2009, TV for Free

Feel like you're on the red carpet when you see the premieres of this fall season's new TV shows before they air! The Paley Center (formerly the Museum of TV and Radio) is hosting free screenings of each network's new offerings before the new season officially starts.

Here's a schedule of the premieres where you can reserve your tickets: http://www.paleycenter.org/paleyfest-fall-2009-tv-preview-parties-ny

Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: The Paley Center, 25 West 52nd Street
Subway: E,V to Fifth Ave./53rd Street, R to Fifth Avenue

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Cheap Chick Weekend Picks, August 14-16th, 2009

Friday August 14th, 2009
New York International Fringe Festival
Various times and locations (starts today and runs through August 30th, 2009)
Be sure to check out this mult-arts festival with more than 200 shows. For more info regarding specific prices and venues click here.
Cheap Chick Info: Varies
Location Info: Varies
Subway: Varies

Labyrinth screening with Cheryl Henson (yes-she's related to Jim!)
9:30 p.m.
See the 1986 film starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie and introduced by Cheryl Hensen (see if you can find out from her how grouchy Oscar the Grouch really is, or the truth about Bert and Ernie ;-)
Cheap Chick Info: Free with $7 bar tab
Location Info: Rubin Museum of Art, 17th Street and 7th Avenue
Subway: A,C,E,L to 14th Street/8th Ave.

White Wedding 80's Dance Party
11 p.m.
You can't "just say no" to this party with this rockin' 80's tribute band.
Cheap Chick Info: $10
Location Info: B.B. King's, 237 West 42nd Street@8th Ave.
Subway: N,R,Q,W,S,7,A,C,E to 42nd Street/Times Square

Slavic Soul Party
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Listen to a variety of music with Gypsy and Balkan tones during this Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Damrosch Park (near Lincoln Center)
Subway: 1 to 66th Street

Lobster Bake
6 p.m.
Feast on a whole Maine lobster, corn, and choice of coleslaw or potato salad while listening to music.
Cheap Chick Info: $22, includes food and shell cracker, tickets available through wantickets.com
Location Info: BKLYN Yard, 400 Carroll Street
Subway: F,G to Carroll Street

Saturday August 15, 2009
Little Red Lighthouse Tours
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Visit the iconic lighthouse that inspired the children's book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, by Hildegarde H. Swift.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Little Red Lighthouse, Fort Washington Park, 178th Street and the Hudson River, enter the park at 181 Street & Plaza Lafayette
Subway: 1,A to 181st Street

Souperdouper Soup Kitchen Sandwich Special
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Dine on delectable soup and sandwich combinations during this cook-off to benefit the Greenpoint Soup Kitchen. Bike valet parking will also be provided.
Cheap Chick Info: $10 suggested donation at the door
Location Info: T.B.D bar, 224 Franklin Street, Brooklyn
Subway: F to 15th Street/Prospect Park

Floating Kabarette
Doors open at 10 p.m., show starts at 10:30 p.m.
Trapeze, burlesque, and chorus girls! What more could you want?
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main Street, DUMBO
Subway: F to York Street, A to High Street

Don't forget that Carrie is screening in Coney Island tonight! http://www.coneyisland.com/films.shtml

Sunday August 16th, 2009
Kayaking on the Hudson and Brunch With the Lunch Club
Paddle the waters and enjoy the views, but watch out for mysterious floating objects...
Cheap Chick Info: Kayaking is free, Brunch is pay-what-you-order, and the Lunch Club fee is
$7 in advance or $10 at the door. RSVP here: http://www.thelunchclub.com/clubhouse/calendar.php?do=viewlcevent&e=2296
Location Info: Boat Basin Cafe, 79th and the Hudson River
Subway: 1 to 79th Street

Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Tour

11 a.m.
Get a little too close to underground dwellers during this walking tour of this former subway passage.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meet at the southwest corner of Court Street and Atlantic Avenue
Subway: F,G to Bergen Street, R to Court Street

India Day Parade
12 p.m.
Watch out for Suzzane from Slumdog Millionaire during this fete celebrating India independence!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: 48th Street to 28th Street on Madison Avenue
Subway: 6 to Grand Central, 50th Street

Mad Men premiere
10 p.m.
Watch the season 3 premiere of this sultry 60's series with hundreds of your closest friends on a big screen in Times Square. Costume contest begins at 8 p.m.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Broadway between 46th and 47th Street
Subway: C,E to 50th Street, R,W to 49th Street

Also stop by the High Line for free coffee drinks from Crop to Cup near the 16th Street entrance to the park, at the Chelsea Market underpass.

