Cheap Chick Weekend Picks, January 29-31, 2010

Friday January 29, 2010
Hip-Hop Karaoke Championship
9 p.m.
Keep your Journey lyrics at home kids, it ain't happening here, but you will see 12 duke it out vocally for this top honor!
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place
Subway: L to 3rd Ave., N,R,W,Q,4,5,6 to Union Square

Cover Band Blowout
Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 9 p.m.
I want you to want to go (read on to get my attempt at cleverness) to this event featuring Judas Priestess, "America's All-Girl Tribute to the Metal Gods," and Cheap Trick or Treat - an all-female tribute to Cheap Trick.
Cheap Chick Info: $5, must be 21 or over, buy tkts here.
Location Info: Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave.
Subway: L to Bedford St.

Swing Goth
Dance Lessons from 11 p.m. to Midnight, dancing from 12 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Even though it's described as "rock-a-billy meets goth, and is peppered with a little blues, waltzing and a healthy portion of dirty dancing...all to modern music," I'm thinking you can leave the black nail polish and lipstick at home. Just a thought...
Cheap Chick Info: $8
Location Info: Don Hill's, 511 Greenwich@Spring
Subway: 1 to Houston St.

Screening of New Year Parade
7:30 p.m.
The struggles of a brother and sister dealing with their parents' divorce is depicted one the big screen. Director Tom Quinn will be on-hand for a post-film Q&A.
Cheap Chick Info: $12
Location Info: 92ndY Tribeca, 200 Hudson St.
Subway: A,C,E,1 to Canal St.

Saturday January 30, 2010
Living History Re-enactment
10 a.m.
The Civil War era comes alive in a way it can't at Madame Tusseaud's or a museum exhibit. Watch as the life of a union soldier unfolds, and maybe even catch a glimpse of that guy on the penny, come on, you know who I'm talking about...I hope!
Cheap Chick Info: Free, with museum admission
Location Info: NY Historical Society, 170 Central Park West
Subway: C to 81st Street

Save Coney Island Benefit
3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Come on out y'all and yippee, ki-yi ah! Try to resist the urge to square dance while listening to some country tunes at this down-home fete. Food will be provided by Jake's BBQ. This down-home country fete includes tunes from
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Galapagos Art Space, 15 Main St.
Subway: F to York St., A,C to High Street

Classical Music Concert
2 p.m.
Relax with an afternoon concert at the home of our 26th president. Teddy bears optional!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace, 28 E. 20th Street
Subway: 6 to 23rd St., R,W to 23rd St.

Chelsea Art Gallery Hop With The Lunch Club
1 p.m.
Grab your beret and some black clothes, and if you don't understand the art you're looking at, just nod along!
Cheap Chick Info: $10 in advance or $15 at the door, RSVP here.
Location Info: Westside Tavern, 360 W 23rd St, between 8th & 9th Aves.
Subway: C,E to 23rd St.

Historic Pubs and Taverns of Union Square Walking Tour
5:15 p.m.
This Discovery Walking Tour will hit a number of sites including Old Town Bar, know as Al Smith's hangout during the Tammany Hall period, and the tavern where O. Henry wrote Gift of the Magi.
Cheap Chick Info: $18 plus drinks
Location Info: Call for meeting place and reservation 212-465-3331
Subway: See above.

The Next Wave on Lower Manhattan’s East River Waterfront (walking tour)
11 a.m.
Water, water everywhere, and in this case, not to drink. If you've forgotten that Manhattan is actually an island, learn more about the waters that surround it, with stops at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, the Battery Maritime Building (thegateway to Governors Island), Pier 11/Wall St. Ferry Terminal, NYCEDC’s East River Waterfront Development Project, South Street Seaport, Peck Slip, and more.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meet at the top of the escalators at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, next to Battery Park.
Subway: 1 to South Ferry, R to Whitehall St.

Don't forget to cheer on your favorite shopping carts in NYC's Iditarod race today!

