Cheap and Free NYC in the New Year! Cheap Chick New Year's Guide 2010!

New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2010

Watch the fireworks from NJ and Liberty Island in the less-crowded expanse of Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City! Hudson River, near Murray St and Park Pl West, free!

Walk along the waterfront for fireworks in Queens’ Astoria Park with views of the celebrations at Central Park and Brooklyn, free!

For just $2.25 each way on the tram, you can head to Roosevelt Island for views of Manhattan fireworks. Be warned tho, there are no liquor stores on the island, so BYOB to keep warm! Tram accessible at 59th Street and Second Avenue, $4.50 (rt tkt on tram.)

The Mid-Manhattan Performing Arts Foundation is performing a free concert at St. Bartholomew’s Church, with a rendition of Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man performed at midnight. St. Bartholomew’s Church, 325 Park Ave at 51st St, 11 p.m., free!

Reflect on 2010 and meditate on 2011 at Jivamukti Yoga’s silent mediation event. At midnight the silence is broken and you can enjoy vegan chai tea and words welcoming the new year from yogis Sharon Gannon and David Life. Jivamukti Yoga Center, 9 p.m. to midnight, 841 Broadway between 13th and 14th Sts, second floor. Free!

Take an Asian-inspired walking tour with Adventures on a Shoestring to gear up for the Chinese New Year. On this tour you’ll visit Chinatown sites such as bakeries, herbal shops, Buddhist temples and the Edward Mooney House (built in 1785, it’s the oldest row house in the city.) Tours are at 212-265-2663, $10 Call 212-265-2663 for reservations and other information. Tours at noon, 2, 4, 6pm, and 8 p.m.

Ride your way into the new year with Time’s Up New Year’s Eve Bike Ride. You’ll start at Washington Square Park and fly on up to Central Park’s Belvedere Castle right before the fireworks start. 10:30 p.m., Go to times-up.org for more info.

If you’re intent on watching the ball drop this year, then avoid the crowds and hours of waiting time by heading to the AMC Times Square. There are multiple levels for partying and a five hour open bar for guests 21 and older. AMC Empire 25 Times Square, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tkts start at $35. Call 212-255-4233 for tickets.

Brooklynites who want to stay local may want to head over to Grand Army Plaza for the fireworks display there. The free celebration starts at 11 p.m., with Brooklyn's Rock 'N' Soul Experience and hot chocolate, free!

Join Big Onion Walking Tours for its Historic Lower Manhattan New York in a New Year Walking Tour. “A wide-ranging tour exploring the history, architecture, and people of Lower Manhattan - the birthplace of New Amsterdam and now the world's financial center. Stops could include: Trinity Church, and sites associated with 18th-century slave uprising, J. P. Morgan, Alexander Hamilton, Cass Gilbert, George Washington, Abbie Hoffman, and others.” 1 p.m., Front steps of the U.S. Custom House, located at Bowling Green, $15.

Jazz up your new year with a performance by blues-jazz group Jessy Carolina and the Hot Mess! Radegast Hall and Biergarten, 113 N. Third St., Willamsburg, Brooklyn, $10 gets you a free drink, a glass of champagne at midnight, and a bowl of Anti-hangover soup!

Get some Southern New Year’s comfort with a late-night buffet at Sylvia’s, with music by DJ Jaime Hype, and a champagne toast! $25, 318 Lenox Ave., 212-996-0660 for tkts.

Start 2011 laughing with comedy shows with the Broadway Comedy Club (8 p.m., 318 W. 53rd St., $10 plus two beverage minimum, includes champagne toast, party favors, noisemakesr, and comedy show) and New York Comedy Club (8 p.m., 241 E. 24th St., $10 plus two beverage gratuity, includes party favors and noisemakers, champagne toast, and comedy show.)

Peace in the new year is always a lovely thought, so with that in mind, head to St. John the Divine’s Concert for Peace, 7 p.m., St. John the Divine, for information and reserved seating (for a price) go here: http://www.stjohndivine.org/NYE2010.html, 1047 Amsterdam Ave., free!

For five bucks apiece you can catch three drive-in classics (Eight Legged Freaks, 7p.m., Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 9 p.m., and Night of the Living Dead, midnight) at Spectacle, 123 Third Street near Bedford, Brooklyn, for more info go here: http://spectacletheater.com/fuck-new-years-eve-sci-fi-drive-ins

Of course you can always watch the ball drop for free with the masses, if you don’t mind the wait! http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye.html, and there is also a Guns N’ Roses tribute band, 8:30 p.m., $25, http://www.ticketfly.com/tickets/venue-details/?tfly_venue_id=479), the classic Floating Kabarette at Galapagos, 8 p.m., $35, http://s80131.gridserver.com/public, and SonicUke’s Ukedrop, 11:45, free, http://sonicuke.com.

