Some may argue, but despite sauna sessions in the NYC subway system, summer is actually one of the Cheap Chick's favorite times to be in New York City, there just seems to be so many cheap and free things to do.
(Notes: I realize not all websites are hyper-linked, for now please copy and paste until I can get all links clickable. Also no worries if the guide gets buried, I'll likely "bump" it and/or include some events in my regular Bargain Bulletins, Weekend Picks, and actual blog entries (remember those? There will be some new ones soon!)
Staycations 1. A beach "staycation." Visit one of the city's many beaches. It's easy to forget that Manhattan actually is an island. There's Orchard, Jones Beach, Far Rockaway (one of my personal faves) Brighton Beach, Sandy Hook, and of course, Coney Island. Don't forget that Fire Island and the Jersey shore are nearby as well.
www.cityisland.com/2. See City Island in the Bronx. Take the 6 train to Pelham Bay Park and switch to the BX 29 bus to get to this other-worldly part of the city and enjoy some seafood, visit The City Island Nautical Museum, pop into the art galleries and antique shops, and admire the stately mansions, such as the Samuel Pell Mansion where
Arsenic and Old Lace was filmed for TV.
http://www.cityisland.com/3. Discover Governor's Island. Just a ferry ride away (the terminal is almost next door to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal) this island was once military base, now it plays host to numerous events throughout the summer and fall including the Jazz Age Lawn Party June 6th and 7th. Here's a link to all 2009 activities:
http://www.govisland.com/Visit_the_Island/default.asp4. Coney Island. It's not just for the beach anymore, even while the Disneyification of the place is ongoing, you can still ride the Cyclone, grab a hot dog at Nathan's, and walk the boardwalk. Be sure to visit the New York Aquarium as well.
http://www.coneyisland.com/5. Day trip to Atlantic City (or other casinos.) Pray that luck will be a lady as you take the bus (just $35 round trip-OK a little above the Cheap Chick manifesto, but the cash-back bonus makes this fare worth it) plus get a cash-back voucher good at one of the casinos. Wander along the boardwalk and try your luck at the slot machines, some requiring just a penny! Bus info:
http://www.greyhound.com/products_services/casino_nj.shtml6. Take a staycation to Staten Island. Visit the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, historic Richmondtown, the Alice Austen house/museum, and the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art.
7. A Queens staycation: (Here are several mini-tineraries though feel free to mix and match!)
Jackson Diner (
http://jacksondiner.com/) + Louis Armstrong House (
http://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/)
Flushing Meadows Park (see the famous Unisphere and other World's fair relics)
http://www.nycgovpark.org/sub_your_park/vt_flushing_meadows/vt_flushing_meadows_park.html) + the Panorama (a scale model of NYC constructed for the 1962 World's Fair at the Queens Museum of Art
http://www.queensmuseum.org/panorama/).
Uncle George's (Greek food-
http://www.unclegeorges.us/) and the Museum of the Moving Image (
http://www.movingimage.us/site/site.php) .
Socrates Sculpture Park (
http://www.socratessculpturepark.org/) and Noguichi Museum (
http://www.noguchi.org/).
P.S. 1 for their summer Warm-up series (
http://ps1.org/warmup/)
The Flux Factory art space (
http://www.fluxfactory.org/)
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (
http://www.brooklynbirdclub.org/jamaica.htm)
Everyone loves a parade (or festival!)
1. Street fairs. Where else could you find that $5 pair of sunglasses, eat deep-fried Oreos, or get a Tarot card reading. Here's a site with links to most of the city's street fairs:
http://www.nycstreetfairs.com/sched.html2. Puerto Rican Day Parade. Saturday June 14, 2009
http://manhattan.about.com/od/eventsandattractions/a/puertoricanday.htm3. Swedish Midsummer Festival. June 19, 2009.
http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____13256.aspx4. Fringe Festival. August 14-30, 2009. Multi-arts event:
http://www.fringenyc.org/5. Mermaid Day parade. June 20, 2009. Commune with Neptune and other sea creatures at this event, grab a hot dog at Nathan's, visit the aquarium, or a ride on the Cyclone while you're there.
http://www.coneyisland.com/mermaid.shtml6. San Gennaro Festival. September 10 through 20th, 2009.
http://www.sangennaro.org/7. Howl Festival. September 4-6. 2009.
http://www.howlfestival.com/8. Say moi? The French Bastille Day festival in Manhattan. July 13, 2009.
http://www.bastilledaynyc.com/. Look for Brooklyn's festivities complete with petanque competition, unfortunately 2009's date seems to be unavailable at publication time.
