Cheap and Free NYC Weekend Events, May 18-20, 2012

Friday May 18, 2012

Who knew games=art? Find out more at tonight’s MOMA lecture: "Contemporary Art Forum: Critical Play—The Game as an Art Form!" 6 p.m., MOMA, 11 West 53rd Street, Theater Three (The Celeste Bartos Theater), mezzanine, The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building, $10, For more info and to buy tkts go here!

Art meets wine or wine meets art at the Michael Katz Art Preview Party and Wine Reception! 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., Serendipity Wines and Spirits, 1585 1st Ave (between 82nd and 83rd Sts.), free! (the artist himself will also be on-hand)

Veg out with the all-vegan Veggie Prom tonight! Snack on vegan goodies including desserts and snacks. Plus get your pic taken in a photo booth and win prizes for the most creative costume! Fontana’s, 105 Eldridge Street, cost: $10 in advance, $15 @ the door to benefit Mercy for Animals, buy tkts here!

Shuffle, ball, change at the Fourth Annual Tap Extravaganza in Queens! 8 p.m., Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Boulevard (at the corner of Linden Place) cost: $10 students/all others $20, buy tkts here!

Pump up the volume with the Harlem Dances “Groove with Me” a free performance offered as part of the Summer on the Hudson Program, West Harlem Piers Park, W. 125 Street, cost: free!

Also today…Free museum admission as part of Int’l Museum Day, get the “write” stuff w/free writing workshops all day! (Reservations required) and free jazz at BAMCafe!

Saturday May 19, 2012

Moms of the NYC-area unite at the 9th Annual Mamapalooza! This free outdoor festival will fearure art, mom bands, a Gymboree Play Tent, environmental info, food, vendors, and interactive activities! 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Riverside Park, W. 68th and the River, cost: free!

Hook up w/orgs in need @ the N. Brooklyn Volunteer Fair, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., McCarren Park Farmer’s Market, N. 12 St., Lorimer St., Manhattan Ave. bet. Bayard St. and Berry St., cost: free!

Bookworms of the world unite for Boek Dag (Book Day) at the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, Brooklyn’s oldest historic house! This event is not just for kids, tho while there will be children’s authors such as Melanie Hope Greenberg and Laura Lee Gulledge on-hand as well as a crafts table for the young folk ther will also be activities for the adults in attendance. Adult authors such as Eliot Glazer and Hilary Davidson will lend a hand to the festivities! Plus fun for all ages includes a book swap, and a book cover-inspired photo booth! Feed your stomach (not your mind!) with tacos and sliders from Mike and Willie's food truck! 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wyckoff Farmhouse, Directions here, cost: free!

If you’re not tuckered out by the day’s activities, then head to a nighttime literary event in Bklyn, the Lit Crawl! More info and deets here!

“The cheese is old and moldy,” (bonus points if you get the movie reference!) Hopefully there won’t be any mold on the cheese at the Cheeses of France Pop-up Café hosted by former Top Chef contestant Ash Fulk, who will prepare "Frenchified" American fare incorporating cheese, such as grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, and dumplings. Plus Krai, an international sculptor will create a masterpiece out of cheese! 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Circle in the Square Theater, 159 Bleecker Street, cost: free!

Show your appreciation for city parks during “It’s My Park Day” at Prospect Park! “volunteers will be outfitted around New York City with paint brushes, brooms, shovels, rakes, and trash grabbers. Even with the mild winter, Prospect Park's trees still need plenty of care. Your helping hands will tend to a variety of spring cleaning projects such as: painting, weeding, litter patrol, path sweeping, and more!” This event will happen rain or shine, cost: free, but registration is required, as of this posting there were only 11 slots available, so go here and see if there are any openings left!

Go Asian for the day at the Paley Center’s screening of the original 1955 "NBC Opera Theatre: Madame Butterfly." Q and A with Elaine Malbin, Soprano ("Cio-Cio-San") who played the title role to follow screening! 2 p.m. Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52 Street, cost: free w/museum admission ($10)!

Take in free screenings of doc Vanishing of the Bees (12:15 p.m.) and Men in Black (3 p.m.) at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, Sony Plaza at 56th Street and Madison Ave., free, but reservations rec, call (212) 833-8100 and select option 3 to save your seat!

Plus go fly a kite at the free rain-or-shine Kite Flight at the Socrates Sculpture Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday May 19 and Sunday May 20, 2012

Celebrate the Brooklyn Bridge’s birthday with Discovery Walking Tours “by walking its length and learning its history, pausing for birthday egg creams, spinach pie and baklava in Brooklyn Hts and Cobble Hill. Stops there include Plymouth Church, the homes of Arthur Miller and Truman Capote, and the birthplace of Churchill’s mother." 2 p.m., Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place, cost: $27 (includes food)!

