Cheap Chick NYC Memorial Day Weekend Picks, May 28-May 31, 2010

Hope everyone is ready for Memorial Day! I've got some great picks for the long w/e, apologies for the many links and event listings w/o my trademark wit, I've been busy packing up the current Cheap Chick digs to move to a new nest on Tuesday. Look for a great summer guide, hopefully by next weekend!

Friday May 28, 2010
Blood and Wine Screening (Second Show)
8:30 p.m.
See the documentary about Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan and learn how he got into the winemaking business.
Cheap Chick Info: $12
Location Info: City Winery, 155 Varick St.
Subway: C,E to Spring Street

Tonight the Intrepid's Film series starts with Top Gun (Don't lose that lovin' feeling!) http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/Summer-Movie-Series.aspx and the Lower East Side Festival for the Arts http://theaterforthenewcity.net/, which is running all weekend, starts! It's also National Hamburger Day (http://www.winedanddined.com/2010/05/celebrate-national-hamburger-day-on-may-28th/) (!) where's the beef?

Hey sailor, Fleet Week is also in full swing!

Saturday May 29, 2010
Score! Pop-Up Swap
Noon-6 p.m.
It's time to trade-up that Aladdin CD for a garden gnome or a copy of The Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood. Bring all that stuff you've been storing in your oven or all those clothes that you know Tim Gunn would disapprove of to this swap and then grab things that are "new to you."
Cheap Chick Info: $3 in advance, $5 at the door
Location Info: BKYLN Yard
Subway: F,G to Carroll St., R to Union

NYC International Polar Festival
12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
To celebrate "The Race to the End of the Earth" Antarctic exhibit opening the Natural History Museum is hosting this family-friendly program with performances, movies, talks, scientists, and real-life explorers.
Cheap Chick Info: Free with museum admission!
Location Info: American Museum of Natural History, 79th St. and CPW, Kaufmann and Linder Theaters and Grand Gallery, first floor
Subway: C to 81st St./Museum of Natural History

Robert Hass and Brenda Hillman in the Great Outdoors: A Reading
4 p.m.
From the website, "This reading inaugurates Poets House's outdoor courtyard in the new South Teardrop Park.
(Part of Ecopoetic Futures, a series of events that examine poetry and the environment. Programs in this series are funded, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Council for the Humanities.)
Cheap Chick Info: $10
Location Info: Poets' House, 10 River Terrace
Subway: 1,2,3,A, or C to Chambers Street

Revolutionary New York
1 p.m.
Join Big Onion for this special historic holiday weekend walking tour with stops that may include Fraunces Tavern, the graves of Alexander Hamilton and General Richard Montgomery, Federal Hall, and sites associated with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, and Albert Gallatin.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meet at the Intersection of Broadway and Murray St. at the gated entrance to City Hall Park.
Subway: 2,3 to Park Place, 4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge, and the R,W to City Hall

Light Saber Battle
9 p.m.
The Jedi and the Dark Side battle it out Skywalker-style tonight in NYC!
Cheap Chick Info: Free to participate, bring your own light saber, or rent one there for $5!
Location Info: Sarah D. Roosevelt Park, Chrystie St between Delancey and E. Houston
Subway: F to Delancey

Haven't got your fix of Nathan's yet? Luna Park(http://lunaparknyc.com/) is opening for the summer today!

Sunday May 31, 2010
Opera in HD: Bellini's Norma
3 p.m.
Watch opera on the big screen, details and tickets here: http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/6212-norma?source=calendar
Cheap Chick Info: $21
Location Info: Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway
Subway: 1,2,3,C to 96th St.

Passport to Taiwan
12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Dance, music, and plenty of food play homage to the island nation at this festival.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Union Square West and 17th St.
Subway: N,R,W,Q,L,4,5,6 to 14th St./Union Square

Don't forget the Zombie Crawl Festivities (http://nyczombiecrawl.com/)!