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, August 12, 2009, For Thursday August 13, 2009

One Terrific Thursday...
There's just so much going on Thursday that I had to get it all down here. Enjoy!

Pat Benatar/Blondie/The Donnas
7:30 p.m.
I know I'm not the only blogger/writer to mention this concert, but this is too good to miss. Be careful y'all, remember "love is a battlefield" "one way or another."
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Asser Levy Park/Seaside Avenue, Coney Island/Brighton Beach across from the NY Aquarium
Subway: N or D trains to the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station, For Q to West 8th Street

Mad Square Reads-Food as Fuel and Memory
6:30 p.m.
As you get your Top Chef Masters on, and await the premiere of the regular Top Chef (what can I say, I'm Bravo's bitch), check out this program featuring Moira Hodgson and Tim Stark. Hodgson is the author of the memoir It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time and is the restaurant critic for the New York Observer. Stark is an accidental urban farmer and author of Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Madison Square Park
Subway: 6 to 23rd Street, N,R,W to 23rd Street

The Cheese Chronicles book signing + after-party
Book signing: 7:30 p.m. After-party: 9 p.m.
Learn the cheesy process of how cheese is made from the Cheese Chronicles and meet author Liz Thorpe at each event.
Cheap Chick Info: Signing is free! At the after-party you can get samples of three cheeses plus a beer for $15
Location: Signing: Barnes & Noble Park Slope, 267 7th Avenue (Brooklyn) After-party: Beer Table, 427 7th Avenue (Brooklyn)
Subway: F to 7th Avenue

Don't forget that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is at Brooklyn Bridge Park! http://brooklynbridgepark.org/go/programs-/-events/movies-with-a-view

Also the cast of Robot Chicken including Seth Green and Breckin Meyer will be hosting a free roller skating party at Riverbank State Park (at Riverside Drive at 145th Street) from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Subway: 1 to 145th Street

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Cheap Chick Weekend Picks, August 7-9, 2009

Friday August 7th
Full Swing Friday at Dance Manhattan
8 p.m. Free introduction class starts, partying starts at 9:30 p.m.
Jump, jive, and wail with West Coast and East Coast swing dancing!
Cheap Chick Info: $10 or less depending on certain dance affiliations
Location Info: Dance Manhattan, 39 West 15th Street, Fifth Floor
Subway: 4,5,6,N,R,Q,W,L to Union Square

MMP Party
10 p.m.
The two M's in this party do NOT stand for Mickey Mouse, but rather pop music icons Madonna and Michael Jackson. The P is for Prince. Hmmm, sounds like the start of a music alphabet...Anyway DJ DeeJay will be mashing the tunes of these artists so you can get down with your bad self on the dance floor.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street
Subway: A,C,E,V,F,B,D to West 4th Street

A Midsummer Night's Dream in Riverside Park
6:30 p.m.
Perhaps you'll see a fairy or two in the forest...just don't be an ass as you check out this performance by Hudson Warehouse!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Riverside Park, North Patio of Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument (89th Street)
Subway: 1 to 86th Street

American Classics Wine Tasting
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sample and learn about a variety of American wines.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Astor Wine, 399 Lafayette St at East 4th St.
Subway: 6 to Astor Place


Saturday August 8th
Metropolitan Museum of Art Scavenger Hunt with the Lunch Club
2 p.m.
How well do you really know the museum? Have you been to the rooftop cafe? Can you find Madame X? The Costume Institute? Do you know what kind of graffiti is on the Temple of Dendur? Find out the answer to these and many other burning questions during this Lunch Club scavenger hunt.
Cheap Chick Info: $10 in advance or $15 at the event, join the club's meal plan and it's only $4. Join as a monthly member and it's free! RSVP here: http://www.thelunchclub.com/clubhouse/calendar.php?do=viewlcevent&e=2244
Location Info: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Ave@82nd Street, Meet at the south side of the main stairway
Subway: 6 to 86th Street

Fungus Tour with Paul Sadowsky of the NY Mycological Society
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Find out if you can you spot fungus among us during this walk in search of edible, inedible, or poinsonous mushrooms.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Inwood Hill Park, Payson Playground (Dyckman Street and Payson Avenue)
Subway: 1 or 9 to 215th Street

Saturday August 8th and Sunday August 9th, 2009
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Say hi to Puff (I mean the literal dragon btw) for me if you see him lurking around the long dragon boats. Other cultural activities include demonstrations, crafts, and food.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Subway: 7 train to Mets-Willets Point Station

Civil War History Weekend on Governors Island
Travel back in time to the 1860's with living history demonstrations, music and other programs.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Governors Island
Subway: Take the 1 to South Ferry, or the R to Whitehall Street and then take the ferry to the island. The ferry terminal is almost right next door to the Staten Island Ferry terminal.

