Monday, July 19, 2010
Curious About George? Monkeying Around at the Jewish Museum
When you visit the exhibit, you don’t enter via a bicycle, but rather a charming replica of the hotel where the Reys stayed while living in Paris as refugees from Nazi Germany. The exhibit features the evolution of George, as a minor character, Fifi, in the story Cecily G and the Nine Monkeys to his solo adventures with the man with the yellow hat (possibly inspired by Rey’s time in the Amazon, where he had two pet monkeys), as well as the story of the Reys’ marriage (their wedding invitations showed Rey as an easel and Margret as a camera.)
Playful illustrations of George stories are interspersed with pictures and characters from other books like Whiteback the Penguin, inspired by a 1937 World’s Fair illustration, and other memorabilia detailing the couple's careers (they worked together on stories including the George books) and home life (they sent out illustrated Christmas cards every year-my favorite was one featuring the Statue of Liberty, created after the couple settled in NYC.)
Fun facts abound (if you look closely, you’ll see self-portraits of Rey and Margret in many of the George books-often Rey with a pipe in-hand, and Margret with their dog Charkie) and the museum has incorporated whimsical elements like little cutout mice hovering in front of a faux fireplace into the exhibit.
Before leaving, relive your favorite George moments by sitting down with a child (or the child in you) and reading the numerous George books in varying languages that the museum has thoughtfully supplied. I know there’s not much time left to see this exhibit, but for a dose of nostalgia, or to introduce a child in your life to George, this exhibit "saves the day!" (bonus points if you recognize the nod to one of the George books!)
There are two Saturdays left in July to see this exhibit for free (otherwise pay $12)! For info on admission and hours, check here: http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/HoursAdmission (remember it's free on Saturdays.) and for info on the George exhibit, click here: http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/curiousgeorge (it runs until August 1, 2010.)
Friday, July 16, 2010
NYC Cheap and Free Weekend Event Picks, July 16-18, 2010
My 2009 NYC Summer Guide is here: http://cheapchickinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/06/cheap-chick-summer-guide-2009.html
Friday July 16, 2010
Don a hard hat for a free tour of the future winery at Brooklyn Winery (http://www.bkwinery.com/) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind at Snug Harbor Cultural Center (http://www.snug-harbor.org/special.html)
Better check the water at “Kevin Geeks Out About Sharks” 8 p.m. 92Y Tribeca (http://www.92y.org/shop/92Tri_event_detail.asp?category=92Tri+92YTribeca+Film888&productid=T-MM5FJ70)
Take in the New York Philharmonic in Brooklyn's Prospect Park tonight! (http://nyphil.org/attend/summer/index.cfm?page=parks&utm_medium=homepage&utm_source=banner2_parks_0715)
It's only once in a blue moon that you can see Apollo 13 for free, see it at Columbia tonight! (http://outreach.astro.columbia.edu/images/posters/20100716poster.pdf)
Saturday July 17, 2010
Browse with fellow bookworms and catch authors such as Terry McMillan and Sonia Sanchez at the Harlem Book Fair (http://www.qbr.com/page18993.asp) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Knock back a few at the Village Pourhouse's Second Annual Village Pourfest (http://downtownnyc.villagepourhouse.com/?p=events)
Say hola! to Spanish culture at el Museo del Barrio from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. during their free Super Sabado day (http://www.elmuseo.org/en/event/target-free-third-saturdays-july)!
Later say "bonjour" to Lady Marmalade at the Moulin Rouge Sing-a-long at 92ndY Tribeca, 10:30 p.m. (http://www.92y.org/shop/92Tri_event_detail.asp?category=92Tri+92YTribeca+Film888&productid=T-MM5FJ22)
Shimmy-shimmy cocoa pop! Watch Big at Symphony Space (http://www.symphonyspace.org/genre/film) 5 p.m. (I always knew that Zoltar machine was bad news…)
Travel to India with the Asia Society’s Indian Folk Art Market (http://asiasociety.org/events-calendar/indian-folk-art-market-day-3) 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Free!
Learn about Picasso’s Influence on American Modernism from Jessica Murphy at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 7 p.m. by the Tours sign in the Great Hall. Free with museum admission (pay-what-you-wish!)
Big Onion is leading an Irish New York Walking Tour on the LES. Stops may include the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Al Smith’s home, Five Points, the first Catholic Church in the city and sites relating to Tammany Hall, and Thomas Emmet. Meet at St. Paul’s Chapel at 11 a.m. on Broadway bet. Fulton and Vesey Streets. Tour is $15.