Sunday January 31, 2010
Brooklyn Taco Experiment
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Travel south of the border in Brooklyn and sample unique takes on the Mexican staple. Ole!
Cheap Chick Info: $20 in advance, non-Cheap-Chick price is $25 at the door, part of the proceeds go to ovarian cancer research
Location Info: The Bell House, 149 7th St., Brooklyn
Subway: F,G,R to 9th St./4th Ave.

Fanning the Flames
11 a.m.
Learn about New York's smoky, sizzling past of historic fires, hopefully it will "spark" your imagination!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Fort Greene Park (Fort Greene Visitor's Center (Enter park at Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park)
Subway: C to Lafayette, G to Fulton

Monkees Tribute
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.
Hey, Hey, it's not the actual Monkees, but hopefully will be fun anyway! The Blue Meanies will be performing the band's hits, but will they be able to match Davy Jones' performance on The Brady Bunch? Only you can be the judge!
Cheap Chick Info: $10 in advance, $12 at the door, seats are first-come, first-served. Buy tkts here.
Location Info: BB King's, 237 W. 42nd St.
Subway: N,R,Q,W,1,2,3,7,S to 42nd St./Times Square

Tu B'Shvat Winter Garden
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Celebrate the Jewish Arbor Day at the historic temple with plantings, food, a seder, and a tour of the restored synagogue.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Eldridge Street Synagogue, 12 Eldridge Street
Subway: F to East Broadway

Other weekend stuff...Catch the last of the Film Forum's Kurosawa film festival starting with Seven Samurai this weekend, the final performances of A Brief History of Murder, and the Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival.

Bucks for Books!

If you're like me, and addicted to reading, you may find your small NYC apt cluttered with stacks of books in windowsills, under the bed, and maybe even in the bathtub, or other unusual storage spaces, and you're not sure what to do with them once you've read them. Luckily the Cheap Chick has some ideas for your books that may even make you some bucks...

The Strand: In case you didn't know, the Strand will buy books from anyone, and is probably where you'll get the most bucks for your books, but be warned the guy behind the counter isn't known for his generosity; you may slap 20 books down on the counter and just get $18.

Cheap Chick Tips on Selling at the Strand: Do a search for the books you want to get rid of on http://www.strandbooks.com/ before you haul a bag of books to the store, if they have tons of your book in the store they may not even take it for free, or even if you beg. Also they have historically preferred non-fiction to fiction, though it seems these days that they are buying more fiction. Books should also be in good condition (hardcovers are best) and the newer the better. For more info on selling books at the Strand click here.

Book-Off: This is a little-known Japanese bookstore in midtown, (don't worry they have books in English), and will buy any type of book, and the condition doesn't have to be pristine.

Cheap Chick Tip on selling at Book-Off: They are probably the least generous in terms of pay-outs, but their $1 section of fiction and non-fiction is huge, and definitely worth a look when you're there. Here's a link to their book-buying guidelines.

Alabaster Books: If you strike out at the Strand, then you should head around the corner to this cozy store, where the books share the space with a charming cat. They'll buy most books in decent condition, but the money you'll get is somewhere bet. the Strand and Book-Off's rates (often 25 cents a book), but the $2 carts are definitely worth a look.

Craigslist: They list casual encounters, ride-shares, job ads, and have a large classified section, maybe you'll get lucky! Here you go: http://newyork.craigslist.org/bks/

Housing Works Bookstore: This is a non-profit organization that helps homeless New Yorkers with AIDS, but if you donate your books here, you'll get a tax-exemption form that may save you money later. They will take a variety of books, CD's, DVD's, and other items, but here are the guidelines on what they will not accept "books with markings, heavy wear, water damage, missing pages or covers, mildew, or strong odors. Cassettes, magazines (except for literary magazines), encyclopedias, or any dated material such as travel guides that are more than a year old." More HW donation info is here.

Book Swaps: If you have other book-minded friends, then pick a day and place (I'm partial to a weekend brunch/book swap myself) where you can bring all your books together and then take the books that your friends brought. You won't make any money, but it's a great way to get "new" books and get rid of the ones cluttering up your apartment.