Brooklyn Electronic Musical Festival
4 p.m. (Saturday) and overnight to 4 a.m. in the morning
Check out this outdoor music festival with more than 40 different DJs.
Cheap Chick Info: $25 in advance
Location Info: The Old American Can Factory, 232 Third Street at Third Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn
Subway: F, G to Carroll St; M, R to Union St.

Sunday August 9th
Sunday Afternoon In Harlem, A Celebration of Cultural and Historical Harlem
12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Enjoy an afternoon of walking tours with architects, historians, and local residents. More specific info on the tours can be found here: http://www.culturenow.org/HarlemNOW/index.php?page=events
Cheap Chick Info: $20, includes all tours, a copy of the HarlemNOW cultural and historical map, and reception. Purchase tkts here.
Location Info: West Harlem Piers Park, 132nd St & the River
Subway: 1 to 137th Street

Dominican Day Parade
12 p.m.
Watch revelers celebrate the Dominican Republic from 36th Streets to 56 Streets on Sixth Avenue.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: See above.
Subway: D,F,N,Q,R,W to 34th Street Herald Square

Star Wars Screening
8 p.m.
Light sabers, Luke, and Leia, oh my! Don't find yourself in a garbage chute at this free screening!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: 757 Fulton St. at S. Portland St, Brooklyn
Subway: C to Lafayette

Remember that Housing Works is having a $1 sale (http://www.housingworks.org/social-enterprise/bookstore-cafe/), and BAM is honoring Carey Grant with a schedule of movie screenings (http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=1409)

I know I'm not the only blogger saying this, but I highly recommend catching a showing of Julie/Julia. I was able to see a free sneak preview (yes the Cheap Chick has connections :) and I thought it was a fun, light two hours, and Meryl Streep channeled the spirit of Julia Child delightfully. Though there are actually some parallels between Julie Powell and myself-we're both bloggers (I will say I found the story of her blog inspiring!) and we both live in Queens, I found her character a bit whiny at times-my friend said she thought it made her realistic, I'm not so sure...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, for Tonight, Thursday August 6, 2009, Purple Rain Sing-along

Purple Rain Sing-along
7:30 p.m.
Come "get your Prince on" with this Celebrate Brooklyn Event! Watch Purple Rain and sing to captioned lyrics on the screen. Don't forget dress festively with inspiration from the movie!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Prospect Park Bandshell
Subway: F to 15th Street/Prospect Park

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, August 3, 2009 (For Today!), Macbeth

Instant Shakespeare
This is Shakespeare shaken, not stirred, into an instant play. Readings of the Bard's plays are being performed at the Mid-Manhattan Library. Tonight's performance is The Tragedie of Macbeth, so make sure you wash your hands before attending...and make sure you get a good "spot" for the performance!

On August 17th, escape the stormy weather and attend a performance of The Tempest.

Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Mid-Manhattan Library, 40th Street and Fifth Avenue (not to be confused with the lions
Subway: B,D,F,V to 42nd Street, 7 to Fifth Ave.

Lovley LIC (Long Island City)

OK, I'm returning with actual entries, and the promise of more to come! Alright back to your regular blogging schedule...(please also scroll down for a Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin for an event on August 5, 2009-RSVP required.)

P.S. 1
First stop was P.S. 1's summer Warm Up program, a weekly Saturday night party, which I am sorry to say I have never attended despite living in Queens for years. Most of the action this year is centered under cave-like structures covered with fur that, as my friend pointed out, paid homage to Planet of the Apes. As we felt a cooling mist fan our faces, we could people-watch as revelers stood in line at the bar, and ordered barbecue. Toward the museum entrance a DJ rocked some tunes, and people stood around in too-cool for school groups, some with tatts up and down their arms and clad in ripped jeans, while others sported designer dresses, though all danced, and tossed beach balls around graduation-day style.

Once you enter the museum you immediately get a whiff of its schoolroom past, with narrow hallways and doors, brick walls, water fountains, tile floors, and gym-like rooms, where you can almost see phantom ropes hanging from the ceilings. I have to say that one of the first things we saw was one of the coolest exhibits there, IMHO. It was a small rectangular swimming pool where you could look down and see the people on the floor below you, and conversely you could look up and see the people on the floor above you with the illusion of no bottom to the pool.