Monday May 31, 2010
Today the Metropolitan Museum of Art (http://www.metmuseum.org/) is open for Met Holiday Mondays (don't forget it's pay-what-you-wish there all the time), the Museum of the City of New York (http://www.mcny.org/) is open for free today as well, there is a Food Truck Festival at the BKYLN Yard (http://bklynyard.com/mon-may-31st-opening-weekend-parked/), and the and the New York Philharmonic is at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for a free concert! (http://stjohndivine.org/)!


There's also a Memorial Day party at the South Street Seaport (Fulton) Water Taxi Beach (http://watertaxibeach.com/), and a Dreamland (jazz music) party at the LIC WTB location (http://dreamlandorchestra.com/calendar.php)!

Cheap Chick Weekend Picks, May 21-23, 2010

Friday May 21, 2010
Housing Works Spelling Bee
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Find out if it really helps to ask for the definition…
Cheap Chick Info: Free to watch, $5 to compete
Location Info: Housing Works Bookstore, 126 Crosby St.
Subway: B,D,F,V to Broadway/Lafayette, Downtown 6 to Bleecker St.

Interactive Seminar-Greek and Roman Art
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Is Greek and Roman art all Greek to you? Find out more at this session with informal discussion with educators and curators in the Met galleries.
Cheap Chick Info: Free with admission, but program is limited to 25 people and registration is required. For more info email observanteye@metmuseum.org
Location Info: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St. Meet at the Carson Family Hall in the Uris Center for Education
Subway: 4,5,6 to 86th St.

Kevin Geeks Out About Aliens
8 p.m.
This 2-hour extravaganza features E.T. rip-offs presented by Elliott Kalan, Emmy Award-winning Daily Show writer, homemade alien cupcakes, Martian-themed comic strips, and a brief history of Project Blue Book, “a survey of the galaxy’s sexiest extraterrestrials.” Attendees are encouraged to enter the tinfoil hat contest.
Cheap Chick Info: $10
Location Info: 92ndY Tribeca, 200 Hudson St.
Subway: E,1 to Canal St.

Saturday May 22, 2010
Earth Celebrations Hudson River Pageant
1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where else could you see 15-foot puppets representing the river’s plants and denizens, I ask you? Not Sesame Street! This event includes a parade, dance, performance, and poetry events.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Parade starts at World Financial Garden, then heads to Hudson River Park
Subway: E to World Trade Center

Dance Parade/Dance Fest
Parade is 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the actual Dance fest is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“Have the time of your life” as you see dancers perform boogie, hula, swing, salsa, and Irish step in the parade. Hopefully no one will put you in the corner…The dance fest includes free dance lessons and a dance party.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: The parade will start at 22nd and 21st between Park and Fifth Avenue and then the dance fest will be held at Tompkins Square Park
Subway: Tompkins Square Park: L to 1st Ave., Parade: 6 or N,R,W to 23rd St.

3rd Ward Annual Birthday Barbecue
Could not get a time from the website, so maybe they tell you when you RSVP? Hope so…
Get your grill on with BBQ, drinks, arts and crafts, workshops, and synchronized biking.
Cheap Chick Info: Free! RSVP to events@3rdward.com
Location Info: 3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Ave.
Subway: L to Grand St. or Morgan Ave.

Free Comedy Workshop
2 p.m.
I don’t imagine Drew Carey will be there with his annoying buzzer, (but boy I wish Colin Mocherie were…), though Chuck Nice (VHI’s Best Week Ever), Brian Baldinger (comedy booker for Just For Laughs and Jimmy Kimmel Live), Matt Goldich (staff writer for Late Show With David Letterman), and Cory Kahaney (headliner for Comedy Central and HBO and instructor for The Manhattan Comedy School) will be on-hand. The class will cover the basics like auditions and how to find an agent. All participants will get a coupon for a discount to the Manhattan Comedy School’s six week class.
Cheap Chick Info: Free! Space is limited so register at manhattancomedyschool.com/workshop.html
Location Info: Comix, 353 W. 14th St.
Subway: A,C,E to 14th St./8th Ave.