Donations: Of course you can always donate your books to other charitable groups and thrift stores like the Salvation Army, and Goodwill and you may be able get a tax write-off for that too.

Stoop Sales: You can also sell your books on your stoop or at a neighborhood or other sale, but be careful you may need to get a special permit to sell things alfresco.

Does anyone else have any tips on selling or otherwise getting rid of books locally? Let us know!

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, January 26, 2010

26 is the luckiest number! Lucky cuz there are so many cheap and free events going on today!

Celebrate Australia Day at the Sunburnt Cow, see Ozzy Osbourne at Borders, watch the Punch Up Your Life comedy show at Housing Works bookstore, find out about New York's great moments in sports at the NY Historical Society, and see a Still Bill screening!

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, For Tonight, Jan. 25, 2010!

Author Paul Auster (New York Trilogy, and The Brooklyn Follies among other books) will be at the UES Barnes & Noble (86th and Lex) for those of you who want to brave this blustery day...I wonder what he would use as a pseudonym, Mr. Violet, Mr. Tan, or Mr. Pink. Find out the answer to this and other burning questions tonight at 7 p.m.

Cheap Chick NYC Weekend Picks, January 22-24, 2010

Friday January 22, 2010
Nick Flynn at Book Court
The author will read from his latest The Ticking is the Bomb.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Book Court, 163 Court St., Brooklyn
Subway: F,G to Bergen Street

Harlem in the Himalayas
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Watch Grammy-nominated artist Bobby Sanabria and Quarteto Ache' perform Latin jazz percussion music.
Cheap Chick Info: $18 in advance, $20 day of, buy tkts here.
Location Info: Rubin Museum of Art,
Subway: A,C,E to 14th St./8th Ave.

Game Night at Common Grounds
7 p.m.
Show off those mad factoid skills with Trivial Pursuit and those crazy vocab skills with Scattergories! I'm sure there might be other games there too, but these (and Balderdash) are some of my favorites!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Common Grounds, 376 Tompkins Ave., Brooklyn bet. Putnam and Jefferson Aves.
Subway: A,C to Nostrand

Steamboat Comedy Show
7:30 p.m.
Greenlight Bookstore is kicking off its new comedy series with appearances from performers associated with The Daily Show, 30 Rock, Bored to Death, and Best Day Ever.
Cheap Chick Info: Looks like it's free folks! RSVP here.
Location Info: Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Subway: G to Fulton Street

The Brooklyn Historical Society will be open late with free admission tonight from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for its Brooklyn Utopias exhibit.

Saturday January 23, 2010
Hamilton's New York Walking Tour
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Be sure to have some milk on-hand so you're not stopped from revealing Aaron Burr as Hamilton's rival in the famous duel...but you can also find out more interesting facts about the former president during the museum's walking tour.
Cheap Chick Info: $15, buy tkts here.
Location Info: The Museum of American Finance, 48 Wall St.
Subway: 2,3 to Wall Street

Cooking Demo at Wave Hill: Hearty Soups
1 p.m.
Warm away those cold winter temperatures as Great Performances chef Dan Obusan shares recipes and tips as well as tastes of roasted butternut squash soup with fresh thyme and cream of duck soup with sage and cranberries. This is part of a series that continues Feb. 6, 2010.
Cheap Chick Info: Free with admission, which is complimentary on Sundays until 12 p.m.
Location Info: Wave Hill, West 249th Street and Independence Avenue
Subway:1 to 242nd Street, then take the free shuttle bus

Twilight Spoofed
11:55 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Hey it's not Buffy, so I think it deserves our mockery, doesn't it? Doesn't it? Still not sure...but if you want to see for yourself, check out the Raspberry Brothers' lampooning of the flick.
Cheap Chick Info: $5
Location Info: Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Ave.
Subway: L,G to Lorimer/Metropolitan

If you haven't yet stuffed a bag with clothing for $20 at Housing Works, you might want to swing by the warehouse sale and elbow people around for that perfect find!

