Cheap Chick NYC, Cheap and Free Weekend Event Picks, May 20-23, 2011

Friday May 20, 2011
Brooklyn author Francine Prose will speak about her new novel My New American Life at a reading and wine reception tonight, 7:30 p.m., Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton St., free!

Chow down on free free spicy pork bulgogi from the Taste of Korea Food Truck starting at 11:30 a.m., Union Sq, 15th Street West!

Immerse yourself in the worlds of America’s First Ladies at this program with monologues performed by costumed first ladies, snacks, and a costume contest (come dressed as your favorite first lady). Part of the Meet the Lady series, 8 p.m., 92Y Tribeca, $12, more info and buy tkts here: http://www.92y.org/shop/92Tri_event_detail.asp?productid=T%2DMM5FM22!

The private dining room at Craft will be transformed into a cocktail lounge as you unwind by sipping $12 cocktails and consuming fancy snacks at Tom Colicchio’s enclave, 8 p.m. to midnight, 47 E. 19th bet. B’way and Park Ave. South, pay for drinks!

Animate your weekend with Rooftop Films’ Dark Toons screening, a collection of short animated movies from around the world, doors open at 8 p.m., films begin at 9 p.m., 23rd St. and the East River (6 to 23rd and walk faaarrr east), tkts are $10 and can be bought here: http://rooftopfilms.ticketleap.com/rooftop-films-dark-toons! ATTENTION, SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL WED, MAY 25! ALL TKTS FOR TONIGHT WILL BE HONORED!

Romance, boxing, and Ireland, oh my! Watch a screening of The Quiet Man, with Gabriel Byrne and other special guests, 7 p.m., MOMA, 53rd bet. 5th and 6th, 7 p.m., $10 (buy at museum)! (Plus remember that the museum is free tonight from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.!)

Plus Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands opens at the Morgan Library & Museum (thru Sept. 4) open, and not one, but three (count ‘em!) new exhibits open at the ICP (http://www.icp.org/museum/exhibitions/current) today!
Remember The Morgan is free tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the ICP charges only a voluntary donation tonight (i.e. anything you want to pay)!

Saturday May 21, 2011
This flick may make you think twice about getting that next roommate off Craigslist! Enjoy a free screening of The Roommate today, 2 p.m., Sony Wonder Technology Lab, Sony Plaza at 56th Street and Madison Avenue, free, but call (212) 833-8100 for reservations!

Hopefully this workshop will be the bee’s knees as you learn the basics of bee-keeping from urban bee keeper Roger Repohl, 11 a.m., beginners and experienced bee-keepers are welcome, Registration required, Wave Hill, West 249th Street, Perkins Visitor Center, $20 and up. As of today (5/20, the workshop is now full, but please call 718.549.3200 x305 to be put on the waiting list.

Plan your day craftily at Shop the Archway, Brooklyn Craft Central’s market at the arch under the Manhattan. There will be handmade goods from local vendors, a children’s craft table, and raffles, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., DUMBO, Archway under the Manhattan Bridge, A,C to High St., F to York, free!

Foodies can to Smorgasburg at the Brooklyn Flea, where you can nosh on gourmet goodies and buy kitchenware items (http://www.brooklynflea.com/markets/#smorgasburg-map), Brooklyn Flea, 27 North 6th St. (bet. Kent Ave. and East River), free!

Learn more about Afghanistan during the “Focus on Afghanistan Film Festival,” which features 15 short films, all created by women, with breaks and discussions during the day, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th St., $20 day pass, buy tkt here: TK ws!

Career Coach Elisa Zervos is leading a workshop on Job Search Networking and Strategies with tips on finding the hidden job market, posting your resume online, and networking, 3:30 p.m., Broadway branch of the Queens Public Library, Steinway at Broadway, R to Steinway St., free!

Here’s hoping someone will “score tonight” at the Grease 2 Sing-a-Along starring a much-younger Michelle Pfeiffer and a pre-Beverly Hills, 90210 pilot Maxwell Caulfield, 11 p.m., 92Y Tribeca, 200 Hudson St., $13, buy tkts here: http://www.92y.org/shop/92Tri_event_detail.asp?category=92Tri+92YTribeca+Film888&productid=T%2DMM5FM35

3rd Ward celebrates its fifth birthday today with a BBQ blowout complete with demonstrations, live music, and cheap drinks, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., 3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Ave, Brooklyn, free (but RSVP here: http://www.3rdward.com/5thbday)

Dance your way down the street at the New York Dance Parade, and make your way downtown for DanceFest where you can watch live dance performances, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., (parade starts at 1 p.m. at B’way and 20th, DanceFest runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) at Tompkins Square Park, free!