Trek to Queens for the LIC open Studios w/e!

Go the opposite direction for the shearing of the sheep at the Fleece Festival in Prospect Park!

Get some religion in your life by visiting NYC’s sacred sites during The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Open House!

And eat your heart out @ The 9th Ave Int’l Food Festival!

Sunday May 21, 2012

Join the LES Jewish Conservancy for their popular Lower East Side Then and Now Walking Tour! "Visit active, landmark synagogues founded by 19th century immigrants. Tour the Bialystoker Synagogue, the largest active orthodox congregation on the Lower East Side today; the exterior of Beth Hamedrash Hagadol - former home of the largest Russian-Jewish orthodox congregation in the United States; and Kehila Kedosha Janina, the only Romaniote (Greek heritage) synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. Tour Historic East Broadway, featuring Shteibl Row, settlement houses, Seward Park, Strauss Square, and more.” 11 a.m., Meet at the LESJC Kling and Niman Family Visitor Center, 400 Grand Street (between Clinton Street and Suffolk Street)! Cost: Adults $18 (in advance,+$2 day of tour) Buy tkts here! Please note the tour will not be stopping for lunch, so feel free to bring a beverage and snack to "nosh" on during the tour!


Plus the New York Marble Cemetery, will be open to the public today from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., the The Coney Island Olde Time Strongman Spectacular is happening, and celebrate all things Polenta at the Festival di Polenta!



And all w/e long…

Go out of this world with Tom Sachs: Space Program: Mars exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory, (thru June 17, 2012), enjoy "world wide fun" with events happening in conjunction w/Internet Week (thru June 21, is a picture really worth a 1000 words? Find out at the New York Photo Festival (thru June 20th,) Celebrate DanceAfrica with BAM, the NYC Popfest is a four day festival that takes place at multiple venues across the city (May 17-20,) The Brooklyn Folk Festival is going on (thru May 20), and the NYC Tattoo Convention is in town!

Cheap and Free NYC Weekend Events, May 11-13, 2012! Happy Mother's Day!

Friday May 11, 2012

Watch out for swan dresses at Björkestra (björk’s music set to a live 18-piece orchestra! This event is part of Travis Sullivan’s monthly residency at Shapeshifter. 8 p.m., Shapeshifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place, Park Slope/Gowanus), cost: $10 nets you two sets of the Icelandic artist’s music!

Meet Lizz Winstead, co-creator of the Daily Show at BookCourt as she reads from her essay collection Lizz Free or Die, 7 p.m., BookCourt Bookstore, 163 Court Street, Cobble Hill, cost: free!

What do the bard and Prohibition have in common? The latest incarnation of “Twelfth Night” from the Random Access Theatre Company, which takes place during the 1920’s. This 90-minute romp is directed by Laurence Lesher and features saxpphone music. The company consists of eight actors, with one actor playing the twin leads Viola and Sebastian. Tonight is the opening night gala benefit performance when $30 also gets you a sneak peek of the show as well as an open bar! 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. GrindSpace Loft, 419 Park Ave South, cost: $30, Buy tkts here! (Note: Normally the Cheap Chick would not endorse such a $$ event, but I thought you could drink your money’s worth. Don’t despair however, after tonight’s performance the play will be making its way thru the parks for free!)

Friday May 11th: Grind Space, 419 Park Avenue South, 2nd Floor – 8 p.m.

Saturday May 12th: Fort Greene Park, Monument 2 p.m.

Saturday May 12th: Astoria Park, Below the Tri-Boro Bridge, 6 p.m.

Sunday May 13th: Astoria Park, Below the Tri-Boro Bridge, 2 p.m.

Sunday May 13th: Fort Greene Park, Monument 6 p.m.

See A.J. Jacobs at Word Bookstore as he discusses his new book Drop Dead Healthy, in which he strives to be “the healthiest person on earth.” He’ll be joined by Happiness Project author Gretchen Rubin, 7 p.m., Word Bookstore, 126 Franklin St. Bklyn, free!

Also get down and get funky with DanceAfrica, BAM and the FAB Alliance during free FAB Fridays!

Saturday May 12, 2012

Embrace Asian-American culture at the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Festival! Drumming, Lion dancing, Asian traditional folk arts, and martial arts demos will be part of the festivities! Mr. Eric Adams, New York State Senator; Mr. John Liu, Comptroller, City of New York, and Mr. Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President will also be on-hand. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Water St and Anchorage Pl., DUMBO, (take the A,C to High Street or the F to York St.), free!

Choo-Choo! Amtrak is hosting National Train Day! Today’s festivities include “live entertainment, interactive and educational activities about how trains have transformed America and will continue to do so in the future with high speed rail, as well as, fun activities for the entire family.” 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Grand Central Terminal, 87 E 42nd St, cost: free!