Friday and Saturday January 23rd and 24th, 2010
Jurassic Park screenings
Midnight
It's not Jurassic Parka, but hopefully the dinosaurs will keep you distracted. What's the body count in this movie again?
Cheap Chick Info: $12.50
Location Info: Landmark Sunshine Theaters, 143 East Houston Street
Subway: F,V to Second Ave.

Saturday January 23, 2010, and Sunday January 24, 2010Secrets of Grand Central Walking Tour
12:45 and 2:30 p.m.
You might be surprised at how many things you don't know about Grand Central. Discovery Walking Tours may help you find a whispering wall, an apartment, a museum, a mysterious patch of sky, a market, food court, and other surprises. I'll hit you with one right now, just to get you warmed up...did you know that Grand Central Station isn't the correct name of the transportation hub? It's proper name is Grand Central Terminal.
Cheap Chick Info: $18, Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place
Location Info: Grand Central Terminal
Subway: 4,5,6,7,S to Grand Central

K&M Bar's Third Annual Pie Contest
5:30 p.m.
Don McLean can take his Miss American Pie, we'll take the Brooklyn pie that wins this bake-off.
Cheap Chick Info: $5 to benefit BK Farmyards
Location Info: K&M Bar, 225 N. Eighth St. (at Roebling St.)
Subway: L to Bedford

Sunday January 24, 2010
Gastropolis Panel Discussion
1:30 p.m.
Panelists will discuss the history of cuisine in the Big Apple in a discussion led by Gastropolis editor Annie Hauck-Lawson. I wonder if hot dog vendors and soft pretzels will make it into the discussion?
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Dweck Center
Subway: 2,3 to Grand Army Plaza

Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket Textile Recycling
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Get a head-start on your spring cleaning and bring items such as used clothing (or maybe that sweater you got at Christmas that you didn't like), shoes, boots, hats, jackets, towels, bedding, and linens. Plus get a receipt for a tax-deductible contribution!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Tompkins Square Park, E. 7th Street and Ave A.
Subway: L to 1st Ave, F to 2nd Ave.

Chocolate Treasure Hunt
11 a.m.
It's time to indulge not just your sweet tooth, but your sweet legs as they take you on a chocolate-inspired walking tour/scavenger hunt!
Cheap Chick Info: $5, plus win tickets to a free lunch tour if you guess the four locations before it starts!
Location Info: Jacques Torres Chocolate, 350 Hudson at King Street (1 block south of Houston)
Subway: 1 to Houston Street

Don't forget this is your last chance to skate for free at the Bryant Park pond, and the Javits Center is hosting a boat show this weekend (think yachts and girls in bikinis!) for just $12.

Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin, January 21, 2010, Discount off-Broadway Tkts!

For all the theater geeks out there, who would never mention "that Scottish play" in a theater, 20at20 is starting up again this Monday, January 25, 2010. Visit http://www.20at20.com/ for a list of off-Broadway shows you can see for only $20! Just go up to the box office 20 minutes before the show starts and give the name "20at20" to get your discounted tickets! Enjoy!

Cheap Chick NYC Bargain Bulletin, January 20, 2010, Event Toight!

Join other falafel-lovers on a quest for the city's best falafel!
Info here: http://nycfoodcrawl.blogspot.com/2010/01/all-falafel-locations-on-board.html

Cheap Chick NYC Bargain Bulletin, January 19, 2010

Hey all you Geeks, stop watching Star Trek and Dr. Who and head to Housing Works bookstore where all "geek" titles will be 30% off from Jan. 23rd to January 29th!

http://www.housingworks.org/events/detail/geek-sale-all-day-1-23-and-1-24/

Cheap Chick Weekend Picks, Sunday January 17, 2010

Editor's Note: Apologies for the craziness and delay of the weekend picks. Thanks for your patience! It looks like the Internet issues are resolved, so look forward to more cheap goodness.