Cheap Chick Cheap Tip: For post-midnight fun, swing by Swing46 (46 bet. 8th and 9th)! After midnight you can get in for an extremely reduced rate, at some point, free, and there are still plenty of decorations up and live music playing for a jazzy start to 2011! (Shhh, don't tell them I sent you!)

Happy New Year, Jan. 1, 2011!

There was a life to Times Square before Disney took over, learn all about the “crossroads of the world” with Big Onion Walking Tours! Stops may include The New-York Public Library, Astor Hotel, Palace Theater, Sardi's and sites associated with the Shuberts, Flo Ziegfeld, Bob Hope, Fanny Brice, and Damon Runyon. 1 p.m., Meet at The southeast corner of 42nd Street & Sixth Avenue, at Bryant Park, $15.

Dip your toe into the New Year during a nice icy, cold swim with the Coney Island Polar Bear Club! 1 p.m., Boardwalk at Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island, info here: http://www.polarbearclub.org, free!

Join Discovery Walking Tours today and tomorrow (Jan 1 and 2, 2011) on walks including:

Victorian Christmas and Origins of Christmas Traditions, “Want to experience a new Christmas tradition in New York – something beyond the Rockettes and the Rockefeller Center tree? Go off the beaten path this holiday season by taking this walking tour through three Victorian areas--Gramercy Park, Ladies Mile, and Chelsea--exploring the Christmas traditions that emerged from each. Stops include where O. Henry wrote Gift of the Magi and where Clement Clarke Moore penned 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. The tour will also explore New York's role in the evolution of the modern Kris Kringle, from Washington Irvings St. Nicholas figure to Thomas Nasts jovial Santa.” 2 p.m., $18, Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place.

Historic Greenwich Village Taverns at New Year’s!

“Toast in the holidays as we gear up for a walking tour of historic pubs, taverns and speakeasies during the year’s most beautiful season. The tour discusses the history behind each tavern and stops at several for refreshment. Stops include a 1920s speakeasy once associated with founding father Thomas Paine, a pub where Robert Kennedy and Norman Mailer contemplated their political futures, and a haunt of Dylan Thomas, author of "A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” 5:30 p.m., $18, Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place.

The Cooper Hewitt is free today! http://cooperhewitt.org, and you can get your poetry on with The Poetry Project-The 36th Annual New Year’s Day Marathon Reading at St. Mark’s on the Bowery – from 2 p.m. and the Bowery Poetry Club marathon poetry reading at noon, and play bingo at Le Poisson Rouge with drag queen Linda Simpson at 7 p.m. (http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/1832)!

Also for Sunday Jan. 2^nd, Bring in the New Year with Birds and, ”explore the Lullwater and Peninsula Nature Trails and discover the beautiful plumage and fascinating behavior of the Park’s wintering ducks as they ring in the New Year. Rain or shine. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club. Meet at the Audubon Center. 10 a.m., free! The Brooklyn Museum will also be free today as well (in lieu of its usual first Saturday program) http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php)!

And finally, enjoy 30% off savings at Housing Works Bookstore Jan 2 and 3, 2011!

Merry Christmas from the Cheap Chick!

Hi all! Merry Christmas! I did mean to have a looonnnggg list of activities going on today and tomorrow for all of you in NYC for the holiday, but had some Internet issues, was sick, and am out-of-town, so could not, alas, post them.

BUT I will leave you with:
For today/tonight Dec. 25, 2010
free admission to the Jewish Museum from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today (http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/site/pages/calendar_main.php?trumbaEmbed=eventid%3D92075936%26view%3Devent%26-childview%3D), presents for the animals at the Queens Zoo (http://www.queenszoo.com/) and the Prospect Park Zoo (http://prospectparkzoo.com/), Chinese food and Leslie Nielsen at 92ndY Tribeca, (http://www.92y.org/shop/92Tri_event_detail.asp?productid=T-MM5FD14) at 2 p.m., karaoke at Southpaw, 8 p.m, Jolly Bowl at Brooklyn Bowl, 8:30 p.m., (http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event-detail/?tfly_event_id=20741), Floating Kabaratte, Galapagos Art Space, doors open at 10 p.m. (http://s80131.gridserver.com/public/), Die Hard at Landmark Sunshine, 143 Houston, Midnight, and Clueless at 12:10 a.m., IFC, http://www.ifccenter.com/films/clueless!