You won’t see Jamie Foxx at this event, but perhaps you’ll see some folks wearing dark glasses at the Wonder-Full: A Tribute To the Wonder of Stevie event w/ DJ Spinna! 10 p.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St., cost: $20, buy tkts here!

Foodies unite at the Brooklyn Food Conference! This event features “keynotes from notable food activists, workshops, panel discussions, food demos, family programming, art, and much more.” 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Place,, cost: free! Plus après-conference attend an after-party hosted by FUREE, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., 70 South Elliott Place (between Dekalb & Lafayette) in Brooklyn - just down the block from the conference! Tickets: Sliding scale ($10-$75. Tickets at $15+ get free drinks) Cash bar of beer and wine!

Celebrate 3rd Ward’s Sixth Birthday with B-day BBQ! Food will be provided by Rucola and partners including Brooklyn Cured Sausages, Four & Twenty Blackbird Pies, Shelsky's Smoked Fish and more! You can participate in demos and workshops of 3rd Ward classes. Live music provided by The Stumblebum Brass Band, Dan Neustadt Covers Your Favorite Album, DJs My Favorite Mixtape and more! The Moviehouse and UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) will provide entertainment via and Dying in Brooklyn: A Comedy Show featuring films, music videos, and live comedy! 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., 3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Ave, cost: free! But RSVPs are required here!

Share your deepest, darkest chocolate confessions at Dylan’s Candy Bar today! Write up your chocolate stories, which will be posted on a community board. Visitors are also be encouraged to support Divine Chocolate, a Fair Trade chocolate brand co-owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Dylan’s Candy Bar, 1011 3rd Avenue, cost: free!

Long live Dumbledore's Army! Join fellow Potterheads to listen to Harry Potter being read in dozens of languages to protest budget cuts to area libraries. 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows/Corona Park, cost: free!

And see the Parsons New School MFA Fine Arts 2012 Thesis Exhibition thru May 19, 2012, and NYC Wildflower Week starts today!

Sunday May 13, 2012

Take your mom for a walk with the Yiddishe Mamas - A Mother's Day Walking Tour sponsored by the Museum at Eldridge Street, complete with bagels, rugelach and a mimosa toast. After refreshments, “follow in the footsteps of historic female heroines associated with the neighborhood. Hear about free-thinker Emma Goldman, Henry Street founder Lillian Wald, and mikvah operator Gittel Natelson. Stops include the Forward Newspaper building, the Lower East Side’s old red light district, and the oldest operating mikvah (Jewish ritual bath) in New York City. As the tour concludes, moms and guests will receive a special Yiddishe Mamas shopping list, suggesting local bakeries, restaurants and bra shops,” 11 a.m., Museum at Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge Street, $25 (inc refreshments), Space is limited, so RSVP here, or call 212.219.0888 x205!

You and your mom can eat your way through the LES during Big Onion Walking Tours’ Annual Mother's Day Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour. “This tour combines the history of the diverse Lower East Side with a series of small food sampling, or “noshing” stops from local shops and markets. The main focus of our tour is the history of the multi-ethnic Lower East Side emphasizing the neighborhoods of the Jewish East Side, Little Italy and Chinatown. During the course of our walk we will sample about 10 different items, representing the Dominican, Jewish, Italian and Chinese communities of the Lower East Side. Most of these items are vegetarian or dairy. All food sampling will be done outdoors and we do not include restaurants on our tour. Our “noshing” tour uses the markets & shops to highlight the history and this walk should not be considered a meal. 1 p.m., meet at the SW corner of Delancey and Essex Streets, in front of the American Choice Deli/Chase Bank, cost: $23 (covers the cost of all food samples.) Reservations required, email info@bigonion.com to save your place on the tour. Please include your name, date you wish to attend, number of people in your party. Big Onion will confirm via email.

Don’t just whine with your mom, wine with your mom at the Union Square Mother's Day Tasting. “Mom-friendly pours from France, Germany, Austria, and the Finger Lakes. Pop that bottle! Champagne will be flowing from Perrier Jouet, Vilmart, and Gaston Chiquet while Austria's Brundlmayer Brut Rosé, a blend of Zweigelt, St. Laurent, and Pinot Noir, offers a compelling alternative to your usual bubbly. We also have beautiful Riesling selections from Germany and the Finger Lakes, including Hermann J. Wiemer, A.J.Adam, Jakob Schneider, and Kruger-Rumpf. Mom love baking? Spirits perfect for the kitchen will also be on hand from esoteric importer Haus Alpenz. Dessert-worthy accompaniments and ingredients alike, Nocino della Cristina Walnut Liqueur, St. Elizabeth All Spice dram, and a trio of Rothman & Winter liqueurs will impress with uniqueness and versatility both in the pan and in the glass.” 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Union Square Wines and Spirits, 140 Fourth Avenue, free!