Dance Dance Library Revolution
10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
This is one library-inspired event where you don’t have to be quiet! At this benefit you can help Books Through Bars (if I might interrupt this blog to say that this is a very worthy cause that the Cheap Chick fully supports) with donations of dictionaries and thesauruses. You can also get a free drink through Enid’s, and win prizes through a raffle.
Cheap Chick Info: Donations of dictionaries and thesauruses
Location Info: Enid’s Bar, Greenpoint, 560 Manhattan Ave.
Subway: G to Nassau

Sunday May 23, 2010
Opening Day Celebration for Greater New York
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Grand opening event for new exhibit featuring more than 68 artists from the NYC area and curated in conjunction with MOMA.
Cheap Chick Info: $5 suggested donation
Location Info: P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, 22-25 Jackson Ave. at the intersection of 46th Ave.
Subway: E,V to 23rd St./Ely Ave., 7 to 45th Rd./Courthouse Square

Bust Spring Craftacular
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
More than 50 vendors will be displaying their wares at this event, which includes treats, drinks, and DJ’s. Plus you can bring all those items you cleared out from your closet during all the rain we had the past few days and donate them to Pop-Up Swap’s big swap on May 29.
Cheap Chick Info: $2
Location Info: The Warsaw, 261 Driggs, Greenpoint
Subway: G to Nassau

Walt Whitman’s Fort Greene Park
1 p.m.
Learn about the poet’s connection to the park during this walking tour led by Greg Trupiano, the artistic director of the Walt Whitman project. The event will include readings and discussion of Whitman's work.
Cheap Chick Info: Free! This event is being held rain or shine. Space is limited, for more information and reservations call 718-391-8824
Location Info: Meet at the visitor’s center at the top of the hill in Fort Greene Park, enter at Myrtle Ave, Washington Park, or DeKalb.
Subway: M,Q,R to DeKalb

On Sunday check out the Eldridge Street Synagogue's walking tour: Gangster, Writer, Rabbi. http://www.eldridgestreet.org/calendar-newyork-events.html

LIC Open Studio Event (http://www.licartists.org/documents/LIC-Open-Studios-2010.pdf) and the Hell’s Kitchen Open Studios (http://www.hellskitchen.bz/information/artists-in-the-kitchen-2010.html are on Saturday and Sunday!

Cheap Chick NYC Weekend Event Picks, May 14-16, 2010

Friday May 14, 2010
Church Tower Walk
3 p.m.
Take a hike up the wooden staircase at St. Paul’s church tower.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: 897 South Columbus Ave., Mount Vernon
Subway: 5 to Dyre Ave.

Tonight is Rooftop Films’ opening night (http://www.rooftopfilms.com/)
you can grab a drink at the Met’s rooftop garden (http://www.metmuseum.org/) , and you can attend the Veggie Prom (http://veggieconquest.com/veggieprom/)

Saturday May 15, 2010
Singles Brooklyn Brewery and Beer Tasting Tour
1:30 to 4 p.m.
Meet Market Adventures is sponsoring this special private tour and tasting, with the opportunity for mingling and the drinks after the tour.
Cheap Chick Info: $19.99, first beer is on them, get tkts here: http://www.meetmarketadventures.com/events/3335/New-York-Singles-Brooklyn-Brewery-Beer-Tasting-Tour.html
Location Info: Brooklyn Brewery, 79 N. 11th St.
Subway: L to Bedford

Five Points Walk and Lecture
1:30 to 3 p.m.: Talk, Optional walking tour: 3:45
Learn about the real “gangs of New York” with a discussion and tour of the Five Points area with an emphasis on the police actions of that day.
Cheap Chick Info: $12 adults/$10 children, reservations are required, you can make them through the Seaport Museum (212-748-8786) or the Police Museum (212-480-3100 ext. 116)
Location Info: Not sure, ask when making reservations.
Subway: See above.