For Boxing Day, go on a tour with Big Onion Walking Tours (http://www.bigonion.com/schedule/) get free bangers and mash at Black Horse Pub (1 p.m. to 6 p.m.) (http://blackhorsebrooklyn.com/) and a free open house through the 28th at the Queens County Farm Museum (http://www.queensfarm.org/events.html)!

Be sure to scroll down for my holiday guide too with plenty of picks to get you through the last week of 2010! I'll be back soon with some really great picks for NYE in NYC!

Happy Holidays,
Cheap Chick in the City!

For Tonight, Monday Dec. 20, 2010, 9 p.m., Last Exit Trivia!

Get all the trivia you’ll ever need with a whopping 50 questions a night (ten rounds of trivia-five questions a round) at Last Exit’s Pub Quiz, one of the longest-running trivia nights in the city! Teams of four or less compete for cash prizes (first and second place) and stretch their brains with questions ranging from sports to politics to pop culture, and quirky categories like, “Last Exit Theater” (hosts put their acting skills to the test and perform movie scenes,) “Canadian or Not Canadian?” (decide if celebs like Michael Cera hail from our friend to the north-in case you were wondering he does), and Bodega Price is Right (does toilet paper really cost that much?) Pub Quiz is held every first and third Monday of the month at 9 p.m. sharp and runs to about 11 p.m. (your brain gets a break about halfway through.) Get there early to secure seats and register the team. Only $5 a person to register! Last Exit Bar, 136 Atlantic Ave. http://www.lastexitbar.com/lastexitbar/index.html

Cheap Chick NYC Cheap and Free Weekend Event Picks, Dec. 18 and 19, 2010

Hi all, apologies for the delay and briefness of these picks, I'm still feeling under the weather.

Saturday December 18, 2010

I don’t think baby Jesus could sleep through Unsilent Night where boom boxes will blare Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night, 7 p.m., Washington Square Park, free!

Chinatown and Little Italy converge to create their own special holiday celebration, the East Meets West Parade! 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the parade route will run start at Mulberry and Canal Street, free!

Did someone kill Kenny? Those bastards! Find out at a screening of South Park, Bigger, Larger, and Uncut! Sing-a-long with the show, which starts at 10:30 p.m., 92Y Tribeca, 200 Hudson Street, tkts are $13, and can be purchased here: http://www.92y.org/shop/92Tri_event_detail.asp?productid=T-MM5FD11

And you thought your nephew/niece/brother/sister/cousin went wild over their gifts. At the Central Park Zoo you can watch animals unwrap their Christmas presents! Giving times are here: http://www.centralparkzoo.com/plan-your-trip/events-calendar/presents-to-the-animals.aspx, Central Park Zoo, $12!

The Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival (http://www.brooklynemf.com) is today, Nerd Night (http://nyc.nerdnite.com) is back, you can disapparate or arrange a connection to the Floo Network to attend the Harry Potter-inspired Yule Ball (http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3207595), and the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas is leading a culinary-based tour of Chinatown (http://www.mocanyc.org/visit/events/from_coffeehouses_to_banquet_halls_walking_tour), and participate in a variety of activities at El Museo del Barrio’s Super Sabado event (http://www.elmuseo.org/en/event/target-free-third-saturdays-november)!

Sunday December 19, 2010

Don’t be a birdbrain when you help the Urban Park Rangers with their annual Christmas bird count! Ornithologist Frank Chapman will lead the data gathering, which will end with refreshments at the Arsenal. 8 a.m., Meet at the South Pump Station of the Reservoir (85th Street and 5th Avenue). All counting groups will be escorted by Urban Park Rangers and participants are advised to dress warmly and bring binoculars! 8 a.m., A $5 registration fee is due the day of the event, with children under 18 admitted free.

Exercise your brain before the Christmas cookie and eggnog coma sets in with Mental Floss trivia! 7:30 p.m., Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main at Water Street, Free!

Get cooking on holiday shopping with powerHouse Arena’s multiple cookbook signing event, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.,, powerhouse arena, 37 Main St. at Water St., DUMBO, free!