Sunday January 17, 2010
Traditional Chinese Music Recital
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
From the museum website, "A special recital to conclude a year-long folk arts apprenticeship in Chinese traditional music."
Cheap Chick Info: Free with museum admission ($7), RSVP to education@mocanyc.org or call 212-619-4785.
Location Info: Museum of the Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, (bet. Howard and Grand Sts, one block north of Canal St)
Subway: N, R, Q, W, J, M, Z, and 6 to Canal Street

Edith Wharton's New York Walking Tour
2 p.m.
Discover sites around Madison Square and Gramercy Park relating to the author, including her birthplace, which is now a Starbucks (aren't there enough in NYC?! See where she wrote books like The Age of Innocence, New Year’s Day, and The Old Maid. The tour will also cover Wharton's acquaintances including Theodore Roosevelt and Jennie Jerome.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meat at the NW corner of Fifth Ave. and 23rd St.
Subway: R,W to 23rd St.

Sewing Rebellion
4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sew-a needle pulling thread (or so Fraulein Maria tells me!) Gather to work on that sewing project that you know you've been putting off. Or share your mad sewing skills with others. Or your happy ones, whichever.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Spacecraft, 355 Bedford, Brooklyn
Subway: J,M,Z to Marcy Ave., L to Bedford (a little bit of a walk.)

Saturday Jan. 16, 2010 and Sunday January 17, 2010
Coney Island-Then, Now, and Forever
Performances at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Catch a multimedia show incorporating music, Victorian mermaids, hand-carved marionettes, and storytelling based on the history of Coney Island and its famous figures. Coney Island memorabilia will also be on display.
Cheap Chick Info: $15, includes hot chocolate and tea! Buy tkts here.
Location Info: The Historic Chapel at Green-Wood Cemetery
Subway: Take the R train to 25th Street Station. Walk east one block to Green-Wood at 5th Avenue and 25th Street.

Also there's a free MLK Jr. event today at the Brooklyn Museum-be sure to RSVP!

Cheap Chick NYC Weekend Picks, Saturday Jauary 16, 2010 (With one Sunday Pick)

Editor's Note: Still am having issues with the Internet at home, so look for Sunday picks (and some poss. additions to these listings) tomorrow afternoon! Thanks for your patience!

Saturday January 16, 2010
Cassoulet Cook-off
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Five cassoulets from amateur and pro chefs can be sampled and paired with beer. Nick Suarez and Theodore Peck are among the celeb cheftestants participating, and Chef Matt Weingarten is one of the judges.
Cheap Chick Info: $20
Location Info: Jimmy's No. 43, 43 E. 7th St. bet 2nd and 3rd Aves.
Subway: 6 to Astor Place, N,R,W to 8th St.

Bananarama in the Basement
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
If you're tired of plain old Scrabble or Scattergories, then you might want to start playing Bananagrams! WORD bookstore is hosting game time with tournament groups and banana cream pie for children and adults! Feel free to bring a banana-themed treat to share!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: WORD Bookstore, 126 Franklin St., Brooklyn
Subway: G to Greenpoint

Peter and the Wolf Concert narrated by Neil Gaiman
7 p.m.
Boy, what a weekend for geeks, first Nerd Nite, and now Neil Gaiman--hold onto your pocket protectors! The concert also includes the world-premiere of Bold To Fall Withal – Henry Hudson In The New World composed by Gary S. Fagin, and a performance by Broadway's Jason Danieley.
Cheap Cheap Info: Free! I'm told you should get there early, so don't stop to talk to any wolves on the way there-no matter how much like your grandmother they look like!
Location Info: World Financial Center, Winter Garden
Subway: A, C, J, M, Z, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 to Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau

Saturday Jan. 16, 2010 and Sunday January 17, 2010
Coney Island-Then, Now, and Forever
Performances at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Catch a multimedia show incorporating music, Victorian mermaids, hand-carved marionettes, and storytelling based on the history of Coney Island and its famous figures. Coney Island memorabilia will also be on display.
Cheap Chick Info: $15, includes hot chocolate and tea! Buy tkts here.
Location Info: The Historic Chapel at Green-Wood Cemetery
Subway: Take the R train to 25th Street Station. Walk east one block to Green-Wood at 5th Avenue and 25th Street.