Catch a free screening of Brooklyn Transformations in Fort Greene Park sponsored by Rooftop Films and the Brooklyn Arts Council, at 8 p.m. (http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/26-brooklyn-transformations)
Today and tomorrow embrace the planet by attending the Summer Earthfest at Ikea from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday July 18, 2010
Now it’s Brooklyn’s turn to celebrate Bastille Day, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. with music, games, food, wine, and a raffle. Festivities take place around 128 Smith Street. (http://www.examiner.com/x-980-NY-Nightlife-Examiner~y2009m7d12-Celebrate-Bastille-Day-on-Smith-street-in-Brooklyn-from-noon-to-9-pm)
Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917 opens today at MOMA!
Take the Museum at Eldridge Street’s Sacred Sites Walking Tour at 2 p.m. (http://www.eldridgestreet.org/calendar-newyork-events.html)
Travel back in time to Dutch New York with the South Street Seaport Museum’s walking tour, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Meet at 12 Fulton St. Tour is free with museum admission.
Japantown Street Festival at 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. http://www.nyjapantown.org/cooljapan.php
Pig out on pig at 3rd Ward’s Annual Pig Out, free, but be sure to RSVP to events@3rdward.com, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. (http://www.3rdward.com/events/)
If you need your Top Chef fix before Wednesday, then head to Brooklyn for Food Obstructions, a culinary competition hosted by Karol Lu and Cathy Erway with, well some obstacles, er, obstructions to completing a dish. Event is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at East River Bar, 97 S. 6th St.
and $10 to sample the goodies
On Saturday and Sunday Discovery Walking Tours is leading the History’s Mystery tour of Governors Island with stops at a Revolutionary War fort, a Confederate prison camp, the site of the Regan-Gorbachev Summit in 1988, and the homes of two Civil War heroes, both presidential candidates. The tours begin at 1:45 p.m. and are $18 ($5 off if you attend their Event Horizons Flatiron-area public art walking tour at noon on the same day). Call 212-465-3331 to RSVP and learn meeting place for both tours.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
NYC Cheap and Free Summer 2010 Event Guide, Part Two
July 6-August 27, 2010, get your game on with the Street Games Tour, http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/brooklynstreetgames
July 16-August 5, Charile Chaplin Festival at Film Forum, http://www.filmforum.org/films/chaplin.html
July 16-18-Target Arts and Wonder, free events and attractions, http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031764&ref=sr_shorturl_arts
July 17, 21, 31, 2010, Bridge Culture Festival, dance, music, and storytelling under the bridge, http://www.bridgeculture.org/
July 17-August 1, 2010, "Much Ado About Nothing" in Battery Park presented by NY Classical Theater, http://www.newyorkclassical.org/current.php
July 19, 2010, Siren Music Festival hits Coney Island (I think when you encounter these sirens, you won't want to stop up your ears!), http://siren.villagevoice.com/2010/
July 25, 2010-Belgium National Day Celebration, http://www.belcham.org/index.php?/site/media-events, http://www.flandershouse.org/belgian-national-day-celebrations-2010
Finger on the Pulse BBQ parties July 28, and August 25, a lip-smackin' good time! http://fotpnyc.com/
July 29-August 14th, 2010 Julius Cesar, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, http://shakespeareintheparkinglot.com/nowplaying.htm
July 29, 2010, George Thorogood & the Destroyers concert at Asser Levy Park, http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/thorogoodbio.html
July 30-August 1, 2010-Animation Block Party, http://www.animationblock.com/
August 1, 2010, Five Points in America Walking Tour (LES/Chinatown) through the Museum at Eldridge St., 2 p.m., RSVP required, http://www.eldridgestreet.org/calendar-newyork-events.html
August 4, 2010-High Line Talks-Designs from the Cutting Room Floor, Peter Mullan discusses the designs that didn't make the cut for the new park, http://www.thehighline.org/events/all/2010/8/high-line-talks-designs-from-the-cutting-room-floor-with-peter-mullan