9. Medieval festival. Enjoy banners, crafts, and entertainment of the Middle Ages variety! Oct. 4, 2009.
http://www.whidc.org/home.htmlSports/Outdoor Adventures1. Central Park. Play Frisbee with your dog, or use your dog as a Frisbee, have a picnic lunch, or be one of those annoying couples who read the Times together, check out the sights such as Strawberry Fields, Cleopatra's Needle, the Delacorte Clock, the Arsenal, or enjoy a free concert!
http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/PageServer2. Go kayaking. The Downtown Boathouse offers free kayaking on the Hudson River from June to September, afterward grab a bite or a drink at the Boat Basin Café.
http://www.downtownboathouse.org/3. Watch a Staten Island Yankees or Brooklyn Cyclones game. Staten Island Yankees tkts start at $12:
http://www.siyanks.com/ and Cyclone tkts start at about $8:
http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/4. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge.
http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/5. Take a dip in one of the city's pools. Here's the city's official link to the city's swimming pools:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/pools, here's a link to the floating swimming pool:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/facilities/af_floating_pool.html6. Take a hike (literally.)
http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/hikingtrails7. Dance in the streets (or at least outside.) You can dance to tunes at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing:
http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167&Itemid=69, Hudson River’s Moondance:
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/events/eventpanel/moondance.html and in September at Governor’s Island during the second 20’s jazz fest/picnic-check back here for details:
http://www.govisland.com/Visit_the_Island/default.asp8. B-ball. Watch the basketball players at the West 3rd Street courts on 6th Avenue.
9. Get your hunt on with an outdoor scavenger hunt. Groups like The Lunch Club (
http://www.thelunchclub.com/), Pogo Events' The Amazing New York Race (
http://www.pogoevents.com/calender), and Watson Adventures (
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/487) offer scavenger hunts in museums, parks, and other famous landmarks as well as all over the city. Note: Some of these hunts are a bit over the Cheap Chick budget, but it's summer, if you have cleared the spare change from your couch or resisted the siren call of the ice cream truck, then it's worth it!
10. See the NY Liberty play. Tkts at Madison Square Garden start at $10.
http://www.wnba.com/liberty/11. Belmont Racetrack. See all the pretty horses, with admission only $2 and the MTA fares lower than ever, try your luck at the racetrack. You can bet as little as a $1 a race (on some races even less, and bring your own food/drinks to save even more money.
http://www.nyra.com/12. Got a bike? Ride it. Free bike rentals are also available on Governor's Island through their First Fridays program.
http://www.govisland.com/Press_Room/06-03-09freebikefridays.asp
13. Watch the Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing, Queens. Watch the rowers, sample Chinese goodies, and check out demonstrations including dance and kung fu.
http://www.hkdbf-ny.org/14. Randall's Island. Get sporty with a number of athletic facilities, hiking, and bike trails. The island is also the site of concerts and other performances.
