Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The National Museum of the American Indian is one of NYC's best-kept “free” secrets.
New Yorkers are lucky in having a menu of freebies and cheapies in an expensive city. From Shakespeare in the
Park to car-less drive-in movies to kayaking along the Hudson, there's a host of remarkable activities that can't be
had in other cities at any price. Sleeping for cheap may be difficult, but there are some great exceptions. When it
comes to stocking up, the Big Apple's big volumes make for unexpectedly great bargain-hunting. Add in cheap
ethnic food and giveaway theater, and an urban adventurer can go far on very little. What follows is the best of
the best.
1 Best Entertainment Bets
•
Best Manhattan Parade:
New Yorkers are pros at assembling en masse. My favorite pageant is one of the
city's most inclusive, the
Greenwich Village Halloween Parade,
with elaborate costumes and a healthy dose
of gallows humor making the festive spirit infectious.
•
Best Outer-Borough Parade:
As New York events become more and more commercialized, it's nice to have
one occasion that's defiantly do-it-yourself. Coney Island's
Mermaid Parade
brings low-budget finery to the
Atlantic shore. Classic cars serve as the chariots for a procession of mermaids and Neptunes who will never
stand accused of being overdressed.
•
Best Festival: Harlem Week
began as a single day 30 years ago and now stretches across the month of
August. Film, jazz, and food festivals are among the highlights to be found along lovely brownstone blocks
Uptown.
•
Best DIY Rock Show: Arlene's Grocery
(95 Stanton St.;
212/358-1633
) is the tri-state's best place to play rock
star, with a live rock band to help you channel your inner Mick.
•
Best Cultural Center with Beer: Pete's Candy Store
(709 Lorimer St.;
718/302-3770
) does its part to keep
Williamsburg elevated and enlightened, bringing in live music and readings. Spelling bees and quiz nights
round out a full schedule of free diversions.
•
Best Bar Bands:
The former ballroom of the Brooklyn Academy of Music hosts
BAMcafé
(30 Lafayette Ave.;
718/636-4100
), for its free Friday and Saturday night music shows. The genres represented (rock, jazz, world,
and R&B) are as diverse as Brooklyn itself.
•
Best Jazzy Venue:
Low-pretense Brooklyn meets Euro sophistication over pints of Hoegaarden at Williams-
burg's
Zebulon
(258 Wythe Ave.;
718/218-6934
). Afrobeat, funk, and improv jazz can be heard here, most
nights with no cover.
•
Best Summer Music Festival:
Every year
SummerStage
(Central Park;
212/360-2777
) channels music fans
by the truckload into a small arena in the middle of Central Park. Though several shows are benefit perform-
ances with steep ticket prices, the calendar still offers names playing for free.
•
Best Summer Music Festival That's Not SummerStage:
The
Lincoln Center Out of Doors
(70 Lincoln Center
Plaza;
212/546-2656
) festival presents hundreds of acts every August. The range is staggering, covering jazz,
dance, opera, and everything in between.
•
Best Movie Screenings with a Roof:
Buy a membership at
MoMA
(11 W. 53rd St.;
212/708-9400
) and not
only will you get free admission, you'll also have the run of the institution's three theaters. The fare is arty and
never less than thought-provoking. For flicks 365 days a year, $85 is a bargain.
•
Best Movie Screenings Without a Roof:
Forty-Second Street welcomes movie fans with an eclectic selection
during the
HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival
(
212/512-5700
). The lawn fills up quickly, but that en-
hances the festive atmosphere.