August 4-November 1, 2010, MOMA Exhibit, Experimental Women in Flux, http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1085
August 5, 2010, John Legend performs at Asser Levy Park, http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/legend2010bio.html
August 5-29th, 2010, "Much Ado About Nothing" presented by New York Classical Theater in Central Park, http://www.newyorkclassical.org/current.php
August 7-8-Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, http://www.hkdbf-ny.org/
August 12, 2010, The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin performs at Asser Levy Park, http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/arethabio.html
August 13-29-New York International Fringe Festival, http://www.fringenyc.org/
August 19, 2010-B-52's and Belinda Carlisle perform at Asser Levy Park, http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/arethabio.html
August 20-22, 2010-Theater Under the Stars at the Marble Cemetery, http://www.marblecemetery.org/directions/map.htm
August 22, 2010, Five Points in America Walking Tour (LES/Chinatown) through the Museum at Eldridge St., 2 p.m., RSVP required, http://www.eldridgestreet.org/calendar-newyork-events.html
September 3-6-Coney Island Rockabilly Festival, http://www.myspace.com/cockabillyrecordsnyc
Check out Edible Weekends at NY Botanical Garden though October, http://www.nybg.org/eg
Don't forget that all fiction is 30% off at Housing Works in July, http://www.housingworks.org/social-enterprise/bookstore-cafe/
Visit Tchoup Shop, This New Orleans-style barbecue every Sunday through October from 2:30 p.m. to bbq every Sunday through October, http://www.tchoupshop.com/
On Wednesdays through August 18, relive Prohibition with the Museum of the City of New York's speakeasy parties on the terrace! http://www.mcny.org/sidebars/1093.html
Get your summer art lovin' on with PS One's Warm-up! http://www.ps1.org/warmup/
Friday, July 9, 2010
Cheap Chick NYC Weekend Cheap and Free Event Picks, July 9-11, 2010
As mentioned in my Editor's Note here are my abbreviated w/e picks! Here is a link to the first part of my Summer 2010 Guide (http://cheapchickinthecity.blogspot.com/2010/07/cheap-chick-summer-guide-2010-part-one.html) and a link to my 2009 Summer Guide (http://cheapchickinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/06/cheap-chick-summer-guide-2009.html).
Friday July 9, 2010
Kickstart Film Festival in conjunction with Rooftop Films 8 p.m. (advance tkts sold out, but there will be some available at the door.)
http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/23-kickstarter-film-festival
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Federal Hall celebrates the Declaration of Independence with readings of the document at noon and 1:30 p.m. and a free walking tour of "Revolutionary War New York," at 2 p.m. call 212-668-2321 for reservations. Walk-ins will be accepted if space permits. http://www.nps.gov/feha/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Planet of the Apes at the Coney Island Museum with a pre-show at 8:15 p.m. and Jaws is at Snug Harbor with local bands at 7:30 p.m. and the movie around 8:30 p.m.!
Underground Rebel Bingo is tonight, hmm, guess that means they will being doing it postage stamp style! Crazy…regular tkts are sold-out, but some are available at the door: http://www.rebelbingo.com/tickets.aspx?hy=1&xy=Rebel%20bingo
Watch "Cyrano" tonight at Riverside Park's Hudson Warehouse (I smell a romance!), 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and Riverside Drive Sidewalk and see Single White Female at 92nd StreetY Tribeca Fri, July 9, 10:30 p.m., and Sat, July 10, 10:30p.m.
Maybe you'll find a warp zone during the opening night party "Game Play: A Celebration of Video Game and Performance Art" at the Brick Theater. The free party starts at 8 p.m.
Saturday July 10, 2010
Revolution and the City (covering New York from 1776 to 1783) opens at the Fraunces Tavern Museum (through January)
Take free tours at the Little Red Lighthouse from 1- 4 p.m. http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fortwashingtonpark/events/2010/07/10/unlocking-the-little-red-lighthouse
Big Onion leads a Chinatown Walking Tour at 2 p.m. $15, meet at The southeast corner of Grand & Chrystie Street, at Roosevelt Park.