I’m sure Cookie Monster would not be able to stay away from the Holiday Cookie Takedown! Sample a variety of holiday goodies and wash them down with free spiked eggnog! 6 p.m., The Bell House, 149 7^th St. bet 2^nd and 3^rd Aves., Brooklyn, $15. Get tkts here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3351375

Relive the holiday classic 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with a reading by Malik Yoba to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the book. The reading will conclude with a walk from the church to lay a wreath at author Clement Clarke Moore’s grave. 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Church of the Intercession, 550 W. 155^th St. at Broadway, free!

Andy Warhol: Motion Pictures opens at MOMA today and runs through March 21, 2011, you can also go on a cupcake crawl (http://www.yelp.com/events/manhattan-cupcake-crawl), enjoy a free concert at the Guggenheim, (http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/calendar-and-events?option=com_calendar&task=showevent&mt=1292738400&mh=+%40+6%3A30%26nbsp%3Bpm&aid=3663), and get some holiday shopping done at the Brooklyn Craft Central Holiday Market going on Sat and Sun (http://www.brooklyncraftcentral.com)!

Cheap Chick NYC Cheap and Free Picks for Friday Dec. 17, 2010!

Hi all, the cheap chick is not feeling well today, and is still dealing with arranging holiday travel, so please enjoy these Friday picks as well as the holiday picks below, and I'll post some events for Saturday and Sunday by tomorrow! Thanks!

Friday, Dec. 17, 2010

A “big” music event today is the free concert performed by Big Apple Circus at the World Financial Center, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., free!

Kevin Spacey will be promoting his new movie “Casino Jack” at the Apple Soho Store, 103 Prince St., 6 p.m., free!

The Morgan is free tonight (7 p.m. to 9 p.m.) and tonight carolers will be spreading Christmas cheer (6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)! 36th and Madison, free!

Tis the season to spread the message of peace, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine will be participating by dedicating their peace tree (more details), 11 a.m., 1047 Amsterdam Ave., free!

Unemployed? Office party lame and/or canceled this year? Then head out to Swimming Cities’ Office Christmas Party complete with beer-dispensing water coolers! Groups of five with like business cards get discounted admission. There are also drinking games-watch out for copy machines, someone’s bound to start replicating body parts…9 p.m., Gowanus Ballroom, 55 9^th St., bet. Smith and Second Ave. in Brooklyn, $20, $15 with RSVP to theoceanofblood@gmail.com, before 11 p.m., $10.

Robert Redford’s classic Ordinary People will be screening today at the Rubin Museum as part of its Cabaret Cinema series. 9:30 to 11 p.m., Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17^th St., bet. 6^th and 7^th Aves., free with $7 bar purchase!

Cheap and Free NYC Holiday Guide 2010! (Both Parts!)

Hi all, still am really busy, but here are plenty of activities to keep you busy through the end of the month (I'll still post regular weekend picks for this weekend (inc. more holiday fun!) You may be on your own for the Xmas w/e, but I'll have time to work on other posts too! I'm also already at work on a fabulous New Year's Eve Guide, plenty cheap and free ways to ring in the new year! At last much delayed, but hopefully anticipated, the Cheap Chick NYC Holiday 2010!


Cheap Chick Holiday Guide, Part One

Nov. 26-Dec. 24, 2010, Miracle on 34^th St. Puppet Show at Macy’s! Musical Marionettes tell the famous story. Wonder if they have reindeer puppets? Shows run continuously from 9:30 a.m., Macy’s Herald Square, Express Elevators @ 35th & Broadway, just $5!

Dec. 1-31, 2010, Donate to the New York Cares Coat Drive, and help others keep warm during this chilly winter weather! http://www.newyorkcares.org/volunteer/holiday_volunteering/coat_drive

Dec. 2-Jan.9, 2011, Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what you’ll find at Le Parker Meridien’s annual gingerbread house show (or what little girls are made of…) Either way, gaze upon houses inspired by “Movies Made in New York!” Le Parker Meridien Hotel, 119 W. 56th St., your $1 donations lets you vote for your favorite abode, and goes to City Harvest! http://www.parkermeridien.com/gingerbread.php

Dec. 10, 2010, Xmas Pop Singalong, Harmonize with classic holiday videos like N’Sync’s Home for Christmas, while enjoying treats like milk and cookies! 9 p.m., Legion, 790 Metropolitan Ave @ Humboldt St., free (food extra)!

Dec. 10 and 11, 2010, Share your holiday with the Griswald clan (or be glad they’re not your family) as they celebrate in the classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Midnight Friday and Saturday, Landmark Sunshine, $9.99!