Commemorate women who have overcome domestic violence by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge during the Milagros Mother's Day Walk. “Milagros Day Worldwide is a Non-Profit Organization that provides personal growth and professional development to survivors of domestic violence. Their flagship program, the Transformation & Leadership Academy, is a six-month immersion coaching program for women who have recently left an abusive relationship and are ready to take their lives to the next level of success in four key areas: spirituality, abundance, love and contribution.” 10 a.m. meeting at Park Row and Centre Street, 11 a.m. walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in silence, 12 to 2 p.m. Reception/Concert at Cadman Plaza Park. Cost: $20, For more info and to RSVP and/or donate, please go here!


You’d better believe it! Decorate cupcakes w/mom at the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Cupcake decorating party! Plus moms get into the museum for free! 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Ripley’s Believe It Not Museum, 234 West 42nd Street, buy admission tkts here at a 20 percent ($26) discount!


Mock the Twilight series (shouldn’t be hard right?) with the Raspberry Brothers at tonight’s screening of New Moon. 12 p.m., Nighthawk Cinema, 136 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg, cost: $15! Buy tkts here!


Learn about all the famous women buried in Green-Wood cemetery on the Green-Wood’s Great Women walking tour! 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Green-Wood Cemetery, cost: $15, buy tkts here!

Practice writing for your Mommie Dearest-like memoir at the free Gotham Writers’ Memoir Writing Workshop with Marie Carter! 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Housing Works Bookstore, 126 Crosby Street, cost: free!

Plus there are plenty of Mother’s Day events happening w/ NYC Wildflower Week, the Brooklyn Historical Society is free to moms today, or celebrate Mother’s Day at the Met with activities and programming at the museum today (remember the museum’s admission is just suggested, so pay whatever you can afford, even a $1!), or take your mom to Japan w/o even leaving the country at the free Japan Day in Central Park!





And all weekend long enjoy the Queens New Music Festival, Craft it up w/mom at the free Mother’s Day Art and Crafts Fair! at the Alice Austen House Museum, SI, (directions here), and thru 5/31: enjoy two-for-one admission to MOMA PS 1 all month long! (Remember Queens residents get in free all the time!)

NYC: Win two Tickets to See "The Caretaker!"

Win two tkts to see Jonayhan Pryce in "The Caretaker" by answering this question! What Liverpool theater's dressing room did Jonathan Pryce paint nearly 40 years ago? Send your answer to contest@BAM.org! 

Cheap and Free NYC Weekend Events, May 4-6, 2012

Friday May 4, 2012

Get your geek on w/ Nerd Nite! Tonight’s topics inc. The Construction of Alien Worlds, The Internet is Totally Screwed, Let Me Show You How, and Atlantic Yards: Why Brooklyn’s Biggest Controversy is as Noir as Chinatown! Come early to compete with fellow trivia dorks! Trivia: Doors at 6:30 p.m. and begins at 7 p.m. sharp, Presentations-only – doors at 8:45pm, lectures begin at 9 p.m., cost: trivia+lectures: $14, just lectures: $10! Buy tkts here!

Judges including Johnny Iuzzini (Top Chef: Just Desserts) and Michael Cirino (A Razor, a Shiny Knife) will preside over local culinary students creating food/art combos as part of the Umami Food & Art Festival! 6:30 p.m., The Brooklyn Kitchen, 100 Frost St., at Meeker Ave., cost: ($15) online here! thebrooklynkitchen.com!

See some real-life bunheads as they enter the Youth America Grand Prix competition in the doc First Position, which debuts today at the IFC Center! The filmmakers will be at the Sat 7:25 p.m. and 9:35 p.m., and the Sun 3 p.m. and 5:10 shows! IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas, Cost: $13! Buy tkts here!

Have a “berry good” time at NYU’s Strawberry Festival! Enjoy the world’s largest strawberry shortcake, plus music by the Music Industry! Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Kite Party, and Big Ups! 12:30 p.m. Laguardia Place bet. Washington Square South and W 3rd St, free!

Mix and mingle w/fellow film buffs at the regular Filmmakers Happy Hour Friday! This event features raffle prizes as well! 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Nitehawk Cinema, 136 Metropolitan Avenue b/w Wythe Ave/Berry St, cost: free!

Starbucks' half-price Frappucino Hour begins today and runs thru May13! 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Starbucks everywhere!

Plus Mad Sq Eats starts today,both the exhibit Pura Geometría - Pure Geometry at the Mid-Manhattan Library, and the Activist New York exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York open today, and the Columbia University Film Festival runs today through May 10, 2012 and the Museum of the Moving Image’s Fashion in Film Festival: If Looks Could Kill also begins today and runs thru Sun, May 13, and last, but not least, the New York Polish Film Festival starts today!