Financial Architecture Walking Tour
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
This 90-minute walking tour sponsored by the Museum of American Finance details the buildings of the Financial District.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Museum of American Finance, 48 Wall Street
Subway: 4,5 to Bowling Green

Radical Greenwich Village Walking Tour
11 a.m.
This walking tour led by Marty Shore, an urban historian, will cover sites associated with Margaret Sanger, Emma Goldman, Jackson Pollack, and Timothy Leary among others.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meet under the arch of Washington Square Park, at the foot of Fifth Ave.
Subway: A,C,E,F,D to West Fourth St.

Love Your Library Brooklyn Public Library Benefit
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Help keep Ben Franklin’s dream alive and support the efforts of the Brooklyn PL (I hear Queens needs help too for those fellow bookworms keeping track) at this day-long event that features $1 book sale, live music, arts and crafts, and an author talk.
Cheap Chick Info: Buy as many books as you can fit into your small NYC apt., and the library suggests a $5 donation to help keep their doors open!
Location Info: Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza
Subway: 2,3 to Grand Army Plaza

Brooklyn/Queens Birding Day Out
8 a.m.
Bring binoculars and a sack lunch to this all-day birding tour led by the Urban Park Rangers.
Cheap Chick Info: Free! Space is limited, reserve a spot here:
Location Info: Meet at the Wollman Rink and flower garden in Prospect Park
Subway: F to Prospect Park/15th St.

Tour de Farmer’s Market
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Bicycle to farmer’s markets at Union Square, Fort Greene Park, and Grand Army Plaza.
Cheap Chick Info: Free, bring money to purchase treats!
Location Info: Meet at the Union Square Greenmarket, corner of 17th and Broadway
Subway: N,R,Q,W,4,5,6 to 14th St./Union Square

Bronx Week http://www.ilovethebronx.com/?pg=load&loc=bronxweek&tab=calendar, starts today, there’s also Super Sabado at El Museo del Barrio http://www.elmuseo.org/en/event/target-free-third-saturdays-may, Taste of Tribeca http://www.tasteoftribeca.com/, and the Wall to Wall Behind the Wall Eastern European-inspired music festival at Symphony Space, http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/6005-wall-to-wall-behind-the-wall?source=calendar.

Sunday May 16, 2010
51st Annual Park Slope House Tour
12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit home sweet 19th and 20th century homes in the neighborhood
Cheap Chick Info: $20 tax-deductible donation, buy tkts here: http://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=1325
Location Info: Check in at Poly Prep Lower School, 50 Prospect Park West at 15th St.
Subway: 2,3 to Grand Army Plaza

Magic in the Park
12 p.m.
Will magicians ever reveal their secrets? I don’t know, but maybe you can figure them out as you watch these talented magicians at work.
Cheap Chick Info: $20, buy tkts here: http://www.joespub.com/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,40/id,5122
Location Info: Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St.
Subway: 6 to Astor Place

The AIDS Walk (http://www.aidswalk.net/newyork/) is today, as is Farm Fest at the Queens County Farm Museum (http://www.queensfarm.org/events.html), there is Taste of Williamsburg/Greenpoint (http://www.tastewg.com/), the Punk + Underground Record Fair (http://spsounds.com/calendar/), the Veggie Pride Parade (http://www.veggieprideparade.org/), and the NY Bike Jumble (http://nybikejumble.com/) is today!

All weekend long the Noguchi Museum (http://www.noguchi.org/) is free as part of its 25th anniversary celebration, and you can sample goodies from around the world at the Ninth Avenue Food Festival (http://www.hellskitchen.bz/information/ninth-avenue-food-festival-2010.html)

Cheap Chick NYC Weekend Picks, May 7-9, 2010

Friday May 7, 2010
Insectomaina
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Maybe you can learn how to be as cool Corey Haim in Lucas. Don’t forget your butterfly net! The event includes film, readings, sound, images, projections, and cocktails.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Cabinet Magazine Space, 300 Nevins St.
Subway: F,G to Carroll St.