Dec. 11, 2010, Don a red hat, white beard, and suit with your fellow Santaphiles to celebrate SantaCon in NYC. Details yet to be revealed, but check here for info as it becomes available: http://santacon.info/New_York-NY/?p=7

Dec. 12, 2010, Bust out your wallet and get some holiday shopping done at the Bust magazine Holiday Craft Fair, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 W. 18^th bet. 5^th and 6^th, $2!

Dec. 17-24, 2010, It’s a Wonderful Life hits the big screen at the IFC just in time for the holidays! Listen closely for bells ringing during the screening of this perennial holiday favorite! Times and price will be listed here when available: http://www.ifccenter.com/films/its-a-wonderful-life/

Dec. 21, 2010, Take a Winter Solstice Walking Tour of Central Park with Big Onion, 1 p.m., “Manhattan's collective backyard is actually the largest man-made work of art in the city. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as a place of spiritual uplift, today New Yorkers use it for much more. Stops could include: the Sheep Meadow, Belvedere Castle, the Lake, the Ramble, Bow Bridge, Seneca Village, the Casino, and the site of the "rocking chair" riot.” Meet at the northeast corner of 66th Street and Central Park West, $15!

Dec, 21, 2010, Take in a screening of “Pocketful of Miracles” at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, 2:30 p.m., free!

Dec. 22, 2010-Jan. 2, 2011, Nutcracker performances by the American Ballet Theater, prices starting at $20, http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=2497

Dec. 24, 2010. Walk off those Christmas cookie calories with Big Onion's Christmas Stroll in Greenwich Village walking tour. "Stroll through New York's unique and legendary home to artists, writers and radicals, with a special emphasis on the history and architecture of this neighborhood. Stops could include: the Jefferson Market Courthouse, the "hanging elm", the Stonewall Inn, Grove Court, and sites associated with Stanford White, Aaron Burr, Edith Wharton, John Sloan, and Thomas Paine." 1 p.m., Meet at the Northeast corner of Seventh Avenue South and Christopher Street, in front of Duplex, $15!

Dec. 25, 2010, Today the Jewish folks can walk off their Chinese food calories with Big Onion's annual Christmas Day Jewish Lower East Side Tour! "Join us as we walk through more than 150 years of Jewish history and settlement on the legendary Lower East Side. Stops include: the Eldridge Street Synagogue, the Jewish Daily Forward building, legendary Hester Street, the founding site of the B'nai B'rith as well as sites associated with Abraham Cahan, Emma Goldman, Jacob Riis, and Leonard Baskin." 1 p.m., Meet at Southeast corner of Delancey and Essex Streets, in front of the Olympic Diner, $15!

Now-Jan 9, 2011, Haunt the Morgan Library to catch a glimpse of the original hand-edited manuscript of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Morgan Library, 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, $15 (free on Friday nights, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Now-Jan 6, 2011, You might turn green with envy when you see the wreaths on display here, Monday through Fri, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Park Arsenal, East Side near 64^th Street, third floor, free!

Now through Feb. 27, 2011, Learn about different religions and ponder the religions behind Dec. celebrations at the NYPL’s Three Faiths exhibit at the Stephen Schwartzman branch (40^th and 5^th) and be sure to admire the holiday decorations on your way out! http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/three-faiths-judaism-christianity-islam, free!

Other Holiday/Winter Diversions!

Free ice skating at the Pond at Bryant Park (through Feb. 27, 2011), skate rental is $13! http://thepondatbryantpark.com/

Get some Christmas shopping done at the Grand Central, Bryant Park, Union Square, and Columbus Circle holiday shops.

Play tourist and watch ice skaters at the Rockefeller ice skating rink and take a peek at the Christmas tree while you’re there!

Sip holiday treats like peppermint or salted caramel hot chocolate, or gingerbread lattes from Starbucks!

On Sundays this month ride vintage holiday trains along the M line from Queens Plaza to Second Avenue!

Visit the Transit Museum’s Annex for the holiday train show! http://www.mta.info/mta/museum/whatsnew.htm

Have your own polar train ride at the New York Botanical Garden’s holiday train show! http://www.nybg.org/hts09, $20 before Dec. 21, $25 afterward!

See the holiday window decorations!

