Cheap Chick Weekend Picks, March 27th-29th, 2009

Friday March 27, 2009
Play Day in Union Square
3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Get in touch with your inner child with a range of free activities that include jumping rope, blowing bubbles, hopscotch, and making chalk murals.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Union Square Park
Subway Info: N,R,Q,W,4,5,6,L to 14th Street Union Square

Leni Stern at BAM(part of BAMcafé Live's 10-year anniversary.)
Bar opens at 8 p.m., Concert starts at 9 p.m.
This actress turned singer/songwriter performs jazz as well as rock and the blues!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: BAM Café, 30 Lafayette Avenue Brooklyn, NY
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, B, Q to Atlantic Ave. D, M, N, R to Pacific Street

Saturday March 28th, 2009
Brooklyn Brews
1:00 p.m.
Learn about Brooklyn's past and present breweries at Fort Greene Park. Check out the park's Saturday greenmarket while you're there!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Fort Greene Park Visitor Center, 85 S Oxford St., Brooklyn, Fort Greene Visitor Center. Enter the park at Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park.
Subway: G to Fulton, R,Q,B,M to DeKalb

Gothic Cathedrals Scavenger Hunt With the Lunch Club
1 p.m.
Join this adult's events group and discover the secrets of these sacred buildings.
Cheap Chick Info: $10 in advance or $15 at the event, pay for subway rides, Sign-up here: http://www.thelunchclub.com/clubhouse/calendar.php?do=viewlcevent&e=2176
Location Info: Meet at Grand Central, in front of track 40, though cathedrals are all over the city
Subway: 4,5,6,7,S to Grand Central

Sunday March 29, 2009
Bacon Takedown!
5 p.m.
What came first, the bacon or the eggs? Ponder this and other breakfast-related questions as you sample enough bacon to clog the arteries of you and the person sitting next to you eating that bacon sandwich wrapped in bacon.
Cheap Chick Info: $10 to taste each entry!
Location Info: Radegast Hall & Biergarten 113 N. 3rd St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Subway: L to Bedford Avenue

Cheap Chick Weekend Picks (Feb. 20-22, 2009)

Friday February 20th, 2009
Fashion Week is winding up but you can still catch some of the "fierce" fashion excitement of the runway. (Bonus points if you get the Project Runway reference ;-)

amNewYork's Reality Runway Show
7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Come see your favorite D-list (and who are we kidding, E and F-list) celebs from shows such as America's Next Top Model, The Real World, and 8th & Ocean at the newspaper's fashion show. After gawking at the "models" and making sure they don't trip on the runway, you can buy the clothing off the model's back and win a date with one of the models at a silent auction. All proceeds benefit Reality Cares and Dress for Success.
Cheap Chick Info: $10 at http://www.ticketweb.com, $15 at the door
Location Info: Pressure (part of Bowmor Lanes) 110 University Place bet. 12th and 13th Street
Subway: N,R,Q,W,L,4,5,6 to Union Square

Saturday February 21st, 2009
Lunch Club Natural History Museum Scavenger Hunt
Hunt starts at 2 p.m. sharp
Join 100+ competitors as you race to hunt for facts and exhibits to complete the scavenger hunt. Be careful not to knock over any dinosaur bones!
Cheap Chick Info: $10 in advance or $15 at the event plus museum admission (as low as a $1.) To register (and teams are welcome) go here: http://www.thelunchclub.com/clubhouse/calendar.php
Location Info: Museum of Natural History, Hunt starts at the entrance to the planetarium, right out in front - it's the north side of the Museum of Natural History, on West 81st Street & Central Park
Subway: C to 81st Street, 1 to 79th Street

Sunday February 22nd, 2009
It's Oscar season again and time to snark on the worse-dressed stars as they walk the red carpet.
Academy Award Viewing Party at Comix
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for all the red carpet glitz and glam. Enjoy food with names such as Lord of the Wings, drink specials, an Oscar ballot contest, and Oscar trivia.
Cheap Chick Info: Free! BUT space is limited and reservations required. Email kcrews@comixny.com with your name and number of people in your party.
Location Info: Comix Comedy Club, 353 West 14th Street
Subway: A,C,E,L to 14th Street (8th Avenue)

The River Wild (or Urban in this case!)

This past weekend I went kayaking on the Hudson River in Riverside Park with the events group (The Lunch Club, http://www.thelunchclub.com/, a future blog subject) I belong to. We stated off at the Boat Basin Café, where I had the pleasure of the cafe's grilled chicken sandwich as well as the company of two cute guys my friend and I met before brunch. The food is OK (the grilled chicken is a personal fave of mine tho one of the guys downed his veggie burger in record time) but I was dismayed to see that the café serves plain white bread with its omelets instead of toast. Also French fry fiends should note that the café serves chips with its sandwiches and not French fries. This is all fine though as the main attractions of the café are the views of boats on the Hudson River, and the open-air seating. Luckily the prices are budget-friendly, and most of the sandwiches etc. are around $8-$10.

After brunch we headed down to the 72nd Street Pier in Riverside Park for the kayaking. The free kayaking is sponsored by the Downtown Boathouse, an all-volunteer organization that wants to make the Hudson River accessible to everyone. The 72nd Street location is not the only kayaking venue sponsored by the group; other locations include Pier 40 at Houston Street on the Hudson River, Pier 96 and Clinton Cove at 56th Street and the Hudson River.

After signing the required waiver form, we got into line to wait for the kayaks. Ladies, have no fear, purses and bags can be kept safe in the lockers provided by the boathouse (but be warned, it will be a small purse or bag kind of day.) Some people were fortunate enough to snag life jackets before getting into line, but others (including myself) had to pounce on those just leaving their kayaks. Once on the dock, an extremely nice woman explained how to best move the kayak, and how to turn the kayak (believe me, a very key maneuver), before helping my friend and me to cast off. The Boathouse allows people to paddle in a marked-off area of the Hudson for around 20 minutes or so before calling you back in. It was an ideal way to spend one of the last days of summer, with the sun on your face and the scent of the Hudson in the air (hey, don't judge, I like it!) Your butt will get wet though, so I recommend that you wear a swimsuit to protect your bottom. We enjoyed some splashing from the cute boys, and after we finished (no one fell in as my friend had feared) we headed back to the café for drinks, and in our case some ice cream. A perfect end to a perfect day.

Cheap Chick Info: Boat Basin Cafe runs around $8-$10 for sandwiches, Kayaking is FREE! Kayaking runs through Oct. 13th.

Location Info: Riverside Park and the Hudson River, Cafe at 79th St., Kayaking at 72nd Street and the Hudson Street

Subway: 1 to 79th Street