“A cricket in your house is good luck.”
Free (or Crazy Cheap) Things To Do in NYC
If you're visiting New York City (or even if you live here), these are the most popular free days that we should all be aware of.
Tuesdays
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, free from 8am - 6pm
The 9/11 Memorial Museum, free from 4:30pm - 7pm, and it's best to show up for this to get tickets at 4:15pm or so and they'll give you tickets with a time to come back at (which isn't a crazy request since it's free). If you're looking for things to do before your allotted time, there's a Century 21 across the street (not the real estate company, it's kind of a large department store) or you can see the Twin Towers water memorial infront of the museum.
Look at stars on The High Line - on Tuesdays through October, astronomers host free stargazing nights at New York City’s elevated park, where you can gaze up at the stars and planets via high-powered telescopes. Tuesdays through October. The High Line is between W. 13th St. and W. 14th St. at 10th Ave., 212-500-6035.
Wednesdays
Bronx Zoo, free from 10am - 6pm
The Staten Island Zoo, free from 2pm - 4:45pm, pretty sure the Staten Island ferry that you have to take to get there is free, too.
The New York Botanical Gardens, free from 10am - 6pm
Thursdays
The New Museum (on Bowery), pay $2 from 7pm - 9pm
Smaller Art Galleries in Chelsea, completely free. Sometimes has snacks.
The Museum of Arts and Design (Columbus Circle), free from 6pm - 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays
Fridays
The Museum of Arts and Design (Columbus Circle), free from 6pm - 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays
Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria (36-01 35 Avenue), free admission from 4pm - 8pm
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), free admission from 4pm - 8pm
International Center of Photography, free from 5pm - 8pm
The Whitney Museum, free admission (or pay .25 cents, can't remember) from 6pm - 9pm
The Aquarium at Coney Island, Aquarium Admission on Summer Fridays goes from 4pm - 5pm (before Sept 2) and on Fall/Winter/Spring Fridays from 3:00pm - 3:30pm (after Sept 3) is by pay-what-you-wish donation.
The Noguchi Museum in Astoria is free on the first Friday of every month.
Saturdays
The Guggenheim Museum, free from 5:45pm - 7:15pm
Sundays
The Frick Collection, free from 11am - 1pm
Everyday
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it says that their admission is $25, but if you look closer that's the recommended price. Don't be a sap and pay that. Every single time I go, I pay either .25 cents or $1 depending on what I have with me. Maybe that's being cheap, but they allow it so I say do it. All you do is say, "One ticket, please" and hand over what you want to pay. Also, they have a rooftop exhibit area that has a really nice view of the park. More thoughts here.
American Museum of Natural History, this place is the same deal at the Metropolitan (above), so you can pay what you want.
Sabon, if you ever see a Sabon store (it's a Body Shop type place), go inside and they'll ask you if you want to have your hands put through one of their routines. This isn't a thing only women do, they have a "gentleman" line and it makes your hands wicked and soft and great. If they don't ask you, then loom around the fancy sink they have in the middle of the store and then they'll ask. I tell people to get this done all the time 'cause it's great.
There are cheap movies days and here's a listing of them.
Real life night court. More on that here.
The arcade in Chinatown. It's small and not free, but cheap. Open all the days of the year. More here.
In the summer, the outdoor pool in Astoria. It's free as long as you bring your own lock.
Other Not Free Things, But Still Cheap
Renting row boats in Central Park.
Mini golf on Governor's Island (with a free ferry there).
Also this site (89th and Broke) is a really good site to bookmark 'cause of how many current/free things she blogs about.
This weekly free site's pretty okay, too.
Also, Bryant Park has tons of free stuff and sometimes free classes on things all the time (like juggling and beginner Italian for example).
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
Tip of the Day
I, in no way, encourage you to make these - but if you find yourself in a situation where you are in the process of making pot brownies, please please please use this lone tip.
You see this guy?
Magic Bullet
He's your best friend in the world for this act. You know how people use those tiny little grinders? THROW THAT SHIT AWAY! If you're making these brownies, you MUST grind it up in the Magic Bullet. After it's blended in here, you will see more crystals ground up than you ever thought possible. It's insane. I wish they could somehow include this tip in the complimentary booklet of recipes or something. Maybe someday they will, they definitely should.
Anyway, YOU'RE WELCOME.
30 Day Writing Challenge
I'm a big fan of internet challenges. I don't think they have the ability to completely change your routine and/or life permanently, but I think they're encouraging as hell and I'm sure there's at least one out there for anyone who's looking for a change in some aspect of his/her life.
Other than fitness and food challenges, it never occurred to me to try and find some more creatively-charged ones. I stumbled across this one on a now-defunct WordPress and I think it's a great one to take on when you find yourself in a writing rut.
Girl In Airport
I will forever love this.
Arugula, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Photo Credit: Food 52
Photo Credit: Food 52
I made this salad for Thanksgiving and IT IS INCREDIBLE. The next time you need to make a salad for a group of people, I aggressively encourage you to use this recipe. Other than the obnoxious pomegranate-cutting, it's ridiculously easy to make.
For The Vinaigrette
- 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepepr
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For The Salad
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 ripe pears, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
- 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
Instructions
In a small bowl combine the shallot, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and let vinaigrette stand at room temperature until salad is assembled. Combine the arugula, romaine, pears and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl. Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl (this works best if the cheese is very cold). Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add all but 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl. Gently toss the salad with your hands or salad tongs, coating the ingredients well with the vinaigrette. If the salad seems dry, add the vinaigrette in small increments until it is dressed to your liking. Crumble the remaining cheese over the salad and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds and the pistachios over the top. Serve immediately.
Recipe slightly adapted from Food 52.
“I don’t care how old you are, never watch The Blair Witch Project alone.”
Tomorrowland
I will forever love teaser trailers. We don't need longer than a teaser for any movie, EVER. When will the world learn that?! I don't even know if I'll love this movie (or even like it), but doesn't this trailer make it look incredible? Or maybe it's George Clooney's voice? I don't know what it is, but I am all about this.
MAC Cosmetics Recycling Program
“By returning six [6] M·A·C primary packaging containers to a M·A·C counter or M·A·C Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M·A·C lipstick of your choice as our thanks to you.”
Humans of the world, were you aware of this? I've been taking advantage of this program for years and don't have any plans to stop. You can find more information on what can be recycled here.