Saturday May 5, 2012

Cannonball into fun at the a music and performance festival at the Astoria Park Pool! Today’s events include live music by Queens rock bands Iskandar and Dr. Jin, Shakespearean Sonnets & Soliloquies from the Hip to Hip Theatre Company, Performances from members of the Astoria Performing Arts Center, Facepainting & Storytelling, arts and crafts, and Inflatable Kids Activities. Local council member Peter Vallone Jr. will also be making an appearance! 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Asroria Park Pool, free!

Still trying to figure out how to get to Carnegie Hall? Go there for $5 tonight w/ The National Festival Chorus (2 p.m.) and the New York City Chamber Orchestra w/The Masterworks Festival Chorus (8 p.m.)! Just enter code may13645' for discount!

Take a taste of tequila at the Cinco de Mayo Tequila and Mezcal tasting with Kelly Levison! 4:00 - 7:00 p.m., Appellation Wine & Spirits, 156 10th Avenue, free!

Sponsored by iAdventure, Mex Fest gives you the opp to sample Mexican twists on familiar favorites from some of the city’s famous food trucks! 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., South Street Seaport, cost: vouchers are $8 on-site and can be redeemed for drinks and activities, food is extra, and you can buy a pass worth two  vouchers, admission, a sombrero, and mustache for $22 here! 

Drink up Agave tequilas USQ's Cinco de Mayo Agave Party! “Featured tequila producers include Siete Leguas, Siembre Azul, and Don Julio. Mezcal heads may look forward to entries from Del Maguey, Fidencio, El Buho, and Mezcales de Leyenda.” 2:00-5:00 p.m. Union Square Wines and Spirits, 140 Fourth Avenue , free!

Watch the Kentucky Derby at the Brickyard and enjoy $5 Mint Juleps all day as well as Kentucky Derby-themed appetizers and dessert such as the “Mini Hot Brown – A mini version of the original Kentucky Hot Brown (the name stems from the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY where it was created) - hot turkey, mushroom and sliced tomato on a toasted brioche slider bun topped with thick creamy Parmesan sauce baked to golden brown. Prizes are given out for best racetrack attire. The race is shown on all nine of the venue’s large flat screens.” Races from Churchill Downs will be shown all day. Large crowds are expected so call 212-767-0077 to make your table reservation today! The Brickyard, 785 9th Ave Bet 52nd & 53rd, free!

Studio Square is combining its Cinco de Mayo and Kentucky Derby festivities w/specials on mint juleps and margaritas as well as contests for the best hat and sombrero! You can also rock out to music provided by a DJ all day! Doors open at Noon, Studio Square, 35-33 36th Street, cost: free! (except for drinks/food you buy)

For more Cinco de Mayo and Kentucky Derby deals/events, Check out Brokelyn’s Guide to the festivities! (http://brokelyn.com/the-best-cinco-de-mayo-kentucky-derby-deals-in-brooklyn)

Travel back in time to Gertrude Stein’s Paris through music at the Wall to Wall: Gertrude's Paris with a music marathon at Symphony Space! 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Symphony Space, Broadway at 95th Street, free!

Today is also Free Comic Book Day, you can celebrate International Migratory Bird Day events in Prospect Park, there is a free Snug Harbor Spring Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and don’t forget that it’s Free First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum today!

Saturday and Sunday May 5 and 6, 2012

Taste your way through Little Italy and Chinatown with Discovery Walking Tours! “A walk through these ethnic enclaves exploring the trials and triumphs of the American immigrant. Along the way, we will sample ethnic specialties from pizza and cannolli to spring rolls and dumpling.Stops include the Church of the Transfiguration; Mulberry Street; the site of Five Points, made famous in Gangs of New York; Banca Stabile, Confucius Plaza, and the residence of Dr. Sun-Yat-sen.” 2 p.m., Call 212-465-3331 for meeting place and reservations, cost: $26 (inc food)

Celebrate The World’s Fair (ca 1939, 1964) in 2012 w/the Rocket Thrower Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park! Activities both days feature games, crafts, World's Fair history tours, music, and face painting! “On Saturday, the Queens Museum of Art is sponsoring a community art-making project and on Sunday at 12 noon, the Municipal Art Society is sponsoring a tour led by John Kriskiewicz to explore the Rocket Thrower and World's Fair remnants.” 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, free!

Save 30% off on books, CD’s, DVD’s, and more at Housing Works Bookstore!

All Bank of America cardholders get free museum admission at seven spots including the Met, Whitney and New-York Historical Society, plus see many famous NYC landmarks during a citywide open house sponsored by Partners in Preservation!

Sunday May 6, 2012

Flex those creative fiction writing muscles w/a free writing workshop by Gotham Writers Workshop! 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince Street, free!