Nerd Nite
7 p.m.
Find out about all sorts of nerdy things like Governor’s Island and the Large Hadron Collider.
Cheap Chick Info: $10-$13, buy tkts here: http://nyc.nerdnite.com/
Location Info: Galapagos Art Space
Subway: F to York St., A to High St./Brooklyn Bridge

Central Park Moonlight Ride
10 p.m. to Midnight
Stop and enjoy the nighttime scenery with fellow bike enthusiasts and discover parts of the park you’ve never seen before!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Columbus Circle in Central Park
Subway: A,C,D,1to Columbus Circle

Gilbert and Sullivan: Shining Into a New Century With Reflected Light
6:30 p.m.
Ralph MacPhail Jr. will give a lecture on the famous opera pair.
Cheap Chick Info: Free! For advance reservations call 212.685.0008, ext. 560, or e-mail tickets@themorgan.org.
Location Info: Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Ave, bet. 36th and 37th St.
Subway: 6 to 33rd St.

Celebrate First Fridays at the Bronx Museum! http://www.bronxmuseum.org/events.php

Self magazine Workout in the Park
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Celebrity yoga trainer Mandy Ingber teaches you the secret favorite moves of celeb clients like Jennifer Aniston!
Cheap Chick Info: $20, but space is limited. Reserve space ahead of time, available on first-come, first-served basis. Buy tkts here: http://www.selfworkoutinthepark.com/default.asp
Location Info: Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Fifth Ave. and 72nd St.
Subway: C to 72nd St. or 6 to 77th

BAM Street Fair
12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Neighborhood block party with marching bands, food vendors, and arts and crafts.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn
Subway: 2,3,4,5 to Nevins St.

GI Joe Stop Motion Film Festival
7 p.m.
A film festival tribute to that real American hero.
Cheap Chick Info: $12
Location Info: 92nd St. Y Tribeca, 200 Hudson St.
Subway: A,C,E,1 Canal

Grease 2 Sing-a-long
11 p.m.
I don’t know if this movie will help you “score tonight,” but darn if I don’t love pre-90210 pilot Maxwell Caufield. Of course pre-Catwoman Michelle Pfeiffer is there too…
Cheap Chick Info: $13
Location Info: 92nd St. Y, Tribeca, 200 Hudson St.
Subway: A,C,E,1 to Canal St.

88-cent burgers today: http://www.8coupons.com/deals/specials/City%2CNY%2CNew_York/0/ocho_loco/search

Saturday and Sunday May 8 and 9, 2010
Fleece Festival
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Time to ask the sheep if they have any wool! I wonder if there are any black sheep…find out at this sheep shearing event. There will also be music, demonstrations, and crafts.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Prospect Park Zoo, Prospect Park
Subway: F to 15th St./Prospect Park

Sunday May 9, 2010
Shakey’s Record Fair
7 p.m.
Listen to music and look through records at this sale and record extravaganza!
Cheap Chick Info: 21 and up: $3
Location Info: Public Assembly,70 N. 6th St.
Subway: L to Bedford

Become a Multimedia Guru
Registration/Check-in: 12:30 p.m., Program starts at 1 p.m. See full line-up here: http://deadlineclub.org/events/become-a-multimedia-guru.
Master the art of multimedia at this event organized by the Deadline Club, the Society of Professional Journalists NYC chapter-you don’t even have to wax any cars! Plus a free mediabistro class will be raffled off and a SpaFinder gift certificate will be given away during the 3:30 SEO (that's Search Engine Optimization to you!) session.
Cheap Chick Info: One session is $10, and you can get into two sessions for $15. After this the prices aren’t exactly Cheap Chick-friendly, but it’s a pretty good deal nonetheless. Space is limited, so RSVP to rsvp@deadlineclub.org.
Location Info: University Settlement House, 273 Bowery
Subway: F to Second Ave.

Plus free fitness classes at Socrates Sculpture Park (http://www.socratessculpturepark.org/programs/fitness.php) and pigs at Jimmy's No. 43!