Tonight you have two chances to catch movies at 92ndY Tribeca! At 8 p.m. the venue is screening The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, and at 11 p.m. you can sing-along with an the classic The Muppets Take Manhattan! Tkts for the 8 p.m. show are $12 and tkts for the 11 p.m. show are $13.

Don't forget Showgirls, with Jessie from Saved by the Bell, is playing at IFC this weekend!

Cheap Chick NYC Editor's Note and Friday Jan. 15, 2010 Picks

Editor's Note: Due to some technical difficulties, I may not be able to post the full weekend picks until Saturday Jan. 16, 2010. In the meantime, here are Friday's picks. Please check back by Saturday (maybe sooner!) for the rest of the weekend. Thanks, live long and cheap!

Friday Jan. 15, 2010
Nerd Nite
Trivia starts at 7 p.m. and the regular Nerd Nite starts at 8 p.m.
Unite with fellow geeks, uh nerds, play trivia, and learn about things like the ins-and-outs of the world’s first open-source nuclear reactor, art and neuroscience, and apparently robot sex-don't ask me about that!
Cheap Chick Info: $10 for just Nerd Nite, and $13 for Nerd Nite plus trivia! Buy tkts here!
Location Info: Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St., DUMBO
Subway: A,C to High Street, F to York

Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word - Night of Stars
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
This poetry and spoken-word event features performances by Shanelle Gabriel, Bonafide Rojas, Erik Advocate of Wordz Maldonado, Sabrina Gilbert, Onome, Ainsley Burrows, Akua Doku, David Lawton, Timothy Prolific Jones, Boris Zilberman, Howard Treadwell, Molly Kat, Diana Arnold, Rich Story, Yenny Love, Tantra Zawadi, Charlotte Mishell, Ilya Khodosh, and Justin Woo.
Cheap Chick Info: $8
Location Info: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker
Subway: A,C,E,F,B,D,V to West 4th Street

Party With the Mystery Writers of America
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Celebrate those authors who keep us guessing with the group's annual party! Mario Acevedo, Donna Andrews, Lori Armstrong, Frankie Y. Bailey, James O. Born, Lee Child, Reed Farrel Coleman, Chris Grabenstein, Daniel Hale, Naomi Hirahara, Harry Hunsicker, Craig Allen Johnson, Deborah LeBlanc, Larry Light, Jess Lourey, Margaret McLean, Paula Munier, Karen Olson, Tony Perona, Cathy Pickens, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Jeff Shelby, Alexandra Sokoloff, Brian Thornton, Steven Torres, and Simon Wood will be in attendance.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers, 44 Greenwich Ave. bet. Sixth and Seventh
Subway: 1,2,3,L to 14th St./7th Ave.

All Weekend: Showgirls Midnight screenings
See Jessie's Spano's um, titular (come on, you know that's not the first time someone's used this word!) role on the big screen at the IFC Center.

Check out First Fridays at the South Street Seaport Museum! Tonight includes a reading by Patricia Salmon, curator of the Staten Island Museum, who will also sign copies of her book, The Staten Island Ferry: A History. For more information, scroll down this page.

Cheap Chick NYC Bargain Bulletin, Jan. 12, 2010

Something must be in the air (besides NY'ers frozen breaths-when will this cold snap end? I feel like I'm living in one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books...) because the cheap and free events are coming out of the woodwork this week...

For Wednesday Jan 13th, if you can slip out from work for a few minutes, Seventh (Fashion) Avenue will be re-named Project Runway Avenue in honor of the new season premiere at 11:30 a.m., complete with Nina Garcia, and the adorable Tim Gunn. The New York Jewish Film Festival is starting today as well, and there look to be some really great films on-tap for just $11.

For Thursday the 14th, if you can use your lunch break to catch him, Dave Eggers will also be appearing at the Strand from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. to sign books.