Lord & Taylor (424 Fifth Avenue at 38th Street)
Bergdorf Goodman (Fifth Avenue and 57th Street)
Saks Fifth Avenue (611 Fifth Avenue)
Barneys New York (660 Madison Avenue at 61st St.)
Bloomingdale’s (Lexington Avenue between 59th Street and 60th Street)
Macy’s (Herald Square, between 34th and 35th on Broadway)

Also Housing Works Bookstore is giving all shoppers 10 percent off as a holiday thank you, you can check out these wintertime activities at the Bronx Zoo (http://www.bronxzoo.com/plan-your-trip/events-calendar/holiday-glee.aspx), and view the Origami tree at Natural History Museum (http://www.amnh.org/calendar/event/Origami-Holiday-Tree) and the Creche (that’s an eighteenth-century Neapolitan Nativity scene to you and me!) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={5A2CA065-24B2-4653-AEBF-00CC8E050640)!

Cheap and Free NYC Weekend Event Picks, Dec. 11 and 12, 2010, Part Two

Hi all! Please enjoy the rest of my weekend picks as well as holiday happenings in the first part of my 2010 holiday guide! (scroll down for the first weekend picks and holiday guide part one-second part coming soon!)

Saturday December 11, 2010

Ga-ga over Gerswhin? Then head to NYU Tisch’s Crazy for Gershwin program as students recreate his memorable songs! 11:59 p.m., Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., tkts are $7-$10, 212-967-7555 for tickets and 212-539-8778 for table reservations.

Book some time for holiday shopping at the Center for Book Art’s Annual Holiday Book Fair, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., 28 West 27th Street, 3rd Floor, free!

Saturday and Sunday December 11, and 12, 2010

Bookworms should head to WORD Bookstore where they can do some holiday shopping while being waited on by authors like Emily Gould and Julie Powell! 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. WORD Bookstore, 126 Franklin St., Brooklyn, free (except for purchases!)

Also don’t forget to grab some gifts at the Degenerate Craft Fair! http://degeneratecraftfair.com

Sunday December 12, 2010

Learn about Central Park’s role in the American Revolution and War of 1812 during a walking tour given by the Central Park Conservancy. 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., meet at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, free!

Share an artsy holiday brunch with the crowd at Salmagundi Club and enjoy carols by the NYU Madrigal Singers while you eat! 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Ave. @ 12th, $20 pp, plus tax, call 212-255-7740 for reservations.

Tunnel underground with Rooftop Films for a special screening of independent shorts in the Atlantic Avenue tunnel! 1 p.m., Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, $20, tkts are officially sold-out, but there will be a few available at the door today, price includes tunnel tour and free drinks at the after-party.

Which is better, fiction or memoir? To help you decide authors Myla Goldberg and Darin Strauss will be discussing their works. 6 p.m., Union Hall, corner of 5th Avenue at 702 Union St., $12-$25 at the door (to benefit PS 146)!

Holiday Guide 2010, Part One and Cheap and Free Weekend Event Picks, Part One, Dec. 10-12, 2010

Hi all, I've been so busy lately that I'm posting the weekend picks and the holiday guide in parts. The first parts of each listing are here, check back Saturday afternoon for separate weekend picks and more holiday fun!

Friday December 10, 2010
Chow down on $2 black bean tacos from Bouwerie as writers read entries from Gigantic magazine during the NYC of the Indie Lit Roadshow! 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Darling House, 496 Broadway, at Union Ave., 3rd flr., Williamsburg, RSVP to giganticmag@gmail.com. Free except for drinks and tacos!

See America’s favorite actors turned politicians, Jesse “the body” Ventura, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as they battle the extraterrestrial predator in the aptly titled flick, Predator! 8 p.m., 92ndY Tribeca, 200 Hudson St., $10! Buy tkts here: http://www.92y.org/shop/92Tri_event_detail.asp?productid=T-MM5FD09

Pearls on the Ocean Floor, a documentary about female Iranian artists, is making its NYC premiere tonight! After the screening there will be a panel discussion with the filmmakers and some of the artists featured in the film. 7 p.m., RH Gallery, 137 Duane St., free! RSVP to: gallery@rhgallery.com.

Tonight there’s also a party at Brooklyn’s Russian baths (http://www.geminiandscorpio.com), a holiday preview party at the Center for Gift Arts (http://www.centerforbookarts.org), and readings of Chekov’s short stories by celebs (http://www.actorschapel.org).