Grab some nachos for more than 20 kinds of guacamole at NachosNYC fourth annual Guactacular! Plus sip $3 Brooklyn lagers all day, and the Coolhaus ice cream truck will be outside! 4 pm. to 7 p.m. Bell House, 149 7th Street, cost: $15 adv, $18 at the door!

Be a good badass (sounds like an oxymoron, right?) and support the Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue at their first Badass Bar-B-Q! 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Canal Bar (270 3rd Avenue) cost: $25 gets you all-you-can-eat BBQ and a free drink, $10 gets you a free drink! Buy tkts here!

The jig is up! Or going on as the case may be at the Irish Atrs Center's New York City Irish Dance Festival! Featured activities include live music, workshops in traditional dance for all skill levels, a singer's circle, Irish language classes,face painting, and a children's craft table! 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Riverside  Park South, Pier 1 @ 70th Street, free!

Michael Cunningham, Deborah Eisenberg. Daniel  Kehlman, and Edmund White will discussing the book Memoirs of an Anti-Semite, (part of the Bukovina Trilogy by Gregor von Rezzori as part of the PEN World Voices Festival Festivities, 1 p.m., Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, cost: $15! Buy tkts here! 

And the NY Food Book Festival is all w/e long!

Looking Ahead…


Bronx Week is May 10-20, 2012

And the NY Photo Festival is May 16–20

Free Cupcakes Today, May 2, 2012!

A 1000 free Sweetery Cupcakes will be given away today in conjuncton w/a Food Network promotion!

8:30AM-10:30AM: Hudson and King St

11AM-1PM: 50th Street between 6th and 7th Ave

1:30PM-3:30PM: 7th Avenue between 36th and 37th St

4:00PM-5:30PM: Broadway between 52nd and 53rd St

Cheap and Free NYC Weekend Events, April 27-29, 2012

Friday April 27, 2012

Learn about Brooklyn’s connection to the Middle East with Municipal Arts Society’s Brooklyn Meets the Middle East Walking Tour! The tour will include stops around Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn Heights, and Cobble Hill. The tour will be led by Mary Ann DiNapoli, 10 a.m. Assume meeting place disclosed w/RSVP. Please note: Reservations required. Please RSVP online or call (212) 935-2075. No refunds or exchanges, Cost: $20, $15 MAS members.

Miss out on Earth Day festivities? Mix and mingle w/college students and give back to the planet at the New School and NYU Tree Planting Workshop! Afterward, visit NYU’s Green Dorm and learn about taking care of urban trees, and eat a lunch made by the NYU student food co-op! 10-11:30 a.m. 318 East 15th Street (bet 1st and 2nd avenues), free and open to the public!

Don’t get too close to the “borderline,” while partying “like a virgin” with other “material girls” at the Madonnathon! Don your best Madonna look to sing onstage w/the band and win prizes! Doors open at 6 p.m., showtime 8 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave (bet N 11th St & N 12th St)

Still looking for that special someone? Perhaps Meet Market Adventures can help you out, take a chance w/their Spring Fling Party! 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Hors d'oeuvres from 7 to 8 p.m., drink specials from 7 to 8 p.m. Raffle with various prize drawings! (worth more than $1,000!), entertainment and MMA Adventure Giveaways! Retro, Dance and Top 40s Music playing all night long! Sidebar, 120 E 15th street, New York City! Register here. Use Coupon Code: WINE to get a free tkt! (reg price: $19.99+tax)

Please note tickets are only available online. One ticket per person. This will be first come first serve so register as soon as possible if you’re interested! This event is not redeemable for cash or credit value. Only non ticket holders are eligible.

Get up close and personal with Renoir at the Frick’s free Renoir Night! 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and it’s pay-what-you wish Fridays at the NY Aquarium!

Friday April 27 and Saturday April 28,2012

Midnight screenings galore Friday and Saturday w/The Long Riders at the IFC Center and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre at Bklyn’s Nighthawk Theater!

Saturday April 28, 2012

Given the recent strife bet the local media and the NYPD during the recent Occupy Wall Street protests, Chip Bishop’s book about the relationship bet then-mayor Teddy Roosevelt and journalist Joseph Bucklin Bishop seems esp relevant today. Check out this lecture on the book The Lion and the Journalist — The Unlikely Friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph Bucklin Bishop, 2 p.m.,Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, 28 E. 20th St. (reservations required: (212) 260-1616)

Still need you muppet fix after the recent muppets movie and the Museum of the Moving Image exhibit? Then head to the free screening of The Muppets Take Manhattan, Noon, Sony Wonder Technology Lab! Sony Plaza at 56th Street and Madison Avenue in New York City.(reservations suggested call (212) 833-8100.