As we made our way through the museum, the other exhibits ranged from the amusing (a sparkling pink and multicolored flag decorated with glitter) to the touching (photos from Vietnam and Iraq.)

There is a space where you can hear the voice of Marilyn Monroe, a white bed with Gertrude and Alice are written on it in black and white, and a TV that plays a cigarette burning slowly. In one area there is a piano playing by itself as black and white images from a silent movie play in the background.

On one wall a picture of Albert Einstein dominates and is surrounded around pictures of presumably famous vegetarians. Another display that caught my eye was a VCR with videos labeled with the days of the week, with Saturday missing, and listed on-screen. I think one of the most disturbing images I saw was a clip of Leni Riefenstahl (a filmmaker famous for the Nazi propaganda movie, Triumph of the Will) claiming that she at least "didn't drop any atomic bombs on anyone" and "was not anti-Semitic."

Cheap Chick Cheap Trick: Queens residents in certain zip code areas get in for free! If you visit MOMA, save your tkt and you can enter P.S. 1 for free up to 30 days later.

Pio Pio Riko
After we left the museum we headed to Pio Pio Riko, a Peruvian restaurant that states on its menu that it has, "the best rotisserie chicken," and as this is what I sampled, I am pretty close to agreeing with their statement. You can't argue with the prices, they are very Cheap Chick-friendly, my chicken with beans and rice was only around $4, and was very tasty, though I'm not sure if it's the best rotisserie chicken in the city (in my head a little place down in Brooklyn is still a contender for that title...)

The complimentary appetizer was delicious, little round, hot nuts, with a yummy green dipping sauce, but we had to wait awhile for our food. As mentioned above, the prices are v. reasonable, most entrees are in the $12-$17 range, and the servings were so generous that a couple of the guys at our table couldn't finish their meals (though that might have been the second bowl of nuts we ordered...) There is an emphasis on seafood such as squid, shrimp, and fish, though there are some salad and meat options on the menu, and of course the "best rotisserie chicken."

The Water Taxi Beach
After dinner we headed to the Water Taxi Beach, one of the few places in New York City where you may actually want to walk around barefoot due to the yards of sand on the ground. Wooden picnic tables dot the landscape where you can enjoy amazing views of the Manhattan skyline, grab a hot dog, or sip one of the bar's special mixed drinks. Solid floors can be found under a tented area where you can dance your butt off to (somewhat loud) DJ music at night-I think I may have even seen some glow sticks there...Electric palm trees (yes, they're as tacky and cool as they sound) light up the beach area (remember don't bring your bathing suit, you can't go into the water) and you can cool off via a sprinkler system on the fence that sprays water every so often. During the day, there is space for sunbathing, sand castle building, and playing with beach toys. Shovel anyone?

P.S. 1 Warm-Up
Cheap Chick Info: $10, most Queens residents get in for free or save your MOMA tkt, good for free admission to P.S. 1 for up to 30 days.
Location Info: 22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave
Subway: E, V to 23rd Street/Ely Avenue

Pio Pio Riko
Cheap Chick Info: Soups, salads, and appetizers range from $4-$13. Entrees range from about $4 to about $23.
Location Info: 45-23 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside (FYI: this restaurant isn't actually that close to PS1, we actually had a car that night, so this might need to be a separate outing.)
Subway: 7 to 46th Street

Water Taxi Beach
Cheap Chick Info: Admission varies based on events, we got a coupon at PS1 for $5 off a $10, but there are also free events there too.
Location Info: 2 Borden Avenue, LIC
Subway: 7 to Vernon-Jackson Aves.

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, August 2, 2009, Career Seminar on August 5, 2009

If you're not sure where you're going, (and I don't mean any confusion caused by being below 14th Street or which subway you need to take) in your career then you might want to check out this free seminar:

Clearing a Path to Your Career
Wednesday August 5, 2009
7 p.m. to 8 :30 p.m.
Official info:
"Betsy Capes will teach you the tools forMTC S setting powerful goals and
taking strategic steps to build a lifelong career in the entertainment
industry. In this hour and a half long seminar you'll gain the focus
you need to stop feeling stuck and move forward with your career in a
proactive way."
Cheap Chick Info: Free! BUT space is limited so RSVP to info@capesco.com
Location Info: MTC Studios, 311 West 43rd Street, 8th floor, Studio 4
Subway: A,C,E to 42nd Street