Saturday December 11, 2010
Get free cupcakes from Crumbs starting 8 a.m. to celebrate their new shop at 97th and Columbus! Then burn off calories today and tomorrow with free (there is a locker charge of $4.50) ice skating at Wollman Rink starting at 10 a.m. (http://www.wollmanskatingrink.com/main_wollman.htm)

Cheap Chick Holiday Guide, Part One

Nov. 26-Dec. 24, 2010, Miracle on 34^th St. Puppet Show at Macy’s! Musical Marionettes tell the famous story. Wonder if they have reindeer puppets? Shows run continuously from 9:30 a.m., Macy’s Herald Square, Express Elevators @ 35th & Broadway, just $5!

Dec. 1-31, 2010, Donate to the New York Cares Coat Drive, and help others keep warm during this chilly winter weather! http://www.newyorkcares.org/volunteer/holiday_volunteering/coat_drive

Dec. 2-Jan.9, 2011, Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what you’ll find at Le Parker Meridien’s annual gingerbread house show (or what little girls are made of…) Either way, gaze upon houses inspired by “Movies Made in New York!” Le Parker Meridien Hotel, 119 W. 56th St., your $1 donations lets you vote for your favorite abode, and goes to City Harvest! http://www.parkermeridien.com/gingerbread.php

Dec. 10, 2010, Xmas Pop Singalong, Harmonize with classic holiday videos like N’Sync’s Home for Christmas, while enjoying treats like milk and cookies! 9 p.m., Legion, 790 Metropolitan Ave @ Humboldt St., free (food extra)!

Dec. 10 and 11, 2010, Share your holiday with the Griswald clan (or be glad they’re not your family) as they celebrate in the classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Midnight Friday and Saturday, Landmark Sunshine, $9.99!

Dec. 11, 2010, Don a red hat, white beard, and suit with your fellow Santaphiles to celebrate SantaCon in NYC. Details yet to be revealed, but check here for info as it becomes available: http://santacon.info/New_York-NY/?p=7

Dec. 12, 2010, Bust out your wallet and get some holiday shopping done at the Bust magazine Holiday Craft Fair, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 W. 18^th bet. 5^th and 6^th, $2!

Dec. 17-24, 2010, It’s a Wonderful Life hits the big screen at the IFC just in time for the holidays! Listen closely for bells ringing during the screening of this perennial holiday favorite! Times and price will be listed here when available: http://www.ifccenter.com/films/its-a-wonderful-life/

Now through Dec. 21, 2010, watch out for falling snow and dancing stars at the Shops at the Time Warner Center’s holiday displays! http://www.shopsatcolumbuscircle.com/go/mallEvents.cfm?eventID=2145367826

A Trivial Pursuit: Brooklyn's Last Exit Bar Pub Quiz, for Mon. Dec. 6, 2010

Hey all, here's some info about one of the Cheap Chick's favorite trivia nights, come out tonight, show starts at 9 p.m. and is just $5!

Get all the trivia you’ll ever need with a whopping 50 questions a night (ten rounds of trivia-five questions a round) at Last Exit’s Pub Quiz, one of the longest-running trivia nights in the city! Teams of four or less compete for cash prizes (first and second place) and stretch their brains with questions ranging from sports to politics to pop culture, and quirky categories like, “Last Exit Theater” (hosts put their acting skills to the test and perform movie scenes,) “Canadian or Not Canadian?” (decide if celebs like Michael Cera hail from our friend to the north-in case you were wondering, he does), and Bodega Price is Right (does toilet paper really cost that much?) Pub Quiz is held every first and third Monday of the month at 9 p.m. sharp and runs to about 11 p.m. (your brain gets a break about halfway through.) Get there early to secure seats and register the team. Only $5 a person to register! Last Exit Bar, 136 Atlantic Ave. http://www.lastexitbar.com/lastexitbar/index.html

NYC Cheap and Free Weekend Event Picks, Dec. 3-5, 2010

Friday Dec. 3, 2010

Visit the Neue Galerie for free tonight as part of their First Fridays program! 1048 Fifth Ave., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. https://www.neuegalerie.org/programs/first-fridays.

The Indigo Girls will be visiting J&R in-store to perform Christmas classics and promote their new Holly Happy Days album! 6 p.m., 23 Park Row, free!

Apple SoHo will be hosting Nicole Kidman and Aaaron Eckhart as part of the Meet the Filmmakers Series. 6 p.m., Apple SoHo, 103 Prince St., http://www.apple.com/retail/soho/, free!

Celebrate Christmas with candlelight and a Christmas tree at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum as part of their First Friday program! There were also be treats and an a cappella group will perform. 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the mansion is at 895 Shore Road, take the 6 to Bartow-Pell /City Island and the free Seaside trolley will take you to the museum and back, $10.

Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra perform a blend of “second line funk, gospel” at a free concert tonight, 10 p.m. (bar opens at 8 p.m.) BAMCafe, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, free!

Saturday Dec. 4, 2010

This Nutcracker isn’t one that cracks nuts! Check out a New York City Ballet performance at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center at 11 a.m., http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/index.php/atrium-nyc-ballet-dec-4, free!

Kim Novak may cast a spell over you during this free screening of Bell Book and Candle at the Sony Wonder Technology lab, 2 p.m., 56th and Madison, free! (but reservations required, call (212) 833-7858 for tkts.

Perhaps you’ll feel like kissing your tour guide after Big Onion’s Irish New York walking tour. Stops could include: the founding site of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Al Smith's home, the Five Points, the first Catholic church in the city, and sites associated with Tammany Hall, Thomas Addis Emmet, and many others. 11 a.m., meet directly in front of St. Paul's Chapel, Broadway between Fulton and Vesey Streets, $15.

The Brooklyn Museum is free today as part of its First Saturday program! Tonight is ladies’ night with a screening of Frida and performance art, http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php.

Scope out local holiday gifts such as jewelry, clothing, and art at 3^rd Ward’s Handmade Holiday Craft Fair! Noon to 6 p.m., 195 Morgan Ave, Brooklyn, http://www.3rdward.com/special-events/2010-handmade-holiday-craft-fair.html, free!

Martha Stewart (or at least her employees) does the holidays at this annual craft fair (http://www.marthastewart.com/article/holiday-craft-sale-2009!)

Saturday and Sunday Dec. 4 and 5, 2010

Shop at the National Museum of the American Indian’s Art Market (http://www.americanindian.si.edu/artmarket/2010/), Take 30% off books, music, and movies at Housing Works bookstore (http://www.housingworks.org/events/detail/monthly-30-off-sale-all-day-december-4th-and-5th/), and you can tour Historic Greenwich Village Taverns at Christmas 5:30 p.m., $18 (drinks extra), or learn about the origins of Christmas and Victorian Christmas traditions, 2:30 p.m. $18, with Discovery Walking Tours! Call 212-465-3331 for meeting places and reservations.

Sunday December 5, 2010

It’s jump rope as you’ve never seen it before! Contestants from around the world will dazzle with skills incorporating music and dance moves at the 19^th Annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic! 1p.m., The Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street, $20/$22, buy tkts here: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0000453BAAC07BD9

Where else could Mark Twain and characters from A Christmas Carol meet? (well, except maybe a Dr. Who episode…) A. The Morgan Library! During their Winter Family Day Celebration free events include ragtime dancing, costumed Dickens characters, a Mark Twain play, and toy making! (Don’t forget to take a peek at an original copy of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol while you’re there! 2 to 5 p.m. Morgan Library & Museum , 225 Madison at 36^th St., free with museum admission, $15 adults, $10 children.

Join the Municipal Art Society on a walking tour of Harlem with stops Hamilton Heights, Striver’s Row, 20’s speakeasies and nightclubs, the Apollo Theater, Sugar Hill, the Schomburg Center and sites associated with Langston Hughes, Madame C.J. Walker, Florence Mills, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, 12 p.m., Meet at 125 W. 125th St. (H&M store), near Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., $15.

Mark the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death with Discovery Walking Tour’s John Lennon and the Beatles New York walking tour. You’ll visit a dozen stops associated with Lennon’s NYC of the 6o’s and 70’s including the Dakota, Carnegie Hall, and Strawberry Fields. 11:45 a.m., call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place, $18.

The Holiday Food Experiment is like a live version of Top Chef! Watch as cheftestants battle it out for cook-off king or queen using seasonal items including egg nog and gravy! 4 p.m., The Bell House, 149 7th Street, $20 in advance or $25 at the door, get tkts here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3283435.

For an actual Top Chef judge (Gail Simmons) and cheftestant (Top Desserts’ Dannielle Kyrillos) head to a pie competition where you can sample slices, shop for gifts, and drink egg creams! 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; judging at 1 p.m., P.S. 29, 425 Henry St. (at Kane St.) Brooklyn, $5 per slice or five slices for $20 to benefit the school.

All weekend long the Cathedral of St. John the Divine will be hosting a holiday craft fair (http://www.craftsatthecathedral.org/), and you can catch the Romanian Film Festival (http://www.icrny.org/s55-2007-2nd_Romanian_Film_Festival_in_New_York.html)!

Watch out for a slightly-delayed holiday guide soon!