Grab a cosmopolitan and shove those feet into your Manolos for Discovery Walking Tour’s Sex & the City tour, which take you to more than 24 of the gang’s favorite city spots in the Village and the Flatiron areas! 5:30 p.m., call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place, cost: $22!

See the spooky side of the city (you never know what lurks I the shadows…) with Discovery Walking Tours! “A tour of the historic, infamous and macabre of Greenwich Village history, with stops at Edgar Alan Poe’s home, the hanging elm, the burial ground at Washington Sq. and St. Mark’s Cemetery And you thought only subways ran beneath the streets” 7:15 p.m. Call 212-465-3331 for reservations and meeting place, cost: $20!

Follow the search for the perfect wing (what does that mean I wonder the spiciest? The messiest? The brightest orange?) Anyway join others and find out what makes the best wing at a free rough-cut fundraiser screening of Matt Reynolds’ documentary The Great Chicken Wing Hunt! Matt will be there as will other cast and crew as well as peeps from the NYC Wing Tour! 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Mudville 9, 126 Chambers Street, this event is free, no ticket required! But if you have a few spare coins and are feeling generous you can give to the project via their Kickstarter.com page. “Your donations will go to sound mix, color correction and other finishing touches that could make the difference, as they send this film to film festivals around the world.” Cost: free!!!

Find your inner Katniss Everdeen and sharpen those bow and arrow skills during today’s Archery program! Families and children ages eight and older are welcome to participate in this archery program! Participation in a mandatory safety review lead by a trained ranger is required. All equipment is provided. 10 a.m., Fort Greene Park Visitor Center (in Fort Greene Park), Brooklyn, free!

Hearken back to a simpler time w/street games from the 60’s and 70’s sponsored by NYC Parks and the Walt Disney Company! Play with pogo sticks, hula hoops, and yo-yos! Plus show off those mad jump rope skills with double Dutch! 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., Thomas Jefferson Park in Harlem, 114th and First Ave), For more information and a list of activities, please visit the official Street Games page, free! Location Details: In the event of rain, Street Games will be moved indoors to the Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center located in the park.

Strike a pose during World Tai Chi Day at Bryant Park! 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bryant Park, in midtown bet 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues, free!

It's all Greek to me! Dress as a Greek God or Goddess for the Shakespeare’s Sister company’s Dionysian E. Village scavenger hunt! There is also an after-party featuring food, games, raffles, a silent auction, and more! This event will benefit their upcoming all-female production of "Romeo and Juliet" 1 p.m. Meet at the arch at Washington Square Park, cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the event, buy tkts here 

Also the Hester Street Fair opens for the season and check out all the little-known city spots during Obscura Day!

Saturday and Sunday Apr 28, 2012 and April 29,2012

Say Konnichiwa to Japanese culture at the Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival! Events will feature "dance, martial arts, manga, demonstrations, and guided tours!" 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, cost: $15!

Plus free tkts for the Instant Vaudville play festival!

Sunday April 29,2012

Attend Nik Sokol’s (resident geologist at City Reliquary) last NYC lecture before he moves down under, as he reminds us that, “it helps to look down to know where you've been,” while talking about his findings in the past eight years. The lecture will be followed by a social hour and refreshments. 5 p.m. City Reliquary, 370 Metropolitan Ave. @Havemeyer Williamsburg, cost: Free! (but donations are always appreciated!)

Vroom, vroom! 33rd Annual Antique Auto Show drives on into the Queens County Farm Museum today! 11 a.m to 4 p.m., Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Directions are here: http://queensfarm.org/hours-directions.html cost: $5 for adults, $2 for children (ages 12 and under)!

Say cheese while celebrating Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day by making your own pinhole camera! Alice Austen House Museum, 2 Hylan Boulevard at Edgewater Street, Staten Island: two miles south of the ferry terminal in Staten Island, and one mile north of the Verrazano Bridge, cost $5 (inc. materials to make camera) Reservations required, email aliceaustenhouse@aol.com or call 718-816-4506 x10, to reserve your spot at this event! (reg admission is a suggested $3 donation, not clear if the $5 fee covers that, so be sure to ask!)

Learn about NYC’s labor history with Big Onion Walking Tours! “Weaving though the Central & East Village and the Lower East Side, this tour features the role that immigrants and the labor movement have played in the growth of New York City. Stops could include sites associated with the first Labor Day Parade in 1882, the ILGWU, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Samuel Gompers, Emma Goldman, Peter Cooper, and Clara Lemlich.” 2 p.m. Meet at the NE corner of Washington Square North and Fifth Avenue, opposite the Washington Square Arch, cost: $18!

Find out the hidden secrets of Park Slope families at this special rough-cut screening of A Song Still Inside! 6 p.m., Freddy’s Bar, 627 Fifth Ave, Brooklyn, free!

