Cheap Chick NYC Cheap and Free Weekend Event Picks, Oct. 8-10, 2010

Friday October 8, 2010

“Take a stab at the modern sport of fencing with masters from Manhattan Fencing Center. No prior experience needed and equipment is provided. Call (212) 382-2255 to pre-register or take a chance and drop by,” Bryant Park, Fifth Ave. Terrace, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., free!

Walk the line, The High Line that is, with Big Onion Walking tours! The tour will cover the park as well as Chelsea landmarks like the “Chelsea Hotel, “Death Alley,” General Theological Seminary, sites associated with Dylan Thomas, Clement Clark Moore, Janis Joplin, John Sloan, and the birthplace of the Oreo cookie.” Meet in front of the Chelsea Hotel, 222 West 23rd Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues), 1 p.m., $15.

Embrace your inner Geek at Nerd Nite! Tonight’s lectures focus on all those games you used to play before you started playing guitar, shooting bunnies, cooking, and exercising on the Wii (you know like Scrabble and Tetris!) Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St., DUMBO, 7 p.m., $10. For more info go here: http://nyc.nerdnite.com/

Saturday October 9, 2010

Explore the non-island Jamaica, in Queens mon with historian Jack Eichenbaum. Stops include Loew’s Valencia Theater and Prospect Cemetery, meet in front of King Manor Museum, Rufus King Park, Jamaica Ave. bet 150^th and 153^rd St, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., free!

The super Stan Lee will be at the Animazing Gallery today signing superhero art by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Alex Ross, 54 Greene St. at Broome St., RSVP (req.) to rsvp@animazing.com for reservations.

Hopefully you won’t be coerced into painting any fences during the Mark Twain’s New York Walking tour, which will take you to the author’s NYC-hangouts, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., call 917-620-5371 for reservation and meeting place, $20.

Don’t scratch the vinyl you find at the Shakey’s Record Fair, hosted by the Bell House, 149 7^th St., bet. Second and Third Aves., Brooklyn, free!

Gather in Central Park to wish John Lennon a happy 70^th birthday with a free screening of LENNONYC, a look at the musician’s years in NYC, Rumsey Field, Central Park, Fifth Ave. and 72^nd St., 7 p.m., free!

Feeling like a snack when you’re in Prospect Park? Skip the hot dog, pretzel, or ice cream, and instead feast on the natural treats the park offers! Locavore and botanist Leda Meredith will be leading a foraging walk to learn about the park’s edible delights, Meet at entrance on 9th Street and Prospect Park West, 9:45 a.m. to noon, $20 includes tasting of snacks made with wild ingredients.

It’s Beatlemania in NYC with a walking tour of city sites associated with the Beatles in the 60’s and 70’s like the Ed Sullivan Theatre, The Dakota, Carnegie Hall, and Strawberry Fields, 11 a.m., Call 212-465-3331 for meeting place and reservations, $18.

Dance your heart out with a day of free classes (plus a performance and free champagne!) at Dance New Amsterdam! 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., for more details go here: http://www.dnadance.org/site/page-02permanent-classespermanent-classes/free-class-day, free!

It’s harvest time in Harlem with this Saturday’s Harlem Harvest Festival and Fresh Food Summit! There will be a “grand” farmer’s market, a Taste of Harlem food samplings from area chefs, Battle of the Chefs onstage competition, a children’s pavilion, and a fresh food summit focusing on Harlem’s fresh food movement, A. Phillip Randolph Square, 200 W. 116^th St., 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., free!

Don’t get your wiener in a schnitzel at the Governors Island Oktoberfest! Treat your stomach to German beer and food, and let your eyes feast on all the lederhosen! Plus root beer and activities for the kids! Governors Island, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., free! For info on getting to Governors Island click here: http://www.govisland.com/html/visit/directions.shtml

Saturday and Sunday October 9 and 10, 2010

The doors to the city open wide this weekend for one of my favorite events, Open House New York. I hate to say this, but I hope the weekend goes more smoothly than their reservations operations did, after attending and supporting the event for at least five years and promoting it on my blog for the last two years, I expected better than the disaster that was their opening day reservations system. Visit sites across all five boroughs for free, plus enjoy other special programs, http://www.ohny.org/weekend.

Sunday October 10, 2010

Celebrate the city’s Hispanic population at the Hispanic Day Parade as it marches down Fifth Avenue bet. 44^th and 69^th Streets, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., free!

Sustainable living and film converge at the Switch Film Festival, with offerings like No Impact Man and Crude, a film about the “Amazon Chernobyl” case, screenings will be at both Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick St., and Indie Screen, 285 Kent Ave., Bklyn, Festival starts at 1 p.m., Fore more info and screenings check http://www.theswitch101010.com, $20 (all proceeds will be going to community organizations like Grow NYC.)

The Conflux Festival is happening all weekend (http://www.confluxfestival.org), and check out an indoor carnival (http://www.resnicowschroeder.com/media.asp?id=1447)!