Cheap and Free NYC Weekend Events, June 17-19, 2011

Happy Father's Day weekend! Plenty of cheap and free events to do with Dad in NYC this weekend!

Also don’t forget to check out my June Summer Guide (http://cheapchickinthecity.blogspot.com/2011/06/cheap-and-free-nyc-summer-guide-june.html) and my Summer Movie Guide (http://cheapchickinthecity.blogspot.com/2011/06/cheap-and-free-nyc-summer-movie-guide.html) for more cheap and free event picks going on this weekend and beyond!

Friday June 17, 2011

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! PEELS is hosting an ice cream social this afternoon featuring ice cream, sorbet, and sherbet! 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., PEELS Restaurant, 325 Bowery (Corner of 2nd St.) single scoop, $1.50 for a single scoop, and $3.00 for a double scoop!


The Books, Junip (with Jose Gonzalez and Doveman with Thomas Bartlett are all appearing at tonight’s Celebrate Brooklyn concert! 7 p.m., Prospect Park Bandshell, suggested donation of $3!


One of the answers to the eternal question of what Arnold Schwarzenegger did before becoming governor of California is answered yet again during tonight’s screening of Conan the Barbarian, 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., 92Y Tribeca, 200 Hudson at Canal, TK price! Buy tkts here: http://www.92y.org/Tribeca/tickets/production.aspx?pid=72255

David Bowie rocks out in Labyrinth tonight complete with Muppet magic! 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, $7-$10! Buy tkts here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/168049

Saturday June 18, 2011

Crack those knuckles, warm up those hands, and play it again Sam, when free pianos just ripe for the playing return to NYC (through July 2, 2011! http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/street-pianos-returning-with-reinforcements/

Get out to an old-fashioned ball game with Dad at the Bartow-Pell Mansion! Watch the New York Mutuals play the 1864 way-with no helmets or gloves! A raffle for the game ball and free house tours are also part of the event! Registration requested (did not specify about registration on ws, so perhaps call this number: 718-885-1461 or take your chances the day of) and the cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for children ages 6-17!


I didn’t realize Central Park had so many of them-do you think you can guess? Bridges! Learn all about the park’s connecting structures during this walking tour, 11 a.m., meet at the North Side of Columbus Circle, West 59th Street and Central Park West, free!


Can Adam Sandler actually be a Dad? Find out at this screening of Big Daddy! 2 p.m., Sony Wonder Technology Lab, 56^th and Madison, screenings are free, but is recommended that you call (212) 833-8100 to make a reservation!


Strawberries are sweet in the summer! See how many you can chow down on at the Williamsburg Smorgasburg Strawberry Shortcake Eating Contest, 11 a.m., East River Waterfront (bet North 6th and 7th St.) free!


Plus NYC Pride Week (nycgo.com/gay) starts today with a rally at Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield (72^nd and Fifth Ave.) 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., free!


And the Muppet Vault is open today at the Bell House featuring Bonds + Blondes Muppet episodes! Does that make Miss Piggy a Bond Girl? Does Kermit have a license to kill? 2 p.m., The Bell House, 149 7th St., Brooklyn, $8!

Saturday and Sunday June 18 and 19, 2011

Join Discovery Walking Tours as they walk The High Line and the Meatpacking District! “A walk through the gritty but hip Gansevoort Historic District, also known as the Meatpacking District with a special stop along the newly opened High Line – a new and long anticipated public park that once served as an elevated rail line. Other stops include the Titanic Memorial Arch, the “R and L” restaurant, and sites associated with Alexander Hamilton and author Herman Melville, 11:30 a.m., Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place, $18!


Take Dad out to the ball game (figuratively!) with Discovery Walking Tours’ Father’s Day Doubleheader: The Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn Dodgers! “Two tours for the price of one for Fathers Day Weekend. First, a walk across the bridge to cover 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. Then gear up for a tour of sites in Brooklyn Heights associated with the Dodgers, including Leo Durocher and Duke Snider’s home, the place where the Dodger name was derived, and the site where Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax were signed,” 2:15 p.m., Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place, $18!