Get artsy at the new Sunday Craft Pop-Up markets sponsored by Sew Moni, a South Williamsburg seamstress and sewing shop! Local artists will display their wares for purchase and you can taste sweets and drinks on the store while shopping! Partipating vendors inc Brooklyn Thread, Glamourpuss, Big Bridge Studios, Brooklyn Cat, Hartland Brooklyn, Bar Soap Brooklyn, and Sweater Toys!This series will run through June 24 and beyond, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sew Moni, 330 S. 3rd Street (between Keap & Hooper) Bklyn, cost: free!

Also the New Amsterdam Market opens today for the season today!

Plus all w/e all long there are plenty of free Tribeca Film Festival events still going strong, http://www.ifccenter.com/series/weekend-classics/hitchcock/ Center, and activities related to the NYC 19th Century Extravaganza!

Cheap and Free NYC Weekend Events, April 20-22, 2012

Five photographers who focus on New York will be giving talks at the International Center of Photography starting tonight with Barbara Mensch! ICP, Sixth Ave. and 44th Streets, cost: $15! http://www.icp.org/events/2012/april/20/new-york-street-stories For more info and I guess start time, call 212-857-0001!

Join Mouth and the gang at the Tribeca Film Festival’s free screening of The Goonies at the Tribeca Drive-in, World Financial Center, 22 Vesey St., opens at 6:00 pm., Activities and programming begin at 6:30 p.m.Film screenings start at dusk (approx. 8:15 p.m., free! http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/goonies-film42780.html


Saturday Apr 21, 2012Check out free sporting activities sponsored by the Tribeca Film Festival! 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hudson River Park’s Pier 40, free! http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/events/Tribeca-NYFEST_Soccer_Day.html

Plant yourself on Roosevelt Island for the Fifth Annual Cherry Blossom Walk led by The Roosevelt Island Historical Society, 11 a.m. Meet at the R.I.H.S.Visitor Center Tram Plaza, Roosevelt Island, $10 suggested donation! For reservations: email rooseveltislandhistory@usa.com or call 212-688-4836.

Give back to the city you live in by participating in New York Cares Day across the city. 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. cost: $20* registration fee, To register go here: http://www.newyorkcaresday.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1013074

Crack open all the $1 oysters you can eat! 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Brooklyn Oenology, 209 Wythe Avenue, #106 (between N. 3rd and N. 4th), free! Just pay $1 per oyster!

Say hi to George Glass for me when you get to the Brooklyn Glass Open House! Workshops ongoing throughout the day! 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Brooklyn Glass, 142 – 13th Street, free!

Spin on into record stores for World Record Store Day today! http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home, say Buenos Dias at El Museo del Barrio’s Super Sabado celebration http://www.elmuseo.org/en/event/super-sabado-pachamama-celebrating-mother-earth

Celebrate original feminist Gertrude Stein at the Poets House event "Stanzas in Meditation: A Gertrude Stein Celebration." “Four emerging textual scholars - Logan Esdale, Susannah Hollister, Liesl Olson and Emily Setina - share their recent work in the Gertrude Stein archives at Yale University, moderated by the collection’s curator Nancy Kuhl. A reading of Stein’s poetic work follows, with Paolo Javier, Rachel Levitsky, Ariana Reines, Joan Retallack, Christopher Schmidt, Laura Sims and Stacy Szymaszek.” Panel discussion 1:00 p.m., reading 3:00 p.m., Poets House, 10 River Terrace, cost: $10, $7 for students and seniors, free to Poets House Members!

Tonight is also the last night for the free Tribeca "Drive-in" with Knuckleball! Doors at 6 p.m., activities and programming begin at 6:30 movie at dusk (approx 8:15 p.m.) World Financial Center, 22 Vesey Street, cost: free!http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/knuckleball_-film42758.html


Sunday Apr 22Bells from 100 ringers will be sounding at the 34th Annual English Handbell Festival at Riverside Church today! 4:00 p.m. in the Church’s Nave, at 490 Riverside Drive (bet. 120th & 122nd St.), Morningside Heights, $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. For tickets and additional information, the public can call the Riverside Box Office at 212-870-6784.Relax and enjoy the Global Cameristi concert in the parlor. Featured performers include Sarah Pratt will be featured on Violin, Claire Chan on Viola, Elisabeth Anderson on Cello, and Livio Caroli on Oboe. Music will include “the Mozart quartet for Oboe and strings composed specifically for a virtuoso oboe player in Munich whom Mozart greatly admired.” 2:30 p.m., Salmagundi Arts Club, 47 Fifth Ave., free!


For many more events this w/e go to my Earth Day Guide! http://cheapchickinthecity.blogspot.com/2012/04/nyc-cheap-and-free-earth-day-2012-and.html