NYC Cheap and Free Weekend Events, June 1-3, 2012

Friday June 1, 2012

Relive Prohibition (tho seriously would anyone want to?) w/the “Satan’s Seat”: New York During Prohibition Walking Tour! “Created in conjunction with WNET New York Public Media, a walking tour based on the 2011 Ken Burn’s documentary “Prohibition.” On our walk we will discuss and explore the history, politics, culture and speakeasies of New York in the Roaring ‘20s – one of the most volatile eras in American history. Stops could include: John McGurk’s “Suicide Hall”, The Black Swan, Chumley’s and sites associated with Margaret Sanger, Al Jolson, Carrie Nation, and Fiorello LaGuardia. 2 p.m., meet @ the NE corner of Bowery & Houston, in front of the iron-fenced community garden. Cost: $18!

Take “baby steps” to the Roosevelt Avenue Midnight Street Food Crawl - YELP EDITION! This food tour, which actually begins at 8 p.m., will be led by Jeff O! of Double X-Gold Elite. The tour will hit “some of the best Mexican and Ecuadorian food in the city” as you walk from Jackson Heights to Corona. 8 p.m. meet @ Maravillas for Mexican beer and karaoke, 37-64 90th St., Jackson Heights, (718) 507-5678, cost: free to go, pay-for-what-you-eat!

Hawkeye and science? Alan Alda will be making an appearance at the Paley Center as part of the World Science Festival with his program: Alan Alda’s Burning Question: What Is a Flame? in which he will discuss the “Flame Challenge, a worldwide contest that asked scientists to explain a flame in terms that would engage an eleven-year-old. 6,000 eleven-year-olds judged the entries—you will see the finalists' entries at the event—but their responses provide lessons for scientists communicating with audiences of any age. We will discuss innovative techniques pioneered by the Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, where scientists are learning communication skills as a fundamental part of their science education,” 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., The Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52 Street (between Fifth & Sixth Avenues), cost: $15, buy tkts here!

The classic summer event Films on the Green featuring French films begins tonight w/ OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies! Film starts @ dusk (about 8:30 p.m., Central Park, Cedar Hill at 79th Street and 5th Avenue, cost: free!

Plus “the play’s the thing” w/the start of NY Classical Theater’s summer season (began Thurs May 31, 2012 and runs to July22, 2012 at Central Park and Battery Park) featuring “Twelfth Night,” the 19th Annual Red Hook Fest happens today and tomorrow, and it’s Free First Fridays at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from 6 to 8 p.m.

Saturday June 2, 2012

Don’t go into the water! Or at least be careful doing so with the Paley Center’s advanced screening of Jersey Shore Shark Attack: A Paley Center and Syfy Viewing Party! The event includes a screening of the film with Jeff Schenk, Producer, Richard Gnolfo, Writer, and Michael Ciminera, Writer on-hand! There will also be trivia, prizes, and refreshments! 7 p.m. Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52 Street (between Fifth & Sixth Avenues,, cost: $15 for non-members, $10 students/seniors! Buy tkts here!

Is storytelling a lost art? Find out at the Bodega Monthly, a regular open mic storytelling event for local writers, poets, and artists held the first Saturday of the month! , 7 p.m., The Bodega, 24 Saint Nicholas Avenue, free!

Go to a massive garage sale @ the Epic DUMBO Stoop Sale! Secondhand, gently used items of all kinds will be available and the organizers are partnering will be partnering with Krrb “a safe place to buy, sell, trade and give to your neighbors locally and in-person” (they’ll have a preview on their site of stoop sale items before today! 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Under The Archway (assume they mean the Brooklyn Bridge?) In DUMBO, (take the F to York Street, or the A, C to High Street) cost: free to attend, bring some extra cash to buy stuff!

Want to see the history of Coney Island in exhibit photographs? The "Abe Feinstein: 50 Years of Coney Island Photography” exhibit opens today and runs thru July 1, 2012, 12:00 p.m. – 6 p.m., Coney Island History Project, West 12th Street at the entrance to Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, cost: free!