Spend the day outside at your favorite park helping with maintenance and other projects during “It’s My Park Day,” all day long volunteer event, for a list of parks and other info, go here: 195 Morgan Ave!

Get that crafty feeling off your chest at the Bust Craftacular and Food Fair! “Stop by for the best in handmade jewelry, specialty foods, cards, clothes, posters, housewares, and more. Plus: raffles, DJs, book signings, and a free goodie bag for the first 300 people,” 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., 82 Mercer St. bet Spring and Broome, (the cheap chick did not see a price listed, so am assuming it’s free, but she knows that previously that $2-$3 has been charged for admission-so be prepared with some cash!

See what the students of Parsons have been up (besides their Project Runway aspirations) to at their festival/block party where student projects like color bots, a fashion photo booth, and a freestanding solar-powered house + food, and live jazz, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 13th bet. 5th and 6th, free!

A spooky walking tour ensues with the Gotham City Ghost Tour at Twilight, “a tour of the historic, infamous and macabre of Greenwich Village history, laced with ghost stories along the way. Stops include Edgar Alan Poe’s home; the hanging elm, a legendary public execution site in New York City; the cemetery at St. Mark’s, and the burial ground at Washington Square. And you thought only subways ran beneath the city streets!” 5:45 p.m., Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting time, $18!

Saturday and Sunday May 21, and 22, 2011
Join Discovery Walking Tours for their Brooklyn Bridge Birthday Bash: Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour! “Two tours for the price of one to mark the birthday of the great bridge! First, a walk across the bridge to learn about its creation and early history, with a discussion of the Roeblings, the designers of the bridge, as well as the sacrifice and dramatic story of the immigrant workers that built it. Next, a tour of Brooklyn Heights, examining the transition of the neighborhood from wealthy Victorian suburb to 20th century literary haven. Tour ends at the Brooklyn Promenade and its glorious view of Manhattan’s skyline and the bridge,” 2 p.m., call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place, $18!

In Queens, hundreds of artists open their studio doors to the public as part of LIC Open Studios, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., all across LIC, go here for a listing of studios: http://www.licartsopen.org/?page_id=283, free!


AND…Interact with fellow comic book-geeks (including James Marsters aka Spike and Tom Felton aka Draco Malfoy!) at the spring edition of Big Apple Comic Con (http://www.wizardworld.com/home-newyork.html)!

Sunday May 22, 2011
MOMA/PS 1 opens its doors to showcase its upcoming exhibits with music and drinks with a free open house today! You’ll also be able to see a trailer for the upcoming exhibit Ryan Trecartin: Any Ever, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., MOMA/PS 1, 22-25 Jackson Ave. at the intersection of 46th Ave, free! (Please note that the public entrance will be at the back of building due to construction.)

Keep on truckin’ down to Brooklyn for today’s Food Truck Rally. Sample treats such as dumplings, lobster rolls, smoothies, and more, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Prospect Park/Grand Army Plaza, Flatbush Avenue, Eastern Parkway, free (must buy food)!

The Land of the Rising Sun takes over Central Park for Japan Day with special performances and activity tents, Event starts at 11 a.m., Rumsey Playfield & Bandshell area, (entrance on East 69th Street and Fifth Avenue), free!

The Great White Way is in the spotlight today as members of Harwood Management Vocal Artists perform a salute to Broadway, 2:30 p.m., New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium, please use the Library's Amsterdam Avenue entrance at 111 Amsterdam Ave., just below 65th St. Plaza entrance is closed on Sundays, free!

Grab a paperback (specficially The Ascent of Eli Israel) from Papernick the Book Peddlar, author Jonathan Papernick, as he traverses the city (Central Park, the New York Public Library, and finally the LES), and ends up at the Eldridge Street Synagogue where he’ll join authors Dara Horn and Matthew Lippman for a reading at 5 p.m., Museum at Eldridge Street (12 Eldridge Street Between Canal and Division Streets), free, but reservations required! Email hgriff@eldridgestreet.org or call 212.219.0888 for more information.

Get in touch with your Native American side at Drums Along the Hudson, an open-air pow-wow, with drumming (of course!), dance demonsrations, food, and art, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Inwood Hill Park, Indian Road at 218th St., free!

Plus all weekend long there is an Elizabeth Taylor Film Festival at Lincoln Center (http://www.filmlinc.com/films/series/elizabeth-the-golden-age)!