Cheap Chick NYC Weekend Picks, Jan. 8-10, 2010

Friday January 8, 2010
First Fridays at the Rubin Museum
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Museum has free admission as well as drinks in the K2 lounge, and access to a classic film screening with the purchase of a $7 drink at the bar.
Cheap Chick Info: Free admission to the museum, and 2 for 1 drinks from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location Info: 150 West 17th Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)
Subway: A,C,E to 14th Street

Oscar Peñas Quartet
9 p.m.
Check out this guitarist who is part of NYC's underground music scene.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location: BAM, 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place
Subway: 2,3,4,5,B,Q to Atlantic Ave.

For Journalists...

Deadline Club Annual Winter Party and Elections

6:30 p.m.

Mix and mingle with other media professionals!

Cheap Chick Info: Free, RSVP to rsvp@deadlineclub.org

Location Info: Salmagundi Club, 47th Fifth Ave. bet. 11th and 12th St.

Subway: F to 14th Street

This Friday and Saturday Pour Wines is offering tastings of Austrian spirits.

Saturday January 9, 2010
Winter Wilderness Survival
11 a.m.
Learn how to build a fire without matches and a winter shelter.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Fort Greene, Park (call (718) 722-3218 for more info and I think a meeting spot.)
Subway: C to Lafayette, G to Fulton

New to New York: Broadway’s Cultural Corridor Walking Tour
11 a.m.
Discover the changes made in the Lincoln Center area over the years with looks at how the neighborhood has adapted and created new structures over the years. Sites include the Museum of Biblical Art and the area's Apple Store.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meet at the S.W. corner of Broadway and 60th St.
Subway: A,C.1,2,D

Women's Brunch/Stuff/Clothing Exchange

1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Swap out those books and clothes that have been gathering dust in your small studio apartment.

Cheap Chick Info: $16 (could be subject to change), and includes entree and two drinks, and swapping of course! Join/Register here to attend.

Location Info: Galway Hooker, 7 E. 36th St.
Subway: N,R,Q,W,D,F to 34th St./Herald Square.

WWOW Mystery Radio Plays
6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Can you solve the mystery? Watch old-time radio shows recreated before your eyes in a secret room in the back of the store.

Cheap Chick Info: $7, Call 212-462-3027 for reservations (the space is small, I recommend you call!)
Location Info: Partners & Crime Bookshop, 44 Greenwich@corner of Charles

Subway: F,V,L to Sixth Ave./14th St. is my best guess, but either way it's a little bit of a walk.

Saturday and Sunday January 9th and 10th, 2010
U.S. Customs House and Titanic History Tour
2 p.m.
From Discovery Walking Tours: "Stay warm on a historical and architectural tour inside this beautiful Beaux Arts gem in Lower Manhattan that once anchored New York's steamship district, considered by many to be the finest interior in the city. Immediately following will be a tour of sites and memorials in the direct vicinity of the building associated with the fated White Star ship, Titanic."
Cheap Chick Info: $16
Location Info: Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and location info.
Subway: TBD by calling number above.

Sunday January 10, 2010
No Pants! Subway Ride
3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. or so.
Bet your bottom dollar that you won't be able to drop trou on the subway with Improv Everywhere! As the group warns, you must keep a straight face, but that shouldn't be hard for NYC straphangers!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Various subways, check here for details.
Subway: TBD, based on info at meeting points.

Also don't forget the Under the Radar theater festival is going on, channel your own urban cowboy with the Professional Bull Riders series at Madison Square Garden-tkts start at $10, and get $20 day-of-shows at Lincoln Center.

Cheap Chick NYC Bargain Bulletin, January 5, 2010

Happy New Year! Forget that resolution to go to the gym, (well depending on how much you actually did binge over the holidays), and exercise your writing muscles instead, it's time to get the great American novel started!

Gotham Writer's Workshop is offering free writing classes on January 12th and 13th, check here for class listings!

Also, anyone who has a burning NYC financial question please email me at cheapchickinthecity@hotmail.com, and I'll answer relevant queries on Wednesdays!