Hey y’all travel down South w/o leaving NYC at the3rd Annual Crawfish Boil w/the Abita Brewing Company! There will be plenty of crawfish on the boil as well as music and beer! 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sycamore Bar, 1118 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn, cost: $25 (inc. lg bucket of crawfish, and a pint of beer) After the event it’s $5 beers the rest of the day!

Get you geek on with the World Science Festival’s Fifth Anniversary party at Galapagos! “Strip away the trimmings of a traditional science presentation, add cocktails and an intimate lounge setting, and you have WSF Spotlight. This year’s series provides an unobstructed glimpse into the minds of some of the most inventive thinkers. Experiments gone wrong. Happy accidents. Ah-ha moments. Every innovation or scientific breakthrough has a story. Join us as we trace some of the unlikely, entertaining and enlightening paths to discovery.” Doors open @ 6:30 p.m., party starts @ 7:30 p.m., Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St, DUMBO (F to York Street, A,C High St), cost: $20! Buy tkts here!
Help your weekend hit a high note when the Brooklyn Community Chorus Presents: "From Mozart to Madonna performance! 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Congregation Beth Elohims Sanctuary, 8th Avenue and Garfield Place in Park Slope, Brooklyn, cost: $10!

Don’t forget, it’s free First Saturdays @ the Brooklyn Museum today!

Saturday and Sunday June 2 and 3, 2012

Celebrate the High Line’s b-day w/Discovery Walking Tours! “Walk through the gritty but hip Meatpacking District with a stop along the High Line – the former elevated rail, now a public park. Other stops include the Titanic Memorial Arch, the R and L restaurant, and sites associated with Alexander Hamilton and Herman Melville.” 2:15 p.m., call 212-465-3331 for meeting time and reservations. cost: $20!

Bank of America cardholders get free museum admission all weekend at seven spots including the Met, Whitney and New-York Historical Society, and take 30% off Housing Works’ already discounted products!

Sunday June 3, 2012

If you didn’t make it to the 30% off sale at Housing Works or are perhaps looking for a better bargain, the go to the Housing Works Open Air Street Fair, where EVERYTHING (Books, DVDs, CDs) are just $1! There will also be clothes from the thrift shops, food, and music to round out the day! Being outside, browsing $1 books, I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon…10 a.m. to ?-no end time on ws, tho guessing 5 or 6 p.m., Housing Works Bookstore, 126 Crosby Street, cost: free to go, bring plenty of $1 bills for all the items you plan to buy!

Let’s get Quzzical at the big Quiz Thing’s Tenth Anniversary Quiz Show Marathon! The show runs 10 hours, and features a $1000 grand prize for the winning team! Other prizes will be offered as well as entertainment in-between quizzes and the whole event will culminate in a six-way finale at the end to determine the grand prize winners! 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street, cost: $20 in advance, $22 at the door! Buy advance tkts here!

No doubt dating has provided us w/some of life’s most awkward moments! Now you get to laugh at them (if you haven’t already) at the Hookups and Hang-Ups comedy Show! 7 p.m., Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex (312 West 36th Street), cost: $10!

All hail the Promised Land at the Israel Parade! 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fifth Ave., 57 - 74 Sts., cost: free!



And all weekend long…the Brooklyn Film Festival is happening (through June 10), the Howl! Festival hits Tompkins Square Park (through June 3), the Bushwick Open Studios Festival is happening this w/e, the free 26th Annual ISI Team Figure Skating Competition at Chelsea Piers (through June 3), the Gateway to Nations Redhawk Pow Wow is happening in Bklyn, and check out more World Science Festival events going on all weekend here!
Looking ahead…the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park’s production of “As You Like It” is starting on Tuesday June 5, 2012 (thru June 30, 2012) Remember it’s free as long as you and your friends don’t mind waiting in a long-ass line!