Find out if it’s really as easy as pie at the Great American Pie-off at Galway Hooker http://www.galwayhookernyc.com/
Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunt in the East Village at 5 p.m. $19.50, https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/8212145;jsessionid=3A182F4C3D41A4CF72B1698CD67FB87C
Sunday July 11, 2010
Opening reception for "Housed" at the Alice Austen House Museum, 2-7 p.m. on Staten Island, http://www.housedtheshow.com/
Laughter in the Parks at Tompkins Square Park with Ophira Eisenberg, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Take a tour of the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel, 11-1:15 p.m., $15, meet at the Trader Joe’s at the southeast corner of Court St. and Atlantic Avenue, http://www.brooklynrail.net/
Watch the World Cup at the Paley Center for free! http://www.paleycenter.org/
Free Slurpees at 7-11 today! http://www.slurpee.com/Events/
Get tkts all w/e long for the Grease Sing-a-Long at the Loew's Village 7, http://www.amcentertainment.com/Village7 and the Milk Mustache Tour is coming to NYC! http://events.nydailynews.com/brooklyn-ny/events/show/125905645-2010-milk-mustache-mobile-milk-the-moment-is-coming-to-new-york-city
Thursday, July 8, 2010
NYC Cheap and Free Summer 2010 Event Guide, Part One
Summer Guide 2010-Part One
June 8, 2010–October 17, 2010, Met exhibit: Hipsters, Hustlers, and Handball Players: Leon Levinstein's New York Photographs, 1950–1980, http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId=%7BC9CE6916-DFEF-4B86-BDB0-EE290C523227%7D
June 9-August 1, 2010, Shakespeare in the Park-"Merchant of Venice" and "A Winter’s Tale" start in Central Park, hopefully “as you like it!” http://www.publictheater.org/content/view/126/219/
June 18–September 12, 2010, Andy Warhol, The Last Decade, art exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/andy_warhol/
June 29, 2010 through July 17, 2010-Midsummer Night Swing starts, jump, jive, and wail, http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/index.php/swing-2010
July 8, 2010 through July 24, 2010, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, "Love's Labour's Lost," as the Bard noted in another play, "the course of true love never did run smooth." http://shakespeareintheparkinglot.com/nowplaying.htm
July 9, 2010-September 7, 2010, Guggenheim exhibit, The Geometry of Kandinsky and Malevich, http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/exhibitions/upcoming/the-geometry-of-kandinsky-and-malevich
July 11, 2010-Bastille Day Festival on 60th St., say bonjour to this street fair celebrating French culture, http://www.bastilledaynyc.com/
July 12-29, 2010, Met Opera in the Park, hold that high note, http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/features/detail.aspx?id=8590
July 13, 2010, 8 p.m., Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, recline on a grassy knoll and enjoy a free outdoor concert by the New York Philharmonic, joined by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. The performance will be followed by a fireworks display. Concert is in Central Park at the Great Lawn and Cleopatra's Needle.
July 15, 2010, Neil Sedaka and Brenda Lee at Asser Levy Park, sounds like Christmas in July when you hear "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree," http://brooklynconcerts.com/sedakabio.html
July 17-18, 2010-Governors Island Jazz Age Lawn Party, get those jazz hands ready as you flap the day away! http://www.dreamlandorchestra.com/calendar.php
July 22, 2010, Beach Boys Concert at Asser Levy Park, feel some good vibrations with the classic group, http://brooklynconcerts.com/beachboysbio.html
July 24, 2010-New Museum Block Party, Art activities and performances in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, plus programs relating to the neighborhood and free passes to the museum for attendees, http://www.newmuseum.org/events/462
August 7, 2010-Musical Saw Festival, Oh see can you saw? http://musicalsawfestival.org/musicalsawfestivalannouncement/musical-saw-festival-2010
Also enjoy a link to my Summer 2009 blog with plenty of ideas for beating the heat: http://cheapchickinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/06/cheap-chick-summer-guide-2009.html
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Editor's Note
I will still be publishing the blog, but the w/e picks will be abbreviated and mainly feature event listings with a link. HOWEVER, I will also be publishing more longer-form entries with great tips on saving money in the city and info about museum exhibits and other happenings, and will continue to update my Twitter site (@cheapchicknyc) regularly with bonus savings and events. AND I will be publishing the 2010 Summer Guide to keep you busy for the rest of the summer!
Keep cool and cheap this summer! I will publish Part One of my Summer 2010 Guide after this entry and repost my Summer 2009 guide as well!
Thanks!
Cheap Chick in the City
Friday, July 2, 2010
Cheap Chick Cheap and Free NYC Fourth of July Event Guide, July 2-5, 2010
Tonight Rooftop Films is hosting Industriance on the rooftop of the Old American Can Factory. http://www.rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/21-industriance!
Saturday July 3, 2010
New Amsterdam Trail Walking Tours (these continue through Oct. 9, 2010) with the Urban Park Rangers
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Learn about the early history of the city with accounts of Peter Minuit’s purchase of the island and the adventures of Henry Hudson. Stops include the sites of Fort Amsterdam, Stuyvesant “White Hall,” Dutch City Hall, New Amsterdam’s first church, and Dutch Wallen on Wall St. The tour features a group guide system with audio clips from Russell Shorto author of The Island at the Center of the World, and national park historian Steve Laise.
Cheap Chick Info: $12
Location Info: Tour meets at Castle Clinton in Battery Park
Subway: 4,5 to Bowling Green
Check out Red, White, and Blue Bingo at Le Poisson Rouge, First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum, and P.S. 1’s summer Warm-up starts today as well!
July 3 and July 4, 2010
Eagle as Icon
12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Prospect Park Alliance is presenting a panel exhibit and a presentation (at 4 p.m.) about the role the eagle has played in American history.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Prospect Park Audubon Center at the Boathouse (just inside Lincoln Road/Ocean Ave.)