Say 'Ciao!' to Italian cuisine during Discovery Walking Tours’ Little Italy History and Tasting Tour, “What better way to enjoy a tour of an ethnic neighborhood than to take bite out of it as well -- YUM!! Join us on a walk through Little Italy exploring the trials and triumphs of the Italian immigrant. Along the way, we will sample ethnic specialties from pizza and cannolli to mozzarella and prosciutto bread. Stops include the Church of the Most Precious Blood; Mulberry Street; Banca Stabile, the oldest Italian cheese shops in the United States and where the Sons of Italy were formed,” 11:30 a.m., call 212-465-3331 for meeting place and reservation! $26 (includes food-that’s how it’s on the Cheap Chick list…)

Sunday June 19, 2011

Nosh along NYC with your Dad during Big Onion’s special Father’s Day Multiethnic Eating Tour! Stops will be made in the LES enclaves of the Jewish East Side, Little Italy, and Chinatown! 1 p.m., $20, but reservations are required. Please email info@bigonion.com with your name, the date you wish to attend, and the number of people in your party. Big Onion will send a confirmation email in reply.

Find some flavorful fish on Father’s Day! Pick up a box lunch with Dad to enjoy outside at the Beer Table’s Father’s Day Fish Fry in the Street! Boxed meals are $12 each and include fried catfish, hush puppies, and cole slaw! 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., 427 B 7th Ave. bet 14th and 15th Streets, $12!


Laugh it up for free today at the NY Laughs comedy show in Washington Square Park, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., free!


The New York Scandia (referring to Scandinavian I believe…) is giving a free performance today! 2 p.m., Fort Tryon Park, on Billings Lawn, below Heather Gardens at 193^rd St., free!


It may seem dangerous (esp. given the possible seven years of bad luck factor (!), but today you can play with mirrors and glass to create optical toys like kaleidoscopes and anamorphic drawings. artist Yuka Otani will be leading this class, which is inspired by the exhibit “Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities.” Anyone age six and up can participate in this workshop, and all art materials will be provided, but please note space is limited! 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, $10 fee per person includes admission and materials!


The River-to-River Festival debuts today with the Bang on a Can Marathon featuring 12 hours of “genre-defying music featuring over 150 astounding musicians and composers from throughout the world,” 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., World Financial Center Winter Garden, free!


Puppets are apparently the dominant attraction at the Cantastoria Festival, whose opening festivities you can attend this afternoon, 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier One, DUMBO, free!



Find more books than you possibly have room for (hello, windowsill bookshelves, anyone?) at the Community Book Swap to Benefit Housing Works Bookstore Café! BYOB (Bring Your Old Books) and get new ones! 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Public Assembly, 70 North 6th St., Brooklyn, $1 donation is suggested, as portion of proceeds will go to Housing Works, plus prizes from local bookstores and other businesses will be raffled off!


Join 'the Circle of Life' at the Bell House's Lion King sing-a-long plus all sorts of trivia and other contests! Doors open at 7 p.m. doors open, movie begins at 8 p.m., The Bell House, 149 7th St., Brooklyn, $15!


Plus you could grab a bite with dad at the Food Truck Rally in Prospect Park (http://www.prospectpark.org/calendar/event/foodtrucks) or punk it up on Governors Island during their Punk Music Festival! 50+ bands are expected to take the stage at this free event! http://punkisland2011.blogspot.com/p/about.html today!

Plus all weekend…Start planning that vacay with Housing Works’ Travel Sale going on thru Monday), save 30% off all travel guides, travel writing, and foreign language books (http://www.housingworks.org/events/detail/summer-travel-sale-all-day-friday-6-17-monday-6-20), Northside Open Studios events are happening all weekend (http://www.northsideopenstudios.org//), as are events at the similarly-name, but not to be confused Northside Music Festival sponsored by the L magazine (http://www.thelmagazine.com/blogs/NorthsideFestivalNews/), a variety of artsy events are happening in Queens during the Queens Art Express Event (http://queensartexpress.com/), and it’s movies galore in Brooklyn during the Bamcinemafest (http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=11930, which is happening through 6/26 and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival (http://www.hrw.org/iff/), which is happening through 6/30!