http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/randallsislandparkCalling all Film Buffs
1. Watch an outdoor movie. There are a number of free screening venues (all are free except Rooftop films) in the summer:
Hudson River Flicks:
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/events.aspThe Bryant Park Film Festival:
http://www.bryantpark.org/calendar/film-festival.phpSocrates Sculpture Park in Queens:
http://www.socratessculpturepark.org/programs/outdoorcinema.phpMovies with a View (movies with the Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop in DUMBO):
http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/index.cfm?objectid=EF670B44-3048-2C77-F20C2202337458EDRooftop Films:
http://www.rooftopfilms.com/Movies on the Elevated Acre:
http://www.rivertorivernyc.com/events/index.phpConey Island:
http://www.coneyisland.com/films.shtmlWashington Square Park:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/washingtonsquarepark/events/170295
The Play's the Thing
1. Check out the other (free!) Shakespeare in the Park. New York Classical Theater in Central Park and Battery Park. The season starts with "King Lear" and ends with "School for Husbands." Take a picnic to enjoy before the show!
http://www.newyorkclassical.org/2. Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. Watch out for those cars (lol) as you catch the Bard in action.
http://www.drillingcompany.org/shakespeareparkinglot.html3. Shakespeare in the Park. Join the virtual line or the real thing to get free tickets to find out if Anne Hathaway is as good in this as she was in the Princess Diaries.
http://www.publictheater.org/Mostly Music1. Catch a summer outdoor concert. (
http://gonyc.about.com/cs/music/a/summermusic.htm)
2. Philharmonic in the parks. Free concerts in parks around the city.
http://nyphil.org/attend/summer/index.cfm?page=parks3. Bryant Park. Listen to piano music in the park (
http://www.bryantpark.org/calendar/piano.php)
4. Met Opera in the Park. Get your opera on with one of these free concerts:
http://gonyc.about.com/od/summer/a/metinparks_2.htm5. SummerNights Concert Series at the Jewish Museum. Enjoy live music at the museum.
http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/summernightsThink like a Tourist
1. Ride the Staten Island ferry.
http://home.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/statfery.shtml2. Visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Relive the immigrant experience of arriving on America's shores.
http://www.nps.gov/stli/3. Take a walking tour. Exercise those newly tanned legs and explore new-to-you neighborhoods and historic places such as Harlem, Five Points, The Lower East Side, or the financial district. Big Onion is just one of many walking tour operations.
http://www.bigonion.com/schedule/4. Visit Little Italy. People watch as you eat outside at one of the many restaurants and then wander around the neighborhood (don't forget to admire those red, white, and green fire hydrants) with some tiramisu.
5. Life's a Zoo. Visit the Bronx Zoo:
http://www.bronxzoo.com/ and the Central Park Zoo:
http://www.centralparkzoo.com/6. Sit outside the Plaza Hotel fountains and people watch or read a book with a snack from a street vendor.
7. Wander around Chinatown. Sip some bubble tea, sample a savory bite from a bakery or candy shop, and try something new. Get that Louis Vuitton knock-off purse. Check out the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas.
http://www.mocanyc.org/8. Head down to South Street Seaport, walk around, visit the South Street Seaport museum, grab some greasy food from the food court in the mall and eat it on one of the deck chairs or benches outside. There are also regular restaurants that are on the water as well.
http://www.southstreetseaport.com/html/9. Walk down Fifth Ave. Start at the Plaza and make stops at Tiffany, St. Patrick's, FAO Schwartz, Saks, the Apple Store, and whatever else suits your fancy.
10. Visit the city's narrowest house at 75 1/2 Bedford St where poet Edna St. Vincent Millay once lived.
11. Thirsty from all your tourist-ing? Visit some historic taverns where the Gifts of the Magi were written and where Washington made an historic speech-you'll have to figure out which is which:
McSorley's:
http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/White Horse:
http://nymag.com/listings/bar/white_horse_tavern/Fraunces Tavern:
http://www.frauncestavern.com/index2.htmPete's Tavern:
http://www.geocities.com/eureka/concourse/9261/petestavern.index.html12. Stand on Allen Ginsberg's stoop on 206 E. 7th Street between B and C.