Subway: F to Prospect Park
Pre-fireworks Greenwich Village and Gramercy Park Walking Tour
Sat: 2:30 p.m./Sun: 5 p.m.
Discovery Walking Tours leads you on a trek to historic presidential sites associated with Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, JFK, Wilson and Washington. Stops include the Washington Square Arch and Theodore Roosevelt’s birthplace. Sunday’s 5 p.m. tour ends at the West Side Highway at 7:30 p.m. in time to secure a spot for fireworks viewing.
Cheap Chick Info: $18
Location Info: Call 212-465-3331 for reservation and meeting place.
Subway: See above.
Sunday July 4, 2010
Washington’s Troops on the Hill
11 a.m.
Learn about the role the Bronx played in the American Revolution.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Van Cortlandt Nature Center, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx
Subway: 1 or 9 train to the 242nd Street
Roseanne Cash Concert
2 p.m.
Trinity Church is presenting a concert featuring the daughter of music icon Johnny Cash. The native New Yorker’s music style fuses together country, folk, rock, and blues.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Governors Island
Subway: R to Whitehall St., 4,5 to Bowling Green, 1 to South Ferry, then take the ferry (next to the Staten Island ferry terminal to the island (sked here: http://www.govisland.com/visit_the_island/directions.asp)
Barbecue at The Iron Horse
12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The bar is hosting a block party with a pig roast, hot dogs, hamburgers, and $2 Rolling Rock.
Cheap Chick Info: Free to attend!
Location Info: The Iron Horse, 32 Cliff St. bet. Fulton and John St.
Subway: 2,3 to Fulton St.
Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest
Noon
How many hot dogs could you eat in one sitting? Let me rephrase that, how many would you want to teat in one sitting? Think about that as these competitors down the classic NYC frank.
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Nathan's, Intersection of Surf and Stillwell Avenues, Coney Island, Brooklyn
Subway: D, Q N or F train to Stillwell Avenue
Macy's Fireworks
Around 9:20 p.m.
They’re on the Hudson again this year, so get ready to duke it out for a spot. Here’s hoping they’ll move the location next year!
Cheap Chick Info: Free!
Location Info: Viewing points are along 12th Avenue between 23rd and 59th St.
Subway: Depends on location.
Revolutionary New York Walking Tour
2 p.m.
Big Onion leads you on a tour of Lower Manhattan visiting sites related to the Revolutionary War and New York’s role in the early history of America. Stops may include: Fraunces Tavern, the graves of Alexander Hamilton and General Richard Montgomery, Federal Hall, and sites associated with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay and Albert Gallatin.
Cheap Chick Info: $15
Location Info: Meet at the intersection of Broadway and Murray Street, at the gated entrance to City Hall Park.
Subway: 2,3 to Park Place, 4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge, R/W to City Hall.
Independence Day Celebration at Historic Richmondtown
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pie-baking demonstration, bring a pie you baked to enter the Pie-baking contest, an exciting competition that pits ordinary citizens of today against expert “colonial” cooks! Contest will be judged by volunteers. Help to churn old-time ice-cream, participate in the Pinwheel Parade, meet patriotic villagers from the 1800s and earlier.
Cheap Chick Info: Adult admission is $5
Location Info: Historic Richmondtown, 441 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island
Subway: Take the R to Whitehall, 1 to South Ferry, or the 4,5 to Bowling Green and take the Staten Island ferry over to the island. Once there, take the S74 bus from the terminal to Richmond Road and St. Patrick's Place.
Sycamore (http://sycamorebrooklyn.com/) is also hosting a barbecue today, the new Water Slide Beach is opening at Coney Island today, The Museum of the City of New York (http://www.mcny.org/) the New York Historical Society (https://www.nyhistory.org/web/) will be open today, and the Jewish Museum is charging just $4 admission today (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thejewishmuseum/4750261242/), and there's a jazz party at the Louis Armstrong house in Queens (http://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/)!
Monday July 5, 2010
Bryant Park is hosting The French Connection at dusk (http://www.bryantpark.org/plan-your-visit/filmfestival.html), and The Met is open (http://www.metmuseum.org/) for Holiday Mondays today.
If you’re still looking for things to do this weekend, look at Metromix’s list of holiday eats and bars:
http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/roundup/fourth-of-july-meals/2037354/content, http://newyork.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/roundup/new-bars-and-weekend/2040879/content
and head to Housing Works Bookstore (http://www.housingworks.org/social-enterprise/bookstore-cafe/) for their weekend-long 30% off all-store sales on Saturday and Monday!