Cheap and Free NYC Weekend Event PIcks, Jan 7-9, 2011

Friday January 7, 2011

Jazz it up tonight with Eldar and Harlem in the Himalayas, 7 p.m., the Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17^th St., $18!

Channel your inner artist at the Met’s Astor Court during a drop-in drawing session, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., instructors will offer informal guidance as well as art supplies, Fifth Ave at 82nd St, free (for all ages!) with admission (pay-what-you-wish)!

The Neue Galerie (http://www.neuegalerie.org/programs/first-fridays) and the Noguchi Museum (http://www.noguchi.org/programs/public) are both free today as part of their First Friday programs, plus you can catch a midnight showing of The Thing, starring a young Kurt Russell (is also on Saturday at midnight) at the IFC Center. (http://www.ifccenter.com/films/the-thing)

Saturday January 8, 2011

Will you or won’t you attend a performance of “Twelfth Night” performed by the Red Monkey Theatre Group. Noon to 4 p.m., St. Paul’s Church in the Bronx, free! (Directions are here: http://www.nps.gov/sapa/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm)

Give you and your dog a treat with Coffee Bark! At this monthly event sponsored by FIDO (Fellowship in the Interest of Dogs and their Owners) there will be free goodies for dogs and their owners, as well as info about off-leash activities and issues. 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., Prospect Park, in the meadow beside the Picnic House, enter at Prospect Park West and 3rd Street, free!

Make good on that New Year’s Resolution and start off the weekend with a walk in Riverside Park. Join the Urban Park Rangers as they cover the entire park via their A Well-Trod Path Program! 1 p.m., W. 72nd Street and Riverside Drive (in the park), free!

Leave the shoes at home during the Barefoot Boogie, “a freestyle barefoot dance party in a relaxed alcohol-free environment,” with a mix of R&B, world, funk, tribal, hip-hop, ambient, reggae, house, African, electronica, disco, rock, techno, drum, and bass, etc. 28 W 27th Street, 10th Floor (Buzzer #27), $10!

Discovery Walking Tours is hosting Historic Wall Street Pubs and Taverns today! “Join us on this mostly indoor walking tour of historic pubs and taverns in Lower Manhattan, all with historic associations, with stops at several for refreshment. Stops include Fraunces Tavern where Washington bid farewell to his officers; a downtown pub frequented by Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln; and a legendary watering hole on a site once associated with the Cotton Exchange and Captain Kidd.” 5 p.m., $18. Call 212-465-3331 for reservation and meeting place.

Stuck with a reindeer sweater you don’t want to wear? Then go to Regifted: A Night of Short Films and Music feat. Xylos, where you can watch movies and exchange your unwanted Christmas gifts! Other musical acts include Living Days, VJ Shantell Martin, and DJ Jan Woo. Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 N. 6 Street.

Saturday and Sunday January 8 and 9, 2011

Indoor Walking Tour, The US Customs House and Titanic History Tour with 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.” 2:30 p.m., $18, call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting space.

Recycle your Christmas tree at the Department of Park’s Mulchfest. Take your tree to one of the many stations set-up in the five boroughs. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free! For a complete list of mulching locations visit this website: http://www.nycgovparks.org/services/mulchfest/mulchfest.html

Sunday January 9, 2011

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Brooklyn Bridge, but were afraid to ask at the Brooklyn Bridge History Talk today! 1 p.m., Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1, free!

Learn the history behind the movie with Big Onion’s Gangs of New York tour! “A tour exploring the legends and lore of the Five Points neighborhood and Herbert Asbury’s 1927 classic The Gangs of New York – the inspiration for the major motion picture directed by Martin Scorsese. Stops could include: Paradise Square, “Murderers Alley”, and sites associated with Bill “The Butcher” Poole, William M. Tweed, Master Juba, and the 1857 Police and 1863 Draft Riots.” 11 a.m., Meet at the southeast corner of Broadway & Chambers Street, at City Hall Park, $15.

Sit back and relax as you listen to the World/African music of Kaïssa, who is known for “unique blend of African, reggae, jazz, R&B, makossa, and Brazilian fusion.” 3 p.m., Central (Queens Public) Library, 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, free! For more info call 718-990-0778.

Drop those bottoms on the No Pants subway ride sponsored by Improv Everywhere, 3 to 5:30 p.m., Location TBD, visit http://www.improveverywhere.com for more info! Free!

All weekend long get “crafty” with The Fourth Williamsburg Cask Ale Festival (http://www.gotham-imbiber.com), tkts for the Professional Bull Riders Invitational at Madison Square Garden start at $15 (http://www.pbrnow.com) and starting Saturday (and through the 30^th) get a little taste of summer in January at the Park Here Pop-up, with a lawn, trees, park benches, forest murals, and SAD light boxes.

If you have a little extra cash (start pulling up those couch cushions!) you may want to check out the New York Times’ Arts and Leisure Weekend, which features guests such as Annie Proulx, Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling, and Robert Redford! Tkts are $30. For the full schedule and to buy tkts, check here: http://www.nytimes.whsites.net/artsandleisureweekend.