13. Visit the African Burial ground. Visitor Center open Monday-Friday.
http://www.nps.gov/afbg14. Aren’t you just dying to go there? City cemeteries:
Green-wood Cemetery:
http://www.green-wood.com/New York Marble Cemetery:
http://www.nycmc.org/Trinity Church Cemetery:
http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/welcome/?cemeteryGrant’s Tomb:
http://www.nps.gov/gegr/Woodlawn Cemetery:
http://www.thewoodlawncemetery.org/15. Walk Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Some call it the "real" Little Italy though I think that’s debatable. Anyway swing by grab some canolis or a sandwich from Mike’s Deli, shop the retail market and top it off with an Italian dinner.
http://www.arthuravenuebronx.com/Summer Eats1. Eat outdoors at restaurants. Most restaurants offer garden spots or outdoor seating on the sidewalk, take advantage!
2. Buy an ice cream or other sweet cool treat:
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory:
http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/12037820/brooklyn_ny/brooklyn_ice_cream_factory.htmlChinatown Ice Cream Factory:
http://www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com/Pinkberry:
http://www.pinkberry.com/Rice to Riches: (rice pudding):
http://www.ricetoriches.com/index.2.phpCones:
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/cones/3. Check out a green market or flea market. Probably the best-known one, is of course, the one at Union Square:
http://www.cenyc.org/greenmarket4. Sample some of the crazy gelato flavors at Otto. Corn gelato anyone?
http://www.ottopizzeria.com/
Summer Drinks
1. Attend a rooftop party/bar. There are tons of them, find one and grab a drink!
2. Water Taxi beach. Grab a cool drink and relax on the sand.
http://www.watertaxibeach.com/3. Astoria Beer Garden. Outdoor BBQ and beers, what more could you want?
http://www.bohemianhall.com/home.htm4. Enjoy a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity.
http://www.serendipity3.com/main.htmGarden Views1. Visit the city's botanical gardens:
The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx):
http://www.nybg.org/The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (two guesses where it's located…):
http://www.bbg.org/The Queens Botanical Garden:
http://www.queensbotanical.org/The Staten Island Botanic Garden:
http://www.snug-harbor.org/horticulture/Horticulture.html
Bookworms
1. Browse outdoor book marts. The Strand always has its wares displayed outside by it’s 12th Street location as well as their outdoor book stalls around Fifth Avenue.
http://www.strandbooks.com. Nearby Alabaster Books always has several carts of books outside its door.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/alabaster-bookshop-new-york.
2. Mad Square Reads. Writers outdoors in a park? Shake Shack nearby? A perfect summer evening.
https://www.madisonsquarepark.org/programs/madsqreads.aspx3. Word for Word. Bryant Park. A variety of day and evening programs including author talks and writing workshops.
http://www.bryantpark.org/calendar/wordforword.phpMuseum Mileage1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. While visiting the museum, check out the view while enjoying a cocktail at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's rooftop bar. Remember the Met is pay-what-you wish so you can give as little as a $1 (or 50 cents, not that I've tried that or anything…)
http://www.metmuseum.org/2. Outdoor art in Queens. Queens has an abundance of outdoor art, check it out:
Socrates Sculpture Park: Outdoor art on the water:
http://www.socratessculpturepark.org/Noguchi Museum: Sculptures plus peaceful garden:
http://www.noguchi.org/Flushing Meadows Corona Park: Unispheres and rockets oh my, this park is home to the US Open and host to two World’s Fairs:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/vt_flushing_meadows/vt_flushing_meadows_park.html3. Gallery hop. Research some art galleries in Soho, Chelsea, or Brooklyn. My friend Evan over at hipstertravel.com often runs gallery hops during the art season.
4. Queens County Farm Museum. Talk with the animals, take a hay ride, and check out an historic farmhouse. Cheap Chick Tip: Most days it’s free, but check the website before planning a visit:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/vt_flushing_meadows/vt_flushing_meadows_park.html5. Escape the heat (or the rain!) and spend a day at the Paley Center aka the Museum of TV and Radio. Watch old favorites such as
I Love Lucy,
The Simpsons, and the
Twilight Zone.
http://www.paleycenter.org/visit-visitny6. PS 1 Summer Warm-up. Music and art come together in this annual outdoor festival.
http://ps1.org/warmup/
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